george.schnur

Sen. Tim Scott was selected by the GOP to give the rebuttal to President Biden’s speech. The Senator was in a tough spot because Republicans are still searching for a message which will connect with the majority of Americans. If his role was to tell us all to what degree GOP policies would be better than the ones proposed by the President, he failed. There were no comments on creating a living wage for people in poverty, no initiatives on providing children support or how to improve health care benefits. Instead he was defending some of Trump’s talking points that the pandemic was under control even though the highest number of daily infections were in December. That America isn’t a racist country when we know that his point is that Republicans aren’t racists even though White Supremacists are very comfortable within the Republican party. The GOP election rule changes are only to insure greater voting accountability and aren’t any attempt of voter suppression. But his greatest complaint was that the President wasn’t governing to unite the country. That clearly is white washing the fact that in the past four years Republicans themselves didn’t give one darn on governing in a bipartisan fashion. Even now House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel are indicating that they plan to oppose all of President Biden’s policies. Their approach may run counter to the wishes of the American public. Early polls seem to indicate that the President’s messaging is viewed to indicate an optimistic future.

I frequently wonder what people would say if we now had another Chernobyl disaster? How many in our population would react to radiation danger and say things we heard being uttered about Covid-19 like:

There is no radiation disaster to worry about since Bill Gates made it all up.

Warm weather will make radiation go away.

I have a very powerful immune system and radiation won’t impact me.

I don’t know anybody who died because of radiation.

Radiations isn’t more harmful than sunshine.

I will not have anyone telling me to take precautions against the threat of radiation.

Inhaling bleach fumes is effective against radiation.

The results of the 2020 census have been released and on the whole they aren’t surprising but may be a bit of a disappointment to the GOP. Since the results of this census cast a shadow on the political landscape for the next 10 years, the minor shift in congressional seats in southern states will benefit the GOP but not at the level they had expected. The census confirmed that some trends of the past are still at work. The traditional Midwest rust belt states saw a decrease in their populations while warm climate southern states saw increases due to people mobility. Overall population and immigration growth has slowed. The US population continues to age and birth rates are falling. I wonder if Trump desire to have the citizenship question added to the census may have kept Hispanics from participating in the census. Therefore the populations in Florida and Texas could actually be larger than being reported. A fact, if true, will not be reflected in the congressional seat allocation.

Studies have indicated that even if people don’t believe specific misinformation, falsehoods, mistruths and lies, their mere existence can still perpetuate a damaging narrative. Given that in the Trump administration was quick to point out that any inconvenient truth was Fake News and that any disagreement on policy issues was the work of liberals intending to turn the US into a socialist state, they must have been firm believers of such study results. Even now the Republican leadership follows that principle. A case in point is the Republican claim that Biden’s climate initiative would greatly reduce America’s hamburger consumption. Now how ridiculous is that? But there are people who do believe it!

This past Friday former Republican Sen. Santorum made remarks to a conservative group called Young America’s Foundation. In his comments he stressed that there was nothing here before the arrival of European settlers. Additionally he disparaged Native American cultures as being of little value to anyone. Clearly it shows that Sen. Santorum is totally ignorant or has no appreciation of Tribal Nations and their distinct cultural, spiritual and technological developments. The nation’s original inhabitants made various and comprehensive contributions to US society and culture. They introduced the settlers to plants like cotton, chocolate, corn. potatoes, tomatoes and tobacco. The wealth of the south was eventually build on cotton and tobacco while utilizing slave labor. In 1830 the Indian Removal Act passed under President Jackson referred to the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek and Seminoles as the Five Civilized Tribes. The were in many instances forcibly removed from their ancestral lands in order to provide good land and resources for settlers. May be it would have been better if Sen. Santorum had spoken honestly about our treatment of Native Americans and not undervalued their cultural contributions.

Four years ago neo-Nazi James Fields drove into a crowd of protestors killing one and inuring scores of others. That incident sparked outrage and the individual was charged and punished. In a sense, it was an act of terrorism. Now we see legislators in RED states passing laws with the intent to discourage protests and punish demonstrators. Bills in Florida and Oklahoma seem to shield drivers from civil liability if they injure protesters. Let us not forget that a bed rock of our democracy is that Americans have the right to peaceful protests. So if legislators feel that protests snarl traffic and are a nuisance, some better solutions must be found. I seriously doubt that granting immunity to motorists who run over protesters was the only thought in their minds when they drafted such ridiculous legislation. I fail to see how efficacy and ethics drive these Republican initiatives! American should not forget that many social changes which we now take for granted were the result of demonstrations and protests. Can you imagine a car being driven into the crowd at the 1913 Suffrage parade or the 1963 March on Washington? But now it can be acceptable behavior?

Why is it so difficult to pass comprehensive immigration reforms? Mostly it is due to political posturing between ultra progressives on the left and nativists on the right. But it was also heavily influenced by Trump’s former adviser Stephen Miller who forged an immigration policy which was in reality an anti-immigration doctrine. Basically its premise was that we are under threat of invading foreign hordes which will weaken our economy, culture and racial make up. Miller often referred to these foreign invaders as ‘aliens’. Unfortunately there are people who agree with Miller’s view of immigrants which goes totally counter to the fact that we are a nation of immigrants with the exception of those residing here when the first European settlers arrived. Without changes to our current immigration policy the crisis at the border and overstayed VISA’s will continue. Our politicians must have the will to address this problem and stop discussing it endlessly but finally move to take meaningful action. The time is not ‘later’ but ‘now’.

Immigration has become a flash point between the Republican and Democratic parties. We know that White supremacist groups have always stated that immigration will replace native born Americans in the electoral base. Now Republican lawmakers are echoing that claim with their ‘replacement’ theory. The census reality is that the vast majority of blacks and Hispanics in the US are already ‘native born’. Furthermore, census projections show that the Caucasian share of the population will decline while at the same time the overall population will grow older. An aging population means that fewer working people will have to support an exploding base of retirees. That will not only adversely impact economic growth but potentially force reductions in Social Security and Medicare benefits. That brings me back to the point that we do need to address the US immigration policy in a reasonable and coherent manner. Traditionally the US has always been open to immigrants arriving on our shores. I feel that the country has benefited by their arrival. By far they are hard working, eager to become American citizens and willing to do what any native born American would do. They serve in the military and pay taxes. But to draft and possibly pass an updated immigration policy will require bipartisanship, less bickering and, above all, a loss of fear that it is the wrong thing to accomplish.

The current Cpvid-19 fatality total is about to hit 575000. Among that total are doctors, nurses, technicians and associated essential workers who were providing patient care under trying circumstances and with tremendous pressure to save lives. But now we see that many of them are considering leaving the medical field completely driven by being over worked, suffering burnout, cases of trauma, and disillusionment about the profit motives of the industry. Recent polls indicate that health professionals considering leaving the profession may be as high as three out of ten. Another point being raised is that even though they are respected by the public, many people refused to wear masks and adhere to social distancing requirements. That was a cause of great frustration to everyone working in hospitals. T It is expected that those staying in the profession will potentially have mental health issues down the road. The US was facing a shortage of nurses and doctors before the pandemic and that situation is bound to worsen. The health care industry itself must do some soul searching if their staffing , level of preparedness and priorities need to be reevaluated to face the next health crisis which may come our way?

The Chauvin trial has ended with a guilty verdict for the defendant. There will be much debate and discussion if justice has been served. I see the whole matter as a needless double tragedy since George Floyd’s life shouldn’t have ended the way it did and the police officer should have been more reserved in his response. The members of the jury must be complemented for doing their duty under the most trying of circumstances. The witnesses called by the prosecution offered powerful testimony and it included members of the police force. There was no civil unrest on the streets as many had predicted and that is to be applauded. I do believe that the verdict surprised many and to me it means that a police officer was held accountable for his actions. I don’t feel like celebrating the trial result since I know that the lives of two family members have been impacted forever. For me the whole matter is a needless double tragedy from beginning to end.

Texans will select their next Governor in the upcoming November election. There is much speculation that actor Matthew McConaughey may challenge Gov. Greg Abbott. Early polls, whatever value they may have at this stage, indicate the the Governor has s light edge over the potential challenger with Republicans but is behind with Democrats. McConaughey is a native Texan and is popular with the public for his colorful comments criticizing both parties. Even though the actor has indicated that he is seriously considering a run for the Governor seat, he has not offered any clues if he will run as a Republican or Democrat. I am sure that both partied view him as a strong candidate and would welcome him with open arms once he makes his decision. If he comes out as a Democrat it would be a tremendous boost for their side since McConaughey would have a great chance of winning the election. That would then send shock waves through the Republican establishment that Democrats can now win important elections in Texas.

It isn’t totally unexpected at the OAN network has for months aired, repeated and supported many of Trump’s false claims about Covid and the past election. However, it is an amazing surprise when Marty Golingham, a producer, readily admits that the majority of his colleagues didn’t believe such misstatements and misinformation. A network executive even admitted that the had made their share of mistakes but are doing their best to keep them to a minimum since they did learn from those mistakes. The network even claims that they have implemented rigorous checks to ensure that their reporting meets rigid and high journalistic standards. Somehow I find it difficult to believe them since their whole claim to fame is to be huge supporters of far right wing thoughts and ideas.

We all remember that whenever the Trump administration was confronted with what they perceived to be inconvenient facts and truth it was immediately blamed on the existence of the ‘Deep State’. This was an invisible power base ruled by unknown sources determined to oppose his administration. That conspiracy theme was supported by FOX commentators, guests and the QAnon crowd. I was stunned when Republican Matt Gaetz invoked it as a reason that he is being investigated by the Justice Department for alleged participation in a sex trafficking’s ring. He is claiming, without proof, that he is being ‘cancelled’ and ‘may even be wanted’ by the Deep State. This investigation began when the Trump enabler Bill Barr was the Attorney General. Is Gaetz now saying that even a Trump loyalist like Barr is part of the Deep State? All I can say is that if you resort to blaming the Deep State for your troubles and behavior, you are most likely in a deep pile of horse manure!

The Republican party was once an ideology driven conservative movement which now has become an emotionally focused complaint center. Now their whole aim appears to create conflict, controversy, throw tantrums and display outrage when what is actually required is participation in solving critical national problems. The GOP legislators claim they desire bipartisanship but their history since 2010 indicates that it is not true. The Republican party opposed health care options, didn’t support a budget negotiated by their own House Speaker, voted against an immigration bill and refused to hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee. Recently they opposed the Covis-19 economic relief bill and are against any infrastructure legislation. Anybody who continues to believe that Republicans are actually willing to engage in bipartisanship lives in a dream world. They are neither Conservatives nor true believers but plain old obstructionists.

Speaking with people is our most frequently used method of communication. But sometimes without us realizing it the words we use have unintended consequences. They be misunderstood because we don’t necessarily grasp what meaning they may have for the person we address. If words should fail you, above all don’t panic. For those close to you like family and friends, a hug often will be much better than speech. Hug them as long as they need it. A written note or email is also acceptable to indicate compassion. But what may be the most important thing is that we probably should all listen more to what is being said to us. If we do that, we may even have less instances where words fail us!

I find it difficult to comprehend why the NRA would state that the organization is financially sound, yet seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. That odd legal maneuver is supported by their Board and audit function. The NRA leadership claims this move is necessary to protect itself from a NY state investigation of financial impropriety. However, the NY Attorney General states that their lawsuit will expose lavish and uncontrolled spending under Wayne La Pierre’s leadership of membership funds. The court proceedings are bound to bring out many other details embarrassing to the organization. Why was their CFO Craig Spray fired when he questioned La Pierre about questionable disclosures in IRS 990 filings? To what degree has the NRA become nothing more than the public face of the powerful gun lobby. To what degree have NRA money contributions to selected political candidates stymied every gun reform initiative? The public’s reaction to such revelations will have a direct impact on the future of the NRA!

To some people the WH Press Secretary position may seem not to be that important. But let us not make the mistake of undervaluing it. After all, it is the responsibility of the Press Secretary to provide the press corps information on the actions of the White House and communicate the President’s reactions to world events. I consider Jen Psaki to be one of the best WH Press Secretaries ever. I absolutely love the job she is doing. President Biden couldn’t have made a better choice for that position. Jen is calm, intelligent and never mean or contemptuous to the reporter base. She is a master of maintaining cool professionalism even while responding to silly questions. I see her remaining in her position for the whole term of Biden’s presidency. I never could understand why under Trump we had so many changes of personnel in that position unless some of the choices were poor picks to begin with!

Words like groovy, funky and uptight were originally black slang but moved into our daily vocabulary over time. The phrase ‘cancel, cancelling’ in regards to things and events may go back to a black songwriter’s lyrics when a line in his song was ‘love is cancelled’. Suddenly we were saying things like a TV show is cancelled or unacceptable behavior should just be cancelled. Now cancel is a current favorite phrase by people to describe anything that upsets them. If someone flies a Confederate flag and you point out that the US has only one flag and that is the Stars and Stripes, you immediately get accused by Republican’s of attempting to ‘cancel culture’. If you voice that some recent Republican voting legislation smacks of voter suppression, you are accused of “cancelling’ fair elections. It seems that the far right is driving the cancel term to new heights. They cancelled the danger of Covid-19. They cancelled the threat posed by cyberhacking by Russia. They cancelled that the Capitol attack was undertaken by Trump followers. And most importantly, they love to cancel facts and the truth.

The Hashemite dynasty in Jordan rules over a land which is barren and resource poor. It has been said that King Abdullah II reigns over a land of refugees since Syrian refugees make up 10% of the population of 10 million. Sure it is true that such high number of refugees have created a political, economic and resource challenge for the government. But the Kingdom has faced challenges even before the Syrians started arriving in numbers with climbing prices, high unemployment and severe corruption at all levels. So it shouldn’t be a shock that some former members of the government and younger members of the royal family may be behind that effort to force government changes or an overthrow of the King. Jordan’s military leadership appears to have send a warning to the King’s half brother, former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, to be careful and not do anything which could be interpreted as targeting Jordan’s security and stability. Wester countries view the monarchy to be a friendly nation and provide monetary and military support. Much of the money is aimed at refugee relief but little is known how the government actually spends it. For now, Israel, Great Britain, the US and all Arab states have voiced their support for King Abdullah II.

The need to upgrade the US infrastructure is being debated constantly but no focused attempt to do something about it ever materializes. Experts all agree that our infrastructure is dangerously busting at the seems. Our 20 trillion Dollar economy relies on the network of roads, bridges, rails and ports to electrical grids and the Internet. In addition, engineers have repeatedly warned that insufficient capacity isn’t the only problem but safety concerns are as well. Many bridges across the country are structurally deficient while antiquated water and sewage systems pose severe risks to public health. Economists and analysts view investment in infrastructure to be a powerful boost to the economy. Not only will it add jobs but improve commerce and trade. Countries like France, Germany, Japan and Great Britain are ranked above the US in infrastructure quality. In these countries infrastructure funding comes mostly from federal Dollars while here we expect the states and local governments to cover 75% of the funding. Given that states are cash strapped, it seems that federal stimulus funds are required. The Trump administration had considered a 2 trillion Dollar infrastructure bill but then decided to pursue the massive tax cut instead. Now the Biden administration is serious about addressing the US infrastructure situation with the same price tag but is running into Republican opposition to it. Well, we shouldn’t kick the can down the road again but have the courage to tackle the problem once and for all!

The countries with substantial colonies in Africa, Americas and Asia were Portugal, Spain, England, Belgium, Holland and France. In all these colonies the populations eventually demanded freedoms from excessive control and tax burdens of their respective colonial power. The first break was that of the newly formed United States from England. That was followed by bloody revolutions in the Americas which forced Portugal and Spain to give up their colonies and lead to the formation of many countries. England granted sovereignty to Canada, New Zealand and Australia early on but held on to all of their other colonies. The immediate post World War II period renewed the call for freedom in the remaining colonies in the world. England, Belgium and Holland found themselves in a tough positions and agreed that their colonies would became independent nations. That left France as the last colonial power but in the fifties and sixties they too had no alternative but to give up their territories in Africa and Indochina. That all showed that the demands of a united group of citizens can be held at bay by force for a while but eventually they will succeed. We have seen the will of the people leading to the end of apartheid in South Africa and the passing of Civil Rights legislation in the US. I expect that the will of the people will force changes around the world on various issues in the future.

The large corporation in our country seem to take a stance on national issues only if there is public backlash against them. The current example is the situation unfolding in Georgia. The CEO’s of Delta and Coca-Cola have now come out with highly critical comments about the new election law just signed by their Governor. Many of the new provisions in the law will make it more difficult for minorities to cast their ballots in future elections. This has resulted in national media attention and much criticism by organizations as being an attack on citizen voting rights. Even though the current position of Delta and Coca-Cola are correct and appreciated, we know that this legislation wasn’t crafted overnight and most of its restrictive content was well know before it was passed. That is why I ask: ‘Where were their company voices while this was going on?’. Both companies are critical components of the Georgia economy and if they had indeed raised objections early on, may the Republican state legislators would have gotten the message and acted in a less partisan manner. All this shows again that America’s huge commercial enterprises only take a position only if public sentiment threatens their brand. Their first line of defense appears to ride out the storm and only take action when they fear a potential negative impact on earnings.

In spite of modern technology maritime disasters still occur. The latest being the Evergreen container vessel blocking the Suez canal for several days. The ship was wedged across the canal stopping all traffic. A detailed investigation has been launched to determine if the cause was human error or some form of technical failure. The Evergreen is owned by a Japanese frim, operated by a Taiwanese shipper, flying a Panamanian flag and stuck in Egypt. Thus the ship represents a multi national conglomerate which halted billions of Dollars of maritime commerce per day. Over 300 ships were backed up due to this disaster. The event happened on March 23rd and wasn’t resolved until March 31. No doubt the losses to shippers and potential physical damage to the ship will lead to many lawsuits. However, only after the investigation determines the cause of the accident will the impact of the legal liabilities of ship and cargo interests be settled by their insurance firms. The cost of the unblocking the ship itself probably ran into the millions of Dollars. I am sure that Egyptian government will seek reimbursement for that quickly. I expect the resolution of all lawsuits to take years.

We all Know that Trump dislikes the Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger immensely since he refused to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Trump went as far as to ask him to find him 80000 votes in a phone call. That too failed since Raffensperger is a person of integrity. So now Trump has come out endorsing Rep. Hice to oppose Raffensperger in the next Georgia election. The motive is crystal clear since Hice has echoed much of Trump’s bogus election claims. Hice has repeated the lies about thousands of illegal votes and that drop ballot drop boxes weren’t sufficiently monitored. Trump must feel that with Hice in charge his party will have someone in place who can influence elections. This is nothing more but a dirty move to set into motion plans to overturn Georgia election results in the future if republicans don’t agree with them!

Last Thursday Trump was on his favorite news channel FOX to rewrite history about the Capitol rioters. He blatantly stated that the rioters represented zero threat from the start and they were merely there to hug and kiss police forces and guards. That is such an outrageous denial of what we all saw playing out on our TV screens. We all know that people were killed in that infamous incident and over 300 rioters have been charged with various criminal offenses. Yet in view of all facts, the vast majority of Republicans remains silent. Is it a lack of courage to speak out against lies? Is it fear of being shamed by Trump loyalists? Are they embarrassed that the person they had elected in 2016 to the highest office in the land is now uttering such nonsense? I can’t understand why so many just accept Trump’s behavior which does seem, at least to me, to be totally unacceptable for anyone and even more so for a former president.

Each state has created its own policy on population vaccination priorities. They have also published information on how the insured and uninsured will be treated. Our government is providing the vaccine free of charge to us. Therefore there should be no out of pocket expense for anyone (insured or uninsured) but that isn’t the case. Some providers have a Covid-19 administration charges for the patients. I know that in New Jersey the providers that administer vaccinations to patients without health insurance or those whose insurance doesn’t cover such charge may not charge the enrollees directly for administration fees. If you live in a state which permits administration charges, you can seek reimbursement of them through the Health & Services Administration. The point is that whether you are insured or uninsured there is no reason for you not to get vaccinated.

We should all feel great that the covid-19 vaccination effort is moving along quickly and lead to some level of herd immunity to it. But we shouldn’t deceive ourselves into believing that any level of herd immunity will protect us forever from this virus. We already know that this virus develops different variations and will do so in the future. These new strains could endanger herd immunity. Also scientists don’t know how long herd immunity protection lasts. Then there are issues of various vaccines not being distributed equally around the globe and they offer different levels of protection. That may indicate that our path to herd immunity may actually only be a road to a new normality. The virus danger will be greatly reduced but not fully eradicated and health agencies must maintain watchful eyes on the virus for years o come.

The Senate Minority leader Senator Mitch McConnell should know the filibuster history of his legislative body. That is why his comments that the filibuster had no racial history is either a deliberate misdirection or outright ignorance. McConnell stating that historians agree with him on that point adds implausibility to his argument. It is well documented that the longest single and multiple speaker filibusters in the Senate were initiated to delay or stop the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1964. The filibuster in 1064 lasted for 60 days before a bipartisan coalition was able to end it. There is nothing wrong in debating the merits of the filibuster process but attempting to mislead the public on how it has been used in the past is not doing anyone of us a service. The Senator from Kentucky knows that for sure.

For the longest time people coming to the United States wasn’t an issue. Certainly the arrival of some groups like the Irish, Italians and early Chinese railroad workers had some short term backlash. But in the past twenty years immigration and associated policies have entered the political arena and will remain in it for some time. Whenever you look at immigration you have to consider two powerful forces. One is public sentiment and the other is government action. Whenever there is an economic downturn, public sentiment rises against immigration while in a robust economy it decreases. When it comes to federal administrations, Democrats are viewed to be more liberal on it while Republicans prefer to take a hard line approach against it. The immigration situation is a dilemma with no easy solution. People in Latin and South America will continue to seek a better life and the US will be their destination of choice. To simply say that they should follow the available legal options won’t stop that flow. The current situation at our southern border is of concern to the public and should be for the administration. The Mexican government has the ability to limit access to their country and can refuse to provide pass through privileges to the US border. Right now they don’t appear to ignore the situation. However, they may be open to take steps if our country offered them a financial incentive. The Trump administration had vetoed such a payment last year. Of course, even if it had been paid, there is no guarantee that Mexico would have taken meaningful action to reverse the people migration. The flow of refugees to more stable and richer nations is not only a US problem but has become an issue for all European countries as well.

Everyone who is opposed to receiving the Covid-19 vaccinations should remember the response to the polio epidemic in the early 1950’s. Just like now, the vaccine opposition was driven by emotions and deep rooted beliefs which were philosophical, political or spiritual. In 1952 there were 60000 polio cases in the US leading to 3000 fatalities and 21000 victims being paralyzed. Two polio vaccines were developed with the Salk version being administered for the first time to Pittsburgh school children on February 23, 1954 after trial approval. The trial involved 1.8 million people and at that time 6 children became ill and died. That was traced to the vaccine produced by Cutter Lab’s which didn’t follow the outlined manufacturing protocol. By April 1955 mass vaccinations of American school children began and by the early 1060’s the polio epidemic had virtually disappeared. Small pockets of polio occurred in 2019 in Afghanistan and Pakistan and was traced to a decrease in polio vaccination coverage. Unfortunately we have some virus vaccination hesitancy now. Those individuals should really reconsider their stance. The prudent thing is to protect yourself and everyone around you.

Sidney Powell, legal hero of the right-wing, achieved her fame by being critical of the Mueller report and as an advocate of far-right conspiracy theories. After Trump’s election loss she made wild accusations that Dominion Voting Systems equipment may have contributed to election fraud. The company wasted no time and in January filed defamation law suit against her. Powell’s defense attorney yesterday filed legal documents requesting that the Dominion defamation suit be dismissed on grounds that ‘no reasonable person’ would conclude that her accusations of election fraud were ‘true statements of facts’. This is nothing more of someone spouting baseless nonsense and when called on the carpet to provide proof, saying that they didn’t really mean it. Well, as a lawyer she certainly should have known that her actions had a strong chance of placing her in legal liability. It will be interesting to see what consequences her words will have!

The FBI investigation into identifying the major culprits responsible for the Capitol riot has resulted in over 300 individuals being charged to date. The defendants rage from individuals who may only be charged with misdemeanor trespassing while those attacking security forces may face serious prison time. The Washington DC US attorney’s office expects upward of 400 criminal charges based on mountains of evidence. Lawyers for some defendants are already considering plea deals for their clients. The plea deal is basically an agreement between the defendant and the prosecutor in which the defendant pleads guilty or no contest for a reduction in charges or recommendation to the judge for a lenient sentence. The problem for the defendants is that plea deal offers are not open ended and expire after a set time limit. All of them have to decide if they want to go to trial or possibly consider a plea deal. A trial would disrupt their normal life for a long time while a plea deal offers a quicker way to put their participation in the Capitol riot behind them. In either case they will suffer some consequences based on their actions.

The House of Representatives has passed to the Senate voting rights legislation for their approval. In the House not a single Republican voted for it. In the Senate all eyes will be on Senator Mitch Romney since he appears to the the only Republican who has spoken out against racial injustice. As a devout Mormon he has marched in support of Black Lives Matter events organized by evangelical Christian groups. His father, a Michigan Governor, had participated in the 1960’s in Detroit civil rights marches. Now Senator Romney will have the opportunity to show if he is a true champion of democracy or merely a Republican who speaks of racial equality but can’t overcome his party’s politics when honest and resolute action is required. But we citizens must also take a position on racial equality. We must ask ourselves how meaningful are our expressions to racial equality if we aren’t willing to protect the voting rights of Black Americans now threatened by severe voting law changes in virtually all RED states?

Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky is certainly a colorful character prone to say outrageous things nd support wild initiatives. Paul’s latest folly was to delay the passing of coronavirus legislation which provides free virus testing, paid emergency leave and an increase to federal Medicaid funding to states. Paul introduced an amendment giving the President power to transfer funds, terminate US military operations in Afghanistan and require SS numbers for the purpose of child tax credits. His amendment was soundly defeated. Given his record of things he said regarding the election and Covid-19, I wonder if he likes to play the fool or if he actually is one!

The shooting at three Atlanta area spas resulting in the deaths of eight individuals is another tragic mass shooting. Six of the individuals were Asian-Americans. The perpetrator, a twenty-one year old white male, was apprehended and has since been charged with murder. What was equally disturbing is when in the initial police update by the Sheriff’s office spokesman Jay Baker stated that the subject was at the end of his rope and that is what he ended up doing. There is no such thing as a bad day that makes you go out and shoot people. That comment was insensitive, unwarranted and callous. Now it has come out that Baker’s social media footprint shows that as early as last year he often referred to Covid-19 as the China virus. He echoed words often used by Trump and his ardent followers when speaking bout the virus. Sheriff Frank Reynolds in Cherokee county was informed of Baker’s comments and promised to look into the situation. Even if Baker had a bad day as well, his comments were way out of line.

Tuesday’s release of an Intelligence Report clearly indicates that Russia again meddled in our elections in 2020 using the same strategy which they used in 2016. No doubt that Putin again wished for Trump to emerge victorious in the election. Thus he authorized operations to undercut Biden’s campaign by planting false information about the candidate. The Kremlin effort was based on used Ukrainian lawmakers who appeared to be Russian agents to spread unsubstantiated negative Biden allegations to Trump staffers and friends, US media and lawmakers. All that information centered on linking Biden to corruption in the Ukraine. As the November election date was approaching, the Trump campaign resorted aggressively to using this misinformation in their political advertisements. We will never know how may people bought in to the false Biden information but it shows us that all elections in the future will have similar interferences.

Former president Trump who received his Covod-19 vaccination in secret early on finally took the important step to urge Americans to do the same. He asked Americans to get vaccinated and proclaimed the vaccine to be safe. His words, long overdo, but finally spoken, hopefully will reduce vaccine hesitancy on part of Republicans. Recent statistics confirmed again that Democrats and Independents readily line up for that prick in the arm while 50% of Republicans appear to have serious reservations about doing so. Well, their party leader has now publicly declared that they should get it done. They should listen to him and protect themselves and us in the process. It is even important now with over 72 million people having received at least one vaccination since coronavirus hot spots are still emerging throughout the country.

Yesterday Deb Haaland was confirmed as the Secretary of the Interior. Republicans were strongly opposed to her confirmation fearing that she is not a friend of Trump’s deregulatory agenda. As a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe she becomes the first native American cabinet secretary in US history. Her appointment is hailed by environmental organizations since our continent’s indigenous people have always shown reverence, respect and humility in their relationship with the environment. Native Americans always maintained a delicate balance between what they took from the land and what they gave back to it. The Interior Department still mages twenty percent of US lands and although harnessing benefits from it has advantages it must be done in a responsible way. We can not go back to the time when much damage was done to the environment by unscrupulous resource extraction. In the US it all began with the discovery of gold In California in 1849 and then on Indian lands about 150 years ago. But on our continent the arrival of the Spaniards in 1500 led to the largest quest of gold and silver ever and in the process not only damaged the land but destroyed many cultural treasures. We certainly should use public lands to our mutual benefit but we should always do it wisely!

Yesterday Deb Haaland was confirmed as the Secretary of the Interior. Republicans were strongly opposed to her confirmation fearing that she is not a friend of Trump’s deregulatory agenda. As a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe she becomes the first native American cabinet secretary in US history. Her appointment is hailed by environmental organizations since our continent’s indigenous people have always shown reverence, respect and humility in their relationship with the environment. Native Americans always maintained a delicate balance between what they took from the land and what they gave back to it. The Interior Department still mages twenty percent of US lands and although harnessing benefits from it has advantages it must be done in a responsible way. We can not go back to the time when much damage was done to the environment by unscrupulous resource extraction. In the US it all began with the discovery of gold In California in 1849 and then on Indian lands about 150 years ago. But on our continent the arrival of the Spaniards in 1500 led to the largest quest of gold and silver ever and in the process not only damaged the land but destroyed many cultural treasures. We certainly should use public lands to our mutual benefit but we should always do it wisely!

There are no changes in Kremlin policy toward independent Russian media outlets. The Russian newspaper Novoyo Gaseta (New Newspaper) known for its criticism of the Putin administration was subject of a chemical attack on their office. It is a stark reminder that a former reporter of theirs by the name of Julia Latyna suffered a similar gas attack in 2017 on her car and apartment. She became so fearful of her life that she went into exile in the west. The New Newspaper is by far the most important independent publication in Russia. Obviously this attack is a clear message to their editorial staff to be very careful going forward on what they publish. For those of you who may have read the book ‘Nothing new in the West’ which was against war and was banned in the Third Reich, I shall paraphrase is and say: “Nothing new in the East!’.

Western military experts are becoming increasingly concerned of the significant investment the Chinese government is making in artificial intelligence (AI) development for military purposes. Their focus appears to be the creation of autonomous or think for yourself weaponry. This could have a severe impact on the existing military balance in the world while increasing threats to global stability and security. Not only is the danger limited to a future conflict which uses such weapons but it exists even now since China could rush to place such weapons into service. That attempt to gain a technical advantage runs the risk that unsafe weapons could be deployed because of inadequate testing, handling and supervision. Thus is represents a tremendous threat to US interests and our overall security. Our government must aggressively counter the China AI military development with focused action and the commitment of substantial funds to maintain parity in this futuristic type of potential warfare. We can’t afford to lose this battle!

There are many comments made by politicians that I consider to be very annoying. The following are on top of my list:

Food stamp recipients aren’t poor but are merely scamming the system.

Any ballot cast by a non-white person is a suspicious fraud vote.

The long term unemployed won’t lift a finger to help themselves.

If you provide direct payments to needy Americans they will not seek employment.

Shrinking the national deficit is a must but tax cuts for the rich ate fine.

People who accept public benefits are ‘takers’ and not ‘makers’.

This is just a small sampling of comments floating around. The problem is that they are all false and only serve to reinforce misconceptions about working class and poor Americans. The public should be concerned that you only hear Republican lawmakers utter such nonsense. What is their problem helping people who have fallen on hard times?

Once allegations were made ageist Gov. Cuomo of questionable behavior, his fellow Democrats, including both NY Senators, wasted no time, going on record that it may be difficult for him to remain in office. Democrats took the same course of action when former Sen. Al Franken came under fire for such behavior. In other words, Democrats look at the alleged evidence of wrongdoing, the severity of misconduct and the moral and political cost of defending improper behavior. They have proven they will take action in those cases. Now let us compare that to what Republicans have done when accusations were made against one of their politicians. The best example is probably the case of former president Trump. They have shown time after time that they will ignore serious allegations and pretend that they are nothing. I ask why there was no Republican rage after the Access Hollywood tape was made public or why the rape accusation by Jean Carroll was swept under the carpet or why Trump’s payment to a porn star to keep their one night stand hidden didn’t stick with them as behavior most unbecoming for someone in power. It all shows me that Democrats will make tough moral choices while Republicans don’t seem to care!

Russians are very active on social media platforms criticizing Putin’s regime for steep rises in food prices and obvious political oppression. Putin’s administration is keenly aware of that development and is taking measures to control and restrict Russia’s cyberspace and foreign social media companies. Recently the government deliberately slowed down Twitter claiming is was responsible for anti-Putin protests. Kremlin spokesperson Simonyan even suggested that Russia should ban all foreign social media like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for not purging their content of harmful information to the Russian public. Given that Russia is holding parliamentary elections in September, I expect Kremlin insecurity to heighten. The crack down on cyberspace will accelerate and become even more restrictive.

The IRS priority in the past years has been to drastically reduce audit coverage of the rich and corporations while keeping the audit rate for average citizens constant. It is well known fact that tax dodging high income individuals and big corporations are extremely skilled in avoiding paying their fair share of taxes. Some of it is due to dubious tax shelters passed by our politicians but many deduction manipulations being implemented would be easily discovered if more audits were being done on the wealthy. I would suggest that we increase funding for the Internal Revenue Service to hire more audit professionals to launch an aggressive drive to collect on billions of Dollars which aren’t being paid. I am convinced that it would be a good policy and great politics to convince the public that the IRS is soft on potential tax cheats whether they are the super rich or corporations. I feel that even Republicans who care so much about the national deficit would support beefing up tax enforcement in order to increase funds derived via tax collection. This suggestion would create jobs and the recovery of due tax Dollars would be a welcome addition to the national treasury!

Yesterday Merrick Garland, appellate judge, was confirmed by the Senate with a 70-30 vote to be the new US Attorney General. His immediate mission will be to restore morale and uphold the integrity of the Justice Department which was left by his predecessor Bill Barr in shambles. During the Trump administration the Justice Department under Barr was transformed into a partisan body focused on protecting the former President by any means even if it meant to disregard the rule of law and the Constitution. Barr repeatedly undermined investigations which might damage the White House. He clearly gave special treatment to Trump allies who had broken the law. This will now all change because Merrick Garland is a through and through legal professional with integrity who feels he is bound by the rule of law and the Constitution. I take the Senate vote which included 20 Republicans who joined Democrats in confirming Garland to his new position to be a most welcome departure from partisan politics. It will spell an end to Barr’s philosophy that hypocrisy is a virtue!

Certainly Prince Harry and Meghan have stirred up a hornet’s nest with their interview with Oprah. It is bound to lead to further revelations of some sort or another in spite of today’s statement by the Queen that the interview raised some troubling points which will be addressed internally as a family matter. The British public has been divided on the the Institution of Royalty for some time and this episode will probably result in future public dialogue on the relevancy of the monarchy in our modern time. Britain is a multi cultural society and any implication of racism on part of royal family members is serious and has no place in their society. But at he same time the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had to realize that the Queen is always the undisputed center of the royal universe, followed by her son Charles, the potential heir to the Throne, then by Prince William, a future King and then they are in line of the royal pecking order. I doubt that Prince Harry failed in informing her that this was going to be the rule within the royal family. Maybe them walking away from everything was indeed the right step for them to take but it is too early to tell right now. The Duke of Windsor, after giving up the Crown to marry a divorce, never attacked the institution. Prince Harry may discover that he created a wound which will be hard to heal!

When former President Obama first took office the country was in the midst of the financial crisis caused by poor bank regulation oversight. The Democrats were able to pass a stimulus bill over Republican objections. However, Republicans were able to convince the public that the bill was a case of bailing out the ‘fat cats on Wall Street’ with little benefit to the public. That message had appeal within the public and the relief bill was unpopular. This time all Republicans opposed President Biden’s Pandemic Relief Bill and that their only reason for doing so is that it costs too much. This time around their defense for their opposition to helping Americans in need finds no support with the public. Many Americans feel the pain of economic insecurity and all polls show that the the public accepts that Biden’s actions are worth supporting. The public recognizes that the overwhelming amount of funds will flow directly to them or programs which benefit them. I will admit that there are probably some provisions in the bill which could have been cut if more time were taken to discuss it in laborious detail but the need is now, it is urgent and immediate action is required. I applaud the administration to having courage to be bold and aggressive in their response to the pandemic related financial hardships place on many Americans. It does have strong public support in spite of Republican opposition and irrelevant criticism.

The period in American history from 1865 until 1877 is referred to as the the time of reconstruction for the southern states. Freed blacks made some progress during those 12 years by being engaged in local politics and opening small businesses. That progress came to a screeching halt when reconstruction ended. What followed really became the first example of ‘cancel culture’ perpetrated by the politicians of the former Confederate states. The Old South was being portrayed as a period when everyone lived happily in a land of milk and honey. Giant statues were being erected in major and small southern towns celebrating Confederate generals as if they were freedom fighters rather than traitors to the Union. But the uglier side of that time was a severe return to oppressions of the black population by restricting their voting rights and outright violence directed at them. There was a total disregard of the 14th and 15th amendments and the federal government and Supreme Court stood idly by as southern states ignored laws of the nation. This was an unfortunate chapter in our history and sadly it didn’t come to an end until the early sixties when massive civil disobedience movements woke up the population and finally forced government actions.

While millions of Americans fear not being able to cover basic expenses for rent and food, Republicans one again are on the war path that it will ‘cost too much money’. However, that is never an issue or consideration when they are seeking tax cuts, funds for wall building or monies for third parties to operate detention centers. Not a single Republican is willing to support the Covid-19 Relief package. I suggest the GOP party look seriously at the just completed AP/NORC poll which shows great public support for passage of economic relief quickly. Over 70% of Americans approve Biden’s handling of the pandemic and that includes 44% of Republicans. Americans are increasingly more optimistic about the future. About 48% Americans feel the country is heading in the right direction which is a substantial increase of the 37% reported in December. That optimism is driven by the fact that vaccinations are now over 2 million a day, greater amounts of vaccine are hitting the pipeline and that agreement on providing economic relief will be settled. That all proves that Americans aren’t buying the Republican cost argument. Their opposition to the relief bill is hard to comprehend and may lead to negative consequences for them in the 2022 mid term elections.

One of the most influential individuals in the White House under Trump was his son in law Jared. Even though he had no experience in government affairs he was in charge from Middle East peace negotiations to efforts to streamline government agencies. So to speak he was viewed by Trump to be a unique talent who could do anything. After the 2020 election when Trump kept repeating that the election had been stolen from him, Jared never offered full throated support of that lie. He was also conspicuously absent at the CPAC conference which was the place to be if you had future political ambitions. Maybe the past four years have soured his view of political life and he decided he doesn’t wish to be part of it any longer. Or could it be that he was never a favorite with the Trump base ands options in the Republican party are slim? Or did he have a falling out with his father in law which made him decide to leave politics. In any case, Jared has kept an very low profile and I can’t keep from wondering why that is so.

Since the beginning of 2021 former VP Mike Pence has been silent while remaining in the shadows of the political scene. He was waiting to see in which direction the political winds would blow. I believe his re-emergence is directly tied to the CPAC meeting and the speeches and actions taken there. Pence realized that if he still harbors presidential aspirations for 2024 he must take a stand in line with CPAC philosophies. So suddenly he co-opted an article in the Daily Signal, a conservative publication, echoing all the comments made at CPAC about voting irregularities. Pence is an ambitious person who is making a serious political calculation that in spite of the straw poll voting which indicated that Trump is the overwhelming candidate to be the Republican candidate in 2014 that he may still have a shot. My guess is that his reasoning may be that Trump faces severe legal jeopardy in New York which will remove him as a contender. The Florida Governor came in second in the poll but his star may fade with time. Pence knows that in order to have a possible shot at the 2024 nomination he must appeal to the Trump base of followers. That is why Pence came out with his comments that he too felt that there are voting irregularities which must be addressed. However, Pence’s change of heart may be too late and the Trump base may not forget his previous behavior!

Let us be honest and admit that neither Republicans nor Democrats can deliver us a paradise not matter what they may promise. But what we should be able to expect is that politicians in both parties pay attention to the needs of the country, remember their oath to the Constitution and stop idle bickering. Unfortunately that is not what we see and get. Emotions on both sides are still running high on issues like the 2020 election and the best way to deal with the pandemic. These are circumstances which make it difficult to make progress. However, all our elected politicians must find a way to put their differences aside and provide direct relief to Americans in financial peril and universally support the push to get everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible. That is the only path to economic recovery and our former way of life. As Winston Churchill said: ” Blood, sweat and toil is the way to go!’. Idle and meaning less rhetoric doesn’t get us anywhere! Our politicians must devote their energies not to make pie in the sky promises but role up their sleeves and deal with realities!

About 75 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered. That total includes Americans who have received both vaccinations and those who have received only one. The vaccine used to date is from Pfizer and Moderna. The Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccine is being shipped now and will reach states by weekend. With about 15% of the population having received that prick in the arm, only minor side effects have been reported. Those are minor swelling of the arm, fever, fatigue and possible headaches. Those symptoms disappear within 24 hours. In spite of the effectiveness of the vaccines, there are high rates of vaccine hesitancy. That fact impedes our collective progress against the virus. Polls suggest that refusal to be vaccinated follows party lines. BLUE states have lower rates of vaccine hesitancy when compared to RED states. Overall 70% of Democrats and 47% of Independents are being vaccinated but that number drops down to 44% for Republicans. Reasons given for vaccine refusal are worries about possible side effects and concerns over its overall safety. What is forgotten by many is that the virus doesn’t care about your political party affiliation. I see the difference in the way Republicans and Democrats view the vaccinations strictly as their response to what they have been told in the past 10 months. Trump downplayed the seriousness of the virus all along and unfortunately many of his followers still believe that it is. I must remind them that Trump and Melania were vaccinated while they were still in the White House but elected not to admit it at that time. So I ask you to do what your party leader has done and line up for that prick in the arm!

No week goes by without some Senator or House member spinning some weird fairy tale. In the past week Senator Cruz tried in vain to white wash his short escape to Cancun avoiding the serious situation in his native state of Texas. But the clear winner of the Gold Medal for being most ridiculous in his story telling is Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. He took time on the Senate floor to read parts of a Federalist article which implied that agents-provocateurs, fake Trump supporters and/or Antifa dressed up in Trump regalia were part of the mob attacking the Capitol. Now we know that such nonsense has been rebuked by the FBI and the Congressional Police leadership. The article depends on the observations of an individual who with his keen eyesight was able to identify these masquerading Liberals. I fail to grasp and understand why Liberals would bother to dress up to join a bunch of nuts in a mob to over rule the results of an election that they had won!

The vast number of Americans receive their medical health coverage through employment based options, private plans, Medicaid and Medicare. Since medical expenses are spiking at an alarming rate for years now, the insurance market place has invented co-pays and deductibles to transfer some of that expense to the insurance holder. You can call these additions nothing more than fancy terms for cost sharing. Even individuals covered by Medicare require supplemental health insurance since the government covers only 80% of incurred costs. An insurance deductible has you pay for health services up to the established limit before the insurance plan starts to pay. A higher deductible will carry a lower monthly premium. Insurance companies have gone so far as to offer Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze deductible plans. That leaves the consumer guessing which rate/deductible combination is economically the most feasible one. All of this translates into the reality that the consumer has to pay more every year for his health coverage. But in spite of the available health coverage net, about 28 millions Americans have no health care coverage at all. Some may elect not to sign up for it but by far they are individuals who lack the financial means to afford it. In a sense we have created a society where health coverage is fine if you have the ability to PAY for it but if you don’t your only option is to PRAY that you remain healthy!

I shall be direct and readily admit that I don’t hold Texas Senator Ted Cruz in high esteem. He is nothing more than a pompous and arrogant elitist with presidential aspirations for the 2024 election. All of his actions in support of former president Trump speak to that. Certainly his trip to Cancun while his constituents were without electrical power and freezing in their homes was not only ill advised but right down stupid. But there is no need to stay on that story any longer since he will offer more examples of self destruction in the future. I do feel sorry for the Texans who voted for him. They deserve much, much better than Senator Cruz delivers! I wonder how many of them are now regretting that they didn’t vote for for Beto O’Rourke in the Senate race?

Since the 2020 presidential election political advisers and analysts within both parties have sliced and diced the results numerous times. My high level view focuses on the total popular vote since I believe that demographic changes are the best indicator for future elections. In the 2020 election President Biden has about seven million more votes than Trump. In the fifteen battleground states Trump edged out Biden by about one million. In the remaining states Biden had a margin of eight million votes over Trump. That is a sizeable increase in the popular vote variance since the 2016 election. I believe that fact has caused alarm bells to ring within all Republican controlled state legislatures. So in spite of no evidence of widespread voter fraud, Republicans nationally are focused on implementing sweeping election rule changes. Republican lawmakers in thirty-three states have proposed more than 165 bills which would restrict voting. Their focus is on voter roll accuracy, absentee mail-in ballots and the processes of counting votes on election day. Being a doubting Thomas, I find it hard to believe that the sole motivation of Republicans is to ensure fair and equitable election laws. My suspicion is leaning toward it being a clever and well laid out plan to implement changes which will make voting more difficult for many citizens. In other words, it will make voter suppression legal in the 2024 election. Is that what we really want?

One can easily make the case that Rush Limbaugh in his thirty year radio talk show career normalized cruelty, misogamy, racism, homophobia, sexism and anti-immigration views by giving them a national platform. Who can forget his constant fact free attacks on Democrats as socialists out to destroy democracy and the nation while turning a blind eye to epic failures by Republicans. Of course, Rush also liked to peddle the most ridiculous conspiracy theories on his programs. He was the inventor of using personal insults and derision as political weapons. Over time his radio show lacked all political substance and became a world of ridicule aimed at people and causes. That is why we can’t overstate the influence he had on non other than former president Trump. As soon s Trump launched his presidential campaign he began to follow and imitate the words of Limbaugh. Insults, mocking, lies and misinformation became the norm at campaign rallies. That is why I say that Rush Limbaugh was Trump’s role model and mentor. That is his sad legacy!

In my international assignments ranging from Mongolia to South Africa it seemed that everyone knew about the Lone Star State. Some still saw Texas as the land of cowboys and cattle drives as seen in untold movies while others saw it as the land of oil wells and riches. Indeed, there is much to be said about the state which is highly positive. There is no state tax and a solid economy. But the current weather driven state wide electrical power emergency indicates that the idea of Texas exceptionalism has its limits. Even the culture of rugged individualism takes a hit when you are without electricity for several days. Politicians in the state didn’t learn from the massive black outs of 1989 and 2011. They saw no need to prepare for rare and infrequent risks to the electrical power supply within the state. Thus Texas is the only state to run a stand-alone power grid. It stems from the distrust of Texans when it comes to federal regulations. Because there is no federal oversight over their electrical grid, their local power companies couldn’t be forced to winterize wind turbine farms. The result was that such maintenance wasn’t done for money saving reasons. However, the Texas leadership lacked courage to admit that some things could have been done better in the past but elected to spread conspiracy theories blaming green energy initiatives for the outages. They seem to be totally oblivious to the fact that wind turbine farms are working just fine in the extreme cold of the upper Midwest states.

One of the worst feelings of utter helplessness is when your house is without electrical power for an extended period. I recently experienced a power outage lasting three days in frigid weather conditions. It was a stark reminder that with electricity we live in the twenty-first century but losing it takes us back to a much earlier time. We all take electricity for granted until it vanishes. The current weather conditions in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and the upper Midwest has pointed to weaknesses in the US power grid. Some newer electricity producing technologies had limitations since overcast clouds impacted solar production, wind turbines froze in the bitter cold and steam driven plants also faced challenges. All of this makes clear that the nation must upgrade and modernize the US electrical power grid. The challenge is that we must have the will to do it. It means that we address the complexity of various state regulations and lack of capital by local power companies. In my book the most reasonable answer is for the federal government to lead the charge as part of a bipartisan national infrastructure program. We have spoken about undertaking such initiative for years and it is inexcusable that we constantly push it to the back burner!

Certainly it is true that both parties encourage their members to stay the course when it comes to supporting their their legislative agendas. But neither party has ever been vindictive when Representatives or Senators followed their conscience or took country over party in their votes. That all has changed within the Republican party as the second impeachment of Trump played out. Republican House members who voted to impeach Trump and the Senators who found him guilty became victims of the Republican doctrine that you must always do what the party demands of you. If you fail to do so you will be issued a formal statement of disapproval. You will be censured. No if or buts about it! Forget your oath to the Constitution and ignore your conscience and just be good soldiers and follow the commands of the party leaders. The penalty for failing to follow this doctrine immediately results in the GOP party censuring your behavior. That was done to GOP House members and now to Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Susan Collins is facing it in Maine. At a minimum it is severe intimidation of party members and at the maximum it expresses a total disregard to democratic principles.

Progress is being made in the fight to defeat Covid-19. Thirty-eight million Americans have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and the daily rate of vaccinations now stands at a million and a half. There is still a vaccine availability problem in many states but the administration’s step to source 200 million additional doses of vaccine will improve that situation soon. As a result, there has been a drop of covid related hospitalizations in the nation. This has also been helped by Americans following advice in staying apart, wearing masks and limiting travel. The one serious issue remaining is vaccination hesitancy on part of many Americans to be vaccinated. That fear is really unfounded since side effects of both vaccines is minimal. I have received both doses of Pfizer and the experience was as normal as receiving any other routine shot. A recent Axios poll shows that Democrats are more likely to get vaccinated over Republicans. The variance between the two groups is about 20 percent. Unfortunately it appears that many Republicans had bought in to the previous administration’s message that the virus was less dangerous than it really is. However that seems to be changing as the nation approached 500000 Covid-19 deaths. We must all keep up our vigilance sine the enemy hasn’t been defeated but serious progress against it is being made. Stay safe and remain healthy!

Former president Trump managed in his four years in office to convince the majority of his followers that whatever he didn’t like had to be FAKE NEWS. That has brought out a unique phenomenon of his loyalists living in a media bubble created by far-right radio talk shows, cable television like FOX and social media feeds. Thus they have been captured in a web of misinformation and by their own buy in to reality defying ideas. The unfortunate by product is that the information they are hearing is not a full spectrum of facts and news reality but a heavily filtered version always with the intention to protecting Trump. That has resulted in most Trump followers being divorced from reality as it exists in the form of undeniable facts. For instance, the coronavirus isn’t a HOAX, there was no election fraud, the election wasn’t stolen and it wasn’t Antifa carrying Trump banners attacking the Capitol. It seems that most Trump followers are content to validate their own beliefs by staying in the MAGA media bubble. However, since the election many Republicans are leaving the GOP because they are bored by the one sided repetitious arguments they hear and they made the decision to drift away.

I have always viewed the current Senate minority leader to be a shifty, sneaky and sly person who has been a Trump enabler for the past four years. But today on the Senate floor he did make comments which are true and my guess is that they will inflame some Trump loyalists. He clearly stated : ‘Trump is practically and morally responsible for inciting his followers to riot’. He went on to say: ‘Trump fed his believers wild falsehoods because he lost the election’. His final salvo was: ‘ Trump is responsible for disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty’. However, the really sad thing is that McConnel said all of that after he voted Trump not guilty of the impeachment charges leveled against him. That means that he is a weasel or hypocrite of the highest order. McConnel tried to explain his vote on the basis that Trump is no longer in office. What he failed to admit is that he kept the Senate from addressing the impeachment trial until Trump had left the office. If he had done it promptly, the trial of Trump would have started while he was still in office. I applaud the seven Republican Senators who joined Democrats in finding Trump guilty as charged but have disdain to the other forty three who didn’t care or didn’t view what played out at the Capitol as anything serious!

Seven Republican Senators showed courage, integrity and honesty in joining their democratic colleagues in voting to find Trump guilty of inciting a riot which caused the death of five individuals. The other GOP Senators are still genuflecting at the feet of Trump as a sign of undying loyalty or sheer fear. Many exhibited behavior during the trial completely unbecoming for judges and jurors. Many showed a total disinterest in the proceeding and three even met with the defense team. In any court in the nation their actions would have been grounds for contempt of court charges. However, my concern is what today’s minority acquittal means for days and months to come. Certainly White Supremacists, White Nationalists, Para-military types and domestic terrorists who all found a home in the Republican party will take it as a sign that violence will not be punished. They will see no reason to hold back and I see further violence being committed by them down the road. I hope that I am wrong but we need to be honest and admit that once you embolden such behavior it will not stop. The rioters who invaded the Capitol are now the rot prevalent in the Republican party since moderates are leaving it. Many of the voters who voted for Trump in the election grew tired of his election fraud claims and actions on January 6th, 2021. I expect that Republicans will pay a price at the ballot box in future elections for their failure to do the right thing. In any case, Trump goes down in history as the only President to be impeached twice during his time in office.

Lawyers and prosecutors will tell you that witness testimony is the most important component of a trial. In the first impeachment trial of Trump the Republican Senate majority was able to block the call for witnesses. No doubt they feared that witnesses would have information harmful to the president’s case. This time around the Democrats are calling the shots and they see that additional clarity would be provided by calling witnesses to appear. Witnesses would be under oath and provide key information which the public needs to hear to have a fuller understanding how serious the Capitol attack was. My guess is that witnesses would fill in the timeline of events, provide date and time of text messages and possibly phone calls. In the public’s interest there should be no rapid rush to close out the trial or attempt to white wash what happened. The vote today for witnesses to be called was a bipartisan vote. Of course, the Trump lawyers have the right to call them as well just as the House managers will do for sure.

We shouldn’t forget that Trump’s call for his followers to attack the Capitol isn’t an isolated incident. He has called for violence for the past five years. In an interview with Bob Woodard he said: ‘I bring rage out!’ and ‘I always have it’. Who can forget Trump telling his campaign attendees: ‘Knock the crap out of them’ and ‘I will pay for your legal fees’. When a Republican legislator assaulted a journalist Trump’s comment was: ‘My kind of guy’. When one of his followers sucker punched a demonstrator he stated: ‘Very, very appropriate’. Trump even retweeted a tweet he must have really liked: “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat’. I was initially skeptical on holding a second impeachment trial but I was wrong. The evidence presented by Impeachment Managers can’t be simply cast aside and ignored. What happened on January 6th, 2021 in Washington DC was the culmination of Trump’s violent streak. Every Senator acts as a judge and juror and they must do their duty and based on the presented evidence vote to convict Trump. But that probably will not be the case since the majority of Republican Senators lack courage to do the right thing. Heck, Senators Graham, Cruz and Lee even took the unprecedented step of meeting yesterday with Trump’s defense team. How is that for a conflict of interest? I think it is actually shameful conduct on their part!

Yesterday’s release of previously unseen videos of the chaos within the walls of the capitol expands the gravity of what occurred on January, 6th, 2021. We may all have different thoughts on the motivation leading up to this tragic event but the people involved are to be condemned. Clearly they weren’t patriots driven by their commitment to lofty ideas about democracy or to the rule of law. The vast majority of them were thugs from the ranks of extreme right wing groups. Republicans can’t deny that members of these groups have found a comfortable home in their party and the Trump tent. MAGA caps, clothing with Trump slogans and Trump flags are sufficient evidence to indicate that this is a fact. We must all show our indignation, disgust and outrage at what happened. I am absolutely convinced that if the Founding Fathers had ever seen such violence in the heart of our democracy they would all weep!

In the past one hundred years some false prophets gained control of their countries though revolution and the election box. Lenin convinced country folk and city workers that the overthrow of the Tsar would bring about a worker’s paradise with fairness and equality for all. What really followed is a brutal dictatorship and the imprisonment of millions in the Gulags of Siberia. Mussolini promised Italians a return to Roman glory and they placed him in power. That resulted in wars with Ethiopia and Greece which did not bring about glorious victories. Hitler fooled Germans by promising them prosperity and a spot in the sun as Britain and the United States enjoyed. Rearmament and creation of the Wehrmacht reduced unemployment but blinded people to the fact that his real aim was the conquest of Europe. In every one of these cases there were powerful people who could read the troubling signs of these administrations but remained silent because they were complicit or benefitted from government policies. These rulers were all false prophets since they promised the people one thing while their objectives were totally different. Here in the US in the 2016 election campaign Trump promised to ‘Make America Great Again’. I always felt that America was great all along and that slogan didn’t solicit any response on my apart. All was well initially since the economy was doing well and jobs continued to be created. But the public kept missing troubling signs and GOP politicians ignored that many things were going wrong. News coverage was being stifled by labeling it FAKE NEWS, strong allies were discarded, the Department of Justice became a tool of the administration, foreign governments were asked to provide dirt on possible Trump opponents, the serious coronavirus was labeled a HOAX and downplayed in seriousness. election results were challenged and finally right wing extremists were encouraged to attack the Capitol. All these actions slowly and surely undermined our democracy. Thus I believe that Trump can be added to the list of false prophets. He left the country not basking in sunshine but in a bleak state of crisis!

The Tea Party wing within the Republican party emerged in 2009 as a strict anti-establishment faction. It was a populist movement angry over the bail out of banks, insurers and the auto industry after the economic downturn of 2008. They strictly focused on the economy and had no social program interests. They were very successful in the 2010 elections and appointed Rep. John Bohner to be the House Speaker. He found it difficult to control the Tea Party’s unruly members and stepped aside. Bohner’s successor Ryan was equality impotent and left the post as well. However, in the 2012 election Republicans suffered losses and there was hope that it would start a moderate conservative movement within the party. That didn’t happen and ultra right philosophies prevailed and became more extreme with each passing year. Slowly the Tea Party morphed into the Freedom Caucus which began voting as a block and often defied the wishes of the Republican leadership. Trump’s presidential campaign took advantage of the situation and used talking points taken from the Tea Party and Freedom Caucus platforms. That was also the period when Bush aligned Republicans abandoned their senses and remained silent on changes within the party. The past four years have seen the rise of Trump loyalists who buy in to hysterical nonsense, shameless lies and QAnon conspiracy theories. The voice of the Republican party now comes from far right extremists who are willing to use violence to further their agenda. Somehow I find it hard to comprehend how trashing democratic principles is the way to make America great again!

I shall give politicians in the Democratic and Republican parties credit for having political convictions. They are all acting in accord with their party’s political beliefs which is partisan by nature. But I frequently ask myself how many of them have political courage and/or political will. These two attributes are more important than political conviction since the nation’s problems are not limited to being a democratic or republican issues but an American problem. To solve them in the face of powerful interest groups, lobbyists and political action committees will take COURAGE and WILL to change things. I am convinced of that despite the terrible rhetoric we hear all the time, we have far more in common than widely believed by the public. I admit that political courage is rare since politicians wish to be liked, they think of the next election and aren’t immune to exerted pressure from the economic bloc. But a few are willing to make political decisions knowing it may inflict harm to their reputation. For example, take Senator McCain defending former president Obama against a falsehood. However, courage alone will not do it if you lack political will to see things through. In order to change the status quo you have to fight and carry through policies which may not be popular. Former president Lyndon Johnson from Texas embraced the need for civil rights legislation and used his political knowhow as a long time Senator to get it done. I believe that in order to implement legislation to solve our current problems, our politicians will require political conviction coupled with political courage and political will!

Originally the term ‘cancel culture’ was used by the left and the right as a way to fend off criticism of their positions by claiming it was infringing on free speech. But now it has become a far right weapon to stifle criticism of their actions. For example: ‘ Trump’s impeachment for inciting insurrection is being deflected as an effort to cancel the president!’. The current push to rename military bases which were named after Confederate generals is taken to mean that history is being cancelled. Using the expression cancel culture is an easy yet lazy argument unsupported by facts. The problem is that the Republican base has bought in on it. The party has discovered that FAKE NEWS no longer plays well after the nation saw in videos and pictures what played out on January 6th, 2020 in Washington DC. So the new rallying cry for Republicans is that Democrats are on a campaign to cancel culture. The only thing I see democrats trying to cancel are wild conspiracy theories and blatant lies on part of the right!

It is a fact that many children in our country live in poverty. Our children experience higher rates of poverty than those in other developed countries. Senator Romney has proposed to address child poverty in the US with a sweeping plan which is commendable and deserves to be considered. I will say that a discussion and refinement of his recommendations can become a bipartisan goal. The cost to the country of ignoring child poverty certainly is far greater than that of doing something about it. One of six children misses meals every day and attends school hungry. That leads to higher rates of school absenteeism and many don’t graduate since they leave to work or care for family members. I am convinced that this problem can be resolved if both parties make it a priority. It will require that some current available child poverty programs are modified and some new ones being implemented. All our children are entitled to have access to enough food in every American household.

Yesterday Republican House members had to vote in removing Rep. Liz Chaney in her leadership position and Rep. Marjorie Greene from the Education Committee. The dichotomy of their voting pattern is difficult to comprehend. They voted by a two third margin for Rep. Chaney to stay in her position and with an even greater margin for Rep. Greene to remain her position. The votes became necessary because Republican were upset at Rep. Chaney’s willingness to impeach Trump while Rep. Greene was under a cloud for being a devotee of QAnon conspiracy theories. Only eleven Republicans had the courage to consider her expressed opinions to be harmful to national unity. But I believe that there is a reason in explaining their contrasting votes for these two Representatives. The vote for the Rep. Chaney was in secret while the one on Rep. Greene was public. That means that if their names aren’t known they are willing to vote for a Republican who has integrity and upholds their conservative values but if it in public they will support a ridiculous position for fear of upsetting Trump. It seems that Republicans are all wandering in a strange wilderness without the benefit of compass. Some are searching for the land of reality while others are content in remaining on fantasy island! It this state exists for much longer, the GOP, as we know it, will become a vanishing entity.

When Franklin Roosevelt took office in January 20th, 1933 the country was in a financial melt down and faced unprecedented unemployment numbers. Roosevelt knew that immediate bold action was required to address this national crisis. His plan was to act swiftly to stabilize the economy and provide jobs. Those plans were met with opposition from the Republican party for being too aggressive and skepticism on part of the public. Roosevelt knew that Republicans would fight him every step of the way but felt that if he engaged the public directly he could build up their support for his initiatives. He turned to the social mass medium of that day which was radio. His fireside chats were transmitted live by all radio stations in the nation. The President explained the details of his planned actions and the benefits they would provide the nation. The period from 1933 to 1939 is referred to as the Great Depression and his bold actions were the New Deal. Sometimes called the Three R’s which stood for Relief for the poor, Recovery for the economy and Reform for the banking sector. The Wall Street crash in 1929 with its wild financial speculations was really the cause leading up to the crisis. In 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corp and Civil Works Administration were created to put Americans to work. The Social Security System was created in 1935 to combat widespread poverty among the elderly. The Federal Housing Administration was created to regulate mortgages to mitigate people losing their homes. Sweeping banking reforms were implemented to prevent another market crash.

Now in 2021 the nation is mired in a pandemic which still takes its toll of us daily and sky high unemployment numbers. President Biden faces a major national crisis just as Roosevelt did upon being sworn in. Again bold and quick action is required on the coronavirus and economic fronts. This does include much needed financial relief to lower level income Americans. Just as in the past, Republicans seem to drag their feet on coming on board while tentative plans are being discussed. I see no reason for Democrats to wait for Republicans to see the light but they should aggressively move ahead with aid to Americans in need. But Biden should also do what FDR did and use the full power of modern communication technology capabilities to engage the public and seek their support for his initiatives. I am convinced he will gain the public’s attention!

When House member Liz Cheney voted, as her conscience demanded of her, to impeach Trump, she was viciously attacked by Trump loyalists within the Republican party and on conservative social platforms. On the other side you have Representative Marjorie Greene who has a long record of making racist and anti-Semitic statements who is being praised by Trump and called by his ally Jim Jordan a fighter of the type we need in the House. A person of integrity is condemned while one with questionable integrity is hailed a hero. That makes me wonder what the value set and direction of the moral compass is today for the Republican membership? I still remember when in 1991 a KKK member ran for Governor in Louisiana by the name of David Duke and president Bush declared him unfit to run for that office due to him denying the Holocaust and endorsing Nazism. I don’t see Republicans gaining anything by supporting members in their party who openly embrace dark forces and take highly controversial positions!

Over the weekend ten Republican Senators offered the White House their compromise offer on the economic relief package proposed by Democrats. They felt that if the Biden administration would entertain their offer it would be a great sign of bipartisanship. The major hurdle again is that the WH proposes 1.9 trillion in relief while Republican wish to cut it down to 600 billion. Now that is one heck of a gap between the two positions. Of course, the Republicans are willing to engage in negotiations but the low entry level they gave indicates that they aren’t serious about it. I see this hollow bipartisanship ploy as only a stalling tactic. How can you be serious when you drastically wish to cut the stimulus checks and severely cut unemployment benefits. They also refuse aid to state and local government struggling in these coronavirus times. If this is indeed the best idea Republicans have to help Americans in need, they better go back to the drawing board! Americans should be perturbed that Republicans again mention that the national deficit limits what we can do now. They didn’t seem to have that concern when they voted in a tax cut for the rich which added 800 billon annually to the deficit. We all new all along that economic growth wouldn’t compensate for that amount.

When most prominent lawyers you contact are unwilling to represent you in an upcoming impeachment trial, it does send a message. However, as of last Friday Trump did manage to assemble a defense team lead by Karl Bowers as the lead lawyer. The team consisted of five lawyers with solid legal credentials engaged to defend the former President against the charge of ‘incitement of insurrection’. But things go really muddled on Saturday when Trump spokesman Jason Miller suddenly announced that the lead lawyer and his deputy had left the team. Their departure so close to the trial appears to indicate differences of opinion on the best possible defense strategy in the trial. Most legal minds felt that questioning the constitutionality of the trial and/or casting doubt that Trump’s words were sufficient proof for the charge were the best defense. But rumor has it that Trump wished his team to defend him by asserting that there was massive election fraud. Given that sixty-two courts had ruled that there was none, I can understand that the lawyers decided to walk away. Now Trump is in a time crunch to find competent new lawyers for his team. An interesting side bar to this development is what the reaction would be on part of Republican Senators if election fraud ends up being the defense strategy in twelve days. Would they still feel that they have to go along with that claim or finally acknowledge that is has no merit? If it does come to that it will be a real spectacle for all of us to see!

The Democratic and Republican parties dominate the political arena. Independents have a a limited say on the direction of the country. As I try to make sense of current political developments I am struck by the changes within each party. Parties are not different from other institutions since they too undergo a gradual process of transformation with time. The Democratic party has embraced diversity and stayed true to its core beliefs of racial and economic equality. It is polylithic in nature since various ideas and thoughts are encouraged. Thus there are moderate and liberal members all in the same tent. The Democratic party doesn’t expect everyone to look the same and think the same but be part of a common ideology. Democrats still represent moderation and principles as they always have. On the other side of the political aisle I see the Republican party becoming a monolithic entity. Every member is to have the same thoughts and support the same actions or face consequences. I the past two years GOP Senators Bob Corker, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey and Jeff Flake left the party because traditional conservative ideology is no longer desired. They object to the party having become a cult of personality, conspiracy theorists and trade protectionists. Within the GOP you are required to stay in step or face silence, intimidation and possible threats to your future election campaign if you continue to dissent. My conclusion is that Democrats are willing to compromise on issues while extremists in the GOP are unwilling to do so.

The Department of Homeland Security has informed the public of a heightened threat to all of us due to domestic violent extremists. Their grievances are fueled by false narratives such that the 2020 election was stolen from them. In addition, they are opposed to Covid-19 restrictions. That threat warning shouldn’t be a surprise to us. Recent polls indicate that 60% of Americans believe that divisive and harsh rhetoric contributes substantially to violence in our society. While 64% believe that Trump has encouraged White Supremacists and those were predominantly represented in the mob in the infamous activities of January 6th, 2021. Given these facts it shows that large parts of the population consider these developments to be ‘just barely’ or even ‘not serious’ at all. You can’t ignore that conspiracy theories peddled by far right conservative platforms have taken hold with too many in the public. That should be disconcerting to us all. Personally I don’t understand why so many Republicans are so enamored with right wing platforms. Their easy buy in to words and deeds which are reckless and have no association to the truth do lead to unfortunate actions with serious consequences. The DHS bulletin should be a warning to us that denial of what we know to be true is a very dangerous path for the public to take!

Since Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley were seated in the House of Representatives they have suffered severe criticism and were even accused of not being Americans by Republican politicians. But now that it has surfaced that their own House members Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Greene made insulting comments and even threatened Democratic lawmakers, the Republican politicians are incapable of taking action. There is no denouncement of their comments, no rebuke of their statements and their strategy appears to say nothing with the hope we all forget what they said. I don’t think that will happen. They chose to side with rioters who attacked the Capitol and endangered the lives of Democratic and Republican politicians. For Republicans to remain silent on their actions means that they are condoning them!

Yesterday we saw a return to press briefings which stated the national challenges we face, provided updates on the administrations planned response to them and welcomed press reporters to ask complex questions. Secretary of State Blinken reiterated that a free press is a fundamental component of our democracy. In other words, the free press is not an enemy of the state and its reporting isn’t fake news! The Corona Task Force was lead by renowned experts in their field. They provided a comprehensive overview of how we can defeat the virus and a reasonable timeframe in which it can be done. The State Department briefing nailed it by stressing that American values matter and should be core principles in our foreign and domestic policies. President Biden not only announced his phone call to Putin in Moscow but after the call a transcript was issued listing the topics which were discussed. Yes, Putin was no longer given a free pass to dodge responses to Russian cyber hacking, the poisoning of dissidents and placing bounties on our troops in Afghanistan. These briefings were a stark contrast to the the ones held by the previous administration. Those were lacking in information and mostly were devoted to attacking reporters. I have always felt that if a our government shares information with us, we are all better for it!

Some of my dearest friends are staunch Trump loyalists. Even after the election result was certified by all states many of them still spun the line that the election was stolen. When I sked them what evidence they had to prove their point, I was told by virtually all of them that it was based on their feelings. Well, good people, wasn’t it Trump himself who before the election already scripted that stolen scenario to explain a potential election loss? Now given all the other false stories the former Commander in Chief had told, he actually set you up to have that feeling. The same way he set you up by telling us that the coronavirus wasn’t serious and would go away once warm weather hit. On that topic you have learned your lesson. I do understand to have an emotional reaction to a book you read, a movie you watched or a picture you admired but having that for an election result strikes me as a vague or irrational belief. A feeling is not a fact. Facts are proven to be true because they are backed up by evidence. That evidence indicates that Biden won by more than 7 million votes, secured 306 electoral college votes and his win was acknowledged by the House led by VP Pence. So to all Republicans I say: “Isn’t it time to put your feelings about the election aside and focus on the well being of the nation!’.

The CFPB was another government agency taking a benevolent position toward the companies it set out to monitor. The original mission of the agency was to take a tough stance against financial companies which seemed to take advantage of customers. But under the leadership of Trump appointee Kathy Kraninger who stated in early 2020 that financial institutions would not face penalties for violating consumer protection laws. Therefore there was a shift of focus within the agency. It was the standard Republican stance on law compliance that merely a ‘good faith’ effort would achieve that result. Now when has that ever worked in any industry? President Biden has appointed Mr. Chopra, a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, to head the agency. I expect that we will see a return to monitoring of big businesses and those guilty of widespread consumer abuse will face stiff penalties.

I am completely baffled, very puzzled and definitely perplexed by the Republicans sudden call for national UNITY. It seems they have collectively forgotten all their actions in the past four years which impeded UNITY. I understand UNITY to be a state of being joined as a whole. So let me do a brief recap of some facts about this administration: Dismissing and white washing the content of the Mueller report – Was that a call for UNITY? Referring to protesters with Nazi flags in Charlottesville as also being fine people – Was that a call for UNITY? Asking foreign governments to provide negative information on the democratic opponent – Was that a call for UNITY? Separating children from their parents and housing them in cages – Was that a call for UNITY? Breaking up a peaceful demonstration to clear a path to a church for a photo op – Was that a call for UNITY? Disparaging the Chiefs of Staff and the military – Was that a call for UNITY? Starting the propaganda that if he loses the election it was stolen from him – Was that a call for UNITY? Challenging the state election results in 62 losing court cases – Was that a call for UNITY? Requesting that his followers storm the Capitol – Was that a call for Unity? Calling them special and patriots – Was that a call for UNITY? These actions make the current Republican call for UNITY sounds hollow and is strictly politically motivated. They don’t mean it now and never have!

Our elected Representatives in the House have made the decision to impeach the former President for actions he took before leaving office. The impeachment documents were turned over to the Senate yesterday. The Senate has scheduled impeachment proceedings to begin on February 9th, 2021. That gives Trump time to assemble his legal team, for both sides to select witnesses and the House to modify or add to the impeachment charges. The Senate used to be the a sober, thoughtful and mature chamber in the execution of their duties as outlined in the Constitution. But the first impeachment trial has shown that the Senate has drifted away from that position since showboating and grandstanding by Trump friendly Senators created a circus atmosphere. The question is if the Senate can return to its former self and redeem itself by being the serious body it is supposed to be. The charges against Trump are that he claimed the election was stolen from him without providing proof, inflamed insurrection and advocated sedition on part of his followers. All are actions which go against what the Constitutions demands of the President and our elected politicians. I see not only Trump being on trial but the entire Senate body. The final vote on Trump’s guilt or innocence must be a voice vote so that we know how Senators voted. You can’t be a shining example of democracy in the world if you blatantly encourage and permit an attack on the Capitol.

Over the past few days Senator Ted Cruz, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Governor Nikki Haley have placed a foot into political waters to gauge their appeal to their voter base for a potential presidential run in 2024. The Senator and Mike Pompeo have maintained their close ties to Trump and supported his false election claims. I expect both of them to stress the anti- immigration policies. While Nikki Haley went on record saying that Trump’s lost election tantrum will be judged harshly by history. She even has a campaign motto for 2024 an it is a slight spin off from Make America Great Again by rephrasing it to Stand by America. I see it that Cuz and Pompeo are aiming to lock in the hard core Trump supporters while Haley is drifting more toward the middle of the Republican voter base. Much will happen politically between now and 2024 and anything they believe they will learn with their early exploration is of little use.

Understandably the public is weary, fatigued and frustrated battling the coronavirus. But now is not the time to lower our guard and be careless. Currently over 400000 deaths were caused by the virus so the war against it isn’t won yet. There is some good news since vaccinations began on December 14, 2020 and 17.4 million individuals have received them to date. However, that is only 5.2% of the US populations. The total for the prioritized population is at 15.2%. Availability and distribution of vaccines are still problems. The administration is activating the Defense Production Act to boost vaccine production and has instructed the CDC to be involved in distribution especially since states have requested that all along. The greatest departure from previous thinking will be that if an answer to an issue isn’t known, to don’t default to guess work. The basis for decisions will be based on systematic and scientific facts. I expect that future communications will be open and honest and provide solid guidance on how we can win the fight against the pandemic. I received my first vaccination but was told to still wear a mask and do social distancing. That I will do!

The leadership in both parties seem to agree that we must defeat the coronavirus and provide economic relief to many Americans. Certainly Democrats could flex their muscles and push through such major legislation without Republican support. But I believe that now is the right time to demonstrate to the nation that bipartisanship is possible at the Capitol. The Biden administration has developed an outline of actions they would like to take. These should be shared with Republicans and potential sticking points must be resolved in sincere negotiations. That will require some give and take by both parties. We know that Democrats wish to act quickly and decisively but Republicans must step up as well. If both parties reach an agreement on the first major legislation to hit their desks, it may form a foundation of trust which paves the way for future bipartisanship deals on such things as infrastructure and DACA. Americans wish to see positive action and less bickering over meaningless issues.

The Senate filibuster process has become a hot topic in the last few days as Senators Schumer and McConnel iron out their power sharing arrangement. Contrary to opinion held by many the Founding Fathers didn’t mention it in the Constitution and their original design for House and Senate rules called on a simple majority to make decisions. Filibuster is actually a product of pragmatic political thinking by Senate minorities to more effectively block legislation they didn’t like. Up to the year 1806 in the Senate a simple majority vote could cut off debate and force a vote. In that year VP Aaron Burr managed to increase minority rights and extended debate by getting Senators a cancel the simple majority requirement. Until 1850 the filibuster was hardly used but as the Senate grew larger with the addition of states and the political climate became more polarized due to debates over slave civil rights and election laws, filibusters began to occur more frequently. Only in 1917 under president Wilson was Senate Rule 22 adopted which required a supermajority to stop a filibuster. After lengthy negotiations it was agreed that it had to be a two thirds vote of the Senate . That requirement has been bypassed twice for confirmation of Supreme Court Justices. Most recently when McConnel was the Majority Leader. Now that he is in the minority he certainly wishes to keep it since he may plan to block some Biden legislation via filibuster.

Republicans are working overtime to dismiss President Biden’s message on unity by implying it was insincere. I took Biden’s message to be that unity will always be threatened by dark forces which believe in systemic racism, political extremism, white supremacy and domestic terrorism. Rather than admitting that these forces exist in our society, Republicans are trying to recast it as an attack on them and their voters. That effort is supported by their friendly media networks and conservative platforms. I believe that most Americans will see it as a sinister ploy to redirect the content of the unity message to imply that it is divisive toward them. Republicans find it hard to accept that the forces mentioned by Biden are part of the Republican voter base. That is an undeniable fact. They also close their eyes to the truth that the war against democracy by claiming the election was stolen from them was waged entirely and solely by the right. In other other words, what is the right but loyal Trump Republicans. I am all for diversity of thought but I can’t support individuals embracing dark forces!

The first press briefing of the Biden administration felt like a breath of fresh air after all the ones we endured in the past four years. It was a much needed return to professionalism, transparency and truth. Press Secretary Jen Psaki came right out and stated that the press isn’t an enemy but is to be respected for the role it plays in our democracy. Let us forget Press Secretaries like Sean Spicer, Sarah Sanders and Kayleigh McEnany who felt that their role was to be a propaganda arm of the Trump administration. They always attacked any reporter who had the courage to question them on the validity of their statements. The country will be much better now that press briefings again will be what they always should have been. That is to update the American people on the policy direction and actions of the administration with clarity and honesty!

In his 2016 presidential candidate Trump was able to reach many who were disenchanted with their lot in life. Once he became President he continued to manage his appeal to his followers by feeding their needs of recognition and their frustrations at every rally. They loved him for it. But now that he has become a twice impeached private citizen residing in Florida, segments of his loyal base is turning against him. Take for example the Proud Boys. Its members pledged undying loyalty but now have gone to mocking him. They now call Trump weak and that he has failed them. They are urging all of their supporters not to take part anymore in pro Trump protests. So even if Trump should form the Patriot Party, I doubt that these break away followers will return to his tent.

We all know that Trump loves spectacles and thrives on speaking to adoring crowds. None of that was part of his departure as he and family members entered Air Force One to fly him to his Florida residence. There was no exhilarating military send off and only a modest crowd of a few hundred aides and loyalists in attendance. The WH Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and policy adviser Stephen Miller were there but noticeably absent were previous loyalists like VP Pence, McConnel and McCarthy. When Trump was inaugurated he was cheerful, exuberant, loud and energetic but at his departure he seemed to be sad, disappointed, weary and fatigued. Trump in his comments wished the incoming administration success as they assume their responsibilities. I am very glad that he made that gesture since it is a small measure of expressing a call for national unity.

When Trump declared this morning that he will be back in some form or another it made sense to pardon Steve Bannon. He was the Chief Strategist in the White House and can be credited with being instrumental in Trump’s campaign to become President in 2016. If Trump’s inclination is to form the Patriots Party he will need a guy like Bannon. That fellow has a powerful voice within the right wing of the Republican party and understands how to motivate them. There is also no doubt that if Trump mints a new party it will immediately draw a large number of his loyal base to it. That in itself would be a tremendous blow to the GOP. To some degree it can be called an act of revenge aimed at Republican leaders like McConnel, Romney, Cheney and Pence who Trump feels let him down toward the end of his Presidency.

VP Pence has always stressed that he is a deeply religious person and I have no reason to doubt it but that is why I can’t understand his attitude towards Trump’s many transgressions. That makes Pence a person puzzling to understand. In the past four years he has absolutely closed his eyes to all of Trump’s behavior which is in stark contrast to what the Bible teaches us. Pence has condoned repeated lying on part of Trump, had no issue with bullying and insults thrown at people he knew well, ignored his master’s many affairs and pay off to a porn star and himself played along in deceiving the public about the real dangers of Covid-19. Pence may be a very ambitious person still believing that he has an opportunity to become a Republican presidential candidate in 2024. And to further that goal he has tossed aside his Christian principles. Or possibly it was only a four year detour from what he really believes but he caved in to expediency. Pence certainly knew of Trump’s character flaws when he accepted the nomination to be his VP. I guess that when to seek power you place your beliefs on hold and your conscience in neutral!

When Trump came into office he was greeted at the White House by Mr. and Mrs. Obama with a traditional welcome for an incoming President. Trump had reason to be exuberant since he wasn’t expected to win the election. He loved showing everyone the nice letter outgoing President Obama had left him. But now that he is about to leave the White House having lost the election, he appears to be unable to display that same courtesy and grace to incoming President Biden. It shows that Trump can easily dwell in victory with smugness and pleasure but not in defeat. In the last days of his presidency he has isolated himself and stayed out of sight. Trump plans not to attend Biden’s inauguration but it appears that he is set in leaving Washington Wednesday morning before Biden’s swearing in ceremony. It will be his last opportunity to enjoy a military send off with a band and soldiers standing at attention while he takes his final walk on a red carpet to Airforce One to fly to his Florida residence. I believe that Americans are learning more about Trump’s character with his Washington exit. He can gloat in victory but can’t be gracious in defeat!

In the past thirteen months I have made comments on Trump’s last year in office. I tried to focus on significant events impacting us all. They obviously expressed my personal opinion of events during that time. I have written 497 comments in my blog page. The most popular comment had 1207 views. Overall my postings had slightly over 180000 views. Some readers left responses to what I had responses to what I said. They were overwhelmingly positive with a negative here and there. Now that a new administration is ready to assume control of the government, I am torn if I should continue to comment on the political environment or retire from what has been a fun activity. Those who have read my comments I thank you for taking the time to do so. If you disagreed with some that is fine, after all we live in a country where free expression of thought is encouraged.

Events at the Capitol and FBI warnings of potential armed marches planned for Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 have turned Washington DC into a fortress. The city is virtually at a standstill with checkpoints everywhere and many streets blocked off. At this time the city is mostly quiet and the visible presence is of army troops, security forces, journalists and residents. There have been some isolated arrests of individuals carrying weapons and ammunition. These are historical security measures for an inauguration ceremony indicating a peaceful transfer of power in our democracy. It saddens me that violence has now replaced free and meaningful political dialogue. The FBI warning has to be taken seriously since there is no doubt that internet chatter of right wing elements and military Trump loyalists indicates that they plan to be a disruptive force on Wednesday. The eyes of the whole world will be upon us at this inauguration! We must show that we are strong, united and determined to protect our democracy.

The Us foreign policy in the past four years has been focused on catering to Dictators, bashing traditional Allies and systematically withdrawing from international treaties, organizations and agreements. Trump’s love letter diplomacy with North Korean Dictator Kim Jong have not de-nuclearized the Korean Peninsula. Kim’s nuclear and missile programs have continued throughout his relationship with Trump. Even Trump’s close buddy Putin in Moscow hasn’t returned a single square meter of the Crimea under Ukrainian control which Russia seized. And Bin Salman the ruler of Saudi Arabia got only the slightest reprimand for ordering the assassination of his severest critic in a foreign Embassy. On the international policy front the America First approach ended up becoming the America Alone scenario. The US left the Climate Change, Open Skies and Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaties. We dropped out of the World Health Organization, United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization, Human Rights Council and UN Relief Agency. All disturbing signs that the US wasn’t willing to lead anymore on human rights, climate change and arms control. I am convinced that the incoming Biden administration will revisit some of those decisions and possibly implement a foreign policy reset.

Martin Luther King and Donald Trump will forever be part of our national legacy. However, the two men are vastly different in character and their impact on our society. Right now the attack on our Capital and divided political climate is cause for profound sadness. It should have never come to this. Reverend King will always be remembered for his powerful and inspiring speeches. Who doesn’t remember his words that we shall overcome and reach the promised land? He is a true American hero to all who value justice and equality for all. Trump unfortunately became a beacon of the warped fringes of society. Much of what he has said in the past 4 years has been taken by White Supremacists as a sign that he approves their message. That tells me that Martin Luther King always searched for the LIGHT while Donald Trump catered to DARK forces. I know that Trumpism won’t die on Wednesday, January 20th at noon. But I do hope that more Republicans show moral courage to divorce themselves from conspiracy theories and lies they outright supported or chose to ignore!

Trump and VP Pence walked on the same road for over four years but now with very short time remaining they came to a Y in the road and Trump is going left and Pence chose right! The two men are taking not only opposite directions of travel but also opposite viewing points. Trump will not attend the inauguration ceremony nor is he planning to congratulate Biden and Harris on winning the election. Pence is trying to save some dignity and plans to attend the event and has reached out to the winners although with an enormous time delay. I believe that the attack on the Capital while Pence was in it shook him up immensely. Especially when it was reported that some were yelling that they would kill him. Such threats will bring sanity to many just as imprisonment will do to others. However, it is still a national problem that so many Republican leaders are silent. Cowardice in the face of the enemy is never an excuse for not acting.

Before the November election the presidential race appeared to be a toss up while the Two Republican Senators in Georgia were clearly expected to win re-election. But events of the past five weeks changed the political landscape dramatically. Biden won the presidency and both incumbent Georgia Senators lost. Suddenly what no one expected did happen. The Democrats are in control of the White House, House of Representatives and the Senate. One can speculate on what or who was responsible for what transpired but one can’t rule out that framing an election as being stolen and advocating that party loyalists attack the Capital weren’t helpful. Now the challenge will be up to Democrats to prove that they will work tirelessly for the benefit of all Americans as the new administration is about to take charge. The many problems our nation faces can’t all be resolved overnight. That I know. I also know it will require true bi-partisanship to implement effective solutions to those problems. I know that we can achieve much if we just remember that we are all Americans and have overcome severe issues in the past and there is no reason why we can’t do it in the future!

In the past four years 7.8 trillion Dollars have been added to the national debt. That is twice as much as American owe on car loans, credit cards and other financial obligations with the exception of mortgages. That huge deficit does include Covid-19 financial relief given to Americans. It isn’t clear what that price tag is. But we must keep in mind that it doesn’t include massive spending due to support of huge military conflicts in foreign nations. What may possibly be blamed is the huge tax cut and lack of spending restraint. The promise that the economy would produce sufficient new revenues to hold the deficit at pay or even enable us to lower it never materialized. That was true even before Covid tanked the economy. I don’t mind increasing the national debt if it benefits directly Americans in need. That is why I don’t oppose further financial relief for those who need it. But I do oppose frivolous hand outs to the super rich and corporations reporting higher and higher profits every quarter.

Yesterday near Alamo, Texas Trump staged what may go down as his final public appearance. I say staged because it was a typical Trump performance featuring him as part show man, part ring leader and part victim. It was fitting that he chose a wall inspection for his swan song since one of his signature shouts at rallies was: ‘Build that wall!’. As always he claimed success but prematurely as he often does. Only 400 out of 2000 miles of wall were worked on and what was finished was merely re-enforcing existing wall structure. Then knowing that a second impeachment of him is on the horizon, he defended his speech to his base followers before they attacked the capital. But he also made comments which were an effort to encourage national reconciliation. Yes, we are a nation of law and order. Yes, our nation has to heal and it is time for peace and calm. Unfortunately he couldn’t say what his appearance really called for and that is to admit that Biden won the election. If Trump had done that, it would have given so much more meaning to the words ‘The nation has to heal!’.

The Uniform Code of Military Justice content is drilled into everyone who served and now serves in all branches of the US military. The document clearly defines the military justice system and lists criminal offenses under military law. If any former or current military personnel was foolish enough to participate in the assault on the Capital building they are now facing some very serious consequences. Those that may be planning to participate in demonstration on January 20th, 2021 better think twice before that day. Media and CCTV coverage is now so intense that there is no hiding in the crowd. If you participate, I assure you that some camera will capture your image. Once posted on social media it is only a brief matter of time until you are identified. In Code 894 Article 94 it lists in detail acts of sedition:

(1)with intent to usurp or override lawful military authority, refuses, in concert with any other person, to obey orders or otherwise do his duty or creates any violence or disturbance is guilty of mutiny;(2)with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority, creates, in concert with any other person, revolt, violence, or other disturbance against that authority is guilty of sedition;(3)fails to do his utmost to prevent and suppress a mutiny or sedition being committed in his presence, or fails to take all reasonable means to inform his superior commanding officer or commanding officer of a mutiny or sedition which he knows or has reason to believe is taking place, is guilty of a failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition.

Major differences over immigration, race, Covid-19 and economic upheaval are partially to blame for our polarized society. People on the extreme fringes find it difficult to assume good faith on part of the other. Such attitude is self righteous and not helpful when the nation is facing hard times. But we must be honest and recognize that the largest threat to our country right now are far right extremist groups. They may be small in number in comparison to the overall size of our population but their willingness to resort to violence makes them extremely dangerous. Their devoted followers come from all walks of life and the events of last week prove that it includes law enforcement and the military. What initially began on extremist online platforms moved aggressively to social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and others. I am in no way opposed to free speech but I draw the line when the sole purpose appears to be to radicalize people to a cause which attacks democracy. The FBI has issued notice that in all fifty states there is the strong potential of violence breaking out on our streets. That must stop!

Between November 4th, 2020 and January 6th, 2021 the Republican message was to cast doubt on the election result and to go as far as labeling it a stolen election. Of course, they were repeating everything that Trump was stating and tweeting. His gullible followers and Trump enablers believed that messaging immediately while other Republican lawmakers were more careful and recast those claims as a search for fair election procedures. But then on January 6th, 2021 unprecedented events unfolded at the Capital building. They were predictable given the heated political environment yet unexpected in their violence. Given that we live in a world of 24×7 news coverage, most American saw images of what was happening live and all certainly soon after. Suddenly Republicans who even that day had questioned election results in the House and Senate were playing defense attempting to explain what had happened. Unable to do so, they decided to change their messaging and suddenly appeal to unity in the nation. That is all good and I agree with that. But it reminds me of a case of an arsonist setting the fire and then rushing to the scene to help extinguish it! It is his first action which tells us who he is and not the second!

Conspicuously absent in the past ten days has been First Lady Melania Trump. She was last seen exiting the helicopter after returning from her Christmas vacation in Mar-a-Lago on January 31st, 2020. Since then she has not appeared at any public functions, there are no White House photos of her and she has been silent with Tweets. So where is she and what is she doing? Could it be that she is embarrassed that Trump’s loyal base of supporters took his morning speech as a direct command to break into the Capital building? Is she concerned that Trump’s departure from the White House in such unfitting way casts a shadow on her? What I do know is that she hasn’t condemned what happened last Wednesday in Washington DC.

When Trump stated that he wouldn’t attend Joe Biden’s inauguration he will become only the fourth President to do so. John Adams did so in 1801, John Quincy Adams in 1829 and Andrew Jackson in 1869. The tradition to show the world that we value and cherish the peaceful transition of power from one President to the one taking office will be broken after 152 years. I know that it is only a symbolic act and most citizens have no strong feeling on it one way or another. But it tells me much about the outgoing President. It is the action of someone who can’t accept defeat and refuses to participate since during Biden’s inauguration the spotlight won’t be on him. It certainly is classic narcistic behavior similar to a petulant child not getting his way. Trump’s action will not adversely impact the incoming administration but will always be a footnote in presidential history.

If Trump takes the unprecedented action of giving himself and possibly members of his family pardons it will keep many lawyers busy debating if it is legal or not. But that part isn’t important to me since I see the real issue will be how the American people will perceive such step if taken? I personally would view it that Trump fears potential federal charges being brought against him. After all, his Treasury Secretary has kept his tax returns out of public scrutiny for four years now. The result of the IRS audit of Trump tax returns is still open and after he leaves office the result can be revealed. Tax evasion is a federal crime and the pardon would put that issue to bed. However, it wouldn’t change any state prosecution if incorrect tax returns were submitted by Trump in New York. Since only few days remain of the Trump presidency, we shall find out very soon if a self pardon is being seriously considered right now.

The one thing which is now crystal clear is that Wednesday’s capital attack wasn’t in any way a peaceful protest. Some people in the mob may have been caught up in the moment leading them to do stupid things but the vast majority seemed to pursue an agenda. In other words, they were driven by motives and had some intended results in mind. I am convinced that unlawful entry into the building and causing extensive damage wasn’t their only objective. This was made abundantly clear when pipe bombs, weapons and Molotov cocktails were discovered in a truck by law enforcement. It could be that the mob had indeed very dark and sinister motives. Was it to break into legislative chambers with the intent of stealing the State Electoral Certification Letters in the belief that it would delay the House and Senate activities planned that day? Was it to hold legislators hostage or kidnap them and force them to oppose certification? Was it to create such chaos that Trump would declare martial law and use it as a reason to delay leaving his office? After all, members of self styled militia group had openly discussed similar actions not too long ago! For the sake of the country the Justice department and the FBI must have it as the highest priority to arrest the mob ring leaders and have them face the consequences of their ill advised actions. Since Republicans like to refer to themselves as the Law & Order party, I can’t see them objecting to my comments!

Much has already been said about the epic failure of the Capital Police on Wednesday in their attempt to mitigate and control the actions of the mob determined to gain access to legislative chambers. The resignations of the top three Officers of that department is welcome. You would think that the Capital Police would have a robust Crisis Management Plan in place in anticipation of potential civil disobedience. Such plan would have a section on Crisis Escalation Procedures. If such document should be clear and well written with input from all parties which may become involved in the case of a breakout of trouble, thus avoiding response delays to the crisis on the ground. The plan would have clearly identified who to call at various agencies and report the threat level as it is seen at that time. If the plan existed then it hadn’t been tested or its execution was dismal. Something went wrong and we can’t permit it to happen again. Trump’s pledge of a peaceful and orderly transition of power rings hollow. I don’t believe that in his current state of mind he is focused on that. Therefore law enforcement must be prepared to deal with a potential of demonstrations on January 20th when Joe Biden becomes the next President of the United States.

In the last two days we have seen a large number of important White House personnel announce their departures. Many are stating that they were public servants dedicated to the rule of law and sense of duty. If they are all reacting to the assault on the Capital building the I wonder where they have been all along? Why didn’t they begin to speak out when Trump began circulating his lies that the election was stolen? Where were they when court case after court case filed by Trump was thrown out of court due to a lack of evidence? They were all silent and that puts some blame on what happened Wednesday squarely at their feet. To pretend now that their resignations are a sign of outrage and consideration for the well being of the country can’t be believed. They all danced way too long to the music of of their conductor Trump!

When Trump send his assembled followers to the Capital building on Tuesday he was going to lead them but he ducked into the White House to follow what would happen on television. Many in that group probably had no intention of entering the building but many fueled by lies appeared willing to do so. As more videos emerged and were shown on national TV, we realized how extensive the damage was to our image in the world but also the danger to our legislators and destruction of property. It is now up to everyone of the public to identify these lawbreakers. They must not escape from being held accountable for their deplorable actions. Then law enforcement must follow up in arresting them so that they may be prosecuted. They will be charged with a number of federal offenses with serious potential punishment. But they should all be given a fair trial and have legal counsel as are the rights of every citizen. But what we as a nation can’t do is to ignore what happened! They are not special and we don’t love them although Trump stated he does!

Trump called on his followers to gather in Washington DC on January 6th, 2021 to share his belief that the election was stolen from him. His intent was to disrupt the Congress proceedings of certifying that Biden will become the next President of the nation. Trump encouraged his followers to march to the Capital building where the lawmakers were in session to fulfil that responsibility. By the time his followers had reached the Capital building they had turned into an uncontrollable mob. They overwhelmed the insufficient and inadequate security forces gained access to the interior by smashing windows. Lawmakers had to be taken to secure locations on premise while the mob paraded about inside chambers and offices. One even walked around carrying a huge Confederate flag while others took pictures of themselves. This was an insurrection carried out by a pro-Trump mob. It was a case of domestic terrorism! Yet, only a very small number was arrested which indicates a kid glove treatment by the police. Images seen on televisions around the world painted a dark picture of this administration and the country as a whole. We must all be appalled at what we saw. Finally Trump who must have gleefully followed the march on television was forced to make a statement. But the first thing was a repeat of his stolen election claim. Then he did ask the mob to go home but added that they were special and they were loved. There was no condemnation by the President of their criminal actions. Yesterday was a shameful display at many levels. First, A sitting President inciting and convincing his followers that a lost election was stolen. Secondly, what could have been a peaceful protest turning into a highly dangerous mob attack. Thirdly, a massive security failure in protecting the heart of the federal government. And finally, it showed the word that we are no longer that shiny utopian democracy we pretend to be. Yes, yesterday was aa nightmare

This morning the Georgia Republican establishment is facing a new political landscape since democratic challengers beat their two incumbent Senators in the runoff election. Ossoff is winning and Warnack has won and thus became the first black Senator in Georgia’s history. Trump’s last minute trip to Georgia to endorse the Republican Senators failed. Rather the citizens of Georgia remembered Trump’s blistering attacks on their GOP Governor and Secretary of State. Add to that that people don’t take too kindly to being told that their presidential election was rigged. But the biggest impact of two Democratic Senators being elected is that the Senate will now have an equal number of Democratic and Republican Senators and thus VP Harris becomes the tie breaking vote. In addition, the Senate leadership and committee chairs are now controlled by Democrats. Mitch McConnel’s reign to block any House legislation he doesn’t like is also coming to an end. This Senate change is crucial to President-Elect Biden since now his ability to pass legislation on financial relief for Americans and speed up of Covid-19 vaccinations will be easier to accomplish. The Republicans will look at the Georgia election result and ask themselves to what degree Trump’s irresponsible election fraud rhetoric is too blame. Some may even come out and admit that Trump’s appeal is beginning to fade and there is no need to fear him anymore.

In the thirties a German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels stated that people will believe any lie if it is big enough and repeated often enough. I was always told by my fellow Americans that it would never happen here. Well, let’s look at a few facts: ‘A few weeks before the election even took place Trump started his effort to paint the election as tainted. Once he lost it, he immediately began spinning conspiracy theories how the election was stolen from him. To enforce that belief in the minds of his followers, he filed court challenge after court challenge and even when they were thrown out of court, he kept up repeating those lies. There was no evidence ever offered by Trump but only that he had a feeling that he had won a fantastic victory. Even after the election results were officially recognized by all fifty states, Trump kept up his drumbeat of lies and repeated them over and over via tweets, interviews and at rallies.’. But here we are at a dark moment in our history when so many of our fellow Americans fell for the same ploy that Germans did. So to all of you who thought that a dictatorship could never gain a foothold in the US, just look at what is happening in our nation right now. Trump and his foolish enablers in the House and Senate are trying to do just that by ignoring the will of the people!

Given all the lies and falsehoods Trump mentioned in Saturday’s phone call to the Georgia Secretary of State, his office held a news conference yesterday to rebuke those claims. Gabriel Sterling, representing Brad Raffensperger, in a calm manner and using facts went though each category of Trump’s election grievance and proved that they were wrong. Sterling acted as a true patriot and defended that every vote cast was valid and counted. Yet that didn’t stop Trump later in the day at a Georgia rally to repeat all of his lies. In short, the sitting President appears to be deranged, delusional and dangerous by continuing to insist that the election was taken from him although he can’t provide evidence on how that was done. Trump’s actions serve only to harm our democracy since the election result is set in stone and his departure from the White House on January 20th is a foregone conclusion. My greatest fear is that Trump’s actions will lead to street violence on part of his extreme right wing supporters unwilling to accept the will of the people. The past has shown that our democracy has gone through some major challenges but it has never fallen and it is destined to outlive this crisis as well!

With only 16 days left in office it is clear that Trump’s post election power grab has failed but his actions have now split the Republican party. Trump has his cadre of enablers who maintain their loyalty to him and will raise objections when the electoral count is read on Wednesday. They are driven by personal ambitions and not by their oath to the Constitution. They keep on saying that their intent is not to invalidate the election outcome since they only seek future election reforms. That is an argument I won’t accept! But in recent days other Republican lawmakers have emerged who are rebuking those who are election result obstructionists. Their comments on obstruction is that they are playing with fire, it is an egregious ploy threatening our democracy and it is basically anti-democratic and anti-conservative. I expect more Republicans are now forced to take a stance sine Trump’s infamous conference call with the Georgia Secretary of State demanding that they find by hook or crook 11780 votes in some funny recalculation maneuver. That demand is a criminal act. It is election interference by every definition. Unfortunately we can’t expect Trump’s behavior to change before he has to leave the White House. He will inflict more damage to our democracy because he can’t let go of the fact that he is leaving the presidency as an election loser.

One of the articles mentioned in the impeachment proceedings against Trump was the gross abuse of power by a sitting President. All Republicans were silent on that issue in the hearings and now we even have some who bought in to Trump’s rhetoric that he won the election. But Saturday’s telephone conference call between Trump, his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and two of his lawyers to the Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, his deputy and staff lawyer leaves no doubt that the President was involved in election tampering and abusive of power. In that call he resorted to his standard mode of operation of lies, hyperbole, bullying, slander and outright threats. Not only did he repeat every election falsehood mentioned by QAnon and Trump friendly news outlets but highlighted the conversation by bluntly asking Brad Raffensperger to come up with11780 votes so he can claim he won in Georgia. The Georgia Secretary of State was not intimidated by Trump’s antics and stood firm on his position that the election result was correct. The President and his allies in the call showed a complete contempt for democracy and the really sad part is that they made no bones about it. The recording of that call is the most damaging tape since Watergate. Now the question is if Republicans will again remain silent on such explosive information or will they finally speak out?

The strange move by House and Senate Republicans to raise objections on Wednesday to the formality of VP Pence reading the individual state electoral count is doomed to failure from the get go. If it happens, I can call it only a terrible and ugly side show. They may all have various motives for doing so but respect for the Constitutions isn’t certainly isn’t one of them. In my estimation they are driven by their ambitions which is to seek higher office in 2024. They feel that in order to succeed they require that Trump loyalists remain with them. But they are forgetting that with all their political ploys they do nothing but undercut the dominant principle of our democracy and that is that our citizens elect their leaders. Eventually history will judge them and it will be as harsh as it has been for McCarthy and his Republican enablers during the Communist witch hunts. All their comments and actions are unpatriotic and show a blatant disregard for the rule of law. They are placing their own ambitions ahead of country and thus placing democracy on life support.

Given the Georgia Senate run off election, the January 6th electoral vote cast and Trump’s continuous attacks on fellow Republicans set up this week for high political drama. Trump has scraped up some House Representatives and a couple of Senators to object to the electoral count and force a debate on the objections. His call puts him at odds with the GOP Senate Leader McConnel and places his VP Pence in an awkward position. Trump’s actions are aimed at his loyal base but may be rejected by business friendly and traditional Republicans. That has the potential of fracturing the GOP for years to come. The Georgia election on Tuesday will provide some insight into the state of mind of Republican voters. Trump has repeatedly attacked the Republican Governor and the GOP controlled election board. Potentially a serious political blunder offending those who voted for the Governor. Also his refusal to accept the Georgia election result and subsequent recount may not sit well those Republicans who respect our democratic elections. During this week we may see acrimony and disruptions which will cast a dark shadow on the normal transition of presidential power.

Shortly before the election at a campaign rally in Nevada Trump made some odd policy announcements. No, it wasn’t about Covid-19 or the financial relief package being discussed. Of all things it was that dishwashers don’t work properly, shower heads dribble and toilet flushes are too slow. It would be easy to write it off as silly campaign rhetoric if it weren’t for the administration actually acting on those complaints of the President. Jut few days later the administration rolled back rules for dishwasher water and energy limits and the Department of Energy changed the existing rules for shower heads and washing machines. The strange part is that no one in the public really saw those things as being critical issues requiring immediate government interaction. Why do we create solutions seeking a problem and not for real problems adversely impacting us all?