Now that Paul Manafort has been charged with felonies (stemming from actions that took place before the man was associated with Trump), the President is again free to denounce it all as politics as usual from the "Dems." And call for more investigations into "crooked Hillary."
What he's forgetting is that the charges against Manafort might result in charges against himself or his associates (or kin). See, Manafort might make a deal for leniency, which might be exactly what Mueller is counting on.
Earlier, another Trump worker (former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos) pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the time line surrounding a meeting with Russian nationals in an attempt to get dirt on Hillary. It's also possible that man will have more to say when it comes time for sentencing.
Trump has always maintained there was no collusion with the Russians, and until very recently he was able to point to a lack of indictments as proof the whole scheme was an attempt to excuse a Democratic loss in the election. (He has said so many, many times.)
But a lack of results cannot be relied on to prove there will never be any results. I've heard this investigation might take years.
I think we can expect that even after the man has been impeached and convicted (by Republicans), Donald Trump will continue to offer alternate facts to prove himself guiltless. It's his pattern: excuse, excuse, excuse, then take the hit and declare victory.
He can't be wrong, as far as he knows. He'd be inhuman to act differently.
His supporters feel the same. They know he's the greatest president this country has ever had. Every report knocking the man can be denounced as fake news. If convicted by fellow Republicans, it can only be because those bastards are treasonous villains.
(Some Trump supporters threaten civil war if anyone tries to impeach their favorite president.)
Early on, Trump claimed he could murder somebody on Fifth Avenue and lose no support. He was probably thinking he was just that good. More likely, his supporters are just that corrupt. (The infamous "Basket of Deplorables," as Hillary called them.)
The squirmy fact is, everybody knows what they know. When push comes to shove, expect automatic gunfire. It's who we are.
Monday, October 30, 2017
Sunday, October 15, 2017
RESPECT
Donald Trump's position is that America must be respected by all its citizens. Not just respect for the country, but for all its patriotic symbols, including its flag and national song. The President knows there is no alleged aberration of justice that could possibly rise to the level where this respect can legitimately be withheld.
Sure, the country was founded on theft, genocide, and slavery, but all that unpleasantness is behind us. Everything is honky-dory now.
So, come on, guys. Drag your sorry ass upright for the National Anthem!
Next week the administration's going to start handing out loyalty oaths for us all to sign. Also, you'll have to kiss the flag at the DMV to get your car registered. And swear allegiance at the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread.
The week after that, members of the so-called mainstream media will be rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Broadcast licenses will be revoked.
(Those bastards are only putting out Fake News, anyway.)
In a month, all country-based loyalty tests will be replaced by new ones where you can declare your undying love and allegiance to Donald J. Trump, personally.
Don't worry, it'll be fine. Trump's supporters are already looking into the possibility of changing the Constitution so the man can serve more than two terms.
They'd also like to change the laws of nature so Trump can remain in office till the end of time—or at least until there's nothing left of him but a brain in a bucket.
He is, as they declare, the Greatest President this country has ever known. (Or ever will know, apparently.)
Maybe they can arrange for the nation itself to disappear off the face of the earth when Trump's last corporeal vestige gives in to the ravages of time.
At which time it'll be special Kool-Aid for everybody!
(Remember to dose your children before you drink it yourself. You don't want them left behind when the rest of us get beamed to that spaceship behind the comet.)
Seriously, black guys. So what if they make you stand up for the anthem. During the Vietnam war they enjoyed sending your ass to die in a foreign country.
See, things are getting better!
Sure, the country was founded on theft, genocide, and slavery, but all that unpleasantness is behind us. Everything is honky-dory now.
So, come on, guys. Drag your sorry ass upright for the National Anthem!
Next week the administration's going to start handing out loyalty oaths for us all to sign. Also, you'll have to kiss the flag at the DMV to get your car registered. And swear allegiance at the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread.
The week after that, members of the so-called mainstream media will be rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Broadcast licenses will be revoked.
(Those bastards are only putting out Fake News, anyway.)
In a month, all country-based loyalty tests will be replaced by new ones where you can declare your undying love and allegiance to Donald J. Trump, personally.
Don't worry, it'll be fine. Trump's supporters are already looking into the possibility of changing the Constitution so the man can serve more than two terms.
They'd also like to change the laws of nature so Trump can remain in office till the end of time—or at least until there's nothing left of him but a brain in a bucket.
He is, as they declare, the Greatest President this country has ever known. (Or ever will know, apparently.)
Maybe they can arrange for the nation itself to disappear off the face of the earth when Trump's last corporeal vestige gives in to the ravages of time.
At which time it'll be special Kool-Aid for everybody!
(Remember to dose your children before you drink it yourself. You don't want them left behind when the rest of us get beamed to that spaceship behind the comet.)
Seriously, black guys. So what if they make you stand up for the anthem. During the Vietnam war they enjoyed sending your ass to die in a foreign country.
See, things are getting better!
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
THE NRA IS A RATCHET
After every mass shooting, two things happen. The shelves of gun stores resemble those of a supermarket when a hurricane is coming. And half the nation clamors for more restrictive gun laws—pointlessly.
But here's something you might not believe: Gun laws actually do change following a mass shooting. They get looser. On the local level, guns get easier to pack just about everywhere.
In the first few days after Vegas, the NRA seemed to signal they'd be willing to allow restrictions on bump stocks (attachments that make semi-automatic guns fire about as fast as an M-16 on full auto). They've since come to their senses and backed off that position.
The NRA's argument is always the same: Any restriction on gun ownership is just the first step on the road that leads to total confiscation of all guns—a clear violation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution.
Neither part of that last sentence is true.
We have numerous restrictions on who can buy a firearm and how soon the customer can take possession of it. Tightening those restrictions is no calamity to anyone lucid enough to figure out how to join the NRA.
As for the Second Amendment, supporters seem to be unable to read the first half of that one-sentence law, so they ignore it. All that nonsense about a "well-regulated militia" makes their heads spin.
(Apparently the Supreme Court agrees with them.)
The NRA's position is all or nothing. You'd expect their members to be long-haired freaks, convinced every haircut results in a beheading.
This form of thinking operates like a ratchet. There can be movement in only one direction. No restrictions on gun ownership are tolerated; only a loosening is possible. And that's what they've been getting.
The other side fears the opposite: Everybody will be armed to the teeth at all times. And their nightmare is coming true.
How come? Because your average congress-critter fears the long arm of the NRA more than they fear a bunch of unorganized voters. The NRA has the money to saturate a local media market with so much negative advertising an uncooperative candidate hasn't got a chance. (At least, that's what the NRA wants them to think.)
It doesn't matter that the majority of Americans want more restrictions on gun ownership. The NRA knows better.
So what's going to happen in the future? Easy. More mass shootings, followed by gun law debates, followed by a loosening in gun laws, followed by more mass shootings.
It's who we are, folks.
Remember: The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.
The problem with that: Everybody thinks he's a good guy.
But here's something you might not believe: Gun laws actually do change following a mass shooting. They get looser. On the local level, guns get easier to pack just about everywhere.
In the first few days after Vegas, the NRA seemed to signal they'd be willing to allow restrictions on bump stocks (attachments that make semi-automatic guns fire about as fast as an M-16 on full auto). They've since come to their senses and backed off that position.
The NRA's argument is always the same: Any restriction on gun ownership is just the first step on the road that leads to total confiscation of all guns—a clear violation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution.
Neither part of that last sentence is true.
We have numerous restrictions on who can buy a firearm and how soon the customer can take possession of it. Tightening those restrictions is no calamity to anyone lucid enough to figure out how to join the NRA.
As for the Second Amendment, supporters seem to be unable to read the first half of that one-sentence law, so they ignore it. All that nonsense about a "well-regulated militia" makes their heads spin.
(Apparently the Supreme Court agrees with them.)
The NRA's position is all or nothing. You'd expect their members to be long-haired freaks, convinced every haircut results in a beheading.
This form of thinking operates like a ratchet. There can be movement in only one direction. No restrictions on gun ownership are tolerated; only a loosening is possible. And that's what they've been getting.
The other side fears the opposite: Everybody will be armed to the teeth at all times. And their nightmare is coming true.
How come? Because your average congress-critter fears the long arm of the NRA more than they fear a bunch of unorganized voters. The NRA has the money to saturate a local media market with so much negative advertising an uncooperative candidate hasn't got a chance. (At least, that's what the NRA wants them to think.)
It doesn't matter that the majority of Americans want more restrictions on gun ownership. The NRA knows better.
So what's going to happen in the future? Easy. More mass shootings, followed by gun law debates, followed by a loosening in gun laws, followed by more mass shootings.
It's who we are, folks.
Remember: The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.
The problem with that: Everybody thinks he's a good guy.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
GOOD COP, IDIOT COP
Donald Trump has been very busy lately, imposing his view of reality on the world: the NFL take-a-knee thing, the Puerto Rico disaster (including his hard to disagree with definition of an island), the excellence of his new tax reform proposal (an economic bloodbath for him personally [you have to believe him—but it would be interesting to get proof in the way of his tax returns]).
But slipping in with his Twitter feud with the mayor San Juan was a little item that sends chills through the blood: Trump informed his Secretary of State that negotiating with "Little Rocket Man" was a waste of time.
Trump has apparently concluded it's not possible for diplomacy to stop a nuclear exchange with North Korea. Which suggests he's already made up his mind in favor of the military option. It's just a question of time.
Mostly, when he says "we'll see," it means a decision has been made and he's being careful not to tip his hand before the axe falls. (Ask Tom Price, who escaped the axe by cutting his own throat.)
(Trump's refusal to say what he's going to do goes back to his criticism of Obama for signaling that a move against Mosul was coming soon. As if it was possible to sneak up on Mosul.)
The only other reasonable interpretation is that Trump is playing bad cop to Rex Tillerson's good cop. Kim Jong-un is expected to react by cleaving to the Secretary of State in hopes of avoiding "total destruction."
All along in these exchanges (including at the UN), Trump has played up the military option. He's always been the bad guy, throwing out derision and personal insults. Tillerson has always suggested talks might be a way to resolve things.
Kim's stated goal is to possess a nuclear force capable of destroying the US. He wants parity with America, designed to prevent a first strike by offering Mutually Assured Destruction. His emphasis on mobile launch vehicles is a part of this, making it harder for us to knock out his nuclear arms with one blow. (Without them all he can do is blast away at our allies, South Korea and Japan. Sucks to be them.)
The United States puts up with the MAD scenario with a number of other countries. North Korea just wants to be part of the fun.
It doesn't look like Trump wants Kim to get that chance.
A high-ranking North Korean official has stated Trump made a fatal error, and that a state of war now exists between the two countries. That may also be a ploy, calculated to make America more willing to talk.
It's called "brinksmanship." Stand toe-to-toe with the enemy and wiggle your junk at him, see if you can scare the guy into putting his wiener away.
Succeed or fail, it's an unseemly display.
Human beings corrupt the process by having the illusion we can divine the true motives of an adversary. We know what they're really thinking, even if they don't.
Trump, for instance, knows NFL players who take a knee during the national anthem are not protesting any sort of racial inequality. It's purely a way to disrespect the flag and the country. He has looked into their hearts and seen the truth: Race has nothing to do with it.
Trump reacts accordingly. And so do his core followers, burning football jerseys and so forth.
Now the question: What does Trump see in the heart of Kim Jong-un?
And how many people is he willing to sacrifice for that excellent knowledge?
But slipping in with his Twitter feud with the mayor San Juan was a little item that sends chills through the blood: Trump informed his Secretary of State that negotiating with "Little Rocket Man" was a waste of time.
Trump has apparently concluded it's not possible for diplomacy to stop a nuclear exchange with North Korea. Which suggests he's already made up his mind in favor of the military option. It's just a question of time.
Mostly, when he says "we'll see," it means a decision has been made and he's being careful not to tip his hand before the axe falls. (Ask Tom Price, who escaped the axe by cutting his own throat.)
(Trump's refusal to say what he's going to do goes back to his criticism of Obama for signaling that a move against Mosul was coming soon. As if it was possible to sneak up on Mosul.)
The only other reasonable interpretation is that Trump is playing bad cop to Rex Tillerson's good cop. Kim Jong-un is expected to react by cleaving to the Secretary of State in hopes of avoiding "total destruction."
All along in these exchanges (including at the UN), Trump has played up the military option. He's always been the bad guy, throwing out derision and personal insults. Tillerson has always suggested talks might be a way to resolve things.
Kim's stated goal is to possess a nuclear force capable of destroying the US. He wants parity with America, designed to prevent a first strike by offering Mutually Assured Destruction. His emphasis on mobile launch vehicles is a part of this, making it harder for us to knock out his nuclear arms with one blow. (Without them all he can do is blast away at our allies, South Korea and Japan. Sucks to be them.)
The United States puts up with the MAD scenario with a number of other countries. North Korea just wants to be part of the fun.
It doesn't look like Trump wants Kim to get that chance.
A high-ranking North Korean official has stated Trump made a fatal error, and that a state of war now exists between the two countries. That may also be a ploy, calculated to make America more willing to talk.
It's called "brinksmanship." Stand toe-to-toe with the enemy and wiggle your junk at him, see if you can scare the guy into putting his wiener away.
Succeed or fail, it's an unseemly display.
Human beings corrupt the process by having the illusion we can divine the true motives of an adversary. We know what they're really thinking, even if they don't.
Trump, for instance, knows NFL players who take a knee during the national anthem are not protesting any sort of racial inequality. It's purely a way to disrespect the flag and the country. He has looked into their hearts and seen the truth: Race has nothing to do with it.
Trump reacts accordingly. And so do his core followers, burning football jerseys and so forth.
Now the question: What does Trump see in the heart of Kim Jong-un?
And how many people is he willing to sacrifice for that excellent knowledge?
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