Is Our Democratic Republic At Risk From Forces Both Foreign and Within?...

We are moving this running post up to front page this evening where it will remain until January 3'rd 2017 when we will return to single posts, hopefully on a daily basis. There is much to do in getting the TRUTH out about Donald J Trump, a dishonest, totally self absorbed, and dangerous individual. He may be the president on January 20th but that does not mean thoughtful and concerned people shouldn't challenge Trump at every turn and fight his agenda whenever it runs contrary to their interests and those of their family. More to come.

BTW, be sure to read today's entry, 12/28/16, below. this is just one example AND, it is just the beginning.

You've probably noticed the brief posts of late. Posts with very short commentary by the weblolg administrator followed by an article that goes into the subject in much greater detail. This has been done purposefully following the rancorous 2016 election, and because its Christmas Time, soon to be a New Year.  This posting format will continue until January 3rd 2017.  

December 21, 2016

12/28/16 @ 7:10 PM - Just another way Donald Trump plans to screw folks,  in this case it is the retired people.  Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) wants to allow "balance billing", something strictly prohibited for Medicare patients. In short it will cause medical coats for seniors to sky rocket. Read the details in the linked article below.            

The Republican plot to devour retirees' nest eggs

Just another way El Donaldo and his posse of millionaires and billionaires are planning to "Make America Great Again".

12/27/16 @ 12:30 PM - If there was ever any doubt it has been erased. President elect Donald J. Trump, the man who criticized other  in fact is bigly guilty of the same. Follow the linked article for details.

Trump rewards big donors with jobs and access

12/13/16 @ 1:20 PM - What the hell, lets turn the thread into an open space free for all of divergent ideas, no matter how ridiculous they may seem to some. After all, when ya can't beat em join em!

Have at it! Just be sure to observe commenting policy, or, comment post will be deleteds upon detection.



12/14/16 @ 7:25 PM - Follow the linked title from VOX for some interesting insights into The Word Salad President and his more often than not rambling almost incoherent sentences.

Trump says the press mangles his “beautiful flowing sentences.” We asked linguists to weigh in.

12/15/16 @ 10:40 AM - Follow the linked title from t.pix for a clearer picture into the potential tragedy that awaits the USA under a Trump administration. History provides many clues.

"Prevent Tragedy Before It's Too Late": Read the Statement 1,200 Scholars Just Released About Trump

More @ Mother Jones.



12/16/16 @ 10.30 AM - I've said since the beginning of Donald J. Trump's run for the presidency he was a threat to our civil liberties and our democratic republic. Apparently more folks are waking up to this reality. Unfortunately is may be to late. Follow the linked New York Times article for more.

Is Donald Trump a Threat to Democracy?

12/20/16 @ 9:45 AM - With the electoral college making Donald J. Trump's minority election to the United States presidency official we are now looking at the American rightwing solidifying its control over our lives.

 From the following linked article it looks as though Trump will be receiving plenty of help, encouragement, and support from some far right European elements.

Austrian Far-Right Politicians Travel to Moscow to Grease Ties Between Trump, Putin

12/20/16 @ 12:30 PM - Big h/t goes out to Progressive Eruptions who posted the following linked article this morning. This is not what America wants. We fought a world war against it. Now we have American citizens supporting this horrific mentality. NOT IN AMERICA must be our battle cry! We must defeat this vile pox and strench on our national idenity.

One month, 8 days. That's how long it took after electing Trump for Neo-Nazis to feel confident enough to start openly targeting Jews in America. Not online like they've been doing for years, but in the real world. This dangerous escalation is just the beginning:

Complete article BELOW THE FOLD.



12/21/16 @ 11:00 AM - It seems that president elect Donald J. Trump, the man who was going to drain the swamp has had a change of heart. Reports are that he is going to stop using the catch phrase that was a campaign staple. When you really think about it it  makes perfect sense that he would stop using it. With our three branches of government now safely in the jaws of the alligators (reepublicans) we're sure he no longers feels the need to drain the swamp. Follow the linked article for the full story.

Gingrich: Trump doesn't want to 'drain the swamp' anymore

12/22/16 @ 10:00 AM -  The internet has always had its share of individuals as well as groups that regularly disseminate false information for the purpose of misleading people. America now has a president elect, Donald J. Trump who is using social media (Twitter) for that very purpose, misleading Americans aa well as the rest of the world. 

The Washington Post has created a nifty tool designed to address one of the novel problems of our political era: a president-elect who persistently uses Twitter to spread lies. A web-browser extension for Chrome and Firefox, RealDonaldContext annotates some of Trump’s tweets with fact-checking from the Post. For instance, last month Trump tweeted, “In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” Below that, if you use the extension, is a note saying, “This is incorrect or false,” with this explication: “Trump didn’t win in a landslide in any sense—but more importantly there is absolutely no evidence that there were a significant number of votes cast illegally, much less ‘millions’ of them.”

RealDonaldContext meets a genuine need, given the importance tweeting plays in Trump’s media strategy and the frequency with which he lies. Trump’s authoritarianism is manifest in his attempt to impose a false reality on the world, which will become all the more dangerous when he assumes power. Thus, fact-checking his tweets is not only essential journalism, but an act of resistance—a reminder that Trump can’t make a lie come true by fiat alone.

Yet fact-checking, while necessary, is also only a partial solution. Trump’s core supporters, and the Republican Party that has decided to appease them, have proven willing to swallow his lies wholesale; they are immune to fact-checkers. Moreover, the problem with Trump’s tweets isn’t just that they often contain falsehoods, but that they are deliberate provocations with the potential to cause real conflict.

To continue reading this important information follow the linked article below.

Trump’s Tweets Are a Threat to Our National Security

Christmas 2016... A Time To Reflect As We Prepare For 2017

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Merry Christmas

May Your Holiday Be Everything You Wish It To Be

Your Thoughts Are Welcome...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

Following is some info on the nominees Trump has picked to fill his cabinet. Please feel free to leave your comments on any or all of them.

Compliments of The Washington Post.

Interesting, Principled, Outside The Box, and, Willl Have No Impact...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

From The New York Times opinion page.

Why I Will Not Cast My Electoral Vote for Donald Trump

DALLAS — I am a Republican presidential elector, one of the 538 people asked to choose officially the president of the United States. Since the election, people have asked me to change my vote based on policy disagreements with Donald J. Trump. In some cases, they cite the popular vote difference. I do not think presidents-elect should be disqualified for policy disagreements. I do not think they should be disqualified because they won the Electoral College instead of the popular vote. However, now I am asked to cast a vote on Dec. 19 for someone who shows daily he is not qualified for the office.

Fifteen years ago, as a firefighter, I was part of the response to the Sept. 11 attacks against our nation. That attack and this year’s election may seem unrelated, but for me the relationship becomes clearer every day.

George W. Bush is an imperfect man, but he led us through the tragic days following the attacks. His leadership showed that America was a great nation. That was also the last time I remember the nation united. I watch Mr. Trump fail to unite America and drive a wedge between us.

Mr. Trump goes out of his way to attack the cast of “Saturday Night Live” for bias. He tweets day and night, but waited two days to offer sympathy to the Ohio State community after an attack there. He does not encourage civil discourse, but chooses to stoke fear and create outrage.

This is unacceptable. For me, America is that shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan envisioned. It has problems. It has challenges. These can be met and overcome just as our nation overcame Sept. 11.

The United States was set up as a republic. Alexander Hamilton provided a blueprint for states’ votes. Federalist 68 argued that an Electoral College should determine if candidates are qualified, not engaged in demagogy, and independent from foreign influence. Mr. Trump shows us again and again that he does not meet these standards. Given his own public statements, it isn’t clear how the Electoral College can ignore these issues, and so it should reject him.

I have poured countless hours into serving the party of Lincoln and electing its candidates. I will pour many more into being more faithful to my party than some in its leadership. But I owe no debt to a party. I owe a debt to my children to leave them a nation they can trust.

Mr. Trump lacks the foreign policy experience and demeanor needed to be commander in chief. During the campaign more than 50 Republican former national security officials and foreign policy experts co-signed a letter opposing him. In their words, “he would be a dangerous president.” During the campaign Mr. Trump even said Russia should hack Hillary Clinton’s emails. This encouragement of an illegal act has troubled many members of Congress and troubles me.

Hamilton also reminded us that a president cannot be a demagogue. Mr. Trump urged violence against protesters at his rallies during the campaign. He speaks of retribution against his critics. He has surrounded himself with advisers such as Stephen K. Bannon, who claims to be a Leninist and lauds villains and their thirst for power, including Darth Vader. “Rogue One,” the latest “Star Wars” installment, arrives later this month. I am not taking my children to see it to celebrate evil, but to show them that light can overcome it.

Gen. Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump’s pick for national security adviser, has his own checkered past about rules. He installed a secret internet connection in his Pentagon office despite rules to the contrary. Sound familiar?

Finally, Mr. Trump does not understand that the Constitution expressly forbids a president to receive payments or gifts from foreign governments. We have reports that Mr. Trump’s organization has business dealings in Argentina, Bahrain, Taiwan and elsewhere. Mr. Trump could be impeached in his first year given his dismissive responses to financial conflicts of interest. He has played fast and loose with the law for years. He may have violated the Cuban embargo, and there are reports of improprieties involving his foundation and actions he took against minority tenants in New York. Mr. Trump still seems to think that pattern of behavior can continue.

That is what a right thinking and principled conservative or libertarian understands. We need many, many, many more just like him.

Full story BELOW THE FOLD.

The White Nationalists Spin...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

FreeThinke

Joy to the World, The Donald's come.
Let us shout out with Joy.
Let every heart prepare him room
And Human Nature sing
And Human Nature sing.
Salvation has come at last;
Our hearts take wing.

Poetry for the alt-right from a white nationalist.

The Fear Of The Trumpistas...

Rational Natation USA
Purveyor of Truth

America, the great melting pot of the world as well as a beacon of hope and freedom for millions is changing. Fear, the fear of a continued and growing diversity within the USA has griped many Caucasian Americans, and, one result of this is the election of Donald J. Trump. Nationalism driven by ethic or racial identity is dangerous and it is ugly. History holds many examples.

THE HILL - A rapidly aging white population and fast-growing younger minority groups are speeding demographic changes across the nation, hastening a political divide likely to have long-term ramifications.
 
The percentage of the U.S. population that is white has decreased from 79.6 percent in 1980 to 61.9 percent in 2014. The percentage of Latino Americans has increased from 6.4 percent to 17.3 percent over the same time period, while both the African American and Asian American populations have grown, too.

There are growing signs that the rate of change is increasing. The number of non-Hispanic whites who died in 2014 outpaced the number of white births in 17 states, according to a new analysis from the University of New Hampshire. That’s the largest number of states to experience a natural decrease in the white population in American history.
 
Only two states, Maine and West Virginia, experienced more deaths than births — an indication that Latino and African American populations are growing at a fast clip in most states.

Full article BELOW THE FOLD.