A Happy and Prosperous New Year To ALL!!!

We begin the New Year with an Open Thread. Please keep it respectful!

The Attention Craving POTUS...

We all know by now, or should know anyway, that DJT is a reality show POTUS. He is one who craves the attention that the media falls all over itself to give him. Trump is addicted to the limelight cable news, print media, and electronic media provide him 24/7. Bluntly stated Trump is a media whore who needs the media every bit as much, if not more, than the media needs him.

From The Washington Post :

In President Trump’s interview with the New York Times, he declared:

Another reason that I’m going to win another four years is because newspapers, television, all forms of media will tank if I’m not there. Because without me, their ratings are going down the tubes. Without me, the New York Times will indeed be not the failing New York Times, but the failed New York Times. So they basically have to let me win. And eventually, probably six months before the election, they’ll be loving me because they’re saying, “Please, please, don’t lose Donald Trump.”

On one level, the comment is ludicrous. Despite the frenzied paranoia of the Fox News crowd, the Times doesn’t determine election winners. If it did, he wouldn’t be president. Indeed, if the Trumpists thought the Times had such power, it wouldn’t be the “Failing New York Times,” but rather the “All-Powerful New York Times.”

The comment is also revealing of Trump’s obsession with the media. While decrying the “fake news,” he’s intoxicated, addicted even, to the attention. No president has been obsessed with TV as Trump is. (He reportedly watches up to eight hours a day.) He runs to the Times to unburden himself on a regular basis, just as he seeks refuge in the comfy environs of Fox News prime-time shows. He seemingly makes pronouncements and decisions based on news coverage, not on his own administration data. While he imagines the news media “needs” him, it is Trump who craves approving coverage and rages at their criticism.

All that said, at some level he must know that without CNN’s nonstop coverage of his rallies and Fox News’s incessant cheerleading, he never could have dominated the news cycle, deprived nearly 20 GOP opponents of coverage and won the GOP nomination on a shoestring budget. If he thinks the media can deliver for him again, it is in part because he got such a tremendous boost from the media in 2016. And to the extent that he is allowed a forum in which to babble on without fear of interruption, follow-up questions or contradiction, he’s figured out that no other politician would be allowed to get through an interview like the one he gave on Thursday without a scrape.

But alas, his notion that the media will be “nice to him” — a childlike prism by which he judges and personalizes all interactions (They love me! Great guys!) — bears no relationship to reality.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

Is the Mueller Investigation Increasingly Worrisome for the POTUS?...

Donald Trump has been obsessed with talking about the absence of any collusion between his campaign and the Russian government. We're no expert here but people that find it necessary to repeatedly, and often, defend themselves against allegations sound like they're trying to convince themselves. Which creates the thought in others that they indeed have something to worry about, and, if possible hide.

From The Washington Post:

You know how if you repeat a word over and over, eventually it starts to sound strange to your ear, like merely a random collection of sounds? That is apparently what President Trump is doing with the word “collusion.” Say it often enough, and perhaps it will lose all meaning.

That’s just one of the things that comes through in this bizarre and disturbing interview Trump conducted at the Trump International Golf Club with Michael Schmidt of the New York Times, apparently on the spur of the moment and with no aides there to protect him. As we’ve almost come to expect by now, when Trump speaks at length without a script, he skitters back and forth along the line that divides the comical from the terrifying, telling one obvious lie after another, making endless digressions that devolve into incomprehensible word salad, and generally sounding like someone with only the most tenuous grip on his faculties.

But there’s one thing he’s very clear about wanting everyone to know: He and his campaign did not collude with Russia during 2016. In fact, without being prompted he returned again and again to the topic, repeating the word “collusion” no fewer than 23 times:

“Frankly there is absolutely no collusion…Virtually every Democrat has said there is no collusion. There is no collusion…I think it’s been proven that there is no collusion…I can only tell you that there is absolutely no collusion…There’s been no collusion…There was no collusion. None whatsoever…everybody knows that there was no collusion. I saw Dianne Feinstein the other day on television saying there is no collusion [note: not true]…The Republicans, in terms of the House committees, they come out, they’re so angry because there is no collusion…there was collusion on behalf of the Democrats. There was collusion with the Russians and the Democrats. A lot of collusion…There was tremendous collusion on behalf of the Russians and the Democrats. There was no collusion with respect to my campaign…But there is tremendous collusion with the Russians and with the Democratic Party…I watched Alan Dershowitz the other day, he said, No. 1, there is no collusion, No. 2, collusion is not a crime, but even if it was a crime, there was no collusion. And he said that very strongly. He said there was no collusion…There is no collusion, and even if there was, it’s not a crime. But there’s no collusion…when you look at all of the tremendous, ah, real problems [Democrats] had, not made-up problems like Russian collusion.“

It should go without saying that no Democrats have said there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Some have said that we don’t yet have definitive proof that there was a conspiracy at work, but none have proclaimed Trump exonerated in the way he’s claiming. And Trump’s claim that Democrats were the ones colluding with Russia is simply nonsensical, likely plucked from an attempt Republicans and the conservative media made a couple of months ago to execute an “I know you are but what am I” strategy on this scandal that was so ludicrous it isn’t worth revisiting in any detail (you can read about it here if you care).

This is one of those moments when you are reminded that the president has the majestic resources of the U.S. government at his disposal, yet prefers to learn the truth of what’s going on in the world from the trio manning the couch on “Fox & Friends.” So perhaps it’s unsurprising that he thinks he can convince America of his innocence by merely repeating the words “There was no collusion” again and again. What is blindingly obvious is that Trump is very, very concerned that people might be thinking he and his campaign colluded with the Russians.

Maybe Trump and his campaign didn't collude with Russian authorities and maybe he and his campaign did. At this point no one knows for certain one way or the other. Which is why the Mueller investigation must proceed to its conclusion. Whatever way it turns out.

More BELOW THE FOLD.

Expecting the Trend to Continue...

We note that even when erring on the plus side and giving all categories the +2.9% only Republicans and White Evangelicals approve of the way Trump is handling his job as of November 2017.

The trend line has been heading south (in all categories) since February 2017 and there are no indications that will change anytime soon.

Hopefully the American people continue to grow in understanding Trump lacks maturity, understanding, integrity, vision, and so much more. As leader and head of the Republican party it is deserving of absorbing the disillusionment of the majority of the American people in 2018 and 2020.

Article BELOW THE FOLD .

A Refreshingly True Poster...

A most truthful statement. Found on a consevative weblog.

In this age of Trumpisms a lie is the truth, even when its not. Just ask 30%-40% of Americans that continue to supprt the BLOTUS.

Trump's Vision For The USA's Place In The World...

Trump is reshaping America's role internationally. Do the possible perils in doing so outweigh the perceived benefits?

The Atlantic - When great powers fade, as they inevitably must, it’s normally for one of two reasons. Some powers exhaust themselves through overreach abroad, underinvestment at home, or a mixture of the two. This was the case for the Soviet Union. Other powers lose their privileged position with the emergence of new, stronger powers. This describes what happened with France and Great Britain in the case of Germany’s emergence after World War I and, more benignly, with the European powers and the rise of the United States during and after World War II.

To some extent America is facing a version of this—amid what Fareed Zakaria has dubbed “the rise of the rest”—with China’s ascendance the most significant development. But the United States has now introduced a third means by which a major power forfeits international advantage. It is abdication, the voluntary relinquishing of power and responsibility. It is brought about more by choice than by circumstances either at home or abroad.

Abdication is not isolationism. Donald Trump’s United States is not isolationist. He has authorized the use of limited military force against the Syrian government in a manner his predecessor rejected. U.S. military operations have gone a long way toward defeating ISIS in both Syria and Iraq. The Trump administration might employ force against Iran or North Korea, or both, and has pressed for and secured new international sanctions against the latter. It could well act (most likely unilaterally) in the economic realm, applying tariffs or sanctions as it sees fit against one or another trading partner. It is trying its hand (thus far without success) at mediating several disputes in the Middle East. The U.S. military effort in Afghanistan is to be extended and possibly augmented.

But abdication describes U.S. foreign policy all the same, as the United States is no longer taking the lead in maintaining alliances, or in building regional and global institutions that set the rules for how international relations are conducted. It is abdication from what has been a position of leadership in developing the rules and arrangements at the heart of any world order.

For three-quarters of a century, from World War II through the Cold War and well into the post–Cold War era, the United States was the principal architect and builder of global rules. This is not to say that the United States always got it right; it most certainly did not, at times because of what it did, at other times because of what it chose not to do. But more often than not, the United States played a large, mostly constructive, and frequently generous role in the world.

Under Donald Trump, however, U.S. foreign policy shows clear signs of significant departure. Support for alliances, embrace of free trade, concern over climate change, championing of democracy and human rights, American leadership per se—these and other fundamentals of American foreign policy have been questioned and, more than once, rejected. Trump is the first post–World War II American president to view the burdens of world leadership as outweighing the benefits. As a result, the United States has changed from the principal preserver of order to a principal disrupter.

Read more BELOW THE FOLD, then, feel free to weigh in. Just keep comments on topic per site guidlines.

Will 'Never Trump' Be the Only Survivors After He's Gone?...

When the Republican Party’s current coalition falls apart, those who stood up to bigotry will be the only ones with the credibility to rebuild.

Excerpt from The Atlantic. Conservatives and republicans need to read, reread, and fully understand the following as well as the ramifications of their failure to stand for right rather than the misguiuded right wing of their party .

Of course, Trump has presided over many policy failures. Any president could pass a tax bill or confirm federal judges given a Senate and House that is controlled by their party. And Trump’s tax bill failed to simplify the system while his federal court appointments include embarrassingly unqualified choices. But even without those caveats to the two policy achievements that conservatives cite most often, there are sound reasons to justify opposition from Never Trumpers.

Some relate to incompetence, others to lack of transparency.

And the most important and damning traits that distinguish Trump from his predecessors are his willingness to stoke animus against minority groups for political gain; the energy he has given to white supremacists; the indiscipline of his public statements; the frequency with which he blatantly lies to the public; and the unsavory characters that he brought with him into the federal government—including Stephen Bannon, Stephen Miller, and Sebastian Gorka, for starters.

Only Never Trumpers can credibly claim to stand against the moral abominations that suffused Trump’s political rise and the first year of his presidency. They alone are conserving a faction on the right that stands against deplorability in the face of a president who remains a cruel, mendacious egomaniac. They alone can credibly claim to oppose racial demagoguery.

Insofar as most Republicans celebrate Trump as a success story, rather than repudiating him as an affront to basic standards of decency, they transgress against the Founding belief in the importance of character in leaders while disgracing themselves and doing shortsighted violence to the GOP’s long term prospects. To the question, “Did you oppose the man who repeatedly stoked hatred of us?” they will have to tell Hispanics, Muslims, and African Americans, “No.”

In fact, Pro-Trumpers are sullying the fiscally laissez faire party for a generation, a tragedy for those who believe in free-market economics and small government. Neither George W. Bush nor John McCain nor Mitt Romney deserved criticism they got from some quarters for alleged racial animus. But I don’t blame voters who are rooting for Republicans to be routed in Election 2018: The GOP no longer passes the threshold test of opposing open bigotry.

Just last month, my colleague David Graham offered a mere snapshot of Trump’s most recent deplorable behavior. “He retweeted inflammatory and misleading anti-Islam videos from a bigoted far-right British politician,” he wrote. “He baselessly implied that NBC host Joe Scarborough, a onetime informal adviser, might have been involved in the death of an intern years ago in Florida. And several outlets reported that the president privately continues to claim preposterous things, including that it wasn’t him on the Access Hollywood tape and that Barack Obama really wasn’t born in the United States.”

All alone, spreading propaganda directed at a religious minority group would’ve been a shocking act for any past president. For Trump, more tweets like it could come any moment and no one in the United States would be surprised. Insofar as a voter backlash can repudiate the bigot in the White House and his choice to stoke racial and ethnic divisions for power, the country will benefit.

For now, the man responsible for so much bigotry is the same one that the RNC is declaring a historic success, and the same one Roger Simon wants to form a “united front” behind. If a Democratic president ever behaved half as irresponsibly as Trump the entire right would explode in righteous indignation. Yet Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, Tucker Carlson, and many more besides stand with Trump no matter how nakedly he engages in character assassination or how often he openly stokes ethnic tensions.

America is decidedly NOT what Trump and his surrogates are attempting to turn our nation into.

Happy Holidays!!!

A Very Merry and Safe Holiday To ALL.

Some Things To Think About...

Laws of the Universe

The Law of Divine Oneness - everything is connected to everything else. What we think, say, do and believe will have a corresponding effect on others and the universe around us.

Law of Vibration - Everything in the Universe moves, vibrates and travels in circular patterns, the same principles of vibration in the physical world apply to our thoughts, feelings, desires and wills in the Etheric world. Each sound, thing, and even thought has its own vibrational frequency, unique unto itself.

Law of Action - Must be employed in order for us to manifest things on earth. We must engage in actions that supports our thoughts dreams, emotions and words

Law of Correspondence - This Universal Law states that the principles or laws of physics that explain the physical world energy, Light, vibration, and motion have their corresponding principles in the etheric or universe "As above, so below"

Law of Cause and Effect - Nothing happens by chance or outside the Universal Laws.. Every Action(including thought) has a reaction or consequence "We reap what we sow"

Law of Compensation- The Universal Law is the Law of Cause and effect applied to blessings and abundance that are provided for us. The visible effects of our deeds are given to us in gifts, money, inheritances, friendships and blessings.

Law of Attraction - Demonstrates how we create the things, events and people that come into our lives Our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions produce energies which, in turn attract like energies. Negative energies attract negative energies and positive energies attract positive energies.

The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy - All persons have within them the power to change the conditions of their lives. Higher vibrations consume and transform lower ones; thus, each of us can change the energies in our lives by understanding the Universal Laws and applying the principles in such a way as to effect change

Law of Relativity - Each person will receive as series of problems (Tests of Initiation/Lessons) for the purpose of strengthening the light within each of these tests/lessons to be a challenge and remain connected to our hearts when proceeding to solve the problems. This law also teaches us to compare our problems to others problem into its proper perspective. No matter how bad we perceive our situation to be, There is always someone who is in a worse position. Its all relative.

Law of Polarity - Everything is on a continuum and has and opposite. We can suppress and transform undesirable thoughts by concentrating on the opposite pole. It is the law of mental vibrations.

Law of Rhythm - Everything vibrates and moves to certain rhythms.. These rhythms establish seasons, cycles, stages of development, and patterns. Each cycle reflects the regularity of God's Universe. Masters know how to rise above negative parts of a cycle by never getting to excited or allowing negative things to penetrate their consciousness.

Law of Gender - The law of gender manifests in all things as masculine and feminine. It is this law that governs what we know as creation. The law of gender manifests in the animal kingdom as sex. This law decrees everything in nature is both male and female. Both are required for life to exist.

More if you click on the link above.

In summary, all this points to one thing, Accepting Personal Responsibility For Our Own Lives. We All Have the Power to Change Our Live For the Better.

All sincere, thoughtful, and respectful comments are welcome. Negative comments about ANY other blogger WILL be deleted on sight.

Sane Republicans Recognize the Danger To Their Slim Margin of Power...

POLITICO - A few weeks before Alabama's special Senate election, President Donald Trump’s handpicked Republican National Committee leader, Ronna Romney McDaniel, delivered a two-page memo to White House chief of staff John Kelly outlining the party’s collapse with female voters.

The warning, several people close to the chairwoman said, reflected deepening anxiety that a full-throated Trump endorsement of accused child molester Roy Moore in the special election — which the president was edging closer to at the time — would further damage the party’s standing with women. McDaniel’s memo, which detailed the president's poor approval numbers among women nationally and in several states, would go unheeded, as Trump eventually went all-in for the ultimately unsuccessful Republican candidate.

The backstage talks provide a window into how those closest to Trump are bracing for a possible bloodbath in the 2018 midterms, which could obliterate the Republican congressional majorities and paralyze the president’s legislative agenda

... those closest to Trump are bracing for a possible bloodbath in the 2018 midterms... Rational folks are preparing for and working hard to make this happen in 2018. And, 2020 to follow.

America is too good to let a madman destroy the best of our nation.

Faux News, Official Propaganda Outlet of the Trump Administration

“The President of the United States regularly starts his day watching Fox & Friends and then tweets about whatever they cover, and however, they cover it.” Mediaite He promotes their show, tags them by name, and sings their praises. That alone makes [them] three of the most influential media people not just in the United States, but in the entire world.”

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Was @foxandfriends just named the most influential show in news? You deserve it - three great people! The many Fake News Hate Shows should study your formula for success!

7:45 AM - Dec 21, 2017

“That is influence like few other media figures have ever enjoyed."

Trump regularly praises the Fox News show's coverage, as well as other coverage from the network and Fox Business. Since taking office, he has sat down for more than a dozen interviews with the network, but has mostly avoided other outlets.

SOURCE

Trump Admits Deceit... Lying To The American People, AGAIN...

President Trump was so excited about passing his first major piece of legislation Wednesday that he blurted out that the Republican Party had misrepresented the entire bill, handing Democrats some potentially troublesome talking points for the 2018 midterm elections.

... Trump basically admitted that the GOP's talking points on the bill weren't exactly honest in two major ways.
While talking about the corporate tax rate being cut from 35 percent to 21 percent, Trump said, “That's probably the biggest factor in our plan.”

The problem? Republicans have been selling this legislation as a middle-class tax cut, first and foremost.
A sampling:

“The entire purpose of this is to lower middle class taxes.” — House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.)

“Primarily, and priority number one, is middle-class Americans.” — White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders

“The theme behind this bill is to get middle-class tax relief for most people in the middle class.” — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Fox News on Tuesday

And polls show Republicans have bought into this, with around 6 in 10 believing the bill favored the middle class over the wealthy — despite the biggest cuts going to the wealthy and the corporate cuts being permanent (unlike the personal tax cuts).

SOURCE

Them there adoring 30%-40% folks sure like being snookered and lied to. Just watch how they defend him and charge FAKE NEWS. Republicans really do need to get a clue.

All Hail the King!...

This is what our once great republic has fallen to.

Back in June, President Trump allowed almost his entire Cabinet to speak, one by one, in praise of him. And praise him they did, with each being more effusive than the last. They called it an “incredible honor” and a “blessing” to serve him. They said they were “humbled” and “privileged” to be part of his team. They talked about how much Americans loved Trump.

At Wednesday's Cabinet meeting, Vice President Pence decided he'd just handle praising Trump for the entire team.

Over nearly three minutes, Pence offered plaudit after plaudit after plaudit, praising Trump's vision, his words, his strategy and his results in light of the passage of tax cuts. By the end, Pence offered 14 separate commendations for Trump in less than three minutes -- math that works out to one every 12.5 seconds. And each bit of praise was addressed directly to Trump, who was seated directly across the table.

Here's the full list:

1) “Thank you for seeing, through the course of this year, an agenda that truly is restoring this country.”

2) “You described it very well, Mr. President.”

3) “You've restored American credibility on the world stage.”

4) “You've signed more bills rolling back federal red tape than any president in American history.”

5) “You've unleashed American energy.”

6) “You've spurred an optimism in this country that's setting records.”

7) “You promised the American people in that campaign a year ago that you would deliver historic tax cuts, and it would be a 'middle-class miracle.' And in just a short period of time, that promise will be fulfilled.”

8) “I’m deeply humbled, as your vice president, to be able to be here."

9) “Because of your leadership, Mr. President, and because of the strong support of the leadership in the Congress of the United States, you're delivering on that middle-class miracle.”

10) “You've actually got the Congress to do, as you said, what they couldn’t do with [the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska] for 40 years.”

11) “You got the Congress to do, with tax cuts for working families and American businesses, what they haven’t been able to do for 31 years.”

12) “And you got Congress to do what they couldn’t do for seven years, in repealing the individual mandate in Obamacare.”

13) “Mostly, Mr. President, I’ll end where I began and just tell you, I want to thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank you for speaking on behalf of and fighting every day for the forgotten men and women of America.”

14) “Because of your determination, because of your leadership, the forgotten men and women of America are forgotten no more. And we are making America great again.”

Pence paused from praising Trump only briefly to also praise the other people seated around the table. But in doing so, he made clear that it was because Trump would want him to — and that these were members of a team that Trump was savvy enough to have assembled.

“I know you would have me also acknowledge the people around this table, Mr. President,” Pence said, calling them “your outstanding team” and “your great legislative team.”
Then he got back to the most important bit of business: praising Trump more directly.

SOURCE

Wow, just Wow! Something we would expect to see from, North Korea? Something the world witnessed in the 1930's and 1940's in Germany. And something we could expect from any country run by a tin pot dictator.

Aside from the this being tailor made propaganda intended for Trump's "adoring 30% public" to hear, it telegraphs what this nation will become if the population doesn't see to it that, barring impeachment and removal by the senate, he is trounced in 2020 at the pools.

As Trump Cruises To Yet Another Low Swampland Distinction...

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's approval rating sank to a new low in CNN polling on Tuesday, earning the approval of just 35% of Americans less than a year into his first term.

That's a significant drop from the 45% approval rating that Trump had in March, shortly after taking office.
It marks the worst approval rating in a December of any elected president's first year in the White House by a wide margin — and only the second time since the dawn of modern polling that a president's approval rating sank under 50% at this point. A broad 59% of Americans said they disapprove of how Trump is handling his job as president.

George W. Bush ended his first calendar year at 86% approval, John F. Kennedy hit 77%, George H.W. Bush reached 71% and Dwight Eisenhower hit 69%.
Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama all finished their first calendar year with approval ratings in the mid-to-high 50s.

Ronald Reagan, previously holder of the worst approval rating in December of a first year in the White House, finished his first calendar year at 49%. (Note: There's time to recover; Reagan cruised to a landslide reelection despite this distinction.)

This is according to a half century of available polling data from CNN, CNN/ORC, CNN/USA Today/Gallup and Gallup.

Trump maintains strong approval numbers among those in his own party — 85% — but struggles with independents at 33% and Democrats at just 4%.

Keep up the "great" work Mr. Presnit! We look forward to meeting you on the political field of battle soon. 2020... Can't Happen Soon Enough!

Graph HERE

The Age of Aquarius...

As a change of pace as well as tone, we offer the following for your consideration and comments.

This shift is bringing out the best and the worst in mankind. Some people are preparing for this shift by opening their hearts and minds and embracing this new age, and some people are intimidated by the changes that they don’t understand and want to return to a “golden age” in the past, or to circle the wagons and trust only those who are like themselves.

Transformation is never a painless process. When you fast or cleanse to purify your body, at first you feel worse, because toxins get stirred up in order to be eliminated. Once these poisons have been cleared, you feel lighter and more energized. Now imagine that every person on planet Earth is going through this shift. We are heading into a time of radical change. It is a time of great potential growth and expansion, but it is also a time of great potential pain and suffering. The more that you understand what is happening, the more that you can go through all of the changes without losing your balance and stability.

What can you do to help make this transition into this new age of information and consciousness? Here are some suggestions:

1. Have a daily spiritual practice. Every spiritual tradition has one thing in common: a daily practice. This can be many different things: yoga, meditation, chanting, prayer, contemplation, exercise, journaling, etc. It is not important what you are doing, but that you do something almost every day, and do it with an intention to let go of your blocks and focus your consciousness. Kundalini yoga and meditation are the most powerful tools that I have found, but everyone must find their own pathway and collect the tools for their own toolbox.

2. Don’t give in to fear, despair, or anger. There is so much happening that can trigger these emotions: the media, the environment, politics, terrorism, etc. If you understand that these emotions are all symptoms of the Aquarian shift, then you can go through them without losing your center.

3. Don’t be a victim. You have the power to change your life. Don’t give that power away to anyone through blame or resentment. You are responsible for your happiness and grace. Don’t buy into any view of reality in which you are not 100% responsible for making your life work. The Aquarian Age is all about empowerment and consciousness.

4. Be a source of light. The more people who consciously choose to embrace the Aquarian shift, the easier this transformation will go for humanity. It is a spiritual truth that a small percentage of people who have shifted their consciousness can influence the rest of humanity. If you are reading this, then you are most likely one of these pioneers. Find a way to spread your light: teach, heal, create community networks, serve, sacrifice, love. Welcome to the Aquarian Age!

Full article, The Aquarian Shift: What will be Different?
When does the Age of Aquarius begin?

Other links... When does the Age of Aquarius begin?, and The Age of Aquarius Traits are Building as the Next Great Age Begins.

The Public's Trust In Government on the Decline...

A PEW Research Center report shows Americans trust in their government has become less positive and at the same time more partisan.

Since 2015, opinions about the federal government’s handling of several major issues have become less positive and much more partisan. Yet majorities continue to say the government should have a “major role” on such issues as defending against terrorism and helping lift people from poverty. And views about government’s role, unlike its performance, have changed only modestly over the past two year.  

Public trust in government, meanwhile, remains close to a historic low. Just 18% say they trust the federal government to do the right thing “just about always” or “most of the time” – a figure that has changed very little for more than a decade. 

And while more Republicans say they trust the government today than did so during the Obama administration, just 22% of Republicans and even fewer Democrats (15%) say they trust the government at least most of the time. 

With a new president in the White House, the lower ratings for the federal government’s performance are driven largely by Democrats, who are much more negative today than they were two years ago. 

Among the public overall, positive ratings for the government’s handling of ensuring access to health care have declined 20 percentage points since 2015; today, just 36% say it does a very or somewhat good job in ensuring access to health care, down from 56% two years ago. 

Over the same period, there have been 15-percentage-point declines in positive evaluations of government performance in protecting the environment and responding to natural disasters.

Entire article can be found HERE.

The Vote Is In, the Outcome Righrt...

At the end of the day Alabama did the right thing. They elected Doug Jones to the United States Senate.

It is true Jones won by a slim 1.5% margin of victory, and, some will say he won because of media bias, irregularities in the voting process, that Moore ran a poor campaign, that the GOP was late in supporting his campaign etc. There may be a very small amout of truth to some of that. Nevertheless Jones won and his winning could very well be a harbinger of the 2018 congressional elections to come.

Even with Trump and Bannon stumping on behalf of Roy Moore Alabama voted blue, a most stunning development in one of the south's deepest red states. Many folks, myself included, consider this a landmark election, an election that is as much a rebuke of the Trump and Bannon agenda as it is support for the democratic agenda. Time will tell. For now there is much work to be done.

Remenber, gloating and over confidence loses elections. It's time to prepare for the next election with laser sharp focus and a right agenda for America because the next one ain't gonna be easy. The movement conservative forces that are aligning to reshape America into an oligarchy or plutocracy and will continue to work overtime.

(CNN)Secretary of State of Alabama John Merrill said it was "highly unlikely" that Democrat Doug Jones would not be certified as the winner of Tuesday's special election for the US Senate.

"I would find that highly unlikely to occur, Jake," Merrill said, when asked by CNN's Jake Tapper if he expected anything other than Jones being the next senator from Alabama.
Merrill's remarks came after Republican candidate Roy Moore's campaign chairman directed the media to Merrill to understand final result procedures and after Moore himself, who was not conceding, suggested he wanted a recount.

"When the vote is this close ... it's not over," Moore told supporters after Jones declared victory.
But Merrill, who is charged with certifying the results, suggested he did not at this time see grounds to contest the results.

Article continues HERE.

From The Washington Post:

Obama, a Real American President - Trump, a Fake American President...

CHICAGO (AP) — Former President Barack Obama says Americans must be vigilant in their defense of democracy or risk following the path of Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

At a speech earlier this week, the former president told the Economic Club of Chicago that “things can fall apart fairly quickly” if Americans don’t “tend to this garden of democracy.”

During the speech Tuesday, Obama pointed to Hitler’s rise to power in Germany as he implored the audience to “pay attention ... and vote.”
Obama also defended the media. He said the press “often drove me nuts” but that he understood that a free press was vital to democracy.

The above is EXACTLY how a REAL President and ex President thinks and speaks.

Fake presidents like Trump think and act like authoritarian dictators. Which is why Trump admires Hitler (keeps Mein Kampf by his bedside) and Russian strong man Putin.

Thoughts from REAL Americans welcome!

RIP Congressman John B. Anderson...

John B. Anderson, an Illinois Republican who cultivated a free-thinking reputation during his 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and who mounted a serious third-party bid for the White House in 1980, died Dec. 3 in Washington. He was 95.

After entering Congress in 1961, Anderson spent many years in lock step with Republican Party orthodoxy and was a supporter of ultraconservative Sen. Barry Goldwater's presidential bid in 1964.

But Anderson, who had voted against many of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society economic and social programs, gradually came to embrace them. As part of his incremental political evolution, he spoke of being deeply moved while attending funerals for civil rights activists. He began to travel more widely, seeing the effects of housing discrimination and racism.

His signature legislative achievement came in April 1968, days after riots sparked by the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. tore through Washington. King's death and unrest so close to the Capitol prompted Congress to take up the Fair Housing Act, which, as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, would prohibit racial discrimination in housing.

Under pressure from both parties, Anderson broke with his fellow Republicans on the House Rules Committee and cast the deciding eighth vote to send the bill to the House floor. During debate in the House, he gave a rousing speech that championed the bill and led to its passage.

"We are not simply knuckling under to pressure or listening to the voices of unreasoning fear and hysteria if we seek to do that which we believe in our hearts is right and just," he said on the House floor. "I legislate today not out of fear, but out of a deep concern for the America I love. We do stand at a crossroad. We can continue the gadarene slide into an endless cycle of riot and disorder, or we can begin the slow and painful ascent toward that yet-distant goal of equality of opportunity for all Americans, regardless of race or color.

The vote heralded Anderson's arrival as a voice on national affairs. He remained a fiscal conservative but sided with liberals on social issues.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

America sorely needs men and women of principle and truth. Men like the man described below. A Republican with values, integrity, and a conscience. Where have they all gone?

An Unsettling Reminder of the Past in the Time of Trump,,,

The following was reprinted in the Kansas City Star on December 03, 2017 courtesy of the estate of Art Buchwald. Originally published in the The Los Angeles Times in 1973 during the Watergate hearing it certainly resonates today.

Click on the Kansas City Star LINK above.

What Are the Most Important Characteristics of a Good Leader... In Your Opinion?

Here you have it folks, a POTUS in name only. One who is perceived as competitive, intense, emphasizes success, and enthusiastic. As to characteristics that predict a good, or great, leader how does he fair?

Trump  rightly so scores low on the vision thing, has little if any courage, really doesn't give a hoot about people, isn't very focused, is uninspiring, lacks analytical skills, is horribly inconsistent, and is most often unprepared.

Yet America put the "man" in the most powerful position on the planet. Even though all the indicators of this were there shortly following his announcement that he was going to run.

Many want to blame Russia, and certainly they were a minor influence given the country's interference. But, the real blame for the man siting in the Oval Office rest squarely on the ill informed or willfully ignorant voters of America.

We have ourselves to thank for The Master of Disaster now occupying the White House.

Complete poll write up HERE.

Flynn Charged With Lying to the FBI...

Investigation heats up. From AXIOS.

President Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty during a court appearance this morning to "willfully and knowingly [making] false, fictitious and fraudulent statements and representations" to the FBI regarding his conversations with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's then-ambassador to the United States. Flynn's plea came under Special Counsel Robert Mueller's expanding investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Why it matters:

With his plea, Flynn agreed to cooperate fully with Mueller's investigation. In a development that could have far-reaching implications as Mueller's probe moves forward, Flynn admitted in his plea that senior transition officials directed his contacts with Russian officials in late December of last year.

The lies that Flynn told FBI agents:

Flynn claimed he did not ask Kislyak to attempt to "refrain from escalating the situation" after sanctions were imposed against Russia by the Obama administration during a December 29, 2016 conversation.

Flynn "did not recall" that Kisylak told him that Russia planned a moderate response to the sanctions thanks to that conversation.

Flynn claimed that he did not ask Kislyak to delay or defeat a pending vote on a U.N. Security Council resolution during a conversation on December 22, 2016.

Another big thing:

Flynn's charging document states that his false statements to the FBI came on January 24, 2017 — after Trump's inauguration and during his service as national security advisor.

Read the full story HERE.

Making America Great Again, The Trumpian Way...

As the POTUS and congress attempts to sell another bill of goods to the public. As always the ultimate burden to pay for the "tax break" falls on the middle class and the retired who bust, and busted their asses for 40-50 plus years Making America Great.

A bad deal being sold to a sleeping American electorate.

More HERE

Afterthought, the cuts may be needed to pay for America's next war.

Are We Americans Capable of Entering Into Rational, Honest, and Productive Discusion Over Sensitive Matters?...

 Rape -  The crime of rape generally refers to non-consensual sexual intercourse that is committed by physical force, threat of injury, or other duress. Common law defined rape as unlawful intercourse by a man against a woman who is not his wife by force or threat and against her will.

A sexual predator is a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically predatory or abusive manner.

Pedophilia is considered a paraphilia, an "abnormal or unnatural attraction." Pedophilia is defined as the fantasy or act of sexual activity with prepubescent children. Pedophiles are usually men, and can be attracted to either or both sexes. How well they relate to adults of the opposite sex varies.

Sexual harassment is bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In most modern legal contexts, sexual harassment is illegal. As defined by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), "It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person's sex."

Inappropriate sexual behavior, or sexually aggressive behavior, is a term which encompasses a variety of behaviors, including obscene gesturing, touching or hugging another person, exposing body parts or disrobing, and masturbating in public.

Burden of proof - the obligation to prove one's assertion.

Our nation has been focused on the perceived (or real) inapropriate behavior of a growing multitude of individuals that include to wit, political personalities, media personalities, and Hollywood personalities.

The definitions above, although perhaps not a complete list of  behaviors most reasonable folks find unsettling they are clearly close enough.

Given the current discussions and information we have on individuals facing allegations of sexual misbehavior do any, some, or all actually fit the above definitions? 

Pease pay close attention to the last on the list, Burden of prof  when giving your reply.

This post is an attempt to open an honest and forthright  discussion on sexual misbehavior, how the media should respond if at all, how the political class should respond if at all, and why you believe so.

All honest and positive comments will be posted for discussion. Comments disparaging any blogger, regardless of political alignment,  WILL BE DELETED immediately upon detection. All OT comments WILL BE DELETED immediately upon detection. 

We look forward to a lively, meaningful, and positive discussion.

Happy Thanksgiving To Everyone, Friend and Foe Alike... !!!

The Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving

(Edgar Albert Guest, 1881-1959)

It may be I am getting old and like too much to dwell
Upon the days of bygone years, the days I loved so well;
But thinking of them now I wish somehow that I could know
A simple old Thanksgiving Day, like those of long ago,
When all the family gathered round a table richly spread,
With little Jamie at the foot and grandpa at the head,
The youngest of us all to greet the oldest with a smile,
With mother running in and out and laughing all the while.

It may be I'm old-fashioned, but it seems to me to-day
We're too much bent on having fun to take the time to pray;
Each little family grows up with fashions of its own;
It lives within a world itself and wants to be alone.
It has its special pleasures, its circle, too, of friends;
There are no get-together days; each one his journey wends,
Pursuing what he likes the best in his particular way,
Letting the others do the same upon Thanksgiving Day.

I like the olden way the best, when relatives were glad
To meet the way they used to do when I was but a lad;
The old home was a rendezvous for all our kith and kin,
And whether living far or near they all came trooping in
With shouts of "Hello, daddy!" as they fairly stormed the place
And made a rush for mother, who would stop to wipe her face
Upon her gingham apron before she kissed them all,
Hugging them proudly to her breast, the grownups and the small.

Then laughter rang throughout the home, and, Oh, the jokes they told;
From Boston, Frank brought new ones, but father sprang the old;
All afternoon we chatted, telling what we hoped to do,
The struggles we were making and the hardships we'd gone through;
We gathered round the fireside. How fast the hours would fly--
It seemed before we'd settled down 'twas time to say good-bye.
Those were the glad Thanksgivings, the old-time families knew
When relatives could still be friends and every heart was true.

There is much to be thankful for. When we STOP LOOKING for all the negatives around us. Today seems to be a perfect day to start!

Happy Thanksgiving All!

When Madness Overtakes Reason...

THE HILL - Two prominent progressive groups are calling on Sen. Al Franken to resign in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Credo Action and Indivisible called for Franken’s resignation Monday after a second woman accused Franken of groping her without her consent.

“Sen. Al Franken had the chance last week to take full responsibility for past sexual harassment, sexual assault and any other behavior that demeaned women. He failed to do so,” Credo said in a statement. “We believe that Sen. Franken should immediately resign from the U.S. Senate and that Gov. Mark Dayton should appoint a progressive woman to replace him. Emphasis mine.”

At least there is consistency here, among the Gloria Allred progressive feminists anyway.

It is beginning to look like America's progressives are marching gleefully towards the neutering block. A place where feminists rule and men are considered evil predators A place where an accidental brush against a feminist could be considered sufficient grounds to destroy a man's career.

Yes, allegations of sexual misconduct deserve to be looked into, and if evidence exists that the alleged misconduct was pervasive and or egregious then proper and appropriate measures should be taken.

What we're seeing now amounts to an old fashioned feeding frenzy. As one might expect the media feeds the fear and anxiety for ratings and the legal beagles like Allred are there to oversee the neutering and transfer of power. And, ultimately to collect the dough.

I get perfectly that actual sexual harassment, sexual predation, actual groping, and rape must carry a price commensurate with the crime. But, lets not let reason be overrun by hysteria.

I recall a situation almost 30 years ago when I was superintending a corrugated plant. I received a telephone call from one of my supervisors. He told me one of our female employees was claiming sexual harassment, that she was uncomfortable working around a certain male in the department as e was leering at her. As the company I was employed by, as well as myself, took sexual harassment claims very seriously I told my supervisor to meet me on my way to his department. After getting a quick rundown and asking a few questions I was surprised at what I saw as I approached the women making the claim of sexual harassment.

Clearly, and in bold multi colored lettering were the words, THESE ARE NOT MY EYES emblazoned on her tee shirt. The lettering ran directly across, you guessed it, her breasts.

Needless to say the remedy was easy. She was sent home to change with the appropriate loss of pay. She was advised the lettering was inappropriate, to never report for work dressed in such attire again, and should she wish to push a sexual harassment complaint her attire could be considered entrapment by a shred lawyer.

The male was told leering was considered harassment and the company expected he refrain from doing so when on our premise.

Letters, signed by them, were placed in both employees files along with the notes of my investigation. There was no further incidents.

A rush to judgment is almost always the wrong action.

Keystone XL Pipeline's First Spill, 210,000 Gallons...

THE HILL - Workers took the Keystone oil pipeline offline on Thursday after it spilled 5,000 barrels of oil in rural South Dakota, officials said.

A TransCanada crew shut down the pipeline at 6 a.m. Thursday morning after detecting an oil leak along the line, the company said. The leak was detected along a stretch of the pipeline about 35 miles south of a pumping station in Marshall County, South Dakota.

TransCanada estimates the pipeline leaked 5,000 barrels of oil, or about 210,000 gallons, before going offline. The company said it's working with state regulators and the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to assess the situation.

The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources heard about the leak at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, ABC affiliate KSFY reported.

TransCanada is seeking to expand its Keystone pipeline network. President Trump this year signed a presidential permit allowing the company to build the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport as much as 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska {emphasis mine}, where it would join existing pipelines that feed refineries elsewhere in the United States.

Keystone XL, if built, would cut diagonally through South Dakota. State regulators have already granted construction permits for the pipeline.

Nebraska regulators will announce their decision on the project next week.

I guess what we need is more deregulation
  and more free enterprise eh?

First Daughter Speaks Wisely...

"I've yet to see a valid explanation and I have no reason to doubt the victims' accounts.

That  is what Ivanka Trump has said about Roy Moore's explanations with respect to allegations of sexual misconduct. The First Daughter is showing herself to be a rational and intelligent woman. Waiting until today to weigh in with such a strong statement shows maturity and character. 

Is it possible Ivanka is speaking for the President as well? It makes sense that she is. Yes?

Washington (CNN) - Ivanka Trump spoke out for the first time against embattled Alabama Senate Republican candidate Roy Moore, who has been accused of pursuing sexual relationships with teenagers when he was in his early thirties. Her father, President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has largely stayed mum on the issue. 

"There's a special place in hell for people who prey on children," Trump told The Associated Press in an interview otherwise focused on tax reform published Wednesday.

Yup, things are heating up for Judge Roy Moore. They're certainly are NOT moving in his favor.

More On The Unfolding Saga Of Roy Moore And Sexual Misconduct...

Given the recent allegations of sexual misconduct by Roy Moore with underage girls, the incidences of abuse of power in the attempt to secure sexual favors from women this weblog provides the following snippets with hot links to the quoted articles for your perusal and consideration.

Given the number of recent comments that we have ben forced to delete due to being nothing more than distractions from the subject of the post, completely irrelevant, the use of vulgar language, or being completely unintelligible we are posting the following notice and guidelines.

All on topic, intelligible, relevant, thoughtful, and respectful comments are welcome, REGARDLESS of your viewpoint on the subject. All comments that fail to meet the foregoing criteria WILL BE SUMARILY DELETED IMMEDIATELY UPON DETECTION.

Please adhere to the above criteria if you wish to leave a comment. Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation.

Now for the snippets.

Kellyanne Conway spent several minutes Sunday morning refusing to say whether she believes the four women who have accused Alabama’s GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct, including one who just 14 years old at the time. Again and again, Conway would only say to ABC News’ This Week host Martha Raddatz that Moore should step aside “if the allegations are true.” But then, toward the end of the conversation, she went a step further. “If there’s anyone currently in public office who has behaved that way to any girl or woman, maybe they should step aside. In a country of 330 million people, we ought to be able to do better than this,” Conway said.

More HERE.

Yesterday I wrote that Roy Moore’s behavior was in keeping with hardcore conservative evangelical culture of sanctioned patriarchal sexual abuse. I have also stated that the release of the Access Hollywood tape almost certainly actually helped Trump with some evangelicals because, despite being a philandering adulterer, Trump established a more fundamental cultural rapport with their moral value system. I have similarly pointed that that the abuses of the Harvey Weinsteins of the world, far from being the product of liberal sexual revolution, are the product of patriarchy and capitalism, and that conservative religious orthodoxy tends to amplify rather than curtail the abuse.

These are admittedly controversial positions. But they’re also hard to refute after today’s polling shows that 37% of Alabama evangelicals are actually more likely to vote for Roy Moore after hearing the allegations against him, and 34 percent said it would make no difference:

More HERE

After the release of Bill O'Reilly, the Media has been gunning for Sean’s head. If only they knew how to use a gun they’d have a fighting chance. Clearly they don’t know the man, he loves a battle.

For months, Sean has been dodging bullets in the form of falsified reports of sexual harassment. Stories flooded in from all directions, only to be later retracted. Now, the Liberal Advocacy Group publicly called on advertisers to boycott Sean Hannity's show after he revealed his cure to erectile dysfunction live on-air.

On his show, Sean told a story about a conversation he had with a former host, Bill O'Reilly. He said Bill gave him some of these Testo-Max HD capsules he has been raving about. Bill called them "Boosters", they allow him to bang for hours and hours -- at will. Sean went on air and stated "I've tried them all - Viagra, Levitra, you name it - they don't work like this stuff. And I feel great when I take them. It gives me a little boost of energy also. The very first time I tried Testo-Max HD, I was impressed how good it worked, amazing stuff.”

After the episode aired, media went ballistic. These statements combined with other accusations gave the left the ammunition they were looking for. Rachel Maddow didn't hesitate to blast him on her show... “I am happy Sean and the other guys at Fox all brag about this Testo-Max HD for their “downstairs problem”, but this is unprofessional, and he needs to be OUSTED!”

More HERE

The Hannity article isn't really about sexual misconduct but it does speak to the issue addressed in the second linked article. At least in our view here at RN USA.

More as the story unfolds and or new allegations are made.

Tomorrow's edition will feature a Trump position that in our view makes logical sense and is deserving of serous consideration and why.

More On Roy Moore...

The right, and by right I am referring to the far right. Those who spend time distracting from the importance of the issue by bringing up Bill Clinton, George Takei, or some other incidence of democratic sexual misconduct as though that makes it okay if in fact the allegations are ultimately shown to be true.

Sexual misconduct is always wrong, regardless whether the sexual predator is a conservative, a liberal, a republican, or a democrat. It is especially egregious when the predator holds a position of power and influence over a younger individual, such as was the case with Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

Roy Moore, an adult male in a position of influence and power allegedly pursued under age teenagers, one as young 14. The allegation states that Moore, while not forcing sexual intercourse did unclothe and touch touch the young teenager inappropriately. Moore was in his early 30's at the time these alleged encounters allegedly occurred.

As the statute of limitations has long since passed by, Moore cannot be criminally prosecuted for these allegations even if they true. The only court left open at this time is the court of public opinion.

What is troubling is that so many on the right rush to discount the allegations of several women and rush to defend Moore. It seems reasonable, at least to folks who have no skin in the game to at gather all the information from as many sources as are available and then make a reasoned decision based on all the available information. This what we hope the voters of Alabama do if Roy Moore continues his race for the open Senate seat.

Now a bit more information everyone ought to consider.

From THE HILL - A former colleague of GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore said Saturday that it was "common knowledge" that the Alabama Republican dated high school girls when he worked in the Etowah County District Attorney's Office in the 1980s.

In a statement to CNN, Teresa Jones, who served as deputy district attorney for Etowah County, Ala., from 1982 until 1985, said that multiple people thought it was unusual that Moore dated high school girls, but that no one ever raised the matter with him.

"It was common knowledge that Roy Moore dated high school girls, everyone we knew thought it was weird," Jones told CNN. "We wondered why someone his age would hang out at high school football games and the mall ... but you really wouldn't say anything to someone like that."

Moore, now 70, served as the assistant district attorney for Etowah County from 1977 until 1982.
Jones's comments come two days after an explosive Washington Post report detailed allegations that Moore pursued sexual and romantic relationships with teenage girls when he was in his early 30s.
 
One of Moore's accusers, Leigh Corfman, told the Post that the former Alabama Supreme Court justice initiated a sexual encounter with her in 1979, when she was just 14 and he was 32.

Moore has vehemently denied Corfman's allegation. But in an interview on Sean Hannity's radio program on Friday, he did not rule out that he dated girls in their late teens when he was in his 30s, saying that he did not remember doing so.

On Saturday, in his first public appearance since The Washington Post report was published, Moore said that the allegations were politically motivated, and that he had never engaged in any sort of sexual misconduct.

Still, the allegations have prompted condemnation from many Republican lawmakers and officials, who have called on Moore to step aside in Alabama's special Senate election if the accounts are true.

From LAW NEWZ - Embattled Alabama Senate Republican candidate Roy Moore once cast the lone vote in favor of a man accused of raping a four-year-old boy.

In 2015, Roy Moore was performing his second stint as a justice sitting on the Alabama Supreme Court–Moore was previously removed from office for ignoring a federal court order mandating the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building.

The Alabama Supreme Court had the opportunity to hear the case of one Eric Lemont Higdon, a man accused and convicted of two sodomy charges due to sexual assault against a four-year-old at Mama’s Place Christian Academy in Clay, Alabama.

One of those convictions was first-degree sodomy of a child less than 12 years old. The other conviction was first-degree sodomy by forcible compulsion. Essentially, the first conviction was for statutory rape; the second for forcible rape.

Higdon’s conviction on the forcible rape charge was eventually overturned on appeal. The state, by way of prosecutor Luther Strange, appealed that decision and the Alabama Supreme Court took the case up for review.

Eight of the nine justices on the panel found that the appeals court had erred. Their legal logic was such that a 17-year-old’s sexual assault of a four-year-old was enough to produce in the mind of the four-year-old, an “implied threat of serious physical injury.”  The decision was reversed and remanded and Higdon’s conviction was reinstated.

Roy Moore dissented from that opinion. He wrote:

Because there was no evidence in this case of an implied threat of serious physical injury…or of an implied threat of death, Higdon cannot be convicted of sodomy in the first degree “by forcible compulsion.”

Distracting from the seriousness of the allegations and refusing to consider all information that better informs the public, especially the voters of Alabama, seems illogical, irrational, and motivated by blind partisan loyalty to what one cannot imagine.

If these allegations ultimately are shown beyond a reasonable doubt to be true should American, God fearing or otherwise want such a man in the United States Senate? It will be for the people of Alabama to decide. Hopefully they consider all the information and sort out the facts as best they can.

Another Republican Accused Of Sexual Misconduct...

David French had the following to say regarding Roy Moore and his alleged sexual misconduct 40 years ago.

Conservatives, be careful. Don’t dismiss the claims. While I don’t know if the allegations are true, I’m deeply troubled on a number of grounds.

First, these women didn’t seek out the press. According to the Post report, its reporters reached out to them after hearing that “Moore allegedly had sought relationships with teenage girls.” So far as we know, they weren’t put forward by the opposing campaign, and the woman who made the most serious allegations against Moore says that she voted for Trump in 2016. None of the women have donated to Moore’s primary or general-election opponent.

Second, if you read the report, it includes validation from a number of witnesses who say that they were aware of the relationships at the time. While this isn’t proof of guilt of course, it bolsters the credibility of the accusers.

Third, the youngest accuser’s explanation for her decision not to come forward earlier rings tragically true. She told the Post that “she did not share her story about Moore partly because of the trouble in her life. She has had three divorces and financial problems.” It’s a sad and terrible truth that childhood abuse can have catastrophic effects on young lives — effects that last for years.

She told reporters, “I felt like I had done something bad. And it kind of set the course for me doing other things that were bad.” This is so very often the case. An ambitious abuser sails on, accumulating fame and fortune. In the meantime, his victims are left shattered, picking up the pieces as the power imbalance only grows and grows. One person spirals downward. The other person climbs upward.

We are in the midst of a unique and important national moment. Each day seems to bring a new story of yet another powerful person facing a string of accusations. While there is a danger of a witch hunt, the presence of multiple claims of misconduct from multiple sources should always make us pause — regardless of whether the alleged abuser comes from the Left or the Right. It’s a moral imperative that we not determine the veracity of the allegations by the ideology of the accused.

None of us know without a doubt whether Moore is innocent of the charges as he claims, or, whether he is guilty as charged. What we do know is there are multiple allegations from multiple sources that warrant investigation. Not to seek punishment of alleged inappropriate sexual activities 40 years ago, but rather to get to the truth. The character of the man is the issue and IF Moore is guilty of the alleged misconduct he should not be a United States Senator or serving in any government or law enforcement capacity ever again.

Give the man a just hearing, but at the same time let the investigation begin, and, the appropriate resolution be administered. Whatever that turns out to be.

More on the highlighted article HERE .



UPDATE

Now from what many consider to be one of America's most unethical individuals in print. Highly partisan and and highly unethical. The Big Dog for one of America's biggest Fake News outlets, Breitbart.

Here's Steve Bannon folks.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on Thursday likened a report that Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore had a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl to last year’s publication of the infamous Access Hollywood tape, telling a New Hampshire audience that The Washington Post, which published both, is “part of the apparatus of the Democratic Party.”

"The Bezos-Amazon-Washington Post that dropped that dime on Donald Trump, is the same Bezos-Amazon-Washington Post that dropped the dime this afternoon on Judge Roy Moore. Now is that a coincidence?” Bannon said in remarks in Manchester that were reported by CBS News. “That's what I mean when I say opposition party, right? It's purely part of the apparatus of the Democratic Party. They don't make any bones about it. By the way, I don't mind it. I'll call them out every day."

More BELOW THE FOLD.

More Deaths By Mass Shooting... Will The Carnage Continue?

From The Atlantic, yet American "leadership" is most likely to continue to say prayers and offer condolences to the families who lose loved ones, as well as partaking of solemn candlelight vigils. American leadership is apparently owned by the NRA, firearm manufactures, and gun nuts who believe the right to own private arsenals trumps the right to life.

Twenty-six people shot dead in Sutherland Springs, November 5.

Fifty-nine people shot dead in Las Vegas, October 1.

Forty-nine people shot dead in Orlando, June 12 of last year.

They are three of the five worst mass shootings in modern U.S. history. All happened in the last two years. Two occurred within the same two months.

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Diseases spread between individuals, but the contagion of mass shootings seems to spread through broadcast media. In an interview with The Atlantic in 2015, Sherry Towers, the ASU paper’s lead author, hypothesized that television, radio, and other media exposure might be the vectors through which one mass shooting infects the next perpetrator. Like a commercial, each event’s extraordinary coverage offers accidental advertising for depravity. One reason why mass-media coverage of shootings might inspire more shootings is that public glorification inspires some mass murderers. Eric Harris, the central planner of the Columbine murders, wrote Ich bin Gott—German for “I am God”—in a school notebook.

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Mass shootings are often committed by lonely and unrooted men, suffering from both grandiose aspirations and petty grievances. The postmortem descriptors are practically rote: He was cold, weird, withdrawn, a loner (and, one must note, always “he”). It’s astonishingly rare to read the antonyms: He is almost never warm, welcoming, the most popular kid in school. Even when they are not, strictly speaking, terrorism, mass shootings still seem to adhere to a sort of dark and nearly invisible ideology of oppressive self-aggrandizement, a bid for greatness that requires the destruction of others. Just because there is no formal institution like ISIS to symbolize this strain of white rage doesn’t mean that the rage isn’t ideological. It’s possible that many instances of white-male mass-shooting violence are, in fact, driven by a media-inspired religion of grievance and greatness, a mass-distributed sickness for which male outcasts are most vulnerable to infection.

“This isn’t a guns situation,” President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday in a brief address from Tokyo. But the statistics offer no doubt. There are more gun deaths in America because, simply, there are more guns. The American rates of firearm homicide, child-firearm mortality, and gun-related suicide are far higher than in any other industrialized country. The United States, home to 5 percent of the industrialized world’s population under 15 years old, accounts for 87 percent of its unintentional firearm fatalities involving that age group, according to a 2003 paper. Mass killings are an epidemic that so many leaders refuse to name, or even to see. If America cannot amend the laws that facilitate such violence, it should at least commit more resources to studying why this seems to be a paradoxical age of historically low crime, yet contagious mass murder.

Trump, echoing the NRA says it's not a gun situation. Following his vacating President Obama's restrictions on the mentally ill owning and possessing firearms he claims the problem is one of... mental illness. Odd indeed. Perhaps the BLOTUS is one suffering from a grave mental deficiency.

Frenzied Trumpian Republicans Work To Railroad Justice,,,

Trumpian Republicans are getting nervous, which is understandable given their "savior's" manifest corruption.

Three Republican U.S. lawmakers called on Friday for Robert Mueller to resign as special counsel investigating Russia and the 2016 U.S. election, the latest in a series of conservatives’ criticisms of the FBI and Justice Department during the probe of how Moscow may have influenced the campaign.

Representatives Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs and Louis Gohmert accused Mueller of a conflict of interest because he was director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation when former President Barack Obama’s administration approved an agreement allowing a Russian company to buy a Canadian company that owned 20 percent of U.S. uranium supplies.

President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans have been calling for an investigation into the Uranium One deal, amid news of Mueller’s first indictments of Trump associates as the special counsel investigates allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow.

Republicans seek special counsel's removal from Russia probe

Distractions by the Trumpian Republicans will no doubt become commonplace increasing in frequency and intensity as Mueller and team close in on the corruption of the Trump administration and advisors past and present.

So True!...

This s what a rational well balanced conservative has to say about President Trump's illness.

Concisely Summing Up Trump's Presidency...

Star Tribune, Sack

30 Something Percent of Americans Apparently Agree...