Rational Nation USA

Those who thought Trump's SOTU address was one of unity, inclusion, and very preasidential should read the following and reflect on what kind of government #45 really thinks is right for America . SLATE - Donald Trump’s first State of the Union was a deeply dangerous speech. It was deeply dangerous because he finally followed in the footsteps of European leaders like Hungarian President Viktor Orban who have long ago learned to give an attractive look to authoritarian populism. Like them, Trump eschewed openly racist remarks in his speech, even emphasizing how much he (supposedly) cares about the fate of Latinos and black Americans. Like them, he called for economic policies, like paid family leave, that would actually benefit ordinary people. And like them, he then cast himself as the only man willing to prioritize the interests of his supporters over those of foreigners and political elites. It was Bannonism without Bannon’s penchant for shock and awe. And it played shoc...

More Americans blame Republicans than Democrats for potential government shutdown, Post-ABC poll finds By a 20-point margin, more Americans blame President Trump and Republicans rather than Democrats for a potential government shutdown, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. 2018 mid terms could prove to be VERY Exciting. As in a sea wave displacing insanity with some common sense. Please keep on being a jacka*s president Trump. Full article BELOW THE FOLD

Weblog Header At None Other Than ...'s .... ..... Liberty has apparently morphed into Tyranny in the warped minds of some on the right. The Donald knows his base well.

This is not 'armchair psychiatry.' It's a call for a responsible, thorough and accurate assessment that prevents irresponsible conclusions. Given the erratic, impulsive, often immature, and occasionally irresponsible behavior of Donald J. Trump it is understandable that a large percentage of the American people are concerned whether the president is fit to serve in the office he now holds. It is not necessarily the president's intelligence that is of concern, rather it is his behavior that is being questioned. Most of us have known individuals that are quite smart but lack the emotional maturity and intelligence to lead. The subject of the debate is Trump’s behavior — impulsive, inappropriate, offensive, reckless and shocking — which we as a nation have tolerated. Is it something more than a mere departure from decency and historical norms? How concerned should America and the world be if the nation’s chief executive acts this way? As a forensic psychiatrist and...

As a continuation on the preceding post, particularly on comments therein, what is your take on the following short excerpt taken from THE HILL .   President Trump bashed a bipartisan immigration proposal on Wednesday, raising fresh doubts about Congress’s ability to strike a deal to save protections for young immigrants living illegally in the U.S. In an interview with Reuters , Trump called the Senate proposal “horrible” on border security and “very, very weak” on reforms to the legal immigration system. “It’s the opposite of what I campaigned for,” Trump said. Skip Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday he would not put an immigration bill on the floor for a vote until Trump declares what proposal he supports. "I'm looking for something President Trump supports, and he's not yet indicated what measure he's willing to sign. As soon as we figure out what he is for then I would be convinced that we were not just spinning our wheels,” h...

The following short excerpt from the L.A. Times was posted by Silverfiddle over at the Always on Watch weblog. His question at is an interesting one and deserving of honest consideration. “Everyone has the Right to Be Here” From the El Lay Times ... "Federal immigration agents targeted nearly 100 7-Eleven stores across the nation for audits and inspections Wednesday, including several locations in Los Angeles, as the Trump administration ramps up workplace raids to punish employers hiring people who are in the country illegally." Here’s the money quote, provided by “Imelda Vargas, who works for the dry cleaner across the street,” and “said it wasn’t right for immigration agents to target the store’s workers.” “Everyone has the right to be here, to work,” she said in Spanish. Why would this woman believe and espouse such an absurd statement that has no basis in law or fact? I answered the question over at AOW with an admittedly flippant reply, B...

Rings as true today as it did 54 1/2 years ago.

For the 36%'ers it's okay, because they believe it true. End of story, move on. As they continue to ignore reality. Some White House aides and outside advisers who have been working with Trump for the past two years have also become indifferent to the bumps along the way. “We have had 18 million of these, and nothing came of it other than he won,” shrugged one Republican operative. “They can add up, and that becomes a risk, but on its own, and I don’t know that it’s a good thing for our country, but a lot of people kind of agree with what he said.” A Republican strategist who serves as an outside adviser to the White House also waved off the whole controversy — and embraced the substance of the president’s argument about immigration to the U.S. “It’s not racist,” the strategist said. “There’s a reason why they all want to come here — these places are shitholes. If they were great and we were a shithole, we would want to go there. Trump says something stupid, two camps erupt...

In all candor, it is obvious Trump's remarks were prepared by someone other than the president. Remarks he read without passion, causing them to sound insincere. It was merely a photo-op for Trump. He may have fooled some.

The Telegraph - US Ambassador to Panama John Feeley, a career diplomat and former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, has resigned, telling the State Department he no longer feels able to serve President Donald Trump. "As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the president and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies. My instructors made clear that if I believed I could not do that, I would be honor bound to resign. That time has come," Mr Feeley said, according to an excerpt of his resignation letter read to Reuters. A State Department spokeswoman confirmed Mr Feeley's departure, saying that he "has informed the White House, the Department of State, and the Government of Panama of his decision to retire for personal reasons, as of March 9 of this year." A man with honor and integrity. We Salute yo Ambassador Feeley

Following Trump's characterization of nations in Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa as shitholes there is no longer any doubt but what Trump is a racist, unfit to occupy the office to which he was elected. It is understandable why many folks chose to vote for Trump in November 2017, however, anyone who continues to support him following his remarks on Thursday may very well be racist themselves. Economics, security, policy, regulations, etcetera certainly are important, and, debate over how best to strengthen America in these areas is necessary. Heated disagreement over these important issues, as well as others, is needed. Through such debate is how decisions affecting all Americans are made. But, when the President of the United States of America, the leader of the free world, uses language again and again that exposes him as a racist all the other stuff seems less pressing. Donald J. Trump is a racist, a misogynist, a sexual predator, a xenophobe, and a narcissist, th...

Well folks, this certainly didn't take long. We knew it wouldn't. Didn't we? Is it possible that America has arrived at the point where personality and celebrity is as important as qualifications and character when selecting our Cheif Executive? It certainly seems so. Or maybe this will simply burn out. But as one media "expert" familiar with this kind of stuff said last night on CNN , these things tend to take on a life of their own . Rasmussen Reports - TV personality Oprah Winfrey is the likely winner over President Trump if the 2020 election were held today, but there are a lot of undecideds. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters would opt for Winfrey, while 38% would choose Trump. But a sizable 14% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here .) Winfrey has the support of 76% of Democrats, 22% of Republicans and 44% of voters not affiliated with either major political p...

Trump's actions, and those of his surrogates in congress, point to a man guilty of corruption, possible collusion, and possible obstruction of justice. The fact he sits in the Oval Office is mind boggling. New York - There are two ways for a president to corrupt the vast powers of federal law enforcement. The one that has commanded the greatest attention so far is the defensive corruption of curtailing investigations into the administration and its allies (by, say, firing Robert Mueller). The other is offensive, by directing investigations into the administration’s political critics. And while this form of corruption has attracted less attention, Trump appears to have made far greater headway here. Republican senators Charles Grassley and Lindsey Graham have made a criminal referral to the Justice Department against Christopher Steele. It is unclear what crime they have in mind. Steele’s underlying offense is having been hired to investigate Donald Trump’s murky connections ...

As the individual states of the United States of America move steadily towards legalization of marijuana the feds, you know the ones, those that scream the loudest about limited government and giving more power back to the states, are moving to restore federal control over marijuana laws. There are likely several reasons for this. Continue reading below to find out the major reason why. The Washington Post - Attorney General Jeff Sessions's move to enforce federal marijuana laws may be the latest chapter in the arguably failed war on drugs, his critics say. And this time, as his actions may be directed at the marijuana industry, people of color will be disproportionately harmed, some fear. Sessions's directive makes it easier for American prosecutors to enforce federal marijuana laws in states where the substance is legal, such as California, which just legalized pot for recreational use on Jan. 1. Now lets see what today's more enlightened views on marijuana use ar...

Reproduced in its entirety the AXIOS article below acknowledges there are things wrong, sloppy, and even unethical about Wolff's book. But nonetheless, he does get a couple of things right. There are definitely parts of Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury" that are wrong, sloppy, or betray off-the-record confidence. But there are two things he gets absolutely right, even in the eyes of White House officials who think some of the book's scenes are fiction: his spot-on portrait of Trump as an emotionally erratic president, and the low opinion of him among some of those serving him. Why it matters: Wolff captures the contempt some Trump aides have for the president and his family. Axios' Jonathan Swan notes that this includes people you see trumpeting their loyalty to him. So Wolff's liberties with off-the-record comments — while ethically unacceptable to nearly all reporters — have the effect of exposing Washington's insider jokes and secret languages,...

There are sounds, for those who can hear them, of the preliminary and muffled drumbeats of war. The Chinese are reported to be preparing refugee camps along North Korean border. Resources are being shifted to observe and analyze the North Korean military. Mundane logistical processes of moving, stockpiling and updating critical items and preparing military personnel are under way. Only the biggest indicator—the evacuation of American dependents from South Korea—has yet to flash red, but, in the interest of surprise, that may not happen. America’s circumspect and statesmanlike Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, talks ominously of storm clouds gathering over Korea, while the commandant of the Marine Corps simply says “I hope I’m wrong, but there’s a war coming.” Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe Donald Trump, he of the five draft deferments during the Vietnam war, will flinch from launching a war as commander in chief, in which case the United States will merely suffer an epic humil...

Stephen K. Bannon. (Brynn Anderson/AP) Bannon sure does look like your hard core alcoholic doesn't he? Which could very well explain why his grey matter is so pickled. And to think the President of the United States views this old drunken fool worth listening to. Scary sh*t, eh? On to today's featured article. From the The Washington Post Stephen K. Bannon needs a new project, and Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) might have just given him one by announcing Tuesday that he will not seek reelection this year. Bloomberg News reported in October that Bannon was planning to play in almost every Republican Senate primary contest, anyway, but a couple of the Breitbart News chief's would-be targets — Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) — have said that they plan to leave Washington without a fight. What fun is that? The race to succeed Hatch in Utah could represent an irresistible challenge for Bannon, especially if Mitt Romney runs. As I have not...

As the new year gets off to its running start some things to consider. Please feel free to comment on any or all of the linked articles. Keep comments on topic, relevant, respectful, and free of vulgarity. Failure to do so will be responded to with immediate deletion when detected. In response to protests in Iran, President Trump is calling for regime change: Yup, we know from experience how well that one worked out. Former Joint Chiefs chairman: Nuclear war with North Korea closer than ever Probably what tRump's regime change will require. Trump says U.S. has gotten 'nothing' from Pakistan aid Anyone else see a trend developing here? This new year, tell Trump: Enough We should certainly give it our best shot. But, won't it kind of be like talking to a wall and expecting it to answer you?