TWEETS GALORE (most too large to appear on Twitter)
We must begin this panoply of much-too-long tweets by turning to the Trump-Biden Non-debate. Both appeared at town halls at the same time but in different locations, and on different networks -- Biden on ABC with George Stephanopoulos and Trump on NBC with Savannah Guthrie. From what I viewed both first and second-hand, Trump was intent on talking about every nuance but policy and program and Joe Biden couldn’t contain himself from detailed policy and programming and how to get things done. It was a stark contrast indeed. I got the impression that Biden was chomping at the bit to become actively engaged as President, while Trump gave the impression that he was more than satisfied with what his administration had done, although he couldn’t say in any detail what he would do with another four-year term.
What really stood out for me was Biden’s ability to relate not only to difficult questions but to the questioner, which attribute he extended when being engaged by members of the audience. He acknowledged them, spoke directly to them, and even offered to meet with them afterward if they had more questions about his answers. This was applied specifically to one young man who asked a difficult question about race relations and what Joe Biden was prepared to do beyond promises. Biden invited him to remain after the town hall session to discuss his concerns further. It is that personal interest in human beings -- that ability to care about another person’s concerns and issues -- that makes the Biden answers authentic and empathetic. Biden has the life experience, the political experience tested under fire, and the caring nature to propel us into a far better place than we now inhabit. I felt something quite compelling in Joe Biden: a hope and optimism about the future and a reasoned and reasonable approach as to how we can get to a better place and circumstance.
I had the distinct impression that Joe Biden has been nurtured for this role in this moment-in-time. It is not impossible that his life experience has brought Joe Biden to this moment when an entire nation needs all that has gone into his life. This includes successes and missteps, and the difficult times that we all dread, but which he is using to bring goodness and kindness and dignity to others along with an empathy that speaks to personal losses felt deeply.
Joe Biden has run for the presidential nomination before but did not succeed. Is now the time when his assets and attributes will be exactly what we desire as a nation in distress? I believe that is what the biblical term “fullness of time” conveys – a convergence of factors that bring to the forefront an answer that fits the moment and the circumstances. I believe that Joe Biden has been groomed and prepared for this moment. It is now in voters’ hands whether to take advantage of his unique persona and this unique circumstance.
VOTE AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!
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Donald Trump has declared that the general election will be a
“hoax,” mailed ballots invite massive “fraud,” and the election will turn out
to be “fixed.” He is right, and it will
be entirely his doing! Worse, he refuses
to commit to an orderly transfer of power and has referred to a “continuation
of power.” Since he loves to telegraph future moves, voters must prepare for
loss of their mailed ballots, miscounting of votes in key states and
continuation of power by use of federal agents and loyal militia and/ or
troops. What to do? The Declaration of Independence contains one
answer in its third paragraph that begins: “…whenever any form of government
becomes destructive of these ends….” and concludes with “it is their right, it
is their duty to throw off such government…”
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I am not convinced that Democrats yet understand the gravity
of this situation with the Supreme Court.
If Trump gets his fifth strictly conservative Justice, he will have
completed what he wants – control of the Judiciary. If the election is decided by those five
conservative judges and Trump thereby grasps another term, it could result in something never seen in this system. Too many Democrats and Independents have ignored the
true nature of this man from the beginning, and still have trouble
understanding his moves toward a tyrannical government run by his family and
billionaire oligarchs who already call the shots in many areas of government
and economics. Because democrats have
not recognized the fascism of this man or his relationship with Putin and other
dictators, they have failed to prepare for the deluge we now face as democracy potentially
bites the dust! Any registered voter who
willfully chooses not to vote will have to bear the consequences which will be
dire. VOTE!
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Trump supporters evidently have no clue what is
happening to them. They support a tyrant and his
despotic behavior, they back his use of lies, they ignore his destruction of
rights and freedoms and they go along with every immoral and criminal action he
undertakes. What they do not understand is that he despises them and calls them
“those disgusting people.” He uses every
one of them for his purposes and cares not a bit for their needs, their
desires, or their lives having put them in danger from COVID 19 more than once,
but always with a disclaimer that protects him and his team from reprisals. His followers have been enticed and enslaved
by the Fuhrer of this century just as Germany was by the Fuhrer of the last
century.
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Voting for Trump is equivalent to inviting thieves to take
your money, a killer to eliminate your mother, and robber barons to relieve you
of wages and savings every day of your life.
Re-electing this tyrant can likely result in :
·
loss
of social security and Medicare,
·
loss
of affordable healthcare coverage,
·
higher
prices from monopolistic retail entities,
·
shortages
of clean water, dangerous pollution of all air, water, and earthworks;
·
increased
scams and ruses from monopolistic corporations
·
loss
of more rights and protections for women, union workers, children, and
minorities
It’s all going to come down on his
supporters because he despises them and can’t wait to declare a dictatorship like
those of Putin and Kim Jong Un that puts “ordinary people” in inferior castes
with loyalty and obeisance as their one allowed freedom. Go ahead – re-elect Trump and hear him say as
he throws you under the bus: “Good riddance, fools.”
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Donald Trump has captured the Republican Party, the United
States Senate, the Executive Branch of this government, and shortly he will not
only have the majority of the SCOTUS backing his craziness and criminality but
will have captured the whole of the judiciary via the appointment of over 300
loyalists throughout the federal court system.
Now he means to pull every dirty trick in his playbook to remain in
office and to conduct himself and his business as though he is above the law. Meanwhile, enough voters still allow
themselves the thought that this is “politics as usual” even while Trump
continues his coup of all we have held dear.
The USA under Trump is like Russia under Putin – there is no law except
what the leader believes and dictates. Rebellion could soon be the only option
for citizens who want their democracy back.
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How many of us pay only $750 a year in federal taxes? Apparently, Donald Trump – the grifter who currently
occupies the Oval Office – figured out how to do just that during the first two
years of his term. For at least the last
ten out of fifteen years he apparently paid no taxes, according to the New York
Times. But come on, Trump told us when
he was running for president that he uses every provision of the Tax Code he can
find that allows him to pay little or no income tax. He told us that there are all kinds of
strategies that can be used to make that happen and he planned to use them all. Then he called those who don’t do this “fools”
and “losers” (and the IRS “stupid”). Still, enough of those ‘fools’ and
‘losers’ voted for this tax evader to put him in a stronger position to make
millions more off their tax dollars. He
has used that voter gift (and Russian interference) to increase the profits for
his company (and his un-divested self) by sums that have still to be fully revealed.
The New York
Times story of the grifter in the White House comes out at a time when we know he
has ‘cheated’ us all by malevolent mishandling of a pandemic. Now we discover Trump found multiple ways to manipulate
tax deductions that lower his tax payments to ridiculous levels while raising
his own income by $72.9 million. The
rest of us paid our share of income taxes -- far more than he did – while
watching some substantial deductions we favored for itemizing begin to disappear.
Yet the Donald found more breaks for himself.
Sadly, you paid your full taxes to enrich Donald Trump and other
oligarchs just like him. You paid and he
and his cronies got richer while the wages of many of his followers kept
shrinking. Many of his cult followers keep
paying while getting played and still they vote for him. What do they expect to get in return? Apparently not much beyond bluster, lies,
conspiracy theories, de-construction of government and breaking of every
political norm known to Washington D.C. Give
them credit – they are getting exactly what they voted for!
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Mary Trump
was right: “The simple fact is that Donald is fundamentally incapable of
acknowledging the suffering of others.
Acknowledging the victims of COVID 19 would be to associate himself with
their weakness, a trait his father taught him to despise. Perhaps most crucially, for Donald there is
no value in empathy, no tangible upside to caring for other people. In Donald’s mind, even acknowledging an
inevitable threat would indicate weakness.
Taking responsibility would open him to blame.” Thus, while he admits he
knew the seriousness of this viral pandemic, he kept the rest of us in the dark,
he said, because we “might panic.” Disrespecting the resilience and strength of
the American people is not acceptable in a president. Continuing to lie to them
about this pandemic approaches a criminality that cannot be dismissed or
ignored. What does the justice system
call the willful act of disregarding harm to another when one could have acted
to prevent it? -- – something like “Criminal Negligence” or at least having a
“duty to protect.”
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We have recently
witnessed what was labeled a ‘debate’ turn into a debacle. The great destroyer of democratic values,
Donald Trump, struck again, de-constructing the norms and virtues of civil
debate and productive discourse while also demeaning and dismissing facts,
statistics, experience, and democratic values.
Nicole Wallace, former communications staffer in the G.W. Bush
administration, had it about right: “this was blustering, bullying and chaotic
interruptions done on purpose.” He had
no way to present ideas, programs, policies, or plans; he has none. Instead, he decided to do what he always
does: disrupt the flow of thoughts, deflect his own flaws onto opponents,
create chaos and confusion. Not only did he display himself as unworthy of the
presidency, he displayed what he truly believes and accepts about himself: he is the only authority; he holds all the
power; he is the one who knows more than anyone else, and as such he has no
need to be debating some inferior being.
We must vote him out of office or lose our presidency, our congress and
our judiciary to a man who worships the total power of autocrats.
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The largest
driver of coronavirus misinformation in this nation has been found positive
with the COVID 19, and the White House acknowledged that the president should
be treated with the “highest level of caution.” Where was that principle when over
7 million people in our country were coming down with the virus and over
107,000 were dying? The person most opposed to the ACA mandate of heath care coverage
for millions of persons with pre-existing conditions (including the COVID 19)
is himself now receiving the highest level of VIP treatment covered for him by
the taxpayers of this country; even as he and his Attorney General seek a
SCOTUS decision to declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional in the
midst of a pandemic. Where is that principle
of us covering each other through our taxes so that all can be taken care of in
inevitable moments of need, without going bankrupt? Apparently, gone with all the other democratic
principles that this president has wantonly “de-constructed” (“destroyed”).
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The “HOAX”
is real; there is no way the “virus will go away on its own.” There is no “miracle” waiting to happen. It is something to be serious about but NOT
something to politicize! It is still highly active wherever it is given an
opportunity -- like opening businesses, schools, colleges, sporting events,
political rallies, restaurants; salons, gyms, etc., without adequate guidelines
and practices. This virus is a killer
seeking out victims wherever or whoever they may be. It is merciless and non-discriminating. It appears to be expanding again because
there are still some who, like its largest spreader of false information, will
not take the necessary precautions – like wearing a mask and social distancing. The Trump administration has now helped the virus
spread to many of its own members, including the first Lady, the president
himself and son, Baron. Failure to
contain COVID 19 came home to roost but spared the first family its harshest
effects! Glad for them; but saddened and
angry about all those who were unable to survive this scourge, or who will have
long-term effects because of it. COVID
19 is NOT A HOAX nor a SIMPLE DISAPPEARING ACT!
IT CAN BE A DEATH SENTENCE OR LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE!
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I find the reluctance to apply something called “fiduciary
responsibility” to all public officers who handle public money or property, a
most disturbing failure to fully define ‘transparency’ and ‘public responsibility.’
Transparency is not just the flow of information or openness to questions from
the press or the people. ‘Public
responsibility’ is not simply a term of nicety meaning at the least a
responsibility to listen to voters and to show a response in some way that does
not upset sponsors. It is a “fiduciary”
responsibility that is of greatest importance, meaning a public official must
represent the best interests of clients or constituents out of a sense of
intense loyalty to them.
“A fiduciary is an individual or organization legally
responsible for managing assets on behalf of someone else, usually called the
beneficiary. The assets must be managed in the best interests of the
beneficiary, not for the personal gain of the fiduciary.” Moreover, “A fiduciary is a person who holds
a legal or ethical relationship of trust with one or more other parties (person
or group). Typically, a fiduciary prudently takes care of money or
other assets for another person.”
“In a fiduciary relationship, one person, in a position of
vulnerability, justifiably vests confidence, good faith, reliance, and trust in another
whose aid, advice, or protection is sought in some matter. In such a relation
good conscience requires the fiduciary to act at all times for the sole benefit and interest of the one who
trusts.”
“The fiduciary has a duty not to be in a situation where
personal interests and fiduciary duty conflict, not to be in a situation where
their fiduciary duty conflicts with another fiduciary duty, and a duty not to
profit from their fiduciary position without knowledge and consent. A fiduciary
ideally would not have a conflict
of interest. It has
been said that fiduciaries must conduct themselves "at a level higher than
that trodden by the crowd" and that "[t]he distinguishing or
overriding duty of a fiduciary is the obligation of undivided loyalty’.”
(Wikipedia)
Does that sound like the members of the Congress to whom we give
the responsibility to handle our tax dollars?
Does it sound like the absolute loyalty and attention that should be coming
to us from the Executive branch of government that has responsibility for all
our assets as well as our lives and liberties?
Does it sound like what we get from local and state officials who are
closest to our property, our needs and our concerns?
Perhaps it is just your imagination that too many of those
officials are lavishing loyalty and undivided attention on special interests
and wealthy non-constituents who are controlling and using your assets for
their aggrandizement? Not exactly what a
higher standard of fiduciary responsibility calls for. Is it possible we have allowed too many of our
representatives to get away with misplaced loyalty, conflict of interest, taking
advantage of our vulnerabilities, and confiscation as well as ill-conceived and
illicit use of our assets (taxes)? Maybe
that’s why “fiduciary responsibility” is never mentioned as a strict standard
for all public officials!
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It occurs to me that there is an issue that is going to burst
upon us for years to come. It doesn’t even depend on what happens to Donald
Trump in the current election. Rather,
it is one of those basic questions that goes to the heart of our mode of
governance, but which rarely comes to the surface to elicit our undivided
attention. It is an issue that has been
around for the life of our unique experiment in representative democracy.
That issue comes to us now in the wake of a pandemic, in the opposition
to Black Lives Matter, through the violence inherent in the second Amendment
and as a result of the diminution of certain ethnic, racial, national and
religious groups. It involves the
question of what is to be done about racist white supremacists, violent groups
built on fascism and hate, or organizations like KKK, the Poor Boys, and the Right
Wing militias (or Left Wing revolutionaries) who continue unabated in their attempts
to destroy our democratic system of inalienable equal rights, equal justice and
equal opportunity.
The question is: do we have any constitutional or legal authority to protect
our system of democratic governance from being undermined or overthrown by
persons and groups that have no other agenda than the destruction of that
system and of those ideals? Do we have
the constitutional authority to keep such individuals or groups from appearing
on an election ballot? Do we have the
obligation to screen and eliminate such individuals and groups from
participation as organized political Parties?
And finally, do we have any authority to limit their raising and
spending of campaign or sponsorship funds to prevent their expansion into other
domains? I think we may have, but there
is evidence to the contrary as well. Has
the time arrived for an in-depth exploration of the topic? I believe so and hope that others with
greater research capacity will see the need and proceed apace to meet it before
circumstances negate the attempt.
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