Muslim Representation and Religious Freedom in American Politics

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The far-right conservative fear of a Muslim takeover is a real one. They believe if Muslims gain a foothold in a community or are elected to office Sharia Law will be forced on the American public through public policy and in some ways it’s understandable why they believe that.

U.S. Senator Abdul El-Sayed and his wife Dr. Sarah Jukaku, a picture of the American dream.

In the current political environment, we’re seeing more and more Muslims rising to political positions across America. Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, Keith Ellison, Congressman and Attorney General in Minnesota, Andre Carson and Lateefah Simon both elected to Congress, Zohran Mamdani mayor of New York City just to name a few. As of this writing in Michigan a very popular Muslim named Abdul El-Sayed just won a Senate seat, beating Mike Rogers. El-Sayed made history becoming the first Muslim to occupy a seat in the Senate. This has conservative Americans across the country in a state of four-alarm-fire panic.

And it should, if you think like a conservative.

The reality of far-right conservative thinking is this: it’s the belief that their religion is supreme therefore they are entitled to have their religion woven into civil law. The most common argument of this privilege is that Christians founded this country therefore they are entitled to make the laws most reflective of their religion. Another conservative argument is that since Christianity is in the majority in this country their religion should be endorsed by the government. Conservative politicians, with the support of their conservative constituents, are constantly trying to use the government to promote and endorse their religion by posting Christian scripture on government properties like schools and courts. Go to any official Republican social media site, or most Republican congresspersons’ official social media site and you will find the posting of Christian scripture, they openly celebrate only Christian (and occasionally Jewish, this is for another discussion) holidays and use their platform to endorse Christian doctrine. With that extreme sense of entitlement, and with the example set by conservatives of legislating with their bible, is it any wonder that they feel threatened by anyone with a different religious background gaining a seat at the table in American politics?

In contrast, the example shown by the Democratic Party is starkly different. Democratic persons in Congress and official Democratic run social media pages do not post scripture of any religion. During the holidays they post a greeting of well-wishes to all the major religions during their respective holiday seasons.

To put it simply, the highest law in the land forbids the establishment of any religion. It’s a contract between the government and the self-governing American people, past, present and future. No religion supersedes the U.S. Constitution. Not Christian, not Jewish, not Muslim. None. At no point in the Constitution is there a written endorsement of any religion, mention of any God (with the exception of noting the year); and in fact, the very first amendment declares, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

No leader in a self-governing society should lead or legislate with their religion; they should not engage in conspicuous displays of worship while on the chamber floor. This includes taking the oath of office on a religious writing. El-Sayed intends to take the oath of office on a Quran. I understand why he would want to do that, but he shouldn’t. There is no law or rule that dictates what the oath will be taken on; a person can be sworn into office with his or her hand on a box of Count Chocula. But the oath of office should be taken with one’s hand on the U.S. Constitution only.

In the case of El-Sayed he has declared more than once that he intends to view the U.S. government and his role in it from a secular point of view. We can all thank whatever God we pray to he was elected because it’s a statement one can say about almost no conservative politicians. Certainly not Mike Rogers; he may say it when cornered, but he clearly doesn’t mean it. This is evident when one considers the ignorant, racist and bigoted campaign Rogers ran against El-Sayed, using his opponent’s religion to constantly and falsely tie the El-Sayed to terrorism. Rogers also refused to denounce the racist anti-Muslim support of President Trump and other prominent Republicans. According to an article in PBS News and the Associated Press published on Oct 25, 2026, “Trump called El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official, a “jihadist” who was “on the side of the terrorists” and would “have to go through a metal detector before he’s allowed to go into the Senate.” Rogers underestimated the level of intelligence in Michigan voters. Maybe a better strategy would have been to talk about the issues and leave the religious bigotry out.

George H W Bush saw MAGA coming.

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So I’ve been reading a bio on George H W Bush written by the great presidential historian Jon Meacham, The American Odyssey of GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH: Destiny and Power, and wanted to share a thought on the contrast of the modern era. Yes, I hearkened back to the time when I could disagree, sometimes even angerly, with a conservative politician, but still come away with the over-all feeling that the he or she is a decent person. Poppy Bush was one of those people. A decent man and a true patriot in the strictest sense of the word. A man whose intentions were for the betterment of the country, and democracy first. He actually cared about people.

I’m bringing this up however, because one chapter in particular got my attention. It was the end of Ronald Reagan’s second term, and Vice President Bush was running for president. He was running against the mean spirited Bob Dole and the right-wing religious extremist Pat Robertson. Bush was too much of a gentlemen to get down into petty name calling, and he resented the ugliness of the other campaigners. He specifically didn’t like the extreme right, which brings me to the point. In 1988 he wrote in his personal diary a prophetic entry about the religious right after a particularly nasty meeting with a Pat Robinson supporter (I was reminded of the time John McCain took the mic away from that religious nut at the town meeting he held). What then V.P. Bush, candidate for president was afraid of has come true. He wrote:

Still this staring, glaring ugly, — there’s something terrible about those who take it to extremes. They’re crazy. They’re there for spooky, extraordinary right-winged reasons. They don’t care about Party. They don’t care about anything. They’re the excesses. They could be Nazis, they could be Communists, they could be whatever. In this case they’re religious fanatics and they’re spooky. They will destroy this party if they’re permitted to take over. There is not enough of them in my view, but this woman reminded me of my John Birch days inn Houston. The lights go out and they pass out the ugly literature. Guilt by association. Nastiness. Ugliness. Believing the Trilateral Commission, the conspiratorial theories. And I couldn’t tell — it may not be fair to that woman, but that’s the problem that Robertson brings to bear on the agenda.

In the same chapter, as Bush was still looking to name a running mate, he instructed his people to “keep his options open”. But as the book says, “…not totally open: The New York developer Donald Trump mentioned his availability as vice presidential candidate to Lee Atwater. Bush thought the overture “strange and unbelievable”.”

As the MAGA’s love to erroneously say about Trump, I’ll rightfully say about President George H, W. Bush: Bush was right about everything.

Trump’s Treason Tactics: Examining the Path to Dictatorial Status

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People use words like dictator, and names like Hitler or Mussolini when discussing a mere policy they don’t agree with, which waters down the actual meaning of the term or the name. Likewise the concept of what makes an act of treason is being so over used awash in hyperbole that any accusation of treason is mostly looked upon as a joke, and the accuser as a political hack; as it should be in 99% of the cases (just take a gander of your Twitter X feed). 

Treason by definition boils down to a breach in allegiance to the sovereignty of the country one lives in; specifically by trying to overthrow one’s own government and/or giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Lucky for Trump and many of his ill advised supporters the bar for proving treason in court is high. In the court of public perception however it’s worth looking into. This is one take. 

Laying The Groundwork 

Attempting to overthrow the government that one is obligated to be loyal to is an act of treason. But trying to topple the United States is no small task. The sitting President of the U.S. can’t merely squat in the Oval Office and refuse to leave. Likewise attacking the Capitol and occupying it won’t do it either. It would take extensive planning, cold execution and trial and error to make it happen. The trial and error, and some clumsy execution of not very well thought out plans are a matter of history. Trump spent four years in office trying to figure out how to overturn the election if he lost. He’s now had nearly four more years to reflect on the lessons of failure. If he gets four more years in the White House he’ll surely put what he’s learned to good use, he’s been laying the groundwork for years. 

First, to achieve a dictatorial status he’ll need grass roots support from the people of the country. He has that. 71 million supporters voted for him in 2020. With those numbers it’s irrelevant that more people voted against him. Much smaller minority governments have ruled over the masses by managing the correct leverage.  

Remember, in 2016 Trump said that he could shoot a person on 5th Ave and not lose a single vote. He’s indicating that they will believe or at least excuse anything he says or does. With that in mind Trump has been using the phantom, unprovable idea that any loss he takes at the polls are the result of voter fraud against him. 

Now, conservatives have been using the voter fraud ruse for at least decades if not longer, it’s not new. But Trump is going for broke by taking it to a much higher level. Instead of using it for sympathy he uses it as a call to action. It was the Stop the Steal mantra that got his supporters to actually attack the Capitol. 

To be clear, making the accusation of a rigged election does not rise to the level of treason. Neither does questioning the results of an election. But consider this:

When FoxNews allowed their pundits to go on and on and on with the narrative that the election was rigged and Dominion Voting Systems were culpable, DVS sued Fox in court. This should have been good news for the conservative network because finally they could bring the receipts to a court of law and show the world. Instead they brought their checkbook and paid Dominion nearly $800 million to avoid a trial. 

When Rudy Giuliani relentlessly named two Georgia election workers in his theory that they helped steal the election from Trump, resulting in racial harassment and a barrage of death threats, they sued him for defamation.  Rudy swore right up to the end that he would produce proof that will split the case wide open and prove to the country Trump won the election. But instead of bringing the goods, he brought his checkbook, and then declared bankruptcy. 

When Dinesh D’Souza released 2000 Mules that falsely promoted the ballot harvesting theory and accusing individuals of election fraud in favor of Democrats, Salem Media Group Inc. ended their relationship with D’Souza after apologizing to a falsely accused man named in the film. Salem dropped distribution of the film and the accompanying book.

When Trump, acting as President, ordered the DOJ to find evidence of voter fraud they got zero. It went to court 60 times resulting in nothing, usually dismissed for having no merit. Dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 

There was no significant voter fraud, and the system isn’t rigged. 

But to continue to say so, as a call to action to get your supporters to fight, to physically attack the government in hopes of not leaving office absolutely does rise to the level of treason. 

Applying What He’s Learned 

If at first you’re not charged with treason, try again. 

Trump has the people. He also has the support of nearly the entire GOP, who in light of what they saw on January 6, should never even joke about making him their nominee. But they know an opportunity when they see one. 

What Trump doesn’t have yet is the military and the courts. But that’s not from lack of trying. After losing the election in November 2020, Trump, in a rare move, fired four top Pentagon officials and replaced them with his own loyalist. 

Gen. Mark Milley went out of his way in October 2020 to tell the citizens of the U.S., and probably to send a message to Trump that the military has no intention of getting involved in a dispute over who won the election. That’s up to the courts and congress. It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that as commander-in-chief, Trump could fire and replace any top ranking military brass for any reason. Article II Section 2 of the Constitution gives him that power. Of course it says in times of war however the definition of “in times of war” is not at all defined and would have to be so defined in the courts. 

When the election fraud cases were going to their various venues, Trump had no problem using the White House bully pulpit to try and influence their judgment in his favor which, in itself makes a person unfit for the office of president. 

Check Mate 

So there you have it. If the people don’t succeed in keeping Trump out of office at the ballot box, our self rule, resilient for so long, might hinge on the strength of the Supreme Court.  Which, after overturning Rv.W and the 1984 Chevron case decision, and granting presidential immunity for official acts committed while in office, one can’t tell what they’re going to do next.

An Open Apology To Joe Walsh

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I owe Joe Walsh an apology. I’m a left leaning Democrat, and during the run up to the 2016 election your name came to my attention, mostly on Twitter. My ability to have a civil disagreement was beginning to erode with the rise of Trump and his piggish rhetoric. Trump looked like a clown to me, but I didn’t fully grasp the gravity of his dictatorial Pied Piper allure, but it was becoming clearer. And Joe Walsh was helping that clarity.

I have never been one to use the dangerous hyperbole of calling politicians with whose policies I disagree a dictator, or a Hitler. In fact I often defend the likes of George W Bush from such attacks. Bush was no dictator and certainly no Hitler. But as time went by it became clear that Trump wasn’t just an ordinary callous, classless, one-hit-wonder fluke.  He’s the real thing. A dictator in the making, now he simply needs support. And he’s getting it, he’s getting it from spineless people like Ted Cruz, and true believers alike.

While questioning authority is something everyone has the right to do and should do, when the truth is evident, but is unfavorable to one’s cause, one does not attack the institution. In Trump’s position that makes him reminiscent of a despot, and his supporters sympathizers at best, thugs at worst.   I absolutely despised his supporters for supporting him.  It destroyed my once cool ability to have civil discourse, to simply disagree and try to reach out. I even lamented that your name blackened one of the greatest guitar players in history. 

But I was very wrong. While Boebert, Greene, Geatz and nearly the entire body of the GOP is vying for a seat at a despotic table, something else is going on. In months past Americans have been watching Walsh and many others, in vested interest in where this country is heading and I, for one, came to the conclusion that, much like John McCain, Liz Chaney and a few other ostracized Republicans, you care about a country that is free; where people can live under a rule of law, and shape the landscape in collective effort. One can see the humanity in Walsh and the pain of having lost his party, and most of all the bravery of standing up for this country against a tide that’s turning in a dangerous direction. This small band of Republicans have pulled me from an extreme edge to a place of common ground where, when we disagree we simply try to reach out. I say this knowing full well that, in the immortal words of Strother Martin, some people you just can’t reach. 

I don’t know if he actually reads these things but if so I just wanted to offer not only an apology but thanks, thanks for defending this country.

Before all this, in the 2008 general election I had, for the first time in my life, the opportunity to cast a vote for my choice knowing that if he lost, I would be happy with the other guy. That of course was Obama and McCain. It was a win-win. What happened? It’s probable that I would cast a vote for the other person if Joe Walsh were in a race where I was a constituent, on policy matters. However you, Mr. Walsh have my undying support and admiration as an American. You’re a good man, I look forward to seeing your Tweets in the future, and listening to White Flag podcast.  And by the way, don’t sweat the name. That variety of rock-n-roll kickassery suits you.

LR

The Party of Treason

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Have you ever heard the philosophy that states “if someone tells you, and shows you who they are, believe them”? Trump has been telling us, yelling to us, and showing us that he’s a wannabe dictator who will use racism, hatred and fear mongering rhetoric and tactics to achieve power. He has expressed open admiration for other despots around the world.

(Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

There was never a good excuse for supporting Trump as a political leader, he proved himself right out of the gate to be the antithesis of true American values. The first red flag indicating he’s a dictatorial leader was when he disparaged an entire race of people by stating falsely that Mexicans coming over the border are rapists, drug dealers and murderers. He further implied that Mexico as a country was purposely sending “their worst” people to the U.S. The implication of course is that very few if any Mexican immigrants are good people. 

Same goes for Islam, he spent much of his Twitter time and public appearances spreading false information about Muslims, that thousands of them were cheering and celibrating 9/11, he pushed for a travel ban to and from Muslim countries, suggested we shut down the nations mosques or at least spy on them. 

He encouraged violence and intimidation against dissenters and the reporters. 

These are all things a dictator does without even mentioning the vulgar personality traits that would usually sink a candidate. But as Trump himself observed about his bizarre followers, he wouldn’t lose a single one even if he shot a person on 5th Avenue. He knows what kind of base is supporting him. 

He has since proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that not only would he lie, cheat and steal to get power, but he would also engage in a coup d’etat to keep it. Add traitor to the list of Trump’s undesirable traits. 

He spent the months leading up to the election grooming his willing base for a possible violent overthrow of the U.S. government by reinforcing certain key falsehoods. He demonized the press as a conspirator working with the Democrats, he has attacked the integrity of the election system by stating hundreds of times that it’s rigged against him. 

He thought he could rig the system himself by installing rabid loyalists, or at least people he thought were blindly loyal, in key positions to “legally” overturn any result that didn’t reelect him. 

He thought his appointees on the Supreme Court would overturn any undesired election results. He was wrong. 

He thought U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr would conjure up some fabricated evidence that would overturn the election. Wrong. 

When all else fails, lead an insurrection. 

What any would-be dictator needs to successfully overthrow their government is large grassroots support from the population, support from loyalists in key government segments, and support from the military. He has the support of some 75 million Americans as evident by the election results. He has the support of nearly all the Republicans in congress. 

He doesn’t have the courts, and he couldn’t get the military. Thank God. Because that’s how close we came to living in an Orwellian nightmare with Trump as president for life. 

In November 2020, after the election Trump took the highly unusual step of firing three high ranking Pentagon officials and replacing them with Trump loyalists. Apparently he thought that would give him the military. He was wrong.  

A rally was being organized for Jan 6, the day congress would officially confirm the electoral results making Joe Biden the next President of the United States. Trump promoted the rally, dubbed StopTheSteal, in public and on Twitter stating “massive amounts” of evidence will be presented to prove the election was stolen. In true dictatorial fashion however, no evidence was then, or ever been presented. 

On January 6, 2021 Trump addressed a crowd that he had been priming for months to believe the election was stolen. Like a mob boss, he encouraged them to march on the capitol and fight, carefully crafting his words to be sure he himself would never be implicated in what was likely to be treason. But everyone in the crowd, and indeed the watching world knew what he meant. 

Trump insinuated that he would march with them, an act a true revolutionary would have done but instead, being a coward he went back to the safety of the White House to watch the scene unfold on FoxNews. Insulated from prosecution while his foolish supporters get hunted down and arrested by the FBI. 

While the Capitol was under attack Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer were communicating from a bunker with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan begging for the deployment of his troops that he said was ready, willing and able to go with one exception; they needed permission from the Pentagon. The Pentagon was being held back by the White House. For nearly two hours Trump sat on the Maryland National Guard, presumably waiting to see if his mob could occupy the Capitol, presumably not concerned that Pelosi and Pence could end up swinging from a rope. 

And now, 6 months later the North Carolina Republican Party convention allowed Trump to give a speech where he continued his dangerous false narrative that he’s the rightful president, and Republicans in congress are blocking an investigation into the attack on the Capitol. 

Donald J. Trump is a traitor to the United States and frankly so is anyone who still supports him, after all this everyone should know better. Yet he currently has the support of the GOP. 


The Republican Party is now the Party of treason.

President Trump Sabotages America’s Institutions

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Every U.S. president falls under the intense scrutiny of the media, a spotlight that magnifies every word and action, past and present. And now with social media like Twitter you get to know a guy pretty good. President Trump in his first term has proven for the most part to have two driving motivators; the economy and himself, the former is directly linked to the latter. He is pro-Trump and pro-business. This president cares about little else, he knows historically people vote according to their bank accounts.

It’s his obsession with power and big business that makes his so dangerous. President Trump has linked his self image of greatness to the economy above all other and he measures the economy by how rich the rich are getting. Balancing the economy with all the other concerns, like the environment to name just one, takes precision, and costs money.
Lots of money.

The apparent remedy to the burden of balance is to undermine or even destroy the institutions that keeps big business in check. The president is afforded the right to appoint the heads of these agencies and this president, along with conservative members of congress are installing people with the sole purpose of running these agencies into the ground.

Take for example:

EPA
The word protection in the name Environmental Protection Agency is a huge red flag for those who would make money from activities that dirty up our water and air. The EPA has been a thorn in the side of polluters since Richard Nixon created it 50 years ago.
Trump’s first pick for director, Scott Pruitt resigned in scandal and went on to become a coal promoter for Alliance Resource Partners, L.P, and a lobbyist for Sunrise Coal.
Enter Scott Wheeler, a climate science denier like his predecessor. Mr Wheeler worked as a coal lobbyist for Faegre Baker Daniels, a law firm who represents coal producer Murray Energy.
Trump has spent his entire first term deregulating the energy industry at the expense of our environment, being clean costs the fossil fuel industry a lot of money.
Here’s a list of terrifying rollbacks tracked by the Brookings Institution: https://www.brookings.edu/interactives/tracking-deregulation-in-the-trump-era/

NASA
This agency has come to the scientific conclusion that climate change is happening and human activity is a significant factor, so naturally Trump would like to appoint a science denier to that post. Unfortunately for the president it’s not easy finding a qualified scientist to fit that bill, a Trump ally will just have to do. Jim Bridenstine was nominated in September 2017 to head the agency to heavy criticism for falling well below the scientific standards set by previous administrators, and for being a vocal critic of prevailing consensus on climate change. He was confirmed strictly by Republicans in a 50-49 vote in April, 2018.
However, it seems the plan backfired on the president and his allies in congress. One month after Bridenstine’s confirmation in May, 2018, he turned a 180 in a town hall speech at NASA headquarters as reported by The Atlantic he said, “I don’t deny that consensus that the climate is changing,” he said. “In fact, I fully believe and know that the climate is changing. I also know that we humans beings are contributing to it in a major way. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. We’re putting it into the atmosphere in volumes that we haven’t seen, and that greenhouse gas is warming the planet. That is absolutely happening, and we are responsible for it.”
That’s gotta hurt.

DOI
The Department of the Interior for those who don’t know manages about 75% of federal lands and natural resources. Trumps first appointment to position of Secretary of the Interior was Ryan Zinke, another one that ended on scandal leading the way for the current Secretary David Bernhardt. As one could guess, Bernhardt is a former lobbyist for Brownstein Hyett Farber Schreck, a lobbying firm with a client list including oil and gas energy and exploration companies, and notably the Independent Petroleum Association of America, as well as other mining interests. The Trump Administration is accelerating mining and oil drilling on public lands as well as uranium extraction and plundering forests.

Office of Air and Radiation
William Wehrum is an attorney and lobbyist for such polluters as Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute among others and served as assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Air and Radiation until he was forced to step down for ethics violations, mostly interacting with former clients to discuss government regulation related to their industry.
The new administrator Anne Idsal isn’t a lobbyist or a corporate attorney and is relatively unknown.

DoE
Taxpayer funded public schools are literally centuries old. But of course conservative forces in the United States would rather have a for profit system and what better way to undermine public education than to appoint to the Department of Education a vastly underqualified person who’s known not for education as much as for advocacy of private schools. Betsy DeVos, the current Secretary of Education is just such a person. DeVos has been an advocate of school vouchers, that essentially takes taxpayer money from public schools and funnels it to private schools, for decades. Upon landing in the Secretary position she has ambitiously worked toward the largest school voucher assault on public schools in U.S. history. Like many of Trump’s dubious nominees, the Senate vote to confirm was far from overwhelming and in this case Vice President Mike Pence had to break a 50 – 50 tie.

USPS
The first Postmaster General was appointed by Benjamin Franklin in 1775 and is one of the few agencies authorized by the U.S. Constitution. It’s the epitome of an American institution.
Although the USPS is a government agency it’s self sustaining and takes no taxpayer money to function. For a couple decades Republicans have strongly advocated the privatization of the agency, essentially dismantling it in favor of a for-profit system in spite of operating for over 200 years.
Trump’s pick for Postmaster General is just the man for the job. Louis Dejoy has exactly zero prior experience at the Post Office and in fact had invested in UPS (which he divested). Aside from having interests in competitors and sub-contractors like XPO, DeJoy’s main function seems to be hamstringing the effectiveness of mail delivery, he’s slowing the operation down. Normally one could conclude that kind of leadership is designed to sabotage not only the profitability but the public image of the agency, leading to the argument that it should be privatized. However in 2020 there is an added motive; it’s believed that because of the COVID-19 pandemic a certain segment of the population may vote by mail. That demographic is Democtrats who may be interested in reducing public exposure by avoiding the polls. Voter suppression is an added bonus in Republicans effort to destroy the U.S. Postal Service.

All this and the attempt to stack the U.S. Supreme Court with ultra right-wing conservative judges so incase any lawsuits concerning these changes make it that far will be struck down. Trump is far and away the most dangerous person to ever take residency in the White House and likewise, the true colors of the Republican Party are showing with their quiet complicity. Apparently to make America again is to set us back a century or so.

Voter ID is a useless red herring. Here’s why.

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    Here’s the thing with voter ID, it does virtually nothing. VID is a slight-of-hand trick, a distraction of political convenience. I’d like to see somebody, anybody prove voter ID would change the outcome of any election anywhere by preventing in-person fraud. It won’t. Here’s why:
Voter ID will address in-person voting directly at the polls in real time ONLY. That’s it. That’s all. No election in U.S. history has ever been decided or influenced by in-person voter fraud. There’s a reason for that, it doesn’t happen on any notable level. That’s right folks it doesn’t happen much.
     I’m not against voter ID as long as every American gets ID easily and for free. But I am indifferent to it because it’s a red herring. Voter ID won’t do shit. Nothing. Why? Because there’s nothing for it to do. It’s a solution without a problem. Voter ID at the polls will not address the real fraud because real electoral fraud is systemic.
I would like to see anybody prove me wrong here.
     ID will not address disenfranchisement, gerrymandering, intimidation, ballot manipulation by a poll volunteer or election official, ballot destruction by an official, software tampering, mail-in fraud, etc. Only in-person fraud does ID address and while systemic electoral fraud continues on and on, I guarantee your average poll volunteer has a better chance of being struck by lightening than countering in-person voter fraud.
Once you wrap your mind around the fact that in-person voter fraud or voter impersonation is nearly non-existent, and ID prevents only that, then the question why the push for ID laws must be burning in your brain. Why?
Could it be that requiring photo ID would disenfranchise the poorest Americans by the hundreds of thousands? People in poverty face the problem of living miles away from an office that issues state ID’s, they often lack transportation, many offices in poor areas are open a couple days a week. Who do the poorest among us vote for traditionally? Who is the primary pusher of voter ID laws? It doesn’t take Detective Columbo to figure this out.
     Voter ID laws not only do nothing to prevent electoral fraud but are another example of systemic voter suppression.
Voter+ID+MGN

#MeToo where are you?

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joebiden-1

Recently a hashtag concerning Joe Biden has surfaced echoing a popular mantra in our society. #IBelieveTaraReade is making the rounds on social media and possibly growing legs, the question is when will the Me Too movement catch on?

Tara Reade is former staff assistant for Joe Biden when he was a Senator in 1993. Lately she has been giving a graphic account of sexual assault involving the 2020 presidential candidate to any media outlet who will listen.

If one were to search any of the varieties of Tara Reade hashtags one finds there are already a lot of Bernie supporters jumping on this grassroots trend (taking into account that some on any side may be fake). They’re still holding steady with the Me Too mantra of “I Believe Women” and are using Biden’s own words against him because he as well has been quoted saying to the Washington Post, “For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus, nationally, you’ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she’s talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts, whether or not it’s been made worse or better over time.” The movement doesn’t leave room for much else, only I Believe, that’s it. If there is more  they’re not very good at articulating it.

The consequence of the Me Too movement’s I-believe-women-unconditionally attitude was painfully obvious from the start and predictably it seems it may come back to bite them. It was just a matter of time before a high profile Democrat would be accused of sexual misconduct, decades after the fact, with no physical evidence and very little or no eyewitness evidence. Literally one persons word against the other, and a compilation of the accused persons dubious character traits; like shoulder rubbing and hair sniffing for example.  So what is the portion of the Me Too crowd who has thrown their support behind Biden to do now?  Will they believe Tara Reade unconditionally and throw Biden to the curb? Some of them may, but not a peep from any high profile supporters so far. And many rank and file supporters have actually accused her of being a Russian asset, and have accused Bernie supporters of blowing this up for political gain. Sound familiar?

Bernie supporters aren’t handling this any better however. They’re forcefully using the Me Too mantra of unconditional belief to destroy a political rival only this time it’s a rival in their own party.  All it takes is an accusation. What will it take for them to realize this is a two-way street? What will they do when a person who they are giving their full-throated support to is accused in such a way? Will they throw their guy away or will they call it a political hit job? It would be no surprise if they chose the latter. That’s politics for you, what’s good for the goose is never the same for the gander is it?

Trump supporters are also getting in on the act, rubbing Me Too in everyone’s face who doesn’t viciously attack Joe Biden. Another reason the extreme and unfair stand of the movement is self defeating. They should have seen this coming, after all it was truly a matter of time that their integrity would be tested on their own turf. Bernie supporters and hard line Me Too advocates would be smart to take note. Of course if Trump supporters had any shame they would sit this one out since their guy, the pussy grabber has been accused by more than 50 women of sexual misconduct and caught red handed paying off a porn star with whom he cheated on his pregnant wife. Talk about having not a square inch of real estate to stand on.

The point is this, the Me Too movement isn’t wrong on merit. Women should be taken seriously when alleging sexual misconduct, rape, abuse, assault, harassment, at home or in the work place. Women in general deserve for Tara Reade to be taken seriously, and Reade deserves to have an impartial and thorough investigation on the strength of only her word. But that’s all ones word can get. The rest has to come with an investigation that either uncovers proof of misconduct or not.

Either way however, at this point the Me Too movement is largely silent on this one. No mainstream outrage. Not yet.

We’re There For The Oil, Folks

/ KMac / Leave a comment

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President Donald Trump. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

In the latest reality TV episode of Trump Goes to Washington the President made a curious admission. On more than one occasion in the last few days President Trump has repeated in one context or another, “we’re there for the oil” when asked about troops in Syria.  At a press conference with Turkish president Erdoğan Trump declared “We’re keeping the oil, we have the oil, the oil is secure, we left troops behind only for the oil.”

The big irony of this president is that he tends to tell the truth rarely but when he does, he wasn’t supposed to. The fact that the U.S. is in the Middle East and Africa solely for the natural resources is the worst kept secret in Washington. Of course they keep up the facade that our troops are there to for a number of honorable reasons, for this they maintain a grab bag of deceptive go-to talking points. The first one is the term “national interests”, which is of course a euphemism for financial interests. Other misleading items in the bag include national security, American freedom, the Constitution, democracy (home or abroad), human rights, and fighting terrorism among others.

The Pentagon is doing it’s duty by pushing back on the presidents blunder by going out of it’s way to clarify the U.S. position that we’re actually there to fight ISIS. That’s only a partial truth. They want us to believe the fight against ISIS is a stand alone issue because…we just don’t like terrorism. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We fight terrorism in the region because they tend to disrupt our extraction of resources. We’re there for the oil, folks.

Even far right talking head and Trump cheerleader Laura Ingraham tried to rein in the president during an exchange on The Ingraham Angle, she sounded more like she was coaching him.

“Not taking the oil, they’re not taking the oil,” Ingraham said.

“Well, maybe we will. Maybe we won’t,” Trump said.

“They’re protecting the facility,” Ingraham said.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should take it, but we have the oil. Right now, the United States has the oil. So they say he left troops in Syria. No. I got rid of all of them other than we’re protecting the oil. We have the oil,” Trump said.

This president can’t take a hint. Much like targeting and destroying cultural sites, another thing Trump threatens to do, outwardly plundering resources with the military is a war crime. Trump doesn’t know enough about foreign policy or international law to even be involved; after three years as POTUS he’s still grossly unqualified to be president.

Bottom line, Trump mistakenly let the cat out of the bag. Our freedom and the integrity of the U.S. Constitution in no way hinges on our presence in the Middle East or Africa. We aren’t there for human rights, or to encourage democracy. Quite the opposite. It’s far more common for the U.S. to prop up and coddle dictators who will in exchange allow our oil companies carte blanche within the borders of their country.

“We’re keeping the oil, we have the oil, the oil is secure, we left troops behind only for the oil.” — A rare truth escapes the lips of President Trump.

Jussie Smollett may have been behind his own attack, but that doesn’t get Trump supporters off the hook.

/ KMac / Leave a comment

It appears the Chicago police suspect Jussie Smollett of possibly having a part in his own assault, where Smollett claims two men attacked him and used racial and homophobic slurs. Since the Jan 29 attack, police have made two arrests but released the two men  saying more investigation was needed in light of new evidence. According to CNN two inside law enforcement sources say they believe Smollett may have paid the two, one of which Smollett worked with on the show Empire.

Jessie Smollett denies the new development in the case and has expressed frustration over the matter. He also denies claims that he ever said the perpetrators were wearing MAGA hats.

Conservative media, Trump supporters on social media and bloggers have latched on to the story in its current state of development as further proof that the public perception that Trump supporters are mindless bigots and homophobes is being unfairly crafted by celebrities and left wing activists and is perpetuated by willing accomplices in the so-called fake news media.

The thought that Trumps supporters are being unfairly maligned by hoaxes is a fantasy.  All one need do to realize a crystal clear illustration of what a Trump supporter is would be to follow Trumps own Twitter feed. And yes, his supporters are guilty by association. There are literally dozens of documented accounts of Trump encouraging or condoning acts of violence against dissenters and members of the press, which of course makes a few fakers insignificant compared to the magnitude of the real thing.

A hoax far from exonerates the culture of hatred being encouraged by rhetoric from this president. People should indeed be aware of such fakes, they have no place in our discourse, however neither does using them as an exercise in misdirection. Both sides have supporters who behave badly on occasion, but I can think of only one person who brazenly encourages violent behavior. Trump CLEARLY encourages and condones violence. Nobody should be surprised when it happens. You won’t find a single other person to say “kick the crap out of them, I’ll pay for your defense attorney”.

The examples go on and on.

It can’t be pointed out enough that not the fake news media, nor the shadowy deep state, nor does Obama or members of academia, or the corrupt scientific community write daily on Trumps Twitter account. Nope, he’s a lying, illiterate, vile, pig all on his own, every day without exception, with nobody else, and no grand conspiracy to blame. It’s just him and his Twitter alone. He’s the fly in his own ointment. He’s his own troll.

If a Trump supporter can suspend his or her own integrity enough to be lead by a guy who tries to scare us into following him by claiming that an entire race of people are largely to blame for rape and murder to the extent that a border wall will produce a significant drop in those crimes, then fine.  But it’s not the media or anyone else making Trump sound like a racist when he tells such lies. And likewise it’s not the media or anyone else who makes Trumps followers look like racists for supporting him.