President Donald Trump spent Friday walking back his post-midnight “thugs” tweet about Minneapolis protesters that added to outrage over the police killing of a black man.
Trump’s later repeated condemnation of the killing and outreach to the man’s family was a marked change in tone from his earlier comments that also invoked a civil-rights-era phrase fraught with racist overtones.
“When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Trump had written in a tweet that was quickly flagged by Twitter as violating rules against “glorifying violence.” Trump later said his comments had been misconstrued. “Frankly it means when there’s looting, people get shot and they die,” he said.
The child bully shows true form when challenged by the possible loss of votes or undue bad news coverage. Bullies all act the same way. Push until challenged then back off and make excuses.
We have a child bully occupying the White House and no one in power has the balls to do anything about it. While this post is about our resident child, the real message is to all the so-called Senators and Representatives that forget who put them in these positions of power.
Grow a pair and start doing the job to which you were elected!! Get rid of this ridiculous buffoon and start governing!!
Everyone knows he’ll cheat. Even his supporters know he’ll cheat. His cheating is one of the things they love about him. So that he’ll cheat—while loudly accusing the other side of cheating—is a given.
There are plenty of concerns in the U.S. but the real problem that will eventually destroy us is the mindset of those in power. Nowhere can it be clearer than it is when watching a buffoon conduct a daily lying session under the pretense of helping the country. Nothing is sacred and nothing is unsanctioned by the worthless hordes entrenched in the ass of a child bully, seeking nothing but power. Like remoras clinging to a shark, they feast on the ravages of the beast.
One more note...
Remoras are almost always white, upper class/upper middle class, men with sprinklings of other race, gender, and SES to camouflage the really animals.
Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle, an independent Baptist church led by Pastor Justin Gazaway in Ringgold, Georgia, restarted in-person services on April 26. Church representative Joan Lewis told The Christian Post on Monday, however, that they decided to suspend “in-person worship services for the foreseeable future” on May 11 after learning several families had contracted the virus.
This is an example of what will be happening in this country over the next few weeks. Forty-seven states opened to some level, on May 15, so it will be interesting to see if things work out the way everyone hopes. I have little confidence in the American people and the patience they supposedly have for these situations. Thus far, that has proved true. Despite all the medical doctors and scientists who are saying it's too dangerous to open now, people seem to want to play more than they want to pay attention to factual information. I understand that many people want to open because many tens of thousands of people are going bankrupt because they're unable to work. That is a big issue. Our society will not be the same as it was before the coronavirus. The world has turned, and we will face a new and yet unknown reality. The world will be both different and sadly, the same. We're not yet prepared for the next onslaught of a virus, which will come. It's just a matter of time and the severity will depend on how well we're prepared for it. My concern is that we have leadership who would rather play and make money than take things like this seriously. Whether they prepare us will depend a lot on their mentality, their perspective on trying to find some way to deal with this immensely complex preparation process needed to adjust to all of this chaos. Our current leaders cannot do that, because they're too focused on themselves. With a new world order must come the leaders capable of envisioning the societal behaviors needed to live within that order.
[Bill] Gates, who co-chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that’s at the global vanguard of infectious disease research and treatments, told Trump right before he took office only a few weeks later that he ought to make preparedness for the danger posed by pandemics a priority of his administration. That’s according to a Wall Street Journal report Monday recapping Gates’ years-long effort to warn decision-makers about the threats posed by infectious diseases. “I feel terrible,” he says now. And, “I wish I had done more to call attention to the danger.” ~2020 BGR Media
I really hope the scientists are wrong, have miscalculated the spread, but who should we believe first? On one hand, we have a crazy child taking unproven medicine and not using his own safety protocols because he thinks he is immune. On the other hand, we have decades of educated, tested scientists and doctors. If anyone asks me why I still social distance and wear a mask when I do go out, my response: Are you willing to bet your life and the lives of those you love on the idiot child? Not me.
(CNN)Attacking China has now become the centerpiece for the upcoming 2020 election campaign by an increasingly desperate Republican Party and its vulnerable leadership.
The Shell Game
I guess the main question to ask when writing this post is, “How stupid are the American people?” The media is flooded with talk of conspiracy theories, the “who dun it” stories about origins of the coronavirus. Why is this important as we sit in the midst of infection and death? Will knowing provide PPE and vaccines? Will knowing encourage people to practice safe distancing and masking to reduce the thousands of deaths? A person would have to be really ignorant to believe any of these things yet this is the focus of talk on social media.
Now, let's look at the contrasting facts, the things we can act on. The U.S. was one of the least prepared countries when it really mattered. Leading scientists and health organizations warned us early in the spread this was a virulent threat to humanity and it was coming our way. This was not a conspiracy theory but was something real that we should have been prepared to prevent and treat. However, the Toddler in Chief chose to ignore it, telling us it would just go away. Here we sit today approaching 100,000 deaths and well over a million cases. States are still not adequately prepared and like the child leader, many are choosing to ignore it, hoping for the best.
You ask how the two issues are different. Why focus on the shortcomings (a mild way to phrase a poor attempt at leadership) of a self-centered, apathetic, boy leader? Just having to ask the question is a sad and shameful situation. We are being led into hopelessness by someone who has surrounded himself with impotent pseudo-leaders who only know how to agree with his rantings and blatant errors in fact and judgement.
Shooting from the hip is a mild way of stating the obvious lack of stable thought processes. Don’t like what he says? Wait a minute and he will change, swaying with the far right news pundits and their fictive blather.
We Can Do Something about the Idiot in Charge
We can call, write the representatives who support his idiocy.
We can fact check his lies.
We can vote.
What Would You Do if Your Boss Acted Like This?
I can guarantee you the company Board of Trustees would kick that boss to the curb for wasting resources. Sadly, the difference in this case is those resources include human lives.
Isn't it enough we have a boy bully calling himself a highly intelligent leader? Evidently, there are more important things than crappy healthcare and economic decline coupled with record debt. The pressing issue after the most recent presidential debate was instead why Ellen sat next to George Bush at a football game!
Our resident monkey and his self-seeking cronies have seemingly been successful at nursing the innate ignorance of the average dumbass and helping it come to the surface. We have succumbed to the narcotic “bread and circuses” spewed out by the rich to pacify the masses. “Fucked” is the most descriptive term for the current state of the country. Idiocy and a pet monkey...
"During the resulting chat with host Steve Doocy, the president repeatedly and lavishly praised North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, with whom he met earlier this week, remarking: “He’s the head of a country—and I mean he’s the strong head. He speaks and his people sit up in attention. I want my people to do the same.”
At other parts of the interview, Trump referred to FBI leadership as “scum,” denied rumors his wife Melania underwent facelift surgery, and suggested former FBI chief James Comey should go to prison."
Daily Beast excerpt
This is our asshole, our personal pain in the ass, the one who represents America to the world. Makes me want to vomit.
So an interesting story today. Samantha Bee called the little Trumpette, Ivanka, a cunt, a phrase generally used by Trump Monkey himself for all of those women he dislikes. I am amazed at how much news coverage this incident has received yet so little about the pussy-grabbing, racist asshole who occupies the highest office in the land.
To me, the shows a lack of common sense or concerns about the state of the Union. We truly have gone to hell in a hand basket, led by a simian simpleton.
(This caricature of Donald Trump is by DonkeyHotey.)
As we move into Week three of the new presidency, the number of faux pas has exceeded all other presidencies. Supporters of Trump will say that he is just settling in to his new role and everything will be fine. They support his inconsistent, impromptu decisions because there are few choices other than to admit they screwed up and elected him or actually agree with those whom they have disdained for the past 8 years: the Democrats. Wow! The latter choice would be embarrassing and by the way, would be a bipartisan act, something they wouldn’t be caught dead doing. After all, what is more important: the fate of the nation or getting reelected? No choice there.
The More Important Issue
Aside from the ridiculousness of the above actions, there is a greater threat. We have a child leading the free world, a narcissistic, self-serving 10-year old who needs to be constantly stroked and told that he is a good boy. Why else would he repeatedly recount his inauguration and how great it was, even in the most unlikely and inappropriate places.
“Had a great meeting at CIA Headquarters yesterday, packed house, paid great respect to Wall, long standing ovations, amazing people. WIN!” Trump wrote on Twitter Sunday morning.
But while Trump saw the speech as a win, recently departed CIA chief John Brennan said he was "deeply saddened" by Trump's speech, where his focus seemed to stray from the CIA agents in attendance to his own accomplishments.
- via POLITICO
In a third tweet on Sunday, he said, “Wow, television ratings just out: 31 million people watched the Inauguration, 11 million more than the very good ratings from 4 years ago!”
- via POLITICO
President Trump is declaring the day of his inauguration a "National Day of Patriotic Devotion,” according to a document to be published on Tuesday in the Federal Register.
- via TheHill
Another childlike characteristic is his dislike for those who disagree with him. While most 10-year olds might not speak out, this is a 10-year old who has the power both to voice and act on his dislikes. Because of Trump’s self-spoken racist stance, Congressman Lewis chose not to attend the inauguration or recognize Trump as a legitimate president.
“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!”
- via Caleb Parke
Like a 10-year old, every response Trump makes includes a subjective, disparaging comment meant to deligitimize and belittle the one disagreeing with him. Even when talking with other world leaders, he cannot refrain from being rude and abrasive…oh, and getting in his final gig.
“This is the worst deal ever,” Mr Trump reportedly said about the refugee deal, complaining that he was “going to get killed” politically. He also accused Australia of seeking to export the “next Boston bombers”.
- via NewsComAu
Another characteristic of this 10-year old “leader” is his spontaneous decision-making. A person with the power of this office has always had a strong team of advisors with whom to consult before speaking, those who can help him weigh the consequences of the planned action. Not so with this guy.
It wasn't until Friday -- the day Trump signed the order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and suspending all refugee admission for 120 days -- that career homeland security staff were allowed to see the final details of the order, a person familiar with the matter said.
The result was widespread confusion across the country on Saturday as airports struggled to adjust to the new directives. In New York, two Iraqi nationals sued the federal government after they were detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and 10 others were detained as well.
- via CNN
Rather than consult with experts before blurting out a poorly-planned, impulsive decision, it seems that Trump has no problem contradicting himself or letting his loyal pets (staff) lie for him. The self-stated “immigration ban” has been defended by his puppies saying that it really isn’t a ban and for sure, is not a “muslim ban."
"It's working out very nicely," Trump told reporters. "You see it at the airports. You see it all over. It's working out very nicely and we're going to have a very, very strict ban, and we're going to have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this country for many years.” (emphasis added)
- via CNN
White House press secretary Sean Spicer blamed the media for casting the controversial policy as a “travel ban.”
“It's not a Muslim ban. It's not a travel ban,” Spicer told reporters. “It's a vetting system to keep America safe.”
Spicer’s comments drew a flurry of questions from reporters, who pointed to a number of instances in which Trump called it a “ban.”
- via TheHill
Kellyanne Conway also ran to Trump’s support, saying that it was not a Muslim ban and that former President Obama had done a similar ban. This was an outright lie as no such event ever occurred. Digging a bit deeper, it seems that it was both a ban and a Muslim ban.
Former New York mayor Rudy W. Giuliani said President Trump wanted a “Muslim ban” and requested he assemble a commission to show him “the right way to do it legally.”
- via Washington Post
A Ten-Year Old Boy Who Needs Someone To Constantly Clean Up His Messes
This post only touches the surface of what will undoubtedly be a disaster that will have far-reaching impacts for the U.S. and the world. He has surrounded himself with a cabinet who strokes him both financially and with their actions, humoring him as the child he is.
To Congress
Our country is being run by a powerful child whose actions will destroy all of us. The sad truth is that our hope rests in the hands of you, our representatives who seem incapable of acting as if you have spines. To all of you: You cannot be reelected if the current leadership continues to move toward a dictatorship with the military might to exclude you. Pull your collective heads out of your asses and do your job.
I am closing with a letter to former President Obama in November, 2016, warning him of Trump’s probably mental illness:
November 29, 2016
Dear President Obama,
We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the mental stability of our President-Elect. Professional standards do not permit us to venture a diagnosis for a public figure whom we have not evaluated personally. Nevertheless, his widely reported symptoms of mental instability — including grandiosity, impulsivity, hypersensitivity to slights or criticism, and an apparent inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality — lead us to question his fitness for the immense responsibilities of the office. We strongly recommend that, in preparation for assuming these responsibilities, he receive a full medical and neuropsychiatric evaluation by an impartial team of investigators.
Sincerely,
Judith Herman, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Nanette Gartrell, M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
University of California, San Francisco (1988-2011)
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School (1983-87)
Dee Mosbacher, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Community Health Systems
University of California, San Francisco (2005-2013)
- via The Huffington Post
As I begin this post, I recall reading an excerpt from Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle, about the Chicago meat packing plants. It was a vivid description of the horrible immigrant working conditions, cases where disease and sickness were the price paid by workers for the sake of profit. One particular line comes to mind. After reading about the way that pork was pickled and then packaged, the final act was to take the leavings from the drain and use it in some meat product. “…everything but the squeal from the pigs was used.” To me, this is a historic summary of the path human greed has taken, from those blatant, graphic images to a subtler form that hides behind the same epithet: “business ethics.”
For it was the custom, as they found, whenever meat was so spoiled that it could not be used for anything else, either to can it or else to chop it up into sausage. With what had been told them by Jonas, who had worked in the pickle rooms, they could now study the whole of the spoiled-meat industry on the inside, and read a new and grim meaning into that old Packingtown jest--that they use everything of the pig except the squeal. - via www.online-literature.com
We trip over ourselves in social discussions and in the news media to avoid point the finger at those who constitute the real problem with society today. It is done so slickly that our normalized selves seldom recognize that we have done it. Comments referring to how sad it is to see so many new health issues, so many families financially struggling to live their lives, increasing numbers of violent crimes, and so on. Underneath is a neoliberal capitalistic system that seeks to use everything and everyone to get “all but the squeal out of the pig.” Done under the guise of efficiency and reduced cost, those defining the terms, “efficient” and “cost” rarely, if ever, include humanity in those definitions. Instead, “efficient” refers to getting the job done as quickly and easily as possible regardless of how it impacts the people doing the job or using the product while “cost” is strictly about profit; who cares about the cost in terms of health, economic conditions, or morality. This is the same way of doing business made more efficient (ha!). Hell, the U.S. government gave smallpox-ridden blankets to Native American children and during the Spanish American war, companies sold the military boots with cardboard soles (Zinn, Peoples’ History of the U.S.)! Slavery ended not from a bloody civil war but from the decision of slaveowners that it was too costly and could be more efficiently implemented by ending physical bondage and replace it with a social slavery. Complicit companies could then be free from the responsibilities of providing food, housing, and medical care while continuing to squeeze more work out of the same people and paying them a pittance. The same things are done but more covertly and prefaced with an elaborate scheme to set the stage for more raping and pillaging of human rights. Ralph Nader’s notion of “planned obsolescence,” companies selling appliances that were built to fail after a period of time to spur consumerism has evolved into a way of life.
But the American consumer has now been conditioned to accept a reality that would have been characterized as absurd before. We accept that the feature-laden smartphone we buy today MUST be replaced in six months when the new models arrive. We are surprised when anything we purchase lasts for any length of time beyond an ever-diminishing norm. We are trained to believe that society requires us to discard and reinvent ourselves with every wind that blows from the world of fashion. We are constantly bombarded with the clear message that the answer to everything, from the world economy to our self-esteem, will be fixed if we simply…..consume. - via seattlerecycles
Almost every product was built to fail; quality was a term used to sell the crap. In contrast, a few companies maintained true quality but at a much higher price, unaffordable by many and cherished by those who either wanted quality or just wanted the social status that came from owning those brands. This did not go unnoticed by companies who began to market a separate product line advertised as “better” or “more durable” than the other line that cost less. While a bit better, the profit margin was much greater by relabeling still-inferior products as improved versions. For example, we started with plain batteries that led to alkaline batteries, touted as the ultimate battery that lasted several times longer than the plain ones. However, along came the extra strong alkaline followed by another, each with a higher price than the previous “end-all” product; who knows where that will end… America’s love affair with the automobile is another excellent example of how pseudo quality has been used to increase profit. Not many decades ago, owning a Cadillac or Mercedes was out of the majority’s financial reach but now, there are affordable models for a much larger percentage of families. Other more common brands now sell a higher cost product that supposedly is better quality and new brands have emerged that simulate the appearance of more expensive ones. A side effect of this race to increase profit while reducing real quality has been the evolution of mechanics to parts people whose main job is to con as many owners as possible into having multiple components replaced to fix a simple problem. This is exacerbated by the engineers who design not for quality but for profit so that when one piece breaks, it requires the removal or replacement of several others. It’s all about ethical business operation a.k.a. get everything out of the pig, if possible, including the squeal.
A Dangerous Philosophy
Most people would say that business is business and profit is the name of the game. This may be true with “widgets” a.k.a. physical products but when that same mindset is used in the realm of human services such as education and healthcare, people begin to suffer and quality becomes a thing of the past, replaced with pseudo quality. In more cases, we are buying more boots with cardboard soles while being told that they are high quality. It is as if we are killing our own children for the sake of profit…
"During the resulting chat with host Steve Doocy, the president repeatedly and lavishly praised North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, with whom he met earlier this week, remarking: “He’s the head of a country—and I mean he’s the strong head. He speaks and his people sit up in attention. I want my people to do the same.”