̶H̶o̶m̶e̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶C̶h̶r̶o̶n̶i̶c̶l̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶T̶a̶m̶p̶a̶ Lost in the Carolinas: #amwriting #blogging

I sat here for approximately fifteen minutes looking at this stupid computer screen, just trying to think of a title of this post and I just couldn't come up with one. Possibly because the state of my country has become of such over-weening concern since I returned from Japan and I cannot seem to think of anything else. I've had some minor financial things to do that are to be expected when being out of country, or out of residence for over a month, but that has been nothing compared to the things I've been reading, seeing and then trying to process in some way that make any sense at all to anything I've experienced in American life over some 60-plus years, and I'm coming up with nothing, bupkis, nada, nichdo; my mind is either a confused mess or a blank.

Whether it's trying to create analogies with information I'm seeing now from previous experiences to try and figure out where this is all going and coming up with either a giant hole, or a huge apocalyptic nightmare, or pretend I'm some sort of modern-day Kremlinologist (which I was damned good at, but THIS sucks!) and learning about the Rasputin-like Steve Bannon and the terribad Jeff Sessions (Really?) and the less-than mediocre picks for Trump's Cabinet and his choice for Supreme Court – which 54% of the vote HAD dictated that the previous President should have chosen, by the way, you stupid Democrats, it always circles around to looking like a country and a world, that is close to coming off of the rails.

courtesy:theindystar.com

This is not the REAL cabinet; but the real deal is a whole lot motlier-looking and the people in the real cabinet had on terrible clothes, slouched and looked all together unprofessional, so I found this mock-up on the Indiana Star website of sports figures made up as Trump's cabinet. They'd probably be better than the meatheads he's trying to get confirmed anyway.

I truly wonder if our allies and non-allies have ever stopped to wonder what it would be like to have a less-than great, or even good America on the planet, as I think Donald Trump is determined to make us, by looting the coffers of whatever he can loot for himself and his buddies, with nary a peep from any watchdog agency, Congressional or otherwise. Although Trump is determined to tell us he's going to “make America great again”, there's never been any real indication that it was less than so, and financial and other indicators bear this out.

A very valued and trusted friend has also pointed out to me, that since the end of World War II, our own war dead has dramatically fallen, although our engagements in war zones at times may seem profligate. I am making no excuses for George Bush's hare-brained rush into Iraq and Afghanistan back in 2003, but with the exception of terrorists and terrorist-states, such as ISIS, countries have abided by rules of engagement, which have lowered military and civilian casualties dramatically.

So, it would seem that our own danger, as during the McCarthy years is actually from within, at least, that is how I parse it out. Yes, we have become more divisive and the atmosphere is much more toxic and bellicose; more than I have ever seen and each time Trump issues an edict, signs a directive, makes a phone call, or any move at all, folly and confusion ensues, with back-tracking and alternate facting all the way.

Who in the HELL came up with this Orwellian term? An “alternate fact” is a lie, pure and simple. When Kellyanne Conway babbled some nonsense about the “Bowling Green Massacre” and then Chelsea Clinton called her on it, what did La Kellyanne do? Bitch at Chelsea about some Bosnian shit. That right there is called misdirection and dissembling, and is the first bastion of a liar. What in the FUCK would Chelsea have been able to do at that time, other than possibly find Bosnia on a map? She was a school-girl at the time of the incident and was in no position to be making policy.

Conway never did answer Clinton on Twitter about that; she couldn't because she made it up out of whole cloth. Two men were arrested in Bowling Green on weapons charges, but that is a long way from a massacre. The only thing that died in this fiasco was the truth, and Twitter made the most of it, with hashtags #BowlingGreenMassacre, #NeverRemember and #AlwaysForget, as people held fake vigils for the Bowling Green Massacre that failed to happen.

Although I'm laughing at the absurdity of this and thinking of the millions that would have shown up to Trump's Inauguration had they not been cut down in the line of fire during this horrendous Massacre that was not reported on, or at least missed us in Japan, I DID have to remember, (or is it forget?) that the news cycles in this country have become notoriously quick and even though I was only gone a month, it's a damned shame I wasn't here to wear a black armband, or ribbon or something for a few minutes in remembrance of the millions slain. Damned shame.

Of course, Twitter, being Twitter, much hilarity is to be had over this nonsense. It's actually a blissful relief and a reminder that all is not dire when you see drivel like this.

This is how we veer off into the absurdity of the New Administration. This is also coupled with the Holocaust Remembrance, that was Jew-free this year. Thank goodness; they've been hogging the whole thing to themselves for years and we KNOW other folks died there, too, in some camps or in battles, or during sieges or something. It was just insane back then, from September 1, 1939 to August 14, 1945, when we finally ended World War II. So, we know some holocaustin' was going on, and it wasn't just Jews, so we just didn't even bother with them this year.

They went the way of Fred Douglass who “has done a really good job” and more and more people are knowing about him all the time, because he's done such a really good job. When Trump talked about him for Black History Month, I completely forgot who he was, and I felt like ole Freddie was right there in the room with me; Trump did such a swell job of bringing him to life. I hope we get to here more such encomiums with such descriptive terms. I cannot wait until he talks about George Washington Carver, botanist, scientist, and an expert witness, who, during segregation was routinely called to Washington, D. C. to deliver expert testimony. He was granted extra time, because it was thought that he would be “slow”. *snort* Trump will tell us that he was a really, really good guy, who does a good job, which would be a neat trick, since Carver died in 1943.

Frederick Douglass? George Washington Carver? Trump's Random Black Guy? Just my hero, Muhammad Ali. All the same to the Donald. I'm sure he thinks Ali "does a real good job, so many people are coming to know him!".

But these along with all of the crazy stories about praying for Arnold during the National Prayer Breakfast, so that he does better on Trump's show “The Apprentice” and hanging up on the Australian Prime Minister, are mere sideshows, to the main issue itself: where is America going with Trump at the helm?

This also raises more questions; will Trump survive four years, or will he finally commit an actionable crime that the DOJ will hop on and appoint a Special Prosecutor to begin Impeachment proceedings? If this happens then, we will have to put up with Mike Pence for the rest of Trump's term. Pence will be a good little soldier – I hope – and just try to keep the ship off the shoals.

I have been done with the GOP for years; I seldom vote for a GOP candidate, and it's generally a local one, in the General election, as I am a registered Independent, but I'm now also done with the Democrats as well. They have had every opportunity to push back against Trump, as did Reince Priebus, ex-head of the RNC (him and his stupid, goddamned, fucking loyalty oath*; that back-fired spectacularly!) and every other GOP'er who were NEVER, EVER gonna support Trump. From that evil devil Ted Cruz, to bloated Chris Christie, they all fell like a bunch of dominoes before the monolithic Communist juggernaut, much like the oft-maligned Truman Doctrine – which in reality has proven to be wrong.

*The link is an article written by Jason Linkins of HuffPo and is one of the most lucid pieces of writing on this subject, and I highly recommend you read it, if you don't know much about that part of the GOP's history.

The Democrats just basically rolled over and gave up when HRC lost the election. It was not until their own voter base began to call and email in desperation and in droves - clogging up Congressional inboxes - and asked them to do something regarding the immigration ban, regarding the seven states and Muslims, that they were finally prompted to act. I was already over them. My own Senator, Bill Nelson, Florida-(D) last tweeted about Gene Cernan's death, until someone booted him in the ass on Twitter and told him to GET BUSY (Don't look at me in that tone of voice!). Really? Gene Cernan, Senator?

But for that, I'm done! Personally I think it best if the Dems just sit back and let Rome burn. I really think this system is so beyond saving that we need a good train wreck to shock everyone out of their complacency and start really taking things seriously. I may not always sound serious and I'm the last person to let a serious time get in the way of my funnin', as we say here in Florida. The fourth estate – mainstream journalism – needs to be ethical and punctilious in its fact-checking, lest it run afoul of the fifth estate – bloggers like me and outliers. We – still speaking as the fifth estate here, need to be diligent in fact-checking what our politicians and media are saying and doing and reporting, because truth is a rare commodity in the political arena and news needs to be fair and unbiased.

Once upon a time, all the news did was report the FACTS, and editorializing was strictly held to be a separate function in any news organization. It's true that newspapers were recognized as conservative or liberal, but they were restrained in their views as such and they were open to printing opposing views. Bill Maher made a very good point about the demonstrations and violence at Berkeley University over the speech that was to be given by famous internet troll Milo Yiannopoulos, invited by Berkeley Young Republicans. Berkeley owns up to the fact that they had an obligation to provide a platform for Milo to give his speech, and they are right, as is Maher. Progressives and liberals do not have a right to condemn what Trump says, hateful as it is, and then quash another speaker for the same thing. Just because someone gives a speech that we may label as hate speech, this does not give us the right to quell the speaker. He/she has that right. For us to defend the 1^st Amendment, means we defend it all the way, not cherry-pick the parts we like; this is dangerously close to Trump territory, who already has a bill in the works that could very well quash parts of the 1^st Amendment. The Fifth Estate is watching this carefully and hopefully, the Fourth Estate is on this, as well.

This. . . guy. I started a petition for his recall from Marquette County. He is a "family and faith" values kinda hypocrite and a coward. In the face of this heat, he's closed all of his social media accounts, but not before I informed him I was pitching for his recall. Sometimes, the fifth estate crosses boundaries into the third estate (the vox populi, as it were).

The Berkeley incident also gave a hapless Michigan GOP gorm, by the name of Dan Adamini to remark that “another Kent State” would be timely right about now. Yes, by all means; let's ratchet up the tension in this country from demonstrations to shooting students. Then, we can call out the U. S. National Guard, declare Martial Law and have Missile Parades and we're all done. Curfew's at 6 pm and you'd better be home from your shitty job at Mickey D's, or you'll be shot on sight. That's how you fix this country, by God!

But this new Administration has fostered this sort of thinking and it is now rife and seems to be okay. We can legitimatize the KKK and take them out of their sheets and take away their guns and moonshine and put them in tweed suits and call them alt-Right, but it's still the same old White Supremacy crap. Along with this comes the “it's okay to hate innalekshuals, wimmen and free-thinkers” nonsense, too.

You can see why I would go merrily down this road; we're less than three weeks into The Donald's reign of Terror and the country is in total upheaval, or something close to it. I am no longer proud to be an American and am considering where my next home is going to be. My better 2/3rd's and I have discussed it; lots of muttering over the phone. We still have obligations here in this goddamned place until the end of 2017, so we're trying to behave and not bring chaos down upon our heads before the balloon goes up – another worry. The Donald and nukes; shudder. Maybe we'll end up on an island and just play jazz forever.

In my case, my 2/3rds'll make room for some Beethoven, along with some moonlight, and it will be all right.

Anyway, I've summed it up as well as I know how; I still have little to no clarity on where any of this is going and it's partly because I doubt Trump himself knows what he's doing from moment to moment. I feel better for venting, but that's all. The people I've written about, I will be watching, via my usual methods, which I never discuss. Just know that I have some formidable resources at hand and I also have kick-ass computer skills, courtesy years spent in the trenches at IBM and Verizon, and a good degree. Again, I'm through with any Dem currently holding office and will vote against ALL of them in the 2018 elections; too little too late. I' counting on the GOP to self-immolate by 2018 and we'll hopefully have just seats of cinders who will miss votes and do about as much as they've done as they did during President Obama's terms. But, by then, I may not care. Peace out, and have a good week!