Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr …

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Law and justice, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

Since Joe Biden’s inauguration, I breathe more easily.  I go to sleep at night (or rather, in the wee hours of the morning) knowing the nation is in good hands, and I wake up in the morning knowing there won’t be any major horror stories about some insidious thing the president has done.  Communication from the president is in the form of regular press briefings, not inane tweets.  However, there are still rage-inducing stories in the news, and most are directly attributable to one group of people:  Republicans!  I don’t like the division between parties, don’t want partisanship to be what defines us, but damn … they are the most arrogant, power-hungry, greedy people in this nation!  ‘We the People’ and the U.S. Constitution are naught but a joke to the Republicans in office today.  Once we’ve paid our taxes, we mean nothing to the bastards.  So what, you ask, has set me off tonight?

GOP has lost it’s collective marbles!

Although the GOP decided not to strip Representative Liz Cheney of her leadership position in the House of Representatives, the Wyoming GOP has deigned it appropriate to censure her and ask for her resignation.  Why?  For doing her job, for following her conscience, for voting to impeach Donald Trump.

Now, let’s think about this one for just a minute.  We have a woman of ill repute, Marjorie Greene, who has endorsed a movement to murder House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has supported QAnon’s dangerous and loopy conspiracy theories, and applauded the terrorist attack on the Capitol and Congress on January 6th, to name a few, and she received no censure, no request for her resignation, no NOTHING!  But Liz Cheney does the right thing for the nation, for We the People, and she is made a pariah!

Listen up, Republicans!  Donald Trump is no longer in office, and when he was, he was the single worst president this nation has ever had.  He is a crook, a criminal, and a ‘man’ without a conscience.  He is responsible for at least some portion of the more than 400,000 deaths in this nation due to his inept bungling of the pandemic.  His impeachment was right and proper and for once, Ms. Cheney did the right thing.  The resolution to censure Cheney and ask for her resignation states that she …

“… violated the trust of her voters, failed to faithfully represent a very large majority of motivated Wyoming voters, and neglected her duty to represent the party.”

Wait just a darned minute here … her duty is to the people of the United States, not to the Republican Party!  Which brings me to my next point …

If we have come to the point where the party line comes before doing the right thing, before the well-being of the people of this nation, then as a nation we are doomed.  Our votes, then, aren’t for the person, but rather for the party and if the person follows the law, acts in the best interest of the people, he or she is going to be punished.  This is not what the Founders had in mind when they wrote the Constitution back in 1787!

Now, there are those who will say both parties are the same, but no … if any democrat had voted against impeachment, he or she would NOT have been censured by the Democratic Party.  That isn’t how it works, isn’t how it’s supposed to work.

To the people of Wyoming … you need to oust the current GOP and start over, for they have lost their bloody minds!  They support a shell of a man who encourages violence and even murder for his own profit and to expand his own power.  How is that even related to ‘democratic principles’?

Looks like the minimum wage raise is DOA … for now

President Biden tried to attach a raise in the minimum wage to $15 per hour to the coronavirus relief package, but the Senate late Friday night nixed that idea.  Even Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia refused to support the minimum wage increase, saying he would support “something reasonable”.  Well, let’s see, Mr. Manchin … your net worth is estimated at $7.6 million, so … how about you give that all up and try living on a bloody $7.25 per hour for the next few months?

The federal minimum wage has been stagnant at $7.25 per hour for 12 years now, since 2009, while the cost of living has risen consistently each year.  Approximately 42.4% of workers earn less than $15 per hour and 1.8 million work for wages at or below the federal minimum wage.  But never fear, for the business owners who pay their employees minimum wage are millionaires and billionaires … they, at least, are not struggling or suffering.

The notion of raising the minimum wage to $15 is not dead … it will come up again and soon, but it is highly unlikely that it will be in the final stimulus bill, and that is a damn shame.

No, Trump cannot have classified information!

On Friday, President Biden said that Donald Trump should not continue to receive intelligence briefings due to his erratic behaviour and the risk that he might recklessly reveal sensitive information, as he has done in the past.  Now, first off, I don’t understand why a former president would continue to receive classified intelligence briefings anyway, no matter who he is!  But secondly, I fully concur with Joe Biden on this … Trump is a dangerous loose cannon who cannot be trusted with any classified information!

I did a bit of digging and found that nowhere is it stated that former presidents should be given access to classified intelligence information.  It has historically been done largely as a courtesy, but with Trump, we have entered a new era and it must be decided that he cannot have access to any classified information, for it would put not only this nation, but the entire world at risk.  Donald Trump’s personal debt (over $400 million) and his proclivity to share secrets with foreign adversaries make him a security risk.  As a private citizen, he could never qualify for the security clearance that was conferred upon him as president. He has proven time and time again that he cannot be trusted.  We the People voted him out of office for a reason, and out of office must mean his fingers and ears are out of our government!

Foreign leaders like Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdoğan would happily deal with the devil, parting with a few million dollars in exchange for information about elections, troop movement and more.  NO, just NO!  In an opinion article in The Washington Post in January, Susan Gordon, a career CIA officer and one of the most respected intelligence officers of her generation, wrote that the danger of providing intelligence to a president whose business deals might make him beholden to foreign investors and lenders was just too great.  I agree.

As president, Trump selectively revealed highly classified information to attack his adversaries, gain political advantage and impress or intimidate foreign governments, in some cases jeopardizing U.S. intelligence capabilities.  A spokesperson for the Biden administration later said that the final decision had not yet been made and that it would be reviewed by the intelligence community.  However, the President has the final word here, and my sense is that Joe Biden is not going to allow Trump to receive intelligence briefings or any other classified information.

In part, the intelligence briefings are given to former presidents as a courtesy, and in part in case the current president needs or wishes to reach out to a predecessor for advice, but in this case, there is no way in hell that Trump has any advice that President Biden would find to be of value.

31 thoughts on “Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr …”

  1. You had me at GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR … As for the rest…a small bit of humor from 2018.

    A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him: “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”

    The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

    She rolled her eyes and said, “You must be an Obama Democrat.

    “I am,” replied the man. “How did you know?”

    “Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help to me.”

    The man smiled and responded, “You must be a Republican.”

    “I am,” replied the balloonist. “How did you know?”

    “Well,” said the man, “you don’t know where you are — or where you are going. You’ve risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You’re in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it’s my fault.”

    h/t to Larry Dale Richesin on Quora

    Liked by 1 person

  2. As related to your rant re: Cheney and that other “thing” … you wrote, Our votes, then, aren’t for the person, but rather for the party. I have to ask … are you just now noticing this? (A rhetorical question.)

    Liked by 2 people

  4. I wouldn’t trust Trump with any important information. Nancy Pelosi was afraid he might set off the big bomb if possible. He most certainly doesn’t need vital information so he can run to Putin and show off what he knows, how smart he is. Bad idea. Besides, turn about is fair play. He took that information away from men far wiser than him. The less he knows about the government secrets the better. —- Suzanne

    Liked by 2 people

  5. I am surprised you are surprised at the Gop in wyoming. It is party first then the nation. Sometimes these two align creating no difficulty but when there is a conflict between the party position and the national interest, party will win.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. I am too exhausted to write much but I think you know how I feel here. The minimum wage issue as well as all wage issues when compared with the ridiculous-READ MY LIPS-ridiculous salaries our politicians garner not just while holding office but for LIFE, is at the least infuriating. At worst it is the most deplorable long term atrocity perpetrated against the common citizen of any country since someone first figured out how to roll a rock from here to there. Man created the power of gold and man continues to place it above all else. Its importance is at the root of most evil, destruction and crime.

    Liked by 3 people

    • I’m sorry you’re so exhausted, but I can relate and understand. Yes, the Republican Party places corporate wealth ahead of people. We are mere peons in their book, labourers to provide them with their every whim and produce that which brings them great wealth. I agree with you about gold/money, but I would also add religion, for it is the tool with which governments control the masses. Take care, my friend, and be well.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Jill, what is amusing about the intelligence briefings, per the book “Fear” by Bob Woodward, the former president did not read them while president. Woodward’s book was based on 750 recorded interviews with staff. The president wanted very short briefings with lots of white spaces. Last year, it was revealed the president was not aware of key intelligence concern, yet the concern was in briefing materials. Too many want to tell him what he wanted to hear, so what he needed to hear was minimized because of his mercurial nature. The Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland comes to mind. Keith

    Liked by 3 people

  8. The Republicans had advanced knowledge of the intention to raise the minimum wage. I would have hoped for a bit of bi-partisanship here since this is very much needed by the people, would be good for the Government since the increase would need to be met by employers and not increase the Benefits bill plus possibly increasing the money raised in taxation. The economy would benefit from more spending so it’s a win-win situation. Since the Republicans complain about the Welfare Society it would surely make them happy to see less of it which surely means their vote against it must be a fear of making Joe Biden too popular or yet again looking after the pockets of rich industrialists who would lose a drop in the ocean of profits.
    Cwtch

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hey, David. If Trump taught Repuglycans anything at all (which I am not condoning in any way, in fact I find it a-Paul-ing!) is that if an idea or proposed law comes from Democrats, they are opposed to it. If it benefits the lower classes in any way, they are opposed to it. If they can blame it on socialists or communists it must be voted down, or worse, not even be allowed to come to a vote. And while this no longer applies at present, but hopefully will apply again in coming administrations, if it comes from a person of colour it must be resisted at all costs!
      The GOP is no longer a political party, we all know and recognize that. It is an American cult, possibly the biggest and most dangerous cult in America. Mind you, there are a lot of Evangelicals in America, but since they all seem to be Repuglycans, and not all Repuglycans are Evangelicals, I think the Repugs win out.

      Liked by 2 people

    • I fear the hope for bi-partisanship is a futile one, though it’s one I share. Unfortunately, the Republican Party is more concerned about corporate profits than people. Yes, it would be a win-win, and another aspect is that people who now rely on food stamps, housing assistance, etc., might no longer need that assistance. But, you cannot argue with a brick wall. Sigh.

      Cwtch

      Liked by 1 person

    • I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t find something to grrrrrrrrrowl about! Yes, the minimum wage has not changed since 2009, and every attempt to increase it has met with fierce opposition from the Republicans who value corporate profits more than people. Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

      • The minimum wage in Oregon is currently above the average –$11.50/hour (even higher in the Portland Metro area)– and it’s slated to increase to $12.50/hour in 2022. It seems it “pays” to live in a progressive state.

        Liked by 2 people

  10. Great post. I enjoyed it, thanks. From here in the UK, I feel your pain. But rest assured your country is one step closer to the light than ours. We are only a year into our long endurance here, but you have us hope of what can be done. One step at a time, America! I am posting something about Biden and America remembering itself in the coming days, you may be interested.

    Liked by 3 people

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