We need Trump – Really?

Keith ponders the many, many reasons that the former guy should NEVER be given the keys to that big White House on Pennsylvania Avenue again. After 4 years in office, and another two spent attempting to subvert and destroy this nation, some people still believe he is a viable candidate for the job. I’m with Keith here … he is the WORST possible candidate! Thank you, Keith … your words need to be heard far and wide!

musingsofanoldfart

I saw a MAGA fan of the former president holding up a sign that said “We need Trump.” My response is “really?” A person voted by over 150 presidential historians as in the bottom five as one of the worst presidents ever? I am sure this poll of historians does not make many far right’ news blips.

The rationale for such a low rating, per one of the historians who so voted, is on top of his policy decisions and making America’s standing in the world fall, his poor handling of the COVID pandemic and his role in the seditious insurrection against a branch of government pull him down. It is not a surprise that his sycophants are trying to re-write history on these two issues.

But, these two issues do not stand alone. Here are a few other things to chew on:

  • His one focus his first year was…

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Filosofa’s Philosophical Nuggets

Today I’m offloading some of the bits ‘n pieces, jumbled thoughts about anything or nothing, that are clogging up my mental lines.  Take them with a grain of salt, or for whatever they’re worth, for they are just snippets I jot down when I need to get a thought out of my head so I can focus.


  • What does it take to truly outrage Americans? Short answer:  You can’t.  If killing their children doesn’t earn any sustained outrage, then they are blind, deaf, dumb and numb to the gun culture and incapable of caring.  If Uvalde, Parkland, Sandy Hook and other school shootings haven’t managed to capture their attention for more than a 3-day news cycle, then nothing will.  They sit around and pray to whatever deity they find comfort in that their own children will be spared, rather than actually demanding action on the part of the lawmakers they elected and whose salaries they pay.

  • Justices Thomas, Barrett, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Alito and to a lesser degree Roberts have ensured that we can no longer trust the U.S. Supreme Court to ‘do the right thing’ in handing down justice. The Republicans in Congress have guaranteed us that the law works in favour of only the wealthy and the uber-religious.  Police forces around the nation have shown us that they ‘protect and serve’ the white portion of the population at the expense of all others.  They tell us to ‘trust’, but just who are we to trust?  Who has earned our trust?

  • If you need a church, synagogue, mosque or temple, if you need a bible, quran, or talmud, if you need a rabbi, priest, or minister to tell you what the right thing is to do, then I would suggest you are not listening to your own conscience. I think we ALL know right from wrong, but some people will allow religion to silence or override the voice of reason from within.

  • My granddaughter, Natasha, and I often have conversations about events happening near and far, and her voice is always refreshingly astute. I don’t remember the topic we were discussing when she uttered these words, but I found them spot-on!
    • “If you don’t want to be insulted when you’re dead, don’t be a piece of garbage while you’re alive.”

  • Ever wonder how people across the pond view our antics? This is a comment from a UK reader on one of Robert Reich’s recent posts:

    • “I am just utterly staggered and confounded by how those in the House and in Congress are prepared to abandon all normal rules and, it would appear, your constitution, to support this liar, fraud and sexual predator. It is also, I fear, a very sad reflection on the educational and intelligence levels of so many in the USA that they are also prepared to vote for this man, to support people who at least purport to believe in QAnon and to see nothing wrong with all the attempts to deny large numbers of people their basic human rights. However, anybody who finds a small group of cells to be vastly more important than the child that it might grow into or the woman whose body is required to support it, has to be verging on insane in my book. It’s just a shame that so many of your population appear to fall into that category.”

  • The people of the United States have become so ideologically divided that we’ve made it easy for politicians at all levels to prey on us, to use us as pawns in their games where the prize is wealth and power. Quite honestly, I do not see how we can become any more divided, but then I’ve said that before.  Some predict a civil war in this country, but … there are only ideological boundaries, not physical or geographical ones.  It is We the People who are the problem, not the politicians who are opportunists and not missing a chance to use our divisions to their own advantage.


  • What’s in your checking account right now … no, just go check, don’t project or extrapolate … the dollar or pound amount right this minute? Now … I want you to just think about this … what if you donated half of that amount right now, right this minute.  Would you have to default on the rent/mortgage?  Would you and your family have to go without food tomorrow or next week?

  • Does this statement make any sense to you?
    • “To save free speech on college campuses, Republican lawmakers and governors say it’s time to stop talking about diversity, equity and inclusion.”
      • WHOSE free speech??? Confusing, to say the very least.  Seems to me they are saying that to save free speech, we need to kill it.

Well, I feel much better now!  The cobwebs are clearing and I think I might be able to find a focus soon!  Thanks for putting up with my jumbled collection of thoughts, for helping me sweep a few of the cobwebs from the corners of my mind!

Why it Matters

The following post from a guest commentator over at Scottie’s blog is the most successful analysis I have read that views what we are seeing today, not only in the U.S. but ’round the globe, and connects it to a historical context that is truly uncanny. There is no hyperbole, no exaggeration, just thoughtful analysis. Thank you Scottie and Randy for this excellent piece.

Scottie's Playtime

This is a guest post from Randy.   As most people here already know Randy is someone I admire greatly.  Randy is my online brother and a member of our family.   Randy is smart, funny, caring, kind, willing to reach out a hand to those in need while also willing to stand up to protect others.   Randy is the kind of guy who if he knew a co-worker had no other way to get to a much needed job during a snow storm he would get up out of his warm bed and go take them to work.   And not ask any for doing it.   I have asked Randy if he would be a guest author as he has time.  He has delighted me with the first two posts of what I hope will be many more.    Thank you my brother, Hugs.

Why it Matters

In this era of Blue…

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Another Nasty Comes Out From The Woodwork

Today, I want to introduce you to a man who currently holds the position of Lieutenant Governor of the state of North Carolina, Mr. Mark Keith Robinson.

Mr. Robinson has only held the office of Lieutenant Governor for just over two years, but next month, on April 22nd, he plans to announce his candidacy for the office of Governor, hoping to replace the outgoing Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.  Before I opine on Mr. Robinson, let’s take a quick look at his qualifications for the position.

After high school, Robinson served in the Army Reserve, then worked at several furniture factories, during which time he took history classes at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, with the goal of securing a degree and becoming a history teacher.  He did not finish at the University, nor did he earn a degree.  His interest in ‘conservative’ politics he credits to a book he read by … of all people … Rush Limbaugh, the ultra-bigoted conspiracy-theorist political commentator.  That said, Mr. Robinson has virtually no qualifications to be Governor of the State of North Carolina and hold the lives of some 10.55 million people in his hands.

I will let his words speak to his views:

  • “The Rainbow is the beautiful symbol of God’ s promise to man. IT IS NOT the symbol of sickening homosexual perversion!!!!”
  • “February is Black History Month. I guess the shortest month of the year is all we need to learn about the separate but equal history of a people who have achieved so little.” (You might note from Mr. Robinson’s photo above that he, himself, is Black)

  • “I don’t believe the Moon Landing was faked and I don’t believe 9/11 was an ‘inside job’ but if I found both were true…I wouldn’t be surprised.”
  • “I am SERIOUSLY skeptical of EVERYTHING I see and have seen on television. From the murder of JFK to 9/11 to Las Vegas. EVERYTHING.”

Well, you get the idea, right?  Robinson is anti-abortion, equating it to murder even though he paid for his then-girlfriend to have an abortion back in 1989.  He is a climate change denier, and has indicated that he wants to remove science and social studies from first through fifth grade curriculum, as well as abolish the State Board of Education.  He is rabidly anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ, and has called former President Obama “a worthless, anti-American atheist.”

Heard enough yet?  There’s plenty more where that came from1.  Mr. Robinson has declared bankruptcy three times, and has defaulted on his taxes, causing the Internal Revenue Service to place liens on him and his property more than once, most recently in 2012.

Ten years ago, I would have laughed at Mr. Robinson’s bid for the governorship, but that was before an equally nasty, unqualified ‘man’ found the path to the Oval Office in 2016, and now all bets are off.  What I found even more disturbing than Robinson’s bigotry and hate-filled rhetoric is the support he has garnered.  He won the Lieutenant Governorship by a relatively slim margin of 3.26% over Democrat Yvonne Lewis Holley in 2020 with some 2,800,655 votes.  Nearly 3 million people in the state of North Carolina like this buffoon so filled with hatred and racism!!!  One of my sources listed a link to Robinson’s Facebook page, so I went and took a look for myself.  I only viewed a handful, maybe 10 of his posts, and nothing was too terribly disgusting … until I got to the comments.  Readers telling him how much they loved him, telling him he would have their vote for Governor, and several even envisioning him as President some day!  Seriously, people, common sense has done flown out the damned window throughout this nation, not just in North Carolina!

For the sake of my own sanity, I spent only about 5 minutes perusing Mr. Robinson’s Facebook page and the comments, shot off two one-liners questioning the commenter’s sanity, then returned back to my own world!  However, if you’re interested, feel free to do a little digging of your own, using the link above.

There are 20 months remaining until the 2024 elections.  Somehow, some way, we MUST educate the people of this country, must show them the dangerous waters people like Mark Keith Robinson would lead this nation into.  I don’t know how, but … somehow.  If I believed in the power of prayer, I would fall to my knees and beg god to instill some common sense into the people of this nation.  Sadly, that is not going to happen, so We the People must work to try to open the eyes of the blind.

1  Sources include, but not limited to:  Wikipedia, Axios, Talking Points Memo (TPM), WSOC TV, Raleigh News & Observer.

For Lack Of A Message, Become The Bully

Perhaps I’m naïve, but it seems to me that a legitimate candidate for office should have a platform, a series of goals he hopes to accomplish to benefit the people of the nation. That should be his selling point. I heard that platform in President Biden’s run for office back in 2020 … he wanted to unify the nation, help those in need recover from the financial effects of the pandemic, abolish the death penalty, raise the minimum wage, make college more affordable, reduce carbon emissions, and more.  All things that would help people, thereby helping the nation as a whole.  He did not run what I call an ‘anti-campaign’, using every opportunity to denigrate and critique his opponent, but rather talked up his own plans and ideologies.

Today, looking around at the entire lot of Republicans either in Congress or hoping to make a run for the Oval Office in 2024, their campaign ‘strategy’ seems to be to drag President Biden and his family through the mud. Telling lies and making up stories about your opponent does NOT constitute a platform!  The first thought that comes to mind here is that they obviously have no good ideas for how to heal the ills of the nation, so they must instead go on the defense and try to, as one politician put it, “crush” the adversary.

When did politics in the United States become the territory of the mafioso?

Why would the Republicans in Congress wish to create an even wider chasm in this nation than we already have, and why would they try to bring down the president?  Think 20 months ahead to the next presidential election, and you’ll have your answer.

There is an interesting piece in the New York Times, the result of some six hours of various interviews with Representative James Comer, who is currently serving as chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.  It’s a lengthy article, but well worth the read.    He is going all out to try to find, or perhaps create dirt against not only President Biden, but his entire family.  I was thoroughly disgusted when he said it is a shame that Beau Biden, the president’s son who died in 2015, was ‘never investigated.’  Investigated for what???  To pick on anybody’s dead child is inhumane, but Beau Biden was a veteran and it was his time in service to his country that ultimately led to his death. Every parent who has ever lost a child should be enraged.  Comer stepped on some toes here!

If a candidate has a winning message, he/she should spend their time promoting that message, not attempting to smear his/her opponent!  Those who spend (waste) their time smearing their opponent with lies, unsupported investigations and the like, obviously have no message of their own.  It is telling that the Republican Party refused to put forth a platform in 2020, rather saying that whatever Trump wants is their platform.  Policy and principles have vanished into thin air within the GOP, and it has evolved into the party of lies and retaliation.  What Trump wants is of paramount importance to the entire GOP, and what he wants is a power grab. He cares not how he gets it or who he steps on, who he ‘crushes’ because he sees this as his last chance at redrawing the framework of this nation, turning it from a democratic republic to a full-blown plutocratic autocracy.  Apparently, there are an untold number of people in Congress who are there to help him get what he wants, starting with Gym Jordan and James Comer and a hundred or so others who are willing to sell us all downriver for a spot in the limelight.

One other thing to think about … if you have a winning message, or any message at all, you don’t need to aggressively attempt to keep people away from the polls on election day, or dilute the votes of Black, Asian, and Hispanic people as is done by voter suppression laws and gerrymandering.  Think of the schoolyard bully and you will have the definition of the Republican Party today.

A Long 20 Months — Some Toons To Relieve The Stress

The next presidential election is in just under 20 months, but you’d think it was next week if you looked at the news!  90% of the front page stories have the ‘T-word’ or the ‘DeS-word’ and an alien just dropping in from another universe would be forgiven for thinking the United States is a looney bin!  I tried to avoid every story that was, indirectly or directly, about the election and the two top Republican contenders, which left me only with news of China’s President Xi’s visit to Russia for a photo op.  Okay, so let’s just have a few of the political cartoons I’ve been collecting for this afternoon, as I really don’t feel up to digging any deeper to try to find some actual news.

The Future Of Teaching U.S. History???

Alexandra Petri is a satirical columnist for The Washington Post.  This week, she opines on the re-writing of history to suit the racists in Florida, led by none other than Governor DeSantis, and it is both appalling and yet at the same time humorous.  Remember, this is tongue-in-cheek, satire … until it becomes reality.


Excerpts from a civics textbook I assume would be welcome in Florida

By Alexandra Petri

20 March 2023

“Rosa Parks showed courage. One day, she rode the bus. She was told to move to a different seat because of the color of her skin. She did not. She did what she believed was right.”

“Rosa Parks showed courage. One day, she rode the bus. She was told to move to a different seat. She did not. She did what she believed was right.”

— Two versions of a first-grade lesson from Studies Weekly, a publisher whose social studies curriculums are currently used in Florida elementary schools. Studies Weekly revised the lesson more than once, omitting any mention of racism or segregation, to submit for a state review of social studies materials.

American history is full of many heroes, whose accomplishments we will have no problem telling you about in the state of Florida! They fought for justice, which was brave of them, if a little redundant, because there was no specific injustice to fight against. Here are just a few of their stories!

Harriet Tubman is considered an inspiring figure by many because she made many trips on foot, often with other people. She specifically led trips from the South to the North, often at night. At night, you can see the stars! It is great to lead trips. She was a hero.

Frederick Douglass was famous, too! We celebrated him during the Trump administration for being someone “who’s done an amazing job” and whose contributions are still being “recognized more and more.” He also gave a noteworthy speech about the Fourth of July. Who doesn’t love the Fourth of July?

John Brown is regarded by some as a heroic figure. Famously, he went to what is now West Virginia (Wild and Wonderful!). He also grew a luxurious beard. Once, he was very excited to visit a weapons arsenal. We support West Virginia tourism!

Abraham Lincoln was a tall man who did something that was a very important thing to do, and especially at that time. He was president during the Civil War, which was fought from 1861 to 1865 between a group of people whom it was universally agreed would make wonderful, handsome statues and some other people who may have had reasons. He even made a proclamation, probably unnecessarily! He famously went to the same play as John Wilkes Booth, a very talented actor who also loved to exercise his Second Amendment rights! It is nice when actors support the Second Amendment. Too often, woke Hollywood doesn’t.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and some of her friends went to Seneca Falls, N.Y., and had a conference there. At the conference, she talked about things related to ladies. Seneca Falls is a nice place to visit, especially in the summer!

Jonas Salk was a famous doctor. He invented a vaccine against polio, which was good because it made not being vaccinated against polio a choice, which it had not been before. Giving people choices is wonderful!

Rosa Parks was asked to move to a different seat, but she didn’t. People who sit are heroes! For instance, Thurgood Marshall famously sat on a bench. He was a hero, too.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born on March 15, 1933. She spent 71 years of her life on the planet at the same time as Ronald Reagan! This was a big achievement. She also famously sat on a bench. We love it when people sit!

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and told people about it! King made some people upset, probably because it is annoying when people recount their dreams to you at length, but possibly for other reasons. He is no longer with us, but he is still celebrated today because his works provided so many out-of-context quotations for White people to use to explain why it is not important to fight racism any more. (Which was never important to do, because it did not exist.)

John Lewis was a hero! He famously marched across a bridge. This upset some people. People have strong feelings about infrastructure. Have you ever walked across a bridge? He was such a hero that they named a whole road after him and then some people wanted to rename a little piece of it after Donald Trump!

The Little Rock Nine went to school! Some people did not want them to go to school, and there were protests and guards were called in. It is sad: Even today, some people just don’t want other people to learn! They went anyway. It is good to go to school, where you can learn so much about history!

So You Want To Be ‘Exceptional’, Eh?

We’ve all heard the term ‘American Exceptionalism’, one which causes me to shake my head and roll my eyes.  It ties in with the ultra-discriminatory ‘America First’ ideology and other supremacy notions and has no place in this world.  But, it turns out there is one area in which we are ‘exceptional’ … we, particularly the wealthy in this nation, contribute more per capita to the destruction of the environment than any other nation.  Not something to take pride in, is it?

Somini Sengupta is the international climate reporter for the New York Times, and what follows is her column/newsletter from February 28th.


The American Exception

When it comes to climate footprints, rich people in the United States are in a class of their own.

By Somini Sengupta

28 February 2023

Climate change may be a global problem. But we are not all the same. Far from it.

The wealthier we are, the more climate pollution we produce, because of how much electricity we consume, what we eat, and how much we drive. But it’s not just wealth. It matters a lot in which country we are wealthy.

Take a look below at this chart that my colleague Mira Rojanasakul prepared based on an International Energy Agency analysis of per capita carbon dioxide emissions by income.

You will see the wealthiest people in the United States have an astonishingly large climate footprint, far larger than rich people in wealthy, industrialized Europe and in fast-rising China.

Not only that: Nearly everyone in the United States, even those in the lowest income brackets, produces a lot of climate pollution relative to everyone else in the world. It’s the way our economy is built. We take for granted long commutes and frequent flights. Our electricity comes from sources that are relatively carbon-intensive. The rest of the world is different.

Americans are exceptional.

I know this intuitively. I’ve reported from more than 50 countries. But seeing the spread of per capita emissions from the world’s four largest economies — the United States, the European Union, China and India — still surprised me.

The richest 10 percent of Americans, or those who make an average of $233,600 a year, produces 56.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per person, per year on average, according to the I.E.A. analysis. That’s more than double the emissions of the richest 10 percent in Europe. It’s nearly double that of the richest 10 percent of Chinese.

Everyone else in the United States has a big footprint, too, relative to their counterparts in Europe, China and India. For instance, the poorest 10 percent of Americans, those making $2,500 a year on average, have a carbon footprint that’s almost as big as everyone in India, except India’s richest 10 percent.

Likewise, the poorest 10 percent of Americans have a climate footprint larger than the poorest 30 percent of Chinese.

This is about emissions per capita. Not about total emissions.

India and China are obviously much more populous than the United States and Europe. So their small footprints add up. I get that. I wrote about the population question not long ago. But for those at the bottom, and even middle, of their class ladders, they do not produce a lot of emissions.

Inequality within countries really matters.

In China, for instance, the richest 10 percent have a footprint 33 times the size of the poorest 10 percent.

In the United States, the richest 10 percent pollute 16 times as much as the poorest 10 percent. See where you fall on this graph:

In India, the climate pollution produced by the poorest 10 percent of the population is negligible. Many of them still cook with charcoal or cow dung. They may not have access to electricity around the clock. They most certainly don’t own a car. At best, a bicycle.

This could make climate action simpler (in theory).

A small number of relatively wealthy people can make a very big difference. Most of all, in the United States. “The richest individuals have many ways to reduce their emissions,” the International Energy Agency analysis pointed out. They include individual changes and policy changes.

(Note: replacing a massive petroleum-burning car for a giant electric truck isn’t quite a silver bullet.)

And bear in mind that the so-called yacht class, the richest 0.1 percent of the population, are super polluters of another order. Their emissions are 10 times as much as the whole world’s richest 10 percent combined.

I have learned something else from going over these numbers.

I have frequently used the term “we” in writing about climate change. Are we doomed? Can we limit temperature rise to relatively safe planetary boundaries? How quickly can we wean ourselves from fossil fuels to slow down warming?

But who is we, exactly? I’m going to think harder about when I use the term. Because when it comes to our role in this profound global problem, we are not the same.

Another Call to Arms? I Hope NOT!

It seems there is only one major thing in the news this weekend, the anticipated indictment of Donald Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.  The potential indictment is a result of the $130,000 in hush money that Trump paid to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election to ensure her silence about their earlier affair.  I had not intended to write about this prematurely, until it actually comes to pass, but there is so much smoke blowing – toxic smoke – that I thought it required a bit of dissection.

First, let me just say that while his affair with Ms. Daniels and then his attempt to pay more money than most of us will ever see in one place at one time to buy her silence are terrible.  The affair itself is an indicator of a person without morals or values, the hush money may be a violation of Federal Election Commission rules.  That is not for us to decide.  That said, it is interesting and disappointing that this is the first potential indictment Trump will face, for while it is terrible, there are numerous other crimes he has committed that are far more horrible on a far larger scale.  I would much rather see pending indictments for his role in plotting the attempted coup on January 6th 2021, and for his theft of classified documents upon leaving the White House, and for his recorded effort to coerce Georgia officials to change the vote count.  These are all definite crimes that there is no doubt he committed.  And those may yet come, however first there is this case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

The rhetoric surrounding the case is what’s keeping it in the headlines.  Here are a few examples:

  • “The idea of indicting a president of the United States is deeply troubling to me as it is to tens of millions of Americans – and particularly happening in what appears to be a politically charged environment in New York where the attorney general and other elected officials literally campaigned on a pledge to prosecute the former president.” – Former VP Mike Pence who was the main target of the January 6th insurrection
    • I would respond to Mr. Pence that as a citizen, it is ‘deeply troubling’ to have had a president who lied to us, cheated us, and conned us for four years!
  • “This is unAmerican and the radical Left has reached a dangerous new low of Third World countries. Knowing they cannot beat President Trump [sic] at the ballot box the Radical Left will now follow the lead of Socialist dictators and reportedly arrest President Trump [sic], the leading Republican candidate for President of the United States.” – Representative Elise Stefanik (New York)
  • “This is a personal sexual situation. What about Bill Clinton? That wasn’t worse? This guy allegedly – and I’m telling you it’s untrue. As his personal friend, I’m going to tell you categorically she’s lying. Categorically. And I know I say that all the time. I can tell you personally why I know that. She’s a damn liar! Manhattan has suffered unbelievable levels of crime under this incompetent and communist – this Soros paid for piece of I don’t know what.” – Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani
  • “If the Manhattan DA indicts President Trump, he will ultimately win even bigger than he is already going to win. And those Republicans that stand by and cheer for his persecution or do nothing to stop it will be exposed to the people and will be remembered, scorned, and punished by the base. President Trump did nothing wrong and has always fought for the American people, and we all know it, which is why we love him.” Representative Marge Greene (Georgia)

And then, as if the voices weren’t already causing our ears to ring and making us feel ill, Kevin McCarthy steps in and says …

“Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump. I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”

This from the man who is the leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, hired to represent the people of this nation, not to defend a lying criminal!  Thus far, all his ‘investigations’ have been a waste of taxpayer dollars, as this one will be also.  I guess he needs to do this to stay on the good side of Trump, though.

But the one thing that concerns me most over this is the potential for violence.  All the above voices are enough to bring out the die-hard trumpists, but to throw a can of fuel on the fire, Trump himself had to jump into the fray with one of his ALL CAPS rants that is eerily reminiscent of his “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” on December 19th, 2020 …

“THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

We saw the results on January 6th of his tweet, and my concern is that we will see similar results this week when and if he is indicted in Manhattan.  Mind you, that is NOT a reason for the prosecution to back off, not a reason for any of the cases against Trump to be halted or slowed, but it is a very real possibility that must be considered.

And it is being considered.  I understand that meetings have been going on throughout the week among city, state and federal law enforcement agencies in New York City about security preparations for a possible indictment of Trump.  Let us hope that lessons were learned by the events of January 6th and that law enforcement will be far better prepared this time.

While there may be an indictment, and there may be a fine, I do not operate under any illusions that Trump will be arrested or see the inside of a jail cell, so you can put that dream to bed right now.  Again, this is not even the most important case pending against him … I almost think this is something of a trial balloon, testing the waters for future cases on more important issues.

Time For ‘Toons!

The time has come to share some of the political cartoons from the past week with you guys.  I must say that as much as we are bombarded with political drama, environmental crises, social disruption, it is a boon for the political cartoonists who NEVER have to go digging for a topic these days!  Oh, if only I had some artistic talent!  But alas … a five-year-old child can draw better than I can!  These ‘toons and artists show that we CAN find humour, even in the darkest of times.