TREASON!

Posted on July 16, 2018 by jilldennison under Free Press Issues, Global Issues, Political commentary, Rants

I just love starting Monday in a haze of white-hot fury. The Washington Post headline reads:

Putin Again Denies Russian Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election; Trump Calls Probe a ‘Disaster for Our Country’

It comes as no surprise that Putin denies interference … nobody with half a brain thought he would admit it, but no matter, for there is more than ample hard fact-based evidence that he did. But for Trump to call the investigation a “disaster for our country”??? NO … NO NO NO NO NO! The investigation is essential and the only thing that gives us hope we might get rid of the real disaster: Trump himself! I am in a white hot fury over his asininity!

Putin: … Russian state has never interfered and is not going to interfere in internal American affairs.

Trump: There was no collusion. I didn’t know the president. There was nobody to collude with. There was no collusion with the campaign.Now what, exactly, do these two donkeys expect us to do at this point? Do they expect that we will all say, “Oh, well, that solves it then. Let’s stop the Mueller investigation and all other investigations and let Trump get on with his plan for mass destruction of the U.S.”

Somebody needs to take that ugly red tie and wrap it around his neck a few more times and pull tightly!

Trump: Our relationship has never been worse than it is now. However, that changed, as of about four hours ago.

Why, Donnie? What changed? Did you offer him the keys to the Capitol and the White House? Did you promise to change the name of the country to the United States of Russia? And what did he offer you? A lifetime sitting in the Oval Office with no need for another election ever?

Frankly, if this isn’t a wake-up call to both Congress and Trump’s supporters, then we know that they have all been lobotomized.

Trump: I think the probe has been a disaster for our country. It’s ridiculous what’s going on with the probe.

Well-respected former Director of the CIA, John Brennan, had this to say:

“Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???”

I repeat that question: Where are you??? Some republicans in Congress absolutely must wake up and step up to the plate, for now there can be no doubt … not a shred of doubt … that Donald Trump is Putin’s asset. There can be no doubt that deals have been made for our country to blindly support Russia’s agenda, whatever that agenda may be. I can only wonder, with Trump’s past Russian connections, how many years this plan has been in the making?

Trump: Much of our news media is indeed the enemy of the people and all the Dems know how to do is resist and obstruct! This is why there is such hatred and dissension in our country — but at some point, it will heal!

The “hatred and dissension” in our country did not begin with Trump, but he has escalated it by a thousand percent, and continues to do so every time his fingers hit the keys on his twittering machine. Donald Trump cannot heal the rift … the gulf … in this country, for he is the cause of it. And no, folks, the media is NOT the enemy of the people … Donald Trump is the enemy of the people! His state-media, Fox News is the enemy of the people, for they spread his lies and further widen the great divide.

I make no apologies, as I normally would, for this rant, for it is time We The People – all the people, including those who have been wearing blinders and earplugs for nearly 18 months now – wake up and see what is right under our very noses! Donald Trump has no love for this country nor for its people. He loves two things: money and power. And Vladimir Putin is promising him both. Russia is not our friend and the free press is not our enemy. There can no longer be any illusion that Trump can be reined in and eventually become the president of the people. His goals are not ours. The only solution, if we wish to continue as a relatively free nation, is to get Donald Trump out of the White House as quickly as possible.

The “president” is a Son-of-a-Bitch

Posted on July 13, 2018 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Political commentary, Rants

Let’s start with a simple question: If you are invited to visit a friend, and your own house is in a shambles, dirty because you haven’t cleaned it in months, are you likely to harshly criticize your friend’s housekeeping skills when her house if nearly immaculate? And to do so publicly, announcing to the neighborhood at large? I think not. Why? Because you are sensible, kind and truthful.

Who does Donald Trump think he is? He was, though only by the minority and not the majority, elected to be the president of the United States. He was not elected Prime Minister of the UK. He was not elected President of NATO. He was only elected to be the president (no caps) of what is fast becoming the most despised nation on the face of the earth.

I won’t even bother addressing just now his abhorrent performance – yes, that is what all his public appearances are, performances – at NATO on Wednesday and early Thursday, but will skip right on to his epic failure in the UK yesterday afternoon.

Donald Trump decided to give an interview to one media outlet in the UK, The Sun. First off, guess who owns The Sun? None other than Rupert Murdoch, the very same Rupert Murdoch who owns Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, among others. It is considered Britain’s most right-wing newspaper, or actually more of a tabloid.

The interview had been done on Wednesday in Brussels, and was strategically scheduled to be published during Trump’s first evening in London. There can be no doubt … no doubt at all that it was an attempt to add insult to injury as Ms. May is struggling to maintain her position in light of the opposition to the soft Brexit deal she announced earlier this week. Trump also praised May’s antagonist, Boris Johnson, and alluded to him as a future Prime Minister, further indicating his attempt to influence the fate of Ms. May’s government.

A few of his most obnoxious remarks from the interview (and of course I could not resist adding my own commentary):

“I would have done it much differently. I actually told Theresa May how to do it, but she didn’t listen to me.” (And why should she listen to the words of a dishonest ‘man’?)

“The deal she is striking is a much different deal than the one people voted on.” (He didn’t even know what Brexit was in early 2016!)

“If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the U.K., so it will probably kill the deal.” (A mind is a terrible thing to waste)

“I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London. I used to love London as a city. I haven’t been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?” (You’re finally getting the message — they don’t want you, Bozo!)

On London Mayor Sadiq Khan: “Take a look at the terrorism that is taking place. Look at what is going on in London. I think he has done a very bad job on terrorism. I think he has done a bad job on crime, if you look, all of the horrible things going on there, with all of the crime that is being brought in.” (Not your place to judge, Donnie boy — you don’t even understand your own job, so don’t try to tell someone else how to do theirs)

“I have a lot of respect for Boris [Johnson]. He obviously likes me and says very good things about me. I was very saddened to see he was leaving government, and I hope he goes back in at some point. I think he is a great representative for your country. I am just saying I think he would be a great prime minister. I think he’s got what it takes.” (Just proves that Johnson is a lousy judge of character)

Last month, Trump very rudely and using false pretenses offended Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the disastrous G7 summit where Trump should have been put outside with the canines, based on his behaviour. And this month, he has gone beyond simply insulting the Prime Minister of the UK, but has attempted to undermine the job she is working hard to do.

What the heck is Melania wearing — the curtains???

Although I did not vote for Trump and have never supported him in any way, I still feel I owe all my UK friends a humble apology. Please forgive us, our nation, for being too stupid to see what an ignominious jackass our so-called president is and allowing him to remain in office. I’m sorry.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who I actually defended recently, saying that she didn’t deserve the public embarrassment she was subjected to when she was asked to leave a restaurant, went above and beyond her usual dog-and-pony show lies:

“The President likes and respects Prime Minister May very much. As he said in his interview with the Sun she ‘is a very good person’ and he ‘never said anything bad about her.’”

Bullpoop.

His behaviour and his interview with The Sun were abominable. Extremely unprofessional, un-presidential, crass, rude and whatever other adjective you can think of to insert. Make no mistake — this is a serious diplomatic blunder for the U.S., and one that will likely have long-reaching ramifications for both the U.S. and the UK. I do not see how it can possibly fail to erode the relations between our two nations. Donald Trump has absolutely no right to interfere in the negotiations between the UK and EU regarding Brexit. It is not his fight.

It is worth noting that Trump is not capable of taking care of his own house, is doing a terrible job at home, and yet here he is trying to tell all of NATO what they must do, and now trying to tell the Prime Minister of the UK how she should do her job! As I said in the beginning, the United States is well on the way to becoming the most despised nation on the earth. All because of one ‘man’. Well no, wait, actually the blame must be shared by 62,985,115 others. The 62,984,828 who voted for him, and the 287 republicans in Congress (51 in the Senate and 236 in the House of Representatives) who have been slavishly licking his boots every day since 20 January 2017. Thank you all for making our nation the worst it has been since 1865. Each and every one of you deserve what’s coming your way. Sadly, the other 265,134,207 of us in the U.S. do not deserve the abomination you have unleashed on us, and the rest of the world does not either!

Define “Generous” Please …

Posted on July 11, 2018 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

My jaw literally (well, okay, figuratively) dropped to the floor this morning when I saw this headline:

HHS Secretary: Separating Immigrant Families Is ‘One of the Great Acts of American Generosity’

Say what???

The separation of children from their parents at the southern border can be defined by only two words: a fiasco, and chaos. ‘Generosity’ is definitely the antithesis of what this nation has done to those families seeking a safe haven. A federal judge ordered all children under the age of five to be reunited with their parents by July 10^th — yesterday. However, some 84 of the 101 or 102 children under five remain separated from their families in detention centers, aka concentration camps. How is this ‘generous’?

“We have nothing to hide about how we operate these facilities.” That was Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) speaking to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Tuesday night, referring to what he calls the juvenile and “tender age” facilities in which many of the separated children are currently being detained. It seems strange to me that if they have nothing to hide, they have barred media outlets and public figures from filming or visiting. And then he went on to say …

“It is one of the great acts of American generosity and charity, what we are doing for these unaccompanied kids.”

I call FOUL!!! There is no generosity involved in taking a young child, a toddler, from its mother’s arms and putting it in an abandoned Wal-Mart store, surrounded by wire and strange faces! And why is he referring to them as ‘unaccompanied’? A two-year-old child does not just wander across the border on his own. These children were accompanied by their parents!!! Three thousand – 3,000 – children were accompanied by their parents, then taken away to detention centers, scared, alone, and not knowing why they are no longer with their parents. And Mr. Azar calls this ‘generous’? Perhaps his definition of the word is different than mine. Or perhaps he is in the wrong job, for his agency is titled “Health and Human Services”, and there is nothing … not one thing … humanitarian about what is happening to these children!

HHS and ICE have so royally mucked up this entire fiasco that they deserve to be placed in these detention centers themselves. First, they have lost track of some 20% of the parents who were either released in the U.S. or deported back to their homelands – without their children. Second, they are claiming that 27 of the children under 5 will not be reunited because the parents have ‘criminal records’, yet we are not told what crimes they are accused of. Perhaps nothing more than a speeding ticket or jaywalking in some cases. We don’t know … we just don’t know. And frankly, I no longer trust our government to provide us with actual facts, for thus far we have been spoon-fed the b.s. that they want us to believe and I do not buy a single word of it.

The delay in reuniting the children, we are told, is because HHS is conducting DNA testing on children and parents in order to ensure the right kids go to the right families. I see this more as a delaying tactic than a genuine concern for the children’s safety and welfare. Part of the reason for the DNA requirement, according to officials, is that the documents proving parentage were initially taken from the parents at the border, and those documents have since been lost! They cannot keep up with the parents, they cannot keep up with the paperwork … what next? And now we are told that at least four of the mothers have been told they must pay the cost for the DNA testing before getting their children back! These mothers do not have $700 – $800 in their pockets!

There are many people in this administration who must bear the guilt of this fiasco, but at the end of the day, it all falls squarely in the lap of Donald Trump. Separating these children from their parents was a political move, making the children pawns in Trump’s game. The process was hastily thrown together with little or no thought to record-keeping and eventual reunification. These children and their parents are human beings, yet they have been treated as … objects, for lack of a better word. And now, to add insult to injury, Alex Azar has the unmitigated gall to call what we are doing ‘generous’? I don’t think so, Alex … no sir, I do not see generosity anywhere in this equation.

United We Stand … Divided We Fall

Posted on June 25, 2018 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Rants

Donald Trump, it would appear, has decided to disavow the very Constitution that he swore to uphold a short 17 months ago. He has decided to take the law into his own hands and do what he wants to do, deporting immigrants without either trial or appearance before a judge. This is a direct violation of the Fifth Amendment that states, in part, “No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Is Donald Trump above the law? He obviously thinks he is.

“I don’t want judges. I want border security. I don’t want to try people. I don’t want people coming in. Do you know, if a person comes in and puts one foot on our ground, it’s essentially, ‘Welcome to America, welcome to our country’? You never get them out, because they take their name, they bring the name down, they file it, then they let the person go. They say, ‘Show back up to court in one year from now.’”

Meanwhile, back at the ranch …

Senator Elizabeth Warren visited a detention center where she had been told that separated migrant families were being reunited, but there was no evidence of that happening. She spoke to nine immigrant mothers, none of whom even know where their children are, and only one of whom has been allowed to speak to her child.

Stepping up onto my soapbox …

Donald Trump does not own this nation and does not make law. Laws are made by Congress, the legislative branch of the government. There is a Constitution that provides the framework for laws and every member of Congress, as well as the president, has sworn to uphold that Constitution. To those who still support Donald Trump, I say this:

I understand that you were caught up in the frenzy of the campaign two years ago, and I understand how you bought into his fear-mongering rhetoric. I hold none of that against you. But you have now had 17 months of lies, of failure, on which to judge him, and surely you must find that he is lacking in every area. If you approve of his tax cuts, so be it … you will wake one day and realize that you have less money in your possession than you had a year ago, and you will be in the same boat as all of us, so get over it. If you approve of his reversal of environmental protections that were intended to try to stop the destruction of the air we breathe and the water we drink, that is on you, also, and I hope you enjoy the 100-degree temperatures with 90% humidity next week. But you cannot possibly approve of the man you elected subverting the rule of law, destroying families, and sending some people to an almost-certain death simply because it is what he wants.

The two most shameful, anti-humanitarian, and embarrassing things this nation had done in the past, aside from slavery, were the internment of U.S. citizens of Japanese descent during World War II, and turning away thousands of Jewish refugees during the same war. There is nothing we can do but hang our heads in shame, for we cannot bring back the lost years or the lives we cost those people. What Donald Trump is doing today is worse than the Japanese internment camps, and every bit as bad as turning away the Jewish refugees. Have we, in fact, learned not one damned thing from history? Are we as shallow, narrow-minded and greedy as our ancestors?

How, today, can one single woman who has children of her own support a ‘man’, and yes I do use that term loosely, who would separate 3,000 children from their parents simply because it is what he wants? Republican, Democrat, Christian, Atheist, White, Black, Male, Female, Straight, Gay … it matters not. We are all, before religion, before gender, before race, before party affiliation … we are human beings. We care about one another, regardless of where we come from, what religion or lack thereof, what our politics. Or at least I thought we did, but today I have to wonder. Animals in the wild treat each other better than the people of this nation are treating their fellow humans.

Somehow we must find a way to stop this madness before it is too late. If Donald Trump is allowed to take the law into his own hands, to disavow the Constitution, to deport asylum seekers without due process of law, then we will have slammed the door on the Constitution, on democracy, and on all rights and freedoms we once thought we had. Our fate is intermingled with that of those migrants being detained at the southern border. If they lose, then so do we.

This is a nation of immigrants. You, me, every single person reading these words is here because somewhere in the past our ancestors were welcomed to this country, were given an opportunity to live in a land where our opinions mattered, our voices were heard. Donald Trump’s grandparents were allowed to come here from Germany. Mine from Spain and Wales and Germany. And together our ancestors helped make this nation what it was until 17 months ago when a madman entered the White House.

We the People can only do so much, but we must all be on board. Yes, even those of you who voted for Trump must wake up and realize that he is not what you believed him to be. United we stand, divided we fall. Those are the words of founding father John Dickinson in his pre-Revolutionary War song “The Liberty Song”, first published in the Boston Gazette in July 1768. In the song Dickinson wrote: “Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!” Truer words have never been spoken, and they are as relevant today as they were in 1768.

Stepping down off my soapbox now … G’day my friends.

Even Snarkier Than Usual Snippets …

Posted on June 22, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Rants

As I write this on Thursday night, I am in a foul humour. Everything in the news annoys and there is seemingly no such thing as ‘good’ news this week. And so, here is my roundup of Snarky Snippets with a bit more snark than usual.

The Ultimate Hypocrisy …

Wednesday, 20 June was World Refugee Day, an international event designed to draw attention to the global refugee crisis. There could be no possible appropriate response by the United States, under the current circumstances, and silence would have been the best option. But this is the era of Trump and silence is never an option, so Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued the following statement … a study in hypocrisy …

It is one thing to be a bastard, another to keep reminding the world.

The Party’s Over …

The annual Congressional picnic was scheduled for yesterday on the White House lawn. It was cancelled, just one day prior, by none other than Donald Trump who said it, “just didn’t feel right.” Wait … he feels? Anything? Whoa … could’a fooled me! Anyway, of course there was some other reason. The first thought was that he was paying back those who essentially forced his hand and made him sign an executive order promising to stop abusing children by separating them from their parents at our southern border. And that may well be part of it, but there’s more.

Then some speculated that he was punishing Congress for not coming to a vote on an immigration bill that would also provide him with $25 billion to fund his ignoble wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. And that, too, may be a part of it, but there’s more.

As taxpayers, you might want to note that the chairs and other amenities such as portaloos had already been paid for and delivered. Steaks and other meats had already been purchased (yeah, you paid for them) and even pre-cooked. I suppose the White House staff will eat well for the next few days, eh?

“I was just walking over to the Oval Office and I said, you know, it doesn’t feel right to have a picnic for Congress when we’re working on doing something very important. It didn’t feel exactly right to me. We’ll make it another time when things are going extremely well.” (After you’re out of office, then?)

PAH!!! It feels okay to him to denigrate our friends, to impose unreasonable and unnecessary tariffs that will hurt global economies? It feels fine to him to have elicit affairs while he wife just gave birth to his son? It feels right to him to abuse some 2,000 children seeking asylum with their parents? And it felt right to him to attend a high-dollar fund raiser at his Washington hotel the same night? He actually has a conscience??? I think not. The real reason Donald Trump canceled the annual Congressional picnic yesterday was …

… they told him he had to bring the potato salad!

Priorities, Anyone???

Yesterday, Melania Trump traveled to the U.S.-Mexican border to tour a facility where detained immigrant children are being held hostage by the U.S. government. Now, much could be said here, but … what is the biggest talking point? Melania’s bloomin’ jacket!!! That’s right, folks, it matters more what she wears than what she says, does or thinks. Well, since it’s doubtful that she thinks very much, scratch that one.

In truth, though, her jacket was a slap in the face … to the children she went to ‘visit’, to the immigrants seeking asylum in this nation, and to every concerned citizen in this nation. Her jacket, a hooded green army jacket with white lettering on the back that reads “I REALLY DON’T CARE DO U?”, was beyond inappropriate. It was ridiculous, it was abominable, and yes, it was very much a slap in the face. There was a time I pitied Melania, felt sorry for her having to be married to a narcissist like Donald Trump, even though she deserves whatever anguish he puts her through, since she married him for money and citizenship. But all bets are off, and I now think that Melania is every bit as selfish, narcissistic and uncaring as her husband. Too bad she didn’t just stay in bed and watch t.v. all day, for her ’visit’ was further proof that humanitarian values do not exist in the White House today. No word on the actual visit. Nice job, Melania. I want Michelle Obama back!!!!!!!

Oh … And About That Tax ‘Cut’ …

Good news, folks! You won’t have to worry about what to do with those extra few dollars on your paycheck as a result of Trump’s ‘donor tax cut’ last December! It has been taken out of your hands. The average cost of fuel at the pump has increased by 20%, from $2.41 to $2.90. Oh … and by the way, your health insurance premiums are going up, too. And … um … with the new tariffs, expect to pay more for many things from fresh produce to beer and Canadian whiskey, thanks to Trump’s tariffs. And … in the market for a new car? Well, there goes your tax cut for the next 30 years or so.

Filosofa sends heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of long-term Washington Post writer Charles Krauthammer who died yesterday from a year-long battle with cancer. He was a conservative, but one of the good guys and he will be missed.

Well, now that I have managed to completely send your mood into a downward spiral, I am going to bed. Have a great day, everyone!

An Idiot of Long Standing

Posted on June 19, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

I do try not to rant very often … I really do. I try to remain professional, keep my speech and tone well-moderated, not use profanity and … and … not beat the paint off my poor little laptop keyboard. I apologize in advance, for this post is indeed one of those moments when the story simply pushed the wrong buttons at the wrong time.

In July 2016, I awarded several Idiot of the Week awards, one of which went to Ms. Ann Coulter. The others were Pat Robertson, Roger & Ann Stone, Phyllis Schlafly, and Newt Gingrich. Less than a month later, I did a follow up on Ms. Coulter, for she continued to shriek and clamour for attention. In recent weeks, I have seen her name, occasionally her picture floating about on my screen, but I have largely ignored her, for she is one of the few people that I simply cannot stand to watch nor listen to.

But tonight I could no longer resist the urge to slap the smile off her face. However, since I am several hundred miles away, I shall settle for a written slap. In a rather juvenile expression of angst, I did send her a tweet with a link to the Idiot of the Week award post. Yes, yes … I already admitted it was juvenile, but sometimes it’s fun to get down ‘n dirty. I needed the comic relief … my blood pressure needed it.

What has she done now? She’s apparently been taking private lessons from Alex Jones on how to invent a totally off-the-wall conspiracy theory using kids as pawns. The most egregious news this week is the separation of children from their parents at our southern border, per orders of none other than Donald Trump, though he has a convoluted way of trying to point the finger back on the democrats. Pictures and sound tracks of crying children being taken from their parents, detention centers cloaked in mystery that even an elected senator was not allowed to tour … Americans are up in arms, and not just us ‘bleeding-heart-snowflake-liberals’, either. So along comes Coulter and says, aka Alex Jones, that she has knowledge that the children portrayed are actually child actors who have been coached! Sound familiar? Of course it does … there was Sandy Hook and the Parkland, both of which Mr. Jones claimed the survivors were ‘child actors’ and had been ‘coached’.

An estimated 2,000 children have been separated from their parents and are being housed in overflowing ‘detention centers’ – abandoned stores such as the Wal-Mart in Brownsville, Texas. Some are teens, others much younger children, even babies. These are not … I repeat not … child actors! These are children, for Pete’s sake! INNOCENT CHILDREN! Ms. Coulter … please sit down and shut the f— up!

Coulter’s apparent ‘concern’ is that Trump, upon seeing the images on television, will have his heart softened and loosen his ‘zero tolerance’ policy. No need to worry, Ms. Coulter, for Donald Trump has no heart to soften!

“These child actors weeping and crying on all the other networks 24/7 right now, do not fall for it Mr. President. I get very nervous about the president getting his news from TV.”

Now, why does she think that these children are little Shirley Temples being coached to cry and wail on command? Because, she claims, she read it in the New Yorker. Only problem is, she didn’t reference the article directly, and several news sources – reliable ones – tried every combination of keywords and came up blank. Finally, Ms. Coulter, with her usual dripping nastiness, said … … and finally provided a link to a 2011 New Yorker article about a woman from Africa seeking asylum in the U.S. Hellooooooooo???? And just how does this make the case that the children on the Mexican border are coached child actors???

Excuse me, but can somebody tell me why Ann Coulter is even allowed to continue breathing the same air as the rest of us??? Why she is taking up precious resources on our planet???

Sorry … I’m riled, in case you hadn’t guessed … probably wore the paint off three more keys on my laptop tonight.

Donald Trump is using 2,000 children as pawns, as bargaining chips to obtain funding in the budget to the tune of $20 billion for his damned wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Not, mind you, because there is a need for the wall, but because he promised his followers. Of course, he also promised them, foolishly, that Mexico was going to pay for the wall, and all of us who ate our Wheaties for breakfast knew from the start that was never going to happen.

And now this blonde bimbo comes along and further denigrates these innocent children whose only crime was being born???

I fully support the right to free speech, but I am also a big fan of truth, of honesty. Coulter is lying through her teeth, Trump is lying, and innocent children are paying the price. Coulter is an avowed white supremacist who supports white nationalist and ‘scientific racism’ causes … why would anybody listen to her??? I don’t know, but apparently some do. And that, folks, is reason enough for this rant … that we cannot even trust the people of this nation to think with their brains.

Unconscionable

Posted on June 15, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

Do you remember when you were … oh, say four or five years old? Before you started going to school … a time when your parents were your main contact and the people you looked to for safety, for security? Now, try to imagine when you were that age, if your parents had taken you from the home you always knew, travelled a long distance, sometimes in buses, other times strangers’ vehicles, and often on foot. And now, close your eyes and visualize that late one of those nights, as you are being carried by your mother, for you were just too tired to walk another step, and all of a sudden … BRIGHT LIGHTS, LOUD CRUEL VOICES, CRYING, SCREAMING … and suddenly you are grabbed roughly by a strange man wearing, of all things, a GUN, and you look around, but you cannot see your mother, though you can hear her voice sobbing, “Mi hijo … mi niño … “.

Now multiply that scenario times hundreds every week. That’s right, folks … hundreds of children per week are being taken from their parents and housed in immigrant detention centers where they know nobody and most do not even speak English, so are unable to communicate their feelings, their needs. How are these children being housed, clothed, fed … treated? We do not know.

Earlier this month, Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon attempted to answer those questions, to see for himself how the children were, if they were being properly cared for. But guess what? Senator Merkley was denied entrance to the Casa Padre detention facility in Brownsville, Texas. The supervisor of the facility, in fact, contacted the local police to escort Senator Merkley off the premises. The windows to the facility had been blackened, so he could not even get a glimpse inside.The reason for these abominable separations is Trump’s new “Zero tolerance” policy that bans all undocumented immigrants, sending the children to detention centers and the parents to jail. Trump has attempted to blame democrats …

“Put pressure on the Democrats to end the horrible law that separates children from there parents once they cross the Border into the U.S. Catch and Release, Lottery and Chain must also go with it and we MUST continue building the WALL! DEMOCRATS ARE PROTECTING MS-13 THUGS.”

But the reality is that the policy that results in children being separated from their parents at the border was implemented by the Trump administration, and could be ended at any time at Trump’s direction. Just another of Trump’s lies, but at what cost?

Attorney General Jeff Sessions found a rather unique way to justify the atrocity …

“Noncitizens who cross our borders unlawfully, between our ports of entry, with children are not an exception. They are the ones who broke the law, they are the ones who endangered their own children on their trek. The United States, on the other hand, goes to extraordinary lengths to protect them while the parents go through a short detention period. Persons who violate the law of our nation are subject to prosecution. I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order. Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful.”

And the illustrious, personable Sarah Huckabee Sanders concurred. Jim Acosta from CNN asked Sanders to explain Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ comments earlier in the day about how the White House’s family separation policy is consistent with the teachings of the Bible.

Acosta: Can I just ask a second question, completely unrelated, on these children who are being separated from their families as they come across the border? The Attorney General, earlier today, said that somehow there’s a justification for this in the Bible. Where does it say in the Bible that it’s moral to take children away from their mothers?

Sanders: I’m not aware of the Attorney General’s comments or what he would be referencing. I can’t —

Acosta: Is it a moral policy, in your view?

Sanders: I can say that it is very biblical to enforce the law. That is, actually, repeated a number of times throughout the Bible. However, this —

Acosta: But where in the Bible does it say —

Sanders: Hold on, Jim. If you’ll let me finish.

Acosta: — it’s okay to take children away from their parents?

Sanders: Again, I’m not going to comment on the Attorney’s specific comments that I havent seen.

Acosta: You just said it’s in the Bible to follow the law.

Sanders: That’s not what I said. And I know it’s hard for you to understand even short sentences, I guess, but please don’t take my words out of context. But the separation of —

Acosta: That’s a cheap shot, Sarah. That’s a cheap shot, Sarah.

Sanders: — illegal alien families is the product of the same legal loopholes that Democrats refuse to close. And these laws are the same that have been on the books for over a decade. And the President is simply enforcing them.

Acosta: But how is it moral? How is it a moral policy to take children away from their parents? Can you imagine —

Sanders: It’s a moral policy to follow and enforce the law.

Acosta: — the horror that these children must be going through when they come across the border?

Sanders: Jim.

Acosta: They’re with their parents, and then suddenly they’re pulled away from their parents. Why is the government doing this?

Sanders: Because it’s the law. And that’s what the law states.

Acosta: It’s not. It doesn’t have to be the law. You guys don’t have to do that. It’s your policy.

Sanders: You’re right, it doesn’t have to be the law. And the President has actually called on Democrats in Congress to fix those loopholes. The Democrats have failed to come to the table, failed to help this President close these loopholes and fix this problem. We don’t want this to be a problem. The President has tried to address it on a number of occasions. We’ve laid out a proposal. And Democrats simply refuse to do their job and fix the problem.

Which brings us to my next point. Ms. Sanders lied. Donald Trump lied when he claimed that the democrats “can’t get their act together” to change border security policy. In fact, all but 3 House Democrats have signed a discharge petition that would bypass the House’s Republican leadership and force a vote on immigration reform legislation, including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that Trump ended last fall. In addition, 23 republicans have joined them and now only 5 more votes are needed to sidestep leadership and allow floor votes on a few different immigration plans.

The problem? Trump is adamant that he will approve nothing that doesn’t include at least $20 billion for his damn border wall.

The United Nations has urged the U.S. to “immediately halt this practice”, however there is little else they can do, for the United States is the only country in the world not to have ratified the UN convention on the rights of the child.

This nation that used to be known for offering safe asylum to those in need has now cast aside all humanitarianism. Frankly, I do not know why anybody would even want to come here. Not long ago, I heard Trump say that we can be proud of our country again. No, Donnie-boy … I have never been less proud in my life.

ENOUGH!!!!

Posted on June 7, 2018 by jilldennison under Environmental Issues, Political commentary, Rants, Trump's Staff Picks

Alright, since Trump so loves to use those words, “You’re Fired”, then it’s time he used them to Mr. Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). NOW!!! This man is out of control, treating our tax money as his personal expense account and meanwhile doing nothing … absolutely nothing … positive toward the protection of the environment! I thought I was done writing about him a few weeks ago, thought surely he would be fired within the week, but that has not happened, so I am baaaaaccckkk.

Despite all the scandals that just keep coming, yesterday afternoon Trump praised him!

“… EPA is doing really, really well, someone has to say that about you a little bit, you know that, Scott. People are really impressed with the job that’s being done at the EPA.”

Hello??? Excuse me??? What job? What EPA, for that matter? Just two days ago, it was reported that Pruitt had enlisted an EPA aide to help his wife Marlyn obtain and open a Chick-Fil-A franchise. How does this pertain to the business of the Environmental Protection of the United States? How does it pertain to anything other than increasing Scott and Marlyn’s wealth, which is already substantial, at least as compared to yours or mine.

When asked about the misuse of agency staff for a personal mission, Pruitt sounded just like Kellyanne, talking in circles all around the issue …

“I think with great change comes, you know, I think, opposition. I mean there’s significant change that’s happening for us, not only at the EPA but across this Administration, and it’s needed, and, uh, look, my wife is an entrepreneur herself. I love, she loves, we love Chick-Fil-A as a, as a franchise of faith, and it’s one of the best in the country, and so, that’s something we were very excited about.”

SOOOO???? I love P.F. Chang’s, too, but I’m not going to lie, cheat and steal to own one! I will just go eat there once a month or so, and pay my check and leave a tip like everybody else.

But it gets even better … and remember, all this is just in the last week. Prior to last week, he already had twelve federal investigations into his activities! TWELVE!!!In December, Pruitt attended a University of Kentucky basketball game as a guest of coal baron Joseph W. Craft III, who has been lobbying the EPA on behalf of his coal company, Alliance Resource Partners. Pruitt and Craft have met no less than seven times in a fourteen-month period.

And also last week, it was reported that Mr. Pruitt had visited a jewelry store in Washington where he spent $3,230 of taxpayer money! What, you ask, did he buy? Well, $1,560 went to buy 12 fountain pens. $130 per pen. WHY??? I buy a 12-pack of pens for $5.99 and they write just fine! And anyway, doesn’t the GAO provide such things as pens, legal pads and toilet tissue? I do not know quite what the other $1,670 was spent on, but we are told it was “gifts to the Administrator’s foreign counterparts and dignitaries upon his meeting with them.”Prior to any of the above, Pruitt was already under investigation for a host of potential crimes, including frequent first-class personal travel at taxpayer’s expense, inappropriate relations with representatives of the coal mining industry, unnecessary sweeping 24-hour security measures that have cost the EPA roughly $3.5 million, and more.

And amid all the scandal, Pruitt’s top aide, Millan Hupp, resigned on Monday – Friday will be her last day. Hupp, as the director of scheduling and advance, has been entangled in many of the scandals dogging Pruitt. She was one of two aides who received hefty salary bumps, even after the White House refused Pruitt’s request for raises. She recently testified to the House Oversight Committee that she regularly spent her days doing personal tasks for Pruitt, from hunting for housing to calling the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., in order to inquire about purchasing a used mattress. Yes, you heard me right … for some unknown reason, Herr Pruitt wished to buy a used mattress from Trump Towers. Ick. Pruitt’s top legal counsel, Sarah Greenwalt, also gave her resignation.

The democrats in Congress have long been fed-up with Pruitt’s costly antics, but this week, even the republicans are tired of it.

“I’m not going to come down here, just because he happens to be a nominee of a president I support or a nominee from my party, and try to defend the indefensible. I thought that Mr. Pruitt would have learned his lesson.” – Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana

“Some are true; some are not true. Whether he can weather the storm, I’m not sure. The accusations are all troubling. They are.” – Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of OklahomaThis man thinks the U.S. Treasury is his own personal bank account. Remember Trump’s claim that he would “drain the swamp”. Instead, he put Pruitt, the granddaddy of all alligators in it and feeds him well every day, at the White House mess, as it happens. According to an article in Politico, Pruitt has been eating at the White House mess nearly every day … so often that he has been asked to cut back and “please eat elsewhere sometimes.”

It is past time for Scott Pruitt to hear the words, “You’re Fired”. It is past time for We The People to demand accountability, starting with this very worst example of corruption, thievery and violations of ethics. And it is far past time for Congress to demand that the Director of the EPA be fired without severance! No, Donald Trump, Scott Pruitt is not doing an “impressive” job at the EPA, for he is far too busy wheeling and dealing, and wasting OUR money!

Where Were You, Congressman???

Posted on June 5, 2018 by jilldennison under Election 2018, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Political commentary, Rants

Dear Congressman ____________________,

I am writing to express my displeasure with your performance, or might I say ‘non’ performance over the past 17 months, and to remind you of two things: to whom you owe your allegiance and that there are mid-term elections on the horizon.

Only this morning the head of the executive branch, the so-called ‘president’, declared himself to be above the law, to be by all appearances, a dictator rather than a president. And where were you? For months now, Donald Trump has been destroying decades’ worth of international diplomacy. Where was your voice? Donald Trump has set back civil rights in this nation by at least a half-century, yet I did not hear your voice raised in objection when he called neo-Nazis and members of the KKK ‘very fine people’. Last week, the man whose boots you have been licking called for the Department of Energy to force … yes force … coal companies to remain open when they planned to close for lack of profit and market. He intimated that the nation would subsidize certain coal companies in order to keep them in business. Subsidies, I might add, that will come from the taxpayer’s pockets. And where was your voice?

These are but a few examples of the many destructive actions Donald Trump has taken in his 16-month tenure, and not once have I heard you raise your voice in objection. Not once have I seen you take a stand, refuse to do his bidding. We the People did not elect you to have you be a ‘yes-man’. Rather, We the People put you in office to look out for our best interests, not just your own. Donald Trump is not … I repeat is NOT … your employer, not your boss. WE THE PEOPLE are your employers. By allowing Donald Trump to destroy our nation, our lives, with his arrogant, hard-headed, narcissistic acts, you are letting down the very people you are supposed to represent. And I want to know why!

I deserve an answer, and in fact, demand one. I do not want one of the canned, computer-generated responses that I get anytime I attempt to communicate with my elected ‘representatives’. I want you to read my letter and I want a thoughtful and honest response from you. Anything less is unacceptable. I want to hear why you are standing silently by while one madman destroys the nation. I want to know what you plan to do about the abomination that sits in the Oval Office today. I want to know why you are not vociferously advocating to remove this ‘man’ from office. I want to know why you are willing to sit in your comfortable office and merely watch while Trump destroys our environment. I would like some answers.

If you have not the integrity to provide the answers to my questions, if you have not the integrity to stand up for what is right, rather than to continue to be a sycophant to Trump, then I can guarantee you that you will not have my vote on November 6^th. I can also promise that I will use my voice to encourage others to vote you out of Congress and to vote in somebody who will perhaps use their power, their voice, to try to save this nation from the madman in the White House.

Sincerely,

Jill E. Dennison

Citizen, voter, humanitarian

Spammers & Scammers & Trolls — OH NO!

Posted on May 23, 2018 by jilldennison under Humour, Personal, Rants

I am NOT a criminal who is wanted in four states. NOT! However, below are four voice-mails I have received this month that might give you reason to question my statement:

May 15; 10:19 a.m.

The local police there are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment. We would request you to get back to us so that we can discuss about this case before taking any legal action against you. Number to reach us is 585-633-2725. Thank you.

May 16; 12:30 p.m.

There are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment. We would request you to get back to us so that we can discuss about this case before taking any legal action against you. The number to reach us is 917-382-7107. Thank you.

May 21; 10.46 a.m.

Is there are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment. We would request you to get back to us so that we can discuss about this case before taking any legal action against you. The number to reach us is 607-595-3962. Thank you.

May 22; 10:26 a.m.

There are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment. We would request you to get back to us so that we can discuss about this case before taking any legal action against you. The number to reach us is 347-384-3901. Thank you.

Notice that my name is never mentioned? Also notice the English is not very good? I listened to one of the messages to see if perhaps it was just my voice-to-text that was making it appear to be broken English, but no, they are speaking with a heavy accent and saying exactly the words you see here.

This scam started a couple of months ago. The first was from Las Vegas, the next Florida, California, then New York. All places I have not set foot in for at least 20-30 years. I laughed it off and blocked the numbers. But, as soon as I block one number, they pop up on a different one. All of the above calls are from New York area codes. At first it was funny, but after 3-4 months of this, I am no longer laughing. I rarely get to bed early, usually somewhere between 3:00 – 5:00 a.m., so I do not appreciate an early call, when I have barely slept an hour. I now keep my phone on ‘silent’ most of the time, for my phone ringer is very loud and obnoxious (intentionally, so that I can hear it when somebody actually calls).

And then there are the ads that come in the mail for the funeral homes and old-age homes. GAWK!!! I walk 4 miles a day, weather permitting. I maintain a two-story, three-bedroom, three-bath townhouse. I cook 4-5 nights a week. I do 12-14 loads of laundry a week. I take care of 7 unruly kitties. I do not think I need to enter an old-age home, nor a funeral home just yet and frankly, I am offended to receive as many as ten glossy advertisements in the mail each week encouraging me to hurry and plan my funeral before it’s too late! I worked for a publishing/printing company, and I know what those glossy ads cost. Frankly, I will be cremated, my ashes can be put in a Ziploc bag until the girls have time to dump them in a forest somewhere. No muss, no fuss, no expense. So stop sending me the bloody ads!!!

And then there is the spam email. Sigh. I was getting, on average, more than 200 per 24-hour period. I have an excellent spam filter, so it is rare that any of it makes it to my inbox, but I still have to at least glance at every bit of it in order to ensure that something didn’t accidentally go to spam. It happens … not often, but it happens. So, last week I went on a campaign to ‘unsubscribe’ from every bloomin’ spammy email. Every few hours I cleaned out the spam folder, unsubscribing to each.

First problem, some emails do not have an ‘unsubscribe’ button. Second problem, some force you to provide your email address, and then pop up a message saying “Unsubscribe was unsuccessful. Please try again later.” Third problem, in some cases, rather than the emails stopping, they multiplied exponentially! So, after hours spent trying to stop the spam, I am now getting almost the same amount I was before.

Notice to all spammers: If I need an insurance policy, dental implants, plumbing repairs, genital enhancements, a hit man, Viagra, new windows, or a girlfriend, I will NOT be contacting you!!!

Okay, so we all have this same problem, and maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill, blowing it all out of proportion, but I work hard, and I don’t have time to waste on such idiocy. More and more, it is driving me nuts and I want to retaliate by giving the callers an earful, but I know – have been told by all the experts – this will only prove that mine is a working number and will increase the number of calls. But, sigh, there ought to be a way to stop it.

What is most worrisome, though, even more than my annoyance, is that obviously some people are falling for all this b.s. and are being robbed. I am willing to bet that in most cases it is the elderly who are falling for the scams. Take the phone calls, for example. If I were to answer one of those calls, or call them back, I bet money they would say something along the lines of, “Oh … it could be a mistake … just give me your social security number and let me double check. … … … Ma’am? There was a mistake … it was not you, but somebody else. My apologies. Have a nice day.” And now they have your social security number, possibly your driver’s license number, age, address, and maybe even your bank information. What could possibly go wrong, eh?

The glorious age of instant electronic communication is not without its drawbacks. Sigh.

Filosofa's Word

Cognito Ergo Sum

Category Archives: Rants