Day 594

Day 594 Wednesday September 5, 2018   984 Days to Go

Walt Kelly’s cartoon character Pogo once said, “We have met the enemy and they is us!” came back to me as I looked at the day’s events. 

To wit:

The Supreme Court confirmation process began with the Republicans dumping 40,000 documents on their Democratic counterparts 15 hours before the hearing began. 

Bob Woodward has written a book on Trump named “FEAR,” due out next week. It is devastating, according to the snippets released. He also released a phone call he had with Trump, which reminded me of the Omarosa tape. (Trump, “No one told me. I wish we had talked.” etc. He was caught in several lies on that conversation alone.)

John Kerry has released a book. He was on Rachel last night. I found his analysis of what is going on in the world to be thoughtful and accurate. The scariest thing he said was, “When we can’t agree on the facts, how can we have a conversation?”

So that’s it.

That’s the day in summary.

I listened to bits and pieces of the Kavanaugh hearing. It was weird kabuki theater. Chuck Grassley as chairman refusing to recognize his Democratic counterparts and gaveling forward. Dems protesting the dumping of the documents fifteen hours before. Corey Booker asking, “What’s the rush?” (No answer.) Ted Cruz with an oily smile saying his wife and Bret’s have been friends for years. Senator Whitehouse outlining how nominee after nominee put up by the Republicans saying they would follow the law and precedent and then breaking precedent and siding with big business every time, screwing people’s individual rights.

I never heard a question asked of Kavanaugh.

There’s an interesting back story on the documents. They are being vetted by a Republican lawyer. Why are they being vetted is an interesting question. As Corey Booker asked of the committee chair, “What are you hiding?” Many have reason to believe that while Kavanaugh was in W’s White House that he was very much involved in the decisions on torture and that when he was up for a Federal judgeship in 2003-2006 (it took three years to get him through because he was so controversial then.) that he lied to the Senate about his role. 

The lawyer is none other than the lawyer representing Reince Priebus, Don McGahn, and Steve Bannon in the Russia probe. (Hey did you know the FBI went to Steve’s house last week? A little tidbit rarely mentioned.) Now, why is a lawyer going through the papers on Kavanaugh’s time in W’s White House and by what right does he have to withhold information from the Senate? Me don’t know. It is reported that there are a total of 100,000 documents and 40,000 have been released. Gee Donald why not switch up form the thirty thousand missing emails of Hillary to the sixty thousand unreleased documents of Kavansugh?

Then we get to Woodward’s book and his taped conversation with Trump. It is said that Woodward fact checks everything and corroborates it with multiple sources, like six or eight sources. Therefore, what Bob puts in a book can be taken to be true. He ain’t no Michael Wolfe or Omarosa, both of whom were doubted in some of what they wrote. Woodward has hundreds of hours of taped conversations with Trump staffers and others. 

Trump is called “an idiot” by his own staff. His Secretary of Defense says he has a fifth or sixth grade understanding of the world. Others have removed papers from his desk so he won’t be able to sign them. His Secretary of Defense has told him that his main job is to prevent World War III. That is where we are. Woodward called his book “FEAR” because that is what is ruling the White House: fear, confusion, disorganization, and incompetence.

Meanwhile John Kerry has written a book that outlines our position in the world and very importantly what China is doing. China is expanding its economic footprint. It is building rail lines to Europe because that is the cheapest way to move goods there. It has projects with 68 countries. (This administration can’t even appoint ambassadors to South Korea and Turkey for God’s sake! – my comment not Kerry’s.)

But, as I said before, the most devastating thing Kerry said was, “How can we have a conversation when we can’t agree on the facts?”

The Republican Party has for years, decades lied to its voters. They have turned a blind eye to outrageous behavior with a nod-nod, wink-wink “you know what I’m talking about” attitude. This has been aided and abetted by Fox News and even more wacky media outlets like The National Enquirer, InfoWars, and numerous neo-Nazi and white supremacist websites; along with Russia. The problem now is that the monster is out of the box and roaming loose. What they thought they could control is no longer in their control and the tail is wagging the dog. Their base is now a bunch of older white mis-informed people that they have continually feed lies, and those people are now acting on those falsehoods; hence, the rise of Donald Trump.

How can you have a conversation about climate change when the Vice-President believes the world is 6,000 years old and god will save us. Or that we need to move the capital of Israel to hasten the apocalypse so Jesus will return and raise us up to heaven?

It’s been said many times that it takes a carpenter to build a barn but any jackass can kick it down. I’d amend that to say an architect with a carpenter can build a great structure and now we have a room full of jackasses kicking in every direction.

Is there hope? Yes. I am greatly encouraged by some young fresh faces that are winning elections. They aren’t going to put up with this sh*t. 

I keep hoping that the idiots will be voted out of office before they are hauled out and shot. Currently, they are trying their best to rig the system in their favor and they are succeeding.

If Kavanaugh makes it onto the Supreme Court bench the America of the next few decades will look like a much different place. Women will not be able to have abortions. Big companies will be able to run rough shod over competitors, and people. Workers’ rights, all ready constricted will completely evaporate and the economy will go into a tail spin. The recession of the 1930s will seem like good times. China will dominate the world stage and us. But maybe I’m being too optimistic. It could be worse.

Have a nice day!

984 Days to Go

PS No Soup for You!