Archives for December 2020

Friday December 4, 2020 (22 days til Christmas)

Election Day -31

48 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

Hey, guess what? There’s a deadly pandemic and it can kill you.

Stay home. If you have to go out, wear a mask.

If you think you don’t need to wear a mask or you are too cool be aware that you are killing people, overwhelming our already overwhelmed hospital system.

So for the love of god, country, everything holy, Nascar, whatever – wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your hands, and stay home. 

Don’t trust anyone under 40. Assume they are infected. That’s not me talking that’s the CDC and the White House Task Force on the Corona Virus. That task force by the way gets updates that they keep secret. I guess it doesn’t jive with what the orange one wants you to believe. The advice to health officials is to get the word out and if politicians won’t help go around them and talk directly to the public.

See there’s this minor little problem. THE HOSPITALS ARE FULL!

And their staffs are exhausted, and they know there is a big wave coming from the idiots that insisted on traveling over Thanksgiving.

Did I mention STAY HOME, WEAR A MASK, WASH YOUR HANDS?

Please don’t give me that freedom nonsense. Would you say that if someone was walking down the hall of a retirement home randomly shooting people?

That’s what’s happening not only in nursing homes but all over the country.

North Dakota is the worst hit. They don’t have respiratory therapists in their rural hospitals. Hell, they don’t have ICU beds or staff. If you get Covid in North Dakota in the winter, which is happening, you are screwed. If it can happen in a place like that it can happen anywhere. It also helped the spread of the disease that the governor went along with Satan and the Republican Party sloughing it off. You know, because North Dakota ain’t New York and they’re tough. Try telling that to some poor bastard lying face down in a bed trying to breath. 

What else? Oh, there’s a scandal. Shocking. It’s a bribery for pardon deal. Shocking. And it involves that fat faced f*ck Elliot Brody. Let’s see, how many times has his name come up when there’s been a scandal? I think four. The first one was when he got a very pretty woman, not his wife, pregnant and Michael Cohen fixed it. Then there was the campaign fund, the inauguration fund and now this. Cool. 

And sweet cheeks Ivanka had to testify in a civil case brought by the DC government. It involves the Trump organization overcharging the Inauguration Committee for use of the Trump Hotel in DC. She put out a tweet that she spent five hours talking to the authorities and she attached an email showing she told whomever to charge the going rate. So nice. The prosecutor in the case gave an example of the overcharging. The Trump Hotel has a ballroom. They charged the Inauguration Committee $175,000 to use it for like five hours. Yet, the day before they charged another group $5,000 to use it. What do you think? Did they over charge? I’d say yes on both counts, but let’s do some quick math $175,000 – $5,000 is … is wait for it $170,000 different. Hey, that’s pocket change. Yet with Satan and his clan they always seem to be grubbing for money. Ivanka – honey – the crew didn’t get the memo. I mean the email from you. Or if they did they ignored it. How could that be? Did Daddy intercede?

The thing that gets me, really gets me about these folks is their complete distain for those who give them the money. 

Moving on, I have this crazy idea. Why doesn’t the president play at being the president? I mean why not invoke the war powers act and get some PPE made? Why not see if the military can loan doctors and nurses to places like North Dakota? Why not tweet “Wear a Mask! This Covid is Real. It can kill you.”

How hard would that be?

I have a really really crazy idea. Let’s call it a dream. Mitch McConnell actually does something to help regular people. He puts some of those House bills on the floor and they vote on them. Crazy, I know.

PS Santa is Up! He’s pumped. Pass him the ball! 

Wait, is that Frosty? He’s open.

How about that big white dufus with the carrot?

He’s got no arms. He’d have to head the ball.

Watch out Darth looks like he’s going to stick him in the ass with that light saber.

That’s gotta hurt.

Thursday December 3, 2020 (22 days til Christmas)

Election Day -30

49 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

Or

EXIT THRU THE GRIFT SHOP

Apparently, we’ve seen this sort of thing before. Rachel pointed out last night that Sissy Spacek starred in a movie about a governor who sold pardons in his last days in office letting more than 20 murders to go free. The FBI was so concerned because they heard rumors he was going to do more that they had the newly elected governor sworn in several days early to stop him from doing more. Sissy played the part of the woman who dropped the dime on the Guv. He ended up dying at age 66, selling used cars.

The new governor was one Lamar Alexander who served two terms as governor and then went on to serve three terms as senator. He gave his farewell speech this week and Mitch shed a tear. He’d miss his old bud. Lawrence picked up the coverage and pointed out that in the 18 years in the Senate Alexander had done nothing. Nothing of note that is. He did rubber stamp whatever McConnell wanted. Lawrence went on to say how McConnell had completely corrupted the U.S. Senate. I’d like to hear more about that, because I still don’t understand how one Senator can block everything. 

McConnell obviously cares little to nothing about the American people and is hell bent on doing the work of the rich who want to continue to bend the rules of our democracy for their pilferage. There’s now talk of a $608B Covid relief package, which he says the president won’t sign, so why bother? This is a far cry from the multi trillion dollar package that has been on his desk from the House since when? March? May? I forget.

You can go through bill after bill passed in the House and nothing in the Senate. Then he has the gall to say the Dems won’t negotiate. Nancy Pelosi said repeatedly, “Why?” why negotiate when the Republicans want to stuff giveaways to their rich friend and strip everything out for the poor and the working class? What’s to negotiate? She also remembers all to well the ACA negotiation. There Obama continually gave in to Republican demands, only to have them all vote agains the bill. Then to add insult to injury they took the bill to courts in various states saying it was unconstitutional because of the very clauses they insisted on putting in.

Finally, the Dems have relented and what happened? McConnell wants to move the goal posts again.

In other news, Steve Mnuchin. OMG. This guy is pompous. He’s being questioned by Katie Porter. It took less than her five minutes to destroy him. He seemed to have difficulty with two questions she asked:

1. “Is it 2026?”

And

2. “Are you a lawyer?”

He tried to go on and on about question #1, trying to run the clock out on her time. Finally, he got around to answering the question, “Of course not. How ridiculous to ask me that question and waste our time.” I find it interesting that Mnuchin who likes to wander around in his answers to waste time is all of a sudden concerned about wasting time.

As to question #2, he tried to say he had many fine lawyers around him. Then he asked, “Are you a lawyer?”

He didn’t know! OMG, how stupid can you be? She got a degree from Harvard Law, magna cum laude, took classes from Elizabeth Warren and is a lawyer and former law professor before entering politics.

The exchange got heated. No kidding. Mnuchin finally admitted he wasn’t a lawyer. Porter was asking this after reading from law 4027 The Cares Act that specifically says any funds that are remaining as of January 1, 2026 are to be transferred to the general fund. Mnuchin is trying to do it now. Why? Oh, to keep the Biden folks from using them.

So when Katie Porter asked him if it was the year 2026 he responded with “Of course not, how ridiculous to be wasting our time…”

Big mistake.

Her response?

“I think it’s ridiculous that you are play acting to be a lawyer when you have no legal degree.”

Zing.

What? Steve can hide the money and keep it from being used to help people when he himself hasn’t done that? Why the gall of this lady? Who does she think she is? Etc. Etc. Etc.

Let’s see, what else? 

The Satan campaign has raised $170 million since the election. People are led to believe it’s for his legal defense. Well, it could be. Or it could be for ham and eggs. The givers didn’t read the fine print from the grifters. Silly givers. “You know he’s a business man?” Yeah, we know. A terrible one. One who to quote his niece, “makes cheating a way of life.”

The vaccines are coming, but it will be a long cold deadly winter first.

One person interviewed last night said imagine if a terrorist had walked down the halls of an old folks home and started killing people? 

That’s the situation.

The CDC says if you’re under 40 and were with people at Thanksgiving not from your home – ASSUME YOU ARE INFECTED.

Don’t be the random terrorist killing grandma.

Stay home, wash your hands, wear a mask.

As to yesterday photo of Santa being down, it has been suggested that it should be called A Flagrant One. I agree. How about Targeting? Okay I’m mixing in another sport. I wish we had instant replay.

PS Squash, squash stuffing*, cauliflower pizza like thingee (all good!)

*Apple, pumpkin seed, kale, garlic, sausage

That is all.

Carry on.

Wednesday December 2, 2020 (23 days til Christmas)

Election Day -29

50 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

This is a weird time for sure.

But let me tell you what I know.

I know that the stock market is kind of crazy right now and that’s good and bad. If you’ve been investing for awhile you’ll probably recognize the symptoms. If you bought something and it went up you feel like a genius. Five minutes later, or the next day, it’s down and you feel like an idiot and you question yourself and wish you hadn’t done whatever it was. This is normal. The hard part about investing is that you are all alone. No one tells you exactly when to buy or sell. In hindsight it’s easy to see what you should have done, but in the moment is totally different. 

I encourage folks to take control of their investments and do something. Try things. Find your comfort level. Realize only a few things will really really work out, and realize – that’s okay.

I could go on but eh. (Write me privately if you want more.)

Moving on. The legal stuff in Washington. Okay, there are two things to concern ourselves with here. One is that Satan has shown that there are weaknesses in our democracy. He is a stress tester of our system for sure. The question becomes, “Are we going to shore up those things or not?” If we don’t someone will take advantage of them in the future. Donald led the way, others will try and follow.

The second part of this is what is going on legally with Satan and his gang? 

Some rats are trying to jump off the ship or at least scuttle along the deck to be poised by the handrail. Others are moving into the wheelhouse looking for a pardon. 

But what ho! Seems there is an on-going investigation into a – get this – “bribery for pardon” scheme. A court filing has been made public, most of it is redacted, but those words “bribery for pardon scheme” are clear as day, and the filing talks about a raid or maybe two in which hard drives, iPhones, laptops and the like were seized. The question before the judge, “Was this attorney client privilege stuff or not?” She ruled it was not, and therefore prosecutors can get there hands on this evidence and go after the wrong-doers, if they choose. Will they? Will the current prosecutors in the Barr Justice Department go after whomever it is? Will the Biden folks? 

Let’s wait and see. I think the spit of justice may turn slowly here.

Also, speaking of pardons. Out of the blue there is talk that Satan may pardon himself, his kids, and his son-in-law. The discussion currently is “Pardon them for what crime?” or can he make it blanket? Answer “Oh yes”, and Rudy too. Let’s not forget the brown streaked one. Questions arise, “Can he do this?” Answer: Yes. “Is it legal?” Answer: No.

Next. 

What you want an explanation? Okay. You can’t pardon yourself. Sorry Donnie. If you pardon someone there has to have been a crime. What’s the crime? None is inferred, therefore you can’t be pardoned.

Question: “Will he do it anyway?” Answer: Of course!

The question then becomes do we go after the bastards, hunt them down like dogs, and make them pay regardless? 

I think we should start posting pictures of Mussolini’s last day. Or maybe Putin’s favorite movie? The one of Quadaffi’s end? Then we could tell those worried about having to pay for their crimes how much better off they will be then that.

Billy Barr is trying to act, a little bit, like an Attorney General. Is he trying to slip the noose? Yeah, first he repeated that he saw no evidence of voter fraud in the election. WTF Bill? You don’t need no stinking’ evidence. What is wrong with you? He also has done something with that supposed investigation into Russia in 2016 to make it harder for the Biden team to get rid of it. I say, “Great! Let’s put someone in there who will really investigate.” 

Meanwhile Fox is saying the pres should pardon himself. I guess he’ll have no choice now. “A lot of people are saying…”

Stay tuned.

Oh hey, there’s a Senate Covid relief bill being talked about. Wow. And guess what? McConnell is moving the goal posts once again. 

If this guy is majority leader in the next term the American people can expect nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nadda. Because you are not his constituency. Period.

PS Santa is down! I repeat, Santa is down. He must have gotten a hard block. That’s a foul! Two shots. 

Tuesday December 1, 2020 (24 days til Christmas)

Election Day -28

51* Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

* An error of 2 days crept in and this date has been reset as of today.

Okay, how will it all end? You ask. Fortunately, I know.

Well, I know it will end one of two ways and I know that will only be the midpoint of a much longer chess game. We must therefore remain vigilant and engaged even after we think the game is done. 

First. Let’s look at the two endings. Either, Satan will be brought to trial or we will let him go. I favor the former and argue “No man is above the law.” Or “If you did the crime; you do the time.”

The other ending could be some whiny “We’ve never put a president in jail.” Or “It will tear the country apart” BS. To which I say, “There’s a first time for everything.” And , “Have you looked at the country recently? It’s already torn apart.”

It’s torn along, not idealogical lines, but along lines separating reality from fantasy. It’s torn along economic lines, and racial lines, along lines of people who want to fix it and people who don’t. It’s torn baby, and whether Satan goes to jail or not ain’t really going to make much difference.

Oh wait, you think they’ll be a big problem if he goes to jail? Yeah. Let me remind you that the people who back him are cowards, pussies, and spineless Republicans. Oh yeah, they like to walk around with their guns strapped to their chests, but where are they when the shooting starts? I’ll tell you where they aren’t. They aren’t where the bullets are flying. A few may become unhinged enough to do something, maybe. But won’t they be shot by “the good guys with a gun”? Maybe not. If there is cause to arrest someone, I say, arrest them. If there is evidence that they committed a crime and are found guilty, I say, they do the time. And, oh yeah, “Let the chips fall where they may.”

Will that happen? I think so. In the meantime I suggest that reposting pictures of Satan and his family in orange jump suits and what he’ll look like with his head shaved and gang tats on it is something worth reposting – over and over. I also wonder if we can get sound trucks to circle the White House playing, “He’s a loser, and he’s not what he appears to be…” (Yes, it’s the Beatles.) I also like the idea of showing a doctored video of him doing the perp walk with clanking of chains as a sound track.

I remember hearing that The Donald’s favorite story was the one about the snake that implored the man to pick him up. When the man picked him up the snake bit the man. As the man lay dying because it was a poisoness snake, the man asked the snake why he bit him. (Well, it’s what snakes do.) The snake responded, “You knew who I was and what I was before you picked me up.”

And isn’t that the story with Satan? I mean is anyone going to claim they didn’t know what this snake was before he got picked up? Just to make sure he told you by word and deed who and what he was. 

Let’s review:

Before he ran for office he had a reputation as a great business man. However, there were stories that he didn’t pay his bills, stiffed people, lied, and even called in to radio programs with a phony name. 

When he announced his candidacy he did so with racist and anti-immigrant statements.

He ran a campaign with white nationalist not so subtle messaging and with wacky conspiracy theory stuff mixed in.

When he became president he robbed from the poor, the governments – ours and others, refused to show his taxes, hid his grades, and ran the country into the ground. He attacked our allies, strengthen our enemies and adversaries and did nothing to stop a pandemic. A pandemic, let me remind everyone, that could have been avoided.

He also has multiple, many multiple, accusers of rape, and sexual assault. Those charges go along with his affairs, two of which he tried to cover up illegally by paying off the women with campaign funds.

He is a draft dodger and has called people that have served our country “suckers” and “losers.”

He has demonstrated a lack of curiosity and knowledge. He has also shown a willing ruthlessness to stay in power and if he can’t stay in power to wreck our institutions and our democracy as much as possible.

This was pretty much all known about him and it is playing out in the end game of his presidency. The wolves are circling; the rats are beginning to bail and yet he hangs on in a King Lear, or is it George III moment?

Now we are hearing that the bureaucrats are beginning to openly stand up to their political masters. A congressman has made the plea to those people to preserve the records. No doubt the ones they are being told to destroy.

Everything hangs on Georgia and its two Senatorial races. The Republicans have several problems. Stacy Abrams registered 850,000 voters who turned out and flipped Georgia in the presidential election and forced the senatorial runoffs when no candidate won 50% of the vote. Since that time it has been revealed that both of the current Senators have benefitted from insider information and used it to trade in stocks. 

Also, here’s where fantasy gets in the way of reality, the current president has railed against the election in Georgia saying the machines were crap and that votes were flipped. The Republican party has to convince voters to turn out and the party officials are being asked why, if their votes are being flipped? The fix is in right?

I say, “Yes, if you come and vote Republican your vote will be flipped and you will actually be voting for Barack Obama. Do you want to do that?”

Okay, moving on. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris continue to announce appointments. The communications team is all women and – get this – really super competent (amazing right? I know.) Reporters seem very excited that the White House briefings will again, actually give them facts.

The economic team announced is full of experienced people who know what they are doing. Paul Krugman knows them all and is friends with them. He says anyone of them could be the head. Wow.

Meanwhile, over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Scott Atlas has resigned. Not sure why, but the reaction in the real world is “Thank God. At least Satan won’t have that guy putting wacky unscientific bad public health ideas into his head.” Some think maybe Atlas resigned because the godfather of herd immunity in Sweden got fired just days before. There are charts floating around the internet showing Scandinavia pointing to the number of Covid cases and deaths in each of those countries. They have. Sweden with its herd immunity idea leading the pack – by a lot. I guess the Swedes got tired of it.

The president is taking all this very seriously by playing golf. Meanwhile his lawyers continue to file ridiculous lawsuits the gist of their argument seems to be “screw the election; appoint Trump electoral folks.” There is now speculation as to whether some of these lawyers will be disbarred.

One in particular who called for the killing of Cris Krebs, with drawing and quartering too, is being given the careful scrutiny by other lawyers. Apparently, such stuff may be criminal or at least enough to say such a person shock not be a member of the court.

In health care, remember when the White House took away the counting of Covid cases and hospitalization rates away from the CDC this summer? Hey, guess what? They screwed it up. Now no one really knows how bad it is, as far as the pandemic goes. Is that important? Apparently. If you are in charge of getting supplies to the places that need it, then it helps to know who needs it. Am I right? Hey, maybe not. It’s so bad right now, no matter where you ship stuff it’s bound to help.

Oh and the unemployment figures? Turns out it might be worse than reported because agencies in states are so overwhelmed they haven’t been able to keep up. So a bad thing is actually worse.

But there is hope. Some think McConnell may get off his ass and actually let a little money trickle through and thus down to folks desperate for food and soon shelter as the stay against evictions is running out. 

Remember the snake? Don’t count on McConnell to do anything. Except push unqualified judges through. With those judges in place the ruling elite can gum up the works for years – until they can get back in power.

Remember I said we must remain vigilant? Yeah. Well, that’s why. We are in the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis. It will pass and those who created both will want a shot at being in charge again and stealing more money from us (and oh yeah keeping us down, You know, by not giving a sh*t about us and letting us die, slip into poverty,…)  Don’t let it happen.

PS Biden has a popularity rating over 50%. Something Donnie has never achieved. Please show to your Trump supporting friends and ask them why they think that is. And try to act curious. (“It’s a conspiracy I tell you!”) Yeah, right.