How broken is our democracy?

Is it beyond repair?

It is difficult to imagine so much damage could be done to democracy and our institutions in just 4 years.

But, there was little to nothing that was not damaged during the Trump reign.

We recall the damage that was done to our State Department, as Trump bad-mouthed our allies and praised our enemies. We remember the attrition and the turnover in the Department, beginning with the hiring and firing of Rex Tillerson. It was chaotic.

Also, we recall the choice of Generals that went thru the Defense Department and how they tried to please and appease Trump, as our country was being threatened from inside. And how we ended up with an "acting" Secretary that was willing to do whatever Trump wanted.

There were few corners of the government that were not corrupted in the last four years.

The Justice Department was savagely destroyed, by Trump and his flunkie, Bill Barr. It is still broken, although Merrick Garland is attempting to put it back together.

The Homeland Security and the National Security apparatus, along with the CIA, were nothing but tools for the wanna-be dictator in the White House.

So, the demands for action from these different Departments may be a bit premature. The severe damage that was done may not be so easy to repair.

We may be better off to start from scratch and rebuild these institutions?

Is Marc Short testifying to Committee with the approval of Mike Pence?

He was the former VP's Chief of Staff, so it is unlikely he would talk to the Committee without first discussing it with his former boss, in my opinion.

What does it mean? Has Mike Pence given his staff the green light to tell everything they know to the Select Committee?

It has been reported recently that the staff of Pence was very unhappy with the way he was being treated by the former Criminal-in-Chief. They wanted to tell what happened on January 6th.

I do not expect Mr Short to be taking the "Fifth". He will tell the Committee everything he knows. And that could be a lot?

I truly appreciate and admire Liz Cheney...

...but that does not mean I would vote for her for President.

I am glad she is part of the Select Committee. I cannot wait to see her during the public hearings. Donald Trump will be in tears by the time she gets thru with him.

Get Rhythm

A relevant quote from Abraham Lincoln from 1838:

"[The character of a tyrant] scorns to tread in the footsteps of any predecessor, however illustrious. It thirsts and burns for distinction; and, if possible, it will have it…. Is it unreasonable then to expect, that some man possessed of … ambition sufficient to push it to its utmost stretch, will at some time, spring up among us? And when such a one does, it will require the people to be united with each other, attached to the government and laws, and generally intelligent, to successfully frustrate his designs.

Abraham Lincoln (1838)

A quote from Saint Thomas Aquinas:

"He who is not angry when there is just cause for anger is immoral. Why? Because anger looks

to the good of justice. And if you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well

as unjust."


St. Thomas Aquinas

Beware the new "re-propaganda" plan.

It's not that the "base" does not still support Trump. They do.

But Trump wants them to double-down on the premise that the election was stolen. Why?

Because that is the only defense that he has left. He believes that if he can get enough of his base to support his claim that the election was "rigged", then that will somehow protect him from prosecution. At the very least, it will create a subversive environment against our government.

We should note that in the last two or three days, he has narrowed in on the subject matter. (Of course, he had his infamous "double-negative" statement, but his "base" knew what he meant)

There is a re-newed effort to re-propagandize the weak-minded traitors to this country. They do not know better. They have little invisible strings tied to their collars.

It is a new threat to our democracy and we should be aware of how it is happening.

Should America spend as much on people and the common good as we spend on Defense?

It seems to me that should be part of the debate.

Republicans are whining about "socialism" and are accusing Democrats of being "big government socialists", but they have no problem spending $750 billion per year on our defense budget?

Over a ten-year period, that would amount to $7.5 trillion dollars!

What kind of scam is that?

The initial "Build Back Better" plan was asking for $350 billion a year, or $3.5 trillion over a ten-year period, which is less than half of what we are spending on defense.

Shouldn't this be an issue for the Democratic Party?

Old Man

Hey Jude