January 27, 2020

Trump misstates the record on John Bolton

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump stated falsely Monday that House Democrats never called his former national security adviser to testify in their impeachment inquiry. Actually they did.

Trump’s tweet about John Bolton came as the Senate enters the second week of the impeachment trial and followed a fresh disclosure that Bolton claims Trump told him directly that he wanted to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid from Ukraine until it helped with investigations into Joe Biden and Democrats.

Bolton’s assertion, in his forthcoming book, contradicts key assertions by Trump and his defense team’s argument that there is no evidence the president conditioned aid to Ukraine on an investigation of his political rivals. The disclosure prompted Trump to strike out on Twitter, where he misrepresented what happened in the impeachment inquiry.

As well, in their opening defense arguments on the weekend, Trump’s attorneys perpetuated a baseless claim that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election as they argued that Trump had good reason to withhold military aid to the country.

Read more: https://apnews.com/4f2eac395c94a7ade29fc6e32c71a872

January 26, 2020

I hate to keep saying this and I will be the first to say I was WRONG. But the elections have been..

electronically rigged starting in 2000.

We now are at a point where adjusted election results can happen in real-time to determine the desired winner. Steal a few votes here a few votes there and no one will know with an auditable system.

This didn't happen overnight it started in 2000 and the GOP has been tweaking and field testing the system in every election since then. Combined with all the other VOTER SUPPRESSION programs the GOP has put in place they are in my opinion at a point where they can dial-in an election wins anytime they want or need. Until we recognize that and FIX IT we will continue to see our democracy eroded point to point, election to election.

Someday in the not too distant future, we will see election results like those in Russia. "Putin WINS with 97% of the votes."

We need to do these things. At least 1-12
1. get rid of Citizen United which opens the door for foreign interference in our elections.
2. implement publicly funded election. Eliminate the need for the candidate to beg for funding and then get BOUGHT by rich donors.
3. get rid of ALL voter suppression programs. Including gerrymandering district.
4. implement TERM LIMITS. Congress should not be a life long career to become millionaires.
5. return to paper ballots. At the very least an auditable electronic system.
6. scrap the electoral college system. Combined with computer modeling it makes stealing election easier (2016).
7. decide the winner based on who wins the popular vote.
8. implement HARSH punishments for ELECTION FRAUD. Voter fraud is a GOP myth.
9. re-implement the Fairness Doctrine (see details below).
10. fix the laws that protect a sitting president from being charged for crimes while in office.
11. fix the Impeachment process. It is broken.
12. abolish the SCOTUS lifetime appointments.
I'm sure there are more things that need to be fixed but this is a start

The FAIRNESS DOCTRINE

In 1949, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a report that recommended what came to be known as the “Fairness Doctrine.” As explained by the Congressional Research Service, the doctrine “consisted of two basic requirements” for anyone given a TV or radio broadcast license:

(1) that every licensee devote a reasonable portion of broadcast time to the discussion and consideration of controversial issues of public importance; and

(2) that in doing so, [the broadcaster must be] fair – that is, [the broadcaster] must affirmatively endeavor to make … facilities available for the expression of contrasting viewpoints held by responsible elements with respect to the controversial issues presented.

Ronald Reagan abolished it. He then vetoed an attempt to re-implement it in 1987. FOX came on-line in 1990.

January 23, 2020

Wisconsin Republicans dismiss nonpartisan redistricting plan By SCOTT BAUER

Source: AP

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ plan to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission to draw Wisconsin’s electoral maps may put pressure on the Republicans who control the Legislature to consider an alternative plan, but it won’t force them to do anything differently next year and GOP leaders made clear they won’t change course.

The legal fight over Republican-drawn maps in Wisconsin in 2011 was one of the key gerrymandering cases that went to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court refused to hear the lawsuit, resulting in the current maps remaining in place despite Democrats’ claim that they unfairly favor Republicans.

The Supreme Court later ruled last year in similar cases out of North Carolina and Maryland, shutting the door in federal court on gerrymandering arguments by essentially saying that states are free to draw electoral borders as they please.

Evers was part of a Democratic sweep of statewide offices in 2018 and Democratic candidates received more total votes than Republican ones in Wisconsin’s U.S. House and state Assembly races that year. But Republicans won five of the eight U.S. House seats and 64 of the 99 state Assembly seats.

Read more: https://apnews.com/86670cf694caeffb440433abb2b8fed5

January 22, 2020

Senator Ron Johnson Wisconsin. A reminder to you and all your constituents of the oath you took.

“I solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial
of the impeachment of Donald J. Trump, President of
the United States, now pending, I will do impartial justice
according to the Constitution and laws: so help me God.”

Senate rules also require that each senator taking the oath
memorialize that action by signing an official register.

You took the oath and signed the book.
The question now is will you honor that oath?
Will you "do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws?

Or will you ignore the oath and vote a party line?

January 22, 2020

Trump says he's open to witnesses as trial rules are set

Source: AP

By LISA MASCARO and ZEKE MILLER 21 minutes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Senate plunged into President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial with Republicans abruptly abandoning plans to cram opening arguments into two days but solidly rejecting for now Democratic demands for more witnesses to expose what they deem Trump’s “trifecta” of offenses.

Trump himself said Wednesday he wants top aides to testify, but qualified that by suggesting there were “national security” concerns to allowing their testimony.

“We have a great case,” Trump said at a global economic forum in Davos, Switzerland. In a press conference before returning to Washington, Trump said his legal team was doing a “very good job.”

He appeared to break with Republicans efforts to block Democratic motions to immediately call witnesses and subpoena documents. Instead, Trump said he’d like to see aides, including former national security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, testify as witnesses

Read more: https://apnews.com/2cb8c0b71160268b52a90335e0e5ce47

January 22, 2020

The ability to reach our Senators is particularly important during the impeachment trial. Twice....

...... In the last 24 hours I have tried to reach Senator Ron Johnson. I was unable to speak to the Senator or another live body from his office. Twice I was rolled over to a messaging system to leave a message. A message to tell Sen. Ron Johnson that this third generation U.S. Veteran wants Senator Johnson to vote for witnesses and documents for the impeachment trial. And TWICE I got an outgoing message saying "this mailbox is full".

I was not really surprised as previous attempts to reach the Senator have always ended up the same way. "This mailbox is full". Statewide rumors suggest that a full mailbox is standard operating procedure for this Senators office.

I have no doubt Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has already made up his mind to vote a strict party line REGARDLESS of what evidence might say.

January 18, 2020

Ohio State doctor abuse investigation, suits have cost $9.8M

Source: AP

By KANTELE FRANKO
today

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The investigation and related lawsuits about alleged sexual abuse decades ago by an Ohio State University team doctor have cost nearly $10 million so far, according to the school.

The total was about $9.8 million as of December, school spokesman Benjamin Johnson said by email.

That figure is likely to grow as federal lawsuits against the university over its handling of the late Dr. Richard Strauss remain in mediation. About 350 men have sued Ohio State, alleging athletics and student health officials failed to stop the doctor despite knowing concerns about him during his two decades there.

Many of the men say they were fondled during medical exams. The law firm that investigated the allegations for the school concluded last year that the doctor abused athletes and other young men between 1979 and 1997 in his work at campus athletic facilities, the student health center and his off-campus men’s clinic, and even at his home.

Read more: https://apnews.com/c9e957257ec7144cdef4352c03bbb5fb

January 16, 2020

Revisiting one of yesterday "Toons". Which more often than not tells the truth of where we are.

As a veteran, it saddens me that our military, as well as our government, are being changed in significant and dangerous ways.

The president and his sycophants are openly ignoring the Constitution. The only Constitutional laws that they want to follow are those that offer benefits to them. The best examples being the Second Amendment (gun rights) and Article II (Presidential powers).
But in addition to those disturbing facts, the president has seen fit to declare that all other departments and government employees are HIS to use as he sees fit. To demand loyalty oaths to him and ignore the long-held oaths of office AND military enlistment oaths.

The following cartoon from yesterday batch hit home for me. Trump as Commander in Chief (CIC) is on a trend of using our military as his own security force to be deployed to defend his interest, particularly in the middle east. Because he has refused to release his tax returns we have no idea who he is beholden to, who he is in business with, how his decision can and have changed the world's financial markets and why and how our military is being deployed.

We know from the experience in Iraq that private armies (mercenaries) were also in Iraq with their own define missions which often didn't coincide with our military mission.

So yesterday this cartoon pointed out the possibilities facing our military.

If they are going to make mercenaries out of our young men and women. PAY THEM merc's money.

According to CNN, private military contractors' salaries range from $500 per day and $720 per day. For the US army, pay depends on rank and experience. The higher the rank, the more responsibilities you have and the corresponding pay. A private, doing advanced training pockets $1,468 per month.Apr 5, 2019


Do the math
$500 x 30 = $15,000 / month x 11 months = $165,000 / year
$720 x 30 = $21,600 / month x 11 months = $237,600 /year



My final word:
It's the CONSTITUTION they defend for one-tenth of the money a mercenary makes per month.

January 11, 2020

Now Mike Lee knows what it feels like.

By Dana Milbank

This is what Republicans have wrought as they remained silent, or even joined in, as Trump routinely declared his opponents treasonous and fraudulent. Now Republicans see that he can easily turn those weapons of authoritarianism against allies who disagree with him. Having excused and echoed his disinformation against others, they will have no defenses left when the charges of disloyalty are turned on them.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/10/now-mike-lee-knows-what-it-feels-like/

From friend to foe in the blink of an eye.

January 11, 2020

Trump administration knows how bad things are for 2020. So they are hiding and delaying bad news.

The Trump administration has asked the SCOTUS to delay the case until after the election.

KNOWING that:

The case could have major political implications because the results sought by the Republican states and the Trump administration would cause substantial disruptions. According to estimates from the Urban Institute, around 20 million more Americans would become uninsured because of the elimination of the law’s coverage expansions and protections for Americans with pre-existing health conditions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/upshot/obamacare-lawsuit-delay-sought-trump-republicans.html

Additionally, Secretary of the Treasury is Steven Mnuchin is delaying reporting how much Trump's golf outings have cost the taxpayers since he took office.

The government spent about $96 million on travel by Obama over eight years, according to documents obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watch. A report by the Government Accountability Office, which serves as the congressional watchdog on federal spending, estimated that Trump’s travel cost $13.6 million in just one month in early 2017. That total included the costs of travel for Secret Service and Defense Department personnel and the costs of renting space and operating equipment such as boats and planes. If spending continued at that pace, Trump would have exceeded Obama’s total expenses before the end of his first year in office

.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mnuchin-seeks-delay-of-proposed-disclosure-of-secret-service-spending-on-presidential-travel-until-next-year/2020/01/08/8769ea28-30da-11ea-91fd-82d4e04a3fac_story.html

Forbes.com suggests Trump's Golf Trips Could Cost Taxpayers Over $340 Million for his first term.

For more on Trumps, golf outings check out this website: Trump Golf Count https://trumpgolfcount.com