At this point in my life, I need to start putting some real thought and energy into what these last years will look like, and into how to try and get through the days and survive what's coming. It doesn't appear that anyone has either the ability, the knowledge of how, or the willingness to try and stop Trump from destroying the American Democracy.

There's certainly an awareness of what's going on and how he's doing it, and there are plenty of Americans who, drowining in their own ignorance and prejudice, support what Trump does. The opposition has marched, held rallies, "No Kings" parades, with increasing fervor and participation and there are some politicians, a few in Congress, mostly in the states, who are speaking out and keeping it in front of the people as best they can in the face of a controlled, bought and paid for press that is no longer free. A few have offered suggestions as to what can be done, with excuses of why there's not much that can be done.

But no one is making a real effort to put a stop to it, even with the power that is at hand.

I really hate sounding cynical, but I've resigned myself to the fact that, just a few years short of my 70th birthday, I will probably never see America be the Democracy that it was when I was growing up, and into my adult years. Those who control 99% of the wealth in this country have been enabled to slowly but surely suffocate "we, the people," with their money and the influence it has bought them, and it doesn't really seem like there is a way back. There is a lot of talk, but there is no real action at all.

If there is, please point it out.

I didn't watch it. The clips that have been played today have provided conformation to me that I made the right choice. A rambling, hour and fifty minute pointless and boring speech that means nothing except the man has lost his mind wasn't worth the waste of time it took to watch it.

But there are some conclusions that can be drawn after that absolute disaster.

If you did watch it, you have patience and endurance beyond human expectations. Most of Trump's speeches can be used for the purpose of torturing people and this was no exception.

If, today, you are still a Trump supporter, then you are an idiot. There's no getting around that, because he is an idiot which he made clear, and there you are.

Those who are still supporters of Trump are anti-American in every way. Consider yourselves lucky that this country is generous, kind, and at this particular point, doesn't really enforce laws like that, or you'd be headed to prison. It is impossible to support Trump and call yourself a patriot. That's not patriotism, that's stupidity.

The man is destroying the democratic republic established by the constitution. If you can't see that, then you are bottomlessly naive and hopelessly stupid.

Well, here we are.

Though the Epstein files haven't been completely released, they are full of redactions which the Justice department inserted to make sure there is no transparency, and we are just beginning to discover the scope of what they reveal, the current sitting President has not only not been exonerated, he has been implicated as one of the worst participants in a crime of unfathomable immorality, something most Americans consider to be a sign of the worst possible corruption of the human spirit, and that is the sexual violation and molestation of children.

Oh, yes, I understand innocent until proven guilty and all of that. This President is already under indictment for causing an insurrection, and for stealing classified documents. He's an adjudicated rapist. He admitted to some of his worst immorality, short of what's been uncovered in the Epstein files, long before he descended the golden escalator and ran for President in 2016. So the only explanation, really, for the support he has received from conservative Evangelicals is that they are a cult, in the truest sense of the term, which has completely abandoned the core principles of the Christian gospel they claim to proclaim.

They are pseudo-Christian, using familiar terms and practices, but they are empty of conviction, as the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, "holding to the outward form of godliness but denying it's power." [2 Timothy 3:5.] What is preached from their pulpits is hypocritical, for the most part, especially if they can continue to separate their own conscience from their support for Trump and claim that they are two different and separate things. But, they're not.

The last time a scandal of the magnitude of the Epstein files rocked Washington, D.C., it was following the revelation of the break in at the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. I was in high school when that happened, and it provided a lot of current events material for us. What I recall about it was the genuine sense of disgust and horror over the implications of having a corrupt President holding to the powers of the executive branch. To me, things seemed to move glacially, with the televised hearings, but there was a sense of urgency and once the investigation got rolling, things actually moved pretty fast.

Much has changed since then, including the length of time between knowledge of the extent of Epstein's crimes being revealed, along with who was directly involved, and the launching of investigations producing the documentation we now call the "Epstein Files." Gone is the sense of urgency to complete an investigation and resolve the issues that surround it. These are people with a lot of money and this is America in the 21st century. The enforcement of laws and the power of investigations can be altered by enough money and influence. These people can pay to make sure justice never happens, and we are seeing that unfold right before our very eyes.

Will any of the perpetrators and conspirators involved in Epstein's highly illegal, despicable, and morally bankrupt enterprise ever be brought to justice? I doubt it. Epstein himself is dead and if there is a hell, I hope he is roasting in it. No one else directly involved seems to be getting what they deserve.

We have seen the hypocrisy, the chase after worldly wealth and power, and the collapse of any claims to being a faithful, "Bible-believing, gospel preaching" church that has occurred among a good chunk of those who self-identify as conservative Evangelicals. Leaders like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson promoted monumental hypocrisy when they saw the beginning of decline set in to their movement, and so they abandoned their belief in the power of God's Holy Spirit to chase after political power and the power that comes with wealth while trying to disguise that as some kind of Christian "revival."

In order to get what they are after, they have had to embrace a long, long, long list of anti-Christian beliefs and practices and they've had to suck up to political leaders who didn't have a clue about the Christian gospel, or Christian doctrine and practice...And now, they've gone all out for a convicted rapist, misogynyst, morally bankrupt, accused child molester who is the most frequently mentioned name in all aspects of the Epstein files and who has openly rejected conservative Evangelical theology, doctrine and practice.

After this weeks congressional hearings featuring Attorney General Pam Bondi, Democrats may find themselves in the unusual position of having to thank her for all of the help she is providing to them as the midterm elections approach. Her appearance, in front of the cameras, was a disgusting display of political ugliness that clearly helped the chances of Democrats in gaining control of Congress in November. Millions of dollars worth of flashy television ads and months of campaigning can not do, for Democratic candidates' election chances, what those few hours in front of the camera in Congressional hearings by Bondi did.

Starting with the obvious, Bondi just looked bad. Her face seems to be contorted into a perpetual scowl, tense, furrowed eyebrows, beady eyes sliding to the left and right, wrinkle lines that seem to push her lips together and while I'm sure they get a professional makeup job for the cameras, in her case that didn't help. Her posture is defensive, hunched, and if it is possible for the combination of facial expressions and posture to send non-verbal messages, she's telling us that she's lying.

But the critical mistake she made was her refusal to acknowledge the victims of Epstein, not even looking at them, never mentioning them and essentially behaving like a cold, heartless bitch. That's clearly something that will have some far reaching political effects ultimately benefitting Democrats in the midterms.

Democrats will also wind up getting a lot of help from Kristi Noem. Thrust from the relative obscurity of being an ineffective governor of a tiny state to the spotlight of the Department of Homeland Security, this poor, unfortunate, hopelessly ignorant, and apparently corrupt woman has been helping Democrats gain support for their midterm blue wave from the first day she ever stepped into the department.

Are we really all that surprised that the slowly releasing Epstein files contains so many recognizeable names of politicians and millionaires and billionaires who all apparently thought that the law doesn't apply to them and that they could buy their way out of difficulty with contributions to just the right politicians or judges or influence peddlers? Some of it did make its way into the media, though increasingly, it seems that the price paid by the wealthy in America to enjoy flaunting the law and indulging in personal debauchery also includes owning pieces of the media for control and editing purposes.

This has been a gradual process. The origination point came somewhere during the Reagan Administration. It was more of an enforcement issue back then, in the justice department, when it seemed that regulations designed to protect Americans from what I call exploitation were relaxes in favor of profit margins and unrestrained business practices. But of course, money flows into politics when that becomes the primary means of keeping the flow going. During the Dubya Bush Administration, the invitation was laid out for the rich to buy the government's favor and its been downhill ever since then.

At the risk of sounding cynical, I don't think there is anything that can be done about it. The Roman Empire lasted a thousand years, before interior rot caused its demise. The United States of America may not last 250 years. And when it comes to being a people capable of defending our principles, well, I don't think the will is there. We've been spoiled by prosperity, and the nagging problems of humanity, which seems to always act on its worst instincts and the lowest part of human nature, are hard to overcome.

Even the most progressive elements of liberal democracy do not seem to be able to bring about the kind of reform that will be neccessary to keep this country together, and able to sustain itself in an uncertain future. We seem to be using wealth to perpetuate the wealthy, and to build technological tools capable of utter destruction for a profit. For all it has created, our democratic republic and its idealism has lasted for just a tiny slice of world history. If it is no longer sustainable, then what, really, have we achieved?

Freedom of the press, along with an educated and informed electorate, is the cornerstone of the American Republic. With newspapers, radio, television and internet outlets being the domain of corporations whose financial insterests make them enemies of the people's interests, rather than keeping government honest, those who tell the truth based on the facts have become rare. It's kind of ironic, with Trump having turned the government into a circus of chaos, that the most honest and up front people in media, the remnants of a true "free press," are largely comedians who deliver what has become a daily budget of disaster with a nice comedic edge. That may be the only way we can even stand to hear it.

I listen to Stephanie Miller every morning on the way to work, because I know that what I hear there will be factual. I don't know anyone who has been able to develop a vocabulary that mocks Trump's grandiose bragging and over use of the same extreme terms like she does/ Every time I hear the word, "eleventy-billion", it cracks me up and that has a way of calming me down. I think one of the best strategies Trump opposition and Democrats could have would be to make this program go viral and keep the same tone, format and approach.

Everyone who comes to the mic on that show brings facts and reason and sanity to the discussion. I trust their political judgment, and the laughs are natural, not forced. The level of frustration, incedulity, shock and amazement at the absolute disaster we are seeing unfold every single day resonates with me, and has a way of giving me a sense of vindication and justification for the anger and frustration. They make me feel like we are all watching an incredible disasater unfold together, experiencing and expressing common feelings, and getting a sense of hope that together, we can beat this thing.

I finish listening to her on my way home after work, followed up by Thom Hartmann, who does an outstanding job of just letting people vent their frustrations and point out corruption. I think it is important to hear what Americans are saying and be encouraged that as this moment has come when we are going to get a chance to make a difference, people will turn out and do what they've had bottled up inside for a while now. And I think a lot of Thom's callers are helping leaders who are genuinely committed to resisting Trumpism be encouraged that they are not standing alone, not for a minute.