Republicans Can Rid Us Of This Meddlesome President

They all hate him. They fear being on the butt end of one of his tweets, or perhaps him backing a primary candidate against them for a perceived slight. They wake up each morning scanning Twitter to see what new position they must adopt and defend that they had never previously considered before Trump said it. Many are morally opposed to him, others just want their soul back.

Unexpectedly an opportunity has come to be rid of this menace. All because of a whistleblower complaint that exposed him blackmailing/bribing Ukraine to investigate old charges against Joe Biden and his son Hunter that were long ago investigated and dismissed. In a way only Donald Trump and Rudy Guiliani could have managed. They got caught, lied about it, and changed their story multiple times before White House notes of a phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showing Trump committing a felony, implicating Attorney General William Barr to boot.

Trump being Trump, he initially refused to turn over the transcript of the phone call and the whistleblower which by law was supposed to be turned over to the relevant committees in Congress. Finally showing a spine after allowing countless Trump lackeys to ignore subpoenas or refuse to testify or turn over documents. Nancy Pelosi announced a formal Impeachment Inquiry into the President’s behavior. Trump kept announcing his phone call was “perfect.” Leaving him no legitimate explanation as to why then he couldn’t turn over the transcript? Within hours of the transcript being released to the public and the whistleblower report given to the leadership in Congress. Democrats had the 218 votes required to vote for an Impeachment and a trial to be conducted by the Republican-controlled Senate. With more misdeeds by Trump becoming public by the day, that the House will take that Impeachment vote is nearly certain. Then it’s up to the Republicans in the Senate to decide what they’re going to do?

It takes a two-thirds majority vote to find the President guilty in the Senate and evict him from office. Twice before it was attempted with Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton; each previous attempt failed. Richard Nixon resigned before Impeachment after Republican Senator’s came to him explaining he didn’t have the votes to survive. While it appears that this group of Republicans won’t ever turn on the President. This is their one chance to rid themselves of this lunatic on grounds of national security or perhaps just fatigue.

If they vote to get rid of Trump in the Senate, they could make their first claim to have acted honorably, in the interest of the Republic, since Trump took office. They could claim they put Country before Party, no man is above the law, throw in a few words like truth, justice, and the American way. A group that hasn’t exactly covered themselves in glory as they stayed silent when children were caged and white supremacists roamed the White House can finally stand up and be heard.

The inevitable Impeachment trial in the Senate will be conducted by the Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsay Graham. The former best friend of the late John McCain used to consider himself and hope to be seen as an honorable man. In the past two years he’s gone against much he once believed in, siding with a President way too close to Russia, a country Graham once considered the enemy. Lindsay has turned the other way when Trump cheats at golf and on his wives. He’s dishonored his longtime friend John McCain and made a mockery of his legacy. This will be his last chance to square things with McCain, his PArty, and the American public.

Don’t count out the possibility that Trump could be convicted in the Senate. Their calculation has been that as long as Trump held a significant approval rating with his base, they couldn’t afford to turn against him. We’ve now gotten to the point that did in Nixon. Televised congressional hearings with negative information coming out daily. Then repeated on 24-hour cable news networks. Any sign that the base is leaving Trump and the Senate may well turn on him. We will see?

Log Cabin Republicans… Sellouts?

Last year, President Trump rescinded President Obama’s order protecting Transgender students in schools. The earlier order although held up in the courts; would have allowed Transgender students to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender identification. Because the original order was signed off by the Justice Department and Department of Education. The same two Departments needed to agree to it being rescinded. Apparently, Betsy DeVos had misgivings and initially withheld her consent until pressured by Jeff Sessions the Attorney General and Donald Trump.

I decided to check and see what the response was of the Log Cabin Republicans, the organization within the Republican Party that advocates for the LGBT community. I have previously sympathized with the Log Cabin Republicans and had the perception over the years that they were a long-suffering group. Fighting to make headway within an organization that often publicly and privately rejects them. I’ve watched them fight during Presidential election years against language in the Republican platform which was ultimately included. They may have had some victories along the way. I’m certainly not clocking them 24/7 but I’m not aware of any major victories.

I went to their website and read article after article along with an interview of the organization’s President, Gregory T. Angelo. I looked for their response to Donald Trump reversing gains achieved under the Obama Administration and they said… nothing. Now there were congratulations for Donald Trump for not signing an Executive Order that had apparently been written and presented to him which reversed a different Obama order providing protections from Federal contractors. There were hopes for what a Trump Presidency would mean to the gay community. They were invited by the transition team to submit a White Paper which would be duly considered. They acknowledged they were unsuccessful in keeping the Republican Platform from being as hateful as always but they apparently decided not to take them literally.

Photo: salon.com

There was talk of progress and a great Utah compromise where they worked together with the Mormon Church to carve out some protections while allowing for “religious exceptions.” When Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. Slate and the New York Times immediately found Gorsuch’s anti-LGBT views and rulings but Log Cabin Republican Republicans promised only to “review his record.” They rely on the hope that President Obama’s order involving contractors will ultimately only be amended as opposed to rescinded. In their only action with even a minimal return, they were all in for Betsy DeVos. And she had their back for a brief moment before ultimately caving.

The thought of what Log Republicans could be is apparently much greater than what they have become. They have become a full-throated voice supporting all the programs of the Republican Party including full repeal of Obamacare, 2nd Amendment rights, and opposing “Radical Islamic Terrorism.” The issues they forgot to stand up for were their own. They are excited about being a full-fledged sponsor at CPAC for the second year in a row which is something I guess.

I don’t presume to tell the Log Cabin Republicans how to be gay. I do recognize when an organization has sold out and they have at least on the leadership level. I say the same thing about Project 21. The “leading voice of black conservatives” which was founded and bankrolled by the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) which is a white right-wing advocacy group. They have a website where half the articles are contributed by black members, the other half by their white overseers and no black conservatives can ever be found in the comments section of any post. Need a Project 21 speaker? Call their Speaker’s Bureau and the NCPPR will take your call and hook you right up. I don’t believe the Log Cabin Republicans are wholly owned by some faction of the Republican Party but it seems they might as well be.

Photo: twitter.com

Something the Log Cabin Republicans are good at is asking for money. If I were to seek the best organization to fight for LGBT issues I’d look long and hard for an independent group not beholden to the Party. Appeasement doesn’t seem to be getting them anywhere.

Update: Since this article was written, the webpage has been updated to praise the Trump Administration for it’s announced program to decriminalize homosexuality in several nations. It was a reaction to the death of an Iranian gay male at the hands of the government. One might wonder if the event hadn’t occurred in Iran. The list of countries singled out includes Saudi Arabia. The country Trump tried to help cover up the murder of a journalist. Since the announcement of the effort in mid-February. No actual action has taken place, except the praise from the Log Cabin Republicans. Jerri Ann Henry has replaced Gregory T. Angelo, taking the title of Executive Director. One can hope that change is good. Evidence of progress would be even better.

The Mueller Report: The Devil Will Be In The Footnotes

The highly anticipated report of the Special Counsel will not be all that some have hoped for. Robert Mueller has shown a willingness to defer not only to the internal Justice Department memo stating a sitting President can’t be indicted but also his mandate to focus on Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election and possible involvement by the Trump campaign. There is the caveat that he can investigate, “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.” To the chagrin of many, Mueller won’t be bringing charges on the money laundering, fraud, foreign bribes, and other unrelated crimes that turn up under every rock Trump has touched along his life journey.

The Mueller report will certainly have highlights. Within his narrow scope, he will detail the interactions with the Trump campaign with Russians ranging from President Putin to the Russian mob. The list of his family and associates that have had secret dealings with Russia, and lied about them, is already long. We’ll learn much more than has already been reported. Whether that is enough to convince Republican Senators to vote to impeach Trump will still be in doubt given that they know these things to be true already and look the other way.

The contents of the Mueller Report will be scandalous, directly point out the treasonous behavior of the President of the United States and most of his family. It will list crimes that some will dismiss as “process crimes,” newly defined as crimes we’re willing to overlook because they inconveniently involve someone we like. The report will detail criminal behavior that is already built into their political consideration because the general information has been available for so long.

The real damage to come from the Mueller Report will not be from the body of the report, but from the footnotes. And if you’ve seen any of the documents publicly released by Mueller’s team. They’re some footnote writing sons (and daughters) of guns. The footnotes will detail what became of all the criminal behavior uncovered that Mueller chose not to retain for the Special Counsel to prosecute. We’ll see familiar names like Michael Cohen who was referred out to the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and ultimately pleaded guilty to eight felony counts not brought by Mueller. The charges against Cohen stemmed from the review of his financial documents which revealed things like the Campaign Finance Violations involving payments fro Donald Trump to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Review of Cohen’s finances revealed crimes he wasn’t even charged with including acting as an Unregistered Foreign Agent. Keep in mind, Robert Mueller has seen all of Donald Trump’s finances.

Various court documents involving Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn, and others have been heavily redacted when released to the public because of their impact on “continuing investigations.” Rick Gates has his sentencing postponed because of his continuing assistance in “several” investigations as well. Although the Special Counsel is winding down his personal involvement and that of his staff. The footnotes will enshrine the crimes uncovered by Trump, et al, and what is being done in response.

The footnotes will tell us of all the referrals, some of which haven’t yet resulted in indictments, and some that perhaps never will. There is no way to look at Trump’s finances and not find money laundering, bank fraud, payments to women not yet identified (Steve Bannon suggested hundreds) and the crime that brought down Al Capone; tax fraud. Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, Erik Prince, and others have lied to Congress. Crimes which Mueller might yet charge himself and turn over to others for prosecution. Trump’s multiple instances of Obstruction of Justice will be outlined for all to see.

While part of the report may never be revealed to the public due to national security or editing by Attorney General William Barr. The President may claim Executive Privilege to keep some parts of the findings secret. There can be no legitimate excuse to keep from Congress the footnotes indicating actions taken by the Special Counsel to refer cases to other jurisdictions. It will be a roadmap of criminal behavior will fuel House Investigations for the rest of the Trump Presidency, and it will all become public. Those Republican Senators will face questions on a daily basis about their willingness to overlook the criminal behavior of the President and his family, while eventually a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charge is levied against The Trump Organization. Those Senators will have to defend their equivalent of siding with the mob, siding with Trump will no longer be a viable option. The law defines 35 specific acts as constituting racketeering. Trump has to be good for at least 30 of them.

Trump: The Second Black President

Donald Trump must be black! That’s the only way I can see the FBI opening a Counter-Intelligence investigation to determine if he was working with or for the Russians. Never before has the FBI conducted such an investigation against a sitting President of the United States. The only way that’s possible, is if Trump were black.

You see, the FBI has never had a problem opening up such an investigation against black leaders. J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO program targeted every black leader of every black organization ever. If a black Boy Scout Troop were organized, chances are they were under investigation by the FBI. COINTELPRO wasn’t limited to black groups and individuals. The FBI went after white people as well, ranging from the United Klans of America to Jane Fonda and John Lennon. By and large, the fastest route to being placed under investigation was to be black.

Martin Luther King Jr. now has a national holiday in his honor. That didn’t keep the FBI from having a counter-intelligence investigation targeting him. Same with Rep. John Lewis who currently represents a Georgia district in the House of Representatives. The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Remember the Freedom Riders? That was them.

The usual suspects were investigated as well, the Black Panther Party, Nation of Islam, Huey P. Newton, and Malcolm X. Another American hero, Muhammad Ali made the list, along with stripper Tabitha Fringe Chase who disrobed to protest a “baggy pants” ban in Atlanta. COINTELPRO ran from 1956–1971 but don’t think things ended there. The FBI created a whole new category called “Black Identity Extremists” which became public soon into the Trump administration. This allows them to target groups like Black Lives Matter and anyone else who dares to seek justice where law enforcement is concerned. A black person in charge of a Rotary Club had a better chance of finding themselves the target of an FBI Investigation than a sitting President, until now.

If Donald Trump is actually black, as his targeting suggests. Maybe somebody can tell him while he’s still President so he can consider reversing some of the things he’s done to harm black people since taking office. He and his favorite whipping boy Jeff Sessions did more to free local police departments from Federal supervisions than anyone ever. He’s advocated voter suppression and divided the American people with a little help from his friends. The true test as to whether he’s black will happen if he’s found guilty and forced out of office. If he’s white, he’ll get a full pardon and spend the rest of his days golfing. If he’s black? He’ll be locked up!

Trump’s Secret Plan To Top McCain’s Funeral

You know Trump hasn’t gotten over being disinvited to John McCain’s funeral, giving the Republican Senator from Arizona the last word. I gave pause before electing to use “disinvited” as opposed to “uninvited.” To uninvite someone is to fail to invite someone whereas to disinvite them is to take back an invitation that has previously been issued. While Donald Trump for certain was never invited to the funeral. It would normally be assumed the President of the United States would attend the funeral of a Senator with McCain’s stature and in this case, McCain made clear Donald J. Trump was not to be present. Sounds like a disinvite to me.

Trump complained the coverage of McCain’s death was “over the top” and that it distracted from his recent trade deal with Mexico. He initially refused to issue an official White House statement paying tribute to McCain and had the White House flags raised after being at half-staff for slightly less than two days. Flags for Ted Kennedy, a Senator of similar stature, flew at half staff for five days until after his funeral under President Barack Obama’s administration in 2009. After pressure from veterans groups, Trump had the flag lowered again and issued a weak statement honoring John McCain.

Trump still complained that the honors McCain received were, “more befitting a President,” begrudging the man even in death the appreciation the nation gave McCain for his service. Trump never served himself but did get sent to military school after struggling at other institutions.

Whatever you may think of Trump… you can’t deny he’s focused. The same man who sat and stewed at a 2011 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, the butt of jokes by President Obama and others and decided then he’d run for President. You knew when the nation mocked him for being disinvited to John McCain’s funeral, it wasn’t over. Trump has always been one to hold a grudge.

McCain might have actually started a thing. It will be popular to disinvite people to funerals, starting with Donald Trump. Whenever a former President dies, all other living President’s attend health permitting. I can easily see George H. W. Bush or Jimmy Carter blocking Trump. Relative youngsters George W. Bush and Barack Obama will likely outlive Trump by a decade or more but have no love for the man either. Barack might have his funeral in the heart of Chicago and dare Trump to come? Donald isn’t exactly loved there. But this is about Donald’s plans for revenge on John McCain and any others that may have slighted him. He made the mistake of discussing it with some White House staff members so naturally it leaked. These are his secret plans:

1. Location: Not to be outdone by McCain’s separate services in Arizona and Washington, DC, Trump will have four services; one at his Mar a Lago golf course in Florida, one at his Bedminster, NJ golf course, a perfunctory service in Washington and the grand finale at Trump Tower in New York. From there, the body will be flown on a Trump branded plane to Northeast Scotland and buried at an undisclosed site under the wall separating his exclusive seaside golf course from the common people of Balmedie. It’s fitting he be buried under a wall.
2. The Uninvited: Jeff Sessions, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Rosie O’Donnell, Stormy Daniels, Alec Baldwin, Meghan McCain, Barack and Michelle Obama, George W Bush, Karen MacDougal, James Comey, and Melania for making him sleep in separate bedrooms the last several years.
3. V.I.P. Guests: Steve Bannon, David Duke, any remaining friends who haven’t flipped on him by that point and the special contingent from the sunken place; Kanye West, Jim Brown, and Ben Carson. Special invited guest, Bishop Charles H Ellis III who felt up Ariana Grande on national television at Aretha Franklin’s funeral service, immediately endearing himself to Trump.
4. Eulogy: Because no one else would do it… his children not incarcerated at the time will speak at his services, except Eric. We really don’t need to embarrass him by saying why.
5. Presidential Library: Really? What does a man that can’t/doesn’t read need with a library? Instead he’ll have a Presidential Golf Course with all fees going to the Trump Legal Defense Fund which will be paying off lawyers for decades to come. All family members will be eligible to pay for their attorneys from that fund, except Donald Jr who took that stupid Russia Meeting.
6. Casket: The casket will be solid gold, lined with a substance someone told him about… Vibranium. It will be refrigerated because nobody wants that body to start rotting after several days on tour.
7. Escort: Instead of a traditional Marine escort, Trump escort will be the debut of the Space Force in uniforms designed by Ivanka. If you look closely the tags on their uniforms read, “Made in China.”
8. Music: Spiritual songs will be led by Ted Nugent and Kid Rock. Because the rights to use several songs Trump likes are already tied up in litigation with the artists refusing Trump their use. No other music will be played and instead speeches from his election rallies, focusing on the crowd shouting, “Lock Her Up!”
9. News Coverage: Exclusive rights to the services will be granted to Fox News and “newspapers that said nice things about me!” Scratched off the list was the National Enquirer after David Pecker flipped on him, turning over all the contents of his safe, full of negative Trump stories.
10. Burial Attire: Trump is to be displayed open casket at the various locations in a Black Suit, white dress shirt, overly long red tie, and a white Make America Great Again hat. His hair will be done between services because it tends to mildew if unattended too long.

Not much of a planner, Trump made no consideration for the likelihood he might resign in disgrace or be Impeached, entitling him to no official ceremonies. Civil suits and criminal forfeitures might render him broke and unable to afford luxuries like a gold casket. Of course his loyal base might contribute to a GoFundMe account? Or there’s always Putin?

10 Things I Wonder About Donald Trump?

1. Does he pay for his Klan membership from his own money or did he have it paid from The Trump Foundation?
2. Does he hang his hair up to dry at night after sweating in it all day?
3. What is his actual reading level? I’m taking 6th grade in the pool.
4. Does Melania have multiple locks on the door to her separate bedroom?
5. False teeth?
6. Is everyone afraid to say something to him about his super long ties?
7. Where does he go to find his lawyers? In fairness, since everyone in the White House is lawyered up, all the good ones were probably taken.
8. Given he has 5 children and several grandchildren, has he ever changed a diaper?
9. Can we deport him to a “shithole country?” Would any take him in?
10. Is he more worried about his former lawyer, his accountant, David Pecker, Mueller, the New York State Attorney General, the State Attorney from the Southern District of New York, or Omarosa? They’re all coming for him.

Where Is John McCain’s Other Daughter, Bridget McCain?

You might already know the story? John McCain’s wife was in Bangladesh visiting Mother Theresa’s Orphanage to try to help the children there. She encountered two young girls there, one with severe heart problems and another with a severe cleft palate. Frustrated at her inability to get assurance these children would be taken care of, she made arrangements to bring both girls back to the United States with her. One of the girls (Mickey) was adopted by family friends and the McCain’s adopted Bridget.

During John McCain’s first run for the Presidency in 2000, he was favored to win the South Carolina primary and likely the Republican nomination. Karl Rove, on behalf of George W. Bush who was trailing McCain in the polls. Put out a phone poll asking, “Would you be more or less likely to vote for John McCain… if you knew he fathered an illegitimate black child?” McCain lost the primary and the nomination due to the slander perpetrated by the Bush Campaign.

In the wake of John McCain’s recent death from a form of brain cancer. I can’t help but notice the absence of coverage featuring his daughter Bridget? On multiple networks I see images of wife Cindy, his 106 year old mother Roberta, TV news personality Meghan McCain appears in every news story. Fox News ran a story about McCain’s wife and children sharing messages of love. Bridget was mentioned as existing but no photo or indication of her response to her father’s death.

Bridget as of this writing doesn’t have a Wikipedia page, her last post on her Facebook page was in 2017. She made a couple public appearances when McCain ran again for President in 2008. She also gave an interview about her father that same year in Scholastic magazine. She attended Arizona State University. There isn’t much more public information about the now 27-year-old Bridget and I wonder why?

I have no conspiracy theory, it may well be her preference to remain out of the limelight? It may be something else as well? Here’s wishing condolences to Bridget the missing daughter, who is grieving as well.

Trump: “The Only Reason I Picked …”

Donald Trump, despite his claims that he would bring in, “the best people,” seems to have used some of the worst reasons for selecting his staff, Cabinet members, lawyers, and girlfriends.

He said about Jeff Sessions, “The only reason I gave him the job is because I felt loyalty. He was an original supporter.” That doesn’t seem to be much of a reason to be appointed the top law enforcement person in the nation. To be fair to Trump, Sessions shared many of Trump’s views regarding immigration, voter suppression, and people of color. The fact he was deemed “too racist” to become a Federal Judge earlier in his career was probably a plus rather than a negative.

About Omarosa, who’s out peddling her book running down Trump, his administration and family members. He hired her because, “She only said great things about me.” He added, “She never made it, never will. She begged me for a job, tears in her eyes. She was vicious, but not smart. I would rarely see her. But heard really bad things.” She also was apparently the only black person qualified for a senior position in the Trump administration. At least the only one Kellyanne Conway could remember.

Lets look at the likely reasons Trump appointed several other members of his administration or Cabinet. Besides saying very nice things about Trump.

Wilbur Ross: “He ran the Bank of Cyprus which is the greatest bank ever for laundering money. I could learn great things from Wilbur”

Ben Carson: “I called him a psychopath during the campaign but didn’t really mean it. He’ll do what he’s told and really knows his place.”

Hope Hicks: “She’s a nice piece of tail.” Again, striving for fairness, Trump didn’t say exactly that about Ms. Hicks. What he did say to her when she expressed concern about press treatment of her married boyfriend Corey Lewandowski, then Trump’s Campaign Manager. “You’ve already done enough for him. You’re the best piece of tail he’ll ever have.” Hicks is alleged to have run from the room after Trump’s comment.

Ivanka Trump: “Don’t you think my daughter’s hot? She’s hot right?” or “If she wasn’t my daughter. Perhaps I’d be dating her?” or “My daughter Ivanka. She’s 6 feet tall, she’s got the best body. She made a lot of money as a model… a tremendous amount.” or “Yeah, she’s really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren’t happily married and, ya know her father…”

Note: These are not hypothetical quotes. Trump actually said all those things.

Paul Manafort: It is unclear as to whether Trump hired Manafort based of recommendations from potential future defendant Jared Kushner, potential future defendant Roger Stone, or the Russian mob. There are unconfirmed stories suggesting all of the above. It hardly matters which is true.

Mike Pence: Selected by convicted felon Paul Manafort.

Stormy Daniels: She “spanked that ass,” what’s not to like about that?

Why The Open Supreme Court Seat Gives Democrats A Better Chance At The Senate

In a bombshell announcement, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said he was retiring from the Supreme Court. There had long been speculation he’d retire, his wife allegedly wanted him to retire. He will turn 82-years-old in July. Without meaning to disparage, he was old and tired and that was reflected in this last session where he seemingly rolled over and let the partisan right-wingers have their way. Even his concurring opinion in support of Trump’s “Travel Ban,” a meager 1 and 1/2 pages indicated his effort was gone. Kennedy had apparently retired long before his announcement.

Immediately, Trump, McConnell, and many top Republicans started drooling at the thought of what they could do with an untouchable partisan majority once they inserted another like-minded Justice to serve 30-40 years or more on the bench. They could undo Roe v. Wade, outlaw gay marriage and eliminate Affirmative Action. Planned Parenthood… gone! This most recent session gave us a glimpse as to what the new SCOTUS would look like. They approved a “Travel Ban” which was an ill-disguised Muslim Ban in its third iteration, they severely wounded public unions by eliminating their ability to collect dues from all workers they were required to represent. They looked the other way on “Partisan Gerrymandering” which in most cases is “Racial Gerrymandering” by another name. Out of the other side of their mouth, they said; “Racial Gerrymandering” is bad and rejected the Texas version of it, The new Court, not much different than the current one, will take away rights from women, gays, minorities, workers, and students. We don’t have to guess at their intentions, they are happy to tell us who they are and what they plan. And that will be their undoing.

While the Democrat Party has mostly been a pushover in times like these. Even the initial comments from the elected leaders are focusing on Republicans not “being fair” when not applying the same standard about holding confirmation hearings so close to an important election. Frankly, they sound like they’re whining and when Mitch McConnell points out that “Mid-Terms are different than a Presidential election,” he’s right. The same President will be in place before and after the election and would be in no way compelled to consider any result of the election when making his appointment and sending him/her to the Senate for confirmation. A far more compelling argument is that the current President is a target of an investigation and has a conflict of interest in appointing a Justice that might ultimately hear his case. Another possibility is that he’s demonstrated an unusual deference to the Russians he may or may not have conspired with, we should wait for the investigation to be concluded before possibly letting Vladimir Putin select our next Supreme Court Justice.

But it won’t be Democrat leaders who carry the fray, it will be the people. It will be the women, even many of the 53% of white women who voted for the serial sexual harasser, pussy grabbing adulterer that didn’t give them pause earlier. They will recognize that killing Planned Parenthood not only limits options for abortion but takes away the only source of Healthcare for an astonishing number of women, particularly in rural areas. The LGBTQ community will be reinforced in the knowledge that their hard-fought rights, many decided on the swing vote of Anthony Kennedy, are in jeopardy. Any Black people who hadn’t yet decided what it was they had to lose under a Trump administration will have noticed Trump and Jeff Sessions bringing back mass incarceration and expanding voter suppression. Hispanic voters will have noticed people that look like them having their children separated from their parents, some likely to never see them again. Muslim voters are now more than an ocean away from friends and relatives, they are separated by laws no less racially based that those that interred the Japanese during World War II while Germans and Italians with whom we were also at war, were affected in much smaller percentages. Young people will see that individual rights have been pushed aside for corporate rights and that they are doing worse than their parents as a result.

At Planned Parenthood, phones are already ringing off the hook because the man who promised he’d make overturning Roe v. Wade a litmus test when selecting a Justice, is preparing to do it again. He lived up to his promise on his first choice, Neil Gorsuch, and will no doubt do the same on his second. Hispanics who have traditionally not turned out at the polls in representative numbers will be there, perhaps remembering the cries of the children, calling for their mothers. Reliable Black people will be there again, hoping to get in line next to someone wearing a MAGA hat. Muslims will turn out, Native-Americans who don’t see the humor in “Pocahontas” being used to ridicule Elizabeth Warren about her lineage. And then the women, some of whom stood by while Republicans came for all the other groups, now see that Trump, and the Republican Party, have come for them.

While Democrat leaders are calling on deaf ears for “fairness.” Americans are mobilizing against a Court and a Republican Party gone too far. These will be votes against the Republicans as opposed to for Democrats and Democrats would do well to start standing for something as opposed to only being against Trump. Democrats and even the people may not be able to stave off the confirmation of the type of Justice many of us fear. They can take back control of the House and Senate and begin to legislate fixes instead of not doing their job which has been true for the past two decades.

The Democrat Party has an excellent chance to re-take the House of Representatives and in what originally looked like dire straits, have a better chance than before of controlling the Senate as well. In a new day without the filibuster. They can perhaps pay less heed to civility and more to the people. It will require less whining and more organizing. The upcoming elections will be won by getting out the vote and the people have been energized to a level not seen before. The leaders of the Democrat Party need to lead or get out of the way because the people are coming.

What Is It Trump Doesn’t Want You To See?

Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Mastro (D-Nev) undertook a tour of several detention centers where immigrant children were being held. Some were torn away from their parents while crossing the border seeking asylum. She notified the centers in advance of her intended visits. When she reached the Casa Presidente facility in Texas, she was denied access because it was “private property.” She was allowed to see what the government wanted to see, not what they have chosen to hide.

This scenario is now playing out across the country as more and more facilities are identified and the public demands to known what the conditions are. Occasionally, elected officials and sometimes the press are allowed into selected facilities. Always under the condition they not speak to the children, no audio, and no cameras, no cameras, never any cameras. It may well have been the unauthorized leak of the voices of young girls crying for their family that pushed Trump to issue the Executive Order that stops future separations of families. This does not affect those families already separated, some of those families may never be reunited. They release selective pictures depicting what they want you to think. What is it they don’t want us to see?

On May 12, 2018 a distraught Honduran man allegedly killed himself, weeks after he was separated from his wife and child at the border. Marco Antonio Munoz was found dead in his cell although under watch, his death was not reported in local media and never publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security. Starr County Sheriff’s Deputies recorded the incident as a “suicide in custody” in their reports. What is it the government doesn’t want you to know?

We know from reporting that several children have been taken to the hospital since the implementation of Zero-Tolerance by Donald Trump. The children had no medical records. What we don’t know, and can’t rely on the Trump Administration to tell us is, how many people have died while in custody by any cause, suicide, murder or natural death? How many children have been assaulted, harassed or raped? We read about children being given excessive doses of medical drugs issued by psychiatrists, what is the truth? How many families will never be reunited because the government never thought to track them in the first place. How many children are being given up for adoption to American families while their own families desperately want them back?

These are the things being hidden by our government. They would distract you by focusing by Administration members being heckled while at restaurants. We would rather know the answers to these questions? We must not stop until we uncover that which they are hiding. Melania Trump may not really care? The question is… do U?