Things We Americans Can All Now Thank Republicans For

Herewith, just that, a list, incomplete as it is, of all the things we have Republicans and their Republican Party to thank for.

--Senator Joe McCarthy and his attacks, repeated, on fellow Americans

--Richard M NIxon, who famously/infamously quit the office of our Presidency because he illegally had his own men break into a room of the Watergate Hotel to get information on his opponent(s) in the Democratic Party

--Ronald Reagan and his dismantling of the middle class what with cutting taxes on corporations and the already-wealthy and then his additional attacks on Unions across the nation

--The very illegal Iran-Contra affair of, again, Ronald Reagan which was when "Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to the Khomeini government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo."  (Source: Wikipedia)

--George W Bush, who also famously/infamously ignored his Presidential Daily Briefs warning us of a pending attack on the nation

--The 9/11 attack, see above, in which 2,977 very innocent Americans lost their lives

--The squandering of our national budget by, again, yes, George W Bush who took that budget surplus we had under his predecessor, Bill Clinton, and blew right threw it

--And the way "Dubya'" blew through our nation's budget surplus was by, of course, using 9/11 as an excuse to attack not just one but two nations, Iraq and Iran

--Then there's the way Dubya' flew TWELVE BILLION DOLLARS, in an airplane, to Iraq. And let it disapper. Yes. True. Really

How the US sent $12bn in cash to Iraq

--The intentional disenfranchising of at least hundreds of thousands, if not, in fact, millions of taxpaying citizens by using "voter ID" laws all so they, Republicans, could either get or stay in government office

--The denial of fair and true representation in our government due to gerrymandering which either puts or certainly keeps their own members in government office, instead of the rightly-elected

And now:

--Donald J Trump.

--Immigrant children in cages at our Southern border

--Immigrant families separated at our Southern border

--Immigrant children lost in our governmental penal system, away from their parents, because they were separated at our border and with no clear way to rejoin them, the children to their families

--Some of the greatest wealth inequality, today, in our entire nation's history

US income inequality jumps to highest level ever recorded

--Large tax cut after large tax cut for the already-wealthy and corporations all the while ignoring or denying the people's true needs, fairness, decency, equity and/or the nation's debt

--The worst national response to the worst international, killing pandemic in the last more than 100 years resulting in our nation's death toll from it all is the worst in the world, literally. The "world's wealthiest nation" with nearly 400,000 citizens dead from COVID-19 and still counting

--An insurrectionist, treasonous, traitorous attack from a President's supporters, on our nation's Capitol

--Pipe bombs, during that same attack on our Capitol, by this President's followers, at the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee Buildings

--Feces and urine left behind on this same treasonous attack on our nation's Capitol

--Threats from more of those same treasonous, traitorous people following a/this President to do it again, that is, attack our nation's Capitol again, this time on January 17, January 19 and/or January 20 because their leader told them he didn't lost an election which he really did decisively lose

--The legitimately most scandalous, scandal-ridden presidency and President in the nation's historycomplete with obstruction of justice, perjury and collusion with our known, sworn international enemy, Russia, to get himself elected. (That last part verified by our own FBI and intelligence agencies

So there you are, fellow Americans. An ugly, ugly and yes, keep in mind, very partial list of what Republicans have done and are responsible for in our nation and our nation's history. And keep in mind, this is still with 10 days left to go in this President Donald J "Jenius" Trump's presidency.

Let's hope it doesn't get any worse.

Additional link:

50 Reasons You Despised George W. Bush's Presidency

Where We Are Now With This President Trump

16 days out.  Only two more weeks and two days to inauguration. Yahoo.

This happened today, thankfully.

Judge Reject Last Ditch Effort to Overturn Election

This broke earlier today, about an hour ago.

A federal judge has rejected a legal effort from groups of Trump voters to block Congress from officially counting the Electoral College votes and suggested the attorneys involved may be subject to sanctions, suggesting they were using courts to "engage in such gamesmanship or symbolic political gestures."
It was yet another defeat for the dubious last-ditch legal maneuvers aimed at overturning President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Fortunately, also happening now, today, our Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is getting skewered, too, for supporting the overturning of our votes and election.

Former Senator John Danforth blasts Hawley

Ex-GOP senator blasts Hawley's challenge to electoral vote

The Washington Post puts Senator Hawley and his recent views in excellent, accurate perspective.

Josh Hawley’s heedless ambition is a threat to the republic

Fortunately, Senator Tom Cotton, of all people, of all Senators, from our neighbor to the South, Arkansas, at least did the right thing.

Tom Cotton Breaks With Trump on Coup Attempt in Congress

And Paul Ryan, of all people, also came out against Trump and his electoral gambit.

In scathing statement, former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan said Republican attempts to reject Electoral College vote were 'antidemocratic and anti-conservative'

Amazingly, even Senator Lindsey "Lap Dog" Graham came to his senses.

Lindsey Graham Publicly Ditches The 11-GOP Traitors

Unfortunately, this became necessary. Fortunately, they all spoke up.

All 10 Living Ex-Defense Secretaries Unite Against Trump

All 10 currently living ex-Defense Secretaries — two of whom served in the Trump administration — have banded together with a new op-ed in The Washington Post in which they insist upon the critical importance of an orderly transfer of power between presidential administrations without any military involvement in dealing with election-related challenges like those which outgoing President Donald Trump and his allies have raised. 

Even Dick Cheney--freaking Dick "Right Wing" Cheney came out against Trump's power grab here.

Dick Cheney And More Are Demanding Trump Finally Admit He Lost

And rightly so. Also fortunately, the business community is coming out with their opinion of Trump's trying to overthrow our election results.

Business leaders urge Congress to certify Biden win

CEOs Urge Congress to Certify Biden’s Electoral College Win

Nearly 200 Business Leaders Tell Congress To 'Move Forward

Meanwhile, Trump's colossally misinformed, misguided, quite possibly illegal phone call he made over the weekend to Georgia, asking them to overturn the election and find him, very specifically, "11,780 more votes", is quite possibly, if not likely either getting or going to get him into yet further legal trouble.

Georgia elections board member calls for probe into Trump’s call seeking to pressure Raffensperger

There's talk he could be arrested in Georgia when he goes there tomorrow to help get out Republican votes for their two senate candidates.

Will Trump Leaked Georgia Phone Call Land Him In Jail?

Trump Call to Georgia Official Might Violate State and Federal Law

What took place is incredible.

In his latest attempt to recall the presidential election on Saturday, President Donald Trump reportedly demanded during a now-leaked call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that the latter “find” 11,780 votes for him to win Georgia over President-elect Joe Biden.

During the hour-long phone call, which was first obtained by The Washington Post, Trump insisted to Raffensperger that he, rather than Biden, was the winner of the state’s votes. “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state,” Trump said on the call, where White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Georgia Secretary of State office’s general counsel Ryan Germany, and various lawyers were all present.

It was so incredible, in fact, he isn't even vague about it. He spells out specifically the number of votes he wants, needs them to find. Completely blatant and yet more unprecedented, outrageous Presidency.

Carl Bernstein, one of the two Watergate reporters who helped effectively bring down Richard Nixon, put Trump's phone call, at least, into perspective.

Carl Bernstein Says Latest Trump Tapes Are ‘Far Worse’ Than Watergate

Over 60 different lawsuits by his lawyers and legal team have all, all been thrown out, all across the nation, all for lack of evidence of vote fraud. He needs to give it up. We all know that. He lost. He needs to own it. He needs to do the right thing for the first time in his life. He needs to respect our vote, our votes, our election and Democracy.

All other Presidents, when voted out of office, respected the votes, the election, the process, the people, Democracy and nation.

Until now.

He needs to concede.

In closing, this is a thing.

Airport near Trump's golf resort in Scotland is alerted to a US military plane arriving 1/19/21

The Now Frightening United States of America

Richard Nixon made me mad.

Exposing Nixon’s Vietnam Lies

Nixon Prolonged Vietnam War for Political Gain

The Watergate Scandal

Ronald Reagan upset me, made me mad.

The Iran-Contra Affair: Ronald Reagan’s Arms Sales Scandal

The Enduring Lies of Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan's wartime lies

George W. Bush was depressing--and made me mad.

If only we Had that $6.4 Trillion we wasted on Iraq

Bush squandered surplus 

Bush: God told me to invade Iraq

Yes, Bush lied about Iraq

No, really, George W. Bush lied about WMDs

Donald J Trump is, no exaggeration, frightening.

Trump Attacks our Democracy

New study says Trump has ‘dangerously undermined truth

Trump's Attacks on the Constitution

Trump undermines democracy with media attacks

Trump Attacks Post Office While Carriers & Clerks Die

The Trump Administration Is Reversing Nearly 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List.

Trump's attacks on the First Amendment and the press

Donald Trump attacks the First Amendment . . . again

Appeals court rules Trump violated First Amendment

Trump Comes Unglued And Humiliates Himself At Press Conference

Trump Comes Unglued In Saturday Twitter Freakout

We're concerned, sure, but even those around him get and and are concerned.

Melania Trump ‘Concerned’ Donald Comes Across As ‘Unhinged

And then there was this beauty, not that long ago.

Trump says he's treated worse than Lincoln (who was assassinated)

I could go on.

Frightening.  This President is honestly frightening. And in more than one way.

God help us. Again, God help us.

This President. This Presidency

No overstatement.

The worst president. Ever.

Nixon-era White House counsel John Dean: Nixon was 'corrupt,' but Trump is 'evil'

Republican Party Priorities

And note:  On the one with the most time and money spent on it, they found nothing.

Zero.

But a foreign nation? Ostensibly our arch-enemy? Attack our elections and election system?

A 40th Anniversary

40 years ago today we lost the no good, low down, dirty, lying, rotten scoundrel that was Richard Milhouse Nixon.  I said it then, I think it now---thank goodness.

Besides lying to the American public, I think it will be shown one day that this low down scallawag kept us, kept the United States, kept our American soldiers in Vietnam beyond the election in 1972, to insure his re-election.  No, I certainly can't prove it and no one has yet but it absolutely always looked as though that was the case to me and he surely showed, in lots of different ways, he was capable of it.

I don't believe in Hell but if I did, I should think there would be an especially hot corner of it for this man.

Daniel Schorr: What we need in our press and media

There is a terrific article out right now on Daniel Schorr and his and the press' role in our government and world. I'll put a link to it at the bottom, in case you're interested on the rest of it and quote a bit of it here: Journalists are not supposed to be friends of presidents. Dan Schorr understood that. Schorr was not a pamphleteer. Though he was a crisp and efficient writer, Schorr inclined toward the microphone and camera as a CBS correspondent who got run out of Moscow, as the CNN correspondent who got the cable network going with a typically-pointed interview of then-President Jimmy Carter and as NPR’s resident truth teller until shortly before his death Friday at age 93. The clip that will be repeated for as long as broadcast journalism history classes are taught will be of Schorr, broadcasting live from outside the Senate Watergate hearing room with a copy of Richard Nixon’s White House “enemies list.” The list of Americans who had gotten on the wrong side of the president had just been revealed and Schorr was reading through the first twenty “enemies.” After he finished with California Congressman Ron Dellums, he read the next name—without a dramatic pause or any show of emotion: “Daniel Schorr, a real media enemy.” What was important about Schorr was not that his name was on the enemies list, however. It was what he did to get it there. Schorr’s unofficial beat was always the abuse of power. He challenged Soviet communists and American capitalists (including his bosses at CBS and CNN) with the same relentless questioning. And when he got the story, he got it out—even if his editors refused to let him go with it personally. Famously, in the mid-'70s, when Schorr was leaked a copy of the secret “Pike Report”—named for the chair of an House Intelligence Committee inquiry into Central Intelligence Agency intrigues and illegality—CBS refused to go with it. Schorr promptly leaked the report to the Village Voice, a newspaper he was certain would run it. That was too much for CBS and, despite having won Emmy Awards in three of the four preceding years, Schorr was soon no longer working for CBS. At CNN, he clashed with Ted Turner over the cable executive’s determination to censor films—a serious issue with Schorr, who forged an unlikely partnership with musician Frank Zappa, another free-speech absolutist. In 1985, his CNN contract was not renewed and Schorr moved to NPR, where we got to know one another. My favorite moment came when he was asked his opinion of the decision by a 5-4 Supreme Court majority to stop the Florida recount of 2000 and award the presidency to George W. Bush, who had lost the popular vote by more than 500,000 and who appeared to be on his way to losing Florida and, with it, the Electoral College. The issue had been settled and most journalists were parsing things in a manner that might allow them to get on the good side of the notoriously vengeful Bush-Cheney team. But Schorr minced no words. The court decision was, he declared, “a judicial coup” carried out by “the Gang of Five, philosophically led by archconservative Antonin Scalia.” At the age of 84, Schorr was making himself the enemy of another administration by speaking a truth that most journalists would not. Link to original post: http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20100726/cm_thenation/37930;_ylt=AjqiR2I2pqPiPJuXnRx3bg79wxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJoMDBuN2lhBGFzc2V0A3RoZW5hdGlvbi8yMDEwMDcyNi8zNzkzMARjcG9zAzYEcG9zAzMEc2VjA3luX2hlYWRsaW5lX2xpc3QEc2xrA2RhbmllbHNjaG9ycg--

Betty Ford: One cool, smart, tough, beautiful person

Think about it: Republican First Lady Betty Ford--for the Equal Rights Amendment, a true announced feminist--and not afraid to say and live it--for women's abortion rights, went through and survived breast cancer and then went on to help other women deal with their own cancers, overcame prescription drug and alcohol addiction, started a clinic that bears her name to help others overcome their addictions and a whole lot more, after having national American politics and all it entails thrust upon her.

What a gal.

Betty Ford, we salute you.

If you didn't see any of the series on Betty Ford on PBS, you really missed something. There's a link to last evening's segment here:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bettyford/act4.html

How I can--occasionally--love Republicans and Conservatives

Breaking news, boys and girls and it's hot.

It seems 4 clowns tried to tap the phones of Moderate Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu.

It sounds like it was a real cluster truck, too:

"A conservative activist who posed as a pimp to target the community-organizing group ACORN and the son of a federal prosecutor were among four people arrested by the FBI and accused of trying to interfere with phones at Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu's office."

Get that, already--"posed as a pimp." Man, these people are fun. And they didn't want to stop there so they figured they'd just walk into a Senator's office and tap the phones.

And it doesn't stop there:

One of the two guys--they were 24 years old--is "the son of acting U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan in Shreveport..."

This just gets better and better.

And this is only day one of the scandal. I'm sure more terrific, juicy stuff will come of it.

So, as I said, this is why and how I can--occasionally, anyway--love my fellow Republican and Conservative brethren.

Part of it is because they'll do anything to attempt to "get ahead."

But the other part is because they never learn or they just never learned their American history.

They never heard of Watergate.

There's not much time left, you know

No, there's not much time left, between now and January 20, 2009, when this administration is no longer with us. It's too much time, though, we're finding out, because these people are really trying to dismantle the environmental and constitutional protections that are already in place.

What am I talking about, beyond my entry a few days ago, when I showed how they were trying to take apart the Endangered Species Act?

Yesterday it was announced that the FBI, via Attorney General Michael Mukasey, is planning on getting rid of rules that were put in place after the Republican Watergate nightmare. Yeah. They want to make it easier yet for the FBI to spy on us, the American public.

Once again, unbelievable. Truly unbelievable.

They've already taken down so many protections that used to be in the Constitution, to protect the American people from the government and now they want more.

Remember Nixon's "enemies list"? That's what these post-Watergate rules were created to protect the country from, for pity's sake. AND THEY WANT TO TAKE THOSE DOWN.

For a refresher course on Tricky Dick's list, it included many, prominent US citizens. Several of them were senators, big-name media people (like Dan Schorr, for God's sake), a governor, the mayor of New York at the time, Union leaders, celebrities--Carol Channing, of all people--business people, heads of corporations, and more. For a complete list, go to this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_list_of_Nixon_political_opponents.
It's a real hoot.

Ol' Dick (Cheney, this time) must be dying to go after what he--or they--see as "enemies of the White House", ya' think?

In so many ways and on so many different spheres, it seems that we, as a country, as a people, don't learn our lessons from our actions, or preemptively, from history.

(For more information and the original story, go here:
http://www.truthout.org/article/fbi-get-freer-rein-gather-domestic-information)