Author: nautamilitis

American Nightmare: We Have Seen The Enemy And…

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WTF? Did we just re-elect a fascist, treasonous, misogynist, racist, draft-dodging, cowardly, insecure, POW hating, veteran disrespecting, war dead bashing, Blue Star family hating, wannabe dictator-on-day-one, Constitutionally ignorant, con-man, dictator loving, mentally rambling, hand-dancing, full-sentence challenged, prostitute John, insurrectionist, comb-over practitioner, orange-flavored, psychopath as president of the United States of America?

Yes, yes we did. Convincingly so.

Let’s be clear. It was a clean, fair election. The Electoral College (do you know that origin history?) did not circumvent popular democracy. Majority, as it always should, won. We The People just did this. We did this to ourselves, our neighbors, our fellow citizens and the country. Again. This was democracy in action. Voting to potentially end voting rights. Voting to withdraw from our Allies and friends, voting to take away more rights, fought and died for by millions of Americans. We. Did. This.

We turned our back on our history. We turned our back on the ideals of this country, on the sacrifices of generations, both military and civilian heroes, the brilliance of the Founding Fathers, and ourselves. No one can defeat America, but America. And we have set that in motion.

Many are trying to reconcile their friends and family who willingly, eagerly, contributed to this national atrocity. How could so many good people, loving people, willingly ignore, hence endorse and accept the crimes noted in the first paragraph of this article, just because they wrongly think inflation is too high?

Because “First they came for the Socialists…then they came for the Trade Unionists…then they came for the Jews…”. Because for millions, the price of a damned carton of eggs is more important than their neighbors, their friends, their country. America.

Pitchforks, Torches and Democracy (Re)Awakened?

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170223113934-tom-reed-town-hall-1024x576.jpgPhoto CNN

 

If there is one thing that politicians do not like (and there are many), it is being held accountable, especially in the form of answering direct questions. Generally, they don’t answer such questions. They talk, and talk, but they don’t often answer. Town Hall meetings, a most cherished democratic tradition, have been the venue of extreme discomfort for elected officials the past few weeks.  Angry constituents have placed so many politicians on the hot seat in these meetings that many are opting out of the traditional venue and hiding behind conference calls where questions can be screened, and ignored.

In recent weeks over 23 elected officials have opted for the safety of conference call bunkers in place of face to face town halls, including Tom MacArthur (NJ), Carlos Cubelo (FL), Martha McSally (AZ), Ron DeSantis (FL), Ken Buck (CO), Chris Stewart (UT), Mike Kelly (PA), Matt Gaetz (FL), Brian Babin (TX), Michael Burgess (TX), Randy Weber (TX), Kay Granger (TX), John Culberson (TX), Peter Roskam (IL), Dan Donovan (NY), Patrick Meehan (PA), Rodney Davis (MI), Barbara Comstock (VA), Elise Stefanik (NY), Bill Huizenga (PA) and Mike Bishop (MI). The fact that they are all Republicans may or may not be a coincidence. Nevertheless, they are hunkering down with their security blankets, to avoid the fate of their fellow officials.

In a recent Town Hall meeting, Senator Tom Cotton had to deal with two hours of direct democracy, peppered with questions on immigration, healthcare and the actions of the Trump Administration. Flustered and unable or unwilling to directly answer simple questions, he was not the only senator this past week to hear chants of “Do you job”.

Representative Buddy Carter was so overwhelmed by his constituents and their taxing questions regarding the Trump Administration, he hid behind the Bible and defended President Trump by stating “I am not here to tell you Donald Trump is perfect. I am not here to tell you I agree with everything he has done. Those of you who have studied the Bible know that God has used imperfect people to do great things before”.

Senator Joni Ernst, 45 minutes into her town hall meeting, abruptly left to loud jeers and chants of “Your last term”.

And finally, (but probably not if politicians again venture forth among the people), the people are proving more informed and educated than their political servants, as Representative Tom Reed got schooled by a woman over his remarks on Planned Parenthood. Reed made the mistake of sharing his canned position, stating “I do not support taxpayer-funded paying of abortion”. Amid the boos a woman quickly educated him on what he should know (or does and ignores) when she said “You, an elected official, are giving misinformation. Right now, our taxes do not pay for abortions, they pay for mammograms, they pay for birth control. Planned Parenthood, less than 3 percent of the services they provide is abortion. And none of that 3 percent is funded by you” she noted just in case he did not get the message. She was apparently referring to the Hyde Amendment.

Today’s pitchforks and torches come in the form of an enraged electorate armed with fact-checking tools and one of democracy’s oldest traditions, the Town Hall, hostile territory for those politicians unable or unwilling to take responsibility, assume accountability and simply, listen to the people you serve. Has Democracy (re)awakened?

 

 

 

 

Sorry Kids, You Don’t Matter

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Today, fifty soul-less Republican lawmakers, with the historical assistance of an equally heartless Vice President Pence, taught the students of America a brutal lesson in democracy.

Today Betsy DeVos and her family’s Republican campaign contributions bought the highest education office in America, Secretary of Education.  No matter that she is woefully unqualified for the job ahead, knows nothing professionally or personally about the American public school system (save for the need of guns to protect against bears), advocates using taxpayer funds to move students into private, for-profit schools and stumbled like an overwhelmed student who had not done her homework during her confirmation hearings.

None of that mattered.  The children did not matter. What did matter were her contributions of $115,000 to individual Republicans, her family contributions of $950,000 to individual Republicans and DeVos family contributions of $8,300,000 to Republican SuperPacs during the past couple of election cycles.

Only two Republicans showed decency and the ability to do what is simplistically right by the children.  Senators Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Susan Collins (ME) voted against the confirmation of Mrs. DeVos.  Two.  Two women.

And what is the lesson for the children of America, their real-world lesson in democracy?  If there is enough money kids, you don’t matter.  Not in this Congress, not in this administration, not with this “so-called” president.

Long Hiatus Is Over

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Our long, long hiatus from posting is over.  It is infinitely unimportant why we took such a long break, but it does matter (at least to us) why were are back.  We have elected a (insert numerous and factual derogatory descriptors) president that should not, shall not go unchallenged in his alternate universe prosecution of his job.  Stay ready…

Government Of, By And For Wall Street (Or How Congress Castrated Dodd-Frank In Time For Corporate Christmas Parties)

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The ongoing incestuous love-fest between Wall Street and the federal government was blatantly on display recently as Congress passed the $1.1 Trillion (we just have to cap that word) bill with broad bipartisan support. The bill essentially castrates previous financial reform of 2010 under Dodd-Frank. Now, or should we say yet again, the American taxpayer will assume all of the burden of high-risk activities of the major banks. It is back to the future, this is what gave us the wonderful economy and job situation of 2008. Wells-Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Citi Group control over 90% of the derivatives market and will be able to roll the dice on anything and know the American taxpayer is there to empty their wallets of those minimum wage dollars to bail them out…again. In fact, Citigroup was so helpful as to literally write the bill for Congress, almost word for word.

citigroup-side-by-side_0

Chart-Mother Jones

We have taken yet another giant leap for corporate personhood on the highway to becoming a government of, by and for corporations. Since Congress has been sold yet again, perhaps Citi Group et al received a written receipt, not that they will want to return the goods.

Obama Attends Meeting Of The President's Export Council

Before you place all the blame on Geriatric GOPers keep in mind that quite a few dimwitted and spinless Democrats supported this bill. And the president himself shoulders some blame, not that he would admit it. In his usual amateur politicing he tried to take a position yet, not really. Publicly he opposed the bill while more privately he lobbied Democrats to pass the bill. We wonder if he ran into JPMorgan Chase Chairman/CEO Jamie Dimon as he too was personally lobbying individual members of Congress.

The president’s own party leadership, fading Nancy Pelosi and ascending Elizbeth Warren (who appears to be the only person in government with the intelligence and fortitude to call Wall Street on its outright lies) are wondering aloud what this president is doing. We can help with that question if they just ask. Follow the money, later. When the president leaves office, in time he will become quite wealthy with speaking engagements, endorsements, books and no doubt, a few lucrative board and advisor roles in one or more of those companies we mentioned above.

A government of, by and for the People? If there is a chance to keep it that way the People need to get involved and hold government officials and corporations responsible. If it is not already too late with this corporate coup.