Month: August 2021

January 6 House Committee Investigating Phone Records Of Eleven Republican Congressmen And Women

admin 1 Comment

The January 6 House Committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol is pursuing subpoenas to investigate the phone records of eleven Republican Congressmen and Congresswomen regarding their involvement in the events of that day.

The list includes:

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
Jody Hice of Georgia
Matt Gaetz of Florida
Andy Biggs of Arizona
Paul Gosar of Arizona
Scott Perry of Pennsylvania
Lauren Boerbert of Colorado
Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina
Mo Brooks of Alabama
Jim Jordan of Ohio
Louie Gohmert of Texas

This group have engaged in sedition and treason, and all pursued the refusal to accept the Electoral College results for the Presidential Election of 2020, and they have all continued to incite domestic terrorism by example in the nearly eight months since the January 6 Insurrection.

And all eleven were involved in communication with Donald Trump on that horrific day!

The truth needs to come out, and the January 6 Committee will do what is required to learn the facts of the conspiracy!

These eleven members need to be prosecuted and expelled from the House of Representatives, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy must be pursued for prosecution for covering up the facts!

Magnificent Airlift Out Of Afghanistan: A Tribute To US Military And Presidential Leadership!

admin Leave a comment

The Airlift of US and Afghan loyalists, as well as those of other foreign nations which had been partners in the Afghanistan War, has ended, with about 125,000 civilians evacuated.

Sadly, not all Americans or Afghan loyalists could be evacuated in two weeks, but the accomplishment of 125,000 people is magnificent, and a tribute to US military and Presidential leadership.

There was no easy way out of a losing war, but America and its President, Joe Biden, can hold their head high, as they did everything humanly possible to save so many people.

And although the Taliban were our sworn enemy for a generation, they have cooperated in the exodus, and will need economic and diplomatic support to govern a nation of 14 ethnicities, and with Al Qaeda and ISIS-K as sworn enemies.

So it is hoped and likely that more Americans and Afghan loyalists will be able to leave Afghanistan, and we must all pray that is the reality in future weeks and months.

And we must welcome Afghan refugees with open arms, and not allow bigotry, including Islamophobia and xenophobia to prevent the integration of these loyalists into America, and give them the American “dream”, as generations of immigrants, escaping oppression, have found America to be a welcoming place, and have made a multitude of contributions!

The Loss Of Thirteen Young Military Personnel In Afghanistan A Great Human Tragedy!

admin Leave a comment

The loss of thirteen young military personnel in Afghanistan is a great human tragedy!

It is understood that when young men and women commit themselves to the military, that they put their lives in danger.

But after 20 years of war in Afghanistan, and about 2,400 killed, it is still a great shock to have thirteen military personnel helping to evacuate Americans and Afghan supporters, being slaughtered by a suicide bomber.

These young men and women are patriots, and watching the dignified return of the remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, with President Biden, his wife, and his Cabinet and military leaders present, to honor the fallen, is a very emotional moment.

This author and blogger feels as if he has lost people he knows, and all Americans should have the same sentiments!

It is also notable that the fallen include people of color and different religious heritages, and it reminds us of the sacrifices and patriotism of our diverse society, and we cannot allow white supremacists to promote hate and division!

We still live in a world of evil, with many enemies who wish to destroy democracy and peace, so the struggle against terrorism is not over!

March On Washington #2–1963, And Now 2021: Why Is This Necessary?

admin Leave a comment

On August 28, 1963, the March On Washington took place in Washington, DC, with the speech of Martin Luther King Jr. being the most memorable speech–“I have a dream” reverberating between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.—an appeal for civil and economic rights, and the end of racism.

At least a quarter of a million people of all backgrounds were there for that memorable event, and it was covered live on television and radio.

In the next two years, we saw the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and other landmark legislation and actions, and we thought the issue was settled.

But now, half a century later, we have a right wing Supreme Court, Republicans in Congress, and many state legislatures negating all of the progress made in the 1960s and after.

So we are in a spiritual crisis where right wing Republican conservatism promoting racism and denial of civil rights has become the norm once again!

Today, there will be marches across the nation, not only in Washington, DC, that will call for the end of the loss of the right to vote, as is occurring in so many southern and western states, and the promotion of the restoration of the progress that was made six decades ago.

This is a struggle for peaceful restoration of basic human and civil rights, and the suppression of the ugliness of bigotry that has once again become endemic!

Remembering Ted Kennedy, John McCain, Lyndon B. Johnson, WEB DuBois,19th Amendment Anniversaries In Time Of Turmoil

admin Leave a comment

Late August is a time to remember the contributions of three political leaders who were true statesmen, one civil rights leader and educator, as well as the celebration of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts died on August 25, 2009; Senator John McCain of Arizona died on August 25, 2018; President Lyndon B. Johnson was born on August 27, 1908; WEB DuBois died on August 27, 1963; and the 19th Amendment (Women Suffrage) was ratified and declared in effect on August 26, 1920.

These four individuals had a dramatic effect on American history, and the woman suffrage amendment has transformed American history as well.

Ted Kennedy is one of the greatest US Senators of all time, with his 47 plus years of service on all kinds of crucial issues.

John McCain is one of the heroic Senators, who also sacrificed years of torture and imprisonment in Vietnam, and was the true conscience of the Republican Party.

Lyndon B. Johnson promoted the greatest series of domestic reforms (“The Great Society”) since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, and those reforms still impact America today.

WEB Dubois was the most significant early leader of the Civil Rights Movement before Martin Luther King Jr. and impacted the concept of Black History, and holding America to a higher standard of racial advancement.

The 19th Amendment overcame the long discrimination against women participating in public life, and has had an immeasurable effect on the American promotion of democracy.

Horrific Loss Of 13 American Soldiers, Many Wounded, And Dozens Of Afghans In Kabul Terrorist Bombing By Isis!

admin Leave a comment

The worst day in many years has occurred today, with the suicide bombing by ISIS terrorists in the Kabul, Afghanistan Airport, causing the death of at least 13 American military personnel, many wounded, and dozens upon dozens of Afghan civilians wanting a better life becoming statistics of the continued danger of Islamic terrorism!

This is a heavy loss, which complicates the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and leaves America in danger!

This is a challenge to the Biden Presidency, how to finish the job of getting people out of the Kabul Airport, and saving as many Afghans who deserve a new beginning from the nightmare of the 20 year war in the troubled nation of Afghanistan!

January 6 House Committee Demanding Phone Records Of Trump Staff, Family, Members Of Congress!

admin 1 Comment

The January 6 House Committee is demanding phone records of all government agencies, Donald Trump White House staff, Trump family members, Vice President Mike Pence, and members of Congress who may have had phone contact with Donald Trump or meetings with him or with seditionists and insurrectionists before and on January 6, 2021.

That means many Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Congressmen Jim Jordan of Ohio, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Jim Banks of Indiana, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, and others; and Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and others now face full accountability and responsibility for their transgressions, if they conspired to cause the Insurrection.

They need to face prosecution if there is adequate evidence of their wrongdoing, which seems highly likely at this point, but we shall see!

The Public Utterances Of Larry Elder, Potential California Governor, After Recall Election On September 14!

admin Leave a comment

Larry Elder, the right wing talk show host, and an African American, seems likely to be the major threat to the tenure of California Governor Gavin Newsom in the upcoming Gubernatorial Recall election on Tuesday, September 14.

What is his record of beliefs and statements?

He is an ardent supporter of Donald Trump, regularly praising him on Twitter.

Elder has argued Trump is not responsible for the January 6, 2021 Insurrection.

In a 2000 book, he called for:

abolishing the Internal Revenue Service
creating a national sales tax
reduce government by 80 percent
end welfare and entitlements
abolish the minimum wage
eliminate corporate taxes

Also, he has condemned Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty”; thinks the ideal minimum wage is ZERO; has condemned labor unions, and said many teachers are incompetent and should be fired; and prefers charter and private schools to public schools.

Elder also is anti abortion; anti gay; thinks California is “soft on crime”; and is a denier of climate change and the dangers of second hand tobacco smoking.

He is also against mandates on COVID 19 and masks; and sees no problem with mass rallies held by Donald Trump. Additionally, he has made highly controversial remarks on women, very misogynistic in nature.

So Elder would be a nightmare for California, and could gain the power to select the replacement for Dianne Feinstein, who might leave soon due to dementia, and that would change the political balance in the US Senate!

The Horrors Of The California Recall Election For Governor: The Threat Of Right Wing Extremist Larry Elder!

admin Leave a comment

On Tuesday, September 14, California, the largest state in population, once again faces the disgrace of a Gubernatorial Recall election, as they did in 2003, when Grey Davis was recalled, and Arnold Schwarzenegger became Republican Governor of the “Golden State”!

While that recall election was something that should not have happened, thankfully, Schwarzenegger turned out to be a moderate, reasonable governor for more than seven years.

Now, however, a horror awaits the state and the nation, if right wing extremist talk show host Larry Elder, who is African American but repudiated by the vast majority of people of his heritage, is somehow catapulted into the governorship. Based on recent public opinion polls, Elder is the number one alternative, if a majority of those who vote reject the sitting governor, indicating a wish for a change after less than three years in office for Governor Gavin Newsom.

One does not have to agree with everything Newsom has said and done to realize what a mockery and a horror it would be if this incompetent and dangerously reckless talk show host, somehow ends up on top of the heap after the Recall vote is counted!

Elder is so far Right, it is shocking that he has any chance of becoming Governor in a state heavily Democratic in population, and in the state legislature, and in the House of Representatives delegation, and with two Democratic Senators.

And it is not just the danger to Governor Newsom, but also the reality that Senator Dianne Feinstein, who clearly has dementia at age 88, and should resign but has not resigned, could be replaced if she does resign, or become incapacitated, or die, and that would tip the balance to a Republican US Senate!

There will be more discussion and development in the news media and by this blogger and author about the extremism and craziness of Larry Elder, but for now, the move has to be to get the votes out in California to insure that Gavin Newsom remains as Governor of the state!

The Afghanistan Crisis Likely Insures A One Term Joe Biden Presidency

admin Leave a comment

Only about one of every three Presidents historically (14 of 44) through Inauguration Day 2021 has served two terms:

George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
Ulysses S. Grant
Grover Cleveland
Woodrow Wilson
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ronald Reagan
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Barack Obama

Additionally, 7 others served more than one term, but not two complete terms:

Abraham Lincoln
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Calvin Coolidge
Harry Truman
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon

And only Lincoln, McKinley, and Nixon were actually elected to two terms, so a total of 17 Presidents elected twice, while TR, Coolidge, Truman, and Johnson succeeded after deaths of their predecessor, and were only elected once to the Presidency.

So a total of 21 Presidents served more than four years, although Lincoln and McKinley for just a few months more, and Coolidge, Johnson and Nixon only months more than a year. So only TR and Truman were very close to two complete terms. Ultimately, 16 out of 44 basically served two terms.

Now we can add Joe Biden to the list of those who will not serve two terms or even be elected a second time, as with the Afghanistan debacle, it seems certain that he will not run again in 2024!