Civil War

The Most Historic Turning Point Trial For American Democracy’s Survival!

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American democracy’s survival is the crucial point for all Americans to understand, as Donald Trump, now indicted for the third time, in the most crucial of all cases, will face justice sometime in 2024.

If he fails to be convicted, it will mean that the concept of the rule of law has been destroyed, and it will cause the death of the American experiment two years short of its 250th anniversary in 2026!

If Donald Trump gets away with the abuse of power, what can stop either him or a future authoritarian tyrant from doing it again, and leading to violence, bloodshed, and potential civil war?

America’s place in the world will be compromised if Donald Trump is not convicted, and it will embolden Russia, China, North Korea and Iran to exploit the result, and destroy NATO and our other alliances around the world!

This upcoming trial is one of the crucial moments in American history, alongside the Civil War; the Great Depression; entrance into World War II; the Cuban Missile Crisis; and the September 11 attacks!

Those who continue to defend Donald Trump will go down as villains in American history, their reputations besmirched for a man who has no concerns except for himself!

Away For Two Weeks, And The World Changes, Not For The Better! :(

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Having just returned from my vacation with my older son after watching nine baseball games at eight baseball stadiums from Washington DC to Chicago, it is clear while I have been away that the nation and the world have changed, and not for the better.

Russia under Vladimir Putin is in turmoil after a challenge to the government by a militia group, creating more international instability. And demonstrations in France have gone large after the killing of an Algerian Arab French citizen by police, making clear that racism is alive and well in not just the United States but world wide!

And then, domestically, the Supreme Court has shown once again just how extreme they are, and presenting a constitutional crisis, as the Bush I and II appointees, along with the Trump appointees, have declared war on precedent and progress, trying to bring America back to the 18th century “originalism”, which many scholars make clear is totally preposterous!

The majority Court Justices have been shown to have massive financial and ideological conflicts of interest with no means for accountability, and with Chief Justice John Roberts losing all of whatever reasonable reputation he has had over the years, with his refusal to testify on ethics violations by himself and the other Republican Justices, particularly, but not only, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

Between the attack on abortion rights a year ago, and now the end of affirmative action; the denial of student college debt relief; and allowing religion to interfere with the basic human rights of gays and transgenders, and arguably, other groups that any person in any business or industry could decide to refuse to interact with in daily life, is clearly the most dangerous time in constitutional history since the Civil War!

The South Dominates In Potential Republican Presidential Contenders!

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The American South was the area that revolted against the federal government, and seceded from the Union in 1860-1861, culminating in the American Civil War (1861-1865), with the Republican Party representing the Union cause, and the Democratic Party being dominant in the South.

The South remained strongly Democratic until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed under Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Since then, most of the South has become strongly Republican, and promoters of white supremacy and Christian Nationalism, to the point that most of the potential Republican Presidential contenders in 2024 derive from the South!

These include the following:

Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Marco Rubio, and Rick Scott of Florida
Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott of Texas
Asa Hutchinson and Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Nikki Haley and Tim Scott of South Carolina
Glenn Youngkin of Virginia

These eleven Republicans are not all sure bets to run, but all have been rumored, although some seem to be backing away from doing so.

Other potential contenders come from the Northeast area of the US, including

Chris Sununu of New Hampshire
Chris Christie of New Jersey
Larry Hogan of Maryland

And finally, from the Midwest area of the US, we have such potential contenders as

Mike Pence of Indiana
Mike Pompeo of Kansas
Josh Hawley of Missouri
Kristi Noem of South Dakota
Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

And finally, we have Liz Cheney of Wyoming

Donald Trump Likely Soon To Be Indicted In Three Jurisdictions!

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It now seems clear that former President Donald Trump will soon be indicted in Georgia for interfering in the vote count in that state in the Presidential Election of 2020.

It also seems clear that in New York, the case against Trump on the payments to “Stormy Daniels” to cover up the affair Trump had with her, but which he wished to hide due to his Presidential campaign, is also coming to a head very soon.

And the federal case against Trump for the January 6 Insurrection and the hiding of government documents at Mar A Lago also is on its way to another indictment.

These indictments will come in the midst of the Presidential campaign of 2024, and should derail Trump from being able to run.

If only the 14th Amendment, Section 3, designed originally to deal with the rebellion of the Confederate States of America, were to be utilized, Donald Trump would be unable to run for President, even without any indictments or trials.

But sadly, the likelihood of such action by a divided Congress, with so many Republicans kowtowing to Donald Trump, prevents such action, so the threat of Donald Trump is very real and dangerous to national security, as he is the leader of domestic terrorist forces!

Happy 80th Birthday, President Biden, A True Treasure To American Democracy!

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Happy 80th Birthday to President Biden, who has been a true treasure to American democracy!

When history is written of these times, the years after Fascist authoritarian Donald Trump attempted to destroy American democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law, it will be recorded that Joe Biden came along as the savior of our heritage of freedom, joining with Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War in the early 1860s, and Franklin D. Roosevelt in the World War II era in the early 1940s!

Now, another 80 years after 1860 and 1940, Joe Biden committed himself to defy the dictatorial nature of Donald Trump, and restore faith in America and its heritage of freedom and democracy!

Like Lincoln and FDR, Biden has been subjected to relentless character assassination and ridicule, but like Lincoln and FDR, he has stood tall and proud and brave, and has committed his later years to his country!

Do not forget that Biden is finishing 50 years of public service, since he was elected to the US Senate a few weeks short of the minimum age of 30 in 1972!

And he has been a public servant in office for all of that half century, except for the four years after leaving the Vice Presidency, having chosen not to try to run for the Presidency in 2016, due to his deep mourning for his son Beau, who died in 2015!

Just as Biden suffered through the loss of his first wife and young daughter in a traffic accident weeks after his Senate election and before he took the oath, so he suffered again in 2015 with the loss of his older son!

But he rose from a low moment to serve his nation and the world, and save it from not just foreign terrorism, but the ever greater threat of domestic terrorism!

His record in office has been superb for his first two years, and was good enough to promote the least loss of power and influence in the past 90 years in a first term midterm election!

His decision whether to run or retire should be respected, and while reaching the age of 80 is a daunting number to have so much responsibility for the nation and the world, Joe Biden, despite some shortcomings at times, runs rings around Donald Trump in knowledge, ability, intelligence, and most importantly, compassion, empathy, and common decency!

May God bless him to a long life, and commitment to his nation and the world, as history records the greatness of this man!

Anniversary Of Benedict Arnold’s Treason Brings Up Donald Trump’s Treason!

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In late September 1780, General Benedict Arnold committed treason, plotting with the British enemy to hand over West Point, New York, the future Military Academy, and about 10,000 American soldiers to the British.

If the treason had succeeded, it would have ended the American Revolution, and the fight for American Independence.

Since the time of Benedict Arnold, there have been others who have been considered traitors to America.

This would include the leaders of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, including, most notably, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens, along with leading Confederate Generals such as Robert E. Lee and others.

There have been others who conspired against American interests, including former Vice President Aaron Burr, after leaving the Vice Presidency in 1805, and those who consorted with Nazi Germany, including Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh; and those who consorted with the Soviet Union over the 75 years of that nation’s existence.

But now, we have a much more serious threat, in a former President, Donald Trump, who has consorted with dictators, including most notably Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, and who inspired the January 6, 2021 Insurrection at the US Capitol. And Trump illegally took national security documents to his Mar A Lago estate, and there are still questions as to whether other documents might be found at his other estates in New Jersey, Trump Tower in New York City, and elsewhere and whether he may have shared and sold national security details to Putin and others.

So many have stated that Benedict Arnold has been succeeded by “Benedict Donald”, who is seen as a “clear and present danger” to American national security and American democracy!

Constitution Day: 235 Years And Counting, But Question About Its Survival In Future!

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Today is Constitution Day, the day in 1787 when the Founding Fathers signed the Constitution.

No one in their right mind would think that those who signed the Constitution believed there should be no changes ever made, or that what was in the Constitution was cement that could not be altered.

And yet, today, we have a majority Supreme Court which thinks we should go back to 1787, what is called “Originalism”.

This is pure insanity, and undermines the ability of government to adapt to changing times.

Most of what is considered “normal” today in constitutional terms is far from just the original document, and reflects the changing times.

And we are faced with a threat, greater than the Civil War or the Great Depression and World War II, to our ability to maintain a constitutional government based on the rule of law, as Donald Trump and his minions are a dire threat to America’s democratic future!

Republican Party A Threat With “Election Deniers” And “Election Doubters” In 2022 Midterm Elections!

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With the Midterm Elections of 2022 on the horizon, the Republican Party represents a threat, due to such a large percentage of office seekers being “Election Deniers” or “Election Doubters”. These can be called the “MAGA” Candidates!

In the US Senate, we have seven Senators who refused to back the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021, even after the Insurrection took place on that day at the US Capitol. They are not facing reelection this year, but three Senate candidates are “Election Deniers”, and seen as likely to win Senate seats, so making 10 Senators in this category.

In the House of Representatives, there are 118 seated “Election Deniers” and 8 “Election Doubters” in the chamber, running for reelection, and likely to keep their seats in the lower chamber.

In the Governorships, there are 2 “Election Deniers” and 3 “Election Doubters” seen as likely to either keep their seats or win their seats, and this does not include the possibility of Arizona and Pennsylvania being won as well.

Out of 541 Republicans running for office, 199 are “Election Deniers”, and 62 have raised questions about the 2020 election, with 118 candidates refusing to comment at all, with only 74 fully accepting the 2020 election results, and 88 accepting but with some reservations.

Overall, 60 percent of Americans will have an “Election Denier” on their ballots in November!

Nationally, 27 states have “Election Deniers” running, including much of the Midwest, Mountain States, New England, and the South, but also including New York and Pennsylvania!

And Arizona is perceived as the most “rebellious” state of all, regarding the House membership, the Senate race, and also the Governorship!

These statistics come from a report from the website “Five Thirty Eight”, and I thank them for this information!

This is alarming, almost like the Confederate States of America taking over the Governorships and US Congress after the Civil War!

Jake Tapper Blunder: Suggesting Biden Invite Trump To Attend Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral!

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CNN’s Anchor Jake Tapper has created controversy with his suggestion that President Biden invite former President Donald Trump to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral as part of the official US delegation for Monday, September 19.

Ordinarily, it would not be unusual that former Presidents be invited to state funerals of foreign leaders.

But this is a special case, as Donald Trump is still, 30 months after the January 6, 2021 Insurrection at the US Capitol, refusing to acknowledge that Joe Biden is the legitimate President.

Trump is still promoting the “Big Lie”, and undermining American democracy long term, with the cooperation of much of the Republican Congressional membership.

With Biden stating Trump is a threat to democracy promoting a “Semi Fascist” movement, and Trump calling Biden “an enemy of the state”, there is no justification for a Presidential invitation to Donald Trump to attend the state funeral in London.

If anything, Trump would make the funeral be centered on himself, not on the respect and admiration for Queen Elizabeth II, who could not be more diametrically opposite from Donald Trump!

That should not be rewarded, anymore than if Jefferson Davis had been acknowledged by Abraham Lincoln at the time of the Civil War.

This blunder by Jake Tapper could undermine his reputation, and even his position, at CNN, as it is already causing massive outrage!

A Half Century Since The Watergate Break In That Brought Down Richard Nixon

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A half century ago, on June 17, 1972, the Watergate Break In occurred, and over the next two years and two months, led to the downfall, the resignation, of Richard Nixon from the Presidency.

The most corrupt and lawless Presidency came to an end, and one would have thought that it would never be conceivable that we would have a future Presidency that could be more corrupt and lawless.

But we are now living through a nightmare that seems to have no end, as Donald Trump remains a threat to the nation and its future!

He has millions of cult followers who are trying to insure that the January 6, 2021 Insurrection, which was horrendous, but ultimately failed in its brazen attempt at a coup d’etat, can be tried again in 2024 and succeed in putting Trump back in the White House, causing the downfall of American democracy!

The elements that back Donald Trump promote antisemitism, racism, nativism, misogyny, homophobia, white supremacy, and Christian nationalism, and represent the worst right wing criminal elements of America!

As we move toward the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 and the 240th anniversary of the making of the Constitution in 2027, there is much fear and trepidation over what is clearly the greatest constitutional crisis since the Civil War in the 1860s!