On a positive note, Russia continues to get a very good return on its investment, e.g. the United States continues to be screwed by its own president. So that's a good thing, right?
  
Do I think Donald Trump is a commie? Nope. Not near smart enough, for one thing and too, any decent communist will have a coherent philosophy. Trump bounces from one way of thinking about something to the next based on which way the wind is blowing. His "beliefs" flipping 180 degrees depending what direction will get him the most twitter followers. On the other hand, Trump is very definitely Putin's puppet. Vladi pulls the strings and Donald dutifully mucks it up for the USA. A perfect setup, really. If your Putin. Meanwhile the rest of the world looks on in confusion and horror, shaking their heads at the downfall of democracy.

Questions for the day:
How can anyone who believes in democracy support Trump? He seems to make it a personal goal to desecrate the United States flag every time he opens his mouth, uses the Constitution as toilet paper and delights in your willingness to let him take away your freedoms. Freedom of speech freedom of religion freedom of the press freedom of you fill in the blank. Running the country with a seemingly endless line of almost remarkably unqualified clowns otherwise known as his family and friends. A level of nepotism typically reserved for backwards, inbred banana republics not meant to last.
And of course next time you say anything in public pray you remember to first consult the (growing) list of banned words and phrases lest you slip up and say something illegal. Something Donald doesn't approve of. You better hope you talk the right way think the right way look the right way pray the right way.........do everything the "right" effing way cause if you don't Donald will build a wall around you or otherwise make you even more miserable than he makes you anyway.

Anyone who enjoys the outdoors........hiking, hunting, fishing just being outside enjoying our beautiful lands held in common by all of us - how can you possibly justify support of this bozo? He is giving away our public lands at a pace that will dispose of all of it before he is out. Two million acres and counting. Your legacy, my children's legacy being sold to the highest bidder so it can be exploited by his rich cronies at the expense of the rest of us.
 
For that matter how can you support any country (in this case the ONLY country) that removes itself from the global effort at protecting the planet? How can you support your president for thinking he knows more than nearly every scientist alive? The United States of Trump is the only country on Earth that has inside information different from anyone else, regarding the health of our home.
  
How can ANY woman support trump? Pointless to go into detail here as none of the female trumpites would be reading this. Instead I assume you all must be off somewhere smiling and moaning as some aging pervert "grabs your pussy."
What is it like to so completely sell-out your entire gender? Seriously. What is that like? Please explain it too me cause I don't have a hope of figuring this out on my own.
 
How can any veteran support Trump? Your Commander in Chief, a FIVE TIME DRAFT DODGER who slams those who have given so, so much in service of this country (e.g. John McCain.) Any veteran who supports Trump - there can be no valid explanation. None. If you are a veteran and support trump you dishonor everyone who has ever worn a uniform for this country.

How can any parent support Trump? A president who has made it clear he plans to trash the public education system in favor of pay as you go private schools so his cronies can make even more money. The same president who does everything he can to ensure a pedophile is elected. Just so he can use the sick little perv's vote to further his hate-filled agenda.

Those of you pretending to want peace in this world yet still find a way to be a donald fan, how does that happen? What it is like to turn your back on your values and watch as he brings the entire planet closer to war? Every day a little closer to blowing up the whole place. Making adversaries out of allies just because he can acting like a 2-yr old having temper tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants and in so many ways alienating, isolating us from the rest of the world. Openly threatening to use nuclear weapons, putting the lives of millions in the balance.
What gives you the right to do this to my children? What gives you the right to do this to YOUR children? What gives you the right to put us on the brink of disaster?
The questions are rhetorical - NOTHING gives you the right to do these things.

A narcissistic sociopath, his reality bares no relationship to yours or mine. He does not know who you are or what you want, and more importantly - he does not care. Donald cares about Donald. Nothing more. He is incapable of empathy (find any shrink out there who disagrees with any of these statements and I will withdraw all of them.) There is no "too low" for him to stoop. He does not have ethical boundaries same as you and me. Trump is the ultimate drama queen and you have given him the ultimate stage on which to play the role.
He does not care about the USA. Donald is too busy seeking Facebook likes to have time to care about this country.

The United States of America is being dragged down into the mud by a 71-yr old grade-school playground bully. In less than 12 months we have gone from being the greatest country on earth to the biggest joke in the world.
A very big, very dangerous joke.

Welcome to 1984. Brothers and sisters.
Where two plus two equals three.
Orwell had it right.
And Hitler would be so very pleased with you for what you've done.


I've been here ranting about this before, realizing I am either singing to the choir or singing to myself. I feel need to keep doing it, however.
In my 59 years I have seen many, many administrations come and go. I watched as Nixon embarrassed us. The Clinton boo-boos. I even remember when there were nukes, loaded in missiles and pointed at us, within 78 miles of our shores. I have been witness to much political skeeziness and concern. But it's different now, really it is. This one isn't simply criminal, or stupid. He is a combination of those along with being frighteningly unpredictable, divisive and so incredibly self-centered.
This one is truly dangerous.

A few recent quotes from the news:
"If you want to preserve -- I'm very serious now -- if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press." "Without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That's how dictators get started." - John McCain, (conservative) Republican when asked about Trump's obsession with "fake news" and the negative impacts on freedoms he is having not just in this country but worldwide.
 
"Trump undermines democracy with media attacks", David Cameron

"(Trump's) U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines Thursday to repeal landmark 2015 rules aimed at ensuring a free and open internet, setting up a court fight over a move that could recast the digital landscape." Rather than protecting Net Neutrality Trump is "...handing over the keys of the Internet to a “handful of multi-billion dollar corporations. Trumps cronies will decide what information we have access to.”

Which of course fits in nicely with: "The Trump administration is prohibiting officials at the nation's top public health agency from using a list of seven words or phrases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now forbidden from using, in any form, the words: "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity." "fetus," "transgender." "evidence based," and "science based."

A quote from a little further back, courtesy of Thomas Jefferson: "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." "Our first objective should therefore be, to leave open to them all the avenues to truth. The most effectual hitherto found, is the freedom of the press. It is, therefore, the first shut up by those who fear the investigation of their actions."

Then one for you Trump supporters: "Rather than suppress the news we shall instead seek to tightly control its flow and interpretation and to deny access to alternative sources of news."
- Adolph Hitler

Those of you managing to talk yourself into continued support of this train wreck may want to consult a dictionary. Definition of "democracy."
Then look yourself in the mirror and see who it is destroying ours.

Freedom of the press, freedom of speech is the foundation of our way of life. Your president swore an oath to protect that freedom. He is not only failing that oath but is in fact actively working against it while you stand by nodding and smiling like so many bobbly head dolls. Disrespecting the sacrifices of my father and his father and his father and his father and his father as veterans who fought and suffered for your freedom. Just so you can close-your-eyes-cover-your-ears and hum real loud as you let a draft-dodging coward who is afraid of the truth take those freedoms away.
   
To be clear: I do not think Donald Trump is some evil monster out to do us all in. He isn't near smart enough, for one of many things. Rather, I see him for what he is - a narcissistic sociopath, desperately seeking the approval of others (everyone), not particularly bright, who is personally responsible for almost none of the successes in his life. Even now - he is president in SPITE of all that is Donald. Without Stevie Bannon and his merry band of haters (not to mention a significant assist from Vladimir Putin) Trump would not have been elected. He was, and is, being used. Used by an unhappy, angry bunch of people who are desperately trying to fill the empty that is them. Anyone who's ever opened a Psych 101 textbook will know Freud would have a field day with these broken individuals. These are the grown up versions of the kids always picked last for basketball in gym class. Aside from misdirected rage they are mostly empty inside.

And they are running the place. Trump and his relatives and cronies and reality show contestants with stripper names being tackled in the bushes by the Secret Service. A constantly changing cast of clowns, nearly none of whom are qualified for the jobs your nepotistic president gives them - are running the country.

Donald Trump is an increasingly dangerous train wreck. A dangerous train wreck who is capable, and possibly willing, to bring the whole thing down.

Of which almost a majority somehow decided - Hey, here's an idea! Let's make him the fucking president of the United States of America! Let's see how quickly he can destroy the greatest political experiment in history! That'll be fun!

In an unnecessary and antagonistic move, your president just upended decades of international effort and made great strides towards his apparent goal of creating has much destruction as possible.  This as payment for some of the votes he bought, in this case support from what is now the SECOND most dangerous terrorist in the world (Israeli government - recently bumped from the top position by your president.)  His international policies specifically those guided by his pathological hatred of a particular religion have resulted in so many deaths already.  Now your president has absolutely positively guaranteed more will die. Many, many more.  And this isn't just a bus bomb in some backwater town in Egypt.  Nope, your president is intent on not only putting in danger Americans abroad, but also in bringing the bloodshed home.  With today's announcement about Jerusalum, congratulations - your children are less safe.  With your continued support of Trump YOU have decided to put your children in danger.  Worldwide, including here.  You are less safe.  Combined with letting an unstable North Korean with nukes (not to mention his BFF Vladimir) pull his strings like a pathetic marionette, the president you support continues to ensure you and me live in a more dangerous world.    

Interfere with the judiciary.  Silence the press.  Threaten to take your ball and go home if you don't get what you want, threaten to shut down the government.  Oppress entire cultures because of their beliefs.  Put up fences both real and metaphorical.  Oppress minorities oppress women oppress anyone not like you.  Turn your back on allies, isolate yourself.  Live in a world of your own creation.  A world the rest of us can only wonder about, what with most of us not being clinically narcissistic sociopaths (who apparently also support child abuse, child molestation.  That's a nice new touch.)    

"Make the lie big, make it simple.  Keep saying it and eventually they will believe it."    

"Tell people a lie three times, they will believe anything.  Tell people what they want to hear, play to their fantasies."  

Two separate quotes.  One from Donald Trump.  The other, Adolph Hitler.  I would ask if you can guess which is which but, considering they are saying the same thing and apparently come from the same mindset I guess it doesn't matter.

Achtung, baby.