"Money Makes the World Go Round" (apologies to Cabaret)

Just finished reading Red Notice -  a fabulous page turner of a book by Bill Browder (grandson of Earl Browder who was the standard bearer of the Communist Party in the United States in the earlier part of the 20^th century). Grandson Bill is now a citizen of the UK and a British financier. He is the CEO and co-founder of the Hermitage Capital Management and was the first hedge fund manager in Russia.  

 The book reinforced my belief that Das Trumpf’s  "friendship" and glad mouthing of  Pootie boy (he never did anything wrong!) is all about money: Putin has it and Trump needs it;  it’s obvious our "stable genius" can't say anything bad about his "banker Putin". I call Putin his banker because nobody else will advance/lend money to the Trump clan which is bleeding cash. (As he continues to bleed this country at the same time.)

Put this book on your "must read" list.

Last week's  American Experience TV show The Bombing of Wall Street (PBS) offered up a fascinating picture of terrorism in NYC which  occurred in 1920. A horse drawn wagon packed with explosives was set off in front of JP Morgan at midday when many workers were going out to lunch. Based on a book by Yale Historian Beverly Gage, the documentary served up some disturbing behavior by our government in their attempts to apprehend the culprits, get rid of immigrants (most who were innocent!) and how Mr. Hoover/FBI got his start.  

The PBS program can be streamed on your computer (free) until early March. Lots of food for thought.

Lies, anyone? Herr Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister was an expert dispenser of lies. His method: tell big or small lies enough times, repeat, repeat -and people will believe you. Sound familiar?

One of  our country's lie dispensers (who unfortunately has a bigger vocabulary than his boss), is Stephen Miller. Last year the White House asked Health and Human Services (HHS) to report on the cost of refugee resettlement in this country. The  study showed revenue generated by these newcomers (through local, state and Federal taxes)  EXCEEDED the costs of resettling them by $63 BILLION dollars. Miller had told HHS at the beginning of the study not to "embarrass the President". Seeing the results, Miller demanded that HHS "recalculate the numbers" - and when they didn't - he did it himself.
Goebbels technique in action:  according to several news sources, the White House went into LIE mode and denied the whole report.

There isn't much I can add to the incredible comments by students at the Florida school after the shooting. Teen-agers articulate beyond their years have little patience with the hypocrisy of our legislators. I hope they will be able to nudge the congressional NRA recipients off their butts!

Waaaa! I want a parade!

If any of you missed the Borowitz column today satirizing Das Trumpf's newest request I've posted the link below. Of course you all remember he didn't serve in the Military because his doctor said he had "bone spurs".

From New Yorker magazine:
“Regrettably, we have no choice but to issue thousands of deferments,” a Pentagon spokesman said.
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/military-refuses-to-participate-in-trumps-parade-citing-bone-spurs

So - what are the odds of him getting his request filled? How many mouths could be filled with the cost of bringing even only one tank to rip up D.C. streets?
Waaah - Putin gets parades, baby Rocket gets parades and Macron got his parade (forgetting that Bastille Day has a bit  more meaning than our wild leader's desire to feel important). 
"I want my own parade!!!!"  Waaaah!

Of course with his limited vocabulary we would not expect Das Trumpf to understand the word "treason".  If you don't stand up and wildly applause Das Trumpf when he's spewing platitudes and garbage you're committing and act of treason? 

Heil Napoleon Adolf Trumpf!