"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!

Quick cure for hearing/memory

Senator Perdue is now saying his leader did not say shithole.
Makes me wonder - first he said he didn't recall hearing that expression at the meeting - where Senator Durbin and Graham emphatically recalled hearing the word.
(One well known journalist suggested that he get a hearing aid.)
Next, on a TV talk show Perdue  regained his memory/hearing and said his leader did not say shithole.  (Obvious why he's against a health plan - he cured himself!)

In October last year, Senator Perdue stated that the crushing national debt  was the greatest threat to the security of the United States. So, in December 2017, Senator Perdue voted for a tax plan that will increase the national debt a few  trillion dollars. That kind of logic matches his memory and hearing problems.

Perdue's background - a specialist in outsourcing jobs.  (Anyone remember his well-spoken leader's promise:  "We're bringing back jobs"?) Perdue "outsourced" thousands of jobs in the South - including Haggar and Pillowtex.  Reports on the Pillotex firm folding stated he managed to reap millions for himself  while 4000 lost their jobs in one day in North Carolina.

What's next? Who knows;  the gutless, spineless collection of characters inhabiting Washington offices does not instill optimism.....hope....good times....not even the status quo.

It's hitting the fan!!!!!

OMG - so glad Senator Durbin was at the White House meeting and corroborated Das Trumpf's words. (Of course, when potus tweeted this morning he claimed he didn't say shithole!)
Also, last night I was delighted that Lawrence O'Donnell reminded TV viewers that Das Trumpf was only continuing in his father's footsteps: daddy was a member of the Klu Klux Klan  and marched in New York City  (1927)  protesting the City's predominantly Catholic police force.
And let's not forget later years when Donald was a big boy and helping daddy to manage their real estate holdings, he was taught how to keep apartments lilywhite - no blacks need apply.
Das Trumpf a racist? Heavens to Betsy!

When will our esteemed representatives in Washington rise up and say/do something?

And no visit to London? Doesn't like the location of the Embassy? The truth:
Soooo afraid of the awful reception he'd get. They may have voted for Brexit - but they're not about to damage their diplomatic standing by recognizing a shithole purveyor! 

BTW: NPR couldn't say shithole on air - but they can constantly repeat
the name Arpaio - the convicted (and pardoned by Das Trumpf) former racist, disgusting Arizona sheriff . Guess they want him to have more name recognition now that he's running for the Senator from Arizona?

An over the top "GENIUS"

It's been a long time since I posted on this blog; no fun writing when you're sooo depressed with the shenanigans in Washington DC.
A warm cruise in the Caribbean at the end of December with daughter Joan and granddaughters Sarah and Miriam helping to celebrate my 89th birthday was therapeutic.
So back to the DC  swamps populated by reptilian creatures who, like other snakes don't understand the concept of country over party.  (E-mails to my sad substitute for a senator -Cornyn- are
occasionally answered by form letters that have nothing to do with my questions or subject matter.)
And almost all his Republican congressional friends continue to sit on their rear ends looking for ways to distract and even "lie" about any evidence that points to messing around with the last presidential election.

 After a few days of the media's juicy reporting on Wolff's new book, Fire and Fury  
Das Trumpf 's riotous tweet today is marvelous - (where are his handlers?)
I'm a genius....and a very stable genius at that".....and of course he noted one of his chief assets:
being, like, really smart"......
This genius tweet takes the cake; any doubts about his psychiatric "shortcomings" have just been dumped into the ever filling DC swamp.

And  yesterday the "Bobbsey" twins Grassley/Graham came out with their ridiculous, obfuscating garbage about the Steele dossier - after a year of wasting government time/money with their investigations to see if they could keep Das Trumpf safe from harm and protect their own needy pockets.
It's all about money -  as Joel Gray sang in Cabaret: "Money makes the world go around....A buck or a pound Is all that makes the world go around, That clinking clanking sound Can make the world go 'round."

Or, if you prefer Mamma Mia: Money, money, money, Always sunny, In a rich man's world

What a way to begin 2018 - looking for some political miracles - like Beto O'Rourke for Texas Senator  -   (bye bye Ted!)

 NCL Pearl - Miriam, Joan and Sarah Lorber, Ben and I sailing from New Orleans, Dec. 2017

Abrazos, besos, cheers and good health to you all in 2018!

Diversion and Lies - military style terror ?

Masha Gessen wrote a fabulous account in the New Yorker magazine  of Kelly's "performance" at a press conference yesterday. The General's main thrust was to let us know that we can't criticize Das Trumpf  because we haven't served in the military! He told assembled journalists that fallen soldiers join "the best one per cent this country produces."
Is he for real?
And then he continued saying his boss did the right thing by calling the widow of a soldier killed (who unfortunately died for an unexplained dubious reason that Das Trumpf won't mention) and perhaps he didn't say it just the right way. Really? So why didn't he call again and say what he meant?
The General continued with more chutzpah, chastising Congresswoman Wilson for "listening in to Das Trumpf's phone call. He was "stunned". Wow - I didn't think Generals stunned that easily. Of course, he didn't mention that the soldier's widow, and other people were in a limo - on their way to receive the soldier's casket - and the phone line was on speaker phone. Guess Congresswoman Wilson forgot to stuff her ears with cotton when the phone rang?
And the General said he'd take questions at the end of his presentation - but only from journalists who had "a personal connection to a fallen soldier, followed by those who knew a Gold Star family." No dead soldiers in your address book? No way you can understand me!
Oh yes - before he left the podium, the General managed to express his pity for Americans who haven't served in the military (does that include Das Trumpf?) since they can't experience the "joy" of serving and thus showing that they love their country.

He also lied (horrors! a General lying?) about a building dedication in Florida - that was named for two slain FBI agents - thanks to the efforts of Congresswoman Wilson. Check out the story in the Miami Herald.

So - life in the war zone begins. I had thought that Das Trumpf might be reined in a bit when Kelly showed up. Alas - pure fantasy. We're further along on the path to dictatorship/military takeover (think Germany in the 1930's) along with  Das Trumpf's plans to "povertise" the middle class with help from his financial swampland gurus.

One more item - A terrified populace is much easier to control. Digest what Kelly said about terrorism in May 2017: "It's everywhere. It's constant. It's nonstop.....it can happen here almost anytime". And he added that the terrorism threat was so severe that people "would never leave the house" if they knew the truth.
So - all you have to do is slit your throat, jump off a cliff, whatever - and you'll eliminate the threat of terrorism?

Bad Friday - fires still raging in California and Das Trumpf? He's trying to start another war and kill health care on his own.

The winds are still fierce - and no rain in sight. Didn't hear a peep from the esteemed leader. Guess they're too many Democrats in California.

Andy Borowitz spoke at a New Yorker Magazine Festival and I particularly enjoyed one of his comments about the "progress"of the Republican Party from Abe Lincon to Sarah Palin to Das Trumpf - "no wonder they don't believe in evolution!"


For comedy Dutch style about the NRA - (that's Nonesensical Rifle Addiction) have a look - courtesy of YouTube:
https://youtu.be/a-o9pwWUzz0

Maybe the weekend will bring some good news?