Tag: #Jan6th

They Marched On

They Marched On

Hup, two, three, four, Hup, two three, four… His army had been on the move forever and marched to the sound of the drums. They had lost a legion of followers, but the main fight was coming, and they were ready. They would take no prisoners in this final battle.

The drums beat, and they marched on. The cadence was locked in their heads. It was relentless and never ending. They didn’t sleep, they didn’t rest, they ate on the march. The drumbeat marked the passing of time. 

Hup, two, three, four. 
Who are we, marching for?
Trump, Trump, Trump.

Yes, it had been a long march since 2015. It had taken them years, but they had rooted out those who were disloyal to the cause. Now they were pure, and marching on.

Dead was the captured loser, McCain.
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
Departing was the lightweight loser and compromiser Romney. 
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
Gone were his generals, Mattis, McMaster and Kelly who all betrayed him. 
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
Dead, or no longer relevant, were the Bush’s, father and sons. 
Trump, Trump, Trump.

Irrelevant are the cowards and liars, Barr and Bolton. 
Trump, Trump, Trump.
 
Gone were the Congressional betrayers, Kinzinger, Cheney and six of the other eight who voted to impeach.
Trump, Trump, Trump. 

Retired was The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, who committed treason and maybe deserved death. 
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
Gone was the weak Secretary of Defense, Esper, who wouldn’t stand firm.
Trump, Trump, Trump.
 
Reduced to nothing was the traitor, Pence.
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
Removed was the clown and Speaker of the House, McCarthy. 
Trump, Trump, Trump.
 
Removed was the faithless Chair of the Republican Party, Ronna McDaniel.
Trump, Trump, Trump.

They marched on in lockstep.

Hup, two, three, four. 
Who will we be fighting for?
Trump, Trump, Trump.

They thought about the constant questions coming from the enemy of the people, the fake news, or from those treacherous disloyal Americans they would deal with soon enough. They know there is only one answer to all questions. 

Who is the greatest business man, even though his companies have declared bankruptcy six times?
Trump, Trump, Trump. 

Who can shoot someone on 5th Avenue and get away with it?
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
Who can grab women by the pussy and laugh about it?
Trump, Trump, Trump.  
 
After the march of white supremacists in Charlottesville, who said there are very fine people on both sides?
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
Who tells us the only social network or news we can trust is Truth Social?
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
When asked about violence from white supremacists, who told the hate group, The Proud Boys, to “stand back and stand by” ?
Trump, Trump, Trump.
 
Who can work the very best deal with the dictator Putin?
Trump, Trump, Trump.

Who says he will let Russia do “whatever the hell they want” with our NATO allies?
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
Who recently said he is friends with President Xi of China?
Trump, Trump, Trump.

Who privately calls dead and wounded American soldiers suckers and losers? Who made fun of Niki Haley’s husband while he was deployed overseas with the National Guard?
Trump, Trump, Trump. 

Who promised to reduce the national debt, but ran up the third largest deficit in American history? (After Lincoln and Bush SR, who were both funding wars).
Trump, Trump, Trump. 

Who is lying about making a profit while selling “special” Bibles at $59.99 (plus tax, shipping and handling)?
Trump, Trump, Trump.

Who fired the entire Republican National Committee staff, but told them they could reapply for their jobs, with this as one of their interview questions: “Was the 2020 election stolen?”
Trump, Trump, Trump. 

Who issued an ALL CAPS statement on our holy Easter Sunday calling the judges & justice officials involved in his prosecutions “CROOKED AND CORUPT,” ending his screed with “HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!”?
Trump, Trump, Trump.”
 
Who’s the greatest Republican president ever? Was it Lincoln? No! Was it Reagan? No! It was,
Trump, Trump, Trump. 
 
Who said: “Now, if I don't get elected, it's gonna be a bloodbath for the whole — that's gonna be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it."
Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump. Trump.

They marched on. Yes, they were fewer now than before, but that didn’t matter. They marched on. And they knew if he won in November, they would root out more disloyalty – certainly in the government, but also in the party. Oh yes, there were many scores to settle. 

Hup, two, three, four.
Who will we take vengeance for?
Trump, Trump, Trump.

They marched on.

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Jeremiah 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds”.

Addendum:

  • If you aren’t a Trump supporter, there are seven months until the election. What are you going to do, in addition to voting, to stop his election? Knock doors? Donate dollars? Write postcards? Text or Call for candidates? Talk to your neighbors? What actions are you personally going to take?
  • If you are undecided? Reach out. I’m happy to have a conversation.
  • And, if you are a Trump marcher? OK. We all know where you stand, and what you stand for. He has told us many times, in many ways.
  • Thanks to my oldest friends, Howard and Mark who reviewed this blog and gave me encouragement on it. I should note that Howard is a lifelong Democrat. Mark was a lifelong Republican who left the party recently and is now an Independent. For those not aware of my own political journey, I was a left leaning Independent, who became a Democrat after the events in Charlottesville in 2017.

Here are a three previous blogs I’ve written about our former president, after he lost the election in 2020:

  • On Jan 4, 2021: It’s a sad day for America when all ten of our living former Secretaries of Defense feel compelled to release a letter saying the election is over, Biden has legally won, and the military should NOT be used to intervene in the election. That they feel compelled to say this says volumes about where we are in America […] Continue at: https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2021/01/04/sad-day-for-america/
  • On Jan 7, 2021: He told us five years ago his thoughts about what he could do and how his supporters would react. Remember? Just prior to the Iowa caucuses in 2016, candidate Trump stated “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose […] Continue at: https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2021/01/07/he-told-us-five-years-ago/
  • On June 12, 2022: It’s been a busy couple of weeks for our former president. It’s not every day you get to announce your candidacy for the presidency, have dinner with a couple of racist Hitler fans, and declare the Constitution should be terminated. That’s a full month, even by Trump […] Continue at: https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2022/12/06/making-choices/

Making Choices

Making Choices

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for our former president. It’s not every month you get to announce your candidacy for the presidency, have dinner with a couple of racist Hitler fans, and declare the Constitution should be terminated. That’s a full month, even by Trump standards.

I don’t know anyone who was surprised when Trump announced he was going to run for the presidency in 2024. It was all his handlers could do to have him wait until after the midterms to announce. He was expecting a big splash from the midterms themselves, but most of his election denier choices went quietly into the night. Yea, Vance won in Ohio, and Lake is still whining like a mini-Trump in Arizona, but the rest of them? B’bye. None of it slowed down his big announcement though. It was almost as if he was oblivious to anything else happening. And the rest of the Republicans? Perhaps Senator Rubio said it best: “We should not have a Senate GOP leadership vote until we have a clear explanation for why our 2022 campaign efforts failed…”. Ummmm, Senator, I could help you with that…

Of course Mr Trump didn’t slow down. As a matter of fact, in typical fashion, he accelerated. Are any of us surprised he ate dinner with Ye (the former Kanye West) and white nationalist Nick Fuentes? Nothing quite says “there are good people on both sides” like having dinner with a couple of Hitler loving antisemites. It’s never a good sign when Alex Jones is distancing himself from some of your dinner guest’s comments, as Jones later did during his interview with Ye. The Republican response to all of this? Again deafening silence. Senator McConnell managed to say “Let me just say that there is no room in the Republican Party for antisemitism or white supremacy. And anyone meeting with people advocating that point of view, in my judgment, are highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States.” The brave Senator couldn’t bring himself to utter the “T” word.

Ye and Fuentes… “I See Good Things About Hitler”

Which of course brings us to Mr Trump’s most recent episode. His blast on the Truth Social network was … interesting. He called for “the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” because he lost the last election for president. He wants to be declared the “RIGHTFUL WINNER,” or “have a NEW ELECTION.” (All CAPS are directly from the Trump quote) Wow. Wanting to terminate the Constitution finally drew some rebuttals from the right, but not from everyone.

Just as the events of Charlottesville, or January 6th, or his continuing election denial caused some people to leave the Trump orbit, another dribble of people are departing after the Ye/Fuentes dinner and the subsequent “termination of the Constitution” comments. The vast majority of his core? Like a married couple, they are there through thick and thin, for better or worse. There will be no divorce. They will follow him to the bitter end, however that turns out.

I’m not really sure why I wrote this blog. It’s not going to change any minds. Having said that, I think we all have a duty to bear witness to what is going on in this country. If we don’t continue to speak out, the future becomes a foregone conclusion. As Edmund Burke (or maybe someone else) famously said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

I have a couple of last questions for you. First, if Joe Biden declared he wanted to terminate the Second Amendment, what would the immediate reaction be? And second, does anyone doubt Trump would terminate the Constitution in a heartbeat if he could?

Finally, those of us who served in the military or the government swore an oath that started with these phrases: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;”. For my West Point and former military comrades who still support Mr. Trump, I guess we are finally at that point. Which do you support – Mr Trump, or the Constitution?

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Fighting Optimism

Fighting Optimism

On the Late Show last October, Bruce Springsteen said “You have to be a fighting optimist, I believe.” I think The Boss is right. As this year ends, I’m trying to do two things. One, put the disaster that was 2021 behind me, and two, approach 2022 with a sense of not just optimism, but fighting optimism.

While there were many good things that happened in 2021, I suspect the year will long be remembered for two things. First, the Insurrection on January 6th and the right’s attempts to minimize those events. And second, the gift that keeps on giving – Covid. Those are the twin pillars that define 2021.

At their core, they are of course, entwined with each other. He who shall go unnamed continues to push against the valid election results of 2020 and calls the insurrectionists of January 6th patriots and heroes. The big lie just keeps getting bigger. And with Covid, we know it’s not going away any time soon, and maybe never. Despite the Delta and Omicron variants, the death rate has dropped dramatically – except among those who refuse to get the shot. For them, the death rate has increased. We all know the reason why a majority of those refusing the vaccine have done so. It’s an interesting juxtaposition to see a leader cause the deaths of some of those who follow him.

The past, of course, informs the future.

Those of you who know me, know I’m an optimist at heart. When people ask me if I see the glass half full, or half empty, in my mind I almost always answer “I see it 3/4 full.” But Bruce is right. Being an optimist isn’t enough – You need to be a fighting optimist.

What does a “fighting optimist” even mean? Springsteen originally used the phrase on October 25th, 2021 in a Podcast with former President Barack Obama. He was speaking about fighting for America in these troubled times when he said “You have to be a fighting optimist, I believe … You know, I think you’ve got to adhere to the truth. You’ve got to adhere to the basic values in our institutions … “(We) need to protect American Democracy and things like the fundamental right to vote…”

For me, that defines fighting optimism perfectly. Democracy should be a participatory activity – not just by voting, but also by helping to shape this great country of ours. There is too much at stake to sit on the sidelines. It means continuing to fight for change, in order to enable the optimistic view of the future I have. I need to do everything I can to empower that future.

As I look to 2022 and beyond, I’m making fighting optimism a part of my life. I want to ensure my optimistic view of a better America is achieved. It’s not enough to be aware of what is going on in the world. We must also have the will to work towards the needed changes. It will continue to take time and effort to make our better America happen, and I’m committed to doing so. I hope you are as well.

As Bruce says, “the other choice is unthinkable.”

Awareness and optimism aren’t enough. We must also have the will to work towards the needed changes.

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Addendum:

Bruce Springsteen and President Obama have written a book together called Renegades, that is based on a series of podcasts they did in 2020. You can read more here: https://www.npr.org/2021/10/25/1048032010/obama-bruce-springsteen-podcast-book-renegades

Registering the Dead

Registering the Dead

My Mother-in-Law, Faye received an interesting piece of mail today from the “50 State Action Fund”. The mailing provided a Virginia voter registration application and urged her to register and save Virginia from “the Radical Liberals”. The only problem is mom has been dead since 2010.

Hmmm, Mom may not have Registered to Vote in the last Eleven Years… I Wonder Why?

50 States Action Fund says it is “committed to giving Americans the tools they need to fight back against the rise of socialism. Through registration efforts, we are working to help voters engage in the political process by exercising their constitutional right to vote across the country…. and Protect our values from socialism.” Their website shows us on the road to becoming Venezuela. Their Facebook page of course brings up the bogeyman of taking away people’s guns. Looking closer, it appears they are specifically targeting Virginia.

Uh oh. The Dems are at it Again (Although it’s the Right that’s Trying to Register Dead People…)

It’s interesting to me how the far right, and particularly the Trumpers, continually charge the left with voter fraud. It’s one of the many great crimes committed by us radical leftists. Everyone knows we register illegals, register criminals and register dead people. We evidently do this so we can turn this country into a – take your pick – socialist, communist, or Marxist state. I suppose the 50 State Action Fund is pretty mild, since they only charge us with socialism and not creating a Marxist State.

Here in Virginia, we have an election every single year. It’s actually a bit tiring. This year, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General Offices are all up for election, as well as all members of the House of Delegates. The Republican candidate for Governor was already caught on tape telling supporters that he “has to limit his antiabortion comments on the campaign trail for fear of alienating Virginia’s independent voters, but that he would go “on offense” if he wins office and Republicans take a majority in the House of Delegates.” Of course it’s the Dems who are the liars.

I’m sure there will be many more shenanigans over the next three months before the election, no doubt from both sides. As to mom registering to vote in support of the Far Right, I suppose they will have to pry the registration form from her cold dead hands.

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Addendum:

I’ve been waiting a long time to find a use for that Chuck Heston/NRA “cold dead hands” tag line. I think this fit the bill.

In the first two hours after I published this blog, three other friends here in Virginia told me about dead relatives or friends who also received this mailing. Maybe they should review their mailing list? I doubt that will happen.

Very Fine People on Both Sides

Very Fine People on Both Sides

There are very fine people on both sides, unless you are the Republican Party and Liz Cheney is on one of those sides. Evidently there’s no room for Liz in today’s Republican Party. We all know her crime – acknowledging Trump lost the election, and calling out “The Big Lie” propagated by Trump and his sycophants.

After Trump’s election loss last November, and the events of January 6th, many of us were watching to see which way the Republican Party would turn, post-Trump.  Would they return to the Republican Party of old? Or stay in the thrall of Trump?

It’s sad to say, but we can all see what is happening.  The party of Dirksen and Percy, McCain and Romney, Reagan and Bush, even the party of W, is no more.  They should change the name from the Republican Party to the Trumplican Party, or The Party of Trump.  There is no room for dissent within the Grand Old Party. And it’s not just with Cheney.

In Utah at a Republican meeting, the crowd loudly booed Romney. They almost voted to Censure him. In Arizona, the GOP DID vote to censure Cindy McCain, widow of John McCain. In Arizona, they also continue to challenge last November’s election results, despite the fact their own Republican elected officials certified the election results multiple times. McCarthy, Hawley, Cruz, DeSantis, Rubio and other hopefuls all continue to make their pilgrimages to Mar-a-Lago. It has become the Republican Mecca.

Until 2017, I was a lifelong Independent voter. Over the course of my life, I voted for Republicans, Democrats and Independents in elections from the local level, all the way to presidential. In 2017, after Charlottesville, Donald Trump pushed me to the Democratic Party.

I have pondered whether I would return to my roots as an Independent Voter after Trump was gone from office. The Republican Party’s actions of the last week, and the last four months indicate that is not likely to happen anytime soon.

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Addendum:

Here’s what Representative Cheney herself had to say last week: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/05/liz-cheney-republican-party-turning-point/

Thanks as always to my friend, Colleen Conroy for editing assistance!

Soups, Stews and The Winter Of Our Discontent

Soups, Stews and The Winter Of Our Discontent

This winter sucked. We didn’t have much snow, but the three ice storms we did have, made travel treacherous, even if just walking to the barn. Of course, I’m not only talking about the weather.

A Long Cold Lonely Winter …

Covid and Covid isolation continued to hold sway over most of us. Then, as the vaccine became available, we were all scrambling to find some way, any way, to receive a shot. They even had a name for us: We were Vaccine Hunters. The slow pace of the rollout was maddening.

We also had that failed, inept insurrection thing back on January 6th. THAT didn’t cheer anybody up. In fact, it made many of us despair for our country.

To top it all off, we have several good friends dealing with serious health challenges. Some, with life and death health issues.

All of these matters combined to cast a pall over this winter. There was a hint of melancholy, at least at our house. The Winter of our Discontent, indeed.

Whether the opening line of Shakespeare’s Richard III, or the title of the 1961 John Steinbeck book, the words “The Winter of our Discontent” aren’t promising. Neither the play, nor the book are particularly cheery. Richard III is of course filled with political and familial intrigue, death and murder, while Steinbeck’s book “The Winter of our Discontent”, examined moral decline in America. Both have more than a little in common with this past winter.

So, how do you fight against a winter of discontent? It could have been all too easy to just try and survive – stay cooped up, become cheerless, and drink too much.

One of the ways we fought it was with Comfort Food. And more specifically, comfort food in the form of soups and stews.

We made and ate more stews and soups than usual this past winter. Actually, I think we had them a couple times a week all season long. Several were old favorites. Others, we made for the first time, and some of those quickly became new favorites. We warmed ourselves with our meals, as much as with the wood stove in the family room. Here’s a list of the assortment we had:

Those soups and stews provided comfort in many ways. Certainly there was the warmth they gave in the bowl and the simplicity of eating a one pot meal. There was also the ritual and pleasure of making them. For me, that brought a bit of relaxation. A few hours in the kitchen, surrounded by the wonderful smells from the simmering pot, along with the warmth of the stove itself, is not a bad way to spend a cold day. I also think their bursts of flavor and color countered the grayness of the season. They furnished a bit of light in the darkness of midwinter, if you will.

Winter Warmth, Clockwise from upper left – Cuban Black Bean Soup, Butternut Squash Soup, Cauliflower Soup with Rosemary Croutons, Split Pea Soup with Ham, Beef Stew with Cognac and Mustard, and NightCrawler’s Chili

This winter, like all winters, will end. Saturday, March 20th, is the first official day of spring. Although I know we still have some cold, and possibly snowy, days ahead of us, the weather is already turning. Additionally, Cathy and I have both received our Covid shots, and it appears the distribution floodgates are finally opening for all who want the vaccine. Soon, we will all get there.

Among our friends with health issues, some have improved, and others are holding their own. They too are getting Covid vaccines and we hope to see them soon. Unfortunately, two classmates, one from West Point, and one from high school did pass away. We are “at that age” now, where death happens more frequently, but it doesn’t make it any easier.

I’m sure we will have a few more warming winter soups and stews over the next several weeks. And while I’m happy for the sustenance they provided over the past four or five months, my mind is already turning to lighter dishes and meals. The days are growing longer and are not so dark. This winter of our discontent is ending. Spring, and the promise of renewal beckon and I am ready to embrace them. In the immortal words of George Harrison:

Addendum:

– Cathy and I had the good fortune to see the play several years ago at the Shakespeare Theatre here in DC. As with many Shakespeare tragedies, there was plenty of death, murder, political mayhem and family intrigue. If you get a chance to see it, I hope you do so.

– The Winter of Our Discontent was John Steinbeck’s last novel, and published in 1961. He borrowed the title from Shakespeare. It too tells the story of a family, with themes concerning the effects of social pressure, deceit, lying, corruption and death. Steinbeck stated that he wrote the novel to “address the moral degeneration of American Culture during the 1950s and 1960s.”