It's No Joke

There was once a time, not so long ago, when a Supreme Court ruling meant something, when it actually carried some weight. The recent ruling by the Roberts Court against the Trump administration's efforts to include a question on citizenship in the 2020 census was the right one. Among other things, it called the administration's rationale for including the question "contrived."

What a perfect description of the Trump administration for nearly the past 3 years - contrived:

• the faux populism used to cover up the massive giveaways to the wealthiest 1 percent; 
• the righteous claims to drain the swamp in Washington, only to carry out some of the most brazen, systematic corruption we've seen since the Teapot Dome scandal a century ago; 
• the effort to bring back the coal industry as a justification for rolling back the U.S.'s incremental baby steps towards addressing global climate change; and 
• the fact-free claims of protecting national security to impose a Muslim ban.

So when the Trump administration claimed that it was adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census to better enforce the Voting Rights Act, you just knew something stinky just had to be there, festering not too far below the surface. Sure enough, first an estranged daughter turned over her deceased father's hard drives with troves of evidence of the GOP strategy to undercount people of color in the 2020 census. Soon thereafter, the Trump administration's Cracker Jack communications team began losing message discipline with different administration officials backing different rationales. And finally, once the Supreme Court ruling was issued, there was the President himself, babbling about the need to have the question to better demarcate Congressional districts and allocate appropriations. Oopsy!

One might have reasonably thought that this palm-smacking display of incompetence and dishonesty combined with the Supreme Court ruling would have deep-sixed this poorly planned and even more poorly executed ploy. With normal presidencies, yes, but as we all know by now, the only thing normal about the Trump presidency is the setting on the White House washing machine.

Nope. The deranged day-glo orange crotch-grabber at 1600 Penn Avenue wasn't about to let the rule of law get in his way. What Donny wants, Donny gets, all the while making a public spectacle to rile up his de-based basket of deplorables. It's his census survey, by golly, and he'll put whatever dad gum question in there he wants. Why he'll even be happy to to door-to-door himself, knocking on doors while his jack-booted ICE agents go knocking a few heads in the much anticipated round up and separation of immigrant families. It all has a familiar, frightening ring to it. So if you hear a knock at your door, be careful answering it. You never know who might be on the other side...and whatever you do, DON'T ask any questions.

Internment Camp Redux (and Rebrand!)

If anyone is having trouble keeping track of the number of asylum-seeking children who have been separated from their parents (yes, it's still happening) or of the steady decline in their safety and well-being, don't fret. You're not alone. The U.S. judiciary system continues to be just as confounded and confused by the Trump regime's continued attempts to circumvent the rule of law and carry on with its inhumane disappearing and warehousing of these innocent and now deeply traumatized children.

And before my fellow white liberal/progressive types start waving their hands like scarecrows, sputtering and fuming about how all of this debauchery of "American values" only began under Trump, well, all I can say is, you're wrong. Many of the conditions to which I refer - refrigerator-like temperatures, overcrowding, limited/no access to toiletries, basic supplies for washing and cleaning; insufficient supply of nutritious food; and conditions that make sleep near impossible - all began under...wait for it...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

...under the administration of none other than the "Deporter-in-Chief" himself, one Barack H. Obama.

Okay, here's the obligatory disclaimer: I am not engaged in "what-aboutism." This fact by no means excuses either anything the Trump has done so far or anything it appears hellbent on continuing to do to these children. But can we all just please stop deluding ourselves that Democratic administrations were somehow qualitatively different (i.e., better) in their treatment of migrants and asylum-seekers coming from developing countries? Sure, there was a greater respect for due process, the rule of law and there was even a more efficient administration of justice in enforcing these laws.

But - News FLASH! - many of these laws were unjust and their enforcement robbed people of their dignity.

They were also part of the grand bargain the Democrats made with the white supremacist wahoos in their own party and those on the other side of the aisle to inure themselves from said wahoos' attacks along the lines of, "You're for open (insecure) borders and unregulated immigration." That sort of line would be a variation on theme of "weak on crime/defense/etc." attack line that has struck so much fear in Democrats' hearts and led them to do commit so many unspeakable acts of spineless pandering to white voters anxious about their racial status. And now that the 2020 election cycle is almost about to go into full swing - with Speaker Nancy insisting on a laser-like focus on healthcare and such - I don't see too many vertebrae being aligned and girded for this kind of fight.

Back to Trump regime's moral depravity...I just wonder how much hatred must be oozing out of these folks' pores such that they don't bat so much as an eyelash in carrying out these policies. I realize that these acts are but one small subset of their ever-expanding body of foulness, but for Pete's sake, these are children, many of who are mere toddlers. They were traumatized during their journey from their home countries, ripped out of their parents' arms by U.S. law enforcement and then thrown into enormous, caged walk-in refrigerators. The conditions of which are so mind-numbingly inhumane that you wonder if we are finally hitting rock bottom as a society.

I guess not, since ICE will only begin its nationwide deportation operation will begin tomorrow. As a dear friend of mine once said about another nation in dire straits, "I guess there's always one more swish in the toilet bowl." Flush twice! It's a long way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.!

Down the Hatch (Act)!

We're probably running out of special places down you know where for members of the Creep Show that is the Trump Administration. They are nothing, if not consistent, continuing to outdo each other with their outlandish examples of moral turpitude. No surprise, since they're only following the lead of the Immoral Twerp-Dude-in-Chief. Still, you had to be left just a little gobsmacked by the lip-sneering show of entitlement by Kellyanne Conway when she dismissed charges made by the (Trump-appointed) head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), who called Conway a "repeat offender" of the Hatch Act. N.B. That's the law that forbids federal employees from engaging in campaign activities while on the clock at their taxpayer-funded jobs.

Conway's response? Essentially, she told the OSC, "Hatch Act, Shmatch Act, you can kiss my hairy Hatch (Act)!"

Not to be outdone, and just to make sure they cover their boss's prodigious backside, Trumpista flunkies fell over reach other, rushing to embrace their collective sense of victimhood - an increasingly regular occurrence these days - to claim the OLC was violating Conway's first amendment rights. Hoo, boy! Where do we start with that one? This little whiny bit of legalish-sounded horse puckey from the same crowd that supported Trump's calling journalists the "enemy of the people"? This from the followers of the wannabe-dictator who enjoyed whipping up his supporters into a frenzy at his rallies and urging them to assault reporters? I don't have enough time or space in this blog to list the many examples where Trump & Co. have shown their utter disdain and disregard for the first amendment (and most of the rest of the Constitution, too, for that matter).

But never mind all that, let's just sit for a moment and let it sink in that Conway's act of audacious impunity is likely to go unpunished, since the Democrats, despite winning back the House, are too busy wringing their hands and fingering their worry beads to lift, well, a finger. Okay, okay, to be fair, Conway's lawbreaking is probably exhibit #3,024 in the long, running list of crimes committed by Trump and his Creepies, but still. Couldn't the Dems muster just a little bit of moral outrage. Would it be asking too much to call before a Congressional committee or three to account for her behavior? Can a committee chair get a witness? Nope, Trump has defied and ignored all of the subpoenas issued by the oversight committees.

Doh!

But besides, we're told, the Democrats have been much too busy passing and sending bills to show us just how much better they are at governing than the other guys. You know, all that policy and legislative stuff that we, the public, are supposed to be paying attention to? And what has happened to said bills? They get sent over to the black hole that is Mitch McConnell's Senate where they promptly are given a bullet to the head and die a quiet death without so much as a proper burial. 

Which is another reason why Nancy, Chuck and the gang refuse to begin initiating the impeachment process, because they fear Mitch going all grim reaper on their you know whatsits.If you don't think you win a battle and you don't feel like doing the work to increase the probability of winning, then I guess it's okay to just delay, obfuscate, look the other way, and hope history treats you kindly in a few decades.

Hello, Mcfly? Anybody home? Impeachment IS your Constitutional obligation, even and especially more so in this dangerous political moment in which we find ourselves. Indeed, the Democrats need to figure out how to do both more effectively, but sadly, it is becoming painfully obvious that undertaking anything other than what they consider to be a safe political slam dunk is nowhere to be found in the Democratic Party's wheelhouse. So much for the loyal opposition sucking it up and putting on their big girl (and boy) pants.

I've ranted and raved enough. Time to take a break. Meanwhile, enjoy the toon and happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there. Just be sure not to let your daughters grow up to be like Kellyanne Conway, because there might still be some room in one of those special places somewhere you know where...

Tirade Policy

Score another one for the Donald. Serial crises, the likes of which would have normally sunk most presidencies, seem to buoy Trump instead. Indeed, the formula is now well-known and familiar:

Step 1 - create a totally unnecessary crisis of your own making.

Step 2 - threaten and bully your adversary with demands that are completely out of the realm of possibility.

Step 3 - wait until the world bites its collective fingernails to the quick.

Step 4 -  back down.

Step 5 - claim victory for having defused the bogus crisis, regardless of actual costs to yourself or anyone else.

In this particular case, Trump decided to conflate immigration with trade policy, which carried some significant economic costs for his wealthy GOP enablers - so much so that GOP politicos suffered a momentary lapse of spinefulness and muttered and sputtered about swallowing these costs while making maximum effort to avoid provoking the Donald's infamous temper.'

And, to make this whole exercise all the more absurd, the details of the actual "deal" reached with the Government of Mexico turned out to have been negotiated months ago between Mexico and the U.S. It makes me wonder, "Was this all a distraction? What the <bleep> was actually going on while we were so focused on the scary possibility of rapidly escalating tariffs on our #1 trading partner?

The list is probably too long, and probably involves a mixture of gross corrupt practices, obstruction of justice, and evisceration of some critical cornerstone of one of our long-established institutions. Good grief, why does all of that sound so familiar It must be déjà vu all over again and again and again and again...I think I need a nap.

The Donald Does Japan

Looks like the Donald has made yet another belly flop of a splash during his time abroad, this time in Japan. He managed to meet the new emperor, attend a sumo wrestling match, and trash one of our most important alliances for good measure. Evidently, he threatened Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with tariffs if the Japanese auto industry didn't stop importing so many of its products to the U.S. Nobody bothered to remind Trump that Japanese automakers already manufacture one-third of all of their products in the Lower 48.

For good measure, Trump gave a favorable shout out to one of his favorite dictators, Kim Jung Un, by way of agreeing with the North Korean government's communique, which called Joe Biden a low IQ individual. Never mind that U.S. presidents have traditionally followed an unspoken rule of leaving partisan politics at the American shore while traveling abroad and representing our nation. Norms are for other (lower IQ) people. What struck me is that when Trump is overseas, he's bumbling foolery is only magnified, because it is so out of context and without the usual 35% of our own population bobbing their empty heads in unison to his crass, puerile nonsense.

It all had the air of an Elementary school Model United Nations exercise, except that 10 year olds would at least make an effort to act diplomatically and avoid rupturing intentionally strategic alliances. Not Trump. He's like a big clumsy, vicious monster that revels in finding new ways to destroy whatever person, place or thing has the bad fortune of being in his path. And for measure, he teams up with other brutish monsters, to whom he has pledged his undying love and affection, so that together they can all pile on for a proper session of raze and burn.

I guess Trump's visit to Tokyo will be forgotten within a few hours in our rapid reload news cycle. He'll just go off thrashing, smashing and crashing somewhere else. We'll all gasp and shudder and then wait for the next time he does it all over again. It's exhausting even thinking about it never mind actually doing something about it. Me, personally? I'd actually prefer some big green scaly nuclear waste-powered, hellfire-breathing monster. At least, I wouldn't have to experience the same self-rewinding tape of disaster over and over and over and over again.

He's Lovin' It

I don't know about you, but watching the Democrats in Congress wring their hands while the Donald runs roughshod over the rule of law is making my stomach turn, kinda like after I scarf down a "meal" at Mickey D's. All of these so-called salty veterans of D.C.'s favorite pastime, Insider Baseball, continue to tut-tut over the idea of beginning the impeachment process, even as the Trump administration swats away one subpoena after another, further diminishing Congress as a co-equal branch of the federal of government.

Instead, they come up with one politically expedient excuse after another about why now is not the right time, sticking their heads in the sand while muttering something about, "Let's wait until 2020, and let the voters decide." What the heck are they scared of? That the Senate won't actually vote to impeach Trump? That impeachment will throw them off message as they head into the 2020 elections? That the politics aren't to their liking? Something is beginning to smell an awful lot like flop sweat, oozing out of the pores of 280 Democrats on the Hill. Meanwhile, the Trump administration strategy of stonewalling and stalling appears to be working, allowing them to continue pursuing their white supremacist mission with impunity.

Personally, I thought Elizabeth Warren had it about right when she pointed out that nowhere in the U.S. Constitution is there an exception for political inconvenience. At least there's one Democrat who is willing to assume her institutional role obligation and uphold the Constitution, protect the rule of law and stand up to Trump. Okay, to be fair, there are several others, but among the Democratic "leadership," you don't hear anything coming close to this kind of response. Just crickets. Chirp.

And Trump, who has been claiming "total exoneration" and who has been benefiting from William morphing into Roy Cohn, couldn't be happier. After all, he's insisted all along that the Mueller investigation was a "witch hunt" instigated by angry partisans of the Deep State in the FBI and the national security-intelligence apparatus. And the Democratic response to this man who would have us all believe that everything in the Mueller Report is just one big "Nothing Burger"?

"Would you like some (freedom) fries with that?"

I can only guess, he MUST be lovin' it.

Heads Up!

It appears that the Trump Administration has served notice to Congress that it will no longer be making its people available for any further testimony or anything else for that matter, in response to Congress attempting to exercise its oversight authority. The Mueller investigation was the one and only chance Congress and, by extension, the American people had at holding Don the Con and his swamp thingies accountable for their chronic slime bucketry and shenanigans.

Gosh, I didn't realize checks and balances worked that way...my bad.

Meanwhile, over at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), everything is sunny and gay (in a non-Pence-like way, of course). Climate change? To paraphrase Alfred B. Newman, "What, we worry?" Or should we? Because it sure looks like the scientists over there - remember them, those silly people who live in that bizarre-o world of empiricism and facts? - didn't get the memo on promoting climate denial from Don the Con. In fact, they just issued a report, warning us all that here in the U.S. we ought "to start planning for the fact that climate change is going to make these catastrophes (natural disasters) worse."

But not so, sez EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. Nope. According to him, “most of the threats from climate change are 50 to 75 years out.” Great, he's just given us the proverbial kick o' the can down the road. Or maybe he really does know something we (and thousands of scientists) don't know? Or maybe, just maybe, over at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, the head doesn't know what the body is doing. Maybe that's because the "head," aka, EPA Administrator Wheeler, has got his own kopf stuck up his tuchus, a well-documented result of being a part of the skulk of foxes that has been put in charge of the myriad hen houses that are the U.S. federal regulatory apparatus.

Well, stranger things have been known to happen than a bought-and-paid-for former (?) coal industry lobbyist lying about the potential impacts of climate change, even if he did swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and the American people, all 327 odd million of us, and not his Carbonnsauras clients. I guess when you have to constantly gaslight the American public and their elected representatives, having your head involuntarily lodge itself up your backside is an occupational hazard. What with having to contort yourself to assume all kinds of awkward positions so that you can give at least the appearance of seriousness while coughing up another hairball of half-truths and artful dodges. Having said that, doing this particular kind of deep dive does have the added benefit of not having to witness the consequences of your action on the planet, or on your fellow human beings.

See? It's not climate denial. It's just an example of self-care, but please don't try this at home.