Tag Archives: Republicans

A WORLD WITHOUT HONOR OR SHAME

A few gems from a killer cabinet!

Let me start with a shocking statement: I feel bad for Trump and his gang of Republican sycophants. 

As one who believes in the Law of Karma, I need not worry about justice or some form of final accounting. It will come in its own good time. Trump and Crew will get theirs. In what form, I cannot say. But I do know for every misdeed, obfuscation and outright lie these characters perpetrate there will be a debt incurred and a payment later extracted.

To be honest, most of the time I have no feelings about these self-justifying miscreants other than anger, outrage and frustration. But every once in a while I wonder about the damage they are doing to their souls…? 

The Old White Men’s Club.

To their immortal souls?

That’s when I feel bad for them. Perhaps they should know better, or care more; but perhaps they’re just too blinded by the brilliance of their brief moment in the national spotlight to see beyond the immediate stakes of political win-or-loss.

Too blinded, sad to say, to see that the world they are shaping for themselves is a world without honor or shame. 

“…most likely an individual who was polite and courteous, with a certain level of personal respect, someone deftly shaped by a system penetrated to its core by honor and integrity.”

If you’ve ever had the good fortune to speak with an American soldier, at any grade level, most likely you found an individual who was polite and courteous, with a certain degree of self- respect, someone deftly shaped by a system penetrated to its core by honor and integrity. A system that would reject each and every moral dwarf who defends this indefensible thuggish president. A president unworthy of the title—and certainly unworthy of their loyalty—whose own political ambitions were so over-riding they subsumed the safety and welfare of an entire nation. 

I was surprised when former Senator Jeff Flake from Arizona used the phrase, “There is still time to save your souls,” in warning his fellow Republicans there was more at stake than political maneuverings. Each Trump apologist—and they are all Republicans—must live with telling lies on a daily basis. As soldiers in a criminal enterprise, they’ve signed on to spread falsehoods—or gaslight any fact that speaks against their unstable overlord. 

The Dissembler-In-Chief and one of his trusted Republican enablers.

Gaslighting. A frontal assault on the reality we all perceive. An attempt by Trump’s minions to build a wall of lies as the facts quickly mount up.

I sometimes find myself wondering, “How do they go home and face their children? How do they continue to raise those children with Judeo-Christian values when they have sullied and bruised those values every day on national TV?”

In a world without honor or shame, there are no blinking lights or hazard signs to warn Trump and his Republican enablers of the dangers they face down the road.

Where a deepening darkness is the only sign their souls are waiting for them.

THIS ENTIRE POST IS A LIE. GET OVER IT!

I admire the Republicans. The way they stare down the truth about Donald J. Trump in order to rise to his well-deserved defense. Never have I admired a group more for their honesty, sincerity and highly admirable blind loyalty. 

“It doesn’t matter if our Congressmen
and Senators tell lies,” said Pinocchio.
“There are as many reasons to ignore Trump’s transgressions as there are to impeach America’s best and most mistreated President.”

How could anyone in their right mind, not admire the way the Republicans threw caution to the wind and their reelections to fate by defending Donald Trump against the interests and purview of the United States Constitution? Their bravery and staunch resolution amidst a damning flood of news reports and credible testimony is unparalleled in the annals of misdirected blind loyalty. Especially in light of how much that testimony undermines Trump’s discredited defense and their quickly vanishing integrity. 

Good show, guys! America will never forget your service and sacrifice.

Yesterday, about twenty of the Republicans I admire most signaled their frustration over the impossible task of defending the President by bursting en masse into a closed-door meeting of the House Intelligence Committee. For me, it matters not that these Republicans have no logical or reasonable defense of Trump’s crimes; just like them, I’m outraged that Adam Schiff’s Intelligence Committee would interrogate witnesses behind closed doors and allow a clear story of Trump’s transgressions to emerge. 

My favorite Republicans always tell the truth!

Lastly, why would we lose any sleep over the security of Ukraine, or its people? Or the dubious fate of those pesky Kurds? Why should I care if Russia or Turkey invades or kills off these troublesome sects and shithole countries? The Kurds may have been Obama’s allies, but they’re not mine. 

As you can tell from my words, I will support Trump and continue to kiss his ass and his ring no matter how many people he shoots on Fifth Avenue.

They’d probably be Kurds, anyway.

TAX THE RICH OR KILL THE POOR.

Wealth is essentially finite. It may expand or contract, but at any given time there’s only so much wealth to go around.

When a nation’s wealth and political power are concentrated in the hands of a few, the rest of its citizens are left with little scroogemore than long days of struggle, painfully-gained progress and fewer attainable dreams. We see it in the Middle East, in Africa and Asia, and in Third World countries where rulers and their cliques soak up all the wealth like so much gravy.

And we are seeing it today in America.

It won’t be long before we reach the tipping point, when students and their parents won’t have money for college, cities won’t have money for schools or libraries, governments won’t have money for basic services, and the poor won’t have money for anything, much less anywhere to turn.

It seems as if we’re living in a Charles Dickens novel where the same Dickensian actors—greed, hard-heartedness, self-righteousness and moral vacuity—have once again stepped center stage to suggest, by their actions if not their words, that it might be better for the poor to die and decrease the surplus population.

No matter that those feelings are thinly disguised behind Big Lies repeated over and over by agents and tools of the wealthy—by newspapers and TV stations owned by the rich, by a political process and Supreme Court controlled by the rich, by sound bites and legislation advanced by rich politicians—that taxes are unfair, that corporations are people, that the wealthiest among us have no obligation to assist the poorest, that God helps those who help themselves, that government exists to protect wealth rather than the welfare of its citizens, and that the surest way to help the poor is to advance the purpose and cause of the wealthy.

All these years later and still Trickle-Down Economics lives!

And those Big Lies, once the exclusive province of the Republican Party are now being echoed by those on the other side of the aisle; as the once-progressive Democratic Party, under the Clintons’ self-serving leadership, evolves to become more Republican in spirit than Democrat—sometimes called ‘Republican Light.’

And now comes word that agencies of the fabulously wealthy Koch brothers—the Heritage Foundation and others—are funding advertising campaigns to buttress the resolve of their congressional lackeys to repeal or gut Obamacare. As though the only hope for a healthier American population is a wealthier oligarchy.

If you accept the premise that, for all practical purposes, wealth is finite, that a government cannot spend more than it takes in or borrows against the future—then all the financial, economic and social upheaval in our country starts to make sense. There isn’t enough to go around when one sector gets a lock-tight grip on the purse and the purse strings. Once that happens, with so little left on the table after you pay for non-discretionary programs, those of us who aren’t wealthy or financially secure, find ourselves battling each other for an ever-dwindling slice of the GBP (Government Budget Pie). Humane and necessary programs compete one against the other. Infants battle the elderly and poor for nutrition allocations. Recovering alcoholics have to fight the homeless, as well as disabled veterans, for shelter dollars. Sesame Street fights for the very same funds sorely needed to regulate Wall Street. All the while, the public sector continues to implode and gentrification elbows families and poor people out of their homes.

We’ve moved from an era where taxes were seen as burdensome to where today the absence of sufficient tax dollars is killing the poor, eviscerating the Midle Class, and apportioning a majority of new income—58%—directly into the pockets of the richest of the rich—the 1%.

The Republican attack on public sector unions in Wisconsin is merely the edge of the scythe as it begins to mow down the social contract my generation grew up with and came to expect from a civilized society.

Collective moral bankruptcy is the problem today, not collective bargaining!

Tax breaks for the wealthy that began with Ronald Reagan and continued under George W. Bush were beyond obscene, as are the bone-deep cuts to government programs now regularly enacted by a government bled dry of its assets by the Republican Party under the guise of fiscal responsibility.  Reducing government spending reduces the need to tax those who have aggregated most of America’s assets. By protecting their excessive fortunes by shutting off the government spigot, the wealthy among us are endangering the lives and livelihoods of so many others. Children will go hungry; students will either forgo college or take on lifetime debt; retirees will see their pensions cut; people will lose their jobs and homes; many will go without winter heating fuel; cities will lay off police, teachers and firemen; while the health of our poorest citizens will dramatically decline—all done so a small group of wealthy individuals can build and accumulate ever more and more money.

We saw it in 2008. We are seeing it today. In spades!. Especially since both major parties are tightly held within the grip of the money-saturated oligarchy.

Tax the rich or kill the poor? What would Charles Dickens have done?

How about Jesus?

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Revised March 6, 2017

This is an updated version of an essay I wrote a few years ago. It’s quite shocking to me how far things have gone downhill since then. With the Republicans, as good servants of their wealthy masters, continuing their assault against social security and medicare, and virtually stymieing any attempts to combat Global Warming, this world is becoming a harsh and unfriendly place in which to live…survive…?

 

Read my “HILLARY CHRONICLES,” ten essays about David (Bernie) getting shafted by Goliath (Hillary) and her merry band of Philistines. The ten essays (in order of appearance): “BRAND SUICIDE, the Destruction of the Democratic Brand in 2016,” “The CDC Issues “CLINTON TOXICITY ALERT!” Warns Contact Could Prove Fatal To One’s Reputation,” “DEMOCRATS USE RUSSIANS AS SHIELD TO RE-FOCUS EMAIL STORY—PR PLOY OF THE CENTURY,”  “IS THAT YOUR IDEA OF AN APOLOGY?” AND  “DON’T BLAME ME IF I CRITICIZE HILLARY.” “Battle For The Presidency: The Gonzo Versus The Gonif,“  “Sorry Bernie, We Still Can’t Trust Hillary,” “Sorry Hillary, We Can Never Forget—or Forgive—Your Stealing The Nomination,” “CONNECTING THE DOTS”, The Frightening Underbelly of the 2016 Presidential Election, “THE AUDACITY OF AUDACITY, the stealing of the American presidency 2016”

To relive those glorious days of the Bernie campaign, check out mine and Bill Dahlgren’s “CHANNELING BERNIE,” ad campaign. 50 glorious ads in pursuit of the real American Dream.

Open Letter To The Republican Party

Dear Elephant Men:

Hey guys? You know we’re watching you, right?  And no matter how many times you tell us you’re legislating to prevent fraud, we know exactly what you’re doing.

You know that, right?   Repub

Nobody’s that dumb or lame, really. Why treat us as though we are? Makes it hurt all the more.

“Voter fraud” has the same believability and cover story value as euphemisms like, “Enhanced Interrogations,” “Trickle Down Economics” or “Clean Coal.” Everybody knows what you’re doing, and can see through your lies, even while you deny doing anything and continue to behave in the same manner.

So enough of this fig-leaf excuse of Voter Fraud please?  It’s really beneath you to continue to deny what you’re doing.

Once and for all, there is no voter fraud! Certainly nothing that could be used to explain the sudden rash of Voter Fraud laws pushed through by Republican-led legislatures in nine states. And just so nobody is missing the fact, let me ask this next question directly…You guys are creating laws, directing the will of nine individual state legislatures, to enforce a solution to a non-existent problem, is that right?

The only problem you’re solving is that you guys are held in such low esteem you can’t win an election without cheating.

Don’t you think there should be a law about that? Using a state legislative process to foster political ends? In nine different states? Smells like some sort of conspiracy to me…hmm…?

Lest anybody be confused, this is nothing but a bald attempt by Republican legislators to suppress voting by blacks, students, poor people and anyone else who might vote Democratic. You guys couldn’t win the Presidency last time around, so rather than reform your party by turning to positions that might appeal to larger segments of the voting public, you chose instead to stay with your Big Money Masters, and to restrict people’s right to vote in so-called swing states.

And that’s what you spend your time doing? On the public payroll? Stealing elections?

Aren’t you even a little ashamed?

Okay, fine! That’s your choice and we respect that.

But hey guys, call it what you will, it’s still JIM CROW all over again…and just as shameful.

Hey, don’t get me wrong. Nobody’s accusing you guys of racism. The fact you’re legislating to disenfranchise blacks has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with the fact you’ve completely abandoned whatever moral authority your party once possessed.

So, in reality, you no longer have any ethical basis to stand as a national party.

Sorry guys, but the truth hurts. And if you want to win the presidency sometime soon—just so you know—it won’t be by kissing the backsides of the wealthiest sliver of the nation’s population, or by writing off Immigration Reform and Income Equality. Nor will you win by continually trumpeting your aversion to 21st Century sexual and cultural norms.

One thing more, it’s time you guys stopped running for office in our highest institutions of government, then worked to dismantle that government and cripple its ability to make a difference in the lives of its citizens.

Yeah, I know, that will get you millions of dollars from the Koch Brothers.

But it won’t win you many votes in whatever voting booths you allow to remain open.

Just remember, we see what you are doing.

And we will not forget.

I Am A Ukrainian

How can you not stand up and cheer at what we’ve just witnessed in Eastern Europe? To see an entire populace rise up against injustice, autocracy and the armed lackeys of a corrupt police state reminds me of what real courage looks like, especially when it’s bolstered by the adrenaline of outrage and moral authority.Ukraine

I couldn’t watch this impoverished proletariat fighting so valiantly—and risking so much—for their rights, their country and for the future of their children’s children without thinking about how far we Americans have drifted from our own revolutionary and democratic ideals. So far that we would allow George W. Bush to twice steal the presidency of the United States (see michaelparenti.org/stolenelections.html) staring impotently with our mouths open, too afraid of the consequences that might come from shouting out the truth and fighting for our rights. Too comfortable, in all likelihood, with our material possessions and modest successes to risk any of it by standing up and shouting “Fraud! Thief! Liar!” as we should have done—as we have an obligation to do as legatees of our revolution and its democratic values!

And so we turned over in bed, having taken a sleeping pill to deal with any discomfiting after-effects of watching our country hijacked by these lackeys of disgruntled billionaires.

Yes, we’ve fallen so far from our American ideals that we would allow almost every state legislature controlled by Republicans to institute laws designed to deprive citizens of their voting rights in the name of preventing voting fraud. A fraud admittedly non-existent and clearly invoked as a fig leaf to conceal the pathetic conniving of a fastly-shrinking political minority.

Where is our outrage? Where are the barricades we would mount to fight for the democratic ideals our forebears died to secure and preserve? Where indeed! Instead of mounting barricades we sit docilely in front of our TV sets while this minority band of politicians gerrymander themselves into the power of the majority and attempt to dismantle every right and protection built up to protect the poor, the weak and the elderly.

Why do we allow these cynical enemies of democracy to determine the national conversation? Why do we allow them to first dismantle our economy under Bush, raid the treasury to protect the banks and  tycoons who created the crisis, then block almost every attempt made by Obama to prevent the poor and the middle class from falling off the game board entirely?

Once I was proud to say “I am an American.” Admittedly it was a time of innocence. A time before Viet Nam. A time before we unnecessarily declared war against Iraq. A time before banks and bankers were allowed to destroy our economy with impunity. A time before Republicans and their billionaire puppeteers were allowed to dictate the national agenda. And, yes, a time before drones were sent to foreign skies to kill enemies and civilians alike without due process.

It was also a time before the events of this last week. A week when I was able to watch breathlessly—with equal measures of hope and trepidation—as a country of 46 million people shook off the chains of corruption and domination that a small group of tyrants had imposed. This was what a fight for democracy and freedom really looked like. It was a week where true-life heroes, brave enough to challenge bullets and riot police, were arrayed before the world in a laughable contrast to the Olympic ‘heroes’ who captured most of the media’s attention.

There was only one international event truly worth watching this week. One event where the human species was shown to reach its most brilliant and most memorable heights.

And it didn’t take place in Sochi.