Trump Threatens Republicans Who Represent Their Districts

Above is an excerpt from the Washington Post, quoting Donald Trump. He is very, very upset with a group of Republican congressmen who voted according to the wishes of their districts on repealing Obamacare, rather than the way Trump pressured them to vote. He thinks that he should threaten Congress to give America what it does not want, and he thinks that representatives are there to serve him, not their constituents.

When did it become Trump's job to "run" someone for Congress in a district where he does not live? It is not the job of Donald Trump to determine by whom other Americans may be represented in Congress, and it is not the job of his supporters to attempt to stick Americans with a country that only delivers threats and corruption, either.

Trump should also consider laying off Twitter. If he has problems getting along with members of his own party, he should either keep it to himself, or learn to get along with them.

Donald Trump Lacks Manners: Declined Invitations

Wow. A fancy inaugural ball for a flamboyant, rich narcissist, and people already do not want to go. Not even for the forty-fifth president of the United States! John Lewis, (D) Georgia, recently declined and told his constituents that he wasn't going because he felt that the election was not won honestly. That was all; he just didn't want to go. This is the same John Lewis who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma on March 7, 1965, and was beaten black and blue by law enforcement. Instead of thanking Lewis for his devotion to his country and for responding to the invitation, Trump got on Twitter and insulted Lewis and his district, referring to Lewis's district, Atlanta, Georgia, as a "shambles" and "crime infested". Not only has Trump forgotten that New York is a rather "crime infested", as well; he has completely breached etiquette for a president in such a situation. Rather than responding to the declined invitation on Twitter, it would have been much more gracious for incoming President Trump to simply send Congressman Lewis a hand written note expressing regret at the declined invitation and hope to work with Lewis soon. That is all that needs to be said by a president when an invitation is declined.

At this writing, there are twenty-three United States senators and congressmen declining invitations to the inaugural ball, and the list is growing. There is also a list of dignitaries planning to give the swearing in ceremony a miss. This is a big deal, and should serve as a wake-up call to the president elect concerning etiquette and manners when an invitation is either accepted or declined. Donald Trump should, by this time, understand that there are many, many people who shy away from circus atmospheres and do not care to attend unruly events hosted by the nouveau riche. Haven't Trump's rallies already been violent enough?

Participate In Government

Nuances. And information that has not been properly read and comprehended by our representatives.
Highlighted is a link to representatives for each state. Give your elected official a call.

USA Freedom Act

Let your representatives know that you want them to support the USA Freedom Act.

Kansas Representatives Do Not Deserve To Be Thanked

As an addendum to last week's embarrassment by the Kansas legislature's attempt to send a bill to the Senate, legalizing unconstitutional and unlawful discrimination against minorities by business owners and government agencies, a nonsensical organization called the Kansas Family Council, based in Wichita, have decided to rub our noses in the stench of our moronic legislators' voting habits, rather than letting the matter ease it's way into the past. The Kansas Family Council has targeted those of us whose representatives voted in favor of Kansas House Bill 2453 for automated and candid phone calls, completely unsolicited, to thank our morons in Congress for their dereliction! Unfortunately, the district which included yours truly, is in a position to receive such phone calls, as Sharon Schwartz, who represents this district, voted in favor of "We Don't Serve Your Kind", or House Bill 2453.

Kansas Family Council is a non-profit group that publishes unconstitutional propaganda encouraging human beings to act in hate and contempt toward one another. They state that church and state should not be separate, schools should favor the Christian religion and force it on all children, and that all who are not Christian should be marginalized in Kansas and deprived of rights. Kansas Family Council even pushes it's way into adoption matters, putting the process of adoption in Kansas in danger of violating laws designed to outlaw human trafficking. The Senate in Kansas has already declared HB 2453 dead on arrival, should it arrive. It not only offends many people, it conflicts with federal law. There's no reason to enact legislation that conflicts with federal law, and leaves government agencies open to lawsuits. Why does the Kansas Family Council want to keep stoking up this insanity?

The best thank-you to a representative who voices a desire to label and mistreat Americans and plunge this country backwards in time to a day when civil rights were not afforded to all citizens equally is to spare the prejudiced lawmaker one's vote.

The Day We Fight Back

Mass Surveillance. What a concept; it conjures up an Orwellian image of government control extending everywhere, reaching into all affairs, personal and otherwise. The argument can and has been made that there really are no actual secrets and there never were, but what about warrantless grabs of information government agencies against an innocent, but targeted citizen? The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution prevents warrantless searches and seizures of our property in person, but where does it fit in electronic communiques?

Right now, there are two important pieces of proposed legislation that need attention from our representatives. First is the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) Improvements Act, written by Dianne Feinstein. Her idea of updating and reform would simply legalize all the illegal data mining already done by NSA. It would also allow legitimate spying tactics on actual espionage suspects overseas, the original purpose of FISA, to be utilized here, in America. Because of the obvious conflicts with the Fourth Amendment, this is not a good idea. On February 11, we are asking everyone to call or write their representatives to state opposition to Feinstein's FISA Improvements Act.

The second proposed piece of important legislation is the USA Freedom Act. This act would amend section 215 of the Patriot Act, which is used to mine and store phone records of Americans. Limits would be placed on the data that is collected, the amount of data that can be stored, and the length of time it can be saved. The bill would also amend the FISA Amendments Act, (FAA, 2008) which allows warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. Our representatives need to know that we support this.

To anyone who still thinks that the NSA and that government agencies actually have the best interests of American citizens at heart, think about the fact that despite so much metadata and other information that there is barely room to store it, America still has unsolved missing persons cases.

Another Conflict For Laura Johnson McNish

Does everyone in Marshall County, Kansas think that Laura Johnson-McNish, the county attorney, truly represents Marshall County? In light of the Grain Belt Express, to which quite a few Marshall County residents objected, here is some data that was never offered: click on this link to see a picture of someone rather closely connected to Johnson-McNish. Scroll down the page and look at the pictures of the board of directors. You will see a picture of someone possessing a strong familial connection to Johnson-McNish. With a family member serving on the board of directors of the Energy Bar, will Johnson-McNish still truly represent Marshall County if she finds herself at cross purposes with the intentions of the Energy Bar? As we know already, Johnson-McNish is owned by the Republican Party in Kansas. We can expect the Koch Brothers and their ilk to control all of her decisions.

I know, I know. He represents Texas, not Kansas. It's just that his statement is so typical of Republican rhetoric. It never ceases to amaze me that people actually accept this type of reasoning, and the unfortunate accompanying voting record, from their elected representatives. As long as we have folks like Joe Barton in office, wind will not be a "finite resource" and it will never slow down!

Idaho Representative Drunk Behind The Wheel

Mormon Republican representative from Idaho, Michael Crapo, apparently got blitzed on Saturday night in Virginia, cruised through a red light, and got pulled over by a police officer. Then he blew a .11, instead of asking for his lawyer. All of this would not really be a big deal, except for the fact that he not only belongs to, but is a "bishop" in a religious movement that preaches that it is a "sin" to consume alcohol. And, of course, there is also what he has said in the past, regarding any use of alcohol: "Crapo has told the Associated Press in past interviews that he abstains from drinking alcohol."......Associated Press

 

Who the hell IS the guy with glowing eyes, standing behind Crapo? Satan?