Bless John McCain

I have not had the honor of knowing John McCain. Like most Americans, the best I can say is that I know about him. He and I did not share a political philosophy, and when I had the opportunity I voted against him. Having said that I also have to say that he was and still is an American hero who has served his country with great valor and dedication! Much to his credit John McCain admitted that he was a fallible human being who made mistakes, and he took responsibility for those mistakes. There were also times when he did what was political rather than what was right. Unfortunately that is one of the things politicians have to do far more often than they would like in order to get elected. Unlike most politicians today, however, John McCain also had the courage to do what was right even when it hurt him politically -- much to the surprise of his critics and the consternation of his supporters.

In many ways John McCain seems like someone from another era, embracing what should be enduring values that seem to have fallen by the wayside. One of the most fundamental concepts of democracy is the concept of the loyal opposition, and John McCain was guided by that concept. As prickly as he could be, he did not see his opponents as his enemies or as enemies of the country, and he was willing to compromise with them in order to provide the people of this country with the government they deserve and expect. You do not hear much about duty, honor, country today but those three words defined John McCain's life as did love – love of his country, his family, his friends, and his colleagues.

Rest In peace, John McCain. You will be missed!

Is Truth Dead?

It started during the Presidential Campaign. Donald Trump lied about everything all the time, and members of the main stream media knocked themselves out trying to avoid calling Trump the lier that he is. At first members of the media tried to be polite by saying Trump was incorrect or mistaken. Then reporters and commentators resorted to such euphemisms as “falsehood,” or “untruth.” But the lies just kept coming and in such a volume that fact checking Trump took more time and effort than news reporters can spare. Far from improving after the election the volume of Trump's lies actually increased and has grown ever more frequent and frantic as the courts and the Mueller investigation come closer to revealing the extent to which Trump joined Putin in a conspiracy to interfere with our presidential election.

As I have stated before the first victim of any would be despot is the truth. To say that the facts are not on Trump's side would be an understatement; indeed the facts will probably be fatal to his Presidency. That is why we hear Kellyanne Conway on Meet The Press trying to pass off Trump's lies as alternative facts, and why Rudy Giuliani infamously said, “the truth isn't the truth!” Not being content with that absurdity Giuliani embarrassed the hell out of the law school that has to claim him as a graduate by insisting that Trump would be walking into a perjury trap if he allowed Mueller to interview him because there are “different versions of the truth.” If Mueller favored James Comey's version of events, Giuliani said, Mueller would charge Trump with perjury. Apparently Rudy forget what Mr. Mueller and every other law school graduate knows, to wit that perjury is a crime that must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt, and that there is this thing called evidence which corroborates one version of the events and discredits the opposing version of events. So if we were to accept Giuliani's illogical argument we would have to say that our whole justice system is worthless! That is what is at stake here. That is what it means to accept the alternate universe of Trump or any other would be despot. In the world of the despot truth becomes irrelevant, and reality becomes what his fraudulency says it is.

Teach your followers well, daddy Trump. Wash their brains, rinse and repeat, and repeat, and repeat! “No Collusion! No Collusion! No Collusion! Witch Hunt! Witch Hunt! Shameless Witch Hunt! Where the hell are Hillary's emails? Everything is her fault, don't you know – hers and Obama's. And did you know Mueller is really a conflicted Democrat registered as a Republican?” So sayeth the Donald who has conflicts of interest galore, and who presides over the most corrupt and incompetent administration ever.

Five people close to Trump have pled guilty to committing crimes and Paul Manafort has been convicted of eight counts of fraud. As of August 21, 2018 we can add to that list of criminals Trump's Mr. fix it, Michael Cohen, who pled guilty to eight charges including campaign finance violations that he committed at the direction of Donald Trump. Some witch hunt -- with over 32 indictments, 6 guilty pleas, and one conviction! What has to be scaring the hell out of Donald Trump is that thus far Special Counsel Mueller has actually been holding back on the issues of who might have collaborated with Russia and of Trump's rather obvious attempts to obstruct justice! No wonder Trump is so desperate to end the investigation.

Unfortunately for Trump truth is not dead, and our legal system is still functioning as it should. But Trump's attacks on truth and our judicial system are increasing in proportion to his desperation, and both are at risk because of the power he has as the President of the United States. Reject the dark and smelly world of Trump and the soiled Republican diapers covering has ass. Elect a congress that will hold Trump in check. Let Mueller do his job and let the truth be revealed. Facts and truth are not relative they are absolute. Furthermore, we are capable of determining the facts and of knowing the truth.