Fire Lit Under The Trap Door Of Trump's Long Johns...

Good evening! I was washing dishes after dinner tonight and began thinking about Trump's threat to Congress, if they don't pass a new healthcare bill soon. I believe Congress must take umbrage at the President's latest twitter threat. If Trump did punish Congress for not knuckling under his threat, I bet they would begin impeachment proceedings, faster than I could pour a Mason jar of canned peaches into a flaky pie crust and bake a peach cobbler for a late night supper!

He would be well advised to keep his bully tactics to himself and explore a more viable way to induce the good will and support of his Republican party members.

I question who or what the ultimate impetus is for the "fire", lit under the trap door of Pres. Trump's long johns? Is Robt. Mueller's investigation getting too close? Does Putin's latest message to Trump speak a more cryptic rebuke of Trump? Does Putin have a greater consequential power of influence that could threaten or break Trump? What would that influence and power actually mean for Trump and his spider-webbed organization?

It is interesting that China and Russia hold a large portion of the loans for Venezuelan debt due to be repaid to them... very soon. Pres. Nicolas Maduro, faces a possible Venezuelan bankruptcy that could force their country's debt into the receivership of China or Russia. This is all important because of the international oil grab at stake. Exxon and Citgo Petroleum Corporation figure predominantly in the scheme of things, no matter how muddied the waters get.

From Wikipedia:
Citgo Petroleum Corporation (or Citgo) is a Venezuelan-owned American refiner, transporter ... Russian government-owned oil company Rosneft. The company has its American headquarters in the Energy Corridor area of Houston, Texas.

Headquarters‎: ‎Houston, Texas, U.S.

From the Washington Post:

In a crazy twist of international events, Russia's state-owned oil company Rosneft might end up owning Citgo, a US energy company based in Houston, Texas.

This isn't a direct takeover. Instead, it hinges on the ability of Venezuela's state-run oil company to pay back its Russian loan. The Venezuelan company owns Citgo, which was used as collateral for the loan.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are highly alarmed. In hotly worded letters to the Trump Administration in recent days, members of Congress and senators warned that it could be a big problem for US national security if Russia gets a hold of Citgo.

"We are extremely concerned that Rosneft's control of a major US energy supplier could pose a grave threat to American energy security, impact the flow and price of gasoline for American consumers, and expose critical US infrastructure to national security threats," a bipartisan group of senators led by Republican Marco Rubio of Florida and Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey wrote Monday in a letter to US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

This entire situation stems from the fact that Venezuela has been desperate for cash lately. Venezuela's state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), has owned Citgo since the 1980s. In exchange for a loan from Rosneft in December, Venezuela's oil company put up a large stake (49.9%) in Citgo as collateral.

If PDVSA can't pay its bills on time, Rosneft will almost certainly get control of Citgo. All Rosneft would need to do is buy a few more of PDVSA's bonds to get over the 50% ownership threshold.

"The Russians have a lot to gain through the PDVSA-Rosneft-Citgo asset transfer to the detriment of US interests," wrote Republican Congressman Jeff Duncan and Democratic Congressman Albio Sires in a letter to Mnuchin on Thursday. "We urge your immediate attention and review of this matter."

Mnuchin is chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which determines whether foreign ownership of US companies or assets is a good idea.

While Venezuela or PDVSA won't run out of money immediately, there is a reasonable chance they will by the end of 2017. That could mean PDVSA won't be able to pay back the Russian loan.

It won't happen this week, says Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American Energy Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute. "But they may default with their next big payment in October or November."

From Reuters:

Russia's top oil producer Rosneft is negotiating to swap its collateral in Venezuelan-owned, U.S.-based refiner Citgo for oilfield stakes and a fuel supply deal - a move to avoid complications from U.S. sanctions, two sources with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters.

State-owned Rosneft holds a 49.9 percent stake in Citgo as collateral for a loan last year of about $1.5 billion to the OPEC nation, which is reeling from low oil prices and a severe recession.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

What would U.S. sanctions mean then?

                                       "Good Night and Sweet Dreams!"

                                                   "Boner Appertite!"

PBS' Carmen Sandiego had nothing on Rex Tillerson...

Good morning! The puppies have been pottied and the coffee has brewed. The only thing missing from completing a lovely breakfast with Grandpoppy, is the sliced avocados topping our scrambled eggs. I was eating cheesy scrambled eggs covered with delicious Cholula Hot Sauce, when something occurred to me. Amid all the Trump hubbub, going on daily in the news, Rex Tillerson, is one name seldom mentioned.

It seems a little odd that only one actor in "Trump's Greatest Show On Earth" 3 ring circus, seems to remain elusive and somewhat invisible, from the hot glare of the media's spotlight. Tillerson is nearly a virtual camera-shy recluse, carefully and quietly retreating from the Hollywood-like, media hogs in Trump's cabinet.

Why would a man like Rex Tillerson, unexpectedly and inexplicably disappear so quickly and quietly from Trump's political landscape? He is a rich, well-educated, international businessman with vast world-wide business connections, a celebrated recipient of the Russian Order of Friendship Medal awarded by Vladimir Putin in 2013 and recently appointed U.S. Secretary of State by Pres. Trump. Why did he accept the position in the beginning?

There has not been a peep heard from him about the Venezuelan oil issue in play at this time. He has not been instrumental in any sanction hearings or meetings regarding Exxon, Citgo or Russian and American oil interests. Why would that be for a man representing himself as America's Sec. of State? What is the level of Tillerson's involvement? Undeniably, Tillerson is Putin's favorite oily American Eagle Scout. Is Rex Wayne keeping silent to avoid getting his rat tail caught in an uncomfortable crack? Tillerson's possibly attempting to quietly engineer a way to gently extricate himself from Trump, thereby avoiding a situation that could require ripping a strip of his skin off, as he scurries away from the natural disaster that is ... Trump.

While many shoes, are currently dropping in Washington, D.C. lately, it will be interesting in the days ahead, to sit back and watch whether Tillerson will become another one of Trump's soon-to-be departed and "shoeless" diplomats, who have had the rug pulled out from under them. Tillerson may be headed back to the crude boardrooms of big Texas oil interests.

When will Mr. Tillerson leave Trump's close circle of clowns? Why? What are the real reasons that motivate Sec of State Tillerson to leave? Where will he go next? The whole intrigue of "gum-shoeing"and investigating Rex Tillerson's geopolitical business adventures, is just as educational and entertaining as the 1991 PBS after school series, "Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?"

So...where's Tillerson been and where is he going? Follow the money trail.

                                                         "Boner Appertite!"

Canadian Red Green's Advice To Gen. John Kelly

Good afternoon! This last week has been filled with a sense of constant chaos and interminable threats to America's foundation of democracy. The worst part of it all, seems to originate from the leadership of the President. I have heard that our foreign counterparts around the world are quietly fearful of the President's unstable and undependable behavior breeding a very real distrust of his reliability.

I am saddened that America's leadership has single-handedly encouraged and cultivated this world-wide fear and distrust among our friends and allies. Yet, I cannot lay blame to these foreign leaders who are our long-time friends and partners, for feeling this way. It is an earned reputation, this uncouth President has saddled America with, during his early tenure of little more than 6 months representing America.

If he was a commonly employed man working in the corporate sector of the economy for a national business entity, he would be hastily and rightfully, fired. Our President has no sense of respect for the position of the high office he holds. His disturbing lack of  moral compunction in gloating with a blustering braggadocious style to ad infinitum, in front of uncomfortable and captive audiences, is an abhorrent embarrassment to America.

Pres. Trump has appointed a new replacement for Reince Priebus, the previous White House Chief of Staff, with retired Gen. John Kelly. It will not be surprising if it ends in the same manner, as his past executive behavior predicts for the future of this latest appointee.

Might I suggest 2 pieces of advice that could prove useful to Gen. Kelly in pursuit of successful employment while getting used to lying prostrate in the employ of Pres. Trump? My first piece of advice, is to remember the word: "NEXT!" and forget any delusions of pride and self-respect.  

Secondly, he should take the economical and often effective, advice of Red Green from the old Canadian television comedy show called, "The Red Green Show". Red's timeless wisdom was both hilarious and succinct. He advocated first bringing the right tool to do every job. He proudly advised that he always carried and implemented, his "Secret Weapon", to every tough job when nothing else worked. In Red's own facetious jocularity, he revealed his "Secret Weapon", to the audience. He said, "if all else fails...use duct tape"!


                                                            "Boner Appertite!"

Obamacare Survives...

Good evening! The moon hangs like a crescent shaped slice of cheddar cheese, among a star filled night sky. The wind has ceased to blow and stirs not, breathlessly waiting for some driving force to begin.

I am still up watching the live CNN coverage of the Congressional vote that will decide what happens in this country to the healthcare of millions of people, like me and Grandpoppy. Our Grandson is spending the night and has chosen to sit up with us to watch this historic vote that will change the course of healthcare in America forever. We have explained the importance of this vote to our Grandson, in a simple 4th. grade way, so that he might remember the night he didn't have to go to bed early, to share this historic moment in time with Grandma and Grandpoppy, even when we are gone and he is a grown man.

So, at 1:40 AM Eastern Time, Sen. Mitch McConnell spoke on the Senate floor after the "Skinny Repeal" failed. Sen. McConnell followed with a scorching tirade admonishing the Senators for their votes that caused the demise of the repeal of Obamacare.

My hope is that all parties will begin a mission of "healthcare repair", that will result in the improvement of Obamacare benefiting all Americans.

                                            "Good Night and Sweet Dreams!"                            

                                                            "Boner Appertite!"

"We Are The Servants Of A Great Nation"...

Good afternoon! The endless crashing waves of the ocean plays its own kind of  rhythmic drum beat upon the Pacific shore daily. My ears hear the constant ostinato pattern, in a sort of metaphysical way, that is a spiritual comfort cuddling my soul in a soft warm blanket. The sea-glass green waves keep their own kind of wound clock, returning on their time, without the influence/direction of man's schedule, to pound and crash on the shore again.

Nature is the ocean's master. Nature's hidden internal mechanism directs its final authority to guide its destiny, for better or worse.

Some men in history share the same kind of internal, spiritual mechanism, choosing the way they direct and conduct the business of their lives, for the better or for the worse of all.

Today,  the honorable Sen. John McCain returned from his medical leave of absence, to place his "yes" vote, to continue a Congressional discussion and debate for formulating and writing a new comprehensive repeal/replacement to Obamacare. In his speech to Congress, he said 2 things that were quite significant points to heed, for the benefit of his fellow lawmakers and the benefit of every American.

Most importantly he said, "We are not the President's subordinates...we are his equals! We are the servants of a great nation..."

Next, Sen. McCain  admonished and exhorted his colleagues to work together to create a bipartisan healthcare plan, they could all proudly share part in... for the good of all Americans.

Thank You, Sen. John McCain! Today, you have voiced the sentiments of many ordinary Americans, who thought theirs were the unheard voices, crying out in the wilderness. Every member of lawmakers elected to Congress, by their constituents, were sent there to make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary American citizens. Your words today, may have done that.


                                                                  "Boner Appertite!"

P.S. Get Well Soon and May The Lord G-d Almighty Be With You! Sincerely, Granny Annie

Congressional Amendments Emergency

Good afternoon! Nature's crystal drops, has jealously rained its life giving tonic upon the morning. The green garnish of distant gathered hedges of grass, exotic floral shrubs and native trees, that ring the mighty Pacific Ocean's shoreline have quickly absorbed the scant sprinkles. It made walking Max and Millie, a renewed sensual pleasure, to feel the heavenly moisture touch my face.

It seems there is so much chaotic news every morning, coming out of Washington, D.C. that it's confusion is nearly a sensory overload.

There are a few important issues that deserve the quick attention of Congress. The crucial issue of preventing further deconstruction of our Constitution's foundation, can be easily served by a Congressional bill, written that would aim directly at alleviating a small endangered portion of the Constitution, that could potentially be chipped away by the looming Constitutional crisis of implosion, now.

The first issue is amending Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution regarding the grant of Presidential power to Pardon. The entire Congress should be aligned in introducing a bill, that would specify barring/preventing any President the Constitutional grant to pardon himself, without prevaricated equivocation.

The second issue is amending the requirements for eligibility, for Presidential candidates under the Constitution. An amendment by Congress should stipulate a licensed and certified examination conducted by 3 validly licensed and medically board certified Doctors. Medical experts who will legally attest and bear witness, that the Presidential candidate is both physically and mentally/emotionally fit to sanely, prudently and reasonably conduct all duties of the office of President of the United States. The physical exam would include mandatory drug testing for all candidates, including blood and urine sample testing, as a non-negotiable requirement without exception. The government sponsored medical examination's cost, would be paid by the taxpayers of the United States of America. The independent medical expenses, paid by taxpayers, would be an effort to prevent any tampering of medical evidence, paid by unscrupulous interested parties of the Presidential candidates, examined.

The third issue is amending the Presidential Oath of Office of the Constitution, Article II Section I Clause 8, specifies the exact verbiage the President must speak, which differs considerably from the required verbiage of the Vice Presidential Oath, Article VI Clause 3.  A new required Presidential oath should be the amalgam of both oaths, prescribed and instituted by Congress, to avoid any legal loop hole wrangling upon impeachment, involving foreign enemies.

                                                            "Boner Appertite!"


 


Vice Presidential Oath of Office:

I, AB, 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; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.


Presidential Oath of Office:

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Ughhh...Trump Can Distort The Use of Presidential Pardon...

Good afternoon! It seems I wake up everyday to new and unprecedented Presidential shenanigans threatening the foundations of the American Constitution.

If Pres. Trump goes unchecked, by the powers that be in Washington's halls of Congress, he will go down in history as the man who brought America's downfall in a Constitutional crisis. Additionally, the names of the those Republican representatives of the American people will join his place in history books, for allowing and assisting Pres. Trump.

The United States Congress should pass an amendment to the Constitution of the United States Article II,  regarding Presidential pardons to exclude all pardons from a corrupt President or Vice-President, from obstruction of justice, by giving themselves and their families Presidential pardons.

Under no circumstances, should a President or Vice President be allowed to pardon themselves or their family. This is the first and most important issue Congress should immediately address by writing, introducing and passing a historic landmark bill in a constitutional and concrete lawful amendment.

Congress has the power to save America from destroying itself at the hands of a psychologically unhinged President's unchecked power. No one else has that awesome power. I hope they will have the wisdom and courage to become the heroes, in this horrific revision and re-adaptation of the Hitler years.
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Are There Limits To Trump’s Pardon Power?

How a few possible pardon scenarios might play out.
07/19/2017
Huffington Post


Over the weekend, one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers, Jay Sekulow, refused to rule out the possibility that the president would pardon his associates, or even himself, in the Russia investigation. Sekulow said, “He can pardon individuals, of course. That’s because the founders of our country put that in the United States Constitution: the power to pardon. But I have not had those conversations, so I couldn’t speculate on that.”

The issue of whether Trump could use his pardon power, sparks a debate whether a sitting president may be indicted or whether the Constitution requires impeachment and removal prior to indictment. It is almost a purely academic question because it is highly unlikely that Special Counsel Robert Mueller would indict Trump while still in office. In any event, there is the potential for post-presidency criminal exposure. In addition, Trump’s family members and close associates  could also be under investigation. This means Trump could be tempted to insulate them by granting pardons before they’re convicted of anything.

The political dynamics involved raise fundamental questions of constitutional law. The Constitution of the United States of America, Article II Section 2, gives the President the "Power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States of America, except in cases of impeachment." The President's pardon power is limited to federal offenses, which include federal prosecutions in U.S. territories like the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Clemency requests, include requests for pardon and sentence commutations, usually flow through the Office of the Pardon Attorney, at the Justice Dept. evaluates clemency requests pursuant to the guidelines set forth in the U.S. Attorney's Manual. However, the President may bypass that process, because it is a power expressly given/reserved for the President.  

Prospective Pardons

A President can prospectively pardon individuals for crimes that have occurred, but have not been charged. Pres. Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, even though he was not under indictment. Pres. Ford's proclamation included a "full, free and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon, for all offenses against the United States, which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in", during his Presidency. Similarly, Pres. George H.W. Bush issued full pardons to 6 people implicated in the Iran-Contra Affair, some of whom still faced trial.

The Nixon pardon was a political disaster, that ended Ford's Presidential honeymoon, but sparked a debate whether it was constitutional? Some legal commentators argued it was beyond the power of the President to relieve a person of criminal liability for hypothetical offenses. However, most sources suggest a prospective pardon is within the President's constitutional authority. In the court case of "Ex Parte Garland", 71 U.S. 333,380 (1867), the Supreme Court described the power in broad temporal terms:

The [pardon] power … extends to every offense known to the law, and may be exercised at any time after its commission, either before legal proceedings are taken, or during their pendency, or after conviction and judgment. (emphasis added).

A 1995 Office of Legal Counsel notes that Presidents throughout U.S. history, "have asserted the power to issue pardons prior to conviction, and the consistent view of the Attorneys General has been that such pardons have as full an effect as pardons issued after conviction." It cites an Attorney General opinion from the 1850's, which defends the President's preemptive power on the grounds that, "the act of clemency and grace, is applied to the crime itself, not to the mere formal proof of the crime." Members of Congress have occasionally contemplated a constitutional amendment to preclude a future pardon like Nixon received, which suggests that Congress acquiesces to the Executive Branches viewpoint. Most legal authorities indicate that Pres. Trump has the power to grant prospective

pardons for criminal acts, not subject to formal charge.

To continue reading this article, please go to the Huffington posted article:  

a) Self Pardon

b) The 25th. Amendment Pardon Loop Hole Scheme Contained in the 

Constitution Section III

c)The effect of a Pardon on the Special Counsel Investigations 

                                        "Good Reading and Boner Appertite!"

Sean Spicer's singing John Hiatt's, "Gone" song tonight

Good afternoon! The cool Pacific breeze blows gently across the dunes conjuring up machinations of lazy days spent drinking pina coladas and strawberry margaritas.

Breaking news this morning, from the White House, reveals the crux of Sean Spicer's professional demise and promised resignation, if Anthony Scaramucci is appointed to Mike Dubke's previously held position of the White House Communication's Director, in the Trump Administration. Trump has been trying consistently, to build an effectively loyal staff that can suppress growing allegations of Russian ties to his Presidential campaign and election, unfettered by the constraints of nobilis integritas. It may be pre-mature to suppose that Scarymucci may be more than adequately educated for this position and possess a certain amount of oily professional currency to adequately lubricate and possibly influence mass public opinion, in Trump's favor.

It should be a satisfying victory for Melania Trump, since months ago, it was reported that she allegedly didn't like Sean and wanted him gone. The reports surfaced about the same time that the confidence in Spicer's image to represent the White House allegedly started to wane.

What is the truth? Who really wanted him gone?

Nary a word, has been mentioned about Melania Trump's pleasure in Spicer's resignation and estrangement from the Trump organization's executive roll call.

The opinion expressed by many ordinary American citizen's have been repeatedly voiced in resounding echoes, annotated in the written words of anti-Republican rants and forums around the country, in magazine and scientific digital domains of the cyber world. It appears that Spicer has been given the boot, in the usual Trump fashion. Trump's method of dismissal, is normally embarrassing and personally demeaning, when one of his lackey's professional currency has been exhausted.  After Trump has squeezed the lifeblood out of their careers, leaving nothing, but a discarded empty husk of what had augured to be a bright future. Today's news was Spicer's reward for volunteering his life's career to promote, justify and defend Trump's agenda, in exchange for a fleeting paycheck.

On a lighter note of encouragement, the evaporation of Sean Spicer's job reminds me of the Bluegrass song lyrics, hillbilly singer John Hiatt composed and recorded on his 2000 song album called, "Crossing Muddy Waters". The song title is "Gone!" and will appropriately delight and tickle a giggle out of you.

It must be said, that no other President in the history of America has managed to engineer the reshaping and discarding of all previously accepted generational protocols and praxis of past Presidential administrations, like Donald Trump! Today's latest breaking news just emphasizes another example of the unqualified leadership and the chaotic management style, Trump is implementing with the approval of his "Rasputinian",  Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, to effectively dismantle and deconstruct work in the white columned portals of the highest offices of American government.

If Scarymucci thinks he is immune to 44 1/2's  insane management style and unhinged personality disorders, he is just as deluded as all the rest of the ass kissing trumpeters, who came before him, attempting to ingratiate themselves to this aspiring orange dictator in the White House.

If Scarymucci can last long enough, I'll bet there will be a song befitting the end of his life's work and embroiled career, as well.

                                                     "Good Night and Sweet Dreams!"                                                                                                                  

                                                                  "Boner Appertite!"

John Hiatt Lyrics

"Gone"

Gone like my last paycheck gone gone away
Gone like the car I wrecked gone gone away
Gone like a fifth of gin gone gone away
Gone like the shape I'm in gone gone away
My baby's gone away

Gone like a Nixon file gone gone away
Gone like my landlord smile gone gone away
Gone like the furniture gone gone away
Gone like the rest of her gone gone away
My baby's gone away

The Illeist Destiny of Richard Nixon and Donald Trump

Good morning!

I've been thinking about Pres. Trump's latest tirade regarding his hand picked AG Jeff Sessions recusal, from the Russian probe/interference investigation, since hearing the news report last night.

Pres. Trump described his attitude toward Sessions personal and professional behavior in the act of his recusal saying, in his interview with the New York Times, "It’s extremely unfair -- and that’s a mild word -- to the President.”

This initially struck me, that referring to yourself in the third person, was an odd way to talk about or describe your personal feelings of being insulted, angry and displaying hurt feelings caused by a real/imagined offense. It seemed simply "off", from the normal way of reacting, for most people.

I began reading about the narcissistic personality and would like to share some interesting information. The following information is intriguing and may help shed some light on this exasperating and confusing personality disorder. 

There are many sad parts to this whole story. Ordinary lay people, without training or any experience with this particular personality disorder, may not know how to properly and appropriately react in a way that benefits everyone involved, to this unorthodox behavior. Worse than that... is that the sadder truth, when a person who displays this type of behavior has NO ONE, to speak the hard truth to them in an effort to reach out and help them.  
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According to:
Dr.Elsa Ronningstam, associate clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and author of Identifying and Understanding the Narcissistic Personality: Referring to yourself in the third person creates distance between "I" and "he." So if you have an exaggerated view of how great you are, you could be using this distance to make yourself even bigger. Or, if you've achieved major success suddenly, using the third person could be a way to adjust to the bigger role that's been assigned to you. It's a way to enlarge yourself to fit that role.

What is an Illeist?

An illeist is someone who refers to himself in the third person, as Richard Nixon famously did when, after losing the bid for the California governorship in 1962, he said, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference."

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                                     "Good Day!" and "Boner Appertite!"

The Société Secrète...

Good evening! Today, the sun has blazed alternately behind a clouded horizon. It's unimpeded appearance of focused sunshine, at times, feels like an invisible laser beam blistering your skin. And still... the world around us is unchanged, the tide continues its ceaseless rhythm, rolling in countless series of azure green crashes against the hot granulated shore.

Trump and Putin are like 2 furtive lovers, fleshed out in the written romances of Shakespeare, each holding a crimson red rose. The 2 of them, meeting in a society 'sub rosa. Their clandestine meeting barred from any inquisitive interruption of party guests. They cautiously conspire in the exchange of their torrid, fanciful plans of a life together. Moments only shared in memory of each others flirtatious glances, captured in an audaciously brazen risk, beyond the reach of all possible onlookers ready to interfere, expose and savage the veiled romance, exclusively meant for two.

It would not be a far stretch to characterize Trump or Putin, in a strictly philosophical context of the phrase, as the romanticized ..."lover of my soul", kind of compatriots who nurture a shared and speculated nefarious goal, supposed by the world watching. Their second secret G-20 meeting, only came to the attention of the world news outlets in America, by the ironic tweet of Ian Bremmer, a political scientist and consultant, disclosing the second meeting of Trump/Putin at the G-20 summit.

It is highly doubtful, they spent that hour innocently meeting, to exchange secret family recipes for meatloaf and borscht. It is a certainty, that we may never know the full scope of their shared conversation. What is most troubling, is why there was only 1 Russian translator present and no American translator needed? Why did this meeting need to be secret? Why didn't the press corp know about this meeting before it was leaked?

Americans are standing at the door of an allied dictatorship, some are carefully cognizant, while timidly bent over the rose bushes, peeking in the window at the looming dark shadows. Other Americans are passively willing, ignorantly yielding or lazily abdicating their personal responsibility for the vigilant guarding of their liberty. Obliviously, allowing themselves and our country's foundation of democracy, to be changed daily and re-molded, by an unquestioned and secreted society of camaraderie between Trump/Putin's 'sub rosa union.

                                                   "Good Night and Sweet Dreams!"

                                                                "Boner Appertite!"


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'Sub Rosa is a Latin term meaning secrecy, literally translating to 'under the rose'. The rose in ancient times was a symbol of sworn confidence of participants at a meeting.'

sub rosa - definition of sub rosa in English | Oxford Dictionaries

                                             



  

The Same Hope Of Immigrants

Good morning! Waking up next to the ocean gently refreshes my mind and soul, every day.

It starts by gently permeating my day with natural beauty and the possibility of a better day. There is a lot to be said for waking up to simple beauty and the profound influence it has to refresh your mind and soul. For me, I find it renews my hope that this country is not finished being the beacon of democracy in the world. I have hope that the powerful players in Washington, D.C.(overt and covert) will continue trying to protect and defend the very basic tenets this country is built on, in spite of the evil and willful players in this kakistocracy, currently running my country into the ground, for their own selfish benefit.

I still have hope. The origin of my hope is no different from the hope of many immigrants who have sacrificed everything, to come to America. It is this hope for a better life, that drives people to struggle to obtain the benefits of citizenship, in a democratically governed country that loves freedom. They want to be active participants in a system of governance, that is unusual and peculiar, in a world of dictatorships and authoritarian control, aristocracies and oligarchies. Democracy is the freedom to choose. Immigrants thirst for this freedom, like water, that gives life to all who drink.

The Republican party members will either resist Trump or assist Trump, in destroying our country. Will the written and espoused values and standards  America was built upon continue, or choke and perish under the boot of Pres. Trump's administrative powers, on America's throat?

The Republican party should wisely heed Sen. John McCain's exhortation and admonition yesterday, to work in a bipartisan effort to craft a better healthcare policy that's written in the best interest of all of America's working class people. The next healthcare plan, must repair the problems of working class citizen's healthcare coverage to pass muster and unite this divided country.

Sen. John McCain is the voice of reason. His following words, are the Republican party's "True North", on our map of the world.

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McCain: Move on to bipartisan healthcare bill

by Robert King | Jul 17, 2017, 11:14 PM

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., wants the Senate to move toward crafting a bipartisan health bill after the Senate GOP's latest Republican-only effort appears to have failed.

McCain said in a statement that the GOP has to "return to regular order" to craft a healthcare bill by holding hearings and working with Democrats. His statement comes after Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., announced they oppose the Senates latest health bill, leaving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell without enough votes to advance it.

McCain has said that he would vote for a procedural motion to advance the bill, which partially repeals Obamacare, but stressed he would offer some amendments to help ease the effect of deep cuts to Medicaid.

Now he wants the Senate to move toward a more bipartisan approach to fix healthcare.

"One of the major problems with Obamacare is that it was written on a strictly party-line basis and driven through Congress without a single Republican vote," he said in a statement. "As the law continues to crumble in Arizona and states across the country, we must not repeat the same mistakes that led to Obamacare's failure."

McCain has been recuperating from an emergency surgery this past weekend to remove a blood clot above his eye. McConnell announced he was delaying a planned healthcare vote this week because of McCain's absence, further illustrating that he didn't have enough support to advance the measure.

Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, are also opposed to the bill, and Republicans can only afford two defections to pass it.

   
                                                           "Boner Appertite!"

P.S. Get Well Soon, Sen. John McCain.

We Can't Take All This Winning...

Good morning! It's a cool early morning breeze blowing through the small framed window in Grandpoppy's office, that makes my morning cup of joy, even more savored. This morning I am posting an obscure article, for your consumption and worthy of your careful consideration.

I hope it will wisely stimulate your mind, stir your creative and inquisitive spirit in ways, that feed your base of knowledge about the uncertain and chaotic world, we find ourselves precariously living inside of America, now. You judge it.
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Here are 7 things selling like hotcakes since Trump became president

Here are 7 things selling like hotcakes since Trump became president 
You can always gauge the temperature of a place by its spending habits. The years after 9/11 saw a precipitous rise in sales of the Hummer, a car more suited to combat than the suburbs, and the perfect emblem of the fear pervading these United States at the time. More recently, Donald Trump’s presidency has sparked new spending trends, all indicative of widespread cultural ideas—and mostly fears—of what his tenure in office will mean. And if we also vote with our dollars, these don’t appear to be ballots cast in confidence.

Here are seven products that have sold like hotcakes since Trump won the election.

1. Preparations for the apocalypse.
Trump is a walking, talking nuclear threat, whose insults toAmerican allies and diplomatic recklessness have frightened people into preparing for the end times. For the disgustingly rich, that means investing in underground bunkers where they can wait out the radioactive fallout until it’s safe to come aboveground again. Norad Shelter Systems, based in Texas, has seen sales increase by eightfold since Trump’s election, according to NBC News. Clyde Scott, who runs bunker manufacturer Rising S Company, says after the election, “business went out the roof. I’d say 500 to 700 percent in one month.” (“We’ve had liberals coming out of the woodwork to protect themselves,” Scott told NBC.) The subterranean shelters run about $45,000 for a no-frills structure with minimal amenities and two years’ worth of food storage. A luxury unit, complete with pool, hot tub and 600 square feet of space will set you back around $8 million—though you can get far fancier if you’ve got the cash. Scott says Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are customers, and told Dazed Digital that while he didn’t build any of Trump’s own bomb shelters he “might be doing some add-ons for his one up in Colorado.”

On the less pricey end, emergency supply companies with names like Doomsday Prep and My Patriot Supply have also seen big sales jumps since Trump was elected. Among the many supplies they offer to the addled and afraid are freeze-dried foods, home canning equipment, water filtration systems, gas masks and generators. “Prepping used to be something a few people did—end-of-the-world doomsday types—and didn’t tell anybody,” Keith Bansemer, VP of My Patriot Supply told Business Insider. “That’s not who’s calling. I have more mothers trying to protect their families that you would think.”

2. Firearms—for black and LGBT folks.Watching Trump incite his racist, homophobic base to violence, both during his campaign and in the months following his ascent to the White House, has left already vulnerable black and LGBT folks feeling particularly unsafe. While gun and ammunition sales have fallen precipitously since NRA darling Trump took office, there’s anecdotal evidence that African American and LGBT people are buying and learning to use guns in numbers greater than before. Members of LGBT shooting group the Pink Pistols (whose mission is to stop those “who hate and fear gay, lesbian, bi, trans, or polyamorous persons [from using] us as targets for their rage”) told the Washington Post that membership is up and new chapters are proliferating in the Trump era. Philip Smith, president of the National African American Gun Association, told the outlet his group has 7,000 new members since November 8. NBC News surveyed gun shop owners who reported “they’re seeing up to four times as many black and minority customers.” Black women, in particular, are arming themselves in numbers not previously seen. Marchelle Tigner, a former National Guard officer and NRA pistol instructor, runs Trigger Happy Firearm Instruction, which teaches African-American women how to shoot. She’s had to add classes to fill the increased demand. “With the political climate being as unstable as it is,” she told the Guardian, “black women can be the target.”

3. Long-term birth control.
Trump, along with the entire GOP, is committed to denying women access to family planning services and reproductive justice. (Both in the U.S. and abroad, because the Republicans believe #AllWomenShouldSuffe r.) The party is also doing everything in its power to strip millions of health care, which often covers or subsidizes the cost of birth control. In response to the threat to their constitutionally protected reproductive rights, women are getting the one form of birth control the Trump regime can’t interfere with: intrauterine devices, or IUDs. Even before the election, IUDs were gaining steam as the preferred method of birth control for an increasing number of women. With Trump in office, the appeal of IUDs—which once inserted, can outlast even two terms of this presidency by 4 years—became even more apparent. The proof is in the numbers: between election day and early January, Planned Parenthood saw demand for IUDs increase a staggering 900 percent, according to president Cecile Richards.

4. Meditation and yoga.
There’s nothing like wellness practices to calm your frayed nerves when, for example, the new president of your country proves he is off his rocker for the 389th time. That likely explains why meditation and yoga seem to be attracting more people in the months following the election. Vox reports that one day after Trump became president-elect, popular meditation app Headspace “saw a 44 percent jump in SOS sessions”—or short meditations for those in emotional crisis mode. As of July, “there’s been a 31 percent bump in SOS sessions monthly compared to 2016” according to the outlet. Calm, another meditation app, has reportedly also seen its numbers rise post-Trump.

And though there are no stats yet available, USA Today spoke with yoga teachers around the country who say their classes have been fuller since the election and inauguration day.

5. Encrypted messaging apps.
Trump, describing the Russian hacking of DNC files, once said, “I wish I had that power. Man, that would be power.” Along with his hissy fit over Apple encryption and expressed desire to “close up” the internet, he has made it abundantly clear that his disdain for privacy could lead him to do something crazy, like colluding with a rival foreign power to commit cyberespionage. Or something. The U.S. surveillance state already being too expansive for comfort, millions were moved to encrypt their communications in the shadow of a Trump win. On the heels of the election, secure messaging app Signal saw a 400 percent increase in daily downloads. “There has never been a single event that has resulted in this kind of sustained, day-over-day increase,” Moxie Marlinspike, the pseudonym of a former Twitter cybersecurity head and Signal designer, told Buzzfeed. “Trump is about to be put in control of the most pervasive, largest, and least accountable surveillance infrastructure in the world. People are maybe a little bit uncomfortable with him.”

6. Psychotherapy.
Around the country, numerous therapists reported a flood of new—and newly traumatized—patients after Trump’s win. But psychotherapy can be prohibitively expensive or difficult to arrange for the busy among us. Enter Talkspace, one of several online counseling services offering therapeutic services to users. According to a CNBC report, the company has “been growing 70 to 80 percent faster than projected since” the November 2016 election. The news site also notes that “on election day itself, the company had five to seven times more customers than usual, and it had three times the normal volume on January 20, Inauguration Day.” The increases were mostly among early-30-somethings, and “minority, LGBT, Muslim and Jewish customers.”

Most of Talkspace’s users, 75 percent, are self-described Democrats. “There’s been a lot of anxiety and stress, which may have been there before,” Oren Frank, the company co-founder, told CNBC. “But it’s definitely been triggered by Election Night and the Inauguration.”

7. Dystopian fiction.
Can’t afford even the most basic underground bunker? Prepare for the worst by reading classic books depicting how truly bad corrupt authoritarian fascism can be. That’s what millions of people did in the weeks after Trump won. Margaret Atwood’s“The Handmaid’s Tale,” Sinclair Lewis’ “It Can’t Happen Here” and George Orwell’s “1984” all returned to the top levels of bestseller lists.

“It’s a frame of reference that people can reach for in response to government deception, propaganda, the misuse of language, and those are things that occur all the time,” Alex Woloch, who teaches English at Stanford University, told the New York Times. “There are certain things this administration is doing that has set off these alarm bells, and people are hungry for frames of reference to understand this new reality.”


http://www.rawstory.com/2017/07/here...ame-president/

                                        "Boner Appertite!" 

Kamala Harris...A Phoenix Rises

Good evening! I've spent the day enjoying the company of my Grandchildren. It has been a gift from G-d to be able to watch our children's bubbly youngsters jump and frolic in the ocean. I always feel a sense of joy and worry, watching the Grandkids and our Granddogs playing in the murky green ocean. They play heartily with careless abandon for their safety, with the other children, who apparently share the same oblivious mindset regarding potential lurking dangers. I guess, that is the natural spiritual order of life. To them, dangers seem a far off possibility separated by the depth of far away, miles of distant water.

The powerful eternal charm and envy of youth is naivete, as much as it ought to be innocent trust. It separates the chronologically seasoned life in one of two categories. People, either choose to remain hopeful and young-at-heart or they allow themselves to become disillusioned with life, from living with an embittered and hardened heart. We choose our attitude. Thankfully, as I have aged, I've learned to find my happiness in the smallest of ways.

Kamala Harris is meeting with Hillary Clinton and all of her big Democratic donors in the DNC, up in the Hamptons this weekend, to discuss her potential run as a Democratic Presidential candidate in 2020. There are some die-hard Democrats, that believe supporting her will be a waste of the Democratic nomination and it's political and financial clout.

Respectfully, I am not convinced that she would lose, but a lot will depend on who will be the next Republican Presidential candidate. The other important factor, will be the Democratic platform on which she builds her candidacy.

It is imperative, that the Democratic party screams, that they are the "Party of the People!" It cannot rest its dusty laurels on a tired, impotent sector of dentured voters, spouting the message of "Yes, They Could", from decades ago. The message must invigorate and energize a young upstart population of Americans, who have lost hope in the political system of yesteryear.

It must address the needs and concerns of a young population who will be taking the place of the political dinosaurs in power. Young people blame those deaf, long-in-the-tooth, prehistoric, cretaceous carnivores for the forgotten promises, lost hopes and dead dreams in America. The Democratic party must re-ignite the flame to burn brighter than any fire before us, or we will suffer the same fate of those fabled dinosaurs. If that happens, then the only thing left for the Democratic party leaders to do, is plan a memorial funeral for the corpse of democracy in America.

These are only the beginning ideas that can win the next Presidential election in America. There is more work to be done. The work is going to be hard, require an inner spiritual fortitude, as well as a physical, mental and emotional strength to endure the proverbial slings and arrows of her opponents. It will need wise counsel from experienced and trusted hands to help guide her. After all, the lasting success of great endeavors are seldom achieved by one person, but more commonly achieved in concert and combination of many people who share the dream and work to bring it to fruition.

I believe in Kamala Harris. I believe she is like the Phoenix, in that she comes with the spirit and soul that can conquer and overcome...and still sing her own happy song against the odds.


What is her destiny? I don't know, but I believe she can rise!


                          "Good Night and Sweet Dreams!"                                                                                                                                                                                                               "Boner Appertite!"

The Phoenix Bird

by

Hans Christian Andersen

(1850)

N the Garden of Paradise, beneath the Tree of Knowledge, bloomed a rose bush. Here, in the first rose, a bird was born. His flight was like the flashing of light, his plumage was beauteous, and his song ravishing. But when Eve plucked the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, when she and Adam were driven from Paradise, there fell from the flaming sword of the cherub a spark into the nest of the bird, which blazed up forthwith. The bird perished in the flames; but from the red egg in the nest there fluttered aloft a new one—the one solitary Phoenix bird. The fable tells that he dwells in Arabia, and that every hundred years, he burns himself to death in his nest; but each time a new Phoenix, the only one in the world, rises up from the red egg.

The bird flutters round us, swift as light, beauteous in color, charming in song. When a mother sits by her infant’s cradle, he stands on the pillow, and, with his wings, forms a glory around the infant’s head. He flies through the chamber of content, and brings sunshine into it, and the violets on the humble table smell doubly sweet.

But the Phoenix is not the bird of Arabia alone. He wings his way in the glimmer of the Northern Lights over the plains of Lapland, and hops among the yellow flowers in the short Greenland summer. Beneath the copper mountains of Fablun, and England’s coal mines, he flies, in the shape of a dusty moth, over the hymnbook that rests on the knees of the pious miner. On a lotus leaf he floats down the sacred waters of the Ganges, and the eye of the Hindoo maid gleams bright when she beholds him.

The Phoenix bird, dost thou not know him? The Bird of Paradise, the holy swan of song! On the car of Thespis he sat in the guise of a chattering raven, and flapped his black wings, smeared with the lees of wine; over the sounding harp of Iceland swept the swan’s red beak; on Shakspeare’s shoulder he sat in the guise of Odin’s raven, and whispered in the poet’s ear “Immortality!” and at the minstrels’ feast he fluttered through the halls of the Wartburg.

The Phoenix bird, dost thou not know him? He sang to thee the Marseillaise, and thou kissedst the pen that fell from his wing; he came in the radiance of Paradise, and perchance thou didst turn away from him towards the sparrow who sat with tinsel on his wings.

The Bird of Paradise—renewed each century—born in flame, ending in flame! Thy picture, in a golden frame, hangs in the halls of the rich, but thou thyself often fliest around, lonely and disregarded, a myth—“The Phoenix of Arabia.”

In Paradise, when thou wert born in the first rose, beneath the Tree of Knowledge, thou receivedst a kiss, and thy right name was given thee—thy name, Poetry.

   

The Conundrum of Bad FICO Scores That Are Good Things To Have...

Good evening! There's nothing like a delightful afternoon at the beach to re-energize your spirit, comfort your soul and momentarily rid your mind, from the daily cares of life in America, now.

If the White House releases the sensitive personal information of voters in every state, as they have planned, it may actually turn out to be a paradoxical blessing in disguise for some folks.

We are taught from the earliest age that working diligently to obtain and keep a good FICO score is one of the most important and valuable keys required to unlock vaults of financial benefits, in your lifetime. It is supposed to be the golden gate, we walk through, to unlock all future prosperity.

If the White House insists on releasing voter's private information, such as date of birth, social security numbers and your mother's maiden name, among various other sensitive data, then it rewards Americans who have poor credit ratings and identity fraud thieves living in the criminal cyber world. The losers will be all the hard working, honest Americans with good to excellent credit ratings/FICO scores.

If the Harvard/Yale and Wharton School of Business economists shared the Plummer Joe's of America, reactionary concern to the underhanded inequity, righteous indignation and economic devastation caused by the 2008 Bank Bailout and how injurious that was for the American taxpayer... they better take a closer look at Trump's genius plan to unwittingly let every American voter become victims of identity fraud. It's the real American tragedy, like a train wreck, waiting to happen.

What event could plunge America into another greater depression of note, in these modern times, than this idiot plan to prove voter fraud by dissemination of everyone's private information for public and criminal consumption.

All of it designed to assuage Pres. Trump's low self-esteem and prove his false narrative that he won the popular vote by a landslide over Hillary Clinton. I'd bet the White House doesn't release Donald J. Trump's private information!

It used to be an embarrassment to be denied credit because of a low credit score. Now, thanks to Donald Trump's selfish and narcissistic ego, for the first time in modern history, American's can be proud and bask in the genius of their credit unworthiness!

Pres. Donald J. Trump is setting so many records in Presidential history, it's unbelievable! This could be the time when all Americans, should start yelling, "Please stop winning! We can't take all this winning anymore!"

                                            "Good Night and Sweet Dreams!"

                                                         "Boner Appertite!"