Necessary globalization

 Artificial Intelligence and Global Warming/Climate Change are worldwide existential threats that cannot be solved by individual countries nor individual corporations. These are global problems and must have a world wide cooperative and collaborative effort to deal with.  Pope Leo XIV just addressed this in his “Magnifica Humanita” Encyclical.  He makes the key point that humans and the human spirit is magnificent, are expression of our divine Souls and Spirits, and that regardless of how exalted the “intelligence” of AI, Artificial Intelligence, becomes it will never become human with soul, spirit, conscience, or real human depth and sensitivities. From the Encyclical he warns that the world must collaborate to take responsibility for the unfathomable powers that AI will become:

“ In the past, it was largely up to the State to guide and direct innovation. Today, however, the main drivers of development are private, often transnational, parties that are endowed with resources and the capacity to intervene that surpass those of many Governments. Technological power thus takes on an unprecedented, predominantly “private” aspect, which makes it even more challenging to discern, govern and direct such power toward the common good.”

He then recounts the story of Nehemiah who coordinated a collaborative repair:

“ The narrative shows how the city is reborn, not through the initiative of one man, but through the shared responsibility of all: men, women, priests, artisans, heads of households and young people all play a part. It is an undertaking with God at the center, which rebuilds relationships before rebuilding with stones. Thus, ancient Jerusalem rediscovers a common language — not one of uniformity, but one of communion, namely the harmony that arises when all persons assume their own role”

The other threat to human welfare and even survival is worldwide environmental assault.  The seas keep getting warmer and catastrophic fires and floods and heat domes and blizzards and hurricanes and sea level rises and toxic air and toxic water. We are abusing the environment. And it is good that some counties are taking leads in environmental care,  but this is something the world needs to work together to deal with. 

Tragically, Trump and MAGA are in the grips of a terrible idea - America First. And nowhere is this toxic idea more harmful than America’s domination by the fossil fuel industry which doesn’t just protect fire burning and polluting oil and gas but uses its captured Republican Party to destroy as much green energy projects and research as they can. So, the world’s leading polluter pollutes, and stops technologies working on reducing the filth. 

Both of these world wide problems need world wide solutions, collaborative solutions.  Not countries against each other, but countries working together. We did it once on a very, very big problem: the ozone hole. The world worked together to eliminate chemicals, chlorofluorocarbons, causing the ozone hole. And it is working. Bravo. 

We can do it. We did it. We need to do it again.  

Wouldn’t it be nice if America once again took the lead on healing the world, rather than destroying the world? 

America’s lost innocence, part 2

 After Trump was clearly on his way to winning the Republican Party nomination the first time, I wrote on March 2, 2016:

“ America has been very, very lucky so far.  We have not been guilty of electing monsters to be our leaders. There have been many presidents that have engendered a lot of opposition, but none have been actual monsters.

Other countries have to live with a past that includes monsters.  Italy had Mussolini (whom Trump consciously or unconsciously mimics in his face and body language); Italy also had Caesar; Russia had Stalin, (and Lenin, and Peter the Great, and now Putin), China had Mao Tse Tung (and a few thousand years of brutal rulers); Japan had crazed generals; and of course Germany had Hitler.  These countries all lost their innocence long ago.  They were seduced by authoritarian leaders who became monstrous despots and war mongers.”

Well, here we are. Part 2.  Monster.  Trump is a monster. He is on the verge of starting WWIII. Why?  To avoid dying in prison once his horrendous perverted sexual crimes are revealed in the Epstein Files. So he creates endless headlines distractions - attack Venezuela, release the JFK assassination files, release UFO files, attack Iran, threaten Greenland (again), threaten Cuba… and the distractions just keep on coming…

Trump has no empathy, no compassion, no normal human sensitivities.  He is mentally ill, a psychotic narcissist who is incapable of having even the slightest concern for anyone or anything other than himself. He is terrified of being seen as a loser, and he has lost the war against Iran. The theocratic zealots running Iran are as nuts as Trump, but in a theological way rather than a mental illness way (though psychopaths are probably in charge there too)

So, here we are. Our country was ripe for the seduction of a cruel monster, and gave him the keys to… our laws, our health, our safety, our prosperity, our very survival… and that was a very terrible mistake. 

What comes first? His collapsing, demented body gives out?… or the end of America and millions of innocent lives?

So, America’s luck ran out.  The darkest and most destructive and hate filled parts of America were  courted, seduced, and dominated by its chosen monster. But since we are America, it is not just America paying this terrible price, but rather the entire world is paying while we wring our hands and flailingly try to stop the madness. 

The survival of us all is in the hands of the Republican House and Senate. Without them the monster rages unchecked. We rise up. We resist. We expose. We try to persuade.  But we might not make it to January 2027 with a new Congress and Senate. That might be too late. 

We need Republicans to take heroic steps and turn on the monster that they chose. We need them to do the hardest of all things, admit they made a mistake, and correct it. 

Republicans need to impeach him before it is too late. 

Government Non-Disclosure Agreemments?

 The lifelong criminal, Dondald J Trump, has used NDAs, non-disclosure agreements, in his businesses and marriages all of his life to hide his long list of crimes.  So, what does he want to do as President of the United States of America?  Oh, what an original idea - force government employees to sign NDAs.  

"The Trump administration is planning a government-wide nondisclosure agreement that would bar federal workers from sharing a wide array of “confidential government information"

The fact that this is an illegal demand is no impediment on a person whose whole life has been a life of crimes.  So, what is one more criminal act?  

Time for Congress to rise up. Time for the Republicans in Congress to rise up.  Republicans in Congress are being destroyed by this demented and deranged Pedo in Chief.  Not all of them are MAGA cultists.

When will they turn on him? Slush fund to protect Trump complicit criminals?  War of choice in Iran with no goal other than headlines to distract from the Epstein files?  Destroying the American and world economies with his idiotic frontal attack on Iran?  The Epstein files which will obviously reveal horrendous Trump crimes? Destroying the East Wing?  Destroying the columns of the White House?  Erecting a monumental atrocity arch to block Arlington Cemetery? Stealing top secret documents and selling them to Russia? Unconstitutionally using the office of the Presidency to grow his wealth by $4 BILLION?  Destroying the health apparatus of America and ending the development of vaccines as new pandemics are assured of coming our way?  

What idiocy, what atrocity, what stupidity, what boundless avarice and corruption will finally be the tipping point? When does America get a Congress?  When does Congress say no?  When does the Republican Party say enough, enough, enough!!!

Mob boss corruption

 So, the mob boss Pedo in Chief makes up a phony lawsuit for $10 BBBBBBBillion against the IRS which is part of the government that HE runs.  Then he “settles” for “only”  $1.8 BBBBBBBBBillion.  But what is this massive amount for?  Why, to pay for the “defense” of the criminals who have already been convicted of crimes connected to the benefit of… him.  And, not just getting them off for crimes already committed.  No, of course it is much more.  Golly gee, Ralphie, we MIGHT wipe out those old crimes and keep you out of prison and save you a fortune, but I wonder if you could just do us another little favor… another crime for the OrangeOne?  The OrangeOne would be oh so very grateful if you would.  And maybe you would be made whole for all of it. What do you say, Ralphie boy?  

Capice?  

And, oh yes, by the way, Trump and his family and all of his businesses will NEVER be able to be audited nor prosecuted for tax evasion.  You know - tax evasion - like the thing that the government put Al Capone in prison for?  Tax evasion - can't be prosecuted.  

Government?  Executive Branch?  What’s that got to do with anything?  You work for one person, and one person only. You belong to him. Everything belongs to him.

Clear?  

Attacking your enemy on Existential Ground

 I recently watched a Great Courses class on the lessons of Lao Tsu's "The Art of War".  One of the lessons was laying out what kind of ground battles were to be fought on - high ground, difficult ground, etc.  The one that comes to mind now is Existential Ground.  It is good not to force an opponent to fight on what they see as Existential Ground - that is, they must either fight, and win, or die.  They have no choice but to fight to the death.  

How does this lesson apply today?

One lesson is in Iran.  The Iranian Theocratic sociopaths are fighting for their lives, literally.  Trump and Netanyahu  have literally killed the top leadership in Iran.  Those left are fighting to the death.  They have no choice.  Trump is fighting for headlines. What the hell does he care what the long-term results are?  Just give him a headline and let him get the hell out.  Screw the rest of the world, the Pedo in Chief doesn't give a Tinker's Dam about the world.

Another lesson is the mid-term elections.  Here, the Pedo in Chief is doing battle on Existential Ground.  Either he wins, or he gets Impeached, and perhaps spends the rest of his life in prison.  No rules apply.  No laws apply. For him, and for his MAGA Cult, this is fight or die.  This is an existential battle.  They are doing all they can to win, and the only way they can win is through cheating and violence. Cheating, violence, and threats of violence will continue to escalate.

But this battle is on Existential Ground for Democrats, for the Rule of Law, for Democracy Itself as well.  If Trump's fascist takeover of the election succeeds, democracy in the U.S. may never recover.  Military intimidation at voting places, disenfranchising of multiple non-fascist voting peoples, false counting of votes, fascist takeover of the courts, all the corruption of fascist rule become the new America.  This is not an election.  It is a battle on existential ground.

An interesting example of an Existential Ground battle is Caesar's defeat of Pompey, which ended the Roman Civil War and let Caesar become dictator.  I am watching "Rome" on HBO, and Caesar's forces were severely outnumbered.  The fictional Caesar welcomed the battle because his outnumbered forces would have to fight for their very lives, while Pompey's forces were fighting for much lower stakes, and indeed they apparently fled at a crucial time.  

Military experts may know more about this than I, but it demonstrates the principle that those "fighting for their lives" cannot afford to lose, so watch out.

John Roberts = Roger B Taney

 Did Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert B Taney issue some good rulings during his tenure?  Who knows?  Who cares? He issued the ruling on the Dred Scott case saying the black man, Dred Scott, wasn’t a man but rather he was just a piece of property like a cow and had no legal rights.

Will Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts be remembered for anything other than relentlessly overturning the Voting Rights Act of 1965 giving voting freedom to blacks?  I hope not. His infamy needs to be placed right alongside Taney. 

The Pedo in Chief threatens the life of Margery Taylor Green’s child

 There is no bottom to the endless depravity of the Pedo in Chief. When Republican Congresswoman Margery Taylor Green demanded the release of the Epstein Files, split with Trump, and resigned her CHILD’S LIFE was threatened.  When she asked Trump to call off the death threats?  Pure Mafioso dead eyed threat from the Pedo in Chief:

“ They kept coming on my son, my youngest, my baby boy," she said. "We're going to snuff out his life. We're going to put a bullet in his head."

Greene said she texted the president and other members of the administration about the threats. In response, she claimed Mr. Trump told her "that it was my fault and I deserve it. If my son gets killed, I deserve it because I was a traitor to him."

Every move that this depraved pervert makes is a screaming confession that the Epstein Files have info that will imprison him for the rest of his deteriorating life. And millions and millions voted for him, after seeing him and knowing him for a decade as a politician. He’s a Caligula. 

Barf.

Fundamental flaw in U.S. democracy?

I know little of Parliamentary democracies, but Parliamentary democracies can declare a crisis of confidence in a government and create a new election.  We can’t do that in America  

The Founding Fathers did their best to prevent an American Caesar ending the American Republic just as Caesar had ended Rome’s 450 year Republic. The U.S. Constitution’s checks and balances were designed so that the other two branches of government, the Legislative and the Judicial, would jealously guard their separate and equal powers. 

Oh dear, it turns out they were more naive than they knew. The American Caesar needs only to capture control over the Legislative and Judicial branches and bend them to his tyranny through either persuasion or fear.  So here we are. 

I don’t know how to amend the Constitution to create the power of snap elections due to crises of confidence in the Executive branch. I think some of the avenues for this in parliament systems are: the Congress votes to dissolve itself requiring new elections - the government loses a vote of No Confidence - the President calls a snap election in the hopes that a victory squelches discontent. 

Trump is clearly in way over his head in his ego driven war against Iran.  As well as his astonishing corruption and destruction of so much government expertise and competence. Even more immediate is that his cognitive and emotional capabilities are visibly collapsing. 

The two remedies in the Constitution are inadequate. His Cabinet cannot remove him via the 25th Amendment because without him they have no power, so to do so would abandon their own power. And his tyrannical intimidation of the House and Senate is stopping his impeachment and conviction. 

Maybe the same constraints would prevent snap elections too, but we are in an extreme crisis when we are unable to remove a president who is an obvious vengeful, ignorant, destructive madman.

And it is not just the U.S. that suffers, but the entire world suffers, hoping we find some way to come to our senses. They don’t understand how we can be so helpless in the face of such destructive greed and incompetence. They would never allow it. But of course they did allow it: Mussolini and Hitler.

Meanwhile, my hopes ride on a massive wave change election this November, and a new government in January.  Constitutional amendments are hard to come by. But so are wave elections. 

Thu, Apr 30, 7:15 PM (16 hours ago)

The Putin stooge in the White House wants to pull U.S. military out of Germany

 It is no secret that Putin's primary objective is to have the U.S. abandon NATO and leave Europe to the mercies of a warring Russia.  

In the Pedo in Chief Putin has his obedient subservient running the U.S.  Trump has announced he wants to gut the military in Germany, which I believe is the top U.S. presence in Europe.  Trump made this announcement after a ninety minute "conversation" with Putin.  This is best understood as orders from the man who can have Trump end his life in prison, whatever blackmail issues he has on the Pedo in Chief.

And today he says he wants to pull troops from Italy and Spain as well.  This is presented as a hypersensitive egomaniac responding to criticism from overseas, and maybe that is all it is, but it certainly does play into Putin's desires, does it not?

Congress needs to push back, and I think even Republicans will try to stop this blatant obedience to Russian expansion.  It amazes me that there is any support for this tool of Putin in America.