Tyranny of the Executive

We are currently suffering under the "Tyranny of the Executive" as Connecticut Representative John Larson said in blasting convicted Felon POTUS47 Donald Trump, his cohort Elon Musk and those autocrat's DOGE device to disable the American Government. Listen to his comments in the video, they are amazing, needed, and demand a response.

For what? Brief aside, see the section below at the bottom for a conjectured comment by our Founding Fathers on what might be their consideration of Donald Trump.

VIRAL: Trump exposed in SCATHING takedown

From the Foreign Affairs article, The Renegade Order: "Here, unfortunately, lies the real problem with the optimistic framing: it requires assuming that Trump, a man who assiduously nurses his personal and geopolitical grievances, will discover—at the very moment he feels most empowered—the best, most globally minded and most diplomatically savvy version of himself. All those in the United States and elsewhere with a stake in the survival of the liberal order should hope that Trump rises to this challenge. But they should probably brace for the prospect that Trump’s world could become a very dark place."

As I mentioned this week in another blog on the 25th Amendment or impeachment of Donald Trump, today, our first career criminal and actually convicted felon POTUS...things are exactly what they seem to most of the world about Donald Trump while being ignored by those who support him. 

In his interview with NPR's A Martinez, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean at the Yale School of Management, discussed how business executives are coping amid economic policy whiplash. Sonnenfeld noted that some executives choose to remain silent, waiting until situations worsen before speaking out. He emphasized that this approach can be detrimental, as early engagement is crucial for effective leadership and navigating uncertainties.

National security experts have expressed concerns regarding the impact of economic policy fluctuations on global stability. For instance, Ian Bremmer, a political scientist and founder of Eurasia Group, introduced the concept of a "geopolitical recession" to describe the current environment where the traditional U.S.-led global order is unraveling. He argues that deteriorating relations between the U.S. and its allies, coupled with China's rise and the creation of alternative political and economic structures, contribute to a fragmented approach to global governance. This fragmentation increases geopolitical risks and hampers effective responses to international crises.

Additionally, recent political and economic actions, such as cuts to government agencies and strained alliances, have raised investor concerns about the erosion of trust in U.S. institutions and assets. This erosion threatens America's "exorbitant privilege," a term referring to the benefits the U.S. gains from high global demand for its assets. While no major fractures are evident in long-term U.S. borrowing costs, declining equity prices and a weakening dollar signal growing unease.

These perspectives highlight the intricate link between economic policies and national security, emphasizing the need for stable and predictable economic strategies to maintain global stability.

SRSS POLL: More Americans Support Ukraine Than Support Donald Trump 68% of Americans support aid to Ukraine. 46% of Americans Approve of Trump. 

Recent polling data indicates that a majority of Americans continue to support aid to Ukraine, while former President Donald Trump's approval ratings are lower. A CNN/SSRS poll conducted from March 6 to March 9, 2025, found that 55% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the situation in Ukraine, with only 41% expressing some level of approval.

Politico

Additionally, a Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that over half of Americans, including 27% of Republicans, believe Trump is too closely aligned with Russia.

Reuters

These findings suggest that public support for Ukraine remains strong, while Trump's approval ratings on this issue are comparatively lower.

National security experts have raised significant concerns regarding President Trump's actions since his inauguration in 2025, highlighting potential threats to democratic institutions and national security:

Undermining Election Integrity: The Trump administration has been accused of efforts to destabilize free and fair elections. These actions include voter suppression initiatives, challenges to election protection measures, and the appointment of officials who have previously denied election results. Such measures are viewed as direct threats to the democratic process.

Trump Is Still Trying to Undermine Elections

Now that Trump has installed election deniers throughout his Administration, he has been busy dismantling the guardrails protecting voting and voters.

Weakening Cybersecurity Infrastructure: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has experienced significant staff reductions and leadership challenges under the current administration. The loss of key personnel and the disruption of critical projects have weakened the agency's ability to defend against cyber threats, posing risks to national security.

‘People Are Scared’: Inside CISA as It Reels From Trump’s Purge

Employees at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency tell WIRED they’re struggling to protect the US while the administration dismisses their colleagues and poisons their partnerships.

Authoritarian Governance Proposals: The introduction of "Project 2025" has alarmed many experts, who argue that its implementation could lead to an authoritarian takeover. The plan proposes restructuring federal agencies and consolidating power within the executive branch, actions that could undermine the rule of law and civil liberties.

en.wikipedia.org

Foreign Policy Concerns: President Trump's approach to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has raised alarms among national security analysts. His willingness to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, potentially without Ukrainian involvement, and the suggestion of imposing tariffs and sanctions on Russia if a ceasefire is not accepted, have been criticized as undermining traditional alliances and emboldening adversarial nations.

Trump threatens sanctions if Russia does not accept ceasefire — as it happened

Trump administration adds to pressure on Russia to agree to truce after President Zelensky of Ukraine welcomed the US minerals deal and 30-day ceasefire

Collectively, these actions are viewed by experts as eroding democratic norms, weakening institutional checks and balances, and compromising the nation's ability to respond effectively to internal and external threats.

Top diplomats from G7 countries meet in Canada as Trump threatens more tariffs on US allies

The agenda for the G7 meeting includes discussions on China and the Indo-Pacific; Ukraine and Europe; stability in the Americas; the Middle East; maritime security; Africa; and China, North Korea, Iran and Russia.

National security experts and former officials have expressed deep concerns regarding President Trump's actions since his 2025 inauguration, highlighting potential threats to democratic institutions and national security. While there is no unified call for his removal, the apprehensions center around several key issues:

Authoritarian Governance Proposals: The introduction of "Project 2025," developed by the Heritage Foundation, proposes significant restructuring of federal agencies and consolidation of power within the executive branch. Experts argue that its implementation could lead to an authoritarian takeover, undermining the rule of law, separation of powers, and civil liberties. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a scholar of fascism and authoritarian leaders at New York University, described it as "a plan for an authoritarian takeover of the United States that goes by a deceptively neutral name."

en.wikipedia.org

Influence of Private Individuals in Governance: Elon Musk's prominent role in the current administration, despite lacking an official position, has raised alarms about the influence of private individuals on national policy. Musk's support for controversial policies, such as withdrawing from NATO and the UN, aligns with the ultraconservative Project 2025 plan. Experts warn that this could lead to increased unpredictability and danger in global affairs.

‘Crumble before our eyes’: Scary hint of what Donald Trump will do next

Billionaire Elon Musk wants the US to make a huge and “troubling” change – and the President shows every sign of agreeing.

Erosion of Democratic Norms: Analysts have observed a culture of sycophancy and fear within the administration, where loyalty to President Trump is enforced through blind obedience and cronyism. This environment suppresses criticism and manipulates facts, drawing parallels to historical authoritarian practices. Such dynamics are seen as detrimental to democratic institutions and the nation's international standing.

Sycophancy and toadying are de rigueur in Trump’s court of self-aggrandizement

Gestures of servility from administration members and world leaders alike are sickeningly common in the mad king’s court.

Collectively, these developments have led experts and former officials to voice concerns about the potential erosion of democratic norms and national security under President Trump's leadership. While discussions about the implications of these actions are ongoing, there is no consensus or coordinated effort among national security experts and former cabinet members advocating for his removal from office.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk Are Driving America Over the Edge

The president and his billionaire sidekick turned the White House into a makeshift Tesla showroom amid a recession scare—a perfect encapsulation of the Trump-Musk regime.

Billionaire Elon Musk wants the United States to quit the United Nations - And President Donald Trump shows every sign of agreeing.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk Are Driving America Over the Edge

The president and his billionaire sidekick turned the White House into a makeshift Tesla showroom amid a recession scare—a perfect encapsulation of the Trump-Musk regime.

Trump’s actions, particularly his erratic foreign policy and efforts to weaken alliances, align with the interests of international adversaries like Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump's undermining of NATO, his praise for authoritarian leaders, and his disdain for traditional alliances create openings for Russia to exert more influence in global affairs. Putin has long sought to weaken Western unity, and Trump’s rhetoric and policies play into this by fracturing international cooperation, which benefits Russia’s geopolitical goals.

National security experts and former officials warn that Trump’s actions since his 2025 inauguration pose serious threats to democracy, national security, and global stability. Concerns include efforts to undermine elections, weaken cybersecurity, appoint controversial officials, and alienate allies. While there isn't a unified call for his removal, many argue that his leadership—along with the GOP’s support—risks long-term damage to democratic institutions.

We all need to come to present and come together to save America as well as Western democracies and turn our backs firmly on these current Trumpian forms of toxicity in his autocracy, abusive capitalism, foolish kakistocracy, and its eventual fruition...Fascism. This isn't about tribalism or hatred of liberals by conservatives or conservatives by liberals or progressives.

It's about saving a long-respected nation, and all of Western democracy which as we all know, Winston Churchill mentioned in a 1947 speech:

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others."

Donald Trump and his silent partner, Vladimir Putin, need to be stopped in their attempts to undermine our previously great country. Their actions are a threat to our government and the values we hold most dear.

All others which benefit most greatly, the worst of us and the truly worst of all forms of government.

A Statement in the Spirit of the Founding Fathers on the Leadership of Donald Trump

First, how might they have referred to Donald Trump?

The Founding Fathers had a formal and often biting way of referring to those they disapproved of. If they were to name Donald Trump, they might use language reflective of their era, such as:

• "Donald the Dissembler" – A dissembler was someone who deceived or manipulated the truth, a term they often used for demagogues.
• "Trump the Pretender" – A reference to monarchs who falsely claimed a throne, as they deeply opposed rulers who sought unchecked power.
• "Donald of the House of Falsehoods" – They often framed names in a way that conveyed a person's character or legacy.
• "His Excellency, the Demagogue of Mar-a-Lago" – A sarcastic nod to his self-styled grandeur, much like they mocked those who sought to elevate themselves beyond republican principles.
• "Citizen Trump, the Profaner of the Republic" – They used "citizen" to emphasize equality, but in a critical tone when addressing those they saw as threats to democracy.

If they were feeling particularly cutting, they might even invoke comparisons to figures they despised, like calling him "Donald the Destabilizer, Heir to George III in Spirit."

Their statement on Donald the Destabilize, Heir to George III in Spirit:

We, the architects of this Republic, having studied the histories of fallen democracies and the rise of tyrants, issue this solemn warning: A leader who places personal ambition above the common good, who seeks to govern by division rather than unity, and who undermines the rule of law for his own benefit, is a danger to the liberties of a free people.

A republic survives only when its leaders uphold truth, respect institutions, and serve the public with virtue and restraint. A man who wields power through falsehoods, sows distrust in the very foundations of governance, and seeks to bend the law to his will, bears the hallmarks of the demagogues we so greatly feared.

The Constitution was designed to guard against such men—those who would inflame passions for personal gain, who disdain the limits of authority, and who, in the pursuit of power, endanger the fragile experiment of self-government. It falls to the citizens, and to the institutions we forged, to resist the creeping shadow of despotism, lest liberty be lost to the ambitions of one man.

Let history judge not by the fleeting passions of the moment, but by the enduring principles of justice, reason, and the rights of all to live free from the tyranny of a would-be monarch.

Compiled with aid of ChatGPT

The Point of Government Over Business and Why They're Different

The point of government over business and why they're different.

A government and a business serve fundamentally different purposes and operate under different principles:

Purpose
Government: Exists to serve the public by providing essential services, maintaining order, enforcing laws, protecting rights, and promoting the welfare of its citizens. It is driven by public service rather than profit.
Business: Exists to generate profit for its owners or shareholders. Its primary goal is financial growth and maximizing returns.\

Funding
Government: Funded primarily through taxation, fees, and sometimes borrowing. Citizens pay taxes to support public services.
Business: Funded through revenue generated by selling goods or services to customers.

Decision-Making
Government: Decision-making is influenced by laws, policies, public interest, and democratic or authoritarian structures. Public officials are (ideally) accountable to the people.
Business: Decisions are made based on market demands, competition, and profitability, with accountability primarily to owners, shareholders, and customers.

Profit Motive
Government: Not driven by profit; instead, it focuses on public welfare, stability, and equity. Some services (e.g., police, fire departments, public healthcare) are not meant to be profitable but are necessary for society.
Business: Operates to make money and sustain growth. If a product or service is unprofitable, it may be cut, even if it's essential to some customers.

Services vs. Products
Government: Provides infrastructure, education, national defense, law enforcement, emergency services, and regulatory oversight—services that benefit society as a whole.
Business: Provides goods or services that customers pay for voluntarily.

Accountability
Government: Accountable through elections, public oversight, laws, and checks and balances.
Business: Accountable to owners, investors, and the marketplace.

If a country were run purely like a business, as the image suggests, unprofitable but essential services (such as emergency services, healthcare, or public schools) might be cut or privatized, potentially leading to inequities and service gaps.

Looking at our latest incarnation of "Government as Business"... an autocratic attempt at altering American democracy constitutional republic into an autocracy via an oligarchy and kakistocracy, is Donald Trump and his MaGA political cult of personality.

By the way...  terms like "TDS" thrown at anyone questioning Donald Trump, something only his MaGA cult can acquire, is just a "thought-terminating cliché." Yes, there IS a name for that kind of attempted debate-neutralizing tactic.

A thought-terminating cliché is a phrase or term used to shut down debate or critical thinking by dismissing opposing arguments without engaging with them. It’s often used to delegitimize criticism without addressing its substance.

In the case of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS), it's used by Trump supporters to dismiss any criticism of him as irrational or obsessive, rather than engaging with the actual points being made. 

Other examples of thought-terminating clichés include:

• "If you don't like it, leave."
• "That's just fake news."
• "It's just common sense."
• "Haters gonna hate."
• "You're just a never Trumper."
• "You just have Trump Derangement Syndrome, TDS."

These phrases act as rhetorical shields, preventing further discussion and making it easier to ignore or discredit opposing viewpoints.

Now, on "TDS"...

The term "Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS) is often used to describe individuals whose intense dislike for Donald Trump leads them to react irrationally or with impaired judgment toward his actions and policies. Originally coined by political columnist Charles Krauthammer, TDS suggests that opposition to Trump can become so extreme that it clouds objective analysis.

en.wikipedia.org

However, it's important to note that the use of "TDS" is controversial. Supporters of Trump may use it to dismiss legitimate criticisms by labeling them as irrational, while critics argue that it's a thought-terminating cliché designed to shut down meaningful discourse. Therefore, while "TDS" is a commonly used term, its application and validity are subjects of debate.

What would be a more fun and correct term for Trump's excessive supporters to use, avoiding partisanship?

A more neutral and fun term that avoids partisanship, you could consider something like "Trump Fatigue Syndrome" (TFS).

This phrase playfully acknowledges the weariness some might feel in dealing with constant political drama without suggesting irrationality or obsession. It reflects a reasonable dissatisfaction or exhaustion with a leader, while keeping it lighthearted and less accusatory.

At least that involves reality, although it would still be used mostly for those simply making accurate observations of Donald Trump.

On a more positive note?

Dismantling government won’t make it more efficient–investing in it will
COMMENTARY | The work federal employees do is often invisible, but it’s always essential.

So, thought, planning, and action are better than disassembly and dysfunction?
Who knew?

Compiled with aid of ChatGPT

A Republican of Toxic America

So far America has experienced #ToxicTrump. But IF Trump steals the election, because to be sure, he will not WIN this election, you will all then learn what a truly toxic government is. 

So far we've only been seeing the beginning of it.

Under the malfeasant direction of Donald John Trump;.

A "man" who should never EVER have been invited to the White House, let alone spend even a single night IN it. 

IN The People's House. In OUR house. 

Not just Trump's base supporters' house. 

All OUR house. You damned fools. 

If he gets re-elected, then finally in the next four years even you people who elected him will begin to realize how good we had it. 

All while you hated what we had, wanting  ever more and forcing on us all... less, so much, much less than we had. And when the time comes finally that you too wake up and hate what has happened, it will already be far too late. Many of us will then smile in our shared misery. We will have earned that brief catharsis.

Finally you will realize just how very stupid you were in believing in Trump and his enablers. Those whose place it was to protect us, this country, the US Constitution. But greed and self interest and fear so easily subverted them. Too easily

But you have to be set up years ahead of time for that to happen. We kept warning them, and you. But you were poisoned by your self delusions and self perpetuated conspiracies, reveling in your fantasies, your dark projections and paranoias. Because it was too delicious to you. 

When one day that epiphany comes about how you deified a tyrant and not a savior, it will do NONE of us any good whatsoever. It will be too late. It may already be.

Believe it or not, we are now your own hope. 

So enjoy yourselves while you can. 

Because it is going to be temporary

Did you know that progressives, which I consider myself to be as I understand it and not necessarily as it is defined by that group today, is what FDR actually had as his policy that he ran under but called it liberalism, because at the time you couldn't win as a liberal, which was actually conservatism before FDR won election?

And so today conservative supporting Trump, or Republicans for that matter, aren't either. For more on this try "Still Right" on C-SPAN2. I don't agree with all they say but it's a good survey on a topic we all right now, need to know more about.

"Classic Liberalists" today are actually true American conservatives. 

Most people don't have a clue what they are today, they are just part of the tribe they enjoy considering themselves a part of.

Trump is a populist, not a conservative Republican at all and once he's gone, poof, the GOP collapses. It won't go away because it's been a zombie political party for ten years or so now. 

But a political party has got to be based on ideals not as Trump and his GOP now base theirs on whatever Trump wants.

What's the problem in all this? A lack of decent education in America, suppressed by a lack of funding, by those who do not believe in either government of any functional design or taxes to support our infrastructure. 

Look, all you need to know right now is...voting for Joe Biden takes America not back to the past, but back to reason and consistency, honesty over lies and pure political power over governing a nation. Is it a perfect solution? No, this isn't science, nor does the Trump crowed believe in science anymore. And if you do but you support Trump, well, just think about the confusion in that stance for a moment. 

Psychology of Avoiding Hate

Sen. Corey Booker said he understands that "people want an enemy." Donald Trump cannot survive without one and will create one whenever, and wherever none exists for him. But the psychology of hate points out to us, we're just hurting ourselves. And in this case, our country. America has a lot of healing to do.

I do not hate Donald Trump, or Republicans, or conservatives, or anyone, or anybody like Trump who sets themselves us to be an enemy. WHICH HE DOES. I never have. Not since childhood when my grandmother reacted negatively against my saying I hated someone, who was obviously a bad person.

It's what I appreciate so much about Buddhism. And about Aikido... where there are no enemies, only partners, not even opponents. All situations are merely learning and teaching situations.

Harmony, blending. Oneness. And America needs that more than ever. Here, and now.

It's why many years ago, perhaps the last time I had a street fight, when at one final point I threw the guy down. Hard. Even then I was growing beyond my Karate training, searching for something like Aikido, which I did not find until many years later. After military service, and in my first year of college.

As Aikido says, one "throws the world" at someone if they do not cease. Which is not an invocation, but a comment on an action after the fact. Meaning, it is not advocating harm, but commenting on, a description of... what happens.

Yet when my temporary training partner, whom I did not know, who had attacked me on the streetside, saw that he was possibly going to die as he went down there on the concrete sidewalk, in a split-second decision, I grabbed him and stopped his head from mortally slamming onto what was almost his plane of death.

He was stunned. As I helped him upright he asked me, "Why did you do that?" "Because," I told him, "this wasn't my idea. I never wished you harm, never wanted to hurt you. Or anyone. I certainly didn't want to kill you."

And as such, I am indeed unsupportive of Donald Trump's ignominy, his devisiveness, his vanity, stupidity, greed, and vapid self-interest. Not because I hate him, nor does that make me hate his ideals, his people, his supporters. Because I've seen what he has done to this country, purposefully dividing us to gain power for himself. I'm disgusted, and confused as to why his supporters cannot see that in him. It's kind of...bizarre.

Donald Trump has subverted all our GOP for his own ends, for it is all our GOP, even if you are not a REpublican. It's is an American political party, not an anti America one. At least it wasn't, until now. Until it because, forced into being, a Donald Trump Party, a populist party.

It is not a party anymore of Republicans, or for all Americans. Or even that subgroup any longer. Parties and people should have differences, but they need to work together for solutions. As was intended. For the common goals For the good of the whole.

While Donald Trump is doing the opposite. Just as the GOP has been striving to do now for some time before him. But Trump has ruled it far beyond the pale, now.

Now it is Win, at all costs! "Our" beliefs or none!

And that is not how America was ever meant to be. We are meant to work together, separately, not separately, apart. That, is a broken government and that, is what we have today. And it was purposely done by conservatives. Note extremist anti tax nut Grover Norquist's quote of his wishing to shrink the American government small enough to "drown it in a bathtub." More clearly:

Lobbyist Grover Norquist... "My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." - Wikipedia

How is that a useful thing?

Looking from the other side, my opposition (yes, opposition, because they have designed this to have no blending, no working together), is because I see fundamental flaws in conservatism as practiced today in America. Because I can see quite clearly that Donald Trump has been incapable of being president.

As his niece Mary Trump has said in her book, Trump's character is too flawed for the presidency of THIS country. Maybe a banana republic has he has been trying to turn America into. A petty dictatorship, with a vain and petty despot as its destructive illiberal leader.

A country so diverse such as ours, albeit still not as cohesive as it should be. And now during the Trump administration, purposefully divided against ourselves.

People seem no longer to understand the difference between American Citizens and "the Other". Those so typically a looked down upon as minority, economically disadvantaged, or anyone of a different race or religion...or opinion, than theirs.

They can not seem to understand religion, as it long has been in America, should be and is a personal thing. One that belongs in their heart, not forced onto others. Not forced into the forefront of our government, or all through our government and governmental leadership.

A concern even our Founding Fathers were worried about.

To be sure, practice your beliefs, share your beliefs to those interested. Just stop forcing them onto others. Stop abusing others, no matter who you are, or who they are.

We are all Americans here. In most cases, even those not legally American citizens as they have that desire to be one. And that means something!

As the saying goes be careful. We don't know who we may abuse on our way up, as later on, on their way up, they may be watching US  on our way down. So be kind, for your own sake, if not simply for the greater good. We never know what the future may hold.

Especially if you are in OUR government or in our police forces. Ask yourself in that consideration, why police "Forces" and not "Peace Officers" as it should be and not disingenuously.

We need to reconsider our overall mindset on so very many things. We need to adjust our priorities which have for so long been warped by money, greed, corporations and profiteering.

We have gotten off the path and do not even know what path we are on anymore.

Republicans have for too long said they were concerned with the long term, yet seem only to actually worry about the short term, and short term profits.

If you are a part of our government, or are voting for our future in an election, then try, just TRY, to not consider only yourself first and foremost. "America First", as it is proposed...is a lie. An destructive abrogation of reality.

America is not about greed or selfishness. It's about all of US. Together. Not divided. And ANYONE trying to divide us, should be seen as suspect.

Just as Donald Trump is, and has been.

E Pluribus Unum: "Out of many, one." The original and real motto of the United States of America.

"In God We Trust", has done little more than to divide us since so foolishly adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956 during our fervid and fevered anti-communist phase. A conservative knee jerk reaction to fear and conservatives forces are truly only useful in the short term, in an emergency. To pull back, slow down, lock up, and then get back to normal as soon as possible.

Rather than what we're seeing in making it a national mainstay and a new paty for America. One that will see America destroyed.

If you do really want America to be great, this is how we have to do it. Together. Not divided.

But even in the nonsense and destructiveness of today's authoritarian orientation, do I hate these people for the dark cloud they have forced upon us?

Still? No.

Because to do so would be to play into their hands,  and the hands of our enemies. And it will extend their stay in the forefront of our minds nad in the power we have acceded to them.

And that has got to stop. And it will. It inevitably will. It's just a matter of time. Of how much time we wish to accede to them.

My hope is that it will be short lived. And not an abomination such as we are seeing now in Vladimir Putin in Russia.

Because we are America. And we should not wish to become Russia. Especially when what most Russians want is not to be Russia, but an "America". But not American. A FREE Russia. Just as we need to be a FREE America.

And stop this nonsense.

Hate no one. Just strive for good. Good for US all.

Democrats vs Republicans

First, pandemic. Please be safe and wear your masks, social distancing. As we open America, medical experts STILL ask people to just wear masks and continue to social distance. Masks are to protect mostly others, from you. So be a good citizen, suffer a little for what may save a life.

Jimmy Kimmel: Please, vote Donald Trump away... Video

George Floyd, love and condolences to his family and loved ones and those so affected by his death and the state of this issue overall. Black Lives Matter national and international protest, please be safe. Protest. But do what you can to stop criminals, bad actors, false flag cretins (Proud (girly) Boys, White supremacist bad actors, and so on.

Antifa and anarchists are for the most part peaceful socially conscious people. All groups have some bad actors. But these are not terrorists as Pres. Trump claims, or his right-wing bad actors like to target them as a whipping post.

Don't we have enough with a pandemic, without murdering our citizens? And all during a historic space launching of the successful NASA SpaceX Dragon to the ISS. Congrats to all involved!

Now...

America. Not socialists, not communists. However...Democrats vs Republicans

Social and human ideas of our parties:

Dems: Based on community and social responsibility

GOP: Based on individual rights and justice



Understand, America...is a country. Tough thing to understand for some, I know.

Definition of country: a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.

OK. Nation: a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.

Except, America is a unique experiment. A mixed salad of cultures brought together by a common belief in freedom and potential, safety from abuse by others and by dictatorships or royal decrees. Equality.

America is a group. Of people, not just separated individuals.

And the GOP hates that and works against it. And so it continues to be a fundamentally flawed ideology and organization that in the end supports power and money. Preferably of individuals. Meaning, the few, the powerful, the elites. I've said for years that modern American conservatism is defective.

A couple of relevant articles also point this out:

Comprehending conservatism: A new framework for analysis

What Is Conservatism and What Is Wrong with It?

They tend purposely to lose the forest for the trees, focusing on the minuscule and blowing them up, to distract, obfuscate, eventually making it propaganda.

They have convinced those most harmed by this to continue to believe in it, regardless. And they really hate this being pointed out to them. But, how else does one deprogram this?

It's brilliant really. To get your victims to fight for you, loudly, whenever they can and profess to lay down their life for you. Not for themselves.

Brilliant.

Fear Or Respect

You've heard that,: "When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson.

I've said this before myself. Except, who said that, and how? Because Jefferson didn't say it.

From Montecillo.com

Earliest known appearance in print: 1914.
Earliest known appearance in print, attributed to Thomas Jefferson: 1994.
Other attributions: Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine.

Status: We have not found any evidence that Thomas Jefferson said or wrote, "When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny," nor any evidence that he wrote its listed variations.

As things have been going lately, with armed citizens protesting in crowds, mobs more like it, I've rethought this consideration, this belief. I'm not talking about 2nd amendment protests, that very well may be different. But all other protests.

Fear and respect are often confused. Fear breeds contempt tas they say. Respect breeds loyalty.

Because what I'm seeing in this, is not people protesting, but bullies invoking fear and building up their own egos.

I always thought it's good for government to fear the people, but when rethinking it now, I see it differently and realize my mistake.

Poor leaders rule by fear. I've been a leader of men myself. I led with respect. Over the many teams I've run, in the military, some later with women in them, I've always had a great deal of loyalty from my teams. To an almost embarrassing degree, at times.

Respect and fear are often misconstrued with fear the easier to implement and for some, to want to utilize. Easy to use, powerful to experience, and thus the attraction. Especially by those with inflated egos. As it is quite clear, with Donald Trump to be honest, and those like him.

Small men use and are attracted to using fear. It's effective, but has its issues. Great leaders instead, use respect. I heard that once as a child and used it to my advantage and that of the teams I led. Which began in Civil Air Patrol in junior high. Even going back to martial arts in grade school

My point in all this? We do not want our government to fear us and we do not want to fear our government. What we need from them is what we do not have, their respect. We appear to be their wallet. When a government fears it's people, bad things happen. When people fear their government, oppression happens.

What we need to have once again is mutual respect for one another. That is not going to happen with this president Trump, now with his GOP, nor the GOP that was there before him.

Protest yes. Invoke fear, no. Make our point, strongly. Threaten, no. Demand, yes. But demands with weaponry, are threats.

It's our choice. Fear? Or, Respect?

We Need to be Smarter in America

First of, let me say I hope everyone is doing well during this global pandemic. Leadership in something like this, something somewhat unprecedented for this generation, is always going to be difficult.

Some do better than others, some countires having a tough time of it than others. But being smart about it, learning, going to your best minds and information, will ALWAYS win out over the opposite end of the spectrum.

All the best to all of you and everyone, everywhere! Moving on...

First up, this just in...today, after this blog went live, I did a Kelly Hughes podcast. Now also on Apple. It ended up being about the production of my new film, "Gumdrop", a short horror. He has others that are all actually pretty interesting. He has two, a podcast on cult figures and indie filmmaking. Our last podcast together was a fun with about one of our favorite actors, Steve Buscemi.

So, if you're looking for something different and especially if you're into indie filmmaking...well, there you go!

Also, if you're into ebooks, all my ebooks on Smashwords are free for the next couple of weeks in their sale, asked for by the authors because of the coronavirus situation. Many good authors on there besides myself are offering their books at a discount, or free.

Moving along now...

I graduated from Western Washington University in 1984 with my second degree, one in Psychology in the Awareness and Reasoning Division of that department. Realizing I could have gotten yet another degree, I went instead with just getting a minor in creative writing. That ended up going into fiction writing, screenplays and team scriptwriting (an amazing series of classes I was chosen for along with seven incredible other theatre department students, from our Playwriting 101 class).

Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA

I learned there that what I had been doing all my life and in college was pursuing life as an "intellectual". ALL that really means is that my focus in life was to exercise my mind in the most effective and efficient ways possible and seeking the best available information, updating it always.

Please bear with me, because this is not going to end up where you may think it is, from where it is starting. I'm trying to lay down a very important point. And you may find something useful unrelated to the primary reason for this blog today.

Once I found the label for what I was, I owned it. I was proud of it. And rightly so. As anyone like that should. Do you see football players going around hiding their chosen orientation or professional in life? No. Typically they are praised for it. Not always the same for those in the Arts or intellectual fields.

I've come to learn there isn't a lot of awareness and reasoning in America. Our current president Donald Trump is a case in point. But this is not a new thing. I was surprised while at my university, to discover just how much that was true in those outside of higher education. Also, just how many viewed an educated mind with suspicion. I was at times, stunned by it.

I knew that was true of my family as my parents, who weren't highly educated. I was the first to get a college degree. My mother had a sharp mind, but it was unfocused and to be sure she had some emotional issues.

Although a few after I graduated had great respect for someone with a higher education, I was very surprised at how many people (or any, as I saw it) outside that protected life at university, looked down on those who had a higher education and could think to an exceptional degree and depth.

And I literally have a degree in that.

After decades of considering all that, I began to say that "Ignorance, is noble."

We are all ignorant of something. Stupidity however has no nobility in itt. "Selective ignorance", as I understand stupidity, is not noble and should be seen as anathema. That seems to be a central tenet however of some political parties. Of the conservative GOP for one, or at least some of their more easily swayed, and apparently ignorant, believers. I tend to lean as many do, to a more enlightened party. Inclusive. Aware of exigencies in life, repercussions, and the future. These things do not seem to be of great consideration with Republicans. Here, now, profit does.

If you take offense to that, I suppose you may be one. That's fine. We're all people. Here, we're all Americans and that earns you something. By birth, or choice. I don't have anything against Republicans anymore than I'm not really a Democrat. I'm for the best idea, the best action, being better. I just don't see that much with Republicans. They can't seem to see the forest for the trees too often.

Look. I'm not offended by being called, ignorant. IF I am actually ignorant about something. I would then review to find if either they are the ignorant one and merely lashing out at me, ignorantly and immaturely (which I see a lot of anymore). Or I have to change my condition, my orientation, my view on whatever the topic at hand, is.

I don't have a problem when I met someone smarter than me, more educated. I actually find it kind of an honor to be allowed around them. Unless they are jerks about it, or just jerks period. Either way, I gleam from them whatever I can. And if they are decent people I offer them whatever I have to offer. I try to understand or learn the way they think. Is it better than mine? Cool! Awesome! Do they know things I don't? Even better.

Sometimes they already know most of what I know. Or they are so much smarter than me I can't really learn that much from them. It's another level beyond me. And that is also awesome. Because I met that person. Any action you have like that, betters you. But it's you doing the bettering.

I have some sayings I like. Even a village idiot has his story. Meaning you can learn from anyone. You can learn sitting in front of a blank wall. You can learn talking to your self. Try carrying on a debate or conversation with your self. Play both parts. I first tried that in junior high and was shocked to learn, I learned something.

Life is amazing, if you let it be. Be positive. Try to be around people better than you think you are. Don't let it increase your lack of self-esteem. Allow it to build it to reasonable and accurate levels. We have resources surrounding us daily. Most people don't' see or use most of them.

Can I think like a genius? Maybe not but then, good for them and I wish I could do what they can do. I sure as hell don't hold it against them, or feel bad because of them. It's a gift to meet a Van Gogh, an Einstein, an Aristotle, a Michio Kaku. But you don't have to meet a genius to be impressed or feel you've elevated yourself. It could be anyone, even people you know now.

I have repeatedly felt awed by my children, even when they were four years old. I learned from them. All it takes to self educate yourself is to start doing it. Pay attention, think of the connections, the relative issues and things involved with whatever you are thinking about. Stretch yourself. Expand your mind.

That's what that means. It's what being "Enlightened" is. When you eat an apple, you "see" the seeds inside, the store or tree you got it from. The box it was transported to the store in or perhaps the tree it came off half way around the planet.The people who picked it, the ground it grew in, the sun above it, that is the same sun now above you. And so on.

You don't have to see everything, you just have to try to. And when you hit a wall, find the next connection, the next associated route or pathway or thing, Strive, enhance, build, rebuild, add, synthesize, repeat. Alter. Combine. Invent.

When you are around a muscle builder, or a professional athlete, you may be able to learn knowledge from them, but you cannot gain their body and form through osmosis. The wondering things about thinking, how one things, methods or even tricks to increase brain horsepower...ANYONE can gain that through osmosis. That's how learning works. ,

Yet oddly enough, many people take a negative orientation to smarter people, the more educated.My grandmother had a lot to do with how I am today. She was self educated. Read the dictionary. Always said to try to be around people smarter than you, professionals.And I have, and I've been around a lot of them.

I would learn to end my ignorance. It's NOT that hard to do. Though apparently it is for some, for too many. For too many today, in this era of instant communication and a vast wealth of knowledge at our fingertips. It's a truly curious phenomenon. Apparently, on a daily basis we survey much, but only to a shallow degree.

I've discussed all this before. I used to say and to be proud of it, that I was an intellectual. I still ama and always will be, it's merely a definition I fit. Just as I am caucasian. Something I used to adamantly disagree with. "White"? Sure. Caucasian? No. My father was Irish, as were his parents, my grandparents, and so I am. I lean more to the Irish side of my heritage going back to my first months in high school

My mother was Czechoslovakian, as were her parents, and so I am. But :"Caucasian: means, from the Caucus Mountains, which are in eastern Europe. So one day I looked it up and to my surprise, yes indeed, I am Caucasian. The map dictated my reality. So I changed my long time orientation.And that is what an intellectual would do. So if you've done such a thing, you too many be an intellectual. However you have to live in that way, make that you life. Update.

What I see in the world around me today are people who retain their beliefs over and against realty. They would see the map and say, "I don't care, I'm not Caucasian!" They would rationalize around it so they could believe whatever it is they wish to believe.

That seems apparent and rampant in the Republican party of Donald Trump today. Trump isn't presidential material and they believe he is. Many were climate change deniers, then climate change by human means deniers. See how that progresses and rationalized as they find necessary?

Friends finally warned me years ago to stop saying I was an "intellectual". I rally was surprised by it. I was proud of it. I had worked really, really hard in college at it. I had earned the title, not even considering I had simply led me life like that since childhood. How would you like to be a football player with all the bangs and bruises and workouts and games only to be told you are being looked down on for it. It's a shock to the system. Violence is rewarded. Intellectuality, like sexuality in many cases, is not.

It's why historically we have seen so much violence in films but not sex to the same degree. And why there are more war films than films about intellectuals and artists.

That the basis of my entire life was taken wrong...I was shocked, frankly. I thought everyone should be an intellectual, at least to some degree. Doesn't that just make sense? But that was not the case and some are proud of being just the opposite.

So I stopped using that world. I saw it as merely saying, I'm into sports, or into movies and so I was cinephile. What's the big deal? Yet, some, too many, were offended by it? Weird. Right?

Look at it as a bodybuilder who exercises their body with all the same oriented at their physical form and health. It's no different, only for the mind. I wasn't elitist about it, I wasn't being superior, or lording over others with it. It was just my orientation and seemed to be the best way for me to exist.

But then, people do look down on bodybuilders, I guess and some on sports types, there there are a lot of sports types in this country. Following sports teams. Betting on games. Fantasy Football leagues. But I came to realize that in just exercising one's mind among others, they took it as lording over them. In sharing knowledge, it was seen as being superior, even when going to great lengths to avoid that.

I was very proud of what I had learned. NOT that I WAS learned. But that I had had, had taken, the opportunity to learn and achieve the level I had. And it took me four years in the USAF to get college paid for so I could get a four year degree in eight years, essentially. It was hard, and long work. To be sure the military work was physically demanding for me in my career field. I earned my position in life! As much as or more so than many.

I had believed it was a human being's highest goal, to be as smart and educated as possible. So pushing the limits with the most accurate, cutting edge info/knowledge made even more sense. Right? To achieve, Wisdom. Intellect combined with experience and knowledge. I worked hard at that, and for that.

Late nights at the library, studying not partying, talking to my professors after classes. Even getting to know them outside of school. Finally being told by my department advisor, my main professor that I was in the top 10% of the top 10% of all psychology students nationwide.

Something to be proud of, right/ Although, I found I had to hide that, keep it to myself. I honestly cannot remember if he said 2% or 10%. It feels like he said 2 but it seems like he might have said 10. So, best to err on the side of discretion and not eqo. Now, consider by comparison, if I were Donald Trump. Then I would have said the top 1%.. Or more accurately, "the number one student!" And then gone on more about it.

Then after I gradated, it did me little good in finding a job. Though eventually it paid off rather well.

After receiving my university degree, I discovered in public there was a trend against education. Maybe it had always been there, but I was now acutely aware of it. I heard terms, I now realize from conservatives, people I was not aware of yet back then, who "joked" about things that don't exist. Like how college graduates are "college stupid". An obvious contradiction in terms and oxymoron.

Here now, today,decades later, we hear things spoken aloud, like, "Fake News". A natural extension of all that animosity toward knowledge. And ever more so, those who actually buy wholeheartedly into it, and believe it, with a degree of glee, some of them.

They now have a US president in Donald Trump, a failed TV reality star and businessman, a self proclaimed "King of debt" (a warning sign for one who wishes to be POTUS, President of the United States), who perpetuates that mindset. A man who relies on it, who avoids responsibilities and honesty through it, in order to free himself up to achieve even further power, while diluting our democracy all for the purposes of more wealth and autonomy to fo even further. This does not bode well for the future of the presidency in America.

There is even an entire news network in Fox News who are dedicated to it. Russia has also pushed it. They developed the covert paradigm of REAL fake news as disinformation. Using their word for it, dezinformatsiya. Which took the UK to teach American intelligence agencies about during WWII. We're new to it. But eventually it seeped into our right wing political party and they have now made it mainstream. Much to our, all of our, detriment.

Donald Trump supports it. As does the conservative right-wing. Their, "MSM", Fox News, their mainstream media, their Trump State TV, also supports it. Fox News has become the American version of Russian Pravda newspaper, or Sputnik or RT (Russian TV), all State branches of the Russian government, the Kremlin, all run remotely by Vladimir Putin.

In dealing with Russia over the years, their criminality has seeped into America. The Soviet Union was massively corrupt. Russia today is also. They have fake democracy. Putin is situating himself as President for life now. The Russian government, their intelligence services, the Russian mafia and crime syndicates, are all dynamically joined. But America remains ignorant of it all. Even while our intelligence agencies try to warn us. And our POTUS denies it, trusts Putin over our own intelligence people.

There is really no way to avoid it. Trump has had massive dealings with Russian in business, in enriching himself.

But his supporters are incapable of seeing it. The harden themselves against believing it.

It's amazing really. Truly amazing.

We have a subculture who have bought into this old Chinese belief during their "Cultural Revolution" that had set THEM back 50 years. They murdered their intellectuals, their scientists, their doctors.

The Chinese Comrades looked down on their educated because most of them were not. And because it served the purpose of their new Communist Party. When all it really serviced was those in power. The ignorant are far easier to manipulate. To control. To abuse.

And here we are today, in America. We elevate not the old, not the wise, but the young. We elevate not the intellectual but in many cases the very dumbest among us. Those who know how to pander, to divide, to separate and weaken for their own strength.

And so we see...Donald Trump as POTUS. Finally now, during a global pandemic everyone is beginning to see his weakness, his ignorance and how he has gathered his power. Trump's lies now, kill. And it is becoming quite clear to all.

To be sure, we need to be "America Strong".But strong should no longer also mean dumb. Or uneducated. Selectively ignorant. Stupid.

We now need no longer to be, "America the Stupid".

Because in the end? All our lives depend upon it.

Why America Stopped Being Great - Corporate Thought

Here's what I'm seeing in life today. "Corporate thinking" has taken over our businesses, our social institutions, our religions, our government. Look. It's really not that capitalism is so very bad. It's that at some point, people stop acting decent and start acting like they are at war.

Okay, fine. Business can be like war and applying Sun Tzu's Art of War can be useful. So can Machiavelli's, The Prince. The problem is at some point they throw meritocratic issues out of the window and go right for the jugular.

And at that point, capitalism breaks down. THAT is where corporate thought kicks in. One no longer has a need or consideration of the "bigger picture." The picture, the situation that is all-inclusive. In the capitalist sociopath's point of view the picture is only as big as they are. They do things like get to where they have power and money and then, change the rules for all those who come after them, or try to dethrone them. Wonderful, right?

I would argue, that benefiting only one person or group, is dysfunctional. Because we are a country, a nation, America. The entrepreneur is supported on a cloud of the nation. While they try to sell the belief they have pulled themselves up by the bootstraps so no one else has any claim on their success or their money or resources.

Hey, if video and fun are your bag and this is kind of try, hop over to Amazon Prime and watch Kal Penn's show, This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy. Try Episode 2: Are Rich People Dicks or Do Dicks Get Rich.

This is (in part) why capitalism is broken: Rent-seeking ...an individual's or entity's use of company, organizational or individual resources to obtain economic gain without reciprocating any benefits to society through wealth creation. An example of rent-seeking is when a company lobbies the government for loan subsidies, grants or tariff protection.

That, is a mistake and that, is where America has been draining reality off of the middle class for decades now to the point of killing it off. Of making a duality of the very rich and the very poor and that is where we are headed. That, has to stop. And where that starts is the lack of responsibility by the individual sociopaths in business and the lack of concern or understanding of how we all really are tied together.

There is a MASSIVE infection of a lack of responsibility in this country. Whenever you push through to something, past reasonable attempts, to what you have no right whatsoever to, merely in order to make money, gain status, or increase your power over others, that is shirking responsibility. There is a huge difference between perseverance and being unethical or immoral.

Because of that, others who do deserve all that do not receive it. We are seeing this too in government from the conservative Republicans who have purposely skewed facts, reality, even our elections. Some with the help of Russian interventions in our social media, or worse. 

Pursuing those kinds of behaviors are harming them, harming us all. As well as the structures surrounding them, in society. Harming our country. 

Many times, if not most of those times, people who do deserve it, have actually put in the hard work, have attained the necessary personality and infrastructures around them, and the understanding of those things. All in order to be able to handle that responsibility. 

While those others haven't. 

That is what corporate thought is all about. It's why I despise it so much, corporate thinking. It's abusive. It's bad, as the old saying goes, for children and flowers and all living things.

An example of this is as recent and relevant as 60 Minutes episode last night on opiates. They had on Ed Thompson who owns PMRS who said that in 2001 the FDA changed the labeling on Purdue Pharma's Oxycontin. Basically heroin in a pill. Ed said that was illegal. I think he was right. He is now suing the FDA over this to change the label back, to make it correct.

Purdue pushed the FDA to bow to their wishes and go from indicating on the label that Oxy was for short term use (which research dictates) to long term use (which research says it is contraindicated for).

He also said that the FDA lit the fire for big pharma to make billions. I disagree. FDA poured out the catalyst, tossed gasoline on the tinder. But it was big pharma who lit that fire.

THAT is an important thing because we have to put the responsibility on the right agency or entity. To think that falls on the corporations is correct. To believe that the government is the one who needs to set the law for this to keep greed from overwhelming corporations is also correct. But let's face it. This is corporate thinking at it's best example.

Purdue and others simply refuse to be responsible, except to their wallets and stockholders. At the expense of literally thousands of citizens lives. At the destruction of communities and families.

That is corporate thinking. 

I can play the game, too. I've just refused to. Most decent people do. That's the problem with our GOP, the party of (mostly) big business. They are happy to take all they can. And with a man as POTU|S who is more con than business, they are following his lead.

It is all about attaining what you deserve to aim for, regardless of your right to it, or your ability to achieve it. Shoot for more than you believe, but don't steal from others who deserve it more. 

When rather than attaining it by your own personal skills, abilities, and resources alone, when instead it is accomplished by breaking rules, ignoring humane considerations, mores, and even laws? You should be brought down. As our Pres. Donald Trump and friends now should be brought down, brought to heel, brought to bear the full weight of national security and jurisprudence.

They are the crowd of the ends justifying the means. Some others will praise you if they know that, merely out of envy. Many will praise that if they don't know because...they think you'd earned it. Or they use plausible deniability and accept all you do for all they can get. It's the new criminal, breaking reality, tossing citizen's on the trash heap, the environment into the garbage, all as long as they avoid breaking laws (whenever possible, but not always, and that is our hope), so they don't get caught. So they can keep doing it. 

It doesn't have to be that way? We can make changes. We can force those appropriate changes.

I knew a guy like, who would do anything to rise above, back when I worked for the University of Washington. He shocked me one day by openly saying he didn't have my abilities or education so that gave him the RIGHT to walk all over anyone, to climb over anyone however he could in order to rise up that ladder to success.

I was stunned. I didn't see the writing on the wall with him that day back in the early 1990s. I didn't foresee a large group of Americans leaning that direction. I just assumed he was a one-off, a low life, a potential criminal. And indeed, he got booted out of that office and off the campus workforce. But, it had to be done in such a way that it was legal, but covert. Which speaks to our current dilemma today. These people are getting away with these things. The laws have been written to allow their behaviors and if WE try to do what is right? Then WE become the criminals. 

It is an upside down reality now.

Today's way is to not EARN a damn thing, merely to attain it by hook, or by crook. 

What the hell do you think "by crook" MEANS? THIS is now the foundation of the Republican party. Of Donald Trump. Of Vladimir Putin. Of many on Wall Street. And THAT is who you are if you support them. Or if you choose that path. 

And if you do? If you do you are disgusting. Statistically speaking you are also most likely a conservative Republican. 

That IS the party of business and corporations. And with the tax cuts they always pine over, it is also the party of giving them(selves) tax breaks so they don't have to make it on their own. It is a kind of socialism they will not point to. Not needing to accept responsibility.

When poor people need help? They can't as the odds are (purposely) stacked against them and so they suffer. That is growing day by day to include all who do not have vast buffers of wealth and money to insulate them from the damages, the lies, elitist plutocratic cultures. 

Some will even kill you for it. Indirectly and at a distance, of course. Our healthcare system is a prime example of that. 

It is a natural and basic function to destroy that which attempts to destroy you. This current defective format of our government, our business, our wealth distribution has got to be eradicated. 

Culture has got to learn that this is unacceptable. So our children don't think they are someone to imitate. How many children right now think Donald Trump in being POTUS is some a role model? How many parents actually ARE teaching their kids that? 

There is even a Republican politician, Ron DeSantis running a political ad about exactly that! It's humorous, but that does not excuse it. It is an embarrassment to America. 

We are now living what government is supposed to be about avoiding. The rule of the jungle. The rule of gangs. It is, what society is supposed to be 100% against. Because it leads to chaos and mayhem which Donald Trump loves so much. Destruction, uneven playing fields. 

A disruption of our society, our government, our Republica, our democracy. A breaking down of infrastructures such as we're seeing today. 

It is what corporations today are all about. 

It is corporate thought. 

It is why American has been stopped from being Great. We didn't need to make America great again. We've been on that path for over two centuries. It is turning us from the path of greatness. It has even been ending our greatness, that effort by the conservative base, the Republican party, the Trump acolytes. They have moved from political party to cult entity.

So stop thinking calling out disingenuous attacks against "socialsm", while having nothing to do with what is going on in American politics today, have any real bearing on your or other's abusive capitalistic practices, if not outright criminal actions. Just because your President in Donald Trump seems to be getting away with it, just because Plutocrats in America have been getting away with it and Oligarchs in Russia are running that coutnry too, doesn't mean we will continue to allow the abuses to continue. Either in America, or Russia. Both Trump and Putin need to find their seats in prison, and soon.

It needs to end. This invasion, this infection of corporate thought into all of our American ideals and ideologies, has got to stop. 

And it can be done. WE can do it. We will do it. 

Social Relevance in Creative Projects

With all that's going on, with many of those I respect fighting in grand, not specific ways, it occurred to me just now to look at what I was doing creatively. All I ever wanted to do was to entertain with great stories that weren't the same old thing.

No, I do not think we need to be socially relevant in all our creativity. But then why not, if we can hide it but it's there to see if one wishes to see it? We are exhausted by our society and government today. Entertainment gives us a break from reality. It is why during the Great Depression, theaters did not go out of business, but thrived. And tend to during great political and societal upheavals. 

As my mother used to say, because we had little money, and at times when I was broke at an adult and putting all my money to survival, to merely existing...

"We have to take the time and a bit of our money for ourselves from time to time. Or what is the use? We have to be able to continue and that takes time and money to enjoy ourselves even a little. So we can continue and get through our troubles. With our sanity."

As the title indicates, The Teenage Bodyguard, is a screenplay I'm finishing up. It is a true crime story and one from my own past. It's a very good story. Professionals keep telling me that. It also has a bigger scope than just myself. It's a highly dramatic situation that, for several reasons, I thought was begging to be told.

Others agreed. In fact, it was an executive producer from London I first told about the project who said he wanted to see it first should I ever write it. So I did. He didn't' like my first draft so I shelved it. A couple of years later I decided to do some more research on it and was amazed by what I found.

So I rewrote it. Sadly, I could not find him by then. Perhaps he moved on? No matter, my interaction with him left me with a new and very good concept for a screenplay. Over the next few years, I continued to research, receiving coverage and redrafting it. It got better and better.

Yet, I wondered today, what if any, social relevance there was in this project?

I hadn't really started the project thinking about that. My intentions were to make money to enhance my retirement savings. I'm using those resources now to do the creative things that I've had to put off all my life to raise a family.

Family raised now, with some retirement stashed away (though not enough and it is quickly in today's economy, being used up), I'm finally pursuing those endeavors. I have the time, full time, to work on what I want.

Me, on right, wearing shoulder holster with my rifle from the story.
Friend is part of a compilation of several for the character in the screenplay.

The story I'm telling in this screenplay is essentially about two people. But in a parallel telling, it is also a fascinating story of an unusual criminal organization that terrorized the Pacific Northwest of the 1970s. No book has been written, no film has been shot about them. And I have a unique perspective and orientation from which to tell that tale.

The handgun I carried in the story from my past.
A Ruger Blackhawk .357 magnum

In the story, I take a traumatized woman under my care who witnessed a murder by this organized crime family. It was the murder of a friend whom she worked with. We did our best to stay alive of a week until she could leave town. Did she survive that week of dodging her murderous pursuers? Obviously I did. Right?

But beyond that story, was there something more?

Let me just say, for some time now since I began researching and writing this screenplay six years ago now, comments, even from professionals has increased in quality and demeanor. Well known entertainment attorney Michael Donaldson read and liked it a lot. Contests and The Blacklist have liked it. I just finished working with consultant Jen Grisanti on it. By this point, I apparently it actually is a pretty amazing project.

But still....

I realized when I thought of writing this, there was. Because of these criminals and their reach into whatever resources they could acquire in order to protect their enterprise, eventually, the entire local COUNTY government had to be reorganized to prevent this from ever again happening. The local Sheriff, some of his deputies, some police, a Prosecuting Attorney, and other going possibly and potentially all the way up to a former governor of Washington state.

Does any of THAT sound familiar to anyone, today?

I think it does. I really do. And I think it's socially relevant.

So what? Somehow with all that is going on today, I do feel better in this project, as this is a lot of work. To think that there is more in this than just telling a story, a story that includes myself, a story that would potentially make me money, and yet...it may make people reflect on some bigger things. And that, is what being socially relevant is all about.

The problem with the Pierce county government back in the 1970s was that people either did not care. Or they thought it just looked problematic, rather than actually being a problem they needed to address and fix.

Just as we are seeing today.

Democracy and a free society do not just run along on their own. We have to protect it, be vigilant and when necessary, correct our course of actions and our path which hopefully is not one of destruction as it seems to be oriented today.