The late William J.H. Boetcker once said the following:
A man is judged by the company he keeps, and a company is judged by the men it keeps, and the people of Democratic nations are judged by the type and caliber of officers they elect.
If that is the case, then you know who is a criminal. Earlier this week, former Presidential aide Steve Bannon was arrested with three other men for fraud in regards to a fundraising campaign for the border wall that was revealed to be a scam.
Bannon is the sixth person from among you know who’s inner circle to be arrested and charged for breaking the law.
In a few months time, Americans will be going to the polls and voting for our next President.
Do we want a President who is connected to fraudsters, liars, and those who are in politics for their own personal gain? Or do we want a President who puts his needs and the needs of his aides around him aside to lead the country? I don’t know about you, but I would prefer the latter to the former.
It goes without saying that need for secure borders is a non-negotiable issue for any country. The question is, can the country’s current leaders go too far when determining the best method to keep the borders secure and protect the citizens who call that country home?
When you know who running for President in 2016, he built his campaign around a border wall that Mexico would pay for. Cut to last week, when he announced that there was a “national emergency” that required a border wall to stop illegal immigration on the Southern border.
In response to the “national emergency”, Randy Rainbow released his new video today. It is entitled BORDER LIES – Randy Rainbow Song Parody.
Using Madonna‘s classic 1983 song Borderline, Randy Rainbow uses the art of satire to prove once again why you know is ill-equipped to lead this country.
A year and a day after 17 innocent lives were taken during the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, another 5 innocent lives were stolen.
Yesterday, a gunman killed 5 people in a warehouse in Aurora, Illinois. The shooter (who will not be named in this blog post), was on the verge of being fired. The authorities have not released all of the details to the public yet.
Just before this shooting happened, you know who proclaimed that there was a national emergency on our Southern border. The only way to solve the problem was to bypass Congress and waste tax dollars on an unnecessary border wall.
The real national emergency is not on our Southern border, it is the epidemic of gun violence in this country. When it comes to the point of being afraid to go to work, school or live our lives because of the fear of gun violence, something has to be done. We cannot completely abolish the 2nd amendment, but at the same time, we need to make sure that those who have guns are doing so legally and are of sound mind. While authorities have not yet confirmed or denied that the gunman had mental health issues, it is one of the key components that have been the cause many of the mass shooting in recent memory.
I’ve spoken in the past of my memories of the day of the Columbine shooting. At that time, it was an anomaly that should have shocked the nation and our lawmakers into action. But it didn’t and twenty years later, we are paying the price in the blood of innocent Americans.
In spite of America being the land of immigrants, there are many in this country who would prefer to limit who can come through our borders.
You know who is one of them. When he did not get the funding for his border wall by shutting down the government, he threatened to declare a national emergency and bypass Congress.
As of earlier this evening, the threat of using the “national emergency” has become a promise and with the backing of Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the bill to release the funds will be signed.
This “national emergency should be a concern for a number of reasons:
From my perspective, Mitch McConnell is not agreeing to the bill because it is the right thing to do for the country. He is agreeing to it to save his own skin.
The border wall is not only a waste of money and resources, and will not solve the complicated issue that immigration.
The use of the “national emergency” measure creates a dangerous precedent. It allows future Presidents to declare “national emergencies” for pet issues or projects when Congress says no.
We need comprehensive immigration reform, that is clear. But we must do so in a way that does not waste precious money or resources. This wall is a waste of both.
The longest government shutdown in America is over….for now that is. After 35 days and 800,000 government employees missing out on two paychecks, you know who conceded and agreed to open the government.
The problem is that this is only a temporary resolution. If Congress and you know who cannot come together, the government will shut down again in three weeks.
At least he did not get his border wall.
After weeks of a stalemate on both sides of the aisle, the halting of a number of flights by the FAA at a number of East Coast Airports (including LaGuardia Airport in New York City), due to staffing shortage finally got the attention of those in power.
From my perspective, the administration is completely tone-deaf to the needs of American people. They want to accomplish what they want to accomplish and if there are adverse consequences, so be it.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross asked why furloughed workers couldn’t just go to the bank and ask for a loan to cover their expenses.
His net worth, as of 2016, was estimated to be $2.9 billion.
And then, you know who suggested that the grocery stores would be willing to “work” with the Federal employees until they receive their next paycheck.
These comments are tone-deaf, insensitive and is proof in my eyes that this administration no idea what the average American goes through on a day-to-day basis.
Just another reason for you know who to be a one term President.
We are officially into the second month of the longest government shutdown in American history. The stalemate on both sides of the aisle remains as the approval rating for you know who continues to drop.
The financial reality in this country is that many workers, in spite of having jobs that come with a steady paycheck, are within one or two missing paychecks of financial disaster. If the government does not open by Friday and the Federal workers who have been furloughed or working without pay do not receive their paychecks, it could create a financial ripple that affects every American household.
The irony about this shutdown is that it comes down to a disagreement about how to keep the country safe. The people whose job it is to keep us safe cannot do their jobs because they lack financial support to complete their jobs. FBI agents are complaining that they are unable to do their jobs without a paycheck or funding. 10% of TSA agents are calling out sick. They are the front lines of national security at our airports. How are they supposed to do their jobs if they cannot afford to come to work? A number of TSA agents have resigned or considered resigning out of sheer desperation.
Mitch McConnell could have ended the shutdown already. But he refuses to, blocking four bills that would have re-opened the government and supply badly needed paychecks to government employees. He is already laying the groundwork for a 2020 re-election campaign. If I lived in Kentucky, I would be thinking long and hard if he deserved my vote.
On top of this shutdown, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of barring Transgender men and women from serving in the military. Upholding this ban is akin watching a magician doing street magic using playing cards. The audience is directed to look at their left hand while their right hand holds the card that will “magically” appear from thin air. We are in the middle of a national crisis, those in power should be working together to re-open the government. They should be not banning Americans who are willingly going into the military, knowing full well that they may have to sacrifice their lives to protect this country. President “bone spurs” is one to talk about who should and who should not be in the military.
I feel like the country at this moment is at a fork in the road. We can either go one way and move towards the ideals created by our Founding Fathers. Or, we can go another way and remain a divided country where identity politics and labels rule over us. I just hope (hope being the important word in this sentence), that we, as a nation make the right decision.
When in a business situation and trying to come to deal that will please both parties, there are two ways on how to respond to the situation.
The first type of response (i.e. mature) response is to sit down with the other party and hammer out a deal that both sides will walk away satisfied with.
The second type of response (immature) is to respond in an action that can only be described as tit for tat.
Earlier this week, Nancy Pelosi asked you know who to delay his State Of The Union speech (which is as of now scheduled for January 29) until the government shutdown has ended.
His response was something that we have been sadly become accustomed to. Not only did he cancel a pre-planned overseas trip by a congressional delegation, he did so less than an hour before they were supposed to leave. He claimed that it was because of the shutdown that those who were on the trip could not use government airplanes. But while he denies the use of government airplanes so our Congressmen and women can thank our troops in person, Melania flies to Florida using a government airplane.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If members of Congress cannot fly using government planes to support our troops, then the first family cannot use government airplanes for personal use. But this is nothing new, at least coming from him. He thinks that he, his family and the people closest to him are above the law and are not expected the follow the rules that the rest of us follow.
As the shutdown continues, experts predict that the financial damage to the economy could pass the amount that he states that he needs to build the wall.
Earlier this evening, he announced that he will support DACA and TPS (Temporary Protected Status), if the Democrats agree to the wall. Do I smell desperation?
He has obviously learned that tit for tat and acting like a man-child taking a temper tantrum will get him nowhere, at least in the short-term. The question is, will he learn that in the long-term or is this just temporary until until the government opens and it is business as usual?
In my humble opinion, Randy Rainbow is a national treasure. Since blowing up in 2016 in the wake of the Presidential election, he has made us laugh and forget, even for a short time that you know who is f*cking with our country.
His latest video is entitled “THERE IS NOTHIN’ LIKE A WALL – Randy Rainbow Song Parody”. Using the song “There is Nothing Like A Dame” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific, Rainbow perfectly expresses the anger and frustration that many Americans feel as the government shutdown is well into its 4th week with no end in sight.
We all need a laugh right now. As he always does, Rainbow provides it and makes it all just a little easier to deal with, if only temporarily.
As the government shutdown continues on, the emotion and frustration on both sides of the political aisle continues. One could argue that both the Republicans and the Democrats are digging in their heels instead of trying to make some sort of agreement that appeals to everyone.
I’ve been thinking that perhaps if Democrats agreed to the wall in return for the Republicans signing off on DACA, that would finally get this country back to normal.
According to an article in Newsday today, the administration supposedly offered to fund DACA in return for the Democrats signing off on the wall. Though to be honest, it feels like a trap. I don’t trust that the administration will keep DACA as leverage if and/or when the Democrats come to the table.
The irony of this offer is that in the past, the Republicans have fought against DACA with everything that they have.
I count myself lucky that I personally have not yet been affected by the shutdown. But someone close to me has and that hits home in a way that only adds to the frustration that we are all feeling.
As the days go on, this shutdown appears more to be more about the individual needs of the major political parties as a pose to doing what is right for the country and the voters. This is why many Americans don’t vote. They feel apathetic, ignored, like their voice means nothing to those in power.
If this shutdown does not come to an end soon, I fear that this apathy and feeling of being ignored will grow to the point where many will not vote at all. Without that vote, the American Democracy that we know it to be will cease to exist. That is the scariest thought of all.
To be honest, the post was written out of sheer frustration. The fact that this stalemate continues without the needle moving in either direction is more than frustrating. It makes me want to tear my hair out.
The problem still lies with you know who. Even if both houses of Congress and both political parties were able to come together on a bill to reopen the government, it is still contingent on you know whose signature. Without that signature, the bill is DOA.
Now he is denying that he said that Mexico would pay for the wall. I don’t know what is worse, his claims that he didn’t say what we all heard him say or his lies.
The truth is that the ripple effects of this shutdown expand beyond the paychecks of government workers. Miami airport had to close a terminal due to a lack of TSA staff. The FDA is unable to ensure that what we are putting in our bodies will not send us to the hospital or the grave. Visitors at the Joshua Tree National Park are cutting down trees because the staff that patrols the park is few and far between.
But while this is happening, members of Congress continue to receive a paycheck and Mitch McConnell is not helping by standing by and doing nothing. In fact, they went home this weekend, flying through airports with less TSA staff and air traffic controllers (who are also government employees) either furloughed or working without a paycheck.
Why should these people continue to receive their paychecks while hundreds of thousands of Americans are not receiving theirs due to an adult temper tantrum? They earn their salaries because we hired them. We can easily fire them come the next election cycle. They should not be earning their paychecks until the government has reopened.
Like all of you, I am a human being. And, like all humans, when I am angry or frustrated, I say things that I would not said under calmer circumstances.
There is an old Chinese curse:
“May you live in interesting times,”
Interesting is not the word I would use to describe the times we live in.
Writergurlny 
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