November 30, 2017

The Mad King (part #9)

“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods;
They kill us for their sport.”
William Shakeshere; King Lear



The mad king is said to be questioning if it was really him saying the most repulsive things on the infamous tape, and if President Obama's birth certificate is real. He is also telling people that Mr. Mueller's investigation will soon end, clearing him by the end of the year. It would be easy to think that this is simply another example of his pathological lying – lying to others, and to himself – rather than to recognize that it is, instead, evidence that his grasp upon anything close to reality is zero.

That is not reassuring, of course, at a time when the tensions between the United States and North Korea are spiking. The mad king on a “good” day is incapable of dealing with, because he views it entirely within the context of a conflict between him and the tyrant of North Korea. Thus far, the generals have limited Trump to making threats that make rational citizens of the world uneasy. And Trump's nonsense can only be viewed as a threat to his North Korean counterpoint.

Those with entrenched personality disorders such as Trump tend to experience episodes of psychosis – breaks from reality – when under great stress. What stress is Trump currently under, that is different from the levels he otherwise has? The rather obvious answer is the news that Michael Flynn is either negotiating a deal, or has accepted one, with Team Mueller.

As noted previously, Flynn's motivation for seeking a deal are two-fold: first, he is seeking to protect his son, even more than himself, and second, he does not have faith in Trump's commitment or ability to protect him and his son by way of pardon. Thus, his desire to reach a deal. However, since Flynn is a known liar, Mr. Mueller's team has demanded more than Flynn's testimony. They have demanded that he produce documentation that proves what he is willing to testify to is accurate. And Flynn has such documentation.

There are only three potential targets that Flynn could turn on that are of interest to Mueller's team. They are Donald, Jr., Jared, and Trump. It is possible, even likely, that due to concerns that Trump would pardon his son and/or son-in-law, the potential charges against the pair will be reinforced by the NYS Attorney General. However, Mr. Mueller is definitely aware that his investigation is going to lead to an intense confrontation with the mad king.

Thus, it seems possible that Trump's saying he will be cleared by New Year's Day is rooted in a decision that he has made to try to “fire” Mr. Mueller by the end of December. Other than that, there is simply no way the investigation stops. Manafort doesn't go to trial until May of 2018, and might well be seeking a deal between now and then. If Trump does pardon him, it merely adds to the obstruction of justice case against the mad king. The same goes for Junior and Jared.

As Trump rants irrationally behind closed doors, tweets anti-Muslim garbage on twitter, and insults Native Americans at a public ceremony, a few among the White House staff quietly express concern. But more of the republican rats in DC are destroying as much of the federal government as possible. Still others seek to exploit the waning opportunities for “tax reforms” that will institutionalize feudalism in America.

A central theme in the mad king's mind is his hatred for Barack Obama. It is safe to say that the same toxic thinking that led to the “Obama wire-tapped me” bit, is churning daily. Hence, not only the birther nonsense, but the attempt to destroy everything the President who humiliated him in public accomplished. For in Trump's world, insults and public humiliation represent the power of manhood.

It's said that the mad king has turned the presidency into a reality show. One hopes that 2018 serves as the show's final season. The degeneration of the executive branch will require years, many years, to treat and heal once he is gone. The damage done to the nation's social and economic fabric will demand more. The need for new Democrats in the House and Senate is clear.

Peace,
H2O Man

November 23, 2017

#9 Dream

So long ago
Was it in a dream?
Was it just a dream?
I know, yes I know
It seemed so very real
Seemed so real to me
-- John Lennon; #9 Dream; 1974



Rather than write about Thanksgiving or the Russian-Trump scandal, I thought I'd share a memory about Rep. John Conyers. I suppose that's something old people do, because we have one foot in the past, and one in the present. Younger people have one foot in the present, and one in the future, and at risk of boring them, I think this is an interesting story. (But, of course, I am old, and prone to thinking these things are important.)

I was thinking about the December, 1975 night that Bob Dylan and friends performed at Madison Square Garden. It was the “Night of the Hurricane” benefit for Rubin Carter. These were curious days in America: following the hopes of the 1960s, things looked particularly dismal when Nixon was re-elected in 1972. But Nixon's circumstances were circumcised by the Watergate investigations, and citizens began to recognize that government officials sometimes abused the power of their offices.

After the weirdness of Manson, Kent State, Attica, Watergate, Weathermen, and the seemingly never-ending war, Carter's case was among the “causes” that people felt good about. Nixon had resigned in disgrace, the war ended, and the idea of prison reform had taken root. And – seemingly suddenly – Carter's case was in the spotlight. Selwyn Raab of the NY Times did a series of front-page articles on Carter's case that suggested Rubin had been railroaded by corrupt New Jersey officials, and Carter appeared to be a charismatic potential “leader” for institutional reform.

As older forum members know, I had become friends with Rubin a few years by then, before his case became popular. There was a core group that did a lot of work that resulted in the case becoming popular among the “beautiful people” of Hollywood, the music industry, and the sports world. But by the time of this star-studded benefit concert – topped off by Dylan performing the song “Hurricane,” actually written by Jacques Levy – all of Carter's supporters were confident that he would soon be cleared by the New Jersey legal system.

But a funny thing happened along the way. And no one saw it coming. The original support group was almost exclusively white. As the case became a popular cause, it attracted more black people, especially after Muhammad Ali became one of its chief spokespersons. And the organized support committee was beginning to raise a significant amount of money.

Being white myself, I'm comfortable saying that some of the white supporters began spending to “cover their expenses.” Some were making a real profit. Others had mapped out their plans for Rubin in the world of politics post-retrial. Without question, some of the black supporters were making themselves quite comfortable while promoting the cause, too. And they resented the white people's attempts to plan Carter's future for him.

But what has this to do with John Conyers, you ask? Fair question. Allow me to attempt to answer it. John Conyers was among those who had joined the support committee. He was at the hotel where the “beautiful people” were staying on the day of the concert. He understood that the growing tensions within the support group, which were generally a racial divide, represented a real threat to not only the movement, but especially to Rubin and John Artis's chances of being found not guilty in their eventual retrial.

He knew that it would be difficult for anyone, including Rubin, to transition from inmate to a free person quickly, after spending almost a decade incarcerated. He knew that many within the support committee had lost focus on what was most important. And thus, during an afternoon confrontation within that hotel, when he spoke up, one of the white people making the most profit off of Carter's case (over $40,000 for “expenses” from the concert alone) threw a drink in his face.

The support committee fractured, and at the retrial, prosecutors used this (including where the money had gone) to discredit Carter and Artis's legal defense team.

I do not pretend that Conyers is a perfect man, for he is not. No one is. But he recognized that groups that work for progressive change often contain internal seeds of division. These can be along the lines of race, sex, social class, and other issues. I suspect that this is something that is just as true today as it was in 1975. Maybe it is worth thinking about now.

Peace,
H2O Man

November 22, 2017

Lion-hearted

“We're all counting on Robert Mueller to set them straight. Remove the cancer from our country's body. And I believe he will. But once the balance of power is restored to sane people we all need to think hard about how many insane were exposed by Trump's rise to power. 

“How will we deal with them in the future?
coeur de lion; 11-11-2017


On a recent OP/thread, my Little Sister posed the above question. Rather than attempt to answer in that thread, I thought that the point she raised required another OP. For while parts of the answer are easy to identify, other areas demand a more well-rounded response.

Let's start with the relatively easy part, one we see becoming a factor in Alabama. And it is simple division. Allow your opposition every opportunity to divide against itself.

There is a fissure within the republican party that threatens to divide the rabid right-wing from the “moderate” wing. An important example of this is found in Alabama today. A year ago, despite expressing “concern,” moderate republicans were willing to vote for Trump. And make no mistake: his behaviors in the dressing room of teenagers at “beauty contests” is not entirely distinct from Roy Moore's molesting a 14-year old. It's much more closely related than the actions of Al Franken.

The “me, too” campaign, and related shifts in social consciousness, have begun to put pressure on the republican fissure. Thus, “moderate” republicans are no longer comfortable ignoring Moore's past offenses. It's created a situation where the DC republicans are unable to identify what path to take to remove Roy, yet where they understand they may have to take action if he happens to win.

As that fissure grows – but before it fractures completely – we have the opportunity to separate some of the moderate republicans from the party. It may be temporary, of course, and specific to one election. And that's fine. If we think in the context of Moore in Alabama, the Democrats there have already peeled away some of his support. It's not enough to say that it's now certain that Doug Jones will win. Thus, the Alabama Democrats should focus their message to some specific groups.

It is safe to say that the Evangelical women in Alabama have at least the same rates for being subjected to sexual assaults, as anywhere else in the nation. In Alabama, our party's state and local groups should target them. Obviously, some still will prefer any republican to any Democrat (oh, how I wish Christopher Hitchens were alive to speak to this!). But a significant portion can be reached, and encouraged to think of their daughters and granddaughters. Thus, that election is definitely up for grabs.

In 2018, we will be facing similar – if not so stark – circumstances in states across the nation. That is why all of us should be laying the groundwork to build our foundation upon today. That's no different, really, than my son training now, for the 2018 Golden Gloves. Every state is unique, something we must recognize in order to have an effective 50 state strategy. There are places where we can and should run candidates who are either progressive, liberal, moderate, or conservative Democrats. It's not a “one size fits all” situation. A candidate that can win in California, for example, is not going to be the type that can win in Alabama.

This brings us to the topic of resources. There are obvious advantages accrued in splitting the republican party's resources, as we witness happening in Alabama. By splitting the rabid-right from the “moderate” republicans, it isn't just groups of people dividing, it's their financial resources. This is a good thing. So good, in fact, that we must continue to do it in 2018. Even in states where republicans normally feel safe, we need to make them expend the maximum financial and human resources. Again, we do this by exploiting the fissure in their party.

Now, in order to accomplish this, we must understand that all social and political movements have rhythms, much like tides. The republican party, particularly the rabid-right, holds certain cards to play when it is both beneficial and necessary. We've seen that last week, in the case of Senator Franken. And there are times when it's essential to fight the in-coming tide, and others where it's best to role with the tide. Does that make sense? In other words, we respond to their rat-fuckers, rather than react to them. This is something that intelligent activists learn with experience.

At this point, you are likely asking, “Okay, Patrick, but how exactly does this relate to Michelle Obama's saying that when they go low, we go high?” Good question, speaking of tides. In the context of the republican party versus the Democratic Party, let's consider a model. This is not exact, of course. But if we think of two long-time high school football rivals ….let's say Hatfield High versus the McCoy Centrals (their song being “Hang on, Sloopy”). It's not only the teams on the field competing, it's the fans who despise each other, holding on to rancid grudges from the past. And this can only reinforce anger and tensions. So what might change those dynamics?

Malcolm X often said that before you can get a people to act differently, you must first get them to think differently. Reacting with hostility towards non-Democrats (republicans, independents, etc) is not going to open their minds. That only appeals to the negative. But putting forth our best side, while appealing to their best side – in the case of Alabama, to reject sexual predators who prey upon children – has the potential to reach some republicans. For it is only the sickest among them who can justify Moore's behaviors.

And that brings us to that group – the most diseased among us – that you asked about. I apologize for taking a rather long route to addressing them specifically. While I believe that individuals can change, it is unlikely that, as a larger group, they are going to transform into non-hating citizens. Hence, we must make a conscious effort to remove them from having power within our society, and system of government. Then, though we can't change their minds, we can reduce their opportunities to act upon their illness.

A final thought: just as we cannot afford to “normalize” Trump's behaviors, we must take care to not normalize the idea that republicans have the same general value system as we have …..even those who do wonderful jobs of identifying Trump's pathology. Nor should we normalize the reversal of civilian authority overseeing the military, despite hoping the generals can control Trump's threatening outbursts. And with that said, I will soon continue our discussion on Michael Collins and that other fellow, and how it applies to the current political situation. (My great-grandfather's cousin worked with both.)

November 11, 2017

Captain America

“The meaning of a word is its usage.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein; Philosophical Investigations


The accusations against Roy Moore provide an unexpected, though not surprising, gift to the Democratic Party. They also come at a time when, beyond politics, there is a growing social awareness of the unacceptable dynamics that have allowed predators to use (or attempt to use) “power” to advance unwanted sexual advances. Thus, in order to be able to properly use the Moore situation for more than simple political benefit, I thought it might be of interest to discuss, as objectively as possible, some of the dynamics in this case in greater detail. As always, there will be some who disagree on some points, or interpret specific information differently; this is a good thing, and has the potential to lead to a more valuable discussion than my ramblings.

Wittgenstein's definition of words came to mind when I watched coverage of this latest republican “sex scandal.” Numerous reporters and guests panelists have referred to Moore's crime against a 14-year old as pedophilia. This is good, because that is the meaning of the word in common usage. It provides an accurate description for the general public. It is not the correct term within the field of psychiatry, though many in the treatment field find that the legal community – police, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges – often use the word in conversations with them.

Most of the treatment community make use of chronophilia, as coined by John Money in identifying unhealthy, primary age groups various offenders are sexually attracted to. Pedophilia is when an adult has a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children. Roy Moore's targeting a 14-year old is an example of ephebphilia, as identified by Glueck in 1955, as a primary or exclusive interest in pubescent (or post-pubescent) teenagers.

While the roots of both tend to have areas of overlap, there are also distinct features. I think it may be interesting to consider Moore loosely in this context. Although I don't know a lot about him, what I do know seems to point to a range of personality disturbance that I used to encounter in work. I did not run any of the sexual abuse groups (I did jail and domestic violence groups), I encountered a number of offenders on my individual case load. And I coordinated treatment with the co-workers who ran those groups.

What makes a man as rigid and self-righteous as a Roy Moore? It might be useful to consider that in terms of what Dr. Michael Stone refers to as Features 1 and 2, which are thought patterns and behaviors that result. Let's take note that he speaks of Susan Neiman's gradation of behaviors that range from bad to very bad to evil. This allows us to consider how society views some behaviors today differently from the way the same behaviors were viewed in past eras, including within different contexts. This does not make excuses for past practices, but rather suggests that cultural progress is being made in some instances.

What I looked for in Moore's past is instances where, from the viewpoint of others, his thinking was rigid, and that this had an impact upon his relationship with those other people. I found it interesting that he attended military schools in his late teens, and then became an officer. Before serving in Vietnam, he was in the military police. In Vietnam, he was again in the military police, and was despised by others who found him to be too strict. He was given the nickname “Captain America” sue to his rigidity. Moore would report that, after being threatened with fragging, he slept on bales of straw for protection.

I would venture that this is an example of how Moore's Feature 1 thinking led to Feature 2 behaviors that resulted in others viewing him as a rigid, and who aggressively sought to exercise control over other people's behaviors.

Another part of Moore's thinking that is rigid, and hence results in aggressive behaviors upon his part that seek to control others, is found in his religious belief system. It is unclear (to me) if this was rooted in part in his childhood experiences. However, it is abundantly clear that his religious views have a co-morbidity with his rigid personality type. That toxic combination results in his self-identification as a morality-law enforcer.

What are the chances of such a geek having a healthy belief system regarding sexuality, and thus healthy sexual experiences? Just my opinion, but I'll speculate the chances are mighty low to nonexistent.

There are a number of factors in an adult sex offender such as Moore targeting a 14-year old for his personal satisfaction. They do not include a 32-year old assistant district attorney being comfortable with sexual relations with someone his own age. One can safely speculate that he was not confident he could sexually satisfy an adult. Thus, Moore abused his position of power to prey upon a kid.

On his Feature 1, Moore lacks the capacity to objectively evaluate what a terrible thing he did. His law and order personality, combined with his sick religious beliefs, do not allow for his being conscious of his guilt. Rather, in a ironic twist of a most-twisted mind, he consciously convinces himself that it was not him that molested a 14-year old. And it's no surprise – none – who or what he does blame.

Moore convinced himself that two sentences from Romans, found in chapter 7, lines 17 and 20, identify the real cause: “It is no longer I who am doing this evil, but the sin living in me. ...And if I do what I don't want to do, it is not I who do it, but the sin which lives in me.” The more out of touch Moore becomes with the reality of his own disgusting self, the more those Feature 1 ideas convince him that it is his role to become a modern-day prophet from the Old Testicle. And, indeed, we see how that delusional self-concept – a man who claims the moral authority to speak for “God,” and to judge others – has translated into his behaviors throughout his adulthood.

Thus, a man who really should have been incarcerated is able to climb the ladder from assistant DA to serve twice as a highest judge in his state. From this position, of which he was twice removed, he spews hatred and filth, attacking gays and lesbians, not mere attempting to deny them marriage equality, but to make them “illegal.” He attacks Islam, and advocates denying Muslims from holding elective office. He was big on the “birther” nonsense. And like Trump, he's a big fan of Putin.

Other possible criminal behaviors include paying himself well over a million dollars from his own non-profit “Foundation for Moral Law,” and using its other funds to run his political campaigns. (Washington Post)

Almost as disgusting has been some of his supporters to either normalize his behaviors, or to place them in that “Mary and Joseph” context, and to use the “Roy's being attacked by pure evil!” bit in their latest fund-raising attempts. And today, his brother actually compared the news reports to the crucifixion of Jesus.

It's unsettling to know that Roy Moore could ever win any election, much less in a state-wide contest. It's more disturbing to think he might have won a seat in the US Senate – indeed, he still might. We should all be doing our best to help his opponent, Doug Jones, win. It doesn't matter if you think he is a liberal or moderate Democrat. He has to win. Really.

We also have an opportunity to reach people on more that a political level. People need to understand that many variations and gradations of the more extreme Moore pathology exist in our society. And society as a whole benefits from confronting it.

Thank you to anyone who might have read this far!
H2O Man

November 4, 2017

Twisting in the Wind

“I think we ought to let him hang there. Let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind.”
John Ehrlichman; 1972.


Since joining in 2003, DU has been my favorite internet site. I've enjoyed “meeting” many individuals who have become good friends ….some of whom are still part of the DU community, and others who are no longer here. I like the the discussions about important topics where one can learn new things, including other points of view, regardless of if I agree dully with them. There are some people who always make me think. One of these people is “grantcart,” and his response to my last OP reminded me of a story that Rubin once told me.

An isolated tribe of people came upon an airplane that had been left in the wilderness. The first man who climbed into it was amazed by the comfortable seats within the plane. In time, another man figured out how to start its engine, and began using it as a convenient car. But because they were satisfied with comfort and convenience, the tribe never understood that the plane could fly.

I thought of this, because frequently, “grantcart's” posts take discussions to a higher level. They soar above the more common communications found on OP/threads. In the current post, he noted – in detail – some of the history of another large nation, a century ago. Because, as historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. documented, history tends to go in cycles.

Back in the “good old days” of DU:GD during the Plame scandal, a significant number of community members posted high-quality essays and posts that drew upon their personal knowledge of history, political science, sociology, psychology, and other areas of interest. These helped the larger community “connect the dots,” and more fully understand the national and international events that were spinning out of control under George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and assorted neoconservatives in their administration.

This got me thinking about some current events that I'd like to focus on now. The general topic is how the Mueller Team is approaching the on-going investigation, based in part on their understanding of the personality structures of three of the criminals – Flynn, Manafort, and Trump. Let's take a brief view.

Michael Flynn is a strange case, but certainly not unique. People of my generation are reminded of General Edwin Walker. (Robert Mueller, for example, is fully aware of this.) Both were products of military schools, both had rigid, authoritarian personalities, and that combination allowed both to function within the structure of the military. Both would be promoted to high levels, which eventually led to their personality deficiencies being exposed. In their post-military careers, each became involved in right-wing politics.

Paul Manafort provides an example of serious anti-social personality disorder. He belongs to a group of corrupt people, who only have an allegiance to each other, primarily because they work together on various criminal enterprises. People with personality characteristics such as Manafort are often drawn to working with a psychopath.

Trump is a psychopath. More, he belies the mistaken belief that psychopaths are “evil geniuses.”

Now, the current manual for diagnosing mental illness in the United States makes psychopaths a part of ASPD. This is relatively new. It is because insurance coverage was far more available to pay for treatment of ASPD, which can be successful in certain circumstances, than psychopathy. Hence, the change. But, to be sure, investigators and prosecutors understand the distinction, and attempt to use it to their advantage.

Team Mueller is aware that both Flynn and Manafort attempt to live by a code that is distinct from that of the larger society. Flynn views Mr. Mueller as an “enemy of the state,” and thus hesitates to cooperate with him. Manafort views Mr. Mueller as “the law,” and likewise hesitates to cooperate. Neither wants to be a “rat.” But, in both cases, they have sons who are identified as being in legal jeopardy, and have thus the human impulse to protect their offspring. And that is exactly where Team Mueller will apply maximum pressure to turn them.

Trump's son, daughter, and son-in-law are also at risk of being indicted. One can easily identify a number of questions that Mr. Mueller will ask Donald, Jr., For example, what exactly did Junior mean a few years back, when he said that “Russian money is flowing in” to the family business? We know his father dictated the lie about his “adoption” meeting, which on the surface could be mistaken for a dad trying to protect his son. But that isn't the way Trump rolls.

When push comes to shove, Trump is the most cowardly of men. He lacks the trait that would allow him to even consider accepting responsibility for his actions, even if doing so would potentially protect his spawn. For he has no conscience, no meaningful concept of “family,” beyond as an extension of himself. And he will sacrifice any such extension – be it family or friend – to save himself.

When investigators and prosecutors approach a case with such dynamics, they identify such personality traits. They focus on those weak links in the chain, both within the group and within the individuals involved. This includes the weak spots within the individuals who are considered “strong” by the group.. Those weak spots are known as “keys.” And we are seeing Mr. Mueller playing those keys like a master plays a piano.

November 3, 2017

Weird Scenes Inside the White House

The wilderness of Roman pain that Donald Trump & Co (and all his staff are insane) have inflicted upon the United States and civilized humanity around the globe appears to be coming to an end. This is, of course, a good thing. Yet, there are some risks associated with it. An obvious one is a constitutaional crisis. But there are others that we should consider.

I've noted before that when a empire is suffering from internal decay and externally over-reach of military power, it creates fertile ground for the rise of a psychopathic “leader.” That leader tends to surround himself with two types of individuals: first, those who are corrupt, and have experience stealing from “the system, and second, military leaders who have rigid personality structures, with an emphasis on obedience to authority. Sound familiar?

This week's news on the Mueller Team's investigation of the Trump-Russian scandal shows that parts of the campaign-administration's internal structure is crumbling. This is no surprise, considering the foundation that Trump's rise was built upon was corrupt to its core, aided by the Russian intelligence-mob, and supported primarily by white nationalism. In their minds, once Trump took office, he could do anything, thus protecting the criminal behavior of his team.

Trump, being a shallow man, has relied upon the most basic tactics of dictators: create an environment seeped in fear. He pointed to “dangers” that threatened his followers, both domestically and internationally. He appeals to the most ignorant and base instincts of the 30% …..for all tyrants know that if you can focus the group's hatred of “others,” they will gladly forget their own low level of being. Trump went so far as to identify Nazi marchers as “pretty good people,” encouraging the mob-think that defines his grass roots followers.

However, the Trump administration has faced some unexpected opposition. And while part of this is found in the Democrats serving in the House and Senate, there are numerous other groups. The federal courts have largely put him in check per immigration. A coordinated effort by members of the intelligence community, both active and “retired,” delivered a series of leaks that the White House could not stop. And an intensely talented media – thanks to journalists on tv and in print – has stepped up to the highest level in decades.

Thus, we have Mr. Mueller leading an investigation that threatens Trump's presidency. Trump isn't just “under a cloud” any more. There's a storm doing serious damage. And due to that storm, a number of those from his campaign and administration are recognizing the damage that being loyal to Trump – who is loyal to no one – can bring about. They know that Trump, much like Nixon, believes it is everyone else's moral obligation to take the blame for him. We already see the results of one of the three identified on Monday not sacrificing himself. We'll soon see more.

However, judging from history, this makes the upcoming time potentially dangerous. When Trump sees Putin, he sees himself ruling America in much the same way. He and his supporters will try to create a domestic or international “state of emergency.” In fact, many of his ilk are already attempting to do just that inside our country. They are feeding the rag of the mob with lies, including their nonsense about the dire need to “investigate” Hillary Clinton.

What we need to be doing is calmly focusing on that which is important. That includes preparing for the most important mid-term elections of our lifetimes. And we need to help the Mueller investigation and prosecutions in the public's eye. And we need to make the old civil rights saying our mantra: “Keep your eyes on the prize.”

I've read a bit of the discussions on the DNC in 2016. That isn't our prize. Arguing about it is a grand example of how to waste energy and divide people. It doesn't matter if you liked or disliked the DNC in 2016. We have more important issues to deal with. And, as we all know, there are unresolved issues that a segment of the Democratic Party holds on to. Yet, we need to ask ourselves, isn't it worth letting go of those, at least right now? Is there really a justification for the level of selfishness required to cling on to it?

We need to bring forth our best efforts. Our constitutional democracy – imperfect and battered as it is – actually does depend upon just that. The opposition, from the lowliest KKK member to the one in the White House, are definitely putting forth their absolute worst efforts. Let's kick their asses.

Peace,
H2O Man