Where is the American translator from Helsinki summit?

Who does she work for?
The State Department?
She might just be the most important person in America right now.
She should be found and put under protective custody and subpoenaed to tell what she heard in those two hours.

Was yesterday a gift to red state Senate Democrats?

Did this now give them some cover if they vote against the SCOTUS nominee?
Can’t they rightfully claim that they just need more time to understand Trumps Helsinki
pro-Russian stance before they can vote for his nominees.

Dare we call it RussiaGate

Repubs and Trump have often capitalized off of naming things they don’t like.

I suggest that every time a Dem references Trump now that they also mention Muellers investigation of RussiaGate.

Can we really vote on a new SCOTUS while Trump is being investigated for his role in RussiaGate.

Great site for state by state voter registration information

Let's give the media a new catchy name for them: TLF

Amongst other things that can be said for our modern media is this - they love when things are made easy for them. They like to be spoon fed and then engage in pack journalism.
And boy, howdy, do they love quick little catchy names and phrases to throw around and throw up under their lower third chyrons (graphics) and never ending breaking (though it’s usually not very new or breaking) news banners.

I will give you a prime example: “fake news”.
Trump knew that if he threw this out there and kept saying it over and over, that the media would clutch onto it. And, not just his friendly complicit media on talk radio and Fox News.
Those two words are now a part of the everyday lexicon in this country.
I hear people on tv and just in normal conversation saying it all the time either in jest or with conviction. We know why he does it. To undermine the media when facts (truthiness) are presented that are negative toward him. He wants to illegitimize anything that is “against” him.

But, why do media members do it? Why do they repeat the phrase “fake news”.?
Why don’t they say EVERY TIME that phrase comes up that it is a false narrative political construct used by Trump and his minions to undermine the fourth estate.
They should say in a very strong and discernible voice,
“ no, Mr. President, me and the organization that I represent are not fake. We are real trained professional journalists. Some might say and more and more are saying that yours is a fake Presidency that lost by 3 million popular votes despite an unparalleled level of help from a foreign enemy that your campaign either encouraged or coordinated with”.

So, here’s my version of “fake news”.
I think we should define all of Trumps lying toadies and corporate, political, and media enablers.
I’m going to just give them a little shorthand nickname.
T - L - F
Trump Loving Fascists or Trump Loving Fascism

Whenever I hear someone spout his lies that they’ve heard, I’m going to say, “oh thats just TLF”, and I will walk away or change the subject to the weather or sports or something non political.
For those that ask me what TLF means, because, you know, curiosity and such - I will tell them that this country is purposely being taken down an authoritarian road by people who want total governmental power to belong in the hands of the financial and corporate “elite” (one of their words - throwing it back at them) of New York and Washington (2 places most Trumpers hate).
* - PLEASE NOTE - I’m not calling anyone a Trump Loving Fascist right in their face. I’m saying it about what someone else has said that they have regurgitated back.
** - “oh, that’s just some TLF talk” - is my way of responding to a Trumper who believes all or most of the lies without out and out calling that person fascist or an idiot.
*** - so, my purpose is to never call someone out to their face as a TLF - that would just be rude and, if anything, counterproductive. It’s the lies and those that propagate it (not the masses) that I’m defining as Trump Loving Fascist or Fascism.

So, if you think this tying of the word “fascism” to Trump is a good idea, please try it out on someone and let me know what kind of response that you get.
I’m going to try it a few times today and I will report back any feedback.

And, thank you, dear DU fellow bed wetting, tree hugging, Volvo driving, latte drinkers. It’s people like you that get me thru each day without me wanting to check into an insane asylum.
Thank you for whatever you do, in your own way, to fight the Trump Loving Fascists.

I'm really starting to hate white Americans.

I’m a white American and I’m now ashamed to be one.
I’ve lived in almost all parts of this country and visited most of the rest.
I keep searching to find white Americans that don’t disgust me.
I’m still looking.
Most seem to have been so dumbed down.
They seem to be so shallow and uninteresting.
The things they talk about are so trivial and their worlds are so small.
Most no longer hide the fact that they are bigoted, racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-“Other”.

The Karl Rove’s and Roger Ailes’ and Rush’s of the world have gotten their wish.
They set out to define a “real American” as someone with minimal formal education who was overly patriotic and isolationist.
They set out to define a “bad or non-real American” as someone with too much education and a worldly view. Labeled as the “liberal, or educated elite” - they became the OTHER.
A smart, independent thinking white American was a threat to what they wanted to build.
They needed lemmings that would follow along in the name of faux patriotism, faux religion, and suspension of factual information.

White America, by and large, bought in to this easy way out.
Just give them a job or jobs (however low paying).
Call them the real America and let them blame the OTHER for all of their problems.
They will then follow their corporate and political and religious overlords anywhere.
Even to Russia.

Unfortunately, non-white Americans and the 30% or so liberal elite white Americans are now being ruled by these same Overlords who have seized almost all economic and political power in our nation.
Will November’s midterms start a change back to sanity?
Can white America change or must it be beaten?
We shall see.

So, I binge watched the 1st 2 seasons of The Handmaids Tale

They didn’t see it happening at first EITHER.
They saw their rights being taken away.
But, they waited too long to stop it.
Terrifying show.
Terrifying times we live in now too.

There is no way to be CIVIL with the uncivil.
There is no way to give good to the EVIL and expect them to change.
There is no way to defeat greedy powerful entitled narcissistic people with no empathy by trying to reason with them. Because you can’t reason with the UNREASONABLE.

IF WE CANT BEAT THEM AT THE BALLOT BOX, WE MUST FIND ANOTHER WAY.
Hopefully, that doesn’t mean violence or full scale civil war.
But, damned if I will allow the women of my country to become PROPERTY.
Damned if I will allow my country to become a corporate Christian Taliban.
Will you?