BEWILDERING....12/13/23

I had a conversation a few weeks ago with a relative who declared with utmost certainty that the 2020 election was stolen by Joe Biden and that Donald Trump was duly elected president.

I then asked him how it could be that Trump lost all but 1 of the 62 court cases challenging the results of the election?

He replied that all "they were all Democrats", who made those decisions.

I then asked him if the election was fraudulent, why did all 50 Secretaries of State certify their elections, some of whom were strong Trump supporters?

He said he could answer that question but it would take him a lot more time than he had available at that moment.

He also said that no one should have been arrestd or jailed for their actions on January 6th, 2021, and that, again, all of the jurors in those trials were Democrats.

He also added that the demonstrations were largely peaceful.

My relative is a highly educated, kind, fun loving man who does not use a computer, although he did say he watched Fox News.

He also said he didn't read the newspaper.

A FALL FROM GRACE....12/12/23

Rudy Guiliani was once a good man and perhaps still is in many ways.

As Mayor of New York City, he helped lead the nation during the horrific attacks on the Twin Towers on 9/11, and by all accounts did an excellent job. He was on top of the world.

But sadly, he became one of the millions of people who came under the spell of Donald Trump, and as a result, lost his way.

As the former president's personal lawyer, Guiliani spent weeks after the 2020 election doing everything possible to keep his friend and client in office.

Yesterday the Mayor went on trial to determine the monetary judgement against him for defaming 2 election workers, saying they had manipulated ballots in Biden’s favor.

The women’s lives were upended as a result, suffering financial stress and multiple death threats because of Guiliani's accusations.

He has already admitted in court that he lied, and now faces bankruptcy, with no visible means of support after having his license to practice law suspended.

I'M GONNA' GITCHA'....12/11/23

One of the most cherished tenets of our Constitution is that set forth in the First Amendment - the guarantee of all Americans to be able to say what we want, without fear of prosecution.

Many people throughout the world do not enjoy this freedom, and there are places where you could be imprisoned, or even executed, for speaking out against the State or its Dear Leader.

By own blog could land me in jail in another country, even though I've never threatened anyone.

There are limits to free speech, as there should be - all of which are tied to the potential harm of others as defined multiple times by the U.S. Supreme Court.

But when a presidential candidate threatens to imprison members of the press for merely doing their jobs, it's cause for alarm.

A "slippery slope" doesn't begin to describe the perils we face if somehow a four-time indicted, twice impeached, revenge obsessed, thin-skinned broken man who cannot admit defeat gets his wish to seek revenge against those who dare criticize him or his actions.