Trump channeling Henry II with Michigan militiamen?

The arrests of 13 Michigan militiamen should chill every decent American to the bone. Six apparently conspired to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home, whisk her to Wisconsin and try her as a tyrant against American liberty. Seven members of the ‘Wolverine Watchmen’ were arrested for plotting to kill police officers, intending to start civil war, leading to societal collapse. Michigan Governor Whitmer has been harassed by armed men on her home lawn and in the State Capitol ever since President Trump singled out Michigan and its Democratic governor for derision over her pandemic restrictions. How much Trump’s tweet ‘Liberate Michigan’ and numerous other statements inciting opposition to sensible pandemic guidelines by Democratic governors might have contributed to the climate now spilling over into anti government violence is uncertain.

But what is certain is that Trump’s entire campaigning and governance since he glided down the escalator at Trump Tower in 2015 and blasphemed Mexicans as murderers and rapists, has ratcheted up antisocial behavior from the White Nationalist crowd. Telling supporters at rallies to ‘Beat the shit’ out of a protester; ‘Get him out of here’ to another; even promising to float bail for an arrested Trump supporter have become stock in trade for a president utterly devoid of the carnage he may be inciting. But his recent threat to contest a now likely election loss as a fraud has raised the ante of possible widespread violence if he follows thru with that grotesque threat.

Back in 1170, shortly before the murder of his rival Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, England’s King Henry II, is reported to have said “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest.” That quote in recent times has come to reflect a ruler seeking vengeance on perceived enemies but reluctant to order the deed outright. It gives cover when criminal followers interpret and act upon that wish. Come to think of it, Henry II’s quote from 850 years ago fits Trump perfectly…except for substituting ‘priest’ with ‘governor’.

GOP is the party of death

It wasn’t just the Republican president who dismissed, mislead and lied to the nation about pandemic, allowing it to ravage America like no other industrialized country. Virtually the entire Republican Party joined in his assault on truth, candor, inclusiveness and urgency from the get-go. Republican Senators, Congressmen, Governors largely supported the president’s game plan for re-election and continued Senate control based on dismissing pandemic. Re-opening the economy too soon, denigrating the wearing of masks, refusing to adopt a national strategy, indeed, dividing Americans by party, all contributed to 7,497,256 infected, of which 212,696 have died, by October 1. That makes the Republican Party the party of death.

But the Republican death cult goes beyond pandemic. The entire Republican Party opposed insuring 40,000,000 without health insurance when Democrats proposed the Affordable Care Act in 2009. Tho passed and implemented in 2010, their ghoulish opposition delayed its start for a year and ensured that only half of the 40 million were given a health care safety net. They’ve spent the past decade taking dozens of congressional votes and filing federal lawsuits to abolish it entirely, without any alternative whatsoever. That makes the Republican Party the party of death.

Frequent hurricanes and massive flooding in the east, unrelenting firestorms in the west make no dent on the Republican Party when it comes to climate change. The environmentalists will destroy the economy, they argue in near unison, refusing to let go of fossil fuel to embrace green energy. How they can ignore the existential climate catastrophe awaiting their own children and grandchildren defies understanding. That makes the Republican Party the party of death.

The Republican Party has increased my chances of contracting, even dying from pandemic. They put my children and grandchildren at grave risk from climate change denial.

Don’t tell me the Republican Party is conservative. They are radical in the most important life sustaining issues of our time. They are an existential threat to all, including themselves and their future generations. Until they change, they are the party of death.

Amy Grant endorsement re-affirmation doesn’t make case for her re-election

Daily Herald Deputy Managing Editor/Opinion Jim Slusher deserves credit for addressing the twofold controversy surrounding Illinois District 42 State Rep Amy Grant. The more serious one concerns Grant’s offensive racial and sexual orientation remarks she made to a potential donor about Ken Mejia-Beal, her Black, gay opponent that were leaked to the public. The second involves calls for the Daily Herald to rescind their endorsement. The endorsement was unsigned, and to his credit, Slusher signed the re-affirmation, spending great detail on many aspects of the issue. Slusher and the Herald could have let the matter fade away without comment.

Essentially, Slusher dismisses calls for withdrawing the endorsement, arguing Grant’s words, tho “insensitive and clumsy….were not about race or sexuality as much about politics.” The problem with that reasoning is it presumes it’s understandable to say racist and homophobic comments if they’re directed toward personal political gain rather than harming Blacks or gays. I don’t view Grant as either a hardcore racist or homophobe. But clearly she falls into the ‘easy’ racism and homophobia that likely occurs with some regularity in a district lacking diversity of leaders for both groups dealing with discrimination that must be rooted out and ended.

But putting aside her truly hurtful comments, the re-endorsement makes a minimal case for re-electing Grant while neglecting any mention of her opponent’s laudable qualifications for first time office. Neither endorsement listed a single substantive accomplishment in Grant’s first term. Both solely promote her “potential for collaborative governing”. There is a reason why Grant provided no accomplishments in her first term. In a state with a multitude of problems, Grant’s campaign website lists just two priorities: restoring fiscal responsibility and promoting education, with no detail on either. Opponent Mejia-Beal, by contrast, spells out detailed goals and policies on property tax/pensions, senior citizens, state revenue, animal rights, gun control, labor, and climate policy. One totally unfamiliar with this race or candidates might easily surmise Mejia-Beal was the wise, veteran, policy orientated lawmaker, and Grant the inexperienced, first time candidate.

Endorsements should matter. The Daily Herald’s Amy Grant endorsement does not.

Herd immunity comes to America

Starting with the entire top of the Republican Party

Out of touch career politician Jeanne Ives seeks to smite Washington DC’s out of touch career politicians.

Jeanne Ives seeks to become my congressperson November 3. Tho I won’t vote for her, I did peruse her expensive, multi colored mailer just to see what she’s proposing for my Illinois 6th District’s 750,000 residents. Good grief, what a waste of donors’ dollars. We learn that out of touch career politician Ives is going to take on the out of touch career politicians in DC. How a person who has spent most of this century in the Wheaton City Council, the Illinois legislature, candidate for Illinois governor and now candidate for Congress can distinguish herself from other career politicians is a stretch. Besides, Ives knows that being a career politician is no different from being a career surgeon or career nuclear scientist. If one is a wise, noble leader then thank god that person devotes one’s life to public service.

Then there is the ‘out of touch’ part. When Illinois was inching toward marriage equality, Ives was calling same sex marriages “completely disordered”. Proponents were “trying to weasel their way into respectability so they can push their agenda down to the schools…and we can’t let that happen”. On racial matters, Ives is no better. Running for governor in 2018, she incurred the wrath of her GOP state chair Tim Schneider who called for Ives to take down a racist ad she used against incumbent governor Bruce Rauner.

Ives’ mantra on her mailer is SMASH THE STATUS QUO. That eerily recalls her presidential pick with his infamous DRAIN THE SWAMP. We still struggling to survive that delusional campaign pitch. One at a time, please.

Million dollar health care for Trump, suing to take away minimal health care for 23 million

When the president exits Walter Reed Hospital after getting million dollar treatment for covid from dozens of health care workers, he’ll praise them to the mountaintop. But he won’t rescind his lawsuit before the Supreme Court to take away Affordable Health Care protections to 23 million Americans getting just a semblance of decent health care. That, and not the Cadillac Care the president receives, is what I will ponder from the governance of a cruel, heartless man responsible, not only for uncountable deaths from pandemic, but for millions of Americans suffering from inadequate, basic health care in the world’s richest country.

When ‘house arrest’ is not enough

Covid sufferer Donald Trump may consider himself convalescing in the White House, but many view his stay there as a form of ‘house arrest’. He’s no longer running around the country maskless spewing coronavirus particles at his maskless idolatrous supporters. Those rallies have infected many, including fellow presidential contender, maskless Herman Cain, who caught covid and died. But when Trump re-entered the White House and ripped off his mask, we understand how his entire governing mantra, that pandemic is a harmless hoax, is putting the hundreds that work there at risk. Every day one or more VIP’s connected to the Trump White House test positive, 17 so far. How many low level staff in the back rooms have caught covid will likely remain secret.

Maybe it’s time to admit that house arrest for Trump is not good enough. How bout sentencing Trump to ‘hospital arrest’ for the remainder of the campaign. If so, he should be forbidden to go joy riding before adoring fans, putting secret service, several of whom have become infected, at further risk.