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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Keep in mind that, in 2020, more than 70 million voters cast their ballots for Trump, who, though he is a pathological liar, is 100% trusted by his supporters.  When Trump said the election was rigged, the vast majority of these folks believed him.  Even today, more than five years later, there are still millions of people who believe there was rampant voter fraud in the election.

Now, is storming the Capitol and beating up/killing law enforcement personnel an acceptable solution? It wouldn’t be for you or me, or most people, but imagine you’re an uneducated white-supremacist MAGA guy, and your president is telling you to do whatever’s necessary to prevent the election from being certified.

These are people who were so desperate to hang Mike Pence that the vice president had to be escorted out of the Capitol building to a secret and secure location, so he didn’t end up at the end of a rope.

When asked about this, Trump replied, “Maybe he deserved it.” To anyone trying to make sense of this, remember that you’re dealing with a deeply disturbed individual, and many millions of truly pathetic people who believe he is an honest and effective servant of the American people.  In congress, we have a couple of hundred of the most terrible butt-kissers imaginable, all clamoring to curry favor with him.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

It’s only been a few months since Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) came and went.

In case you’re worried about Musk, don’t be; he did just fine. From AI:  Reports suggest that Musk’s companies have received billions in government funding through contracts, subsidies, and loans, and that his position with DOGE has provided him with opportunities to influence policy and decision-making that could benefit his businesses.  

As shown above, however, it appears that the American people, however, did not fare well at all. We just absorbed another trillion dollars in debt, about $3000 for every man, woman, and child in the nation.

Anyone who thought that Musk’s presence in the White House boded well for the common American was a fool.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Most Americans vote according to which candidate is most likely to make them richer, yet, as we’ve seen, this isn’t universally true.

The MAGA folks who support Trump are experiencing higher taxes, and higher prices at the gas pump and grocery store.  Many of them voted for Trump for what could be called “philosophical” reasons, largely hatred of non-White and non-Christians.

As shown at left, many women have a similar thing going on. Conservative women vote for Republicans, even though they know the party has consistently supported the oppression of their sex.  This transcends settling for lower salaries and includes various forms of abuse.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics
From Reuters:
 New U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in one of his first acts in the job since being appointed by President Donald Trump, has revoked the personal security detail and security clearance for Mark Milley, the retired Army general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Milley, who served as the top U.S. military officer during some of Trump’s first presidential term, became a leading critic of him after retiring as a four-star general in 2023 during former President Joe Biden‘s administration and has faced death threats. Milley will also face an inquiry by the Pentagon inspector general’s office into his conduct that could lead to him being bumped down in rank.

Among other criticisms, Milley was quoted as calling Trump “fascist to the core” in “War,” a book by journalist Bob Woodward published last year.

I believe that it’s only a matter of time before Trump gives an order that clearly transcends legal and/or ethical boundaries, causing not only Milley but a great number of our nation’s other top military leaders to refuse to comply. In fact, it’s amazing that such a watershed event hasn’t happened yet.

The reason this seems inevitable is that there are so many arenas in which Trump’s wishes undercut non-negotiable parts of American life, especially the U.S. Constitution.

Suppose, for a moment, that Trump wants to run for a third term.  I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that two terms is the maximum that can be served by any given president, and it wasn’t “Better Homes and Gardens.”

Seriously, it’s hard to imagine that Trump and the military can go on indefinitely without coming to loggerheads.

Imagine that Trump says, “I’m invading Greenland.” A few minutes later, The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says, “The f*** you are.”

It’s only a matter of time.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Of course, this sign is a work of Photoshop; it exists nowhere. Yet it conveys a message that a great number of us feel: a deep resentment of Trump supporters.

This may be what could be called the “double whammy” of the Trump administration: the terror we feel about three-plus more years of a criminal sociopath in the White House, and the knowledge that we live among people with an extremely tiny capacity to think and behave with decency towards others.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

We all remember the Tea Party folks and all those related American voters who said, “Government should be run like a business.” Admittedly, this has a certain appeal.  Until you think about it, that is.

It’s worth going back to what the Founding Fathers had to say about the purpose of government.  Here’s what Thomas Jefferson said on the subject: (Government exists) to secure the rights of the people, such as life, liberty, and property, and to prevent tyranny.

The financial aspects of government were of importance over the years, but the concept of profit-making didn’t appear on anyone’s list until the late 20th Century.

Having said this, let’s agree that government should make certain “investments” in the well-being of its people, and education may be chief among these.

No one expects U.S. educational standards to make quantum leaps each year, but we as a nation would be well-served if our children were seen as important “investment opportunities” in our country’s long-term future.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

If it weren’t for the extreme danger he represents to everyone on this planet, RFK, Jr. would be a fairly good joke.

The idea that the president of the United States would appoint a first-class crackpot with dozens upon dozens of gross and deeply felt misconceptions concerning science to be in charge of Americans’ health is just amazing.

It would have taken the average citizen literally months of research to find someone so manifestly unqualified for the position.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Stephen Miller on Fox threatens to arrest JB Pritzker for “seditious conspiracy” and says, “to all ICE officers: you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties. And anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop or obstruct you is committing a felony.”

I have to laugh about this, because of Miller’s use of the phrase “federal immunity.”  If you believe that for a second, I suggest you ask Derek Chauvin how he’s enjoying life.  He’s serving a 22.5-year state sentence for murdering George Floyd and a 21-year federal sentence for violating his civil rights.

If I were advising the governor of any of the Democrat-run states to which Trump wants to send federal troops, I would have him tell his people that, not only is the will of the people on our side but so is the law.  In fact, posse comitatus is among the most clearly written and important laws that govern our lives as U.S. citizens.

Further, I would re-emphasize what a citizen should do if he sees an ICE officer clearly using excessive force.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

A few times a week, I flick on Fox News for a minute or two just to see how they’re seeing current events under Trump.  What I notice is that they seldom mention Trump at all; most of their content is about Democrats.  You remember them–the group that is powerless in the White House, the Senate, the House, and the Supreme Court.

They cover Joe Biden in great detail; they call him “Pothole Joe” now, I guess for his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, some of which may have been misspent??  I honestly don’t know.

The point is this:  If you’re trying to make sense of the world around you today, how much do you need to understand about a man who has been out of office since last January, and has no more effect on your political or financial lives than Daffy Duck?

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

The presence of Trump in our lives can be compared to the “chicken and egg” phenomenon.  Did Trump cause our immorality, ignorance, and lies, or did an intellectually and morally failing electorate bring Trump into power?

The author of the meme here believes it’s the latter of the two, though I would say that it’s impossible to make the call here, as neither could have happened without the other.

In any case, all this leads to another discussion that Americans have constantly with one another: Is a difference in politics worth losing friends over?  In my own mind, I frame the question a bit differently: How close do I want to be to someone who, for whatever reason, honestly believes that Trump is a good, honest, and effective leader of the United States?

I’d far rather have an evening martini and watch Jeopardy with my wife–even on a night when I really hate the categories.

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