“Covita” shoots campaign ad on the White House Balcony jacked on steroids and behaving like a cartoon
The reactions to the latest and most bizarre, and many would say, disgusting, campaign photo-op continue to pour in. The Lincoln Project, a well known Republican super-pac, founded by George Conway, who’s wife Kellyanne and possibly daughter have both tested positive for covid-19 (see video at end of article), put together several ads and Twitter videos pointing out the extreme, irresponsible and tasteless implications of Trump claiming to have “learned so much about coronavirus”.
In a second clip, which has since gone viral, playing video recovered during the video shoot for his misguided campaign ad, Trump can be heard and seen gasping for air, since steroids only mask the underlying medical issues but do nothing to cure or improve them. This is a creepy and disconcerting view of what is really going on here.
While the world gasps at his “insane” behavior, Trump gasps, literally for air, in full view of cameras while pretending to be superman and trying, yet again, to downplay the virus that has killed nearly 210,000 in the US alone. Will he have a relapse before the next debate, which he swears he is planning to attend?
While it may be from the added delusions, brought on by steroid side-effects, it’s clear that Trump wants to spin his own infection into some kind of massive political victory that will propel him, miraculously, into four more years of power. Sadly, and just plain sad, it is more likely to propel him into a pine box.
Who would have thought that the ultimate October Surprise would be one that Trump is, ultimately, unleashing on himself. Any shred of believability that he might have had, after his constant 4 year long history of lying about everything, is now gone for good particularly regarding anything related to Covid.
The breaking news that the top US general, Mark Milley, who is Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman is now quarantining, due to exposure to a top Coast Guard official, who tested positive for covid-19, is not helping matters. Several members of the Pentagon’s senior leadership are quarantining leading to the press continuing to speculate about how this looks to foreign adversaries.
Mounting positive test results among Republican elite is leading to possible dark news ahead
Take it from Herman Cain, who died of coronavirus after attending Trump rallies where masks and social distancing were scarce to none. When asked if he thought Cain, at that point already deceased, caught it at his rally, Trump replied “No, I don’t think he did”.
A humbling Herman Cain/coronavirus timeline:
6/24: Attends Trump rally, maskless 7/2: Tests positive for Covid-19 7/10: Says he’s improving 7/15: Says his doctors seem happy 7/27: Says he’s really getting better 7/30: Dies
A word with no direct English translation trends as ‘joy at the misfortune of another’ follows Trump’s coronavirus infection
Twitter and social media have been ablaze with ‘schadenfreude’ since approximately 1am EDT on Friday when both POTUS & FLOTUS tweeted that they had contracted covid-19. Dictionary and google searches for the german term for this base human feeling is going off the charts.
While the initial reaction could be said to go far beyond “joy” into the level a bloodlust for this reviled figure to suffer, it is, at the same time an inevitable outcome as a reaction to his own crude, cruel and pro-violence tendencies. Not to mention the blame he is, for the most part rightly, receiving for the more than 200,000 deaths so far from the coronavirus pandemic.
While it is dangerous, and in many ways disappointing, to see the so-called left who are virulently opposed to Trump, failing the test of being above base human instincts. By the same token, many argue that the things that Trump has done, or often refused to do, such as implementing a serious nationwide plan to minimize the spread of covid-19, are far worse than mere schadenfreude or happydancing to his misfortunes.
Yet, with his staunch support and refusal to denounce the right-wing extremist hate group The Proud Boys only days ago at the Presidential debates, and his refusal to commit to accepting independently certified election results at that same venue, it is easy to understand why so many millions on social media would be proclaiming a lack of sympathy for his misfortunes.
While The Trump spreads digital disinformation the public wants to vent and protest, without restrictions
The venting of strong options on social media is a paradox of sorts, Twitter threatened to ban all accounts that tweet a wish or hope that Trump would lose his battle with the coronavirus and die. However, after a backlash from public figures, such as AOC and the so called “squad”, who have received almost constant death-threat tweets from Trumps supporters while Twitter did nothing, Twitter backed off and announced that they would shutter some accounts but take a look at the data and behavior on a case by case basis.
The other side of the paradox is that social media venting may be preferable to violence in the streets. Unless, of course, the constant tweeting of schadenfreude and worse actually does lead to increased physical actions from either the far right or left.
The contentious explosion of Social Media political free speech across all platforms
In some ways Tik-Tok is turning into a more entertaining version of twitter’s political war zone. With prepackaged music backgrounds available to spice up your post – including anti-Trump anthems such as ‘f$ck Donald Trump’ (2 versions) it’s easy to create meaningful yet highly entertaining protest posts and share them with over 1 billion members.
No wonder Trump wants to ban the service. And the right wing have their own ‘hell on earth’ Parler to put up endless posts congratulating themselves on all the wonderful accomplishments of the wannabe fascists and super-spreaders.
And to add to the confusion, the potential that Trump will be inactive for a period of time has put the Tik Tok deadlines for a US merger in doubt. From casual observation Tik Tok becoming more political, once known as a site for amateur dance-offs and silly challenges, older and more like a short-clip educational and DIY destination.
Indeed by recent count 38% of US users are above 30 years of age, and with a set of advanced software tools to craft short clips, a maturation of the content appears to be happening at a very rapid pace.
Twitter has been called “hell on earth” and too fast to follow, yet is exciting and addictive for many. The opportunity to vent without a filter and gain some kind of digital revenge surfaced last night when POTUS and FLOTUS announced that they had tested positive for covid-19.
The outpouring of every emotion, slant and convolution of logic or fantasy has been epic, monumental and, well, big, very big.
There are so many intense, shocking reactions, as if the initial news they are reacting to is not extreme enough, many took it to the next level. Where to start?
Without measuring scientifically, the “anti-Trump” category was huge. Running the gamut from the Ghanaian Pall Bearer faction to the dead-Trump happy dancers, this grim and tasteless group hit hard and fast.
Not to be outdone the Right & GOP got to work, in a familiar manner
Next came the right-wing wackos and conspiracy nuts. It didn’t take long for a Republican Senator to decide that this was a Chinese conspiracy, and hell, it’s a “chinese virus” anyway, etc. Followed up by the not-to-be-outdone Republican that decided, instantly, that the Democrats supposedly in charge of his microphone planted the virus on it in order to intentionally infect the president. I kid you not.
I’m just going to say what we’re all thinking.
Trump was fine until the debate, where they set up microphones & podiums for him.
Incubation period is usually 2-3 days.
He tests positive a couple of days after the debate.
Next: out of the woodwork crawled even more tasteless observations – welcome to Twitter
Then, on the “independent” political side there was the wannabe lawmaker who repeatedly tweeted that he hopes both trump and biden will die. His logic is that they are equally bad and beholden to corporate bribes. wow.
Finally a form of sanity appears to be emerging, if you can call it that
Starting Friday there have been more measured and thoughtful tweets. An illuminating thread is one started by Rachel Maddow when she tweeted “civil” condolences and singled out the disease itself as the enemy. This was countered by a series of replies, pointing out all the clear and irrefutable reasons why Trump has not earned that kind of kindness or sympathy, not even in this extreme case.
This sort of traditional political “civility” will be weaponized against us by these far-right fascists. I don’t want anybody to die or be in pain, but there’s no reason to spend your energy sending positive vibes to the culprits when we have the true victims to worry about.
Before sanity could prevail, however, the left-style conspiracies exploded
Finally, in the last couple of hours, a new theme has emerged from the more liberal side: why should we believe that Trump really does have the virus? Well, if he tweets in a week or so from Moscow, sitting in a room with Putin and Snowden, then you’ll know it was, to use Trumpian phraseology: “a hoax”.
This news was confirmed by POTUS medical staff and there is great concern now for any symptoms, particularly in light of his age and physical condition. This is a breaking news story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Sean Conley, White House physician released a memo confirming the positive tests, and said the president and first lady were doing well and were planning to remain at home:
“Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments,” wrote Sean Conley, physician to the president.
As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together.
The hashtag #TrumpHasCovid is, naturally, trending on twitter, and many posted tasteless tweets pointing out the irony, considering that POTUS played down the virus and was, for all intents and purposes “anti-mask” up until this news was announced.
As follows a relatively tasteful example:
the man who wouldn’t wear a mask, played down the virus, called it a hoax, held big rallies, made fun of joe biden for his small campaigns and huge masks, has covid. karma. #TrumpHasCovidpic.twitter.com/B8xUTKpZW0
Stock market futures appear to be reacting to the news, the E-Mini S&P 500 Future Continuous Contract dropped at around midnight EDT and is down nearly 2% as of this writing. Although there have, as of yet, not been any reports of symptoms, although Trump’s closest aide, Hope Hicks, was reported to have been showing symptoms, CNN citing “a source” who stated that she was “feeling achy and pretty bad”.
With election day only 32 days away, this could not come at a worse time for POTUS. The October lead up to the election would be strenuous for anyone, let alone a 74 year-old man who has contracted covid-19 and has at least one underlying health condition.
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A large rolling earthquake centered 1 mile from San Gabriel, CA. at 11:38 PM, was felt all the way to Mexico. The epicenter was in a highly populated area approximately 11 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
Aftershocks are possible and this is a breaking story that will be updated as it develops.
The precise side-by-side audio and video of the real facts and the public lies
A more detailed, side by side comparison, showing exactly what Trump admitted to knowing as fact in March, and the misleading statements and outright lies that he publicly spread, subsequent to the recorded conversation.
This Bob Woodward tape puts Trump into a situation that even he will have a hard time talking and lying his way out of. The New Ad from Lincoln Project does a great job exposing his exact words and the obvious intentional decision to mislead the public in a politically calculated, and deadly, misinformation strategy.
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Doesn’t want anyone to panic? Really? At least not about the coronavirus that “only” killed 200,000 so far. Antifa? Are they a reason to panic? Logically if you were a Fascist then, yes, that makes sense. But in this case Trump wants all of us to panic and to blame all crime, real and imagined, on “the left” and “anarchists”.
In this new Lincoln Project ad you can see the incredible contrast between his claims that he wants us all to remain calm – and the panic he is clearly trying to incite with his “law and order” themed speeches. He doesn’t want to cause a panic. yea, right. He wants to be the Fear-Monger-In-Chief.
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An Explosive video showing side by side the private bombshell recording by Bob Woodward – released ahead of his new book “Rage” and video of Trump spouting off the exact opposite on camera in speeches throughout the pandemic.
Perhaps most damming of all is the section of the recorded call where he admits that he was aware that Covid-19 is more deadly than the flu and that you people were in great danger, then on camera saying the opposite again and finally: “I wanted to always play it down” “I still like playing it down” – Donald Trump referring to the coronavirus in a recorded conversation with Bob Woodward (lynxotic)
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On September 5, 2020, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that the majority of Halloween activities will be restricted because of COVID-19. Many children, young and old, look forward to traditional celebrations of the holiday by going door to door to “trick or treat” for candy, however this year the pandemic has effectively canceled the holiday. The ban comes as preventative measures as maintaining social distance, minimizing contact with non-household members and avoiding confined spaces like doorways would be difficult to follow.
Throughout Los Angeles County, other annual Halloween events and attractions have already announced cancellation like that of Universal Studios and its very popular Halloween Horror Nights.
Update from Universal Studios Hollywood on HHN 2020.
According to the Post “L.A. County is still among the California counties with high rates of community transmission,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “Before we get into cooler weather and flu season, we need to significantly lower the number of new cases. This is the only path forward that allows us to get more students back to school and reopen more business sectors.”
What LA Country Residents Can and Cannot Do
According to the Health Guidance Release, the following Halloween related activities are “not permitted” due to risk of spreading coronavirus:
Door to door trick or treating is not allowed because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors especially in neighborhoods that are popular with trick or treaters.
“Trunk or treating” events where children go from car to car instead of door to door to receive treats are also not allowed.
Gatherings or Parties with non-household members are not permitted even if they are conducted outdoors.
Carnivals, festivals, live entertainment, and haunted house attractions are not allowed.
The Department provided some safer (non-traditional) alternatives of what is “permitted” for the Halloween season – and it appears fairly grim:
Online parties/contests (e.g. costume or pumpkin carving)
Car parades that comply with public health guidance
Halloween movie nights at drive in theaters
Halloween themed meals at outdoor restaurants
Halloween themed art installations at an outdoor museum
Dressing up homes and yards with Halloween themed decorations.
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The outrage may have peaked but the details continue to enrage – massive conflicts of interest and more…
Trump needs to destroy the post office and picked louis dejoy to get it done – Conflicted, not only by his obvious loyalty and massive campaign contributions to Republicans and Trump, but with huge financial gains in reward for destroying the USPS. Bombshell ad just released by the Really American PAC (Political Action Committee).
https://youtu.be/XEHNqY7Jefk
Just as the Lincoln Project has been skewering Trump with ads exposing his weakness and corruption, and going viral while doing it, ReallyAmerican PAC is joining the fray with some pretty viral-worthy ads of their own.
Once the Republican National Convention (Also known as the Cocaine Convention) blasted into a zombie apocalypse styled attack on everything democratic (small and big D) and then proceeded to flame-out in the ratings, the general election shenanigans began at an October-plus level of furor.
And now, with Melania-Gate in full swing, it might seem like the whole suppress-the-vote-by-destroying-the-post-office thing is, well, old news. It’d be wrong to think that, however. Not only is this issue still front and center and an ongoing travesty, but new revelations continue to explode on to the scene and demand, and are worthy, of further scrutiny and attention.
This clip has a few morsels of incredible ugliness, like the fact that Dejoy is literally and financially conflicted in his position as Postmaster General, and stands to benefit from the crippling of the Post Office, directly, as explained in the ad.
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Climate Change is potentially responsible for creating scorching temperatures and health hazards
A record-breaking heat wave is coming. Moving in today and peaking to coincide with the upcoming Labor Day weekend, excessive heat watches and resulting warnings are ready go into effect. From Friday, September 4th, throughout the Southwest and particularly on the West Coast temperatures are expected to range from 104 to 117 degrees, especially in cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix. These all-time high seasonal temperatures will last throughout the holiday including Monday.
With excessive heat, the National Weather Service’s in Los Angeles posted an official warning that it “is not recommended to spend any extended period outside during the heat of the day.”
The Weather Service also warned residents that there is higher risk for heat illnesses along with heightened fire weather concerns during this time. Near normal temperatures are likely to return by the end of next week.
Southwest States not alone as entire Nation in climate crisis crosshairs
The increased temperatures are said to be worse than the recent heat wave, in August, that hit California and which also resulted in widespread destructive wildfires. These extreme hot and dry conditions will further complicate matters for firefighters that continue to battle active fires. To date th current rash of fires have been responsible for more than 7,000 fires that have burned nearly 1.4 million acres of land.
The extreme changes to the climate make for heat waves to last longer and be more intense. It’s not just the West and Southwest effected by the weather. Other regions of the United States are also set to face extreme weather in the next coming days, with approximately 20 million people in the mid-Atlantic facing threats of severe storms. Those in parts of the South and Midwest that make up nearly 4 million people will be under flash flood advisories.
“From a hazards perspective, it is the Desert Southwest and throughout California’s Great Valley that stand out most with record breaking high temps likely this weekend and into early next week.”
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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New Ad from Lincoln Project show Trump over the edge in Laura Ingraham Interview
Yet another great Ad from the now infamous Lincoln Project. Based on a real “interview” with Laura Ingraham, the clip shows Trump muttering and conspiratorially whispering various paranoid fantasies about “people in the dark shadows” and planeloads of black uniformed “thugs” on the way to an unnamed city. “I’ll tell you sometime” is the typical con man delivery of the juicy bits that are just too hot to name…. “it’s under investigation right now”. I guess William Barr is all over that ghost plane, at this very moment…
In all seriousness, while this is well within the “logic” of Trump’s wacko talking points; that “Democrat Cities” are on fire and that he is the “Law and Order” candidate, the level of mental devolution is rising and expanding daily. Not just that the strategy exposed and unleashed at the RNC 2020 is based on projected fantasies, but this, coming on the heels of the #soupgate / #bagsofsoup clip that went viral on Twitter, is a step beyond.
American Bridge PAC has released an anti-Trump ad starring Michael Cohen and says that it will air during the RNC 2020 tonight. In it Cohen pulls no punches, as is to be expected. He specifically and directly indicates that Trump is planning to lie throughout the night, which most of us already know, but he also is able to back this up from experience.
Clearly, he is wanting to raise his own profile ahead of the release of his new book “disloyal” scheduled for availability on September 8th and already at the top of many bestseller charts. Cohen has promised to unearth his entire trove of “dirt” collected during his more than 10 year stint as Trump’s lawyer and “fixer” – “For more than a decade, I was President Trump’s right-hand man, fixer, and confidante,” says Cohen looking directly into the camera – , “I was complicit in helping conceal the real Donald Trump. I was part of creating an illusion.”
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Short but pointed speech gives the future political force a platform in the spotlight
In a ceremonial act, via pre-recorded video (above) U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nominated Bernie Sanders during the virtual DNC 2020 night two. She lauded Sanders for organizing “a historic grassroots campaign to reclaim our democracy.”
Showing her solidarity and respect for his campaign goals, she seconded the nomination citing his efforts to build a “mass people’s movement working to establish 21st century social, economic and human rights, including guaranteed healthcare, higher education, living wages, and labor rights for all people in the United States.”
Next up will be the build toward the climax on Thursday…
Naturally the nomination is a formality only as he officially dropped out of the contest four months ago in April. Joe Biden already won the number of delegate needed in June, cementing his status as the presumptive nominee. Sanders was permitted to keep his delegates at the convention as a symbolic olive branch in the hopes of winning over the senator’s supporters.
Ocasio-Cortez, supports Biden as the presumptive nominee. She was key in the crafting of policy on the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Forces platform, which consisted of supporters from the Biden and Sanders campaigns.
If you were confused, no worries!
Convention rules require roll call & nominations for every candidate that passes the delegate threshold.
I was asked to 2nd the nom for Sen. Sanders for roll call.
The Convention may be Canned and Pre-recorded but the Passion and the Mission is Real…
This is not 2016. It is not 1933. This is 2020 and the plot is still being written as we speak. Will Trump manage to find a way to “rig” the election by suppressing the vote? Will he order his goons from Homeland Security to put us all down so that he can keep his job and stay out of jail? Will he use the courts and every trick he has learned to delay his defeat while he searches for a way to stop the democratic process from removing him? The answer is unknown. But what is known is that you can be an important part of the answer that history is is awaiting.
During the last four years it seems like there has been a never-ending escalation of cruelty, stupidity, ineptitude and evil emanating from the White House. Most of us have been disgusted by it and have wished for a way to make it stop and go away forever. The impeachment and the Mueller Report gave some people the idea that somehow there might be some form of justice coming, some kind of reckoning.
We all know that that the reckoning did not come. Yet. In many ways the opposite did. The cruel, stupid evil banality of Donald Trump blanketed the US like a snow covered morning with slime and corruption oozing over all of us instead of pure white snow. The feeling has been nearly unbearable.
That is all going to change – one way or another. Soon. There’s an election coming. Either that or something much more dramatic. Let’s hope for the Post Office to function just enough to get us through this. Go in person if you can, as Michelle Obama emphasized in her riveting, inspirational speech last night.
The way is clear and the job is set. A turnout so large and so virulently anti-Trump will be needed to make sure that there is zero chance that this man can spend even one second longer than legally mandated in the office he holds due to a mistake of history.
“But let’s be clear: going high does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty. Going high means taking the harder path. It means scraping and clawing our way to that mountain top. Going high means standing fierce against hatred while remembering that we are one nation under God, and if we want to survive, we’ve got to find a way to live together and work together across our differences”.
MIchele Obama at DNC 2020
View the video above featuring Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, Bruce Springsteen and people just like you. Listen to the speeches and think about what is being said. Then get anyone and everyone involved and enlist help if you need it or give help – this is an emergency situation that can not be taken lightly. Until the election is decided and the way is clear, this is the only story that matters.
“the future of our democracy is at stake, the future of our economy is at stake, the future of our planet is at stake. We must come together to defeat Donald Trump and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next president and vice president. My friends, the price of failure is just too great to imagine”.
Bernie Sanders at DNC 2020
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Both played to strengths as Sanders hit the grim political realities while Michelle made an impassioned emotional appeal
After a night of sometimes odd, at times emotional pre-recorded, speeches and clips, the standouts and the historic was the trio of Kasich, Sanders and Michelle Obama. Kasich was the final speech in a series of clips devoted to Republicans, many former or current office holders, as well as voters, all passionately supporting Biden, mainly pointing out his many human and “decent” traits that so clearly set him apart from the cruel and chaotic man in the White House. Kasich’s speech was powerful and intense, and covered virtually every point, which was somewhat remarkable since this was, at nearly 10 minutes, far more than a sound bite.
Sanders then used his more than 8 minutes to target the rise of Authoritarianism that “so many of our heroes fought and died to defeat”, as well as how the “unthinkable has become normal”. He seemed to work hard to make it clear that he wants his large number of followers, the co called “Bernie Bros” to vote Biden and that he wants to work together with all factions, even conservatives, to defeat Trump and contribute to implementing solutions for the nation’s many serious problems.
Nearly half of his speech was about Biden’s projected policies and how he (Sanders) supports those, even going into detail on the economy, climate change, health care and more. The details even went as far as comparing his (Sanders’) proposed plan for universal health care and how Biden’s less comprehensive plan was nevertheless one that he could support 100%.
In closing he listed off the tragic-comic list detailing just how bad a Trump victory would be for the Economy, the Nation and even the Planet:
“the future of our democracy is at stake, the future of our economy is at stake, the future of our planet is at stake. We must come together to defeat Donald Trump and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next president and vice president. My friends, the price of failure is just too great to imagine”.
Bernie Sanders at the virtual DNC 2020
Then, closing out the first evening of the first ever ‘virtual’ convention, Michelle Obama, hit hard but remained emotionally centered as she continued to say “go high” but emphasized “standing fierce against hatred”. Then, clearly referring to Trump; “Going high does not mean puttin’ on a smile and sayin’ nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty” and “scraping and clawing our way to the mountain top”. “We’ve got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it” she intoned as millions listening silently thought “because they do”.
The rousing yet softly intoned plea was equal parts a testament to Biden’s compassion and character and a dignified take down a the man that who is “cannot meet this moment” and “clearly in over his head”. “He simply cannot be who we need him to before it is what it is” she said in the only and indirect reference to his many lies and undignified pronouncements. When asked about the massive numbers of covid deaths Trump shockingly tossed off the phrase “it is what it is“.
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The case for looking behind the Swiss-cheese curtain at the “wizard of lies” and his wannabe mafia
Who would like, believe, much less admire or even trust a man like Michael Cohen? If you are a Trump supporter he is a rat and was rightly relegated to the shadows even in the best of times. If you are a Democrat or a liberal or a Biden supporter, or let’s just say it, a Trump hater , Never-Trumper or a member of the RVAT, why would you believe the guy who was, by his own admission, a dirty, criminal, perjury committing low life?
“…permit me to make a point: If you only read stories written by people you like, you will never be able to understand Donald Trump or the current state of the American soul. More than that, it’s only by actually understanding my decisions and actions that you can get inside Trump’s mind and understand his worldview.”
– Michael Cohen in forward to “Disloyal”
And now he (Cohen) is suddenly and permanently a paragon of virtue? Or at least no longer an “eager and willing” liar for a wannabe dictator?
Then again, as Cohen argues himself in his just released book excerpt, isn’t it always necessary to talk to and believe criminals, liars and “bad guys” in order to incriminate and convict a Mafia Don? Aren’t they, often after they are in witness protection and protective custody, the ones whose testimony is essential to finding out the true actions and character of the bosses and Capo dei capi?
From golden showers in a sex club in Vegas, to tax fraud, to deals with corrupt officials from the former Soviet Union, to catch and kill conspiracies to silence Trump’s clandestine lovers, I wasn’t just a witness to the president’s rise—I was an active and eager participant.”
Click to order “Disloyal” and help Lynxotic. Also available at Amazon
…As anyone in law enforcement will tell you, it’s only gangsters who can reveal the secrets of organized crime. If you want to know how the mob really works, you’ve got to talk to the bad guys. I was one of Trump’s bad guys. In his world, I was one hundred percent a made man.
While Cohen openly refers to himself as a “keystone cop” and the “Trump Mafia”, to the degree that such a thing exists, is more like a tragicomic almost childish attempt to emulate the Italian-american organized crime structure and behavior, as depicted in movies and folklore. Nevertheless the rise of this “buffoon” to the Presidency is a grave and serious matter, one that is now threatening us all.
Looking at Trump’s history of legal and illegal behavior, and the attempts by the US Justice system to rein him in, one sees a legal strategy of using an eminence front and a claim of innocence due to ignorance and incompetence. This was a major thread, along with the cries of “witch hunt”, in his attempts to avoid any consequences for the alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election. Cohen hits this point head on:
Both sides were wrong. I knew that the reality was much more complicated and dangerous. Trump had colluded with the Russians, but not in the sophisticated ways imagined by his detractors. I also knew that the Mueller investigation was not a witch-hunt. Trump had cheated in the election, with Russian connivance, as you will discover in these pages, because doing anything—and I mean anything—to “win” has always been his business model and way of life.
…Trump had also continued to pursue a major real estate deal in Moscow during the campaign. He attempted to insinuate himself into the world of President Vladimir Putin and his coterie of corrupt billionaire oligarchs. I know because I personally ran that deal and kept Trump and his children closely informed of all updates, even as the candidate blatantly lied to the American people saying, “there’s no Russian collusion, I have no dealings with Russia…there’s no Russia.”
For anyone who has viewed the recent Netflix series “Fear City: New York vs. the Mafia” the story is a familiar one: the code of silence makes the mafia immune to prosecution, other than low level crimes by “soldiers” while the bosses and the “godfather” are untouchable. Ultimately the use of the R.I.C.O. statute and, most importantly, audio bugging and recordings are combined to finally crack and dismantle organized crime.
Similarly, the famous tapes that ultimately brought down Nixon illustrate how an insulated boss can only be caught red handed via a “smoking gun”, in the form of an audio tape recording of a careless private “confession” of an overt criminal act.
“The President of the United States wanted me dead. Or, let me say it the way Donald Trump would: He wouldn’t mind if I was dead. That was how Trump talked. Like a mob boss, using language carefully calibrated to convey his desires and demands, while at the same time employing deliberate indirection to insulate himself and avoid actually ordering a hit on his former personal attorney, confidant, consigliere, and, at least in my heart, adopted son.”
Unfortunately, Trump and his keystone cop mafia saw all the movies and know the anecdotal accounts of the fall of Nixon, and so on. According to Cohen, this led Trump to create a system of plausible deniability through the use of euphemism and facial expressions, almost as if audio surveillance was considered a “given” and this new-age code of silence was elevated to an integral part of the criminal culture and way of life.
Cohen, of all people, was the perfect fall-guy to carry out these unspoken, deniable orders as his mission in life, right up until he turned on his idol:
“…I’m certain that Trump knows he will face prison time if he leaves office, the inevitable cold Karma to the notorious chants of “Lock Her Up!” But that is the Trump I know in a nutshell. He projects his own sins and crimes onto others, partly to distract and confuse but mostly because he thinks everyone is as corrupt and shameless and ruthless as he is; a poisonous mindset I know all too well.
”…I see the men who have replaced me and continue to forfeit their reputations by doing the President’s bidding, no matter how dishonest or sleazy or unlawful. Rudy Guiliani, William Barr, Jared Kushner and Mike Pompeo are Trump’s new wannabe fixers, sycophants willing to distort the truth and break the law in the service of the Boss”…
“Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power,” I concluded. “This is why I agreed to appear before you today.”
– Michael Cohen, in testimony before Congress
The book is available for pre-order and will be released on September 8th, 2020. It is already sitting at #1 on the bestseller list.
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Virtually every day a targeted feature or software change is announced in an attempt to damage the monopoly next door
Competition is the cornerstone of capitalism. Except, sometimes, when monopolies take hold. This week CEO’s of the largest tech firms will be grilled (or at least questioned) on just how each of them got so big, and why they should not be broken up or regulated, in order to improve competition in the online marketplace that is now the world’s lifeblood.
The mistake of history that allowed Google, Amazon and Facebook to emerge from the dot-com era of zero profit companies as winner-take-all trillion dollar behemoths is finally being questioned by the masses, which has led to government investigation and inquiry.
Click to See “Goliath“ and to help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Apple was not founded during the 90s, actually produces products and does not rely on the monetization of user data as it’s main revenue generator; it does not sell below cost in a loss-leader system designed to cripple any competition and has a completely different business ethos, all of which separates the three mentioned above into a different category for this writer.
Nevertheless, in a world where giants from an earlier time are dwarfed by the sheer size and power of these 4 (Microsoft and Tesla are excluded from this article since each has its own backstory and are best looked at separately), a situation has arisen where only one giant has the power to even touch, let alone threaten, another giant.
There are many ways that these giants have always fought one another, yet as they staked out territories and empires, there seemed to be, at times, a tacit agreement that the domain of one would not be violated by another, like an unspoken mafia code or territorial claim.
Those lines between the giants are getting blurry as a silent siege is building and those previously “untouchable” areas of commerce are being targeted.
The fight may be about dollars in the end, but it is the essential control of data and user behavior that leads to all power, and therefore value and income. And each giant has staked a claim to a method or means to control and influence the behavior of billions of eyeballs and souls. Any change in that status quo is a big deal for these entrenched companies, and potentially good news for small businesses and consumers who are, without a doubt, little more than victims of the current insanely evil system.
Those lines between the giants are getting blurry as a silent siege is building and those previously “untouchable” areas of commerce are being targeted.
– D.L.
Here are a few of the new fronts where this hidden and secret battle is being fought:
Google Shopping, following Walmart, is trying to lure 3rd party sellers and sales away from Amazon
Already under fire for rigging search results to favor itself, Google is doubling down, in a sense, via drastically lowering fees for 3rd party sellers to use Google Shopping to get direct sales from Shopify or other non-Amazon sources.
Since Amazon’s fees can approach 30% for some lower cost items (such as books) this will be a powerful incentive for sellers to shift focus away from Amazon’s predatory fee structure and to a platform that potentially could bring in sales with less cost to the seller (and therefore a better end value to the buyer).
Google is offering zero commission listing and, in a big announcement, also currently charging zero, in the US, for the “buy on google” checkout system. This is in the process of expanding and rolling out, and, potentially, by the fall and holiday season, could provide an interesting shift in how small business can operate online.
Walmart started allowing 3rd party sellers onto its online store several years ago but, recently, kicked that process into overdrive with a new system that allows all Shopify accounts the choice to sell on Walmart.com via a direct link between the two.
Bookshop.org, with whom Lynxotic is affiliated via our sister site Cherrybooks.org, is also a company that is attempting to break the stranglehold Amazon has had on online book sales. Surprisingly successful already, with its B Corp non-profit-like structure and alliances with independent bookstores sale have exploded. Affiliate advertising from huge media companies such as the New York Times have climbed on board and the largest book distributor in the US is a partner for fulfillment. Bookshop.Org has been able to put a tiny dent in the largest, most powerful competitor imaginable, showing, perhaps, that there are cracks emerging in the corrupt business models of these giants and they are not 100% invulnerable after all.
Apple’s iOS 14 and iPad OS 14 (along with mac 11 OS Big Sur) will begin to break Google’s search monopoly with direct links in Safari and Spotlight
For companies wanting to bring traffic and customers to their web sites for many years there has been only one very big game available, so-called SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which refers in the words “search” and “engine” to one that controls over 90% of search traffic: Google (91.75% as of June 2020).
So it could be called GEO or just GO for Google Optimization. And this is a massive industry in and of itself.
Click to See “Steve Jobs“ and to help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Increasingly, however, this monopoly is also being challenged. Not only in Europe where massive fines against the search giant have been levied, but in the growing options for sites to be found in ways other than qualifying for a first page placement (paid for or otherwise) in Googles search results.
Soon, for the billion + apple device users worldwide, there will be a new way to find news sources and other web sites. Both search in Safari and Spotlight, which is the device level search system on iPhone, iPad and Mac computers, will soon have results that link directly to the source, bypassing google in the process.
This is a small statement but will have a huge effect in the real world. The reason is simple but mind-blowing: a search result choice not controlled by google, available on one billion plus devices, has the potential to begin to break the monopoly, and Google’s ability (and how much) to charge for the privilege of being found through its search results.
How the Apple search results are generated and what companies would be featured in those direct results is as yet unknown and may never be released (like Google’s proprietary algorithm). The emergence of ASO (Apple Search Optimization) notwithstanding, just the fact that there is a new player presenting new opportunities for news outlets and eCommerce companies to be found by Apple device owners, is very interesting news indeed.
Apple will expose the worst of predatory surveillance by Facebook, Amazon and Google with new privacy features
Announced at WWDC 2020, the new operating systems are coming with serious features that track, and block as desired, all manner of data intrusions. These are not only identified, but shown and tracked and analyzed with a kind of professional dashboard, showing just how invasive and persistent these invisible spies are.
…the overall stance being taken regarding online tracking and surveillance should be seen for what it is: the first step to correcting the mistake of history that allowed the internet to be kidnapped and held hostage by a handful of companies that pretend to be “free” or “customer obsessed” while they are, in fact, Robber Barons that make the Standard Oil monopoly look like Santa Claus.
– D.L.
Tracking the trackers is a clear and aggressive privacy stance, taken by the one company among the big four, that does not have a huge stake in you being the victim of online surveillance and tracking.
Not to say that Apple is blameless. Many are complaining about its fee structure for software sold by third parties via the app stores. While this issue is certainly a valid one, the overall stance being taken regarding online tracking and surveillance should be seen for what it is: the first step to correcting the mistake of history that allowed the internet to be kidnapped and held hostage by a handful of companies that pretend to be “free” or “customer obsessed” while they are, in fact, Robber Barons that make the Standard Oil monopoly look like Santa Claus.
Above: Photo / Bansky
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We are seeing Hourly Newsflashes as Trump tests his ability to send a “private” militia into American cities under the fabricated necessity of countering of “threats” to federal buildings.
The recent and unfolding events in Portland and the real threats of using similar force and tactics across the US represent a new level of crisis for this election year. A false narrative with exaggerated so-called “threats” to buildings by groups of, in reality, peaceful protesters who are being labeled criminals, terrorists and are at times suffering beatings, tear gas and even kidnapping, all at the hands of unidentified federal agents.
There has been an extreme and seemingly panicked barrage of fabricated emergencies all centered around the continued, mostly peaceful, protests originally ignited by the murder of George Floyd and the BLM focused demonstrations that followed.
Trump has blamed “violent anarchists” who he claims are part of the “radical left” and are allied with Democrats, and that these vaguely designated groups have created “a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders and heinous crimes of violence.”
With the false bravado of a man enamored with his own fantasy of power he intoned: “This bloodshed must end,” and “This bloodshed will end.”
Many who believe in American Democracy are left searching for these crimes and this emergency, and where exactly the connections are that, somehow show, the “radical left” is behind any violent crimes. Further, crimes that are more obviously, to the degree that crimes are being committed at all, being committed by a scattered and relatively small group of unaffiliated individuals.
Instead, it is the trumped-up response which appears to rational observers to be an attempt to provoke the very “crimes” that he has vowed to stop (and which he has imagined or exaggerated for the purpose of political theater). And further, from all appearances, there is a coordinated effort by the federal government, led by Bill Barr and various unconfirmed “interim” or “acting” department heads, to create a coterie of paramilitary forces that can be used by Trump to act with physical force and violence in any way he sees fit.
As this bizarre and unprecedented attack on democracy is unfolding, even republican, right wing, former members of the conservative establishment are shocked. Here are some recent quotes and headlines:
“For a President and an administration that calls itself ‘law and order,’ they have broken the law, and are creating disorder.”
Fmr. Sec. of State Madeleine Albright
“What is really at stake is the delegitimizing of Democrats altogether before the 2020 election. Today Jenna Ellis, senior legal adviser to the Trump campaign and one of Trump’s personal lawyers tweeted: “No Democrat should EVER AGAIN be elected in the United States in any capacity.”
So Tom Ridge, another homeland security secretary under Bush, has also opened fire, noting that DHS’s mission is to protect against “global terrorism” and was “not established to be the president’s personal militia.” “It would be a cold day in hell before I would consent to a unilateral, uninvited intervention into one of my cities,” Ridge told Michael Smerconish.
“That kind of activity is the activity of a police state, and this president and this attorney general seem to be doing everything they possibly can to impose Gestapo activities in local communities, and that is what I have been warning about for a long time. I do believe that this election is all about the preservation of the greatest democracy that this country has ever known,” Clyburn said Monday during an interview on CNN.
South Carolina Rep. John Clyburn
“I think it’s unconstitutional and dangerous and heading towards fascism,” he said.
Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro
And not not-senate-confirmed “acting” Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security had this general response:
“DHS is answering the President’s call to use our law enforcement personnel across the country to protect our historic landmarks. We won’t stand idly by while violent anarchists and rioters seek not only to vandalize and destroy the symbols of our nation, but to disrupt law and order and sow chaos in our communities.”
Acting DHS Secretary Chad F. Wolf
Hitler, Mussolini and Trump: a short glance at historical similarities
Hitler
In the early 1920s, long before Hitler was in power in Germany, he was a politician with a need for bodyguards. In addition, his newly formed Nazi party encouraged followers to commit violent attacks against leftists and outsiders (jews). The SA a.k.a. the brown shirts were a personal militia comprised of violent thugs attacking whoever Hitler designated as the enemy of his vision for Germany. By 1933, there were over 3 million members.
Violent attacks occurred often against any individuals or group that dared to disagree with Hitler’s politics or were just among the declared enemies, with Jews and leftists at the top of the list. Through the physical intimidation of individuals and opposing political groups, his rise to power, in steps, was made possible.
The idea that a political movement “needs” a violent para-military component is a common thread in the history of various fascist dictators and their rise to power. Designating political enemies as “terrorists” (such as Trump is trying to do to antifa). Encouraging violence against them, using a justification of “safety and protection” of the general public that supposedly sides with the “vision of law and order” put forth by the would be dictator is a common theme from Hitler’s rise that we are also seeing today.
Mussolini
Similar to Hitler’s “BrownShirts”, Mussolini had his “Blackshirts”. The similarities between Hitler’s rise and that of Mussolini are well documented. Mussolini’s blueprint for Fascist power was later repeated in Germany, if the similarities being coincidental or by design is unimportant.
Racism, hatred of foreigners (in Italy’s case the prime scapegoats being Africans and Asians to the south and east) and violent intimidation of anyone who questions his and his parties authority were the familiar script.
The similarities to the present day are the grave and serious issue, and the differences are what will decide our fate.
Trump
Unlike in the fascism stories above, Trump is already the elected President and the “leader of the free world”. It is important to note that “free” in that phrase means, among other things, free from fascist dictatorships. On the other hand, the recent events in portland and elsewhere show a serious and dangerous precedent where Trump is using the DHS and it’s “acting” director as if they are his version of the SA or even SS.
Perhaps the Gestapo is a more apt analogy, but there’s an element of this being a cobbled together band of thugs like the brown or blackshirts mentioned above as this was, apparently, a hastily crafted group of federal agencies that appear to have been gathered by Attorney General Bill Barr, rather than an organized long standing secret police force.
Unidentified stormtroopers. Unmarked cars. Kidnapping protesters and causing severe injuries in response to graffiti.
These are not the actions of a democratic republic.@DHSgov’s actions in Portland undermine its mission.
The consensus among those who would rather not see Trump find a way to take control of the US as a modern day Mussolini is that many, if not all, of the steps and actions taken thus far are dead wrong, even if they represent a convoluted way to break the intended spirit of US law and Constitution while maintaining a kind of shadow legality.
The now clichéd quote, famously from a John F Kennedy in a speech in 1961: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” nevertheless applies here to all men, women and children of this country.
An astounding thing about the historical tragedies surrounding the fascists rising to power in the first half of the 20th century is that, early on, when they could still have been stopped by a sufficiently outraged majority, the dangers were underestimated until it was too late.
“Never again” should be our response to that statement and we must be prepared to back it up, no matter what.
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Truckloads on the road to fulfill Tuesday launch orders…
Simon and Schuster, the publisher for the upcoming exposé of how the Trump family “created the world’s most dangerous man” according to the book’s subtitle, will be officially on sale next Tuesday. Previously it had been scheduled for release on July 28th.
The new plan for the accelerated publication appears to be based on the release, last week, of the publisher from a temporary restraining order. Since there are tens of thousands of copies already in the hands of reviewers and as pre-release stock for bookstores, it is highly unlikely that any further legal maneuvering can prevent the release next Tuesday.
Some details begin to emerge from the author herself
The back cover information, also posted today on the publishers web site, gives substantial insight into the style and direction of the book. Quoted directly from the text, we get a taste of the kind of analysis that one could expect from a Psychologist with a PhD from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, which is the biographical description given by Simon & Schuster of Mary Trump’s educational background.
Using highly personal insights, culled from her close family ties, into the childhood of the President, it paints a picture of arrested development and emotional immaturity, based, according to the author, on “abuse”.
Today, Donald is much as he was at three years old: incapable of growing, learning or evolving, unable to regulate his emotions, moderate his responses, or take in and synthesize information.”
Although there appears to be little chance of a legal challenge toward the publisher, it is likely that the legal representatives of both Donald Trump and his younger brother Robert will continue with all possible challenges, if only to prevent Mary any opportunity to profit from sales of the tomb.
“That Fred would become the primary source Donald’s solace when he was much more likely to be a source of fear or rejection put Donald into an intolerable position: total dependence on a caregiver who also caused him terror. Donald suffered deprivations that would scar him for life.
— MARY L. TRUMP IN “TOO MUCH AND NEVER ENOUGH
As of this writing the book sits at the top of best seller lists, while the West Wing exposé, John Bolton’s “The Room Where it Happened”, is at #2.
Now, as if that was not enough regarding well-timed Trump related book bombshells, according to a google books summary posted by the publisher, Gallery Books, (which is an imprint of Simon & Schuster) Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, known to be close friend of Melania Trump is also planning to release a tell-all about the First Lady “this fall”. Wolkoff who was former adviser to the East Wing, will divulge details from their 15 year relationship. Titled: ‘Melania and Me: My Years as Confidant, Advisor and Friend to the First Lady’ it will be on shelves as early as September 1st, based on a Vanity Fair report
The New York Times also reported that Wolkoff was cooperating with Manhattan federal prosecutors in their investigation of Trump inaugural committee and its fundraising and spending practices. The article also delves into disputes between the soon-to-be author and the White House regarding the circumstances under which she left her position as East Wing advisor.
A description of the book by the publisher, as detailed in the Vanity Fair piece, says that it will start when Wolkoff met Melania and became friends, and weave through her help planning the 58th presidential inauguration, along with “navigating the White House and East Wing.”
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In a show of solidarity with the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests now happening daily and nightly for several weeks, the annual Hollywood Pride March was held as a Celebration of Color. With the news focused on the situation related to the killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, the sunny California style of the march seemed a world away, almost. The escalating anger on the east coast due to yet another unnecessary and unacceptable killing of a black man was clearly not far from the thoughts of those present.
The large group, which grew during the route made it’s way from Hollywood Blvd. at Highland Ave and then down a large stretch of Sunset Blvd. There was a well armed police presence but, fortunately no incidents or violence reported.
Underneath the sunshine and pride that this event was always meant to represent was a somewhat more somber tone, one of serious intent and a will to follow through with the theme of desperately needed change that is spreading across the country.
This new video which was just posted on twitter in the last 12 hours, see above, however the video from the ’12 campaign against racism nearly 8 years ago is still very much a valid and informative post relating to Meghan Markle’s perspective and personal feelings on the Black Lives Matter Movement and racism in general.
A 2012 video of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle speaking about her personal experiences with racism has become public news. The video was posted on a fan page (_duchess_of_sussex) that was reposted December 22, 2019 that Hello! Magazine subsequently resurfaced on June 2nd. The video footage comes available at a fitting time when Black Lives Matter protests are happening across the United States following the death of an unarmed George Floyd by the hands of a group of police officers.
The video shows the Duchess of Sussex wearing a t-shirt that reads “ I Won’t Stand for Racism” as part of a anti-racism video campaign for the charity Erase the Hate. Below you can watch the two minute clip originally from February 2012.
Before becoming a mother, Markle verbalizes within the clip her hopes that the world would be more accepting and anti-racist by the she decided to bring a child into the world. “I hope that by the time I have children, that people are even more open-minded to how things are changing and that having a mixed world is what it’s all about.” Meghan and Prince Harry are now parents to their one year old son named Archie and although there have been some changes, much still needs to be done towards racial equality and justice.
Within the clip, Meghan speaks to how she is personally affected and has experienced racism and the perceptions people hold towards her being of mixed race. Markle is a biracial woman, her mother Doria Ragland is black and father Thomas Markle is white.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust also took to its social media, which is overseen by Meghan Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth II. The post can be seen on Twitter on June 1st, with a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the following written caption:
— Madison Santel 🏊🏻♂️🌎🎭 (@santel_madison) June 3, 2020
“Young people are vital voices in the fight against injustice and racism around the world,” the organization wrote on its Twitter yesterday. “As a global community of young leaders, we stand together in pursuit of fairness and a better way forward. Silence is not an option. #BlackLivesMatter.”
“My name’s Meghan Markle and I’m here because I think it’s a really important campaign to be a part of. For me, I think it hits a really personal note. I’m biracial, most people can’t tell what I’m mixed with and so much of my life has felt like being a fly on the wall. And so some of the slurs that I’ve heard or the really offensive jokes or the names, it’s just hit me in a really strong way. And then, you know, a couple of years ago I heard someone call my mom the N-word. So I think for me, beyond being personally affected by racism, just to see the landscape of what our country is like right now, and certainly the world, and to want things to be better.
Quite honestly, your race is part of what defines you. I think what shifts things is that the world really treats you based on how you look. Certain people don’t look at me and see me as a Black woman or a biracial woman. They treat me differently, I think, than they would if they knew what I was mixed with, and I think that that is—I don’t know, it can be a struggle as much as it can be a good thing depending on the people that you’re dealing with“
meghan markle / i won’t stand for racism video campaign
