American Politics & Trump looking for a second term.

About two years ago I made a post titled the Conservative path to Oblivion and so far, nothing has changed to make that prediction eventually come to pass. A party that allowed itself to be hijacked by someone who says the quiet part out loud waking up every bigot and radical that ever drew breath. A person who has been convicted of rape, fraud, six times bankrupt, engaged in an attempted overthrow of a legitimate elected government, a tax cheat, attempted to bribe a foreign head of state, attempted to change votes in an election. Cheated numerous contractors and investors in his so-called business enterprises, draft dodger, humiliates gold star families, the deliberate choice in taking possession of a massive collection of classified documents and for what purpose, bed time reading? He has run up more debt than any president in history and the list goes on and on. This is the Maga mob choice as the best person to run a country, with opinions that are molded from tailor made information services that is never going to tell them anything other than what they want to hear. In other words choosing Tribe over Truth! Welcome to news that is manipulated in the 21st century, where thousands of real journalists keep losing their jobs while a large slice of the population decide their choice on government based on conspiracy theories in tick tock videos.
The GOP have not passed a bill in decades, (with the exception of tax cuts which run up a world record debt) their only playbook is to incite fear & anger with their base and not do a damn thing to improve how the country is run. In fact, they actually sabotage the running of government in order to create more chaos. The same with a large percentage of Christian evangelists who blend in with Maga seamlessly behaving just like a cult not capable of critically thinking. Accepting everything they are told by their own enclosed propaganda bubble. Most of which is aided and abetted by all of America’s adversaries who pump out a firehose of lies with technology any time an adverse truth comes to light. Just look at the Taylor Swift super bowl conspiracies, if only they knew where these originate from. It’s the same with NATO, these vital western alliances have allowed the world to function and trade while keeping the peace for the most part since WW2. In Trump world none of this big picture stuff ever filters through, it’s a fantasy existence like blaming China for global emissions with climate change yet the West have been emitting for 100s of years long before China started doing the West’s dirty work and were still on push bikes until the later part of the 20th century. Lack of support for the war in Ukraine is another short sighted approach from extremists on the right because they don’t think it is ever going to effect them.

There have been many Republican administrations over the decades who made promises of looking after their flock but in reality, there is only a small percentage of the flock they look after. The figures speak for themselves, Reagan may have been the best performer on the GOP side but he is surpassed by only democratic administrations. His blip on the chart also had long term negative effects on the economy especially the trickledown theory where the wealth gap exploded in that era and still stands today. Yet rather than admitting mistakes, conservatives find obscure ways to blame the other guy as the cause. Since 1945 Democratic administrations have provided 75% of all job creation in the USA while Republicans have provided 84% of all recessions in the same country. A mindset that is quick to point the finger but fails to admit mistakes. It is the same with religions, all forms of religions only evolved from a timeline in human history when human sacrifice was considered the best solution for good crops next season. All of these Religious icons seemed to make their presence felt during that time period and while it was thousands of years in the making, perhaps one of those icons might have thought it wise to make an appearance in the 21st century. A much more sensible timeline where humanity has embraced science to improve itself along with building a vast knowledge library. Religion has always been a form of population control, and while it does some good it is also responsible for numerous wars and millions of deaths. Every human is born with a moral compass regardless of religion and while some ignore it, they still know right from wrong just by life experience. Yet all around the world cultures are forced to adhere to a religious template many centuries old that basically does not allow critical thinking to challenge those beliefs. The GOP are exactly the same in the way they indoctrinate and enforce an ideology built on a house of cards. Their God is Greed and they shalt not share. A mantra that is superb when building a country from nothing but it cannot be sustained with the same mantra after it is built, there are numerous other factors that start to come in to play. Growth is not endless, there is always a point of no return where growth has to be contained and managed. As resources and the environment are not infinite to endless expansion. Conservatives however want to always keep that point in the far distance, or the more common expression keep kicking the can down the road and will argue that it’s something never to be concerned with now especially if it means radical change. That is the foundation of conservatism, no change, no corrections. Like keep swimming out to sea while a massive tsunami wave is comming straight for them. Climate change is a classic example of that, let alone the mounting global waste problem & the rise of dictatorships!
In the end facts matter, it is the corner stone for survival. Like all these dictators raising their heads in this new world of misinformation. It provides the perfect platform for these would be Kings to gain power. While they use the same playbook they have always used, the tools for doing it are far more advanced & effective in this technological age because there is an audience always on tap. That’s why these regimes also end up in wars, it doesn’t matter what country it is. If it is run by a dictator or an oppressive government that is not a true democracy then as soon as they get into extreme economic hardship it is time to get into a conflict with someone in order to deflect away from their own mismanagement. So either out of nowhere or sometimes with a long time build up a phantom enemy is created to deflect that incompetence and it won’t matter if this means sending a significant percentage of their population to their deaths. But how much sense does it make invading a country who doesn’t want you there, not exactly big picture thinking. However if you control the media and the message you can lie as much as you want.  It’s about an addiction to power & the welfare of the country is never a concern. Trump is exactly this type of individual; always playing the victim and will lie every time he opens his mouth.
If the economy is good, he will say it’s bad. Everything will be the opposite to the truth, from immigration to the benefit of western alliances. The fact that the GOP in America now runs with this type of crazy agenda is just astonishing to the rest of the world. The days where they had people of integrity in this party are long gone. Which also translates to the state governments as well, there is no room for the John McCain’s or Liz Cheney’s of this world any more. The crazier you are the more they like you and it has nothing to do with advancing the countries interest. Biden might be old but it would not even matter if he was comatose he has the smarts & the experience to surround himself with capable people who actually run the country, the facts speak for themselves.  With Trump it’s  the total opposite, he only surrounds himself with loyal lunatics who mostly end up in jail. Meaning a vote for Trump is a vote to destroy your own country & probably world stability with trade & commerce that we all have known post WW2.  That puts a lot of power into the hands of few gerrymandered regions of misinformed voters which actually decide the election not the popular vote.  A person who has avoided paying dues his whole life up until now by throwing sand in the gears of justice and using loyalists to pay for his crimes. Hopefully for the good of all mankind his time as well as the party aligned with him is running out!

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Chasing the sun in winter

Pictures from this year’s road trip north escaping Canberra’s winter. Although with a changing climate our winters are trending warmer each year now. Still, it’s one of the nicer things about living on a large Island continent with a relatively small population. When you are completely surrounded by ocean with a dry inland most people choose to live near the coast or are within a couple of hours drive of the coastline. Even considering that, you never have to venture far to find a secluded area of beach that you can call your own. I found a few of these this year in different places, and others where lots of people gathered to enjoy nature’s playground. Including a couple of kangaroos which made themselves at home in the front yard of a holiday guest house.

 

 

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Road Trip North

As the opportunity came up for a road trip north again this winter into warmer weather I couldn’t pass it up. Considering all that has gone on over the past to two years globally, its nice to be able to travel freely once again while still being cautious at the same time. These are a small sample of pictures taken along the way at various locations. This has always been part of my retirement bucket list, I hope to keep doing it as long as I can.

      

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Trolls who attack this site only means more facts being posted.

Another decision passed down by the American Supreme Court (or as Jon Stewart describes it as the “Fox News of Justice”) that was against the wishes of around sixty five percent (70% in 2013 when misinformation was not the weapon of choice) of the entire population of the US shows how democracy has evolved in this new world order of the GOP. They are not concerned about one vote one value, they are only concerned about holding onto power at any cost. By enforcing minority values on an entire population is not much different than Islamic state rule or Taliban type tactics. This is a party that claim to be the moral gate keepers for the entire population so concerned about the life of the unborn no matter how it was conceived yet this same philosophy also means you are on your own after birth. Not to mention the social outcome for unwanted children and the welfare of the mother. When you operate with this sort of logic against the wishes of the majority there is no good outcome at the end. Not to mention other factors being revealed in the Jan 6th hearings with the same GOP. In any other civilised democracy Trump & his minions would already be behind bars but at the time of this post nothing but the outer circle are currently wearing the orange jumpsuits despite overwhelming evidence that multiple crimes have been committed.

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Gold Coast 2022

Just back from a recent trip to the Gold Coast playing in the Australian Open Bowls tournament. While we were blessed with perfect weather and great bowls clubs to visit I have to say it’s not my favourite destination of choice. Only because I prefer to wind down rather than a wind up when it comes to taking a break. To have so much high density living so close to a beach, looking through my eyes is graffiti on nature. Especially with those huge high rises, in my view that sort of development so close to the coast line is like throwing a tin of paint on a masterpiece work of art. In the meantime while away this web site also came under multiple attacks again since I put up a link to a video on the stupidity of embracing a gun culture in a modern highly populated society. This obviously upset quite a few people but they still don’t have the courage to make an argument identifying themselves. Instead they troll behind a VPN and try to kill a message they don’t agree with because their reality vaporises when it comes to arguing against truth.

     

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America’s gun problem

A month or so ago I posted an article on propaganda that was broad comment on the invasion of Ukraine plus how it is used world wide for political power. In the meantime we had a federal election in Australia and much to my surprise there was a change of government. So here was a rare victory for truth over misinformation as it was climate change policies or lack of them that turned this political tide. Now once again we have a tragic mass shooting in America and yes, those good ole boys from GOP or as we like to call them these days, “The American Taliban” still keep pumping out the same absurdities about a “good guy with a gun” and lets not forget the mental health card as legitimate arguments to do nothing about policy changes. Well it seems the good guys with a gun were there, plus more good guys with guns some 14mins later. Yet all that carnage still took place, but they keep looking for any answer except the obvious because that answer they can’t fathom. This is conservatism American style in the 21st century, everything they purport to believe in is the exact opposite to the truth. Which in turn poses a direct threat to everyone. This is what happens when you immerse yourself in a flawed culture without the ability to zoom out in changing circumstances and problem solve. The sad part is, these misguided people are always the minority in terms of the American population wishes overall, yet still determine policy. They suppress voting, stack courts, deny science, deny facts and determine anyone who disagrees with them the enemy not a fellow citizen. I once mentioned in a previous post on the gift good comedians have looking at something objectively and highlighting how firmly held fictional beliefs are easily dismantled with humour and truth. Jim Jefferies may be crude, rude & foreign which are all the ingredients to make American gun lovers angry. However he still has every argument covered on the insane logic they use for no change to gun laws. This skit is almost decade old now and was made before the Las Vegas mass shooting but still every bit as relevant today as it was then.  One final point to all the gun nuts out there, with those mythical fantasies on freedom and fear. You have no idea what real freedom is until you can go about your everyday business, send your kids to school and never have to think about others carrying a gun or be concerned. That’s a freedom that most western wealthy countries have that you will never ever know. Part one below, Part two here.

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Voting Wisely

While it might be too late to stop Climate change as it’s already here we still have the chance to prevent it from being catastrophic. The reason we are here in the first place comes down to one thing and one thing only, “Conservatism”. This is not just here but a drift from what was once a shared belief into something that became political. Now with it’s reluctance to accept science and data just because they think there is political mileage to be gained from it. Much like a Dr telling their patient to take up smoking.  So here we are, extreme weather events almost weekly now somewhere around the globe that we have to accept as being normal. Given we now have a National Election in progress here in Australia it’s time to be reminded on who took any action on emissions over the past 20-30 yrs and who undid those attempts. Voters need to be reminded how civilisation has evolved from living in caves to landing on the moon. It doesn’t come from faith or believing in the Sun God. It comes from acquired knowledge and using that knowledge to progress and deal with challenges. Be it disease control, resource management, global population impacts and everything else. Climate change is just another one of those challenges that we already have solutions for. Yet instead of being the number one priority on everyone’s list it becomes obscure to some sectors of the population due to that same wilful ignorance. Yet a recent representative global population survey shows over 64% want action on climate change. Break that down to affluent, well educated countries and it jumps up to to well over 75%. Which also makes you wonder how this minority opinion keeps dominating government action over the decades to the point of bringing down multiple leaders of government in Australia. All over one issue, Climate Change policy.

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The Power of Propaganda

The recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia attempting to rebuild an Empire or making Russia great again just highlights the dangers of any country electing or putting faith in would be autocrats. As they all come to power citing some beef with minorities as the fix it for all problems. Along with inciting hate rather than promoting well thought out political solutions. Putin’s war on Ukraine or as he likes to call it “Special Operations” is supposed to be getting rid of the Nazi’s yet he is killing women and children. This is how propaganda works, Hitler also used the same method only with today’s technology they can control the messaging for an entire country. So the general population of Russia will be totally oblivious to the reality of what their leader is doing and herein lies the power of the media in the hands of an autocrat. You only have to look at the many people talking to their relatives in Russia who try to explain they are being bombed out of existence and they just don’t believe them. Even a father doesn’t believe his own daughter. Trump people are no different, they choose to remain in this BS bubble that puts everyone else at risk by wanting to take the USA down the same political path as Russia.  All countries have a certain percentage of their population gullible to these types of political figures including Australia. However America seems to have a higher percentage than most due to it’s past history aligned in faith and those same sections of the population intolerant of minorities & opposing views. Trump came to power singing this song, wrapping himself in the flag with one hand on an upside down Bible. Not with a unifying message, but one that incites division.  This was exactly how Putin tried to boost Trump with his powerful propaganda effort only it worked beyond his wildest dreams. As Trump become full on doing Putin’s bidding trying his best to divide a global western alliance for the sake of me first. This is the perfect recipe for a country to fail and their real enemies to prosper. Unfortunately the cult like followers of this individual never take stock when faced with the realities of their choice. A criminal grifter, corrupt to the core yet when exposed they keep giving him a pass. Even characterising Trump as a Rambo like figure despite him dodging the draft. Compare that to the leader of Ukraine at the moment despite his perilous position, no bone spurs for him. Another trend with this cult was to promote more and more crazies rather than sensible rational thinking people as their elected representative. Not only is this delusional it puts their own country and the entire free world at risk.  It was just fortunate that enough Americans woke up the second time round instead believing the untrue or being wilfully blind. Because this is what reality looks like outside that comfort bubble of only listening to what you want to hear and see. Right now there is no choice of remaining in that bubble, unless of course you tune into Russian TV. The Truth may be confronting and ugly but it shows the danger of blind faith that discards facts and common sense that is dismissed as fake news. This war being raged in Ukraine is not only a battle for democracy, it’s a war on truth. The same battle that has been going on in America for the past decade. A war on truth designed to kill a democracy just like in Ukraine that large elements of the American  conservative movement are playing a part in.

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Summer Rain that won’t stop.

While the world is currently focused on a dictator causing havoc in Europe. Australia’s east coast and elsewhere are treading water with endless rainfall that just keeps coming. It’s ironic that in 2020 I posted the exact opposite where much of the east coast was burning with bushfires. Which in turn prompted me to begin posting about our government’s inaction over climate change. So here we are two years on and it’s the same story. Weather events on steroids keep happening year after year but for some people they keep talking it up as natural weather. The once in a 100 or 1000 year event, yet it’s funny how insurance companies don’t see it the same way.

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Modern Monetary Theory, Explained

Being an admirer of Jon Stewart’s humour and sharp wit I came across a podcast he put out the other day. It was very interesting and thought provoking, besides normally as a rule of thumb good comedians will have a higher IQ than the rest of us. Their gift is to get you to see the world through their eyes and highlight the absurdity of things we just view as the status quo. They do this through humour and it doesn’t matter what the subject matter is, be it political or just everyday life.

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