What's Next?

So, it’s time to take a deep breath…….

The good news is that after 22 months of investigation, the Mueller probe was able to declare that there was no collusion or conspiracy by the Trump administration with the Russians.  That is a relief and we should all be relieved about that.  The President apparently is NOT guilty of treason.   Whew!

However there is still the open question as to Trump’s behavior and possible obstruction of justice.  The report says definitively that the investigation cannot determine, given the evidence, whether there was or wasn’t obstruction by Trump.  Of course the President has claimed that he was completely exonerated, and as is his habit, he feels no compunction about lying and touting his own facts.  We should expect that by now.

So, where does that leave us?  All the Trumpers will be in a frenzy, foaming at the mouth about all the evil things the Democrats have done to hurt our country, blah, blah, blah.  I think we need to wait until the actual report emerges and we see the details of what Trump’s behavior was that led the special prosecutor to be ambivalent about his exoneration. 

Because in the final analysis, it is not up to the Attorney General, a political appointee of the executive in question, in one 48-hour period to summarize 22 months of detailed investigation by unilaterally opining that there is no obstruction of justice. That is why it is so important to release the full report for all of us to have the benefit of the full context of Mueller’s view.  The Congress must be the final arbiter of whether there are grounds for impeachment.   

However, given where we are now, there is hardly a chance that impeachment will occur over the next two years of Trump’s presidency.  Pelosi said it best.  We need to focus on the business of the country.  Trump is not worth the effort to try to impeach.  Electoral change is the only solution to the misery that the majority of the country is experiencing.

The contrast between conditions now and those at the time of of Richard Nixon’s exit is stark.  Back when Nixon was pushed out of office, there was bi-partisan support for the notion that his behavior was impeachable.  I can’t imagine today’s Congress being able to come to agreement on the President’s behavior.  Congress has learned precious little from the Nixon resignation with regard to protecting their ‘equal branch’ power in our government.

The majority of Americans take as a ‘given’ that Trump is a despicable human being, and is unredeemable as a craven narcissist, and is unfit for office.  We are not going to be able to change him or his supporters.  The only solution is to win back the Congress and the Presidency.  That is the way our system works.

The prima facie evidence of obstruction and Russian interference (the repeated multitudinous contacts that so many of the Trump appointees had with Russians, some of which are known intelligence operatives) is clear.  In fact 7 of Trump’s appointees lied to Congress about their contacts and were convicted of crimes.  No one has been able to explain WHY they all lied!  Therein lies the ultimate truth, and we will probably never get the answer to that question.  To quote the New York Times editorial,

 "Mr. Putin did have a clear favorite. He interfered on his behalf, and his favorite was elected president. Trump campaign officials knew about this and were more than happy for the help. Then they lied about receiving that help. This isn’t so complicated. And while Mr. Mueller may not be able to do anything about it, Congress, and the American people, certainly can."

There is nothing to do now, beyond continued Congressional, federal, and state investigations, until we have the opportunity to rid the country of Trump’s pernicious leadership.

The Mueller Report’s release was a good day for America.  In spite of constant harassment by the President, Mueller managed to finish the process that is proscribed by our Constitution.  So now we must focus on doing the country’s business and trying to propose solutions to our problems and challenges.

Meanwhile we must prepare for the vengeance of the President who will ride this pseudo-exoneration horse into the election campaign.  Be prepared for increased attacks on the press and Democrats in Congress and all those who supported the Mueller probe.

The focus for all those who reject the ‘fake politics’ being spewed by the Trump administration needs to be on winning the next election….pure and simple.

My Right to Know....

I am a citizen of this country.  As a citizen, I have the same rights as every other citizen of the USA.

Please explain to me why another citizen who might have important information about how my country was manipulated by a foreign power has the right to withhold that information from me.  I have paid my taxes just like any other citizen; I follow the rules and laws of my nation; and am just as vulnerable as any other citizen to the dangers posed by foreign agents and governments that hope to do me harm.

If we are to believe that no one person in this country is above the law, and all of us are created equal, then why should I tolerate one person screening the findings of an investigation that I paid for, and telling me what information and findings I can and cannot have access to.  If my security as a citizen has been threatened, undermined, damaged or sabotaged, why am I not able to fully understand the threat?  Who says that after taking care to protect top secret information and other security interests for the protection of our nation, I am not eligible to see the findings of a report that will inform me of what happened in the most sacred of all processes that an individual can have in our democracy—the right to vote and choose our leaders.

Our representatives in Congress, a co-equal branch of our government, believe that all citizens should have the right to understand fully what happened in the election of 2016, and voted 410 to 0 to release the report. 

Why should one man in the Executive Branch, (an appointee of the man who may or may not be at the fulcrum of damage done to our nation) be allowed to withhold information from all the rest of the citizens of this country.

He should not!

The Mueller investigation is something that we have patiently and intently waited for over the past two years.  In spite of the constant subversion by the President and his lackeys, Bob Mueller’s work has retained an integrity and silent security that is an emblem of the honor and integrity of the man leading it.  We have seen the indictment of over 30 individuals and the conviction of 7 of the Presidents closest associates as a result of his work.  This is no ‘witch hunt’, unless all the indicted people fly on brooms!

Something did happen between the Russians and a whole cadre of people who are American citizens, and much of it rises to the level of treason, even though no one wants to say the word.  We are not stupid.  We can all see the deception and the criminal intent.  A foreign government wanted to influence the outcome of our national election and there were fellow citizens of our country that helped them—wittingly or unwittingly—to succeed in that effort.

I want to know who they were and what they did, and what I need to do to rid myself of them.  It is imperative that all of us insist on knowing. 

If we do not get to see the results of this report, we will have lost our democracy.  And with the noises that are emanating from the White House from our “Dear Leader” about how he has the backing of the tough guys, police, army and bikers, what is he actually saying?  Will he and his minions try to take control of our government and do away with elections or make them null and void if they don’t turn out the way he wants them to?

Sounds a lot like the government of his best friends Vlad and Kim, doesn’t it?

Betty and the Pea Pods-or-Why Worms Give Me the Creeps!

Here’s a look ‘behind the scenes’ at what’s happenin’ at The Chick Inn.

Not much exposition needed—this will give you a peek at Betty’s aggressive eating behavior and the timidity of the twins—Thelma and Louise.  Disregard the soft focus and just ‘live in the moment’ with Cecily and her Hisnabiddies……

Betty Takes a Xanax

Our poultry saga has evolved into the chicken version of Bachelor in Paradise.  Hercules is the bachelor, and he now has a harem!  Cecily broke down and started searching for more hens because Cracker has not yet delivered.   Who knew that pullets (females) were in such demand?? 

Betty has been a prolific little wench!  We were getting an egg a day…..that is until the new single ladies arrived on the scene yesterday.  I have been eating Betty’s bounty for the past week and sure enough, her eggs taste richer than the store bought eggs.  I think I am over the weirdness of thinking about where the eggs actually were not more than an hour before…but Betty is now apparently upset at the new arrivals, and word has it that her anxiety will result in a temporary hiatus of deliveries.

Cecily closed the deal on the phone, and we set out to pick up the 7 new hens that Joe, the seller, said were four months old.  Well, 5 of them were 4 months and 2 were probably only 3 months old because they were smaller and more vulnerable.

It seems that ‘pecking order’ is no joke!  When you bring new hens into the coop you are supposed to keep them separate from the ones that are currently there for a while.  So we fenced off a part of the coop and then deposited the new ladies (all 7 of them!) into the cordoned off section.  Well, Betty was not happy at all!  She was walking back and forth and emitting this steady sound that was somewhere between clucking and moaning.  She walked around the cordoned off area and was vocalizing as if she were a contestant on Chicken Idol!

Hercules showed mild interest, although when we finally added the hens to the coop, he came running over to see what was all the hubbub about!  He flapped his wings and probably said to himself, “Yeah, this is GOOD!!! More females for my harem!”  I could see he was musing about his erotic future!  Meanwhile, the two younger hens were being picked on by the five older hens and it wasn’t pretty…they were getting pecked incessantly.   Late into the evening we could hear Betty keening and moaning about the new situation.  Finally when the sun went down, they all got silent. 

I was afraid when I went out there this morning that the two baby hens would be pecked to death.  They were still alive, but it was clear that we had to protect the two younger birds who kept stuffing themselves into a corner to get away from the 5 teenage rascals that were being nasty and, well…. bitchy to them!  So we moved them to the Betty and Hercules section.  Betty ran over and pecked them one time and then left them alone.  She, as I said, is consumed with eating, so that became more important than torturing the small little pre-pubescent hens.  Hercules was busy flapping his wings and “frankly, Scarlett, didn’t give a damn!”

So now we await everyone to calm down.  Betty is still not relaxed enough to start laying again, and the younger hens have another two or three months before they start delivering. 

These birds are very amusing.   We also started letting Betty and Hercules run free during the day.  They have discovered the lemon tree next to the house and spend most of the day scratching away the earth from the roots and feasting on all manner of bugs that they apparently are finding there.  They always come running when Cecily appears because she feeds them out of her hand and they are not bashful at all---gimmee, gimmee, gimmee!

I have a feeling that in a month or two, we are going to be knee deep in yolks and egg shells!  The big question is who is going to eat all these eggs?  Cecily keeps saying that we will be enjoying giving them all away, but if you do the math, 8 hens laying 5-6 eggs a week could be overwhelming!  Who the hell is going to eat 45 eggs a week??  Certainly not me!

Please send your egg requests to Hercules, c/o The Chick Inn!

Grassroots

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We are living in a time when an unprecedented amount of information is constantly enveloping us.  Never before in human history has awareness of the world as a whole, and the constant rush of information that completely saturates us from so many sources and platforms, been such a monumental distraction to the simple truths that we need to focus on and deal with as a society and species.

I used to be glued to the news channels to follow every unfolding event concerning the Trump saga.  What I have learned over the past several years is that we as a nation are constantly being revved up by the media to pay attention to the most ridiculous and frankly unimportant sensational moments surrounding all the people and events having to do with Trump.  Today for example, MSNBC spent the entire day having experts sit in their studio and comment and opine about the “He said, He said” of Trump and Cohen tweeting back and forth at each other, calling each other liars.  

Will somebody tell me why that is more important than coming up with new health care ideas, or taking a hard look at how our government is wasting money and time, or trying to plan for and reverse climate change, or not finding solutions for the great mass of citizens who are struggling with life.

For all of us with half a brain and the awareness of what we have endured as a nation since 2015, there is not a lot of controversy about the realities and truth of our condition today.  We have an egotistical unbalanced idiot with his hands on the steering wheel of our country.  Given all the evidence and the corroboration of his numerous misdeeds and crimes; actually watching the man’s decision making process, understanding that he doesn’t read anything, does no research, and does not consult with experts, we therefore know how he will behave.  We know what danger we are in.  And we also know who his cronies are and how they will behave.  These things are now ‘given’. 

And so, we don’t believe much of what Trump says anymore. In addition to constantly lying, we know he is hiding most crucial decisions and actions from all of us.  And since we have ‘gone to school’ on Trump and his administration, we know that what fills the airwaves as ‘news’ is just fluff and distraction with no real substance. 

So, we continue on every day, feeling like there is not much we can do to alter the state of things.  We simply feel we have to wait until the storm passes and hope there is a country we can lavage back into existence as something more compassionate, smart, honest and humanistic when his term is over----if he leaves.

We also know that the posse from the House of Reps is galloping into the box canyon to try to put an end to the madness, God Bless ‘Em!  They will make some headway and slow down the catastrophe, but they will not vanquish the Trumpers.  It needs to be a more comprehensive solution…either impeachment or an election, both of which are arduous and long term.

I recently saw an online video piece that ‘starred’ Jennifer Lawrence.  It was the first piece I have seen that clearly talks about how our political system has failed, and how we as citizens have essentially lost control over influencing legislation and making our majority prevailing moods and opinions be congruent with the actual policies and legislation that get passed.  I have been thinking about it a lot.  You should all try to find it and watch it.  It is non-partisan.  It is pro-citizen.  Here is one of many links:

Jennifer Lawrence

The founders of our nation intended for us, the citizens, the people, to be the decision makers in our country.  We have surrendered that most sacred power to a mean spirited and greedy cadre of people and organizations whose interests do not align with the majority of the people of the United States. 

The group producing this video, Represent.US,   proposes a really pragmatic solution:  We need to support and start passing laws and legislation that everyone can agree on: defining corruption and prohibiting it; and increasing voter turnout.  This needs to start immediately at the local, the state, and then the federal level. 

But let’s start with the local level: Towns, cities, counties.  The premise is that if we propose legislation, generate bipartisan agreement, and pass local statutes prohibiting corruptive activity, eventually it will result in the kinds of people representing us that we all instinctively know will do the right thing in Washington.  If you think about it, it is the only real solution.  It will not be easy, but it’s the way our system was designed to work.

This is the kind of grass roots movement that can restore integrity, honesty and truth to our government.  Isn’t that what we all yearn for?