Thoughts on the World

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The First MAGA Congress Is Shamefully Beholden to Donald Trump and Utterly Derelict on Its Duties to the American People

GOP's war on democracy: the Constitution

Sep 11, 2023  

Press Release 

As the House Returns to Session, Ranking Member Raskin Releases Statement on the ‘Overwhelming Failure’ of Republicans’ ‘Top Priority’ Investigation

Washington, D.C. (September 11, 2023)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, released the following statement on the status of Republicans’ failed investigation of President Biden as the House prepares to come back into session:

“By August 2021, in the first six months of the 117th Congress, House Democrats had helped kickstart our nation’s economy with the American Rescue Plan and passed a budget with historic investments in working families.  We went on to pass legislation to reduce drug and energy costs, address the climate crisis, bring jobs back to America, and rebuild our country’s infrastructure with groundbreaking laws like the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  Even in the first six months of the 116th Congress, when Donald Trump was in the White House, the House Democratic Majority delivered meaningful reform for the American people by working across the aisle to pass more than 20 bills that were signed into law, including funding to end a 35-day government shutdown caused by Trump and congressional Republicans, legislation to help veterans and victims of natural disasters, and landmark enactments preserving public lands for future generations.  

“By contrast, the first MAGA-directed Congress is by far the most reckless and least productive in decades.  After holding the American economy hostage by threatening to default on America’s financial obligations, House Republicans are now eagerly pushing the government to the brink of a shutdown.  Instead of working on legislation to promote the common good or even just keep the government running, House Republicans are weaponizing their offices and exploiting congressional power and resources to promote debunked and outlandish conspiracy theories about President Biden.  This is a transparent effort to boost Donald Trump’s campaign by establishing a false moral equivalency between Trump—the four time-indicted former president now facing 91 federal and state criminal charges, based on a mountain of damning evidence for a shocking range of felonies, including lying to the FBI, endangering national security by illegally keeping classified documents, and conspiring to subvert the U.S. Constitution—and President Biden, against whom there is precisely zero evidence of any wrongdoing whatsoever.  To the contrary, Chairman Comer’s investigation has conclusively disproven the Republican allegations against President Biden.

WOKE: What Is It?

Free Stock photo by Vecteezy

What is “WOKE”?

What is WOKE and what does it mean?  Webster’s definition of woke is:” being conscious of racial discrimination and other forms of oppression and injustice”.

Being “woke” means having good manners, common courtesy, and the ability to show empathy and respect for others, especially those different than ourselves.

GOP’s View on “WOKE”

Republicans, calling people and things “woke” is just their shorthanded way of derisively rejecting all the above-mentioned values in favor of their preferred values of arrogant rudeness, gratuitous cruelty towards anyone different than themselves, and complete selfishness.

GOP Agenda for the American People

Now that the GOP is the Majority in the House of Representatives, here is their agenda for the American people.

GOP Agenda for America

As you can see, the GOP really does not have an agenda for the American people, but they do have an agenda for themselves.

An Open Letter to White Evangelicals: We’re Done With You

An open letter to white evangelicals: we're done with you

I found an interesting letter from Christian pastor John Pavlovitz. He speaks to what’s clearly wrong with Christianity in America. He called it “An Open Letter to White Evangelicals: We’re Done With You.” He was trying to point out what he sees in the evangelical movement today and why it is problematic.


Dear White Evangelicals,

I need to tell you something: People have had it with you. They’re done. They want nothing to do with you any longer, and here’s why:

They see your hypocrisy, your inconsistency, your incredibly selective mercy, and your thinly veiled supremacy.

The GOP War on Democracy

The GOP is declaring war on democracy. Josh Hawley is telling everyone their battle plans. 

Missouri’s junior Republican senator wants Republicans use right-wing laws — like abortion bans — to terrorize political opponents and accumulate more power.  Hawley’s vision involves a nation where liberals flee from states run by Republicans.

Roe v Wade Was Just the Beginning

The overturning of Roe v Wade was, to me, the beginning of a firestorm. Even though I do not really believe in abortions, I feel that it is a woman’s right to decide for herself if she wants to go through with it. The Supreme Court is somewhat right when they said that there was nothing in the Constitution that allowed abortions.

“Violence is the Last Refuge of the Incompetent”

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent

When someone does not have supportive arguments for their ideals and plans, that leads to them implementing their very ideals and plans through force.  This is exactly what I think the January 6th insurrection was all about. To me it’s down to just plain ignorance. As Issac Asimov said, “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov famously called violence “the last refuge of the incompetent.” But violence — self-defense excepted — is also the last refuge of the loser, the last gasp of those who have no more words, the tacit confession of those who know, but are loath to admit, that they got nothing’. If you can’t win the argument, win the fight. A mantra for thugs, bullies, and many Republicans. This is now normal politics. Republicans no longer talk policy or ideas; they only threaten to take away your rights or punish you if you do not bow down to their way.

Judge Luttig’s War on Democracy

Sarah Silbiger/Reuters

Below is Judge Luttig’s statement to the Jan. 6th committee. It is Judge Luttig’s view on our war on democracy.


Statement of J. Michael Luttig before
The United States House Select Committee on the January 6, 2021,

Attack on the United States Capitol Washington, D.C

June 16, 2022


Honorable Members of the House Select Committee — 

A stake was driven through the heart of American democracy on January 6, 2021, and our democracy today is on a knife’s edge. 

America was at war on that fateful day, but not against a foreign power. She was at war against herself. We Americans were at war with each other — over our democracy. 

January 6 was but the next, foreseeable battle in a war that had been raging in America for years, though that day was the most consequential battle of that war even to date. In fact, January 6 was a separate war unto itself, a war for America’s democracy, a war irresponsibly instigated and prosecuted by the former president, his political party allies, and his supporters. Both wars are raging to this day. 

No Monopoly on Truth

No monopoly on truth

This was an opinion piece about having no monopoly on truth. I saw it in the newspaper and agreed with it.


“I’d like to be as sure of anything as many people in this country today seem to be about everything. The problem is that their beliefs and opinions are based on propaganda. Extreme radical wings of their political party indoctrinate them by the news and social media. Not on facts.

Red Flag Laws Do Work

To the people who say Red Flag laws cannot work, they are highly mistaken. Many states already have them and in most cases they are working great. Take Florida for example.

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