Two Things

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo is my new hero. 

Finally, there's someone in law enforcement calling out the NRA and their “Guns for Everyone” policies as well as the spineless Republican sycophants who enact them.

It's about time.

For reasons that are thoroughly lost on me, the balance of law enforcement apparently feels that criminals and psychopaths armed with automatic weaponry is a good thing. Maybe they enjoy the high-octane shoot-outs that result. I don't know.

But if I'm a cop, I want to be the only guy on the street with a gun.

But that's just me.

At any rate, thank you Chief Acevedo for injecting some front-line perspective into America's ludicrous gun debate.

After delaying the start of an impeachment inquiry, Democrats now want to ram one through Congress before presidential campaigns get serious. Which is why they're allowing the offal in the Trump administration to ignore subpoenas without fear of reprisal.

Great start.

Democrats need to win the war of public opinion, and rushing through an inquiry between Thanksgiving and Christmas ain't the way to do it.

Allow me to make a sports analogy: in a short series the Republicans are going to win.

They'll pound the floor with their fists and threaten to hold their breath until they turn blue. The brain-damaged folk who buy into Trump and watch Fox News will pump their fists with per-pubescent glee.

A short, noisy, concentrated burst of denial plays into Trump's hands—it's a Twitter-length tantrum to keep the base riled-up and supporting their martyr.

But in a long one? Those ADHD attention spans will wander. The intensity will wane. Or merely become tiresome. Like a child throwing a tantrum, they inevitably tire. Which clears the floor for a reasoned, fact-based inquiry.

With a majority of plainly amoral Republicans in the Senate, winning the war of public opinion is the only way to permanently delete the Trump virus.

Virus Delete

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”

—Norman Cousins

Dear Madam Speaker,

As you might have guessed, this is a post about loss. And the realization that what has been lost is invaluable. I speak, of course, of our democracy.

At present, it rests in the hands of a despot. A despot who respects nothing and is, himself, incapable of respect.

He was elected by the worst of us; an angry, cynical, short-sighted and selfish minority who are so deeply and blindly hateful that, like the candidate they endorse, they respect nothing. Scorched earth is their policy of choice.

They remind me of the parent standing in the check-out line with a screaming infant. They know it is making conversation at the register impossible and is shredding the nerves of those around them, yet instead of taking the baby outside they choose to remain in line, apparently feeling that if they have to endure this ordeal, then you do, too.

This is their twisted take on united we stand, divided we fall. In other words, if I'm unhappy and don't have everything I want, I want to make sure you don't either. And this makes us a better people exactly how?

It is human nature to take things for granted. Especially that which has been in our lives for, well, all of our lives. The most effective way to renew our appreciation of something is by having it taken away.

And this is the unintentional gift of the Trump administration.

I miss issue-centric debate. I miss sober reflection. I miss compromise. I miss the embrace of the greatest good for the greatest number ideal. I miss law. And order.

In short, I miss democracy.

With the release of the Mueller report, we now have concrete evidence as to the extent of Trump's voluntary, wilful and on-purpose obstruction. It is critical to this nation's well-being that the Trump administration becomes our low-water mark.

The depths we never, ever sink to again.

Madam Speaker, your stated reasons for not pursuing impeachment are laudable. But ignoring this administration's wholesale obstruction and non-stop debasement of the law is even more destructive. More divisive.

We tell our children over and over again that they need to respect boundaries. Rules. That we need to show and give respect. By letting the Trump administration continue, exactly what are we telling them?

It is critical that we protect democracy. It is critical that we maintain the integrity of the office. It is critical that government leads and does not follow. Pursuing impeachment is about re-committing to a political ideal that was once the envy of people the world over.

Madam Speaker, that is how we make America great again.

Impeach Donald Trump.

Really? There's an App for That?

When they're not plowing their cars into counter-protestors at white supremacist rallies or mailing letter bombs to prominent Democrats, conservatives are chewing their nails to the quick wondering which businesses they can patronize without fear of being brutalized by thuggish progressives.

At least that's the theory behind 63red Safe, an app designed to keep conservatives out of harm's way.

Even more remarkable is that the app's creator, Scott Wallace, felt the need for this despite living in Oklahoma, a place no one would ever confuse with San Francisco. In fact, a January, 2017 Gallup poll identified Oklahoma as the nation's fourth most-conservative state, behind Wyoming, North Dakota and Mississippi.

After narrowly returning home unscathed from a visit to a local gun and ammo shop, Wallace and two co-conspirators developed the app around four questions designed to reveal whether a business was MAGA-friendly:

Does this business serve persons of every political belief?

Will this business protect its customers if they are attacked for their political beliefs?

Does this business allow legal concealed carry under this state's laws?

Does this business avoid politics in its ads and social media postings?

With the exception of question three, I have to confess to being puzzled at what any of the remaining questions reveal. I've never seen a business identified as conservative-only or liberal-only. I've never seen a business that would stand by while a physical confrontation developed between its customers.

And aside from the occasional 'Fuck Trump' spring clearance event or 'Let's Wipe That Pelosi Bitch off the Face of the Earth' tire sales, I rarely encounter businesses using politics in their advertising.

So. Not exactly a litmus test, is it?

Which brings us to question three.

Even in the conservative and heavily-Republican county in which I live, no guns stickers routinely appear in store windows. It is my belief these stem from liability concerns, and do not necessarily indicate whether a business owner is pro or anti-gun.

But as a tribe-building device, I'm sure the 63red Safe app will appeal greatly to the lizard-brained paranoids among us. To be perfectly honest, I can't blame them for having tired of being bludgeoned by sledgehammer-wielding liberals as they shop for milk and laundry detergent or dine at their favorite restaurant.

It's just not right.

For my part, I have issued myself a cease and desist order. It's true! I hereby abstain from shooting, stabbing, clubbing, punching, kicking, striking or otherwise harming my conservative countrymen.

Which is a pity, because no one could remain coiled behind a kale, black bean and avocado burrito bowl and cup of fair trade coffee, face obscured by the latest issue of Socialism, Now! and waiting until the time was just right, than I.

Good times.

Counting Chickens

"I am not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat."

-Will Rogers


There is a new group of young Democrats emerging in this election cycle. It is probably as inevitable as sunrise following sunset.

And this is a good thing. Without an injection of new blood, any organization, be it a sports franchise, a business or yes, even a political party, will wither and die. So those of us commonly called Democrats should embrace young candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Conor Lamb and Rashida Thaib.

Youthful exuberance and wizened experience creates a dynamic cherished not only in locker rooms but in board rooms and back rooms. The young energize the old and reboot their passion, while the old impart experience and how best to channel boundless energy into useful action.

But as referenced in the Will Rogers quote, things don't always go so smoothly.

As the young are wont to do, they wish to remake the party in their image. Now. It's a case of revolution, not evolution. If Josef Stalin were at the head of the table such impetuousness would not only be prudent but recommended.

But these young Democrats have no such enemy.

Yet in their eyes, House minority speaker Nancy Pelosi is the leaden plow holding them back from recasting the party in a glorious new form. They proffer wan smiles and shoulder shrugs when asked about their support for Pelosi.

It's almost as if they've been listening to the raft of Republican-sponsored, Pelosi-centric attack ads.

The truth (and I hope these young Democrats are listening) is this: REPUBLICANS ARE SPENDING MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ATTACKING NANCY PELOSI BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID OF HER!

YOU GET THAT, RIGHT?

THEY FEAR HER BECAUSE SHE'S A WELL-CONNECTED AND EFFECTIVE FUND RAISER. THEY FEAR HER BECAUSE SHE'S A SAVVY CONSENSUS BUILDER. AND THEY FEAR HER BECAUSE IN THIS, THE AGE OF FEMALE EMPOWERMENT, SHE'S A HIGHLY-VISIBLE EXAMPLE THAT RESONATES WITH MILLIONS OF VOTERS.

WHILE THE SQUARE PEG DOESN'T ENDORSE THE OBJECTIFICATION OF WOMEN IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, THIS MUST BE SAID: NANCY PELOSI IS A WEAPON!

AND SHE PLAYS FOR OUR SIDE!

Whew. OK.

So going forward, maybe we should actually win some seats in the House and Senate before we start the intra-family squabbling.

You think?

There are millions and millions of stupid, angry Republicans who will support the Trump-whore and his putrid collection of sycophants no matter what. The whore himself once said "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters."

Sadly, he wasn't wrong.

Borrowing the victims from the well-known Monty Python sketch 'The Piranha Brothers', Trump supporters would rather have their heads nailed to the floor than admit he wasn't the best possible option for president.

With opposition like this, Democrats need to make a concerted and unified effort to keep their eyes on the prize. As its name implies, the Blue Wave is a singular, overwhelming force.

It is my hope that our fresh infusion of young Democrats understands this before making waves of their own.