The Purge Begins …

Pay attention to darkness is descending.

Filosofa's Word

President Richard Nixon kept an “enemies list”, the purpose of which was to “screw” Nixon’s political enemies, by means of tax audits from the Internal Revenue Service, and by manipulating “grant availability, federal contracts, litigation, prosecution, etc.”  According to then-White House counsel John Dean …

“This memorandum addresses the matter of how we can maximize the fact of our incumbency in dealing with persons known to be active in their opposition to our Administration; stated a bit more bluntly—how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies.”

At one point, there were as many as 576 names on Nixon’s list.  Some have jokingly referred to Trump’s own ‘enemies list’.  It is no longer a joking matter.  While Nixon sought to punish his ‘enemies’ through such things as tax audits, Trump uses no subterfuge, no circuities.

In a 1992 interview with Charlie Rose, Donald Trump said …

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Discord & Dissension – Part V – Corruption

What we can do about corruption in government.

On The Fence Voters

Continuing the project that Jill and I started a few weeks back, I’d like to take a look at a subject that encapsulates so much of what is wrong with our politics today.

What is corruption? According to Merriam Webster, corruption is dishonest or illegal behavior by powerful people, such as government officials or police officers; an inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means (such as bribery).

Sound familiar? The fate of our politics in 2020 has never been more perilous. We’re now in the midst of perhaps the most corrupt administration in history, whose leader was impeached by the Democratically controlled House of Representatives, but acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.

It seems every time you turn around, someone in power is doing something he or she shouldn’t. When folks obtain a level of power in our society, especially in the Washington D.C. political world, the lure to keep…

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The Never-Ending Snarky Snippets

Bravo to all who developed this powerful short film. It indeed packs a punch.

Filosofa's Word

It would seem that Filosofa never runs out of something to be snarky about these days.  Gee, I wonder why that is?  Well, tonight is no exception …

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Trump’s revenge …

I knew that Trump was likely to escalate his bad behaviour for lack of a better word, once he was acquitted by the Senate.  Even I, the ultimate cynic, didn’t realize how quickly he would act.  Brosephus told us yesterday evening about the data the republicans in the Senate have gathered from federal agencies in just over a day regarding Hunter Biden and his travel.  Then, last night, I learned that Trump is planning to fire Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, for testifying in the House impeachment proceedings.  Yep, you heard right.  Revenge, pure and simple.

After his testimony in November, Vindman and his family received criticism and threats from Trump’s…

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Kookaburra Day~

Lovely pictures of the Kookaburras by Cindy Knoke in Australia.;

I spent the day with this guy as my constant companion. Wherever I went, there he was!

There could be no better welcoming committee in the world.

He even laughed!

I basically fell head over heels.

Kookaburras are carnivorous birds, so he wasn’t looking for food.

He was just curious and friendly.

You have to admit, he is one of the cutest birds you have ever seen.

Oz really is for the birds,

which means, Oz is for me too!

Cheers to you from the laughing Kookaburra~

(Note: Heading to Tasmania, so excuse me when I am absent. I will check in when I can. Until then, be well!)

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Some of my art.

Kawanee is now painting.

Hey guys!

I’ve taken up painting. These are my first 6 and I’ve been commissioned for 2 larger pieces. I’m enjoying this new hobby, it’s very relaxing and I’ve been thinking I can use them for book cover backgrounds.

I’m going to put them up for sale either on Etsy or Facebook. I dunno. I’ve got names for some of the pieces too. My favorite so far is the metallic looking one with the black. What are their names? I’m glad you asked. Stormy Seas, Melancholy, Anxiety, Soft Drink or Copper skies. What do you think? Have you got any ideas for names?

~Kreative Kaw 🙂

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The Lizard of Oz~

Pictures of some of the marvelous birds from Oz by Cindy Knoke.

Meet the Australian Water Lizard. They like to climb trees and drop down on rivers and lakes to hunt. They can remain submerged for up to 90 minutes. Males can reach up to 3 feet in length.

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore….”

How adorable is this Noisy Miner chick?

Masked Lapwings are one of the reasons I so love birds.

Who else but a bird could have a face like this?

There is the Australian White Ibis,

the gregarious Australian Magpie,

always assertive Silver Gull,

and shy and lovely Australian Wood Duck.

We are on the move now, exploring new places, so please excuse me when I am less present than I wish I could be.

Cheers to you from magical Oz~

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Discord & Dissension – Part IV (b) – Voting & Voters

Why some people don’t vote.

Filosofa's Word

Only 67% of all eligible voters are even registered to vote.  That is only two out of every three adults.  In yesterday’s post, we looked at the reasons people gave for not voting, some of which were ludicrous, such as “forgot”, “weather”, and “too busy”.  But there are some legitimate reasons that people do not vote.  To understand these, I think it is important to look at some of the demographics of the non-voters.

Race

Among white voters, 73.5% of eligible voters did actually vote in 2016.  But minorities were much less likely to vote, with only 69.7% of African-Americans, 59.4% of Latinos, and the lowest group being Asians at 55.3%.

Age

Not surprisingly, the percentage of eligible voters who vote increases with age:

Age 18 to 24       58.5%

Age 25 to 34       66.4%

Age 35 to 44       69.9%

Age 45 to 54       73.5%

Age 55 to 64       76.6%

Age…

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Romanian Atheneum at night

Stunning.

Paul Militaru

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musicians on street

Street musicians in Rumania.

Paul Militaru

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Saturday’s Snarky Snippets

This is great.

Filosofa's Word

First, I must apologize that there is no Saturday Surprise post today … Saturday showed up, but Surprise didn’t.  Hopefully it will return next week.

I suppose it goes without saying that I have enough snark buildup this morning to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool, and I imagine most of you do, too.  I shall try hard not to mention the cause of it all, since I cannot do so without smoke emitting from my ears.  Twice already the neighbors have called the fire department.

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Why is Kellyanne even allowed to speak?

Ms. Kellyanne Conway has opened her mouth once again and as always, it came out stupid.  On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the life expectancy rate in the U.S. had risen from 78.6 years to 78.7 years.  whoopee.  36 days.  Thing is, it’s likely untrue.  The CDC is a federal agency under…

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