America under internal siege

On By daevadIn Headlines, In the news

Let us be honest about what is happening in the United States right now. Americans are under attack by white nationalist terrorists that are emboldened by the words, actions, and tone of Donald Trump and the sycophantic Republican party.

No, not all mass shootings are white nationalist terror attacks, but a growing number are. And there are way too many mass shootings taking place all across the country: 251 in the last 216 days. You didn’t know there were that many? Well, you’re not paying attention, and often the press isn’t helping. Many of these shootings take place in lower-income and/or primarily non-white neighborhoods, so they receive less coverage – if any.

It has to stop, but the NRA-owned Congress will not act. As voters, you know what to do.

An important reminder from Theodore Roosevelt

On By daevadIn In the news, Washington Whirlwind

Trump, who cannot stand criticism, and his sycophantic lackeys like to claim that criticizing the president (when that president is Trump) is unpatriotic, even treasonous. This is of course, bullshit.

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States. In an editorial, this is what he had to say about criticizing the president:

The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.

— The Kansas City Star, 7 May 1918

This is just one example of why TR is regarded as one of our greatest presidents, and Trump will be seen as one of, if not the, worst.