A Grateful Farewell To The January Sixth Committee

Monday, December 26th, 2022

My Dear America:

Clearly 2022 has been one Hell of a Year that has taught us a Great Deal about a lot of things happening in America.

Not the least of those Life Lessons is what we learned from the January Sixth Committee about the role played before, during and after January Sixth 2021 by our United States President At the Time, Donald Trump.  Although most of us thought we knew the whole story backwards and forwards about Donald Trump's involvement in the shady dealings of January Sixth, the January Sixth Committee showed most of us very clearly (Primarily in the words of Staunch Republicans) that there was much more to the traitorous and despicable tale of January Sixth that we were unaware of until the Genuine Patriots on that Committee brought us the Bad but Necessary News.

Although most of the members of the January Sixth Committee will still be back in Congress in the New Year there are some Committee Members who won't be back.  

The two Republican Members of the Committee, Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney will no longer be in Congress to show that not all Republicans were willing to put up with the insanity and the lies that it takes to be a Republican in Good Standing with their party these days.  Kinzinger clearly saw that being a member of the Republican 'Truth Squad" was not a stepping stone to success for him so he chose not to run for Congress for another term.  Cheney, on the other hand chose to run once again for Congress in Wyoming and lost her Republican Primary race in a landslide defeat to someone who she thought was a Cheney loyalist but who turned out to have switched sides and was in the end only loyal to Donald Trump.

We will miss Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger in the New Congressional Year but we will certainly appreciate all of the hard work they put into telling the hard truths about Donald Trump and the Neanderthals who carried out his sick and disgusting Invasion of the Capitol on January Sixth 2021.

On the Democratic Side of the January Sixth Committee members not returning to Congress in 2023 both Democrats Stephanie Murphy of Florida and Elaine Luria of Virginia will be among the missing in the 2023 Congress.  Stephanie Murphy decided on her own that she was through with Congress and didn't run for another term.  Congresswoman Luria ran but lost her bid in her purple state to a Republican Challenger. 

This past week the January Sixth Committee finally released their 800 page report on the disturbing events of January Sixth and the details of the plot to destroy Democracy in America by Donald Trump and his Cabal of his Crazed and Demented Dunces.  

Although I have yet to dig into the report I have seen almost every minute of the televised sessions, all of which has been truly shocking to see in our country.

As I stand on the brink of another calendar year poised to continue to write the truth as I see it I am strengthened by most of the events of 2022.

Anyone reading my Blog or listening to my Podcasts could certainly realize that prior to this past November's Election I was convinced that we were certainly on the edge of completely losing our Democracy.  I thought that things were so crazy and that Donald Trump had bamboozled so many people that we were ready to send democracy over the cliff to it's death and destruction.

Thankfully, I was wrong to think that Democracy was on the way out.  I thank every American who got up off their comfortable chair or sofa in November of 2020 and went out to vote.  I also thank the many young people concerned about their future enough to get out and vote.  I also thank the many women who were pissed off enough about losing their reproductive rights to Right Wing Supreme Court Justices and who realized that they had voting power and used it forcefully this time around.  I thank those people like myself who did what they had to do to qualify for early voting or voting by mail.

In the end we all did it.  We saved Democracy and didn't let lunatics like Donald Trump or Tucker Carlson call the shots this time.

Although we lost Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney, we also lost Keri Lake and many other Trump Backed Election Deniers.  In Pennsylvania we showed Republicans Doug Mastroiano and Doctor Oz the door and instead elected Josh Shapiro for Governor and John Fetterman to the United States Senate.

Good for You America.  We saved our Democracy one more time but in the process we learned just how fragile our Democracy is and just how much more we need to pay attention to it.  We have to nourish it and keep it healthy and working well.  

Election Deniers fell like rain in this past election and those of us who cared came out to vote in droves.  We need to keep coming out in droves and we need to pay attention to what is going on in our halls of Congress not only on days like January Sixth but on all days, every day that Congress is in session.

Yes, Genuine American Patriots came out ahead on January Sixth of 2021.  But that is no guarantee for the future of America.  Donald Trump was unlucky enough to have chosen a man for his Vice President who remembered his oath to the Constitution on January Sixth and was unwilling to bend to Donald Trump's browbeating and unconstitutional Demands.   Trump is continuing to try to get himself back in power.  Those of us who love Democracy and Love America including Democrats in the White House and in the the House and Senate and elsewhere in the country need to remember the lessons we learned from the soon to be defunct but never to be forgotten January Sixth Committee.  

We once again continue to have a Democracy.  If we can Keep it. And we certainly can and must keep it.

Although voting in 2022 could have been worse.  It could also have been better.  We did pretty well overall and rejected some pretty awful candidates but some like J.D. Vance and George Santos slipped through the Cracks and although it was by just a few votes we did lose control of the House of Representatives and unfortunately have guaranteed ourselves a Shit Show in that body for the next two years.  

But the God's Honest Truth is that in 2022 we have once again shown that the American Democracy System can work and did work once again and hopefully will continue to work long into the future.  

Yes, the American Democratic system has its drawbacks but we have shown in 2020 and 2022 that when the American People are paying attention and are voting accordingly Democracy is still a pretty good system of Government, after all.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher 

The Ghosts Of Sandy Hook

 Thursday, December 15th, 2022

My Dear America:

It is hard to believe that it has been ten years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre in Newtown Connecticut.  During that incident 20 innocent Grade Schoolers and Six Elementary School Teachers and other School Personnel were shot to death with an AR-15 Assault Rifle. Unfortunately some of the victims were so badly mutilated by the bullets that they were not easily identifiable.

Time has gone by fast for the rest of us but not for the Parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook Shooter, 20 Year old Adam Lanza.

Like many of the thousands of shooters that we have come to learn about over the course of the past ten years Lanza was a disturbed Loner and misfit who had several problem behaviors which may have contributed to the state in which he found himself on December 14th of 2012.  Adam was Autistic, Obsessive Compulsive and may have been showing signs of Schizophrenia prior to his Murderous and suicidal spree.  Like many other mass killers it was learned later on after the fact through checking his computer that he was possibly in contact with other violence prone cyber buddies, many of whom were, like Adam, obsessed with the Columbine School Shooting incident and other mass shootings.

President Barack Obama visited with and comforted the parents and other family members of the victims of the Newtown, Connecticut shooting and to this day identifies what happened at Sandy Hook as the Darkest Day of his Presidency.

President Obama and some members of Congress attempted to do the right thing and press for serious Gun Control Legislation after Sandy Hook.  There was even a bipartisan effort on the part of Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey and West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin to seek what they felt would be common sense background check gun reform but partially due to the efforts of the National Rifle Association they unfortunately failed in their efforts.

Certainly Sandy Hook was not the first mass shooting in America.  It wasn't even the first school shooting.  Certainly The Columbine Massacre seemed to be somewhat of an inspiration to potential school shooters everywhere in the United States.

What set Sandy Hook apart from other school shootings was the young age of most of the victims and the incredible smiles on photos of the cherubic faces of the 20 innocent and beautiful young victims whose futures were robbed by Adam Lanza's senseless desperate and despicable act of violence.  

Prior to murdering victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, who reports indicate was a considerate and loving mother to her son.  Although Adam led a rather isolated life and had limited contact with his mother even though they lived together he did go with his mother to a local rifle range to shoot with some of the many guns Adam's mother had purchased.

While some clues were probably found on Adam's computer regarding his motives for killing innocent victims, Adam's actual motive for his killing spree will probably never be known because after his Sandy Hook murder spree he killed himself.

Ten years after the senseless violence of Sandy Hook Elementary School we are still seeing the continuation of the senseless violence that has consumed and overwhelmed American Law Enforcement for years.  The Unfortunate Reality is that in the last Ten Years the situation with regard to gun violence has not improved.  It has unfortunately gotten worse, not better.  The American landscape has continued to be littered with the bodies of countless victims of senseless gun violence.

Many attempts have been made to obtain common sense gun legislation in America but except for a recent rather lukewarm background check bill helmed by Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, not much has been accomplished.

Certainly many of the parents of Sandy Hook Victims have worked tirelessly to make safety in American Classrooms an American priority.  The Group "Sandy Hook Promise" continues to advocate for gun control and school safety and has accomplished a great deal over the past ten years.  The parents of Sandy Hook's victims know full well what is at stake in the American Classroom, as well as in other places that have become danger zones as the result of senseless shootings.

Movie Theaters, Grocery Stores, Churches, Parades have all been targeted by disturbed gunmen at times.  It seems as though nowhere is safe anymore from people with guns who are willing to shoot them at other people.

One tactic that has been successful in recent months practiced by the Sandy Hook Parents has to do with fighting back against disinformation.  For Years Far Right Podcaster, Alex Jones, has been spreading lies about Sandy Hook being a "False Flag Operation".  Jones has claimed over and over that The Sandy Hook Massacre never happened.  Although, at first Sandy Hook parents tried to ignore this foolishness, when Jones and his followers began directly harassing the parents the parents fought back and sued Jones and recently won their suit.  Clearly the Sandy Hook parents could care less about the money but if they can bankrupt Jones' despicable operation and stop the lies told about their children they might begin to find some peace.

With Republicans poised to take over the House of Representatives in January of 2023 it is difficult to see how any meaningful legislation will pass, never mind meaningful gun control legislation.  

Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress are hoping that by some miracle a ban on AR-15's and similar assault rifles might see another ban like the one previously proposed and passed with the assistance of then Senator Joe Biden.

Wouldn't that be a tribute to all of those Americans who have been killed by those awful weapons over the course of so many years.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

What The Hell Is Wrong With Kanye West

 Sunday, December 4th, 2022

My Dear America:

Let me state right up front that I don't care for Rap Music.

I subscribe to the explanation that Ray Charles gave to Johnny Carson when Johnny asked Ray what he thought about "Rap Music"

"Well, First of all, Its not music," Ray Charles responded.

Thank You Ray Charles for your insight.  I rest my case.

Despite my obvious disdain for "Rap Music" It is popular as hell.  I have Grandchildren who I love very much who are fans of Rap and I know that there are a lot of people who love it, so normally I keep my thoughts about Rap to myself.

My wife and I talk often about the fact that many young people today have only heard a lot of Rap music on the radio and are unaware or don't really care about the extremely "Good Old Days Of Rock And Roll" that we grew up with.

Of course in the good old days our parents hated Rock and Roll as much as I hate Rap.

I don't really think that all Rap Stars are bad people but some surely are.

I don't know whether or not I would really classify Kanye West as a bad person but I would certainly identify him as an Asshole of Epic Proportions.

This guy has been getting on my nerves and the nerves of a lot of other people for a long time now but recently he has jumped into a whole new category of bad behavior.

Its not as if there haven't been signs of problem behaviors for a long time.

His Aggressive Behavior and Oversized Ego have been on display for many years.

Who could forget when Sleazy Yeezy jumped on the stage at the televised MTV Video Music Awards Show show in 2009 and interrupted an award being given to Taylor Swift. West, who had no right to even be on the stage at the time argued to the audience that Beyonce should have gotten the award that Taylor was in the process of accepting when he so rudely interrupted.  He was such an Egomaniac that he couldn't even understand why he was asked to leave the Awards Ceremony after his obnoxious behavior which embarrassed and disturbed both Beyonce and Taylor Swift and everyone else who watched the show.

He also went on National Television in a Television Special featuring many celebrities asking viewers to contribute to helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina and slammed President George W. Bush by saying that "George Bush doesn't care about Black People."  In his autobiography George W. identified that incident as one of the worst experiences of his Presidency.

Unfortunately Kanye's Narcissistic Behavior and his Rap Recordings, as well as his business ventures outside of rap have made him a multi millionaire and has given him enormous media exposure. and continued Egomania.

Kanye's most recent behavior, however, seems to be the most obnoxious of all.  

He has recently made completely Inappropriate and Outrageous Anti Semitic Statements that have caused him to lose almost all of his lucrative business contracts.  Instead of apologizing for his outrageous comments he has doubled down on them.  He has received criticism for attending a dinner with Donald Trump at Mara Lago, which he attended with a High Profile Noted Anti Semite named Nick Fuentes, which has stirred American Anger to a fever pitch and unfortunately gave Nick Fuentes far more media exposure than he deserved or had received prior to this occasion.

Most recently Kanye West appeared with Fuentes on the Alex Jones "Info Wars" Program stating not only Anti Semitic statements but also Pro Nazi and even Pro Hitler Comments.

I have no idea what in the hell is wrong with Kanye West but he is no longer just an embarrassment to the Kardashian Klan.  He is also truly an embarrassment to the United States.  Clearly others who may look up to West can be influenced by West to follow him to the Far Right Madness that West seems to be influenced by these days.

Thank Goodness some Republican Leaders and Fox News Personalities seem to be recognizing that there is something radically wrong with Kanye West and after praising him for some time we need to hope that they may, indeed, be recognizing that Kanye's Far Right Extremism has finally gone Way Too Far and must be controlled now before dangerous Lunatics like West, Trump and Fuentes reach places where they can turn their Dangerous Rhetoric into Extremely Dangerous Behavior. 

Kanye West's obnoxious behavior used to seem like a joke but when somebody starts praising Hitler and The Nazi's and denying the holocaust and is declaring war on Jews it is time to put the brakes on this fool.

Back in the day Dave Chappelle on his HBO show created a character called Clayton Bigsby, who was a Blind Black Man who wore the robes of the Ku Klux Klan and never realized that he was black as he spewed his hatred of black people.  On that show Clayton Bigsby was funny as hell.

Although in real life today in America nobody is laughing as Kanye West has brought this hateful character into reality for all of us to see.  

I would certainly remind Kanye that his Buddy Hitler had no problem doing away with some people who had been his most enthusiastic supporters when it served his purpose.

Just Sayin.  Watch out who you hang with Kanye.  As the Nazi's used to say about the Crematoriums.  Be careful what you say and do or it might be you getting  burned.  Just Sayin.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher