2024 - Happy New Year Or Unhappy New Year - That Is The Question

 Sunday December 31st, 2023

My Dear America:

We have certainly had some very difficult New Years Transitions in the American past.

Going from 1963 to 1964 without President John F. Kennedy who had been murdered the month before New Years wasn't easy.

Every Year that The Vietnam War continued wasn't easy to tolerate.

Watergate and Iran-Contra did not provide much to look forward to for several years.

But none of those Difficult New Years compare to the Transition from 2023 to 2024.

Unfortunately We can't stop the New Year from coming although we might wish to.

2023 wasn't easy for sure but we didn't have one of the Most Consequential Elections of our Lifetime this past year.

We will have that in 2024, however, despite the fact that we don't particularly want a Presidential Election to happen this coming year.

Regardless of whether or not we want to experience the consequences of a 2024 Election we are presently on our way over the Fault Line to 2024 and in November of this coming year we will, whether we want it to happen or not, have the Most Consequential Election of our lifetime.

Now the truth is that we may not have much to worry about.  

We are currently still living in a Functioning Democratic Country.

That's the way it appears Anyway.

Our last Presidential Election in 2020 is still holding, after all. At least according to the Democrats who control the White House and the Senate by a few votes.

Unfortunately, Democrats do not control the House of Representatives.  

According to many Republicans their party was on deck to take the House and Senate by extremely wide margins in recent Elections where several Trump backed Election Deniers got their asses kicked in Elections that they and their Mentor, Donald Trump, had predicted would result in a substantial "Red Wave" of Republican Victories.

Although the "Red Wave" never really materialized, Unfortunately Republicans squeaked through enough of their party's contenders in the House of Representatives to wrest control of that body from the Democrats.

The result of Republican control of the House has been a disastrous and sad display of ineptitude on the part of the Republican House Leaders and Members and a truly staggering inability to get almost anything done.

January of 2023 was marked by vote after vote in which the House Republicans failed to get enough votes to confirm Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. To actually get enough votes from Far Right Republicans to elect McCarthy as Speaker, McCarthy had to make promises that would come back to haunt him in the end and result in kicking him out as Speaker and eventually resulting in McCarthy Quitting Congress and a new Far Right Religious Nut, Mike Johnson becoming Speaker of the House.

Although Mike Johnson is OK with giving money to Israel to work toward Doomsday in that country and the world, apparently Speaker Johnson is not so inclined to assist Ukraine in maintaining it's Democratic Government against Russia's Invasion of that Next Door Neighboring Country.  Johnson is also a January Sixth Conspirator and Trump insider who does not believe that the 2020 Election wasn't stolen.

To put it mildly,  things are very screwed up in the House of Representatives with Mike Johnson in charge.   

So where are we as we cross the threshold of American Democracy from 2023 into the New Year of 2024.

To my mind Joe Biden has done everything right during his three years in office.  He has managed support for Ukraine in their battle to keep their Democracy alive and out of the hands of their neighboring Russia and in the process Biden has developed better relations with NATO countries in Europe who also back Ukraine's fight for Freedom and Democracy. President Biden has, with Democratic backing in Congress, also managed to get an incredible amount of legislation passed and signed by him that will be improving the lives of Americans of all political stripes for a long time to come.  It would seem that in normal times Joe Biden would be a Shoo in to not only win the Democratic Nomination for President but to certainly win the General Election election for President.

The fact that Joe Biden will undoubtedly be running against a Presidential Contender that he beat before in 2020 named Donald Trump who is facing prosecution in several upcoming trials in several different parts of the country should make it easy for Joe Biden to beat Trump.  Trump's deficits are many and his serious problems back in Normal Times would certainly have killed a Candidates credibility and chances to win election to the Presidency.

But we all know that these are not Normal Times to any extent and despite the fact that I don't understand  Donald Trump's attraction for his followers, the Donald Trump followers seem to be willing to follow Donald Trump to the Gates of Hell and back. 

Why that level of devotion is given to a man who states very clearly that when and if he is  reelected he will surely follow in the steps of his Long Time Political Hero, Adolph Hitler, is not only difficult to understand.  It is impossible for me to understand.

But here we are, standing on the brink of an election in 2024 in which the results of that election is either going to bring us a continuing strong Democracy in the United States or a Weird and Hellish Dictatorship in the United States of America.

I can only hope that there are enough bright and loving Americans left in this country willing to get up off their asses on Election Day in November of 2024 and go to the polls and vote to keep Democracy Alive in the United States of America.

Otherwise we are in for it, Brothers and Sisters.

It is time to recognize just how important keeping Democracy Alive truly is.

A vote for Donald Trump in 2024 will totally change our country and not at all in a good way.  

So if you don't want to see Mike Flynn Running the Pentagon

Or if you don't want to see Rudy Giuliani running the Department of Justice 

Or if you don't want to see Kash Patel running the CIA 

Or if you don't want Stephen Miller running Homeland Security

Please Wake Up Americans.   Wake up to reality and recognize just what kind of a situation we are facing this incredibly consequential New Year.

If We Re Elect Democrat Joe Biden as President in 2024 we will certainly be looking at a Happy New Year.

If We don't Elect Joe Biden and instead Elect Donald Trump or any other Republican Election Denier in 2024 we will be looking at Many Unhappy New Years to come in our future.

And while we are at it, lets vote for Democrats for Congress and get rid of the Right Wing Extremists in Congress so that we can finally stop the bullshit and get some things done to improve our lives, rather than wrecking our lives.

Thank You Everyone. We Wish a Happy New Year to Everyone reading our Blog and Listening to our Podcast.

Lets all hope for the best in the New Year of 2024.  And Lets all Hear if for Democracy in 2024.  

It has taken us a long time to learn how make Democracy Work.  Now is not the time to abandon It.   

In fact, There Never will be a Time when it makes sense to abandon Democracy in The United States Of America.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

 

      

 

Hunter Biden's Living Hell

 Tuesday December 18th, 2023

My Dear America:

Something is radically wrong with the Republican Party.  

Its not as though the Republican Party was always a mild and considerate political party that always treated Democrats and other political opponents with sensitivity and kindness.

But today's Republican Party has truly gone off the rails and unfortunately there is no sign that I can see that it will be returning to the rather upstanding and respectful political party that it used to be.

I think that it is clear to anyone who is bothering to look at todays Republican Party that there is a Cruel Streak a mile long running through the party these days.

Its not easy to say for sure just when or how that Cruel Streak got started.  Maybe it was just there all along and just got worse and worse with each passing Republican Administration beginning, of course, with the outrageous Watergate Criminal Activities of the Nixon Administration.

The cruelty certainly progressed with Ronald Reagan's outrageous conduct with regard to arranging with the Iranians through his Campaign Manager and eventual CIA Director, William Casey, to keep American Hostages in Iran from being released until after Reagan was sworn in as President.  To add insult to injury, while Reagan claimed not to negotiate with terrorists his representatives bypassed the arms embargo with Iran and sold weapons to them using the profits from those sales to illegally fund the Cruel Right Wing Contra Army in Nicaragua who were fighting against the legally elected Left Wing Sandanista Government.

Certainly Republican Strategists Lee Atwater and Karl Rove turned up the cruelty quotient in the Bush Campaigns with their take no prisoners and destroy your opponents political strategies.

When it comes to Scorched Earth Political Campaigning, however, nobody in the Republican Party has come close to Donald Trump.  Mad Dog Donald has left many a political opponent lying battered and bruised and out of the running in his time in politics.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump also carried his cruelty into his Presidential Administration as evidenced by his Southern Border policy of separating illegal immigrant children from their parents at the border resulting in hundreds of families which still continue to be shattered by this Cruel Policy.

The Republican Party seems to have continued to learn its lessons well about the value of cruelty in politics from the Republican Presidents of the past.  

The evidence is still there in Texas and elsewhere in the U.S. and the world where families continue to hope to be reunited again.

Also in Texas a woman who needs to have an abortion to stay alive is not allowed to have one and anyone who assists a woman to get an abortion risks jail time.

Republicans have learned the value of not just winning elections but also virtually destroying one's opponent in the process.

Republicans have also learned the value of taking away rights and privileges including voting rights rather than providing rights and privileges to Americans which Democrats are prone to doing.

Republicans who continue to promote the politics of cruelty do not deserve to be voted into office but Right Wing Media Outlets like Fox News and others continue to present their cruel and unusual vision of life in these United States to their millions of viewers and although Democracy is on the line the Republican Party's cruel charade seems to have continued unabated.  

Yes, my American Friends it certainly has become and continues to be a cruel world out there and no one is more aware of that fact than the American President, Joe Biden and his only remaining son, Hunter Biden.

Prior to the 2020 Election I bought a used copy of Joe Biden's Autobiography, "Promises To Keep" from Amazon and really enjoyed reading it.  I found it to be very well written, interesting and revealing about the man who was at the time I was reading it running for President.  I was a Joe Biden fan long before reading the book but I must admit that I became a bigger and more enthusiastic Joe Biden fan after reading it.  

I think that what I liked most about the book was the fact that it revealed just how much of a Great Family Man Joe Biden was.  

Clearly Joe Biden loves Jill Biden and his present day family.  

But Joe also revealed in the book how much he loved his first wife, Neila Hunter Biden and his daughter, Naomi, both of whom were killed in a car accident in 1972. That same accident almost killed Joe's two infant sons, Beau and Hunter, who were critically injured in the accident but did recover with time and treatment.  That fatal accident occurred just around the time that Joe Biden was first elected to the Senate and certainly dampened the pleasure that Joe should have been able to enjoy with regard to that accomplishment.

With time, Joe did recover and he has had a spectacular career in the Senate, as Barack Obama's Vice President and presently as President.

Throughout his Political life Joe Biden has continued to maintain a close relationship with his family members including his sons.  

His Son Beau, like his father, became a lawyer, he served in the Armed Forces and was serving as the Attorney General of Delaware when his bright Political Future was struck down with Cancer.

Joe's son, Hunter, was very close to his brother, Beau and also seemed to be also on his way to a bright future prior to his brother's untimely death.  Hunter was also a bright Harvard educated Lawyer whose future looked bright when drugs, booze and hard living interrupted that bright future.  Hunter's search for big money has not only put his own life on the skids but it has caused his father big problems, as well.

Hunter Biden's problems have been front and center for several years now thanks to Republicans like James Comer, Jim Jordan and, of course Donald Trump having  a field day trying to tie Hunter Biden's problems to Joe Biden.  

There is no way, however, that Hunter Biden's problems relate in any way to the crimes of Donald Trump.  

Clearly, what Republicans are trying to do by attempting to tarnish Joe Biden's reputation through amplifying and tying the problems of Hunter Biden to his father is a disgusting example of what kind of Republican Scumbags we have running loose these days in the halls of Congress.

Yes, Hunter Biden spent time as an addict and his behavior was reprehensible for a considerable period of time.  But some Republicans are equating Hunter's activities with the Genuine High Crimes and Misdemeanors that were committed by Donald Trump.

Sorry.  There is no correlation or connection between Hunter Biden's actions and those of Donald Trump. 

Republicans seem to be super focused on putting Hunter Biden in Jail.

For What.

Hunter Biden, after years of inappropriate shameful Republican obsession with putting Hunter in jail have harassed the Trump Appointed Special Prosecutor in charge of Hunter's case to the point where he has caved and indicted Hunter for the crime of lying related to filling out a form for the purchase of a gun.  He was also indicted for income tax evasion charges although the taxes were already paid before these charges were filed.

If Hunter Biden's name was Hunter Jones none of these charges would have ever been filed.  He would not be getting investigated by Republican led Congressional Committees and these Chickenshit Charges would never have seen the light of day.

Hunter Biden is no fool and he can plainly see what Republicans are trying to do to him and to his Father.  He has advised James Comer's House Oversight Committee that he is willing to testify to that Committee if the proceeding is televised.  That way the Committee doesn't have a chance to distort and put their spin on Hunter's testimony.  But James Comer has so far refused to allow Hunter Biden's testimony to be televised.

What was televised recently was Hunter Biden holding a Press Conference in front of the Capitol building in which he truthfully pointed out the Shameful and Offensive conduct of James Comer and other Republican Donald Trump Toadies. Hunter made it very clear in this Press Conference that his Father, Joe Biden has never profited from any of Hunter Biden's business ventures and that the only thing that Hunter feels that Joe Biden is guilty of is being a Good and Loving Father

Even the Republicans would have to admit that in America we don't don't put people in jail for that.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher   

 

  

Does One Horrible Massacre Deserve Another: The Answer Is NO

 Sunday, December 10th, 2023

My Dear America:

What in Gods Name is happening in the world today?  

Seemingly as the result of the Horrendous Bloody Massacre of Innocent Jews in Israel on October 7th the world appears to have gone mad.

The strong Anti Semitism that seems to have been rampant since the beginning of time has suddenly gone off the charts.  It would seem to me that some sympathy for the slaughtered Innocent Israeli Jews would have been appropriate considering the situation.  Instead, however, it seems as though Anti Semites seem to be having a field day blaming the Jews of Israel for their own slaughter.

What the hell, Man.  This makes no sense at all.

Of course, nothing makes much sense these days.

I must admit that it has been a long time since I spent any time on a College Campus.  I have three Granddaughters who are presently in College and I am Grateful that none of them are Jewish because Jewish students on campus in many American Schools presently seem to be Needlessly in Danger.  

For Gods Sake, What do these Innocent Jewish College Students have to do with the insanity of what is happening in Israel?

The answer is Nothing:  They have nothing to do with what is happening in Israel.  Most Jews have little or nothing to do with Israel, although some may have connections with relatives in the Jewish State.

The problem with Israel and the Palestinians goes back a long time.  Palestinian Arabs have lived in Israel for as long as history.  Jews have also lived in Israel for centuries.  After the horrors of Hitler's Holocaust many surviving European Jews came back to Palestine in search of a Homeland thinking that Palestine, which was their Ancient Homeland, could be their Homeland again.  

There has been serious trouble between Israeli Jews and Palestinians ever since the Jews returned to their biblical homeland and based on what we are seeing these days in Israel the trouble may only be intensifying.

The Israeli-Palestinian Question may never be answered in any way that satisfies all parties.  

Clearly Israel is not going to give up what they feel is their Homeland to the Palestinians.

And the Palestinians are certainly not going to give up their claims to what they feel is their Homeland to the Israelis.

Unfortunately, what we have in Israel and have continued to have here since the arrival of the Jewish settlers after World War II is a Stalemate that seems to be a Permanent impediment to satisfactorily solving the problem between Palestinians and Jews.

Its not as if there have not been people who have not been trying to solve this problem.  There have been times when it seemed as though breakthroughs had been made and even some times of seemingly genuine peace between Jews and Palestinians.

But not recently.

Certainly not every Israeli-Palestinian problem can be laid at the feet of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.  But the Prime Minister's attitude toward Palestinians has certainly been responsible in recent years for an increasing amount of tension and violence between Palestinians and Jews in Israel.  

Clearly, unlike other Israeli leaders who have sincerely tried to make a Two State Solution work in Israel, Netanyahu has made it clear to the Palestinians that as long as he is in charge there will be no Two State Solution to the Palestinian problem.  

This has led Palestinians in Israel to become increasingly Hopeless and Angry.

Certainly Hopelessness and Anger on the part of the Palestinians is no Justification for the Horrible Bloodbath of Innocent Jews on October 7th of this year.  

Just as the Horrible Bloodbath that is presently occurring in Gaza has no justification because of October 7th.

One Bloodbath does not deserve or justify another Bloodbath.

There does not seem to be any reasonable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem on the horizon presently.

I certainly understand that the Israelis want to send a violent message to Hamas to keep their hands off our Innocent Israelis.

Unfortunately, however, along with Hamas, the innocent Palestinians of Gaza are also suffering and dying even more than they were prior to October 7th.  

Yes, President Biden did the right thing in showing American Respect and Sympathy and Support for Israel but he should have made sure that Netanyahu would not unleash Hell on Earth in Gaza in response to Hamas unleashing Hell on Earth in Israel.

Certainly Israel has shown their strength in responding to Hamas in Gaza.  Now is the time, however, to back off and back out of Gaza and try to help innocent Palestinians in Gaza move forward without Hamas in the drivers seat.  

It is going to take time to move forward from this ongoing tragedy in Israel.  It is also necessary for Israelis to move forward without Bebe Netanyahu in charge of their country.  Like his buddy, Donald Trump in America, Netanyahu is a criminal trying to keep himself out of jail by destroying the Israeli Justice System.

In the meantime, it is time for American Colleges and Universities to calm down and get back to the important job of educating the next generation.  Nobody is learning much when students are physically attacking each other.

Yes, Students should be allowed to express themselves about the Tragic Circumstances in Israel and elsewhere in the world but lets keep our discussions Civil and Nonviolent even when we are discussing Violence.

Sincerely Yours 

Jerry Gallagher