Inauguration Day In America - It's a Weird, Weird World Today

Monday, January 20th, 2025

My Dear America:

I have not been looking forward with anticipation to Inauguration Day In America this year.  

Before 2025 I have Often Times had mixed feelings On Inauguration Day.  Usually by Inauguration Day I have either been thrilled by the Elections of people I supported (usually Democrats) or have by late January of Presidential Inauguration Year at least begun to accept, even if I'm not thrilled by those Presidential Candidates that I did not support (Usually Republicans) for President.

This year is totally different for me, however.  I saw very clearly that this past year's Presidential Contest was not only a battle between Political Parties, Democrats Versus Republicans, but also to my mind a battle between Good And Evil and Democracy versus Autocracy.

In 2024 the end result to my mind was not one that I had expected or approved of.  I know that it is easy to look back on 2024 and find fault with Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and other Democrats but I don't find much fault with Biden or Harris.  

There certainly was a problem with Joe Biden's performance in his first 2024 debate with Trump.  From what I recall he had a lot going on at that time including traveling around the world for various functions and also legal issues with regard to his son, Hunter Biden.  Was Joe sluggish and distracted on the debate stage. Yes. But to his credit, Joe Biden tried his best to answer every question truthfully on the debate stage.  While Donald Trump certainly seemed to be a little more quick on the uptake in the debate What stood out to me was the fact that Trump blatantly but skillfully lied on almost every question he was asked.  He also skillfully turned almost every question around to the border, which Biden failed to push back on Trump's outrageous demand that the Congress not pass the border bill that had been worked out between Democrats and Republicans because Trump wanted to run for President on the issue of the border, and he did run on it.

Although I don't know if it would have made much difference in the end election result, I think that Democrats reacted way too quickly in demanding that Biden get out of the race and every time that a Democrat demanded that Joe should Go it reduced his chances of winning and the chances of Democrats to show strength in the upcoming election.  Certainly despite everything Joe Biden had a four year record of astounding success to run on.

When Biden finally faced the fact that he had lost control of the race and bowed out he wisely turned the reins of the Biden Campaign over to Kamala Harris, who ran an absolutely outstanding Campaign with the Biden team and her own team working well together with the Democratic Party.  The Democratic Convention was outstanding with Party Unity seemingly with Kamala Harris, as well as her wisely chosen Vice Presidential pick, Tim Walz appreciated all around.  Everywhere Kamala and Tim went there were Large and Enthusiastic crowds.  Things looked good wherever and whenever the Democratic Candidates spoke.

Trump on the other hand appeared to be Verbally Rambling and "Weaving" everywhere he went and appeared at many points to be losing his mind and his memory.  He lost so badly to Kamala in the only debate that they had that he was forced to tell his followers, many of whom probably didn't watch the debate, that he won the debate and that Harris was begging for another debate (which she probably was) but he was not going to debate her because he didn't have to because he won the debate with her.  This message that Trump gave to his followers was an outright lie.  Clearly anyone who watched the debate saw Kamala Harris Embarrass and Humiliate Donald Trump throughout that debate. But that wasn't the message that Trump voters were getting.

Toward the end of the Campaign Trump had a Campaign Event at Madison Square Garden that had echoes of another American Nazi movement from a bygone era.  I certainly saw that disgusting spectacle as something that hammered the last nail into Donald Trump's Political Coffin.

But in the end Donald Trump's lies and deceits somehow did not apparently keep him from being Re Elected

Despite the fact that it appeared to me as though Donald Trump could not win, I was wrong and on Today's Inauguration Day Donald Trump came back to the Capitol, where he had sent his Shock Troops on January Sixth of 2021, and was once again sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.

I was so determined not to watch today's proceedings that I had set up a Doctor's appointment today to keep me away from a television set.

But today the considerable amount of snow that hit eastern Pennsylvania kept me home from my Doctor's Office and since I was home and had watched many an Inauguration in past years I capitulated and watched this one too.  

It was indoors at the Capitol and as in other years previous Presidents such as George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were there.  Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton were also there, as Was, of course Melania Trump and Trump's family members.  Michelle Obama was not there. 

The Supreme Court Members were there with Robes on.  Congress members and proposed Trump Cabinet members were also there, as well as several Millionaires and Billionaires.

Donald Trump gave a speech which started out OK but soon weaved into what George Bush might be calling "Some Weird Shit" under his breath.

But clearly this "Weird Shit" is not going to be going away soon.  Certainly not for another Four Years, at least.  

As weird as this shit is going to get it was actually kind of encouraging after what happened four years ago to see that despite the Weirdness of Trump's Return to Power it was not weird to see Trump's predecessor and the other Presidents show up to show that at least on this day we are still a democracy with Rules and Traditions.  At least Maybe we are going to remain a Democracy despite what we are going to see and experience for the Next Four Years.

I think that in the end the best way to deal with what is coming in the next four years is to Hope for the Best but Prepare for the worst.  At least that is what I am going to try to do.  

I am going to try to look forward to every day that I am alive and be grateful for what I have and that I have the Good Fortune to live in the United States of America.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher  

 

Unhappy New Year In New Orleans And Las Vegas - Murder And Suicide As Political Statements

 Saturday January 11th, 2025

Back in 2001 Bill Maher lost his Late Night ABC Television Show "Politically Incorrect" for stating that the 9/11 Hijackers who killed themselves along with thousands of Innocent Americans had a lot of guts for being willing to sacrifice their own lives for a purpose that they believed in.

Maher was absolutely correct, of course.  It certainly did take a lot of guts for the Islamic Terrorists to sacrifice their own lives in what they considered as Jihad.

Once again in the early hours of New Years Day we have seen Terrorists, this time Homegrown American Terrorists, willing to sacrifice their own lives in the New Orleans Case for the apparent alligiance to the Islamic State or as it is better known, ISIS.  

The New Orleans Terrorist had left social media posts indicating that prior to his despicable act on Bourbon Street in which he ran down New Years Revelers he had pledged his commitment to ISIS.  He also had an ISIS Flag on the rented truck which he rammed into the Bourbon Street Partiers in New Orleans.  When the truck stopped the driver jumped out of the truck and started shooting.  New Orleans Police who were nearby returned fire and killed the Terrorist.  Certainly the man driving the truck down Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Years Day would have known that this particular street at this particular time would have been loaded with people celebrating the arrival of New Years Day.  It certainly looks as though the individual who committed this crime was looking for maximum damage to people and he certainly got it and got new publicity for ISIS, which had been starving for publicity these days.

We had not heard much about ISIS lately.  Our Once and Future President, Donald Trump had claimed responsibility for wiping ISIS off the map during his prior Administration.  Could it possibly be that Donald Trump was not telling us the truth about that?  

Yes, that is certainly possible.

Not only has Donald Trump lied about the elimination of ISIS.  In this terribly unstable period of time as he prepares to return to the Presidency he has also taken the tragic situations in New Orleans and Las Vegas and lied about the perpetrators of these criminal acts.  Prior to much being known about the New Orleans and Las Vegas Terrorists Donald Trump was quick to claim that these people were "Illegal Aliens".  Following investigations by the FBI and Regional Police forces it was learned that not only were the New Orleans and Las Vegas Terrorists American Citizens but, like many members of the January Sixth Mob that attacked the Capitol, they were American Citizens and either current or Former Military Personnel. We still don't know much about why these men did what they did early on New Years Day.  Since both of the Terrorists are dead in what appears to be in New Orleans Suicide by Cop and in Las Vegas Suicide by shooting himself and blowing himself up in a Tesla Truck outside of a Trump Hotel, it is doubtful that we will ever truly know how and why both of these men who had Relatively Positive Military Service Histories went Rogue on New Years Day in 2025.

There are clues, of course, regarding the motives of these two men who ended up killing themselves and in New Orleans many others also.  But the clues are confusing and in many cases contradictory regarding why these men did what they did on New Years Day.

Although it certainly appears as though the New Orleans killer was looking to promote the fear that ISIS likes to promote, the motives of the Las Vegas man who blew up a Tesla Truck with himself in it outside of a Trump Hotel is a bit more difficult to fathom.  

Supposedly this Military man was a Trumper. So What in the hell was he doing committing suicide by shooting himself and blowing up a Tesla Truck outside a Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.  What kind of message was his desperate act sending to Donald Trump and/or Tesla Founder and Trump Buddy, Elon Musk.  Or was he sending a message to America and if he was, What in the hell was it?

It wasn't that long ago when a well educated University Of Pennsylvania graduate named Luigi Mangione was identified as the killer of the CEO of United Healthcare outside a hotel in New York city.  After a tip by a McDonalds employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Mangione was caught and with much publicity he was brought back to New York to be indicted.  

Although Television Network News programs have shown the murder of the United Healthcare CEO over and over, Mangione, who is a handsome guy seems to be well on his way to being somewhat of a Folk Hero to some, rather than a villain as a result of his murdering the Healthcare Executive.

What the hell is going on Here?  Have we gone Completely mad as we watch the mention of Mangione's name being cheered like a Rock Star on Saturday Night Live recently.  Are we really going to become a country in which Killers and Terrorists are cheered and revered rather than reviled.  Are ISIS and Al Quida being welcomed back as if Their terrible legacies do not exist.

We witness daily the frightening situation in Ukraine, as the brave patriots of that country fight to keep their Freedom as the Russians (Who have no right to be in Ukraine in the first place) keep fighting to annex that presently Democratic country.  We wait nervously as we hope that Donald Trump will not sacrifice Democracy in Ukraine to satisfy his Puppet Master, Vladimir Putin.

We watch with Horror as Israel wipes out not only Hamas, but also the Palestinian People, most of whom were not responsible for the Hamas Terror Squad who killed and kidnapped so many Israelis back on October 7th of last year.

We see that the world, which has always been a dangerous place seems to be getting more and more dangerous by the day not only in our country but all over the world where the warning lights are flashing multiple Red alerts.  

Not only are Americans worried about keeping their freedom in the Second Coming of Trump but England, France, Germany, Taiwan are all concerned about keeping their own Governments from falling into the wrong hands.

We are living in an astonishing age where Responsible Political behavior seems out of style and only insane behavior seems to be worthy of being rewarded.

Thank you once again, Joe Biden for not only telling us the truth but for improving all aspects of our lives and keeping us from what we are now headed into in just a few days.  I don't know why or how there were enough voters to give Donald Trump a Political victory in November.  We have seen him appoint many of the worst people possible for his cabinet members and we have seen Republicans become nothing but Insensitive Lap Dogs for Donald Trump.  You and Kamala have done your best Joe but apparently it wasn't good enough to keep the Democracy going.  Maybe miracles will happen and we will get through the next four years without our country descending into complete insanity.

Maybe Pigs will fly.  But then Maybe not.

God help us, Joe.  You have done what you could and we certainly appreciate it.  At least some of us do.  Unfortunately you were not a Miracle Worker.  You were just a Good Man doing a Good Job and Not enough Americans appreciated that.

There's not much more to say to you, Joe Except.

Happy New Year.  

Enjoy your time at Rehoboth Beach.      

     

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher