Message For Simone Biles

August 3rd, 2021

Dear Simone:

You don't know me and I really don't know you but I have been a big fan on yours for quite awhile now.  You have a lot of fans like me who have seen you growing up in America looking kind of like many other kids in America but having a talent that catapulted you far above even the best of other gymnasts in the world. 

When it comes to gymnastics you have done it all and you have done it well and through it all it seems to me that you have radiated a sweetness and kindness and a respect for others that is not found in all athletes.  You truly have been to the "Mountaintop" of gymnastics competitions and have found yourself alone at the top of the gymnastics heap over and over and over again.  You have a gymnastics record at your young age (24) that will probably never be surpassed.  You have 30 combined Olympic and World Championship medals.

You, My Dear Simone, have nothing more to prove.

You had a rough start to your Olympic Competition this time out.  You could tell and others could tell that you were not at the top of your Gymnastic Game and you were faced with a choice of what to do about it.  You made the choice to partially sit this one out because you were well aware of the fact that if you did compete you could have seriously injured yourself permanently.

For the most part, your decision to back off and allow your American teammates to pursue their dreams in your place was accepted and encouraged by most Americans and indeed athletes and citizens from around the world.  Regardless of what others thought about your decision it was a decision that only you could have made and should have made.  It was a decision that really should not have promoted controversy.  Unfortunately, however, we live in a Nation and in a world where people who have no talent in gymnastics and generally no interest at all in gymnastics, feel as though they are entitled to have an opinion regarding what you have done in the 2021 Olympics.

Certainly there are people in your life who are entitled to have an opinion about what you do.  Your parents, your foster parents, your coaches, your boyfriend certainly might be entitled to express their opinions to you.  But in the end the only person who should really be entitled to decide whether or not you are in shape to safely participate in your Olympic Competitions is you.  

The only reason that I am writing this message to you is because, as I suppose should have been expected, some mainly right wing jackass commentators have taken it upon themselves to make negative and insulting judgements about you.  Words like Quitter, Loser and other epithets have been used to describe your situation unfairly.

I am writing this message to you in order to ask you to ignore these unfair criticisms.  You have done nothing wrong and, in fact, you have done everything right.  You saw that you were not in shape to compete initially and instead of leaving the competition you stayed and heartily encouraged your teammates, who certainly came through on their own merits.  You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.  You have competed and won at the Olympics before.  You encouraged your teammates to victory and you avoided a disaster happening for yourself because you weren't ready.  When you were ready you did compete and you were successful.  You made the correct choices.

Perhaps this Olympic Experience is actually a blessing in disguise.  Your whole life has been gymnastics.  Maybe it is time for you to move on to other pursuits.  You are articulate and attractive.  Maybe Writing, Broadcasting, Podcasting might be something you might like to do and would be good at.  Certainly, like Michael Phelps and others a sports commentator position might be something you might enjoy.  Settling down and raising a family might also be healthy for you but only if you are ready. 

You are a young woman who has certainly lived an interesting and a fulfilling life so far.  But you really do have your whole life ahead of you to pursue other things.  Don't push things in gymnastics to a point where you might get hurt.  

You will always be a hero to children interested in sports, especially black children.  Young black kids, like yourself, don't have enough heroes to model themselves after.  You have shown yourself to be the kind of heroine that all kids could model themselves after.  Perhaps starting a foundation to work with young kids would be something you might like to do.

You have always been a winner and you will continue to be one if you continue to make the right decisions like the ones that you made this year at the Olympics.  Don't let the Nay Sayers get to you.  It is easy to be a Critic.  It is not so easy to get to a level in a sport like Gymnastics where you have been.

We in America and in the World are very Proud of You and what you have accomplished in your young life.  

You are a World Champion.  You Continue to be a Champion and even if others do outpace your accomplishments in the future You will still always be a Champion and an incredible Inspiration to other Young Athletes who may follow you to the Olympic Podiums of the Future.

Godspeed Simone in whatever you choose to do in your Future.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Blue Lives Matter Although Not At The United States Capitol Building on January Sixth

 July 31st, 2021

My Dear America

They were lined up seemingly from shortest to tallest.  The Boys in Blue.  The  Police Officers who bravely defended the Nations Capitol Building on January Sixth, that terrible day that we all wish didn't happen.  That is all of us Except Donald Trump and apparently those Republican Allies who are foolishly sticking by him in his efforts to Eradicate Democracy and install a Hitlerian Form of Dictatorship in The United States Of America.  

The Police Officers testifying before the January Sixth Commission were Daniel Hodges and Michael Fanone of the D.C Metropolitan Police Force and Sergeant Aquillo Gonell and Officer Harry Dunn of The United States Capitol Police Force.

The Police Officers were testifying at the First Public Session of the House of Representatives Select Committee appointed To Investigate the Invasion of the Capitol Building on January Sixth, Twenty Twenty One.  This Investigative body has been charged by the House of Representatives to investigate Who Invaded The Capitol, Why They Invaded the Capitol,  What damage the Invaders did while in the Capitol and Who Planned and Encouraged the Capitol Invasion.

There had been considerable arguing between Democrats and Republicans regarding whether or not there should have been an investigation by the Congress to begin with.  Democrats said Yes, there  should be.  Republicans (With The Exception of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger) said No, There should not be an investigation by the House

On the Morning of Tuesday, July 27th, however the matter was moot.  The January Sixth Commission was fully in operation with Several Democratic Members of the House, including Commission Chairman, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Zoe Loghgren, Adam Schiff and Pete Aguilar, from California, Jamie Raskin from Maryland, Stephanie Murphy from Florida and Elaine Luria from Virginia and the Two Republicans, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who were now being called "Pelosi Republicans" by House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy.

I guess being called "Pelosi Republicans" must mean that they are Republicans who believe in telling the Truth rather than parroting and promoting Donald Trump's Bullshit Lies.

The Police Officers Testimony was riveting and certainly made it clear that Donald Trump and his Republican Allies had good reason not to see this investigation take place.  

Republicans had downplayed the necessity of an investigation of the January Sixth Insurrection. 

One Republican House member characterized the Capitol Incursion as being like a bunch of 'Tourists' walking calmly through the Capitol Building, apparently not taking into consideration that the mob smashed windows to get in for their "Tour" of the Capitol shouting "Where's Nancy" and "Hang Mike Pence." They even crapped on the floor.  

Metropolitan Police Officer, Daniel Hodges had a different term for these "Tourists" which was certainly more appropriate.  He called the members of the mob "Terrorists" every time he spoke of them during his testimony to the Committee.  They certainly were that to him during his encounter with the Trump Goon Squad.  He and all four of the Officers testifying spoke of the horribly violent treatment they had all received at the hands of the Trump inspired mob.  

They were beaten with pipes, flag poles carrying Trump Flags and American Flags kicked and spat on and subjected to all manner of degradation by the "Terrorists."

Officer Harry Dunn was bombarded with epithets including countless cries of "Nigger" when he bravely acknowledged that he had voted for Joe Biden after he was told by a Crowd member that "Nobody voted for Joe Biden."

Sergeant Gonell stated that he was called a "Traitor" and a "Disgrace' by the rioters despite the fact that he was an Iraq Army Veteran, as well as a Police Officer.  He was also told that he should be executed and, in fact, thought he was going to be.  He was beaten badly by the rioters, as were the other testifying officers, and has numerous continuing Physical as well as Emotional wounds, as do the other officers on the panel.  Gonell mocked the Trump claim of "Hugs and kisses" given by the rioters to the officers. Gonell likened the violence of January Sixth to the violence of a medieval battlefield.  He stated that January Sixth was worse than anything he ever experienced during the Iraq War.

Officer Daniel Hodges said he was told by one of the "Terrorists" that "You will die on your knees.

Officer Michael Fanone testified that he was pulled into the crowd beaten, shocked repeatedly with a taser, robbed of his badge and knocked unconscious, suffering a heart attack.  Fanone also said he heard a rioter say "Kill him with his own gun."

Although one woman was shot inside the Capitol the officers testified that they did not use their guns in their attacks because they realized that shooting rioters would only make a very bad situation worse. I think we should applaud them for their obvious restraint when it came to shooting.

Although Republicans found it appropriate to fund countless investigations of Benghazi, Mitch McConnell had the nerve to state that he couldn't find the time to tune into the January Sixth Hearing which was Televised.  

Everything revealed in the testimony of the Police Officers about January Sixth is Deeply Disturbing.   That testimony  combined with the nationwide efforts of Republicans to rip away voting rights from Democrats makes it time to recognize that we are knee deep in a political quicksand that is about to kill Democracy in the United States Of America.

Yes, Democrats right now control the White House, The House and Senate but if Republicans nationwide get their way Democrats will not be in the driver's seat for long.  Efforts are continuing in nearly every state in the union to restrict voting for many Democratic constituencies.

It is time for Democrats to get active in every way possible in every state, County and municipality in the country  

It is time for Real Patriots to step up and do what we can to save the benefits of Democracy that we have taken for granted for so long.  

It is time to put Donald Trump and his White Nationalist-Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Patriots out to pasture and regain sanity again in both the Republican and Democratic parties.  We owe it to our Founding Fathers and we owe it to Ourselves to rid this nation of this Anti Democratic Cancer on our Democracy before it is too late to save what Democracy we have left.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Nancy With The Slapping Face

 July 24th, 2021

Republicans seem to have an obsession with trying to denigrate and demean Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.  They have tried it over and over and time after time Nancy Pelosi comes out on top and remains one of the most effective House Speakers and indeed Politicians we have ever had.  Yet in this increasingly Male Dominated Political realm the Republicans don't seem to learn their lesson that Nancy Pelosi is no shrinking violet that anybody in Congress can kick around.  She is widely respected and admired by Democrats in this Congress and she will continue to be the Strong Leader of Democrats that she has always been regardless of Republican efforts to sabotage her.

Nancy has always been Ballsy and Fearless even in the Ugly face of Republican Scorn and Truly UnAmerican Activities on January Sixth when MAGA Monsters invaded the Halls of Congress in search of Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence, as well as other Democrat Legislators to hang on a scaffold they had built outside the Capitol Building.  It was not the first time Shameless Individuals like this had wanted to hang people in the United States.  There had actually been a long and shameful history of mobs hanging people in the United States of America in decades long gone.

Clearly on the day of the Capitol Insurrection, urged on by Donald Trump's "Big Lie" and his Minions, the death, destruction and damage at the Capitol could have been even worse than it turned out to be, although what happened was certainly bad enough.  On that dark day in January people died.  Looking back on it and watching the continuing frightening footage that keeps appearing on television it strikes me that it is a total wonder that it did not become the bloodbath it would have been if Black Lives Matter Protesters were the ones storming the Capitol.  

But then it wasn't Black Lives Matter Protestors who invaded the Capitol.  It was those Whack Lives Matter Trump Supporters who stormed the United States Capitol.  

It wasn't Antifa who stormed the Capitol.

It wasn't Democrats pretending to be MAGA Supporters with their Red hats and Trump Flags and American Flags.

It was the MAGA supporters themselves carrying their Trump and American flags on the flagpoles that they beat she shit out of the Capitol Police with.

On January Sixth both Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell seemed to know who to be angry with about the Invasion of the Capitol.  They both condemned Donald Trump for organizing a "Stop The Steal" rally in Washington on the same day that Joe Biden would be officially certified by Congress as having been elected President of the United States.  At that Rally Trump continued to spread the Bullshit Lie that the election had been stolen from him.

McCarthy and McConnell both condemned Trump's Senseless and Selfish Actions on that day and shortly afterward.  Yet following that horrible day Mc and Mc seemed to to develop a form of Political Amnesia regarding the actions of Donald Trump on January Sixth.  

Democratic Congressional Leaders including Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, however, have had no trace of that Political Amnesia and have been pushing since January Sixth to have a fair, reasonable and bipartisan investigation conducted regarding What happened on that day, Why it happened and What to do to prevent it from happening in the future.

My wife and I were watching the Election Certification Activities on Television on the afternoon of January Sixth.  Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley in the Senate and several Republican members of the House, although the election results were clear that Biden won, were wiling to Obstuct the Certification proceedings in order to kiss up to Donald Trump. 

Plain and simply Donald Trump knew what he was doing on January Sixth.  He knew that his mob would follow his lead and he told them that he was going to go with them to the Capitol.  He did not do that, however.  He slunk back into the White House and according to White House Staffers he really enjoyed the Capitol TV Show and could not understand why others in the White House were not as excited and pleased by the proceedings as he was.

Clearly the Democrats have tried to do the right thing when it comes to investigating the Capitol Insurrection.  They tried to appeal to Republicans in the House and Senate to set up a Bipartisan Investigation of the Capitol Riot.  Republican Leaders and many Republican Legislators rejected that effort.

So when that bipartisan effort failed Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in the House decided to set up a Select Committee through the House of Representatives including Democrats and Republicans.  

Republican House Leader, Kevin McCarthy was allowed to make Five Choices for appointment to the Committee.  Two of his choices, One of whom was Jim Jordan, who was well know to be a Trump Ass Kissing Disrupter in previous Impeachment Investigations of Trump, were rejected by Nancy Pelosi.  Good for her in preventing the January Sixth Investigation from turning into a Clown Show.

Although McCarthy is presenting Nancy's blocking of two disgustingly partisan Trump allies from being appointed to the Investigation Committee as Abuse of Power, it seems to me that the shoe is on the other foot and it is McCarthy who has mistakenly knowingly made bad choices for the Committee.  Like the fool that he is, McCarthy took his appointees and went home refusing to seat any of the Republicans he had chosen to be on the Committee.

Now he is in the unenviable position of watching Nancy Pelosi outwit him again.

Nancy had already appointed Conservative Republican, Liz Cheney to the Committee and word is that Republican House Member, Adam Kinzinger is also probably going to be appointed to the January Sixth Investigation Committee.  So in the end Kevin McCarthy will not have any of his chosen members on the January Sixth Investigation Committee.

Way to go, Kevin.  Nancy Pelosi has outsmarted you again.  

Now ain't that a Slap in the Face.  

You should be getting used to it by now.     

So as it stands now only the two Republican House Members who have refused to believe in Trump's "Big Lie" will be sitting among the Democrats appointed to the January Sixth Committee when it meets this coming Tuesday to begin its Investigation of the January Sixth Invasion of the Capitol.  They will begin these public hearings by listening to the Police Officers who put their lives on the line on January Sixth to protect members of Congress.

It should be interesting but also disturbing testimony as the officers reveal the details of the January Sixth Invasion of the Capitol from their perspective.  

Even though most Republicans will not be part of the Investigation I hope they do pay attention to the Officer's testimony and will in the end help to insure that what happened on January Sixth will never happen again.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Happy First Anniversary To Podcast For A Lost Nation

 July 12th, 2021

I recorded the first Episode of "Podcast For A Lost Nation" just about a Year ago in July of 2020, the year of the Covid 19 Pandemic.  

Remember that.  

Our President at the time discouraged people from wearing masks and thanks to him several hundred thousand people died who probably could have been saved.  Oh yes, also President Trump had his own Weird theories on how to deal with Covid 19.  He famously said all that was needed was a little bleach and some light inserted through the rear end of the body.

These and many other insane and reckless lunatic fringe ideas from the mind of Donald Trump that Americans tolerated for four long years pushed me in July of 2020 to think about starting a Podcast.

What finally pushed me over the edge into actual Podcasting was listening to several episodes of Michael Moore's excellent Podcast, "Rumble".  On the episodes I heard Michael Moore encouraging listeners to start their own Podcasts on Spotify.  I listened to his encouragement and checked out the "Anchor" Website which gave instructions on what to do to start a Podcast.  I found out that I had the right equipment already with a good Shure microphone and a "Focusrite" Interface to attach to my computer.

After four years of Madness with Donald Trump in the White House I was terrified in July of 2020 that he might get re-elected.  I wanted to do something other than what I had done in other Presidential Elections in which I volunteered to call Democrats on the phone.  I know those calls do need to be done but I hate making calls to people, who on those few occasions that they answer, get annoyed by your calls.

I thought that with a Podcast if someone got annoyed listening to it that they could turn it off and I would be none the wiser if they were annoyed. 

In 2008 I had begun writing a Blog that I called "Letters To a Lost Nation" and had been continuing to write Blog Posts ever since.  I found that it was rather easy for me to take my Blog Posts and read them off my IPad and record them as Podcasts.

So that's what I have done with "Podcast For A Lost Nation" over the past year. I was hoping that by now in July of 2021 that i might be able to write about something other than Donald Trump and I have, at times, but like a Zombie or a Cat with nine lives, even though Donald Trump was defeated in the November 2020 Election he has only gone to Mara Lago but has not gone out of our lives.

I don't know what was wrong with me to think that after the 2020 Election that Donald Trump would behave like every other losing Candidate in every other American Presidential Election and Congratulate Joe Biden as the winner and leave the scene.  I guess I forgot that for Donald Trump the absolute worst thing in the world is to be a "LOSER."  So after what was clearly a good showing for Donald Trump in November of 2020 Trump simply refused to accept the election outcome and apparently, at least to his own mind, he is still not a loser. 

Trump did lose, however, in an election in which the American people can be proud of the Genuine Integrity of the election.  Despite the disgusting raid on the Capitol by Trump's Goon Squad on January Sixth in which Trump incredibly hoped to prevent the United States Electoral System from working correctly, thanks to Mike Pence and the United States Congress it did work correctly, however and the Congress and Mike Pence did their jobs.  Even Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell did their jobs correctly on January Sixth.  They both condemned Trump and the Capitol Insurgents on the 6th but since that time they have once again, along with most other Republicans in Congress, pledged allegiance not to The United States but to Donald Trump.  

Instead of the vast numbers of Republicans waking up to the reality of how bad Donald Trump really is, it seems as though Trump's Narcissism has spread like a Cancer throughout the Republican Party, not only in Congress but in nearly every State House in America.  

Republicans choose to call their Incredibly Anti Democratic Legislation Voter Integrity Bills.  There is no integrity in these bills that are blatantly meant to disenfranchise Blacks and Young Voters, in particular and Democrats, in general.

I saw two interviews this week with Michael Woolf who has written three books about Donald Trump.  The latest book is called "Landslide" and is about the Final Days of the Trump Administration.  Although many commentators have danced around calling Donald Trump what he is, Michael Woolf was very clear in what he thinks about Donald Trump.

Woolf had the following words to say about Donald Trump:

He is Deranged.

He is A Lunatic.

He is Crazy.

Hats off to Michael Woolf.  You can't get much clearer than that.  

Its just too bad that Donald Trump seems to have made the Republican Party just as crazy as he is.

On this First Anniversary of "Podcast For A Lost Nation" I would like to take a minute to thank you, the listeners of "Podcast For A Lost Nation."  It has been encouraging to me to see how many of you have tuned in to the Podcast.  Unlike many other Podcasts that have production teams and sponsors I don't need or want a production team or sponsorship.  I see nothing wrong with these things but I would prefer to keep things simple.  I thank all of the listeners in the United States and in many other countries throughout the world including Germany, England, Ireland, Canada, Sweden, France and the United Arab Emirates who have tuned in to the Podcast.  I especially thank my friends and the members of my family who have tuned in and on occasion have given me some very valuable feedback.  

Thanks to Mickey, Jon, John and Anita, Larry, Rachel and Dom, Colleen, Laura and Evan and to everyone else who has listened to the Podcast.  

I also want to thank Joe Biden for winning the Presidential Election in November of 2020 and his Cabinet and Staff for showing us all how Government should be and could be done correctly. 

I certainly thank Tom Wolf, Governor of Pennsylvania and Josh Shapiro, Attorney General of Pennsylvania for doing what they can to keep Republican Pennsylvania Legislators under control in our state and helping to keep Democracy alive in Pennsylvania.  

I also thank Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and their Democratic Colleagues in Congress for all they do in keeping Democracy Alive in the House of Representatives and Senate in Congress and in The United States of America. 

I also want to thank Michael Moore for his enduring dedication to keeping Democracy alive in the United States of America and his inspiration for me to keep striving for Democracy even in the face of tremendous Republican efforts to weaken it or, in fact, kill it.  

Although I would like to see a time when I could relax and enjoy the encouraging progress made by the Biden Administration and look forward to many more years of Responsible Democratic Governing, the frightening changes happening in the Republican Party and the United States of America seem bound to keep me focused on keeping our "Lost Nation" a Democracy.

Finally, I would like to sincerely thank "Anchor" and "Spotify" for providing me the opportunity and the tools to make "Podcast For A Lost Nation" possible at no cost to me.  

I look forward to many more years of Podcasting to come.  Even though this year has been stressful, it has also been rewarding in a lot of ways.

Once again I say to all of you:  "Thanks For Listening."

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher 

The Creature From Mara Lago

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

My Dear America:

There He Was.  

Once again he was lumbering awkwardly across the stage on the way to the podium.  

He was already sweaty and extremely pale and looking as though he he had just emerged from a coffin and was was starring in a remake of "The Horror of Dracula".  

The place where he was speaking was the Fairgrounds in Wellington, Ohio.  

Although he bragged about the crowd size it certainly looked to me as though there were fewer and less enthusiastic people there than Donald Trump was used to in the old days back when he was still running for President and later on when he actually was still President.  One could understand, however, that the crowd size might have been reduced by the number of Trump admirers from Ohio who were still locked up after their participation in the January 6th Insurrection.

He is no longer President, of course (Whether he wants to admit it or not). 

He clearly and decisively lost the Presidential Election back in November of 2020.  He will never admit that, of course, and he has somehow convinced an extensive portion of the Republican Party that his Fraud Fantasy of Joe Biden and the "Radical Communist Left Wing Democrats" screwing him out of this Righteous Landslide Victory in 2020 is a real thing.

It Is Not.  

So in honor of the Phantom Screw Job and "Big Lie" that Donald Trump holds onto like a drowning man holding onto a metal life raft that doesn't float but sinks with him beneath the waves, Many Republicans have chosen to join their leader in his Insane Fantasy.

Instead of having the balls to tell Trump that he's full of shit and that he should "Get Over It" the majority of the Republican Party seem to have chosen to look at the situation and act accordingly.  In other words the Republican Party which has long been a party that valued and praised Democracy and were always out in front when it came to protecting the vote have chosen to not only abandon sanity but also to abandon Democracy.

In nearly every State where Trump legitimately lost his Presidential Election bid in 2020 and in many other Republican Led States, as well, Republican Legislators and other Republican State Officials have chosen to blatantly advocate for Clearly Anti Democratic Legislation which are meant to and certainly will negatively affect voters who are black, poor and young.  Namely Democratic Voters

How Republicans can blatantly vote to kill Democracy in light of their party's Pro Democracy History and live with themselves is difficult if not impossible to understand.  

But John McCain and many Republicans like him are gone and clearly forgotten in today's Republican Party where "Power To The People" has been replaced by Trump Toadies like Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy with "Power To The Party."

Republican Party Leaders like Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy appeared to be recognizing reality and leading the charge against Donald Trump after Trump sent his Goon Squad into the Capitol on January 6th to ransack it and to hopefully "Hang Mike Pence" rather than to have him certify the election.

But at the end of that awful day Mike Pence was still alive and doing his job, which was leading Congress in Certifying the Election of Joe Biden.

Although McConnell and McCarthy spoke out forcefully at the time and shortly after the January Sixth Riot against what Trump did on that day, they have since reversed what initially appeared to be their courageous stands and now stand with Trump and his Lunatic Fringe Conspiracy Theories.

Telling the Truth in the Republican Party now seems to be an outmoded and rather Quaint Bit of Ancient American Political History.  Witness the rise of Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene and the fall of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both of whom are truly Conservative Representatives who have refused to fall into line with the "Big Lie" and are paying a serious price for their honesty.

It didn't take long for Donald Trump to start passing out the Bull Shit in Ohio last Saturday.  He never mentioned the fact that he was already on notice that he might be indicted in New York any day now.

"It's a Witch Hunt" he said.  Where have we heard that one before.  Oh, That's right.  The Mueller Report"

"I'm the only one trying to save Democracy," Trump claimed. That one was almost funny.

"They used Covid To steal the Election," Trump also said.  He failed to explain how "They" did that, however.  

Trump introduced the Ohio Crowd to Some of his chosen Candidates such as Max Miller, Mike Carey and Jacketless Jim Jordan, as well as some of his other favorite syncophants including Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Trump's assessment of Democrat Tim Ryan who was running next year for Senate was a bit rude.

"He's a Stiff, A Disaster," Trump claimed.  "Look who's talking" I thought.

Whether we like it or not The Creature from Mara Lago is back.  

He is truly scary as hell and he has no limits.

He also seems to have the entire Republican Party under his control.

I don't understand it.  I will never understand it.  Truly the entire Republican Party seems to have lost its collective mind and at this point the only real way to fight it is for Democrats to give Republicans what they fear most. 

We need to organize the Democratic Party more than we ever have before because, People, Democracy is on the line and it is on the ropes and if we are not careful we might find ourselves living in Nazi Land and Trust me that is not a place where any of us want to live and if you have your senses about you and can think for yourself whether or not you are a Republican or a Democrat you don't want to live in a Nazi Country.

But these are scary times and Donald Trump is a frightening character and his party is even more frightening because he and they are willing to say goodbye to Democracy.

I'm not ready for that and I trust that We have enough Americans who we can get together in our future elections to get these Frightening Ceatures out of our politics so that we can go back to our imperfect but Decent Democracy that we do have now and would like to keep as long as we Possibly can.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Lets Celebrate The End Of Slavery With "The Grandmother Of Juneteenth"

Friday June 19th, 2021

My Dear America:

President Joe Biden was on Television this week signing the most recent example of Bipartisan Congressional Legislation.  

What?  No.  That can't be.  What in the Hell could qualify to pass with Bipartisan support successfully through the United States Congress in the Year 2021.

On the day after his Spectacularly Successful European Trip to visit with G7 Members, NATO Members and Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden signed the legislation establishing Juneteenth (June 19th) as the next American National Holiday.

The significance of Juneteenth is that over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln ending slavery in America that was when Blacks still in slavery in Texas found out about it and demanded their Freedom, which certainly had been more than a little late in coming their way.  

Yes, there is actually still a possibility to have Bipartisan Legislation pass successfully through the Halls of the Congress of the United States of America.  

We all thought that Bipartisan seemed to be a word that was no longer used in Polite American Society.  Certainly it has been used rarely, if at all, in Republican Legislative Discussions

Although in years gone by Bipartisan was a highly respected word that usually meant that there was sincere and friendly cooperation between Republicans and  Democrats, that friendly cooperation has been missing in recent years.

Quite frankly, however, the Juneteenth Legislation seems to be somewhat of an Aberration rather than a signal of more Bipartisanship to come.

We can certainly hope for it but it seems to me highly unlikely that Bipartisanship is what Republicans are looking for in the days, weeks and years to come.

I may be wrong, though.  I certainly hope that I am.  

I would love to see genuine Bipartisanship make a comeback in the United States of America.

What a Treat that would be for not only Democrats, but also for those remaining    Decent Republican Politicians who sincerely want to accomplish good things in America and are willing to buck the Anti Democratic Trend in their Party.

When President Biden along with Vice President Kamala Harris announced that Juneteenth would this week become a Federal Holiday they strongly suggested that States follow suit as they did With Martin Luther King Day and other Federal Holidays to make Juneteenth a National Holiday.

Although there were many dignitaries at the Juneteenth Signing Ceremony there was one person who was more deserving of being there than even the Vice President or President.  She was a 94 Year old Grandmother from Fort Worth, Texas named Opal Lee.  "Miss Opal", as she was called by President Biden, was there in the White House getting a shout out from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and a standing ovation from the crowd of dignitaries because she had been fighting for many Decades to accomplish what was being accomplished in her presence on June 17th, 2021.  "Miss Opal" was called up to the desk where Biden signed the Juneteenth Legislation into law and stood by his side and received the first pen used to sign the Juneteenth document into law.  "Miss Opal" was so excited that she dropped the pen but it was picked up and passed back to her.

Yes, Indeed, while there were plenty of important people on hand for this important occasion, No one was more important than "The Grandmother Of Juneteenth." 

As is usually the case, Rachel Maddow later in the evening had a lot more information regarding the rest of the story of Opal Lee and her incredible connection not only to June 19th 1865 but also June 19th, 1939.  Rachel presented a couple of old Fort Worth Newspaper stories detailing an incident that occurred in back in 1939 in Fort Worth, Texas, the city where Opal Lee still lives.  

The Newspaper stories told the horrible tale of the Flake Family, who made the ap serious mistake of moving onto Annie Street in Fort Worth which was apparently an All White Section of Fort Worth.  Otis Flake had a wife and three children and had been assured by his Real Estate Agent that Mr. Flake and his family would have no difficulty in their new home.  Mr. Flake's Real Estate Agent was wrong.

Over a four night period the Flake Family were met with an incredibly violent reception by crowds of White individuals who were determined to drive out the Flake Family from their Annie Street Home.  After a night of 100 or so rioters terrorized his family, Otis Flake obtained a gun to protect the Flake Family.  According to the Rachel Maddow's story Mr. Flake was advised by the police that if he used that gun that the police would turn Mr. Flake over to the mob.  After nearly a week and increasing numbers of White mob participants (500 at last count) Mr. Flake and his family fled the new home they had purchased.  The white mob during the nightly riots removed furniture and other items from the Flake Home and burned them outside of the house.  After the furniture burned some individuals came inside and turned on the gas jets and  fled to watch the Flake House on Annie Road burn to the ground.  

According to a recent Newspaper investigation there was never anyone arrested following the Annie Street riot.  Opal Flake was 12 years old when she and her family were driven from their home and she apparently moved to another part of the city of Fort Worth, where "Miss Opal" still lives today.  The day that the Flake Family barely escaped alive from their home on Annie Street never to return again was on June 19th (Juneteenth) 1939.

It seems to me that it takes a very strong individual just to get through a terrible situation like that which Opal Flake and her family endured.  How could she look at Juneteenth as anything other than a dark and awful day that she never wanted to think about ever again.  

Although it is probably the case that "Miss Opal" has nightmarish recollections of Juneteenth, 1939, It is also the case, however, that despite what happened to "Miss Opal" and her family on that dark date, Opal Lee (Married Name) has lobbied first her state of Texas and also the Federal Government to make Juneteenth a National Holiday.  

On June 17th of 2021 she accomplished her goal of making Juneteenth a Federal Holiday with the cooperation of the United States Government, including the United States House of Representatives, The U.S. Senate and the American President and Vice President.  "Miss Opal's" persistence paid off just as it had in Texas when Texas declared Juneteenth a State Holiday.  

Now, hopefully, "Miss Opal Lee" can relax and enjoy the fact that she did the impossible.  Not only did she accomplish her goal of making Juneteenth a Texas State and Federal Holiday, she also did the equally impossible task of bringing Bipartisanship back to the United States Congress.

God Bless you, Miss Opal for not losing faith in your fellow Americans despite the terrible things you lived through and endured.  You deserve all the love and respect you are getting after your incredible accomplishments at 94 years of age.  Thank you for hanging in there with us and never losing faith in your fellow Americans.  What you learned and what you taught us will hopefully not be lost in the chaos of what we are all living through in this day and time.  You, "Miss Opal," are living proof of the enduring goodness of America.  You have certainly seen worse than we are seeing today.  We salute you this Juneteenth and we will continue to salute you for Many Juneteenth's to come.  

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

 

Please Do The Right Thing, Senator Manchin

 June 2nd, 2021

Dear Senator Manchin:

I know you don't know me and I don't know you but I think its important to me and maybe to my Nation that you and I communicate.

I have been writing a Political Blog since 2008.  I have enjoyed the experience, for the most part. For the first time when President Trump was elected we were stuck with a criminal figure type person as our President.  I started writing a long time ago back when Richard Nixon was our President.  I think you are old enough to remember him.

Nixon was a very bad guy, we thought.  Ultimately, he paid the price but don't forget how long he lied about Watergate and in the end he never took responsibility for screwing around with elections by having his "Plumbers" place bugging equipment in Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. back in the Seventies.

I know that Bill Clinton was impeached because he had sex with an intern.  I'm not saying that it was right for him to have sex with an intern but it shouldn't  have been an issue that led to impeachment.  In my mind when the legislature convicted him that was not an acceptable result of Impeachment.  What Bill Clinton did should only have been an issue with Hillary and Chelsea and no other individuals outside of their family and probably Monica Lewinsky's Family, not with the Whitewater Special Prosecutor.

Let me get down to the nitty gritty of why I am attempting to communicate with you.  I/We need a favor.  Senator Manchin we the people of the United States endured Donald Trump for four years.  

That's enough for my 78 year lifetime.  

Back in July of last year when I started my Podcast which is called "Podcast For A Lost Nation", by the way, the reason that I started the Podcast was that I was extremely fearful of the prospect of Trump's Re- Election in November of 2020.  After the Election When I watched the careful voting coverage on MSNBC and CNN I worried that in the end Trump might win another four years.

Thank God that did not happen. 

Yes, We Democrats went to the polls like we have done for a long time and we voted for Joe Biden, among other Democrats.  After the January 6th Coup Attempt and Joe Biden's Inauguration I expected that there would be some serious weeping and gnashing of teeth in the Republican Party.  Certainly There has been considerable Republican Blowback.  But Republicans refuse to accept the reality that Joe Biden won fair and square.

But Joe Biden has taken the reins of Government from his Loser and Lunatic predecessor and has made a lot of positive moves.  You know as well as I do, Senator Manchin just what a great job President Biden is doing under very difficult circumstances.  You see every day, Senator Manchin that in the Republican Party which we are living with it is not only the fringe that is messed up.  It is 70 percent of the party still hanging on to the "Big Lie" lie that Biden did not legitimately win the 2020 election.

Those of us living down here in the real world know better.  We know, for instance that in the United States unlike other countries like Russia and others, we counted every vote.  And Thank God, Biden won.  

Mitch McConnell admitted Biden won on television in January and was chastised by his Party leaders for telling the truth.    Liz Cheney was tossed out of her Republican Leadership Position because she insisted on telling the truth. about the 2020 Election.

In fact, Donald Trump has never told the truth about the election or admitted his loss.  

In Fact, Donald Trump continues to pursue the lie that he won the 2020 Election, when he did not.  

We Democrats need to understand and react as though the shit is hitting the fan because it is.  The fact is that if Donald Trump is reinstated as his Republican Minions are claiming is going to happen this summer then we all better learn to goose step because, as usual, Donald Trump is working through the Hitler and Putin Playbook.

You made a remark, Senator Manchin just recently that you "didn't want to destroy our Democracy" by voting to kill the Filibuster.  The truth is, Senator Manchin, that if you don't cooperate with eliminating the Filibuster you may very well be killing the progress that Joe Biden has been making, in spite of Republican efforts to destroy the Biden agenda.  

We need your help, Senator Manchin,  to gently put the Filibuster where it belongs, in the binge heap of Bad Right Wing Republican Ideas that Survived Slavery but still exist.  

I know that you and Democrats in your state are in a tough spot.  You, Senator Manchin, are in a very tough spot.  But do you believe, Sir, that it is right that a simple majority cannot move important legislation in the Senate.  I know you have tried to be bipartisan with your colleagues and I certainly commend you for that.  You are a good man in a difficult situation.  But you need to understand, Senator Manchin just how important you are not only for your party but also for your country.

Look at the liars throwing out the Truth Tellers in the Republican Party.  Look at Q Anon taking over the Republican Party.  It goes way beyond Donald Trump.  Trump Lost.   Trump lies.  It should not surprise anyone that Trump is a liar continuing to lie about not losing the Election.  Only the insane or the terminally dumb should by now still be believing that Trump won in 2020.

Biden Won.  Get over it everyone not accepting that.

In all of the 78 years that I have been alive I never sincerely worried about whether Democracy would survive in the United States of America.  I am worried about that now, though.  Donald Trump is a 21st Century Hitler.  He is twins with Vladimir Putin.  He is the leader of a Dark and Dangerous Movement that is capable of everything his Ruthless Mentors are. 

We are up Shits creek without a paddle, Sir and only you and your Democratic Colleagues can open up the flood gates to badly needed Democratic Legislation.  

We need protection for real voting integrity, not the bullshit Voting integrity bills that are going to take our votes away from us if we allow Republicans to get away with the murder of liberty and voting rights for us all.  

You, Senator Manchin, can save us in our hour of need.  By cooperating with eliminating the Filibuster you might lose voters in West Virginia but I would be willing to bet large sums of money, if I had it, that you will not lose your seat in the Senate by doing the right thing and will be rewarded for your efforts to keep Democracy Alive in America.

A much needed bill which needs passing is the voting rights bill which will negate the extremely partisan and horribly Anti Democratic Legislation that Republicans are passing in states all over this country in order to keep their hopes alive in future elections.  Clearly they realize that the hour of their party passing into oblivion is near.  Why are they so aligned with Donald Trump.  They need him.  They see clearly that without him they are nothing.  Unfortunately, They are also nothing with Trump, as well.

So Please Senator Manchin as you ponder in the coming days what to do, please think about what is right about voting to freeze or completely eliminate the Filibuster and then get on with voting for truly needed progressive and positive legislation. Please observe the negativity of the Republican Party and save us from the death of Democracy at a time when we need Democracy more than we have ever needed it in our lifetimes.

Thank You Senator Manchin for allowing me to present my views to you and to all Americans.  I know you  truly love our country and in the end when you realize the consequences of your actions you will do not only the Democratic Thing but the Right Things, as well, and after the elimination of the Filibuster will pass the Right kind of Legislation that will help to keep Democracy and Hope Alive in the United States Of America for many centuries to come.

We genuinely need you, Senator Manchin, to help us to Save our Democracy.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher