The American Democrat's Prayer - Thank You Jesus For Your Help In Soundly Defeating Donald J. Trump And Saving Democracy On November 8th, 2022

 Thursday, November 17th, 2020

My Dear America:

The following is a copy of my prayer to our lord Jesus in thanks for his helping us to save Democracy in The United States of America this past November 8th.

Dear Jesus

Thank you very much my lord and Savior for coming through for American Democrats on November 8th of this year.  

Lord knows we needed a miracle on Election Day of this year and thanks to you and the many thousands of New American Voters who came out in droves to save American Democracy we got that miracle done and we thank you for it.

I know that I haven't been to church for a long time and i apologize for that.  As you know I grew up Catholic but due to life and circumstances I became what is sometimes known as a "Fallen Away Catholic", unworthy of the sacraments and a "Sinner" in the eyes of the Catholic Church.  

Quite Frankly before Election Day I was scared to death that America was about to make the biggest mistake of her life.  I thought that we were on the edge of a cliff about to jump off into a Dangerous Abyss of Epic Proportions.  I sincerely thought that  in America we were about to trade in our precious freedoms for something sinister, dark and frightening.  It appeared to me as though we truly seemed to be poised to join the ranks of Dictatorships around the world like Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and many more who no longer know what it is to live in Freedom.  

We know, Lord, just how precious Freedom is and just how long we have fought hard to keep the American Freedoms that we do have.  

I know that there are some Americans who think that Abortion is murder and that American women should not have the right to terminate their pregnancy for any reason.  I don't know for sure what is right or wrong about Abortion.  I don't think that any Abortion is done without anguish or doubt upon the part of the woman who chooses not to have a child.

You have given us Free Will, Jesus and although utilizing that Free Will is sometimes uncomfortable and difficult I don't think that any government has the right to tell a woman who chooses to have an abortion that she and her doctor who assists in her abortion should be looked upon and treated as criminals.  

I thank you, Jesus, for allowing so many Americans to vote on Election Day to save Democracy in our country.  I thank you, along with the millions of young Americans, American women and Men, Latino and Latina Americans, Black Americans, Immigrant Americans, Handicapped Americans, Americans of all shapes, sizes and colors who make up the electorate of our country.  I thank you all for being there on November 8th in the voting booths and I thank those who chose to mail in their ballots or deposit their ballots in legal Drop Boxes around this country.  

Thank you, Jesus, for all of those American Voters and those American votes that have done their part to save American Democracy from the Eve of Destruction which November 8th could have been and would have been without your guidance and Freedom on Election Day.  It was clear to me on Election Day who I should and should not vote for.  I had two candidates in my state of Pennsylvania on the Republican side of the ticket who were Okay with some of the most extreme positions I had ever heard of.  

Doug Mastriano and Mehmet Oz were willing to see Democracy die in order to appease Donald Trump and to further their own power.  Thank you Lord for helping Pennsylvania voters and American voters all over the country to wake up to the reality of what we seemed to be about to give up on this past election day.

Thanks to you and your guidance we in America avoided making what would have been the biggest mistake of our lives on November 8th, of 2022

We saved America from the despicable and deplorable stupidity that drove many out of touch voters on Election day.  

We dodged a bullet for sure on election day but we need to learn a lesson from this extremely important experience.

We have often heard Benjamin Franklin quoted as saying that "We Have A Republic (in America) if we can keep it."  

Well, so far we have kept it.  Like we have done so many times before in times of war and peril when we needed to keep our country together in Democracy we have done what we needed to do and what you told us we needed to do.  

All of us who are lucky enough to be Americans need to learn a serious lesson from this most recent experience. Those of us who didn't care that much about voting need to look and learn from the many close races that occurred on November 8th that Freedom demands Responsibility and Responsible voting saved us this time but we came very close to losing our Democracy in this past election and this is not the end of the line for those individuals like Donald Trump or Ron Desantis or Kari Lake who think that we are too stupid to think for ourselves so they want to take away our freedom to govern ourselves.

We must wake up to reality America and stay awake and alert every election day because those who would wish us harm are no longer only on foreign shores.  

They are also very well represented on our shores as well.  

Some even run resorts on our shores or run states and government on our shores.

We have saved Democracy this time but there is no guarantee without voter vigilance that we can keep it.

Once more thank you God for showing us the way one more time out of the darkness into the light of Democracy.  

Please help us Jesus to be vigilant enough to keep that light of Democracy shining in our country and in our world for all time to come.  

Let us always follow the Golden Rule that you have taught us so many years ago and always treat others the way we wish to be treated.

I sincerely think that if we do that we will be on the right track.

Thank you once again, Lord, for all that you have done for us throughout our lives and the life of our Country.  And thank you also for giving us the gift of living in America, a land of opportunity and freedom that we are so privileged in which to live.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

THE GOOD NEWS IS - On November 8th 2022 - DEMOCRACY WON AGAIN

 Saturday, November 12th, 2022

My Dear America:

First of all, I want to apologize to anyone reading my most recent Blog Posts or listening to my most recent Podcasts.  I hope that none of you had any heart issues as a result of my desperate doom filled warnings about my concerns about the looming end of Democracy as we knew it as a result of the Mid Term Elections.

I can only say that from what I was seeing reflected in Polls and on Television, I thought that my Frightened Rantings about the coming end of Democracy in America were fully justified.

Clearly they were not justified.  

Democracy was certainly on the line and on the ballot in November of 2022 but instead of Democracy going down in flames in the most recent election it stood tall and proudly on November 8th.

Almost as tall and proud was American President Joe Biden on November 9th standing in front of a White House Press Conference (Something we hadn't seen in many months) and giving his reflections and assessments about the November election.  Clearly President Biden was buoyed by the election results, as he certainly should have been.

Giving credit where credit was due, Joe Biden and Barack Obama's last minute campaign trips and speeches in Battleground States in the final days before the election clearly helped to spur Democratic Voters to once again vote in record numbers.

I think that there are some important lessons that we can learn from this most recent election experience.

First of all, any predictions regarding the imminent failure of our American Election System were unwarranted.  Our Election Process held up very well even under the strain of all of the Donald Trump's appointed election denying Candidates.  Although, unfortunately some of those election deniers snuck past the boundries of decency and won their elections, most of those Trump Appointed Liars were beaten in their races by Better and More Truthful Democratic Candidates.

Clearly if there was one Biggest Loser in this past Election it was Donald Trump. Trump lost big overall nationwide.  Most of those Clown Candidates that he hand picked in races all over the country lost and some of them lost big.

If Trump expected that this Election would continue to make him a Kingmaker of epic proportions he clearly needs to be extremely disappointed.  

Certainly his Third Rate Social Media Outlet, "Trump Social" has been filled since this election with Trump Whining about the unfairness of it all, that he is being blamed for the Republican failures of his chosen candidates.

Trump actually had the gall in one recent interview to actually say that If one of his chosen candidates won, Trump Should get the credit but if one of those candidates lost, Trump should not get the blame.  Clearly Donald Trump has finally completely lost it.  While Hurricane Nicole was blasting Florida near enough to Mara Lago to make it unsafe and ripe for evacuation, Donald Trump was not interested in leaving his Florida Home Base but only posting to his minions on "Truth Social" about how pissed off he was at Rupert Murdoch and Company, including the New York Post which called him and pictured him as "Trumpty Dumpty" having a great fall and Fox News, whose previously Trump Loving Hosts were suddenly dumping the Trump Kool Aid fast and recommending that all Republicans do the same.

In other words Rupert Murdoch and Company have finally recognized that they have been backing a CERTIFIED LOSER for a long time and even though the failure of Trump and Trump backed candidates have been stacking up for several election cycles Clearly the Murdochs and Fox News are recognizing reality and are refusing to continue to follow Donald Trump over the Political Cliff any longer.  Time will tell if the Murdochs and Fox News are off the Trump Train for good but they are certainly making a Rest Stop at the present time on the Donald Trump Election Special.

Up to now it seemed as though Murdoch and Company were ignoring January Sixth and the January Sixth Committee Hearings.  It will be interesting after this November's election to see if this Fox News Ignorance will continue.  

Clearly the American People, by defying the statistical and historical political trend of almost always voting out substantial numbers of House Members & sometimes Senators of the President in Office's party, have shown that American Voters have been paying attention to what happened in and around January Sixth, 2021 thanks in large part to the January Sixth Committee.

In Short, Americans are tired of the Lies, the Liars and the Bullshit that they have seen Republicans, and in particular Donald Trump, heaping on them for the past several years. For the years since Donald Trump was elected the Republican Party has run roughshod over the Average American.  Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans have demanded loyalty from Republican Party Members but have given little to the Average Republican who isn't Rich.  Due to Republican Tax cuts for the Wealthy the Rich certainly got much richer during Trump's time in office.  

I think that during this past election Americans, including many Women (Thanks to Roe), many Young People (Thanks to Biden's sensitivity to Climate Change and to College Debt Relief) and many Average Americans recognizing that while Republicans have been doing less than nothing for them the Biden Administration with the help of Democrats in Congress were providing some very substantial legislation that is going to help them in many ways in the coming years. Suddenly, in this Election Period Americans have begun to realize that "Progressive" should no longer be a dirty word to the American People.

Although I will probably be continuing to write a good bit more in the future about what this past November's election taught us There is one more important point that I wish to discuss right now.

In my Home State of Pennsylvania the results of this election have been staggering.  In addition to Pennsylvania returning many good Democrats to the United States House of Representatives we will also (For the first time in many years) be sending a Pennsylvania Democrat named John Fetterman to the United States Senate who will replace retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey.  

We have also chosen a Democrat named Josh Shapiro to replace Democratic Governor Tom Wolf.  In addition, although it looks as though our state senate will remain under the control of Republicans, It also looks as though for the first time in 10 years the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has a good chance after all the ballots are counted to change from Republican to Democrat Control.  

Josh Shapiro's retention of the Governorship in Pennsylvania has saved Pennsylvania from the Extremist positions advocated by his opponent in the Governor's race, Doug Mastriano.  

Mastriano advocated an Abortion ban with no exceptions.  He also railed against same sex marriage and several other outrageously extreme positions.

Josh Shapiro's success in the Governor's race mirrored many other Democratic Governor's elections throughout the U.S.

In Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer not only won re election for herself but her popularity helped Democrats win elections in Michigan up and down the ballot including changing the Michigan House of Representatives from Republican to Democratic Control for the first time in nearly Forty Years.

Indeed, November 8th, 2022 was without a doubt a Good Day For Democrats and it was an even better day for Democracy in the United States Of America.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

VOTE DEMOCRAT - While You Still Have The Right And Privilege To Vote - Democracy Is Truly On The Line in November Of 2022

 November 3rd, 2022

My Dear America:

Clearly there is something horribly wrong in America today.

It is not difficult to figure out what it is that is wrong.  

One of the major Political Parties in the United States of America has lost it's Collective Mind and is following the lead of a Previously elected President whose instincts and behaviors are those of a Criminal Dictator. For God's sake Wake Up People to what is happening to our Democracy because of Donald Trump.

I have never been a big fan of the Republican Party but until now I never really worried about the prospect of losing our Democracy if the Republicans took control of our government.  Until now, I never thought that Republicans were willing to give up our Democracy in favor of a Republican Dictator.  That Prospect never crossed my mind, until now.  But now it is on my mind every day of my life.  I have been able to turn off MSNBC and CNN from time to time up till now and relax and watch a movie or read a book about someone decent, like John Lewis.

I am presently trying to read John Meacham's book, "His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis And The Power Of Hope".  It is a book about some of the bad old days in America when Human beings were hung from trees or shot and thrown in rivers for the flimsiest of reasons and blacks in America lived in Fear and Dread. 

Now Democrats are beginning to understand what that Fear and Dread that blacks had to contend with for all those years and still do, feels like.  

Many individuals who describe themselves as Republicans say they are convinced that Democrats stole the last Presidential Election. They are either Retarded or Liars, or both. Many Republicans are also convinced that Democrats eat babies and deserve to be killed.  It would seem to me that one would have to be an Idiot or Insane to believe that these outrageous lies are true and that giving up on Democracy in America could possibly be a good thing that will somehow put our country on the right track.  

There have been serious problems with the Republican Party in the past.

Richard Nixon's Paranoia caused him to abandon the rule of law and put Government Burglars out into the Watergate Hotel and into Daniel Ellsberg's Psychiatrist's Office and possibly elsewhere.  

Ronald Reagan portrayed himself to be a man of Law and Order while he undermined the Democratic Carter White House efforts to bring back American Hostages from Iran.  Through Reagan's Campaign manager and future CIA Director, William Casey, Reagan colluded with the  Iranians promising to sell them weapons if they would not release the hostages until just after Reagan was sworn in as President.  The Iranians kept their part of the bargain and released the American Hostages minutes after Reagan was Inaugurated and although the Reagan Administration tried to keep it quiet, they kept their part of the bargain also and did sell weapons to Iran and used the illegal profits of the gun sales to fund arming the Right Wing Contra's Army in Nicaragua who then used their weapons to take over the freely elected left leaning Nicaraguan Government and install a Dictatorship. in that country.  Good old Ronnie Reagan.  What a Guy. 

George W. Bush decided to invade Iraq on the pretense that Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, was aligned with Al Quida, which was never true.  Bush also claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which also appears not to have been true.  Although Saddam was a bad guy and may not be missed by many Iraqis, his country was thrown into chaos which it still has not recovered from.

Although all of these Republican Presidents left something do be desired  none of them came nearly as close to destroying America and turning our Democracy upside down and inside out as much as Donald Trump.  

I do not understand and will never understand the extreme fascination and loyalty that so many Republicans have had with Donald Trump.  The more I think about it the more I figure that maybe it was the fact that Trump was the star of "The Apprentice" Television show which portrayed him as a competent businessman, which he certainly was not.  

I can understand the Fascists liking him.  He was someone who only cared about what He wanted.  The hell with what was good for the country.  What was good for Donald Trump was always what was truly important.  That's how Donald saw American Politics.

In addition to his corrupting the White House, Donald Trump blatantly corrupted every Agency of the Federal Government while he was in office.  In particular, Trump was very successful in corrupting the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency.  Luckily for us James Mattis and Mark Esper both hung onto their jobs for a long time in the Department of Defense, although in the final days of the Trump Administration Trump lackeys were in charge of the Department of Defense with disastrous consequences on January Sixth, 2021, when repeated pleas for help from the National Guard at the Capitol went unheeded. 

The awful truth is that for many years Republicans have been bamboozling Americans with the help of people like Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes and Rush Limbaugh.   Fox News has for years peddled Bullshit and Lies as Certified News.  Rupert Murdoch knew he had a Cash Cow with Donald Trump and knew that he would have inflated influence if Trump was elected President.  So Rupert threw his heavy political weight and his "Fox News" Network behind Trump and we were stuck with a reckless lunatic for four years and counting.

In a couple of weeks we will truly be facing one more "Most Important Election Of Our Lifetime".

If Republicans take over the House of Representatives and/or The Senate they have some Wonderful Surprises in store for Democrats.

Republicans are already giddily dancing in the aisles of Congress because of their long time despicable accomplishment (Thanks to Donald Trump) of the packing of the Supreme Court with dishonest Right Wing Judges.  Once they had enough votes, however, settled law became unsettled and fifty years of protections for women disappeared as the Right Wing Justices quickly  overturned Roe Versus Wade.  Never mind that this atrocious act could not have been predicted because all of the Republican Trump Recommended Supreme Court Nominees testified in their Congressional Hearings that "Roe" was "Settled Law".  Well, Surprise, Surprise, They were lying and what was "Settled Law" for years is settled no more.

Republican Supreme Court Justices Lying.  How Could that be?

On Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 we will have an election which will be unlike any other election that we have ever had.  All over America we have individuals running for many Municipal, State and Federal Offices who are election deniers and appear to be ready to deny the results of their own elections, unless they win those elections.  They are following in the footsteps of Donald Trump, who has shown Republicans just how fragile Democracy can be when and if Candidates running for office do not accept the proven results of Democratic Elections.   

It is extremely important in this upcoming election for those of us who are not election deniers to recognize just how important it is for all of us to vote while we can vote.  Although I am sure that there are some individuals left in the Republican Party who are deserving of your vote, what seems to be clear is that there do not seem to be many.  Those few Republican Congressional Legislators who have not supported Donald Trump's attempts to destroy Democracy have almost all been driven out of the Republican Party and in their place we seem some of the worst individuals in the Republican Party rising in influence.  This transformation of the Republican Party is truly disturbing and from where I sit I see only one way, at this point to save Democracy.

I know that there are some genuine bipartisan Republicans out there who are not MAGA Republican Trump Supporters.  Those of you who are Republicans who still believe in Democracy should do something you never thought you would ever do in your lifetime.  You should Vote for Democrats in this upcoming election because at this point you have lost your party to liars and charlatans who care about nothing but power and, like their Leader, Donald Trump, care only about themselves. 

If we are to save our Democracy we need to band together bipartisan sane Republican Voters, Independent Voters and Democratic Voters who believe in the system of Government we have been lucky enough to have for hundreds of years and we need to Vote like our Democracy depends on it, because it certainly does.

We are at a crossroads where we either continue the genuine progress made by the Democrats in Congress and in the White House or we watch our Democracy quickly turn into a Corrupt Dictatorship right before our eyes.

Although I am truly worried that it may already be too late, I am still hopeful that it is not too late to save Democracy in America if the forces of Pro Democracy vote for Democrats on November 8th.

We owe it not only to ourselves but to our Founding Fathers and Mothers and to all Americans who have come before us to VOTE DEMOCRAT on November 8th and save our country from the control of Anti Democratic Authoritarian MAGA Republicans who have advertised what they have in store for us when and if they win.

If MAGA Republicans take over the House or the Senate on November 8th we can look forward to the following Actions that have been Advertised by Trump and his Minions in Congress:

Congressional Committee Investigations and Movements to Impeach President Biden, as well as Attorney General Merrick Garland and God Knows how many other Democratic Officials.

More Tax Breaks for the Wealthy offset by More Tax Increases for Poor and Middle Class Workers.

Federal Codifying of Abortion Bans affecting all States with No Exceptions for Incest or the health of the Mother.

Cutbacks on Social Security, Medicare and Veterans Benefits Programs leading eventually to the eventual elimination of these entitlement programs.

Loosening of Restrictions on Gun Sales while Republicans continue to blame Democrats for the increase in gun deaths and crime.

Continuing Voting Restrictions on people who are unlikely to vote Republican.

Also Don't be surprised to see the Republicans (Especially Donald Trump) siding with Vladimir Putin and Russia against Ukraine.

I'm sure that I am not covering everything that the MAGA Republicans have in store for all of us.  It is time for every American to realize just how dire a situation we are in at the present time.  

I am sorry that I have to say this but I think it must be said.  

If you are rich and Republican you are probably in the right party.

If you are Republican and Black or Hispanic, you are not in the right party.

For too many years Right Wing Radio and Television has falsely convinced working people that they should become Republicans.

The truth is that the Democratic Party has always been the party that cares about working people, and cares about people period. 

It is time for Former Democrats who have been consumers of the Right Wing Republican Kool Aid on Fox News, OAN, Newsmax, Trump Social and other Far Right Propaganda Outlets to wise up and return to where you belong (In the Democratic Party) before MAGA Republicans Destroy our Country with all of us in it.  

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

VOTE DEMOCRAT - Thank You John Fetterman

October 29th, 2022

My Dear America:

This week a Debate featuring Democrat John Fetterman and Republican, Mehmet Oz occurred in Pennsylvania.  Both of these individuals were running for the United States Senate from Pennsylvania.

I did not watch the Debate on Television because I was driving during the time of the debate.  I did get a chance later on to watch some snippets of the Debate on MSNBC.  While I was driving I found a Scranton Public Broadcasting Station that was carrying the debate live and although the reception was problematic I did hear much of the debate on my car radio.

I have discussed my support for John Fetterman in Previous Blog Posts and Podcast Episodes.  I have been aware of John Fetterman and his excellent reputation in Pennsylvania for a long time.   He is a man who got involved in Politics in order to improve the town of Braddock, Pennsylvania after moving there to teach GED Classes for Americorps.  

Republicans have been trying to disparage Fetterman's reputation by stating that he lived off his wealthy parents for a long time.  That may be true because Fetterman has been doing good work in Pennsylvania for a long time but unlike Oz, Fetterman was not getting rich in the process.  So if Fetterman's parents were well off enough to help him out while he was working to improve Pennsylvania Society, Good for them.  The last time I looked, parents helping out their children was not against the law.   Clearly Fetterman's parents were supportive and proud of their son's accomplishments, as well they should have been.

In what I could hear in the debate on the radio and what I saw later on TV was that Doctor Oz, who was certainly as a physician familiar enough with the fact that a man who had a stroke just a few months months before the debate should not be having a debate.  But Oz was relentlessly aggressive in pushing the Democratic Candidate to join Oz on the debate stage.  In addition, Oz was also relentlessly aggressive toward Fetterman on the debate stage.  

So it was not unexpected to see Doctor Oz (Or Mr. OZ as he was addressed by one of the debate questioners) do well on the debate stage.    Oz was a longtime fixture on daytime Television and certainly knows how to operate in front of a Television Camera.

Despite the obvious advantage that Oz had during the debate I still feel that Fetterman, despite his disadvantages in the debate format, did a good job in letting Oz have it when he got a chance to respond to the Oz onslaught.  

Also what seemed obvious to me was the fact that time after time Oz did not answer the question that was asked by the debate moderators but skillfully turned the topic around to what he was more willing to discuss on the debate stage.  

On the other hand when Fetterman was asked a question in the debate he did his best to give an honest answer to the question asked in all cases.

In other words John Fetterman showed himself to be honest and forthright and Doctor Oz turned out to be an Artful Dodger skilled in keeping his Extreme Political Opinions under wraps.

Oz screwed up once very badly, however, and in answer to a question about his views on Roe Versus Wade.  Oz stated that he wanted decisions about what happens to a woman's body to be made by a Woman, her Doctor and "Local Political Leaders".

That accidental nugget of truth was turned into a Fetterman ad very quickly.

I have been a long time supporter of John Fetterman in Pennsylvania.  I voted for him when he ran for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania and won.   I had already sent in my Mail In Ballot before the debate.  I did not hear or see anything in that debate that would have changed my mind about voting for John Fetterman.

Although Fetterman's debate performance might have been problematic there is no doubt in my mind about who I think will make a better Senator for Pennsylvania.  

John Fetterman supports codifying Roe Versus Wade into Law and Mehmet Oz is OK with a National ban on Abortion.

Although OZ might have changed his opinion recently he initially backed Donald Trump's false claims that his 2020 Election Victory was stolen from him.  That was Bullshit, plain and simple.  The only individuals actually trying to steal an election were Donald Trump and his MAGA Supporters.   

The next Elected United States Senator from Pennsylvania might be the person who holds the key to who determines whether or not Democracy Continues in the United States.  

I am thrilled to see that Joe Biden and Barack Obama are both strongly in John Fetterman's corner in this upcoming election.  Both have issued statements and may be coming to Pennsylvania to support Fetterman for Senator and Josh Shapiro for Governor.  

The race for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania is very close right now and it is extremely important that all Pennsylvania Democrats vote in this year's midterm election.

The choice in this race is very clear to me.  Doctor Oz is an opportunist who snuck across the state line into Pennsylvania from New Jersey where he really lived before this race to take advantage of the fact that Republican Senator Pat Toomey was retiring  from the Senate.  

Full Disclosure is that I was a longtime fan of the Doctor Oz Television Program.  His show topics certainly indicated to me that Doctor Oz was probably a Liberal Democrat.  

I was incredibly surprised and extremely disappointed to find out that instead of being a liberal Democrat that Doctor Oz was in fact a MAGA Republican.

In my opinion, Oz was either an actual Liberal Democrat or was pretending to be one.  In any case Oz has proved to be a complete phony like JD Vance and Kerri Lake, who changed their entire philosophy and personality in order to kiss Donald Trump's ass and gain the support of his MAGA Followers.

Anyone who genuinely cares about Democracy needs to recognize that the November Election in 2022 could spell the end of Democracy in America.  Wherever you live in the United States you need to recognize that what is in store for all of us in 2023 if the Republicans take over either the House or Senate is the end of an incredible period of Democratic Progress.

If you are someone who has called yourself a Republican but loves Democracy please recognize that your Party has turned into an Authoritarian Qanon influenced American Taliban like Organization that is no longer anything like the Republican Party of the past.

Get out while you can and please bring your vote with you.

Wherever you are - VOTE DEMOCRAT - while you still have the opportunity to vote at all in America.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

The Final Days Of The January Sixth Committee Hearings And Possibly The Final Days Of American Democracy

 Saturday October 15th, 2022

My Dear America:

Thursday was billed as The Last Hearing of The January 6th Committee but at the end of the Very Comprehensive and Disturbing Hearing the Committee voted to Subpoena Donald Trump to testify to the Committee.  Of Course Donald Trump is making statements which indicate that he is dying to testify to the Committee but we have been down this road many times before and it is doubtful, at best, that he will ever show his face before the House Committee.  

There is something sad about the end of the January Sixth Committee Hearings.  The Hearings were Substantial and Riveting to those of us who watched them.  Unfortunately the people who needed to watch these Hearings avoided them like the plague. The Hearings were clearly highly organized and there was very little in the way of showboating by the members of the Committee.  Everyone on the Committee got their chance to present different portions of the Television Presentation and they all did a good job in my opinion.

I thought Bennie Thompson did an excellent job of helming the Committee and was skillful in allowing Moderate and Truthful Republican members of the Committee, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger to shine brightly at the Hearings.  Unfortunately for Cheney and Kinzinger, though, their sterling performances on this historical House of Representatives Committee would mark the end of their careers in The House of Representatives.  Kinzinger voluntarily gave up his House seat in anticipation of the backlash he was going to be receiving from his state Republican Leaders. Although Liz Cheney had been one of the most significant vote getters that Wyoming had  seen for years, the Wyoming Republican Party (Still Obviously Trumpified) tried their best to drive Liz out of the party.  She refused to leave on her own and ran again for her House seat but she lost in a humiliating landslide defeat to a former Cheney Ally and Donald Trump Critic who had changed sides and accepted a Trump Endorsement in the Republican Primary Election for Cheney's House Seat.   

As usual, Thursday's Scheduled January Sixth Hearing was Incredibly Significant and Powerful.  It was different from previous Committee Hearings in that it featured no individuals outside of the Committee Members testifying to what they had learned about what had happened on, before and after January Sixth, 2021. They also featured some truly stunning videos of House and Senate Leaders, especially Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, shot by Nancy's Filmmaker Daughter, Alexandra, who happened to be filming at the Capitol on January Sixth of 2021.  Both Pelosi and Schumer appeared to be very angry about the invasion of the Capitol but still very much in control of themselves and unafraid as they tried their best to seek help in controlling the dangerous insurrection from the Mayor of D.C., the Governors of Maryland and Virginia, as well as the Justice Department and the Defense Department because they were getting no help at all from President Trump who was reportedly enjoying the Televised Shit Show on Fox News all afternoon. Trump resisted pleas, however, from Fox News Personalities, as well as everyone in the White House to help put an end to the violence that he had instigated and was enjoying watching.  

It was not until after 4:00 in the afternoon that Trump finally consented to make a video asking the Lynch Mob to leave the Capitol and go home. Despite the fact that Trump's Goon Squad had broken windows, trashed almost every office in the Capitol, as well as shit on the floor of the building Trump's plea for them to leave seemed effective and the Trump Mob began to leave the Capitol and allow the Capitol to be cleared of invaders.  In his plea for the rioters to leave the Capitol, however, Trump couldn't resist telling the insurrectionists how much he loved them and how "Special" they were and, of course, repeating his lie that the Election had been stolen from him.

Things did get back to normal enough by 8:00 PM so that Pence, Pelosi and Schumer, along with the House and Senate were able to complete the Certification of Joe Biden's Election to the Presidency and prepare the way for Biden's Inauguration on the 20th of January.

My wife and I looked forward to watching the Certification of the 2020 Election on January Sixth, 2021 on Television.  After five years of watching Donald Trump's Reckless, Dimwitted and Dangerous behavior every day for over four years while he was in the White House and putting up with his constant whining about having the election stolen from him since November of 2020 we were ready to sit down and enjoy what we anticipated would be some minor objections to the Certification by some Republicans but in the end would be a rather quick and easy Certification of the 2020 Election of Joe Biden to the Presidency.

It all began as expected.  The House and Senate got together and the proceedings began smoothly enough.

But shortly after the Certification had begun MSNBC began to show what was happening outside the Capitol.  Trump had finished his speech and told the crowd at the Ellipse to walk down to the Capitol.

"I'll be there with you," he told the crowd, apparently intending to accompany them but luckily for everyone involved, the Secret Service did not drive him down to the Capitol.

If they did most certainly what was already an out of control situation would have been turned into a bloodbath of epic proportions.

As my wife and I watched what happened in D.C. on MSNBC It was obviously a terrible situation.  We could se that it was bad but until the January Sixth Committee presented their testimony over 10 separate Televised Sessions featuring videotaped testimony of mainly Republicans we really had no idea how bad it really was.

January Sixth of 2020 was a Dark Stain on American History.  That's for sure.  But we now know thanks to the January Sixth Committee just how much worse it could have been.  Trump and his Acolytes such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers were seriously ready to kill people.  Certainly Mike Pence was a target and so were Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.  These Trump Supporters may have seemed like fools but they were fools with guns and ammunition and although some of them may be going to jail there were thousands of others gathered in D.C. on January Sixth who are still on the loose and are still Armed and Dangerous. Some of them are running for office in 2022, like Doug Mastroiano, who is running for Governor in Pennsylvania.

Thanks to the January Sixth Committee we also know that contrary to what we have been told previously, The FBI and The Secret Service were warned ahead of time about what was planned and due to individuals in both of those agencies sympathetic to Trump and his followers, nothing was done to prevent the Capitol Invasion and some members of those agencies were thought to be participants in the Capitol Riot on January Sixth.

I would certainly be overjoyed if politics had improved in our country since January Sixth of 2021.  I am not overjoyed, however.  I am instead deeply concerned about the fact that Election Denial has become almost a Republican Party Principle for not only MAGA Republicans but for Many Mainstream Republicans, as well.   

In fact, these days seem to me like some of the darkest days ever for the Democratic Party in America.  Republicans have completely lost their minds and some of them are even starting to back Fox News Host, Tucker Carlson, in his Unhinged and Treasonous backing of Russia against Ukraine.  Russia had no right to invade Ukraine.  Carlson knows that.  Everybody knows that.

All over the U.S. Election deniers are possibly set to win elections and set the stage for them to do in 2024 what they were not able to pull off in 2020, which is to throw the next Presidential Election to Donald Trump or one of his fellow Republican "Conservatives".  Jesus, what is Conservative about what these Republicans have done and continue to do. 

To be honest, our only hope at this point is for Democrats to rise up and vote for Democratic Candidates in such large numbers that those people seeking to destroy our Democracy are defeated not in a war with guns but in a war of votes.  

Lets hope that happens.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Florida Dreams, Memories And Nightmares

 Tuesday, October 11th, 2022

My Dear America:

It has been difficult to watch CNN and MSNBC recently and see the Nightmare Devastation that has taken place in what has normally been one of America's most beautiful states, The Magnificent State of Florida.  Like many Americans I have had times in my life that I dreamed of visiting Florida and at times even Living in Florida.

My first recognition of where Florida was and what Florida was happened a very long time ago when I was in Grade School and my Teacher, who was acquainted with a Teacher in Fort Myers Florida, helped to set up a situation whereby students in my Elementary School in Scranton, Pennsylvania became Pen Pals with students in a Fort Myers, Florida Grade school.  

I did send a couple of rather bland letters to a girl in Fort Myers and got a couple of bland letters back from my young lady Pen Pal.  I remember thinking when I got a picture of the young lady enclosed in one of her letters that she (Unfortunately I don't remember her name) was pretty and I had visions of one day traveling to Florida to meet her.  Sadly, that never happened and although we wrote to each other for awhile, at some point the letters stopped and we lost contact.

I remember back when I was about 10 or 11 actually traveling to Miami, Florida with my family.  We drove all the way from Pennsylvania to Florida and back again in a car that was not very reliable and gave my Dad problems a couple of times on the way to the Sunshine state and on the road back home.  On those occasions that our car broke down my mother was quick to roll up the car windows even though it was hot as hell in the summertime in those southern states because she didn't want my sister and I to be exposed to the Extremely Salty Language that my Dad always used on those occasions when dealing with our car breaking down.  Normally my dad almost never cursed in front of his kids but on the road to and from Florida when the car stopped the old man became like Lenny Bruce, except not funny like Lenny Bruce, just pissed off.

Despite our car problems we did finally make it to Miami and someone was passing out flyers on the street to passing cars advertising some unbelievably low discount rates for rooms at the Fontainebleau Hotel. When we finally arrived at the Hotel, I couldn't believe my eyes,  The place was fabulous.  It was located right on the beach and it had a pool, as well.  We moved in and heard my Dad say over and over during the time we were there:

"Man, This is Livin.  This is really Livin."

He was right too.  It really was Living it up in this incredibly beautiful hotel.

There were two things that stick out in my mind about the Fontainebleau Hotel.

After we had moved into our room I had walked down the hall to get some ice when I heard a familiar tune. When we traveled to Miami it was in the early fifties and I had spent a good deal of time in my life listening to the radio.  We didn't have a television and almost no one that we knew had one.  My favorite radio program was "The Lone Ranger".  While I was on my mission to get ice I heard the theme song (The William Tell overture)  from the Lone Ranger coming out of a room with an open door.  I found myself walking over to the door and looking into the room.  There was no one in the room but I could see something incredible.  On what I would come to find out was a Television Screen I could see for the first time My Favorite Hero, "The Lone Ranger" on a White Horse riding across the screen.  I couldn't believe it.  It was too much.  I walked into the room and proceeded to watch "The Lone Ranger" on Television for the First Time and The Best Time in my life.  Just around the end of the program I heard one of my parents calling out for me in the hall and I raced out to find both of my parents looking for me and obviously freaked out that I never made it back to the room with the ice.  They forgave me pretty quickly though when they found out what had happened and later on we watched some television together as a family in this room where the TV was available to hotel guests.  

The other thing I remember about the Fontainebleau was when we all came down to the pool and went swimming.  My sister, who was about five or six at the time could swim a little but was not yet the great swimmer that she would become in the future.  She had a little plastic tube that looked like a fish that she enjoyed swimming with.  There was an opening in the back of the little tube which made it easy for her to wrap around her.  She and I were in the water swimming around when she slipped out of the tube and began to sink.  I saw what happened and grabbed her quickly and after that incident I kept a close eye on her.

Later in their life my parents became Florida Snowbirds.  After visiting in Florida with a family that they had met on a trip to Ireland they bought a trailer near Fort Pierce and traveled to Florida every Winter leaving PA in October or November and returning in the Spring for several years.  I remember one year when my father was so sick that we were afraid he was going to die and worried that he wouldn't survive the trip to Florida that year.  He wanted to travel to Florida, though even though he looked awful when he left for the Sunshine state.  When he left I was afraid that this might be the last time I saw him.  My Dad, who was in his eighties at the time of this trip came back from Florida the next Spring looking and feeling like a million bucks.  It was obviously one more Florida Miracle.  

I visited Disney World on Two occasions.  Once with my two older children and once with my two youngest.  We all had good times at Disney World.  It is probably impossible to have a bad time at Disney world.  When I took my two oldest kids to Disney World we also visited Daytona Beach and ended up in the water with a shark just weeks after having seen "Jaws." The three of us were way out in the water when I looked back towards shore and realized that no one else was in the water except us.  A Lifeguard was jumping up and down on his lifeguard stand pointing in the direction of the shark.  I grabbed my kids and we got the hell out of the water very quickly.

When I was at Disney World with my younger kids one of my daughters had been invited to dance with her dance class at one of the Disney Stages.  At one point I got separated from my wife and kids but we got together later.  When we were scheduled to leave Disney World the bus pulled out without us and luckily we found a kindhearted young lady who worked at Disney World who got us to the airport in time because Dance Teacher "Miss Sharon" could have cared less that we might have been stranded in Disney World.  Suffice it to say that there were no more dance classes with "Miss Sharon"

My wife and I before we had our kids visited Florida one year when my wife's parents and my parents were living in different areas of Florida at the same time.  We flew into Fort Lauderdale and visited with my In Laws in a Condo by the Beach.  We also drove up to Fort Pierce where my Parents were staying.  We had a great time with our parents and since it was January we flew out of PA in an ice storm and although we had perfect weather every day we were in Florida we returned from Florida to find a snow storm in PA.  It made us very appreciative of having a weeks worth of beautiful weather interrupting our terrible Pennsylvania weather.

Several years ago my wife and I found out about "The Villages" in Florida and thought seriously about moving there.  There were several reasons that we didn't move to the villages but when I ended up seeing an alligator running across a golf course at the Villages on You Tube that was the end of that dream for me. 

I have a soft spot in my heart for Florida and I treasure my memories and dreams of Florida but after watching what has happened during Hurricane Season nearly every year I have come to terms with the fact that while Pennsylvania may have its problems it is, overall, a beautiful state with many wonderful people and in the end I am happy to be here and look forward to many more years of happiness in my home state.

I live in hope that my fellow Pennsylvanians will reject The Nazi and the Carpetbagger who are running for Governor and Senator in November of 2022.  I really don't want to live in a state in which our Governor is more extreme than Florida Governor DeSantis.  I also don't want to live in a state where an Ex President who wants to be a future dictator lives.

At this terrible time in Florida I wish the residents well.  You are, for the most part, wonderful people who deserve better than what you got from Hurricane Ian.  You also deserve better than Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump.

God bless us all.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Nightmare Red Alert In Pennsylvania: Beware of Republican Candidates For Governor Dressed in Confederate Army Uniforms and Disgraced Carpetbagger TV Doctors Running For The Senate

September 19th, 2022

My Dear America: 

CNN has called the Pennsylvania Race for Governor "Weird".

They are not wrong.

The Pennsylvania Democratic Candidate for Governor, Josh Shapiro's Candidacy is not really a surprising one.  Shapiro was so universally admired and accepted by the PA Democratic Party that he was unopposed in his 2022 Primary Election.  Shapiro had risen rather gradually in the Democratic Party ranks through the Legislature and into his Successful Term in the Office of the Attorney General Of Pennsylvania.  The General Consensus in the Democratic Party of Pennsylvania has been that Shapiro has done an outstanding job as Pennsylvania Attorney General.

One of the reasons that "Weird" Doug Mastroiano rose to the top of the heap in the Trump Loving Republican Primary Pack of Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Candidates was that Josh Shapiro and the Democratic Party thought that it might be a good idea to raise Mastroiano's profile by promoting him in television ads as someone who is far too extreme to be Governor of Pennsylvnaia.

Right now Shapiro and the Democrats might be wondering if they might have made a mistake in looking to paint Mastroiano as a Super Extremist and a certified Trump Lover, although he certainly is both.

Although it appears as through Shapiro has been maintaining a consistent lead over Mastroiano in the polls so far, his lead has, for the most part, been an uncomfortably close lead of only a very few points.

To me as a Pennsylvania Voter, I don't understand how or why Doug Mastroiano has been at all successful in his quest for the Governorship.

Although I would hesitate to call Mastroiano a Nazi or a member of the Ku Klux Klan, his obvious acceptance of the same "Christian Nationalist" beliefs about Blacks and Jews that fueled these groups make one wonder how he can be as successful as he has been.  

Clearly, Mastroiano is a Candidate with Disturbingly Extreme Baggage.  

Certainly, I would think that it would have been expected that the fact that Mastroiano was an obvious and admitted Co Conspirator with Donald Trump when Trump was still in the White House, in Trump's efforts to alter the 2020 Election Results should have precluded decent Republican voters from voting for Mastroiano in the Republican Primary.

It didn't.  He won big in The Republican Primary far outpacing the four other candidates in the race. 

Of Course Doug Mastroiano is not big on Transparency.  He almost never gives interviews to Mainstream Journalists and considering his Extreme Right Wing Agenda that's probably a good idea for him and his Campaign to keep his Highly Extremist views under wraps as much as possible.  Those reporters covering Mastroiano's Campaign complain about the number of Security people who keep him walled off from those who wish to question his motives and his tactics.

Mastroiano does have his favorite Media Outlets, however.  He can be found spewing his hateful rhetoric now and then on One America Network (OAN) and Newsmax, Fox News and Steve Bannon's Podcast and on GAB, An Extremist  Social Media Outlet in which Right Wing Christian Nationalist Anti Jewish and Anti Black Garbage stinks up the internet at all hours of the day and night.  GAB Founder, Andrew Torba has also been signed up by Mastroiano to be a paid adviser to his campaign. 

Mastroiano's  Television Commercials certainly make it clear that if elected Mastroiano will outlaw Abortions in PA.  The Right Wing Republican Candidate makes it clear that if elected he will turn what is now one of the few states in which Abortion is legal and safe, thanks to Democratic Governor Tom Wolf and Attorney General Shapiro up to now keeping an out of control Republican led legislature from running Amok, into a state in which "The Handmaids Tale" will no longer be Fiction but Absolute Fact.

Mastroiano has not only been an active election denier but also a  planner of activities on January Sixth with Trump and Associates.  Not only Did Mastroiano participate himself in marching to the Capitol on January Sixth.  He paid for a busload of his supporters to accompany him to D.C. on January Sixth, 2021.   It is known that Mastroiano pushed past police lines on January Sixth but for the most part the Republican Candidate for Governor has not been too forthcoming regarding all of his January Sixth Activities.

Not only is Mastroiano an election denier and Trump Acolyte, his TV ads make it clear that if he is elected that he will appoint a Secretary of State who will answer to Mastroiano, not to the voters of Pennsylvania and if Mastroiano is not satisfied with the results of a Pennsylvania Election he will feel free to seize the voting machines throughout the state and if he chooses may change the actual results of an election.

No wonder Mastroiano avoids Mainstream Journaliists like the Plague.

Suffice it to say that the thought of Doug Mastroiano becoming the Governor of Pennsylvania is terrifying beyond belief.  Pennsylvania has had its voting issues over several decades and has switched back and forth between Republicans and Democrats often.  But this time out the thought that this Right Wing Madman who is obviously one of the leading figures in Donald Trump's criminal conspiracy to hang onto the White House and in so doing his 'Get Out of Jail Free" Card, is too much to bear.  

Doug Mastroiano should obviously never have been able to get this close to the possibility of becoming Governor of Pennsylvania.

But unfortunately for Pennsylvanians he is going to be on the ballot in November of 2022 and we can only hope that in the November election reason will prevail and Doug Mastroiano will be a name that will be tossed onto the trash heap of history along with that of Donald Trump.

In the Pennsylvania battle for the Senate seat being vacated by Pat Toomey lies another very interesting yet disturbing race.  

Unlike mainstream candidate, Josh Shapiro, Democrat John Fetterman does not really fit he mold of what we might expect a Pennsylvania Senate Candidate to be.  Fetterman is a giant of a man, over six feet tall.  He is tattooed and as he seems to take pleasure in pointing out he "Doesn't look like a typical political candidate."

Like Josh Shapiro, John Fetterman has also maintained a steady lead over his  opponent in the Senate Race, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a TV Doctor and Heart Surgeon whose Television personality was discovered and nurtured by Oprah Winfrey, who helped him to become a household name.  When his Television show was foundering it appears as though the good doctor saw a chance in Pennsylvania to run for the United States Senate.  Never mind the fact that the man who John Fetterman calls "Doc Hollywood" didn't live in the state of Pennsylvania.  He lived in New Jersey and only bought a home in Pennsylvania 8 months ago. Fetterman also points out that Dr. Oz has many homes in places other than Pennsylvania including New Jersey, Turkey and also Palm Beach, where I think it can be safely assumed that he became acquainted with Donald Trump, who endorsed him during the Primary Campaign.

Fetterman, on the other hand has been a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania.

John Fetterman is a man who wears dark and casual clothing and looks more like a giant wrestler than a Senate Candidate but he has some serious street cred in PA.  When he was elected Lieutenant Governor Fetterman embarked on a state wide listening tour regarding the prospect of legalizing Marijuana in Pennsylvania.  Fetterman's tour of the state resulted in the establishment of marijuana being approved for sale in the case of several medical conditions in the state of Pennsylvania  

Fetterman and his family have lived frugally in Braddock, Pennsylvania for a long time.  Fetterman started out as an instructor for the Americorps Program and when he saw young people being killed in that city he ran for Mayor and Won.  Eventually he ran for Lieutenant Governor and won that race also.  As Lieutenant Governor he served as the Chariman of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons and was responsible for some significant improvements in the Pennsylvania Prison and Criminal Justice System.

"Doc Hollywood" has been hammering Fetterman's improvements and concerns about the Pardons Board and Justice System in Pennsylvania as being evidence of Fetterman being soft on crime.  Fetterman's response to those accusations has been to highlight the positive things he has done regarding criminal Justice as Mayor of Braddock and on the Pardons Board.

Clearly in Pennsylvania in November of 2022 Democracy is on the line in this state, as well as in many other states in the union as Election Deniers are on the ballot in many states  

But by far, in my opinion the most dangerous and out of touch Candidate on the ballot in any American State this November is Doug Mastroiano.  Mastroiano has made no apologies for his Dedication and Support for Donald Trump.  He has bragged that he will be the man who determines the winners of elections in his state and if he does not agree with the voters he can and will determine the winners through his self appointed Secretary of State and his control of the state voting machines.

Also, Doug Mastroiano clearly does not like Jews or Blacks in his state or anywhere else.  

And he will turn what has been a state where women continue to have a choice regarding what they determine they want to do with their bodies into a state where they and their Doctors may find themselves in prison as a result of future draconian  anti abortion laws.  Mastroiano also brags that abortions in the case of incest or rape is "Ridiculous Nonsense."

Doug Mastroiano has also made it clear that he has no use for Gay Marriage

Doug Mastroiano is so dangerous that a number of High Profile Republicans including former Congressman, Charlie Dent and Former Head of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff and several other Republican leaders have come out in support of Democrat, Josh Shapiro because they do not support the election of "Weird" Doug Mastroiano to be the Governor of their Home State of Pennsylvania

In My opinion if it looks like a Nazi and sounds like a Nazi.  Its a Fucking Nazi and Pennsylvania has one on the ballot in November of 2022.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher