The Lone Gunmen's Club - How Many Deaths Will It take Till We Know That Too Many People Have Died

May 27th, 2022

My Dear America:

It has happened once again.

A Lone Gunman in Texas walked into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas this week after shooting his Grandmother and crashing a truck he had stolen.  When the tragic standoff with police was over The Gunman, Salvador Ramos, as well as two teachers and 19 Angelic looking Elementary Students were dead.

There are a number of Red Flags with regard to how this incident was handled by Law Enforcement Authorities, but the truth is that regardless of how you look at this situation, it is clear that if the young man who brought this Tragedy on Uvalde was not able to easily buy 2 Automatic Rifles and Ammunition legally it is doubtful that he would have been able to kill over 20 people.

Unfortunately in Texas it was all too easy for Salvador Ramos to buy his Automatic Rifles and carry out his desperate and Cruel last act.  The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott has done all he can to make Texas a place where Gun Enthusiasts can live their dreams of buying guns at Young Ages and carrying guns anywhere and any time they please.  

Abbott (A Republican) was furious this week when Beto O'Rourke (A Democrat who is running against Abbott for Governor) interrupted Abbott's Press Conference regarding the shooting.  Before Abbott had O'Rourke rudely hauled out of the Press Conference, Beto loudly confronted Abbott regarding his Right Wing Gun Policies.  Although O'Rourke was not able to get much of his point across at the Press Conference clearly O'Rourke will be having much more to say on the subject in the near future  

This may, in fact, be the straw that breaks Greg Abbott's back in the Gubernatorial Election.  

When it comes to the Issue of Gun Safety and Gun Violence in Texas it appears to me as though the wind is at Beto O'Rourke's back at the present time.

But getting back to Salvador Ramos.

He appears to be one more member of "The Lone Gunmen's Club", along with countless other Disturbed Loners, who have sought to give their lives meaning by taking the lives of others.  

It's a Club that began with Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, The Shooters at Columbine High School, who reacted to their classmates who bullied them with Gunfire.  The "Lone Gunmen's Club has continued to add members exponentially and almost uninterrupted since then.  Many of the hundreds of Columbine Copycats seem to point to the Columbine Killers as their inspiration to mow down their classmates or others Human Beings who they might encounter in Schools, Churches, Grocery Stores, Movie Theaters or elsewhere in the United States where people might gather in groups.

Clearly Republicans are correct when they point out that Mental Health is certainly an issue when it comes to mass shootings.  There is no doubt about that.  Clearly the Lone Gunmen are almost always, like Salvador Ramos and others, Young People that are outsiders who are picked on and bullied by others.

Ramos, for instance was picked on by some of his classmates because he had a stutter and a strong lisp and his Family had little money.  Some of his classmates made fun of his clothing.  In some cases some of his tormentors called him "School Shooter" as a term or derision.   He had few or no friends and as time went on and he was the target of his classmates beating him up he began to lash out violently against strangers, friends and Family.  some of his peers saw him as Weird, Rude and Scruffy.  He was known to like playing violent video games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty.  Once he showed up to play basketball with a friend with cuts on his face and told his friend that he cut himself for fun.

After continued problems at school Ramos dropped out of school and got a job working at a local Wendy's.  His manager noticed that he rarely interacted with other workers at the Fast Food Restaurant.  Ramos told some people that he wanted to go into the Marines just so he could kill people.  

He had no criminal history but he may possibly have had a Juvenile Record.  He had a history of physically fighting with others.

One thing was for sure, like many other members of "The Lone Gunmen's Club" this young man was clearly disturbed and should never have been able to buy a gun or in any way get his hands on a gun.

It is easy to look at what happened in Uvalde and hate this young man for what he did.  But it is time that all of us look at this and other situations like this and realize that our culture needs to wake up to reality.  It is probably not possible to prevent every Lone Gunman from carrying out what they might feel is their deadly destiny but some Sensible Gun Legislation is needed badly to stem the tide in which Disturbed People can easily get their hands on Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Certainly Congress can finally pass Gun Legislation demanding Sensible Background Checks for anyone purchasing a gun.

And Lets wake up to reality and return to doing  what we did in the Nineties when we passed an Assault Weapons Ban which we allowed to lapse.  

These could be two sensible pieces of legislation which might do something to prevent some murders.  

Certainly, what voters in Texas can do is get behind Democrat Beto O'Rourke and help him to defeat Republican, Greg Abbott in the race for Texas Governor.

And Democrats around the country can and should unite around candidates in their states who stand for sensible gun legislation.  

Enough of this Republican Bullshit that Okay's AR 15's for everyone and open carry guns for everyone.  

No Democrats are trying to keep Responsible Guns from Responsible People.

Hunters don't need to worry about Democrats taking their guns away.  Democrats are not looking to take guns from Hunters.  They never were.  That is simply NRA Bullshit Nonsense.  Many Democrats are Hunters also.

And if Republicans are concerned about increasing funds for Mental Health that's Great.  Lets see you start voting to put your money where your Mouths Are.

It is time for Republicans to stop standing in the way of progress and it is time for Voters to recognize that watching Fox News and that voting for Republicans is only going to continue to erode Democracy in America.  

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Big John And Little Josh - The Dynamic Duo Trying To Keep Democracy Alive In Pennsylvania

 May 14th, 2022

My Dear America:

Sections of the following Blog Post are copied from Candidates Website Biographies and Wikipedia and will be Identified using Bold Print.

First of all Little Josh Shapiro, who is running for Governor in Pennsylvania is not all that small.  Its just that standing next to Big John Fetterman, who stands over 6 feet, anyone under 6 feet looks Tiny.

Although both Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman are running two completely different and separate Election Campaigns in 2022 They are both Democrats running to keep Sanity and Democracy alive in Pennsylvania where they have both carved out successful Democratic Political Reputations in a state in which the state legislature contains some of the rightest of right wing nuts.

I feel sorry for my State Representative, Pete Schweyer, a Great Democrat who unfortunately has to put up with these Republican Screwballs every day in the Pennsylvania State Legislature.

But although Pete, Josh and John might be swimming against the tide in Pennsylvania the past state races indicate that there are still pockets of Sanity And Democratic Support in our state and my guess is that there always will be. 

Anyone checking out John Fetterman for the first time would almost certainly be tempted to bet that he is a Trump Supporter.  John is tall, tattooed, almost always dressed in a black tee shirt and looks as though he is ready for trouble.  

He is indeed ready for trouble and will undoubtedly be getting his share of trouble after he beats out his opponents in the Democratic Primary and moves on to face whichever Trump Ass Kissing Gun Toting Whack Job who ends up surviving the Republican Shark Attack Frenzy that is this year's Republican Primary for Senator and Governor. 

Regardless of the fact that Donald Trump disregarded his oath to protect  the Constitution for four years and ended his Presidency by staging a failed coup, The Monster from Mara Lago is still unbelievably and incredibly still a hero to many Republicans in the Keystone state.  Some of the Candidates on the Republican side of the Primary are some of the same people who tried to stage that Republican Coup, especially Doug Mastriano, a State Senator running for Governor, who masterminded a plot to bring the ridiculous Cyber Ninja "Audit" to Pennsylvania.  In so doing Mastriano was willing to release so much voter information that Democratic Legislators like Pete Schweyer blew the whistle on the fact that Mastriano's "Audit" could unleash epic  problems with regard to potential Identity theft.  Now that Mastriano is running for Governor his information about the "Audit" and his other shady and possibly illegal activities involving Trump have mysteriously disappeared from his website.

Getting back to John Fetterman.  Much of what I am going to include in the following paragraphs is quoted from John Fetterman's Campaign Website.

"A Pennsylvania native, John Fetterman was born to teenage parents just starting out on their own.  At the time his father worked nights to put himself through College.  John grew up in York, PA and followed in his fathers footsteps to Albright College (in Reading, Pennsylvania) where he played offensive tackle for the Lions.

At 23 John joined up with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and his life has never been the same.  

John Threw himself into the program mentoring his "little" - an 8 year old boy who had recently lost his father to AIDS and whose mother was also battling the disease.  Before she passed away, John promised her that he would continue to look out for her son and make sure that he graduated from College.  Fifteen years later, John and his "little" had both held up their ends of the bargain, with his little's graduation from Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, PA.

But John wanted to do more.  He joined AmeriCorps and served in Pittsburgh's historic Hill District, where he helped set up the first computer labs in the neighborhood and taught GED classes to young mothers and fathers.

He went on to earn a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

John returned to Pennsylvania to start a GED program in the town of Braddock, one of the poorest and most challenged communities in the commonwealth.  In 2005, encouraged by his students, John ran for Mayor.  He managed to win the crowded primary by a single vote.  In his 13 years as Mayor, John worked to rebuild his community. In his 13 years as Mayor, John worked to rebuild his community, creating jobs, getting youth engaged and bringing creative urban policy solutions to Braddock.  The town now has a community center, urban gardens and a free store run by John's Wife, Gisele. 

Together John and Gisele have fought for causes they believe in, from immigration reform to LGBTQ + rights. When Pennsylvania lawmakers continued to push outdated discriminatory policies banning marriage equality, John stood up and officiated one of the first same sex marriages in Pennsylvania.  

And when they wanted to build a four lane interstate highway through Braddock, a town that's more than 80 percent Black and already suffered historically high asthma rates, John was the only elected official in western Pennsylvania who opposed it on the grounds that it was environmental racism.  

In 2016, John decided to run for U.S. Senate to confront the inequality crisis at the highest levels of government.  Although John lost the Democratic Primary, John confounded expectations, earning 20 percent of the vote as a relatively unknown candidate in a four way race.

Two years later, in 2018, John ran to be Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor, and this time dominated across the commonwealth, winning a five way Democratic Primary and a commanding victory in the general election.

As Lieutenant Governor, John has transformed the position and made a bully pulpit of the office, advocating for economic justice and criminal justice reform.  

Weeks after taking office, John embarked on a listening tour of all 67 counties, something no sitting Lt. Governor has ever done, to engage with Pennsylvanians about legalizing marijuana.  In three months the historic tour saw over 10,000 people turn out in person and tens of thousands more engage online.  Following John's final report and recommendations, the Governor announced his support for legalization of marijuana for the first time.

As the chair of Pennsylvania's Board of Pardons, John has led the fight to give second chances to non-violent longtime inmates and free those who have been wrongfully convicted.

He has taken numerous steps to overhaul the clemency process in Pennsylvania, including eliminating all fees associated with applying for a pardon, making the pardons application more user-friendly and working to move the application process online.  Under John's tenure, the Board has recommended more applicants for commutation of sentences than any Lieutenant Governor in decades.

While Lieutenant Governor, John and Gisele have chosen not to settle in the Lt. Governor's Mansion, instead opening up the pool in the official residence to children who typically wouldn't have access to one.  They live with their three children, Karl, 12, Gracie, 10 and August, 7 in a restored car dealership in Braddock with the family dog, Levi."

Clearly there is a huge difference between John Fetterman and his mainly Rich, mainly MAGA, Mainly Right Wing Republican Opponents.  John's background is a background of Community Service and concern about his Fellow Pennsylvania Citizens.  

Although Pennsylvania's Candidate for Governor, Josh Shapiro's background is quite different from that of John Fetterman's, his concern for improving the lives of his fellow Pennsylvanians is quite similar to that of John Fetterman. 

"Josh Shapiro was born in Kansas City, Missouri and was raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  At a young age Shapiro started a worldwide letter writing program on behalf of Russian Jewish Refuseniks.  Following his graduation from High School in Pennsylvania Shapiro attended the University of Rochester, where he majored in Political Science and in 1992 he became the first Freshman to win election as the University of Rochester's Student body President.  In 1995 he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rochester.

While working as a Legislative Assistant on Capitol Hill in Washington during the day Shapiro enrolled at the Georgetown Law Center as an evening student and earned his Juris Doctor Law Degree in 2002.  In 2004 Shapiro ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 153rd District.  He won that election and won re Election in 2006, 2008 and 20010

Shapiro won election to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2011.  The election marked the first time in history that the Republican Party lost control of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.  Shapiro became chairman of the Board of Commissioners.  In April 2015 Pennsylvania Democratic Governor named Shapiro Chair of The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Shapiro announced his intention to run for Pennsylvania Attorney General in January 2016.  Shapiro won election as Attorney General in November of 2016 and has done an outstanding job as Attorney General of Pennsylvania although some of his efforts as Attorney General have sometimes been controversial.

Shapiro joined with several other State Attorney's General opposing Donald Trump's travel ban.  He also filed a lawsuit to block the implementation of a rule that would have made it easier for employers to deny health insurance coverage of contraceptives.  He also joined a lawsuit against ITT Technical Institute, a for profit educational institute that resulted in a 168 million dollar settlement (with about 5 million Dollars of thre settlement going to Pennsylvania students).  In 2018 he reached an agreement with federal officials to prevent the distribution of blueprints for 3D Printed firearms.  In 2019 he came out in support of the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults, joining Governor Tom Wolfe and other leading Pennsylvanians, including John Fetterman.

Prior to his election as Attorney General his predecessor had initiated an investigation of sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the Catholic Church. Following his election Shapiro chose to move forward with the investigation and in August, 2018 he released the results of an extensive Grand Jury Report alleging more than a thousand children having been abused at the hands of 300 Catholic Priests."

Following the 2020 Election Josh Shapiro's office was consistently involved in fighting against ridiculous lawsuits filed in Pennsylvania alleging Voter Irregularities.  Shapiro was successful in fighting the Election lawsuits and was front and center on MSNBC and CNN protecting Election responsibility in Pennsylvania.

Clearly Big John Fetterman and Little Josh Shapiro are already on the job protecting Pennsylvania from MAGA Madness in the 2020 Election and determined to keep Democracy alive in Pennsylvania.

Both of the Democratic Candidates for Governor and United States Senator have an extensive and impressive track record which lays out what they stand for.  

Both Candidates are Progressive Democrats who support protecting Voting Rights, Reproductive Rights and Civil Rights.

They may differ in some areas but overall in what is increasingly becoming a dangerous and destructive MAGA world Big John and Little Josh stand out as the kind of Candidates that we could always count on to show up in important elections before Donald Trump and his Fake News Friends on Fox News, Newsmax and OAN showed up to put the screws to the important issues on which we have always depended Democratic Support.  

Somewhere along the line we have lost our bearings and being a "Democrat" or a "Liberal" was somehow turned into terms of degradation.  Somewhere along the line it became Okay to consistently lie over and over to the public and somehow people became convinced that Lies were the truth and the Truth were lies.

Luckily for me I live in Pennsylvania where at least for now we still have some fine Democrats who are on the right track and I certainly hope continue to care enough to seek high office in my state.

Thank you Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman for caring enough about our state and our people to put yourself out there as Candidates in 2022 for Governor and Senator.  I wish you both well and will certainly be voting for both of you in the upcoming elections.

We genuinely need you in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C..

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

   

Back To The Back Alley Again - Abortion Restrictions Are Returning - Or Are They

 Sunday, May 8th, 2022

My Dear America:

Abortion has not always been legal in the United States of America.

It has been legal for the last Fifty Years, though.  But it certainly seems as though that long time Legal Precedent is about to change radically according to the lengthy Supreme Court Document written by Justice Samuel Alito that has somehow oddly surfaced recently and has set off a firestorm of controversy in our country.  

Much of the Controversy on the Republican side has been Extreme Concern with Who released the Alito document.  Little has been said on the Republican side regarding the bombshell Alito opinion that may be about to return American Women back to the Back Alleys and Dark Ages of Women's Reproductive Rights in America.  

Women who I care about very deeply have sometimes been in situations in which after careful consideration they decided that for various reasons they needed to terminate a pregnancy.  These people were not criminals.  They were women who were faced with extremely hard choices as to whether or not have an abortion.  The decision to have an abortion is in all cases a heartbreaking one and one that is never easy to make.  

Clearly no woman choosing to have an abortion does it gleefully.  It is a painful decision in all cases.  There are many reasons for a woman to choose to have an abortion but in the last Fifty years since the Supreme Court decided the legal Precedent regarding  Roe V Wade at least Women who needed an abortion were safe from Dangerous Back Alley Butchers.

Women have always found ways to have abortions when they needed them.  At least Rich Women have found the resources necessary when they felt they needed to have an abortion.

Poor Women, on the other hand, were not always able to make the same choices regarding abortion. That is certainly the case now in Texas and other Abortion Restrictive States.  

What we are seeing at the present time is the result of many years of the Republican Party members lying about pretty much everything in this country and ending up controlling many State Legislatures and Governor's offices as a result. On the Federal level we have seen Mitch McConnell steal what should have rightfully been a Barack Obama Supreme Court Nomination and jam through Amy Coney Barrett's nomination, which rightfully should have been another Joe Biden pick.

I am lucky enough to live in Pennsylvania, a state with a Democratic Governor and Attorney General but unfortunately a Republican Controlled Legislature.

Our Attorney General, Josh Shapiro has helped, along with Democratic Governor, Tom Wolfe, to keep the Republican Madmen and Madwomen of the PA State Legislature from totally corrupting our state with Screwball Trumpian inspired Laws.  I only hope that Attorney General Shapiro wins the Governor's race in Pennsylvania and that Democrat, John Fetterman wins the U.S. Senate Race in an ongoing march toward Sanity in Pennsylvania Government.

If any of the Trump Ass Kissing Gun Toting Republican Candidates running for Governor or Senate win it is likely that Legal Abortion Rights in Pennsylvania, like those in many other states will be a thing of the past.

In his never ending quest for devotion and love from some of the worst elements of American Society Donald Trump was willing to make and keep a pact with the Devil (Namely, Mitch McConnell) and steal three Supreme Court Nominees that were approved by the Rightest of Right Wing organizations, the Heritage Foundation.

Although all three of Trump's Supreme Court Nominees (Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett) stated emphatically that Roe V Wade was "Established Precedent" what seems clear at the present time is that these Right Wing Nominated Judges may have been lying to the Senators who interviewed them in their Judiciary Committee Hearings and also in individual meetings with Senators not on the judiciary Committee. 

To be honest I am hopeful that the Leaked Alito Document is not the last word we will hear from the Supreme Court on Roe Versus Wade.  If it is then clearly we are up Shits Creek.  But so far the Alito Document is to my mind simply Judge Alito's Opinion and hopefully when the Supreme Court Members see the hornets nest that is about to erupt if and when Roe is overturned in such a cruel manner (No consideration for Rape or incest - Are You kidding me) perhaps the Court will come to its senses.

What is evident at this point in time is that we are seeing hard evidence that Elections Matter.  Clearly the Election of Donald Trump in 2016 has had devastating consequences in so many ways but if things stand the way they are now the Three Trump Appointees will be stripping us of our Rights for Many Decades to come.

When Joe Biden was inaugurated one of the first things that he did was to set in motion a study of what to do about the Supreme Court that was scheduled at some point to come up with ideas about what to do about the court.  I think the time has come for the Biden Administration to look at the Supreme Court Situation and take drastic action.  That drastic action could include nominating  as many as three more Supreme Court Judges.  

Yes, that drastic action will undoubtedly set off a firestorm in the Republican Party and it may lead to terrible consequences for Democrats but if it sets things right for the court it could be worth the sacrifices.

For as long as I can remember it seemed to me as though The Supreme Court was one of the most Capable and Respected aspects of the United States Government.  It seemed to me as though the kinds of people who were on the court were the best people that could be found.  When one or another individual was nominated who was not up to par the Senate would do their Advice and Consent duties.  Judge Bork, for example, didn't make it on the court.  The end result was the fact that in nearly all cases good respected capable people were nominated and approved for the Supreme Court.  Clearly that high standard is no longer applicable for Supreme Court Nominees.  

Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas have been accused of Sexual Misconduct.  Other Individuals may have good qualifications but have shown by their rulings that they are Right Wingers who should not be on the Supreme Court.

Finally, when it comes to Abortion and a Woman's Right to choose and in particular the Supreme Court Roe Versus Wade Decision We should realize that whatever the Supreme Court decides there will be serious consequences in the United States of America.  There have indeed already been serious consequences for Women in Texas, where anyone assisting a woman to  get an abortion faces the consequence of being sued by anyone in the state who wants to bankrupt the abortion assister.  One can only hope that Beto O'Rourke might be elected Governor of Texas and in so doing remove the Neanderthals from Government in Texas like Governor Greg Abbott.

One of my daughters who is very concerned about what happens with Roe V Wade sent me a recent Facebook post that she stated was something sent to her and apparently is going around Facebook right now.  I feel that this posting is much more powerful than anything I could write  presently to express my feelings about Judge Alito's disturbing document.  I appreciate and agree with the following statement that my daughter sent to me on Facebook and I hope that I am not infringing on anybody by using this powerful message in my Blog Post and Podcast.  I thank the writer of this incredibly powerful message and fully acknowledge that I didn't write this message although I wish I did and thank the writer for doing so.

Here goes:

"I'm not pro-murdering babies.

I'm Pro Becky who found out at her 20 week anatomy scan that the infant she had been so excited to bring into this world had developed without sustaining organs.

I'm Pro Susan who was sexually assaulted on her way home from work, only to come to the horrific realization that her assailant planted his seed in her when she got a positive pregnancy test result a month later.

I'm Pro Theresa who hemorrhaged due to a placental abruption causing her parents, spouse, and children to have to make the impossible decision on whether to save her or her unborn child.

I'm Pro little Cathy who had her innocence ripped away from her by someone she should have been able to trust and her 11 year old body isn't mature enough to bear the consequence of that betrayal.

I'm Pro Melissa who's working two jobs just to make ends meet and has to choose between bringing another child into poverty or feeding the children she already has because her spouse walked out on her

I'm Pro Brittany who realizes that she is in no way financially, emotionally or physically able to raise a child.

I'm Pro Emily who went through IVF, ending up with SIX viable implanted eggs requiring a selective reduction in order to insure the safety of her and a SAFE amount of fetuses.

I'm Pro Christina who doesn't want to be a mother, but birth control methods sometimes fail.  

I'm Pro Jessica who is FINALLY getting the strength to get away from her physically abusive spouse only to find that she is carrying the monster's child.

I'm Pro Vanessa who went into her confirmation appointment after YEARS of trying to conceive only to hear silence where there should be a heartbeat.

I'm Pro Lindsay who lost her virginity in her sophomore year with a broken condom and now has to choose whether to be a teenage mom or just a teenager.

I'm Pro Courtney who just found out that she's already 13 weeks along, but the egg never made it out of her fallopian tube so either she terminates the pregnancy or risks dying from internal bleeding.

You can argue and say that I'm pro-choice all you want but the truth is:

I'm pro-life

Their lives

Women's lives

You don't get to pick and choose which scenarios should be accepted

Women's rights are meant to protect ALL women, regardless of their situation."

My guess is that this powerful statement was written by someone working with women in situations like those listed in the statement, Possibly a Doctor or Nurse. The statement makes it clear that that there is far more to pregnancy and abortions than simply forcing women to have babies, regardless of their circumstances.

Women deserve to make their own choices regarding what does or does not happen with their pregnancies.  Women deserve the respect of knowing that what happens with their bodies is their choice along with their doctor and no Doctor, Nurse, Secretary or Uber Driver should ever be threatened with jail or being sued because they helped a woman get an abortion.  

We are getting closer and closer to living in a Handmaids Tale existence and no one in their right mind wants that.

I would suggest that anyone who has had to deal with some of the horror stories listed in the previously quoted Facebook Statement on abortion put their stories on You Tube similarly to what was done in the "Me Too" movement.

I would also like to suggest that those of us who are unwilling to live in a real life "Handmaid's Tale" get on the phone to their Senators, especially their Republican Senators and demand that they get busy and codify reasonable Women's Reproductive Rights Legislation now before Samuel Alito's dream becomes a reality.

We should also advise our Reproductive Concerned friends in Congress that instead of only being concerned about keeping a fetus alive that they should give some concern to what happens after a child is born.  Republicans seem to give little or no thought to what happens after a child is born. 

And while we are at it lets let our Senators know that they should wise up when it comes to Advising and Consenting regarding Supreme Court Judges.  

The Rude and Abusive Treatment by some Republican Senators of Judge Katanji Brown in the Judiciary Committee Hearings was disgusting.  

The Republicans should have been thrilled that Joe Biden had nominated a highly qualified and distinguished jurist like Judge Jackson for the Supreme Court.  Instead they treated her Horribly.  She weathered the storm , however, and will soon be joining the court but not in time to prevent this disaster.  

Hopefully Joe Biden might consider putting some additional members on the Supreme Court.

I hear that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton might be available.

I certainly hope that the Justices of the Supreme Court realize what an awesome responsibility they have and follow through on their pledges not to overturn the "Established Precedent" that they vowed never to alter in their Judiciary Hearings and meetings with Senators and Members of Congress.

Roe Versus Wade is clearly a Fifty Year Established Precedent and should not be overturned, Ever.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

   

    

Happy Easter In Pennsylvania

 Friday, April 22, 2022

My Dear America:

Easter Sunday has always been one of my favorite holidays.  

This year was no exception.

I got up early enough to take a shower and get ready to hit the road to Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, where my wife and I were invited to visit two of our daughters, along with our youngest Granddaughter and my Temple University Sophomore student older Granddaughter.  Also in attendance at our Easter Dinner was My Son In Law, who cooked a fabulous meal and my future Son In Law who is also a Great Cook.

My Two Philly Area Daughters have been smart enough to recognize that although they have many other fine talents and interests, cooking has never been something that they were very much interested in.  So in their search for soul mates they have chosen wisely.

Both their Guys are Great Cooks.

The weather was cool but sunny on the way down and when we left to come back home we were on the road early enough to catch the last rays of a Beautiful Red  Easter Sundown.

It had been a Great Easter Day for us, we realized.

Early in the morning before we hit the road to Bryn Mawr, I had gotten a chance to watch a program on one of the Philly Stations about the upcoming Primary Elections in Pennsylvania.

Clearly the Republican Primary already had been and was going to continue to be a Shit Show (My Term, not that of the Philly Newsman)  

Donald Trump had just endorsed Mehmet Oz (Doctor Oz, to most of us) and all of the other Trump Ass kissing Senate Candidates in the Primary were pissed off and calling OZ a RINO (A Republican In Name Only)

OZ was not only a RINO but was also a Carpetbagger, who everyone knew lived in New Jersey and had not even had the decency to actually move to Pennsylvania to qualify to run for the Senate in our state. Doctor Oz's rather disgusting efforts to kiss up to Trump had worked.  He had received the much desired endorsement from the Monster From Mara Lago.

Trump had not endorsed anyone for Governor yet but Bill McSwain, who had worked for Trump as a U.S. Attorney in Pennsylvania had received an Unendorsement from Trump because McSwain had apparently had the good sense to tell the truth about Trump's "Big Lie" that he had won the 2020 Election "By A Landslide."  McSwain had angered Trump because he had refused to spend money and time investigating the Voter Fraud that Never Was in Pennsylvania.

McSwain had called Trump's "Big Lie" a Lie and Trump didn't like it one bit.  Trump made it known to Pennsylvania Republicans that he would "NEVER, NEVER, NEVER' Support McSwain.

So far Democrats seemed to be faring better than Republicans in Pennsylvania.  At least Two Were.  

Those two were John Fetterman who was running for Senate 

and

Josh Shapiro who was running for Governor.

Fetterman and Shapiro seemed to be miles ahead of any other Democratic Candidates in their respective Primary Races.  

United States Congressman, Connor Lamb, had been moving up in the Senate race but his Campaign's blatant attempt in their TV Ads to tarnish Fetterman as a "Socialist" seemed to have backfired according to the talking heads on Philly's ABC Station. Although Republicans seemed to be Okay with ripping their opponents apart shark attack style Democrats did not care for Connor Lamb's unfairly trashing Fetterman and Fetterman, to his credit, did not trash talk Connor Lamb or any other Democratic Candidate. That appeared to be a wise move on Fetterman's part.

Although I was very pleased with how Easter had gone, so far, I was surprised and pleased to find out later in the evening that the Showtime TV Network was presenting the first episode of a Television Series that my wife and I had been looking forward to watching.

"The First Lady" was so outstanding that we watched it three times, back to back.

It was a First Class Production starring three well known Actresses playing three well known First Ladies.  

Eleanor Roosevelt was portrayed by Gillian Anderson

Betty Ford was portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer

And 

Michelle Obama was Portrayed by Viola Davis

The constant switching from one time period to another was a bit annoying at first but I have to admit that the Producers and Director made what could have been distracting and hard to follow into plot lines that were a little hard to follow but in the end made sense. 

Although Keifer Sutherland does not sound like the best choice to portray Franklin Roosevelt, I have to admit that he did an incredible job playing Roosevelt.

Aaron Eckhart again does not at first seem to be the right guy to play Gerald Ford but like his castmate, Keifer Sutherland, he pulled it off with style and authenticity.

The gentleman who played Barack Obama was someone who was unknown to me and just as Sutherland and Eckhart didn't quite look the part this guy didn't look so much like Barack but his speech pattern stunningly was exactly like Obama's.  

The Actresses portraying the First Ladies played their respective First Ladies with skill and obvious empathy for their particular First Ladies.  They did an Awesome job.

Watching "The First Lady" was the perfect way to end a very special Easter Day.

I can't wait to see the next episode this coming Sunday.

If you follow Politics I can't see how you will be disappointed by "The First Lady"

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Living In A World With Monsters In The Backyard

 Saturday, April 16th, 2022

My Dear America:

There was a long gone Racist Governor of Alabama and sometime Presidential Candidate named George Wallace who often used to say the following catch phrase:

"These are the kind of people that I'm Sick and Tired Of"

Suffice it to say that there were a lot of people on that list of individuals who George Wallace was sick and tired of.

These days I find myself with a long list of people who I am sick and tired of also.

First up on my list of people who I am sick and tired of is Vladimir Putin. 

What we are observing daily on Non Traitorous Television these days is the constant Senseless Torturing, Raping and Murdering of innocent Civilian Ukrainians who have unfortunately not been able to get out of their country in time to save their lives. 

Why the hell has Putin the Audacity to feel as though he has the right to send Russian Troops, Tanks and Missles across the Russian border into Ukraine in the first place to destroy what had been up to this point a rather settled Democratic Society where, unlike Russia, most Ukrainian Citizens seemed to be content with their Lives and their Government.   

Putin just couldn't stand the fact that Ukraine was doing well on their own without Russian interference and in his sick despicable mind he thought that the only response that he felt was right about Ukraine was to bomb that country back into the Stone Age.  While the world looks on in disbelief Putin's army has shown itself to be as Monstrous as its leader.  While innocent people are destroyed in mass numbers Russian Television personalities boldly threaten to have their country once again interfere with American Elections and back Putin's American Puppet, Donald Trump, if he runs again in 2024

Putin is the Worst of the Worst but Putin is not the only Heartless Monster running Amok on Planet Earth these days.  He is only the most visible Monster we can see senselessly killing his fellow human beings indiscriminately at the present time.

Today on April 12th, 2022 a train car full of New Yorkers on their way to work or school or somewhere else in their City were surprised to find out that they were unlucky enough to be traveling in a Subway Car with a Monster.  This Monster who was traveling with them on the New York Subway System was carrying a bag that contained a cannister and a Glock Pistol.  The Monster set off the cannister which quickly filled the train car with smoke choking the passengers and then the Monster started firing the Glock Pistol at his fellow passengers.  Luckily for most of the passengers the gun jammed and only 10 people were shot and as of my writing this none of the 10 have died but some are in critical condition.

Unfortunately, the Subway Monster escaped but he was caught soon after his shootout on the New York City Subway System.

Another Monster of Epic Proportions that deserves some mention when we are discussing Monsters is The Monster From Mara Lago.  His name is Donald Trump and one of his most Monstrous Acts is his continuing lying insistence that he won the 2020 Election for President of the United States.  There is no evidence, whatsoever that there is any truth to Trump's Claim but despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary he continues to rake in money from unsuspecting supporters who unfortunately believe his false claims.

Certainly there are no shortage of Monsters living inside the Republican Party these days.  I would certainly put Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy on the list, along with Madison Cawthorn, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Paul Gosar.

There are quite a few Monsters on Television at Fox News these days, not the least of which is Tucker Carlson.  OAN and NEWSMAX have their share of TV Monsters, as well.

But by far Vladimir Putin is in a class by himself when it comes to being a Monster.  Ukraine is not the first country he has devastated with little or no concern about recklessly destroying the lives of human beings.  Like the Psychopath that he is he is he seems to genuinely relish destroying human lives.

He has had plenty of practice killing people in Chechnya and Syria, as well as elsewhere.

To say that Vladimir Putin is Evil is too light a term to describe his reprehensible nature and what he is capable of.  

It is a shame that we are living in a world where someone like Vladimir Putin can move up the ladder in his country by destroying everything and everyone in his path and by so doing not only destroy his own country and that of his neighbors but he seems to be hellbent on destroying democracies everywhere.

Putin's clearly defined interference in the 2016 Election certainly helped to put Donald Trump into the American White House and Donald Trump, Putin's American Patsy and Puppet did the rest to weaken and corrupt our American Democracy and in particular the Republican Party.  

The fact is that the Republican Party seems to have at least some of its leaders if not on Putin's side at least not criticizing Putin for his dreadful senselessly brutal Invasion of his Ukrainian Neighbors.

Unfortunately, since we really don't want to give Putin a reason to launch a Nuclear attack on the United States, we can't really do much to rid the world of Putin.  We are helping Ukraine in its fight for its Democratic Life in those ways that we can but it is tremendously depressing to watch the Country of Ukraine viciously destroyed by the terrible Monster who lives in Ukraine's backyard.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

 

The Modern Day Republican Lynching Of Judge Katanji Brown Jackson At The Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings

 Sunday, March 27th, 2022

My Dear America:

It may be hard to believe for particularly Young Americans, who, for the most part, interact appropriately in school and out of school with other young people who are black, that particularly in the American South but really in all sections of our country there was a time in America when Lynching was accepted and practiced with frequency as well as with barbarity.

Thankfully, that time is long gone but is certainly not forgotten and should never be forgotten.  During that time of Lynching acceptance by many whites, Black Lives clearly did not matter to some whites and the criminal act of Lynching was a cruel method of keeping blacks in their place in the United States of America.  

Certainly some White Slaveholders, many of whom claimed to be Christians, were not above Lynching slaves who they felt belonged to them and did things such as running away, talking back, not working hard enough or looking at a white woman in what they felt was an unacceptable manner.

Although many southerners still insist that the Civil War was fought for "States Rights" clearly the main States Right that was important enough to fight a war  for was the right to own slaves. 

After the Civil War while there was a period of time when blacks did experience progress in America.  That progressive period didn't last very long and when whites, especially poor whites, began to see blacks moving ahead in America that's when Lynching in America seemed to move into high gear and racism, which never really went way, seemed to roar back with a vengeance along with groups like the Ku Klux Klan leading the way.

Lynching in the old days was a cruel and despicable activity which happened often for almost no reason at all.  A black person who looked the wrong way at a white person could easily end up hanging from a tree with his eyes and other body parts torn from his body.  Luckily for women the Lynched parties were mostly men but that didn't mean that women were never lynched.  They were simply lynched less often than men.

Lynching is not simply Critical Race Theory.  It is quite simply Critical Race Fact.

Certainly those Americans who remember the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may probably remember Judge Thomas during his testimony to the Committee equating his Judiciary Committee Hearing with a Modern Day Lynching.  The reason Thomas said that was because the Judiciary Committee had forced Anita Hill. a lawyer who had worked with Thomas to testify to the Committee regarding allegations she had made regarding Thomas possibly inappropriately sexually harassing her.  

Some Republicans on that Senate Judiciary Committee genuinely put Ms. Hill through the ringer following her testimony.  If anyone had been "Lynched" in that hearing it was not Justice Thomas.  It was Anita Hill.

This past week I sat through all I could stomach of the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings for Judge Katanji Brown Jackson who has been nominated by Joe Biden for an appointment to the Supreme Court to fill the seat of retiring Judge Stephen Breyer.  The Republicans on that Committee might have been new faces but that same old Republican Insensitivity to race and gender that forever stained the Clarence Thomas Hearings and also stained the Brett Kavanaugh Hearings reared its ugly presence once again last week.

The fact that Judge Katanji Brown Jackson was one of the most qualified Candidates for the Supreme Court that we have ever seen nominated by a President seemed to mean nothing to several Republicans on the Judiciary Committee including Lindsey Graham (Who had voted for her previously for Judiciary Appointments), Tom Cotton (Who Joy Reid appropriately called "Thuggish"), Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn.

These Republican Judiciary Committee Members savaged Judge Brown and tried to make a big deal about the fact that a few of her sentences issued for some Child Pornography cases were not as punitive as the Republicans thought they should be.  

Judge Jackson, for her part, showed great tolerance for the ridiculous antics of the Foolish Five and pursued the hearings with great self control and a ready smile throughout.  If she was not rattled by this torcherous experience it is truly a testament to what a Calm, Considerate and Magnificent jurist she will be.

Unlike Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh whose Angry Whinings during their Judiciary Committee Hearings will certainly never be forgotten, Justice Jackson will be remembered for her poise and her honesty, not for rantings and ravings about how awful she was treated. Even though she has plenty of reason to complain about her rude and obnoxious treatment by the Republican Judiciary Committee Members I would be surprised if we hear one complaint from Judge Jackson about her treatment by the Foolish Five.

Thank God, the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee treated her with Dignity and respect.  She was especially well treated by Judiciary Committee Chairman, Dick Durban, as well as by New Jeersey Senator Cory Booker, whose kind words of compliment seemed to elicit some well deserved tears from Judge Jackson.

Judge Jackson has shown herself to be highly qualified to be a Supreme Court Judge.  Unlike Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh who had some serious Skeletons in their Closets, Judge Jackson seems to have nothing but a Terrific Reputation in her closet. 

Clearly she is Highly Qualified to become a Supreme Court Justice and barring some unknown disaster she will be confirmed to join the highest court in the land.

Hopefully some Republicans will come to their senses and vote for this Supremely Qualified Candidate for the Highest Court in the Land.

Regardless, She is going to be confirmed to sit on the Supreme Court in her friend and Mentor, Judge Stephen Breyer's seat.

And while all this is happening I am hopeful that the House January Sixth Committee will do all they can to find out what in the hell has been going on with Clarence Thomas's wife, Ginni Thomas, who admits to being at the January Sixth "Stop The Steal" Rally and apparently in texts sent by her to Trump's Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows she clearly indicates that she is complicit in the proposed illegal efforts to steal the election from Joe Biden, the rightful winner of the 2020 Presidential Election.

We don't know if Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was approving of this scheme and his wife's efforts on Trump's behalf but I would think that it would be unusual, if not unthinkable, that she would have been operating without his knowledge or consent.

What we do know is that when the Supreme Court Voted against Trump's effort to prevent Trump's White House records to be released to the January Sixth Committee that Justice Clarence Thomas was the only one dissenting vote on the Supreme Court in that case.

Clearly something is rotten in the Thomas Household and if Justice Thomas's wife is advocating an illegal overturning of an honest American Election and her husband is supporting her in this effort he should at least Recuse himself in any case that involves Trump and more important Perhaps it is time for Justice Thomas to Retire from the Supreme Court and if he is unwilling to retire it may be time to consider Impeachment of Justice Clarence Thomas.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

The American Republican Traitors Club

March 25th, 2022

My Dear America:

As we Americans and the rest of the civilized world continue to watch the incredibly disturbing spectacle of Russia's Brutal efforts to subjugate Ukraine, it is becoming increasingly clear that in this battle between David and Goliath, David appears to be edging closer to Winning.  Certainly it doesn't look that way when we see the incredible destruction of Ukraine Infrastructure by Putin's death dealing Armed Forces.

Indeed, at the end of this battle for the Survival of Independent Ukraine will it even be possible to recognize that one side won and one side lost.  It doesn't appear as though once Vladimir Putin is through with bombing Ukraine back into the Stone Age that there will be much left of this country other than a Dedicated Sense of Pride in the fact that against Tremendous Odds, Democracy won out in The Fierce Battle For Ukraine to remain Independent.

It will be difficult, but not impossible to rebuild Ukraine into the Independent Democratic Republic that it was just a few weeks ago but it will not be difficult to rebuild the Pride of the Ukrainian people because when and if Democracy is saved in Ukraine it will be because of the Courage and the Pride of the Leaders and Citizens of Ukraine.  

I think we have all learned during the past few weeks not only from President Zelensky but also from the Tremendously Energized People of Ukraine just what Democracy and Patriotism means to the Ukrainians.  

Perhaps we in the United States of America might possibly learn from the example of these brave Ukrainians just how much we should care about Democracy and Patriotism in our own country.  

Certainly the word "Patriot" has been Overused and Misused during the past several years in America.  We seem to have lost perspective about who or what a "Patriot" really is.  Certainly Ukrainian President Zelensky is truly worthy of being called a Patriot.  And so are those countless Ukrainians who just weeks ago were simply Ukrainian Citizens doing all kinds of jobs in their country but are now Battle Hardened Soldiers on the Front Lines in Ukraine who are putting their lives on the line trying to save their country from Tyranny.

There are serious lessons to be learned from the Ukrainian Patriots Club.

We in the United States should be recognizing just how good we have it in America for the last couple of hundred years.  Yes, we have had our problems and still continue to have some serious problems.  Indeed, our form of government is not that great although up to now it has been better then all the rest.  Hopefully that distinction will continue to be the case in the coming years. 

Race is certainly a problem in the united States.  It's not as bad as it used to be when some members of the population were victims of Slavery but it's still not as good as it should be.  We still have way too many black and brown citizens dying at the end of a Traffic stop or a Police Break In.  

But in our Country we have already had a Black President and a Black Vice President and we are today on our way to having the First Black Woman Confirmed to be a Supreme Court Justice in the United States Of America

Voting Rights has never been much of a Problem before Donald Trump lied about Winning the 2020 Election "by a Landslide".  But now many members of the Republican Party seem to think that maintaining legitimate voting rights in a Democracy is not really that big of a deal.  I think that the Citizens of Ukraine might respectfully disagree with them.

Yes, we certainly have our share of problems in the United States.  But we have managed to overcome some very serious problems over the years.  Hopefully we will be able to continue to overcome our difficulties but what is happening these days in the Republican Party seems to me to be indicative of how serious some of our problems have become and how important it is to solve our problems before it is too late.

In all honesty my concern for the problems in the Republican Party do not stem from my love for the party.  My interest in the Republican Party stems from my concern about the American Political System, which, for better or for worse, consists of two Main Political Parties.  Those two Parties are the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.  

The Democratic Party, in my estimation has always stood for the Average American, The Union Member, the more liberal or centrist citizen, more willing to consider helping other Americans through positive government programs.  Certainly there is more to it but to me that is what my party has meant to me.

The Republican Party in my estimation has always looked out for the rich and powerful, well connected Corporate leaders although in recent years there has been more of a shift to appealing to disaffected Democrats and Independents and Fox News watchers.

I realize that these descriptions are extremely limited descriptions of American Political Parties but to me this is what I see in American Politics these days.

Now lets get down to discussing The American Republican Traitors Club.

I must say that in looking into who should be on this list of people who I consider to be Traitors to America Democracy I am certain that some mistakes might be made in sometimes including names who should not be included and in also not including names who should be included.  In trying to put this list together I found that there has not been a list of Republican Traitors that I could find so I am doing the best that I can in trying to shine a light on this Shameful Subject.

Certainly Donald Trump's name belongs at the top of  this list for his long time support for Vladimir Putin and especially for calling Putin a "Genius" right at the beginning of the Ukraine Slaughter.  

Mike Pompeo and Rudy Giulani also joined in Trump's praise for Putin.  

On Fox News and Russian Television News Tucker Carlson has consistently kissed up to Putin and praised him before and after his Invasion of Ukraine.  

In America Alex Jones also seems to be a Putin supporter.

One of the more disturbing Republican diatribes is that of U.S. Congressman Madison Cawthorn, whose admiration for Trump includes his calling Ukrainian President Zelensky a "Thug" and adding "Remember the Ukraine Government is Incredibly Corrupt and is Incredibly Evil and has been pushing woke ideologies."

"And Putin is not Incredibly Corrupt and Incredibly Evil," I would respond to Cawthorn.  

Other members of the U.S. Congress who seem to be Putin Advocates as well as White National Advocates are Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar who recently participated in a White Nationalist Conference in Florida where participants applauded Russia's invasion of Ukraine and cheered and chanted Putin's name in unison.

In North Carolina, Candidate for Senate, Pat McCrory criticized his opponent, Ted Budd for supporting Putin.

Other members of the Vladimir Putin Fan Club appear to be the following 

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert

Congressman Matt Gaetz

Congressman Lee Zeldin

Congressman Jim Jordan

Ohio Senate Candidate and Author J.D. Vance

Former Hawaii Congresswoman & Democratic Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri

Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky

Congressman Matt Rosendale of Montana

Except for Former Congresswoman & Democratic Candidate for President, Tulsi Gabbard who was a Democrat when she was in office, all of the Pro Putin Congressional Caucus have been Republicans.

It must be said that although there are more Pro Putin Republicans than there should be, it seems as though both Putin and Trump are on the skids in both of their countries and hopefully will soon be Also Rans and Long Gone Historical Villains in both the United States and Russia.

At least, I hope So.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher