A disastrous first week for Trump

Trump's response to his detractors and supporters

At least for rational people in America and abroad.

For the Trumpettes, though, it was magical.

That's because they live in the world of "alternative facts" of Fox News and Breitbart where reality has a well-known liberal bias.

Trump issued his executive orders on ending Obamacare, building the wall with Mexico, banning refugees except Christians, expanding the military, imposing the abortion "gag rule," ending the U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership or free trade, reviving Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines and freezing federal hiring.

None were surprising and most were just the usual posturing, signifying little.

For the last eight years, Republicans called President Obama a "dictator."

Well, now that they have a real dictator, Republicans won't put up a fight. They won't even whimper. They'll grovel at his feet and wait patiently for Trump to put a collar around their necks and drag their asses around Washington.

And, they will love it.

For the past eight years, GOP lawmakers have railed against the increase in the national deficit, but will eagerly double it or triple it under Trump.

Ever since Obamacare passed, Republicans have tried to repeal it. Now that they can, they have no idea what to replace it with. All talk, no action.

Trump's first act was to make housing less affordable for millions of Americans. It was his way of giving new home buyers the middle finger.

The anti-abortion march today in Washington had Trump's full support even though Trump has likely paid for more abortions of pregnancies the he is personally responsible for than anti-abortionists could possibly imagine.

And, on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when the Soviets liberated Auschwitz in Poland, Trump issued his edict about banning refugees, particularly Muslims, from America. This will help ensure current and future holocausts.

At the end of Trump's first week, the level of incompetence was true to form.

Trump was more concerned with the size of the crowd at his inauguration than anything else.

And, he realized how illegitimate of a president he is because he pushed the bogus voter fraud conspiracy again. He lost the election by nearly three million votes.

Also this week, Trump managed to offend not just Mexico, but the CIA as well.

Trump sought to divide, rather than unite during the easiest week of his presidency.

Whatever happens to this country during Trump's reign, we will deserve it for putting such an asshole in the Oval Office.

In fact, Trump is not the POTUS, a wire service slugline that is now part of the vernacular.

No, he is the POSOTUS: Piece of Shit of the United States.

Sad.

Trump's new reality show: 'American Carnage'

Like the vast majority of Americans, I did not watch or listen to Donald Trump's inauguration.

But, I did read about it and perused some of his speech.

Evidently, I didn't miss much.

George Will, the ultra-conservative columnist, wrote that it was "the most dreadful inaugural address in history."

Apparently, the turnout was far lower than what the Donald wanted and a drop in the bucket compared to the Women's March the next day.

That led to Trump's attack on the media for reporting what happened.

Even Doonesbury saw this coming weeks ago. The comic strip in Sunday's paper shows the Donald complaining about the media's low numbers for his inauguration.

The Donald is such an easy mark.

So are his acolytes who ate up his inaugural address.

It's easy to see why Trump's phrase "America First" would thrill many of his supporters.

To most of them, the phrase means: Me first and to hell with you, even if that "you" is fellow Americans.

To others, like white supremacist David Duke, the phrase rekindles the days when it was associated with anti-Semitism before America's entry into World War II.

But, the headline phrase that screamed on most sites, including the Wall Street Journal's, was "American carnage."

Did Trump mean he was going to take on the easy access to high-powered firearms in this country?

Uh, no.

Did the phrase reference the thousands of Americans who lost their lives in the unjustified war in Iraq?

No, again.

I guess he was referring to violence in the inner cities, which Trump said would stop on his inauguration day.

Well, it hasn't stopped yet. It's not likely to end anytime soon.

So, "American Carnage" is really the name of Trump's presidency.

Instead of saying "You're Fired" on Celebrity Apprentice, he can now say with glee on American Carnage, "You're Dead."

His first enemies in this carnage, of course, are the press and the spy agencies.

This piece from the New Yorker shows that Trump's visit to the CIA headquarters wasn't well received. And CBS notes that the relationship with the CIA was made worse after the visit.

And then there's "alternative facts," which we should see plenty of during Trump's "presidency." Much of the media will report facts and Trump's minions will dispute them.

Even a Russian journalist compares Trump's pressers to Putin's. In fact, Trump is now known as Putin's Puppet or Putin's Pussy.

Talk about carnage. The truth is the first casualty under a fascist like Trump. And fascist is one of the kindest things to say about him.

It was comforting to read today that Earl Blumenauer, a congressman from Portland, referred to Trump as "Liar in Chief."

Well said, and factual, too.

Fox News, though, has always represented the alternate reality to what was actually happening and now they get to present "alternative facts" along with the truth.

You decide.

Well, I have decided. I won't be captivated by Trump's "American Carnage."

Bend shows solidarity against Trump

Drake Park was packed with protesters

On a snowy, cold Saturday morning, about 5,000 men, women and children of all ages gathered at Drake Park to protest the presidency of Donald J. Trump.

It was move of solidarity for the Women's March in Washington today where the crowd of more than a million marchers dwarfed the crowd at the inauguration on Friday.

The size of the Bend protest was remarkable and likely unprecedented in Bend's history.

Many wore pink pussy hats and hundreds carried signs with sayings that captured the moment:

"We shall Overcomb"

"Respect our Existence or Expect our Resistance"

"Now You've Pissed off Grandma"

"Don't Make America Sick Again"

"Finally a Solution to Global Warming, Nuclear Winter"

"OMG GOP WTF?"

"Super Callous Fascist Racist Extra Braggadocious"

"If my uterus shot bullets, it wouldn't be regulated"

At one point, some in the crowd starting singing We Shall Overcome, but the words were We Shall Overcomb ... someday.

It was wonderful.

Clearly, organizers were overwhelmed by the size of the crowd because it extended from the gathering spot at the grandstand all the way to the march's end in downtown Bend. We spilled out into the roadway and blocked traffic.

You couldn't hear any instructions from organizers, but it didn't matter.

I think everyone was impressed that there were so many like-minded people in a region that voted for Trump.

There were people from all over Central Oregon tromping through the two-foot snowpack in Drake Park and sliding on the icy sidewalks.

Bend was one of nearly 700 cities worldwide that participated today. Nearly 5 million around the globe rallied against Trump.

Now, the challenge is how to channel that energy into something meaningful.

Certainly, boycotting corporations that contributed to Trump is one way.  Check out #grabyourwallet.org website for a list or corporations to boycott. And, boycott anything with Trump's name on it.

Find out which companies in Central Oregon supported Trump and boycott them, too.

Also, stay involved and participate. Make your voices heard.

And vote.

Trump an illegitimate president

The Twilight Zone was never this scary

And, Donald J. Trump deserves zero respect.

First, he lost the election by nearly 3 million votes.

Second, he publicly asked the Russians to hack Hillary Clinton's account and the Russians complied.

In fact, it appears that Trump's collusion with Russians is quite deep.

When Trump stiffed American banks over his failed ventures, he turned to Russia for money.

We now know that the Russians have compromising video and audio of Trump and can blackmail him in to doing what the Russians, or Vladimir Putin, want. It appears to be working since Trump says he'll probably end sanctions against Russia while weakening the NATO alliance.

Third, he has no moral compass. He has been married three times and openly cheated, and still cheats, on all of his wives. He's an admitted sexual predator and likely raped a 13 year old girl. Plus, the dossier reveals the sordid, depraved world that Trump travels in.

Fourth, his political career is based on the racist birther claim that President Obama wasn't born in America and therefore was an illegitimate president.

Fifth, his tweets could start World War III.

Sixth, if he can't handle Alec Baldwin or Meryl Streep, he has no business being president.

Seventh, Trump frequently spreads fake news.

Eighth, he doesn't pay federal taxes. If the president doesn't pay taxes, why should anyone else?

Ninth, with his deplorable rhetoric about Mexicans, Muslims, China and now our allies, he's obliterating what's left of "American exceptionalism."

Tenth, his cabinet picks are tasked with destroying the departments they're in charge of.

Eleventh, his numerous conflicts of interest over his business "empire" make him impeachable on day one. As Stephen Colbert says, removing Trump's name off of his buildings and putting his sons' name up there doesn't really solve the problems.

Twelfth, what's with the fake hair?

On the positive side, Trump makes it easier than ever to not listen to or watch the news. He is so repulsive in sight and sound that my time is no longer wasted on the radio or TV news.

Also, since he's picking a fight with the CIA, FBI and NSA, he'll get his comeuppance sooner than we realize.

The real downside to a Trump presidency is that anything goes. He has no sense of decency. If he can say and do anything with impunity, there isn't much hope for this country. Sad.

Obama: Best president in my lifetime

Washington Post

President Obama gave hope to those who rarely had it

It's not even close, really.

And, I go back to the Eisenhower era.

For a nation founded on the principal of slavery, the fact that President Obama, a true African-American, twice won substantial margins of victory is an achievement no other president can claim.

And, that's just the beginning of his accomplishments.

He calmly guided the country through the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.

He did so well that the unemployment rate is near historic lows and more jobs were created under President Obama than any other president.  Oregon's jobless rate is the lowest since modern records began more than 40 years ago. Bend is at full employment.

The stock market is at record highs.

President Obama expanded access to health care to more than 20 million Americans.

He led the world to finalize negotiations of the International Climate Agreement to combat climate change.

Solar and wind energy production boomed under President Obama. Auto fuel standards were raised and cars get better mileage than ever.

Gas prices have stayed low and stable for a few years now.

President Obama kept America safe in a world made increasingly unsafe by the policies of the previous administration. He made the killing of Osama bin Laden a priority.

His administration was scandal free.

Oh, and he also won the Nobel Peace Prize.

There are other accomplishments, which you can read about here and here.

The only comparable president in the past 100 years is FDR, who guided the country out of the Great Depression and to victory in World War II.

President Obama's achievements wouldn't seem so great if weren't preceded by one of the worst presidents in American history or if he weren't succeeded by the most unpopular president in U.S. history. 

But, they are substantial, nonetheless.

On the day we celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., it is fitting to note President Obama led this country with grace, class and intelligence. We won't see another president of his caliber for years. He is a role model for generations, not only in this country, but  also throughout the world.

Well done, sir.