All Is Quiet At The Capital - No Assault, Unlike 4 Years Ago

Donald J. Trump’s presidential win was certified today without incident. To paraphrase House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, this cycle saw “no election deniers”—a stark contrast to four years ago when 147 Republican members of Congress voted against certifying Joe Biden’s victory.

These 147 Republicans rejected the certification, not on the basis of facts, but fueled by falsehoods and deceit ushered in by Donald Trump. Their votes against certification represented, arguably, an attack on the very foundations of our democratic republic (DR) —a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Their efforts sought to sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), with the ultimate goal of forcing a “contingent” election under the 12th Amendment. But as most of us know and readily acknowledge, there was no factual basis for this FUD.

The harm caused by this behavior is profound. It has led to criminal convictions, broken relationships, and most damaging of all —undermined trust in our election system. The lies propagated by Donald Trump, and echoed by numerous Republican leaders at all levels of government, have inflicted lasting damage on our democratic processes.

Until the Republicans who perpetuated these false narratives acknowledge the harm they have caused, our DR remains at risk. We must remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the principles that form the bedrock of our government. This is not merely a political struggle —it is a fight to ensure our unalienable rights are secure.

How the GOP Operates Our Government - No Trash Pickup, No Electricity, But Only Lies & Deceit

How well do you think the GOP is operating our different forms of government (local, state, & federal) on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being poor and 10 being awesome?

Let me help you with that answer with irrefutable data.  

In my town, Jacksonville, my city has not picked up recycling in 4 months.  In my state, FLA, my governor ignores science, which has led to above the median deaths per 1MM people.  Nationally, the GOP has told lies to undermine the integrity of the election system and both members and supporters of the party led an actual assault on our Capital trying to overturn a legit presidential election. 

So, how well do you think the GOP is operating our different forms of government (local, state, & federal) on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being poor and 10 being awesome?

Here are a couple of other data points to assist you in answering that question.  Last year during a big freeze that hit most of the country the Texas power grid froze and was frozen for 3 days, if I recall correctly.  And talking about Covid, those states that lead the rate of death per capita are primarily controlled by the GOP.

In summary, the GOP cannot pick up trash, cannot keep the lights on, yet they can tell a lie about as wide as a country mile.  I give them a big fat zer0.

Thank You For Your Service

 Today is Veteran's Day.  Will you say to a veteran whom you may meet, "thank you for your service?"

As a veteran, I find those words hollow especially coming from a Republican.  I do respond with a thank you, but I go on to say the following:

If you truly appreciate my service and those of my fellow veterans then I kindly ask that you vote Democrat or 3rd Party.  Republicans have embraced and continue to embrace acts of treachery.  Some of those acts led to the assault on our elections a year ago and a physical assault on our government on January 6. Still to this day the Republicans seek to cover up the misdeeds so the liar-in-chief can once again take the presidency.  If that were to occur then I believe it is much more likely that we will lose our government of the people by the people for the people to be replaced by one party rule for the benefit of Trump and his minions.

Republicans are not fit to lead.  

If you are Republican then I encourage you to leave the party.  I left the party ~10 years or more ago.  I have no party affiliation and so can you if you do not like the Democrat platform.  

Is The Federalist Society A Friend or Foe?

 Today I sent the following inquiry to the Federalist Society:

I have two requests:

First, I request that the Federalist Society (FS) remove information associated with John C. Eastman from its website.  By showcasing Mr. Eastman with his visage and biographical information, the FS provides him credibility when he deserves none; arguably he should be tried for seditious conspiracy under 18 US Code 2384 based on his documented actions leading up to and on January 6, 2021 when there was an insurrection against our government to keep a well-documented liar in office as our President.  If the latter were to occur, then we would arguably no longer have a government of the people by the people for the people.  We would have had a government of the people by the GOP for the GOP and to some extension the FS.  

Second, I would like to know what the FS is doing to repair the damage caused by some of its members to our government and our elections under the prior administration. Absent any soul searching and remedial action, I am led to believe the FS is not a friend but an enemy (aka foe) of our government.

It Starts At The Top – The Big Top (aka the circus)

An organization’s performance is highly dependent if not solely dependent upon on the individual in charge. I came to this conclusion 25+ years ago when I was a Naval Submarine Officer while I stood by the fast attack submarine wharf at Charleston Navy Base where I was once stationed when I served our nation.

The particular wharf by which I stood could berth approximately 10 submarines if my memory serves correct.  While not all submarines were at their respective berths, I ruminated on why one had the Battle “E” (i.e. recognized as being the best), yet another had high morale problems.

These 10 or so submarines provided a unique crucible for me to reconcile my observation and come to my conclusion.  The submarines when each viewed as a stand alone entity were essentially identical. Each had the same number of sailors, give or take one or two, and each sailor went through a rigorous selection and training program before being stationed on board.  In short, one sailor could be easily exchanged with another (assuming rank and rate remained constant). So the question I asked myself if each complement of sailors was fairly consistent across all boats, why difference in performance.  It should be obvious here on this page as it was to me as I stood next by the wharf, the submarine’s performance was a direct reflection of its Commanding Officer. As previously told to me by a former CO with whom I had a chance meeting in the Pentagon while we each essentially fetched the proverbial coffee for the admirals running the show, a CO is king, king of his fiefdom.

I found that my observation has held true as life has progressed and I had the opportunity to analyze companies when I was a stock analyst. While a CEO does not have a fiefdom, she or he does wield considerable power that influences all employed. I think most would agree that my observation can be observed in how our Federal government is being run today.  The Kavanaugh nomination is a prime example.  Donald J. Trump (DJT), a documented misogynist and someone with questionable business acumen, nominated a jurist for the Supreme Court, who has demonstrated poor decision making as well.  Additionally, an easy-going southern gentleman, Lindsey Graham, has begun to rant and rave and we have David Nunes, who, too, was once easy going, jumped early on the bandwagon  to promote conspiracy theories and less than sound policies.

I recently purchased a t-shirt that has a picture of baby trump and the words, “Elect A Clown” and “Expect A Circus” similar to the one shown to the right.  I wore it about town yesterday and had fun enjoying the responses, which varied from stares by older white men to favorable comments from minorities and women.  Sadly, these responses were not unexpected.  I was even prepared for someone to verbally attacked me, but fortunately that did not happen.

In short, if you are frustrated like me, I encourage you to find a way to enjoy the circus in which we find ourselves.  More importantly, I encourage you to ask questions of yourself and those of others as a means to find common ground so we can begin to get out from under this mess (um, I mean big top).

Challenges, Some Are More So Than Others

I think the challenges Brett Kavanaugh's family encounters pale in comparison to those of the Lawrence family residing on Jacksonville’s Westside in FLCD-5/formerly FLCD-3.

This morning Mrs. Lawrence was riding her bicycle at 6AM EST as she commuted to work at Amazon.  She was hit and killed in an auto accident not too far from where her daughter stood awaiting her school bus.  There are many unknowns to the situation; more specifically, did she have safety lights, was the car traveling at a high rate of speed, etc., but that is immaterial.  Her death creates long-lasting challenges for her survivors and my heart aches for them like my heart aches for Brett Kavanaugh’s daughters.

Mrs. Lawrence’s survivors include:

1. A husband and 
2. At least 2 teenagers of which:

• One is the previously mentioned daughter and 
• The other is an older special needs child.  

Moreover, her survivors live in a trailer not too far from where the accident occurred in an area that I once trod as I conducted surveys door-to-door approximately 9 nine years ago.  I mentioned that only to paint the picture that this family is poor, but doing what they needed to do to survive albeit with a hope and a prayer.

I learned of Mrs. Lawrence’s death reading the local news immediately after reading about Brett Kavanaugh’s third accuser and her accusations.  I immediately thought about each family and how each would deal with their respective challenges.

Sadly, I think the Lawrence family will have considerable struggles and hardships for years to come whereas the Kavanaughs (especially the daughters) will most likely only wrestle with the notion that Brett Kavanaugh had arguably been disrespectful to young women when he was at an age not much older than his daughters.

Moreover, I can empathize more with the Lawrences than the Kavanaughs.  While I personally have known a few individuals with wealth and influence from time to time, I have for the most part felt like being on the outside only to look in from time to time.  I am very fortunate that my wife works as I have yet to find steady income after being laid off from a reduction in force (RIF).  I am in the process of improving my skills to find employment with upward mobility versus having to take on menial work at a place like a warehouse.  I realize my situation is a luxury that many people do not have so they take what they can, which makes it very hard for them to break the cycle of just-getting-by let alone poverty.

Therefore, I find it galling that our government may put on the Supreme Court a man who is arguably unfit to sit there for multiple reasons, the most important one being honesty.  Brett Kavanaugh with all his privilege squandered his opportunities, which I blame in part on his parents who I believe abdicated their parenting duties and the boarding school administrators failing to assume them as it seems Brett did not develop if he developed at all a strong moral compass.  It is possible Brett Kavanaugh developed a moral compass later on, but he has obviously failed to acknowledge it until today after the third accusation.

Another reason why he is unfit to sit on the bench is that his arguable lack of self-introspection makes it hard for him to fully understand the challenges a family like the Lawrences now encounters.  As such, we need people on the bench that not only know the law and respect it, but know and empathize with families like the Lawrences because I believe there are more of them than the Kavanaughs amongst us.

The Slippery Slope to Anarchy

Someone is lying. That someone is either Christine Margaret Blasey Ford or Brett Michael Kavanaugh.

Mrs. Ford, a college professor, has stated that Mr. Kavanaugh, the current Supreme Court Justice nominee, sexually assaulted her at a party 36 years ago when they were both teenagers.  Mr. Kavanaugh refutes that accusation.

Most if not all vectors point to Mr. Kavanaugh lying.  The most credible vector is that Mrs. Ford disclosed six years ago – six years prior to her ever knowing that the President would nominate Mr. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court – during a therapy session that she was physically assaulted by Mr. Kavanaugh. I could go on with a list of other vectors, but that is not the point of this post.

The point of this post is that we could be on the slippery slope to anarchy.

• Our President lies (he has been proven in a court of law that he has lied repeatedly in the past and arguably, in the court of public, currently, on a daily basis).
• Arguably, a past and current Supreme Court Justice has lied.
• The current Supreme Court Justice nominee has arguably and very much convincingly, lied  - on separate and multiple instances.
• And members of Congress for the most part condone it.  

Are we a nation of liars?

There are consequences to lying.  If those that enforce the law, such as our President lies, then others may be led to believe that lying, if not acceptable, may be expected, which is the beginning of the slippery slope leading to where no one can be trusted.  That is a scary proposition. Even God condemns lying; please look at the 8th Commandment. 

The Shameful Editors of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)

Today, I am a very, very disappointed subscriber of the WSJ.  I woke to read that the editors accuse Senator McCain of being a back stabber.  I have both written and called the paper to tell them otherwise.    I post a copy of my letter to the editors below.

I find your caricature of John McCain in your editorial entitled, A Republican Failure, extremely offensive.  Mr. McCain has served our country well.   His refusal to bend and break under unimaginable torture as POW demonstrates his dedication to his fellow man.  If he did not stab his fellow man in the back then why would he do it near the end of his life?

Moreover, you fail to recognize the true problem.  The problem is lack of leadership, which starts at the top.  Donald Trump has been a failure. He does not understand the problem and as such he cannot help the Republicans improve their aim (i.e. stated goal).

The goal should be in three successive steps: first contain, then stop and then reduce the cost of healthcare.  This goal may require repealing parts or all of the ACA, but repealing ACA does not truly address the causes that have led to healthcare costs increasing on average 250 bps more than GDP over the past 50 years.  Government regulation crafted by both parties during this period has created an industry that works in an oligopoly framework.  Both parties must work together to unwind this mess.

Glo May Not Go

On August 26 Florida held its primary elections. Glo Smith, who seeks to represent me and others in Florida's Fifth Congressional District, won the Republican primary with 10,968 votes (or 63% of total).  The Democratic incumbent, Corrine Brown, did not have an opponent.

Even though Mrs. Glo Smith won, sadly I believe she is a no go to the U.S. House of Representatives come next January for the following reasons:

1. The turn out this year was less than when Mr. Yost won the Republican primary four years ago, which does not bode well and documented here;
2. Similar to Mr. Yost, Mrs. Smith does not address the core issues in the district and when she does her views are not that substantive to arouse the swing vote, which I address here; and
3. Lastly, I do not think she has worked hard, which she needs to do to unseat Ms. Brown.

In reference to the last point, I reached out months ago to share my thoughts and offered assistance based on my experience.  Mrs. Smith never returned my call.  She may not have valued my thoughts, but why not at least engage me to ask for a donation or even to volunteer?  A campaign can never have too much money nor too many volunteers based on my limited experience.  I expect this oversight on her part to doom her. Lastly, I think voters (on both sides of the aisle) will view her as they viewed Jennifer Carroll when she ran against Corrine Brown.

Political Rhetoric

Little over three weeks ago a crazed gunman shot US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) in the head. Some early reports speculated that the shooting was politically motivated, which led others to comment, one being Corrine Brown. Ms. Brown stated, “certainly, one of the greatest components of American democracy is to be able to resolve conflict through compromise and dialogue, not senseless violence.”

I agree with Ms. Brown in principle.

While we might debate to the degree, if any, whether the shooting was politically motivated or not, but I believe Ms. Brown's statement is apropos. I think the current state of our 'political rhetoric' needs improvement as evidenced by the increasing polarization that has occurred in Congress between the two political parties over the past two decades.

I think Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s maxim “don’t raise your voice, improve your argument”, which he attributed to his mother, points to the difficulty. Improving one's argument requires a lot of work. It requires active listening, knowledge of facts with which to support one's position and the skill to know how to position one's counter arguments. It is not easy, which I think helps explain:

1. Why people resort to using aggressive language, behavior and or force to achieve one's desires and
2. Why politicians revert to negative ads.

The use of rhetoric is not new; it is one of the original seven liberal arts (the others are grammar, logic, arithmetic, astronomy, music and geometry). I think if we were to embrace the true concept of rhetoric, we would accomplish more because we would be actively engaged in solving problem(s) and not trying for one-upmanship.

Self-Preservation At the Expense of Others and Our Nation

The courtship of Ms. Brown by some of her campaign contributors highlights a significant challenge we face as a nation as we:

1. Seek to reign in government spending and
2. Reduce our national debt.

I believe we will not be able to do either, when people knowingly or unknowingly hold self-preservation at the expense of others as their key principle.

I do not know of any other reason that would explain why staunch Republican businessmen and women would donate money to Corrine Brown, whose voting record casts her as a strong liberal and the antithesis to Republican interests. I say “staunch” because a large number of these Republican donors have a history of donating solely to Republican causes with the exception of donating to her. (Please go to this website. Search for those donors that are in the transportation and construction industries then type their name in this website to see a list of those to whom they donated.) I also believe that a “true” (which I think would be the same as “staunch”, but then again…) Republican believes in personal responsibility and small government (which means no handouts).

I have yet to meet a true Republican, white, black, green, yellow any color you choose, that respects Corrine Brown and I would think these donors would be no different. If these donors publicly supported her, I would have no beef. However, I have yet to hear any of these donors get up in front of an REC meeting to state their support for Ms. Brown and why others (Republican or not) should do the same. I bet you, none will.

I would support Ms. Brown, regardless of her political affiliation, if she pounded the table on issues important to her voters and our nation, such as:

1. We need to improve our education system so we can help our youth (& our future) survive in an increasingly competitive world;
2. Our workforce needs constant re-training to stay competitive;
3. We have become a nation of overweight and obese people, which makes it harder for us to compete and more importantly, will over burden an underfunded government medical system (aka Medicaid and Medicare);
4. We need to save more and rely less on our government; and
5. So on.
   

Instead I hear Ms. Brown pound the table on issues that pertain to her self-preservation, such as:

1. “Fair-districting” is unfair to her and
2. Political columnists do not have the 1st amendment right to freely state their opinion.
   

She is also very proud of her ability to raid the cookie jar to “deliver” handouts. These handouts increase our tax burden and led to a cycle of dependency, just like crack and meth. Some of these handouts amount to social welfare, but most amount to corporate welfare (i.e. earmarks), which it seems to me these executives so desperately seek for self (& wealth) preservation.

Fixing our nation will require us to replace our bad habits with good habits. It starts with us “just say[ing] no” to quote Nancy Reagan. I encourage these well-healed executives to help lead the way by example.

I walked the walks throughout the District to put a better representative in Washington and I will continue to walk the walk; I expect others that talk to talk to do the same. Conversely, if at anytime you believe that I have strayed, I expect you to hold me accountable as well.

One Is Known By The Company They Keep

Last week I met with some friends at Nikki’s Place, an Orlando soul food restaurant located in the district and pictured to the right. The friends were those that I made over the past year when I was on the campaign trail.

This is the second time I have eaten at Nikki’s. Each time the food has been, in a word: delicious. It seems I am not alone in my opinion. Nikki’s place has been nominated as one of the best soul food restaurants in Central Florida.

As I was paying my bill at the table, I was told of this distinction and asked to place my vote in favor of the restaurant online at www.gospelnow.net. This was unexpected and reminded me of a local incident about another firm giving away 'free meals.' It slipped out and I responded by asking our server with an innocent smile on my face if I would receive a coupon for a free meal for my vote.

While everyone at the table chuckled, my humorous jab at Corrine Brown’s recent gaffe bewildered our server. It seems she was unaware of Ms. Brown’s attempt to ** cough ** encourage people to vote. If she had then she had not consider it remarkable enough to give it a second thought.

Based on my observations and comments made by my friends, most in the community are unaware of Ms. Brown’s seemingly ethics violation and if they are, they are unaware that giving a paid inducement to vote is illegal.

One of my friends expressed a concern that when the news did become more widespread that it would give the black community 'bad press'. I understand and respect his fear because he is a proud man and rightly proud of his heritage. I responded to him that I thought the community could protect its pride by calling out Ms. Brown for her actions and deriding her for shedding negative light on the community. I believe if the community were to do that then it would most likely avoid a “black-eye” and possibly receive profound respect by the general population at large.

Post Toasties

No surprise. Corrine Brown soundly wins another term in Congress.

As we expected (please see my response to Bo’s comment pertaining to my ‘Yost Is Toast’ blog post) she handily beat Mike Yost. Ms. Brown received 61% of the vote. Mr. Yost received 36% of the vote and the remaining crumbs went to Terry Martin-Black.

These results line up with what our research predicted. As we noted 20% of the voters were undecided, but these voters lived in the inner city. These voters believe (correctly) Corrine Brown has accomplished little and more importantly feel she is an ineffective representative of the African-American community.

However, these voters chose her over Mr. Yost primarily because of Yost is of the 'wrong' party affiliation and that he did little to court their vote. I think the axiom, tried and true: "rather do business with the devil you know", holds true here.

Even though Ms. Brown won this election, her actions leading up to the election may put her in hot water. It seems she offered free meals for early voters. If this seeming ethics violation does not sink her career then we think the release of the Census results, and the decennial redistricting that follows, along with two amendments requiring the Florida Legislature to draw district boundaries without regard for partisanship that were approved by voters yesterday will go a long distance down the path of ending her vacation in Washington DC.

Crime Ridden Neighborhood, Indeed

Earlier this week I visited an Orlando, Fla. neighborhood bracketed by I-4 to the north, Holden Ave to the south, OBT (Orange Blossom Trail/US441) to the east and Rio Grande Ave to the west. While the area was clean, what I found so striking were the not so subtle signs of crime. One of the more visible signs was a billboard with the word 'rape' in large bold letters within eye shot of three separate large apartment complexes that catered to families.

I just caught a glance of the billboard from the corner of my eye, but I believe it was a 'public service announcement' to help those that were victims of such a hideous crime. What was equally disheartening were the single women standing alone nearby at either a bus stop or street corner wearing short skirts and low cut tops; their appearance told me they were looking for more for than just a ride to the mall. I wonder how some parents of young girls that live in this neighborhood ensure their safety from predators.

At one of the apartment complexes, I met two security guards. I found several things interesting from this meeting:

1. The guards were young, not the older ones seen driving around in pick-up trucks at malls;
2. They wore bulletproof vests, wrap around sunglasses and carried several firearms. They definitely looked like they were ready for action; and
3. They gave me their business card so I could call them if I got into any trouble. I chuckle at their reasoning for giving me their card because I try to envision myself pulling out their card to find their number so I can dial it while I am running, ducking or hiding for my life. Yeah right.

However, from their point of view, having a business card and being willing to stand accountable for those to whom they give it, is a validation of the professionalism they aspired to in performing their job. I thanked each for their kindness and admire their service.

Based on my conversation with the security guards I thought it would better to walk the streets nearby that were lined with houses. At the first two houses I visited, I met two disgruntled old men. Our meetings were very brief. Both men slammed their front doors in my face. I wondered why they would be so angry, but upon leaving their neighborhood in the opposite direction from which I entered, I found my answer.

The quiet working neighborhood they had moved into many years ago had become crime ridden. Upon leaving, I met separate groups of recreational pharmaceutical salesmen just one to two blocks away. I can see how these men could be frustrated. The homes may be paid, but the resale value has probably not appreciated over the years and may even have depreciated, which limits their ability to move.

Further limiting their ability to 'vote with their feet' is their advanced age. If they have not already retired to live on a fixed income, they soon will. As a result, I think they must feel/believe they are kind of trapped in what may seemed to be an ever-worsening world around them. I just wonder how many others in the district feel trapped too.