TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   “No person shall ... hold any office, civil or military, under the United States ... who, having previously taken an oath ... as an officer of the United States ... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” The former is from section 3 of the 14 th Amendment. I don’t understand why, but there are some self-proclaimed political and Constitutional experts claiming that this part of our Constitution does not apply to Donald Trump, although he planned, and organized, an insurrection on January 6, 2021 with the intent of preventing a democratic process underway in the Capitol Building. Anyone who watched the three long hours when Trump’s “army,” composed of Neo-Nazis and others who hate the nation of our Founding Fathers, stormed the Capitol, smashed windows, broke down doors, defecated on Nancy Pelosi’s desk, and searched the building with th

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Donald Trump is the most hated criminal in America. He is responsible for approximately 100,000 deaths from Covid-19. His refusal to take action in January of 2020, telling our nation’s people that “it will just go away,” is the reason why the death toll from the pandemic in the United States passed the one-million mark. He is the only politician to openly attempt a coupe while in office. Only Trump stole government secrets for personal use and lied about returning them: a crime punishable by death. (See Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in 1955.) Nikki Haley admitted that if she becomes our president and Trump is convicted of treason, she would pardon the biggest criminal in American history. She is admitting that she would ignore the Constitution and protect the evil man who made her the ambassador to the United Nations. She would then become another traitor to the values and principles of our nation’s highest law, the Constitution.. Trump admitted that he was give

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Wars are not fought exclusively with guns. Experts involved in predictions about future wars agree that the next world war will be a struggle for technology superiority. There is the real reason the discussion of Artificial Intelligence is priority number one. Our nation is fighting a war today. The reason for this conflict has its origin in the primary reasons for the first Civil War: racism and bigotry. The Second Civil War began on November 8, 2016, when Donald John Trump became our nation’s illegitimate president elect. A “rigged” election, funded by Vladimir Putin, and aided by the mainstream media and James Comey, handed the presidency to a fascist, and the least qualified man in history to become a leader of men. Although it was confirmed in October of 2106 that Russia was deeply involved in deciding the outcome of our election, our nation’s leaders decided to keep this fact from the voting public. Trump lost the popular vote by more than three million

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   It is an irrefutable fact that Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise, Mike Johnson, Paul Gosar, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and others are traitors, fascists, and unfit for office. So it should surprise no one that Boebert has announced that she will be running for election in a different district in 2024. She very nearly lost her last election running in Colorado’s third district, receiving just 546 more votes than her opponent. She will be running in the fourth district where the politics are more extreme and favor Trump and his fascist party. She is another right-wing coward, a member of the extremist group calling themselves “the Freedom Caucus,” and an enemy of every patriotic American in our country. I am “sick and tired of this fake Republican Party.” They not only lack the morals and principles of the former GOP, they lack the intelligence and competency to lead our nation. They are an embarrassment to their predecessors and the positions t

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   MAGA Republicans and Fox News continue their efforts to misdirect the truth about January 6, 2021. However, those of us who watched all three hours of the darkest day in American history can testify to the truth. It is an undeniable fact that a sitting president stepped out of the White House and spoke to “his people,” who he had personally organized and instructed to come to Washington on that day, telling them to stop the most democratic action required by the Constitution, the same document Trump swore to “preserve, protect, and defend,” the certification of the Electoral College vote. This was clearly a commission of the highest crime against our nation: treason. Why is Trump a free man today, and how can he possibly be allowed to run for any political office? The 14 th Amendment clearly states that anyone who commits an act of insurrection cannot be allowed to run for public office. Trump’s incompetent attorneys are claiming that he had immunity because

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Jim Jordan, and all the others: If you are complaining about our government and your life in general, and voted for these men or any other “MAGA Republican,” I do not feel sorry for you because you got what you voted for. In 2016 my state of Nevada became a “blue state.” We had a Republican Governor, but Brian Sandoval was the best of all since I moved here in 1986. However, in 2022, Nevada’s voters chose to elect an avid Trump supporter, and a totally unqualified former Clark County Sheriff, Joe Lombardo, to lead our state. The complaints about him are many, refusing to care for the needs of the majority and supporting big business at the top of the list. Once again, you deserve what happens to you if you voted for any Republican in the 21 st century. If you continue to support the three aforementioned men, who have never accomplished anything in their lives, you deserve what you get, including the possible end of our nation. Years ag

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Trump is an ignorant man with zero common sense. However, those around him are positive that he knows what he’s saying when he quotes the world’s previous greatest tyrant, Adolf Hitler. Between January 2017 and January 2021, he proved that he is a fascist who hates the United States of America. Has our nation reverted to the dark days when fascism began to grow in America in support of the racist and bigot who gained control of Germany when he was elected its chancellor in 1933? Have white supremacists in their extreme form as Neo-Nazis become a viable third party under the “leadership” of Donald John Trump? It appears that these two questions have a single plausible answer: hell yes. Over four years Trump encouraged his supporters, including the once Grand Old Party, to reject the Constitution and move our nation backwards when white supremacy and control by the super-rich were not only acceptable, but encouraged. Trump denies the irrefutable fact that recent

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Trump has made several statements over the last eight years “subtly” stating that if you are not with him, you are against him and therefore his enemy. I am proud to be an enemy of America’s greatest traitor and the worst man in the world. It is an embarrassment and our national shame that our government and our people allowed an asset of Vladimir Putin to become our president. From the time Putin became an officer in the KGB, his goal was to destroy the United States. Our nation’s leaders and primary security agencies were aware prior to the November 8, 2016 that Russian agents were using social media to influence voters: and it worked. Trump was gifted the Electoral College by three states and a total of less than 80,000 votes. He lost the popular vote, which proves that the people no longer choose our presidents: the states have that privilege. The truth is no Republican has won the popular vote since George H.W. Bush’s election in 1988, with the ex

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Grocery prices, up more than 30 percent: Energy bills raised by more than 50 percent: Tickets for movies increased by 100 percent or more: Tickets for sporting events and concerts higher by as much as 1,000 percent: Amusement Parks have increased they prices to a level completely unaffordable to the average family: and Restaurant prices have become too expensive, preventing anyone from enjoying the experience more than once or twice a year. The Social Security increase for 2024 was a meager 3.2 percent. All these facts are the result of corporate greed and their arrogance which allows them to believe that their bloated profits will continue to increase. Capitalism and its extension, a plutocracy, cannot exist if the nation’s citizens lack an income which allows them to purchase goods and services. Both the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Census exposed one fact which could end corporate dominance in America. Accounting for inflation, the average American worke

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   The Kansas City Chiefs lost two games in a row, not because they failed to play the game, but because two referees decided who would win. On December 3 rd , with little time left in the game, Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to a receiver inside the five-yard line. The pass was ruled incomplete, although the defender was obviously guilty of interference. The Chiefs lost. On December 10, playing the Buffalo Bills, once again there were seconds left when Mahomes completed a pass to Travis Kelce. Kelce threw a backwards pass to Toney who scored what would have made the game a tie. A referee made a call seldom enforced in the NFL, offsides by the offense. Before the ball was hiked, Toney’s foot was in the neutral zone. The Bills won. Mahomes and Coach Andy Reid complained vehemently and had the courage to challenge the competency of NFL officials. A Cowardly commissioner, Roger Goodell, supported his failed officials and Reid was fined $100,000, and Mahomes $50,000. I

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Hidden from the American people was a meeting held in the Oval Office about a month before the 2016 election. In attendance were President Obama, Vice-President Biden, the leaders of both parties from the House and Senate, and the heads of the FBI, NSA, and other agencies dedicated to investigations related to election security and attempts by foreign nations to alter the results of our elections. Evidence was offered by these agencies that Vladimir Putin was deeply involved in efforts to control the outcome of the 2016 election in favor of Donald Trump. The very fact that this meeting was held remained hidden from the American people until the results of the election were confirmed. Trump secured a very slim victory in the Electoral College, but lost the popular vote by more than three million ballots. What remains hidden is how the principals involved in this meeting decided to hide the facts from the electorate. There is no doubt that if the peopl

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I offer you my first and last conspiracy theory. Ordinarily I abhor any such efforts to influence America’s voters. However the evidence in this situation is overwhelming and cannot be disputed by anyone with average intelligence. During the 2016 campaign, Trump told his cult: “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” Trump said at a campaign rally. Sadly this is a fact. Like their demagogue, his cult is composed of people with only three emotions focused on Americans of color, non-Christians, the LGBTQ community, and all women who demand equality: anger, hatred, and violence in his name. I was not surprised, but I was frightened and appalled when Trump was given a “free pass” for his confirmed Constitutional violations and never received a fair trial in Moscow Mitch McConnell’s Senate. This offered proof that Trump is above the law in the world of right-wing extremists. Trump has now been indicted five times fo

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Okay, you all know I am old and my memories are very important to me, both the good ones and the bad ones. However, when they are related to politics and our government in Washington, they are crystal clear and 100 percent accurate.. I could not legally vote until 1967: The 26 th  amendment, giving 18-year-olds the right to vote, was not passed until Richard Nixon was our president in 1971. However, my interest in what is clearly the ugliest profession in the 21 st  century, politics, began in 1956. I turned on the television one day in 1956, and on the screen was the Republican National Convention when Dwight D. Eisenhower received his party’s nomination for a second term as our president. I was fascinated as the theme of patriotism and the celebration of our First Amendment right to vote filled the hall. When President Eisenhower accepted the nomination, I had no doubt that he loved our nation and its people, and his intention was to serve all Americans for

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Since January of 2009 Republicans in Washington have done nothing. Although they were elected to serve the needs and wishes of the American people, they ignore the voting public and focus on special interests and their own ambitions. In 2016 House Republicans spent most of their time on baseless attacks against Hillary Clinton, desperate to win elections. This cost taxpayers millions of dollars and unfairly poisoned the credibility of the most qualified presidential candidate in history. What our country received was the least qualified lifetime criminal in history claiming the title of President of the United States. In January of 2009 Moscow Mitch McConnell and then Speaker of the House, John Boehner, stood before the cameras and swore that “their party would do nothing until ‘that man’ was out of office.” They continue to keep that promise although President Obama left office in January of 2017. 2023 has exposed the incompetence and unwillingnes

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   If you believe that Fox News is legitimate, bringing their audience facts about current events from around the world, you are making a choice, allowing yourself to be brainwashed. The truth is, Fox was created by Rupert Murdoch in 1996 for two purposes: increase advertising revenue by any means possible, and to become a propaganda machine for right-wing extremists. Their original primetime personalities included one man and one woman who apparently had credentials offering them an opportunity to claim the title of “journalist.” However, after the Roger Ailes scandal, related to sexual harassment and assault, Megyn Kelly resigned. Later it was discovered that their most successful host, Bill O’Reilly, has falsified the contents of his books, and also engaged in actions making him a sexual predator, he was forced to resign his lucrative position. Today, there is only one legitimate journalist on Fox. Bre Baier will never be allowed to report in primetime. The tr

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Liz Cheney released her memoir. In it she accurately describes the dangers posed to our nation by Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans. I just read an article on “The Daily Kos.” It is written by Will Cambridge, and the title is: “Why Does it Take Liz Cheney to Say What Biden and All Democrats Should Be Saying?” The former Representative from Wyoming, and daughter of a vice-president, Ms. Cheney offered a legitimate description of Trump, calling him a “wannabe dictator,” and a “fascist.” She claims that a Trump victory in 2024 would be the end of the United States of America, and added: “A vote for Donald Trump may mean the last election that you ever get to vote in," she warned. The entire book is an accurate evaluation of what has happened to the former “Party of Lincoln,” and how Trump has become the greatest danger to America’s existence. The real question is “why haven’t Democrats offered these truths before?” Why did they allow Trump to go unpunish

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   If you watched the Sunday night game this week, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Green Bay Packers, you experienced the reason I claim that NFL officials are by far the worst in sports. With the clock running out, Chief’s QB, Patrick Mahomes, launched a pass which went to the two-yard line. His receiver was obviously physically assaulted by the Packers’ defender, but once again there was no call. This situation cost the Chiefs an important game, and previously cost the New Orleans Saints an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl, and prevented a victory in the Super Bowl for Colin Kaepernick’s San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens. Something must change. This is an unforgivable mistake which must receive adequate punishment for the worst in sports. Op-ed by James Turnage Find my nine novels on Amazon’s free Kindle app Follow all articles by TheWiseOldFart here: https://askreverendjm.blogspot.com/ Please pass the truth a

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I may have been naïve. This baby boomer grew up trusting everyone older than me, especially those with authority and power. I firmly believed that our government placed the welfare of its people as priority number one. I believed the slogan on the side of police cars was sincere: “to Protect and to Serve.” When my priest gave his sermon, I trusted him with all my heart. I knew that my teachers, including the nuns, loved their jobs and would make my life better. I watched the evening news and believed every word. But things have changed over my 77 years. I no longer trust anyone who has power over me and those I love. Trust is earned and most of what I believed in my younger days no longer exists. No one in Washington can be trusted. Over the years I have less and less faith in Congress. Of the 13 presidents I remember, only five of them were competent and true patriots, and it may surprise you but Richard Nixon was one of them. His huge mistake was unforgivabl

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Social media and the internet in general changed everything in our world, and none of it for the better. There are far more lies and conspiracy theories contained in on-line media than facts. This is the primary reason America’s government has become the worst in the world. In 1996 Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes created the first 24-hour propaganda machine for right-wing extremists calling it “Fox News.” This added to the creation of misinformation. Today there are several “Fox wannabes,” each of them supporting the worst illegitimate president in history. The last time our nation had a government which did the right thing for our people most of the time was in the 1970’s. Legislators from both parties were forced to vote according to the wishes of the people or face defeat in their bids for reelection. Today, the men and women calling themselves “Republicans” ignore the needs and wishes of the people and vote in support of special interests whose lobbyists co