TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   The Republican Party experienced its final implosion on January 20, 2017. Its demise began on January 20, 1981. It took 36 years to complete the process, and under the direction of Vladimir Putin the process reached its climax when Trump was illegitimately elected by the Electoral College on November 8, 2016. This may surprise some of you, but as a lifelong Independent I can tell you that the last man residing in the White House who supported the principles and morals of the Grand Old Party, who was a true patriot and cared for the future of his country was Richard Millhouse Nixon. If we judge our presidents by their accomplishments and how they affected the largest number of our nation’s people, the best President by far was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Included in the top five would be Richard Nixon. Sadly, what he will be remembered for by historians is his ambition to receive a second term and the felonies he committed when he approved the break-in at the De

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I have no doubt some of these statistics will surprise and even shock you. However, they are based on facts. The mainstream media, Fox News, and right-wing politicians will never tell you the truth. The truth would greatly harm those who call themselves “Republicans” today. Remember, billionaires control the right-wing, and money is the only thing of importance in 21 st century America. I believe that if most Americans were aware that 30 percent of all Americans reject organized religion today, it would change attitudes across our country about multiple issues, including abortion, and the rights of the LGBTQ community. That number is about 90,000,000 people. The most interesting part of this fact is that millennials and succeeding generations compose a large number of this statistic. With an average age of all Americans at 38.3 years of age, this is a significant fact. If women and younger Americans came to agreements on every important issue, they would cont

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   On November 8, 2016, Trump secured a win in the Electoral College with the assistance of Vladimir Putin, James Comey, and the mainstream media. His presidency was illegitimate. I never once referred to him as “President.” From day one he committed violations against the Constitution including a ban on all Muslims with the exception of those from Saudi Arabia, and violating the Emoluments Clause. He was impeached for the first time when he attempted to bribe the leader of a foreign nation, and a second time when he organized, planned, and executed a failed coup while still in office in 2021. On both occasions Republican Senators gave him a free pass, finding him not guilty. The truth reveals that Trump is above the law, and proves that America is biased in favor of the rich and powerful. We have become a lawless nation. Although he learned about a threat to the American people in December of 2019, he refused to anything about an approaching coronavirus, telling

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   99,000,000: this is the approximate number of Americans who reject organized religion today in America. This is the fastest growing number related to studies related to religion in America. This may explain why you and I are seeing an increasing number of ads by Evangelical and other Christian organizations. The steepest decline in organized religion is among those who claim to be Christians. For me, this is no surprise. Just a few years ago, the number of non-religious Americas was about 65 million, and prior to the 2020 election, it had grown to 75 million. I know you’re asking, “why this fact exists.” There are many reasons, as you might expect. However let’s look at the age groups composing these statistics. I doubt that it will surprise you that our youngest men and women, below the age of 21, are the largest group questioning the validity of organized religion. The group with the largest percentage of men and women who practice one faith are seniors. I c

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Section three of the 14 th Amendment prevents Trump’s name from being placed on any ballot for any office in 2024. There is undeniable proof that he, in collusion with members of his party, and leaders of several Neo-Nazi groups, planned, organized, and executed the insurrection on January 6, 2021. [What is the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment? The central argument in the Minnesota and Colorado cases is the same — that Section Three of the 14th Amendment bars from office anyone who previously swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it.] The following is a description of what occurred on January 6 th . The definition of “insurrection.” “A violent uprising against an authority or government.” Case closed. If he is not convicted on all counts, there is no justice in the United States. The same will be true when he is tried for stealing classified documents. The Rosenbergs were executed in 1955 for very similar

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I woke up this morning, booted up my laptop, and began to scan the headlines, as usual. I looked for information I did not know, or fully understand. I found nothing to write about on this Thursday morning. I have read or written these same stories multiple times. The names have changed, but the crimes against our country and humanity in general remain the same. Unfortunately, Donald Trump remains topical, not for anything he has accomplished, but for his most recent criminal activities. George Santos, who is the most illegitimate member of Congress in history, remains in office. His constituents decided not to remove him, although he has been charged with multiple felonies, like the previous criminal in this paragraph. Alabama’s “chosen son,” Tommy Tuberville, continues to reveal what happens when ignorant voters select a former football coach with no experience in a normal lifestyle, to represent them in the Senate. War rages on in the Middle East, a situati

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Today the House voted on a motion to expel George Santos from Congress. Santos is accused of multiple violations of the law, received a win in 2022 under false pretenses, and no one can verify his identity. However, the fake Republicans in the House failed to remove him on Wednesday. This was another embarrassment for the once Grand Old Party. They failed to remove a man who is nothing more than a con man and a class clown from the legislative body of the United States. This explains why our nation’s individual who is second in line for the presidency, Mike Johnson, is the Speaker of the House, although he opposes the First Amendment of the Constitution. Every day Santos remains in our legislature is a mockery about how horrible, incompetent, corrupt, and dysfunctional our government has become. We are a nation without leaders, and without laws. Anyone who is given a voice in Washington is allowed to voice opinions opposed to the principles, morals, and ideals

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   It is an irrefutable fact that whatever those on the right side of the aisle call themselves, they have no resemblance to the Party of Lincoln, the Grand Old Party, or the Republican Party. Once respected for their principles, morals, and ideas, these men and women care about nothing but their personal ambitions. Winning elections at all cost, by any means, is their ultimate goal. Rich Logis was a loyal member of Trump’s cult, now called “The MAGA Party.” He is now a free man, allowed to think freely and make decisions based on facts, not angry and hate-filled rhetoric. He wrote an article which is attached to my latest effort to keep America informed of the truth. Mr. Logis confirms my allegation that the once Grand Old Party is virtually extinct and cannot be saved. [The irrefutable fact is: the Republican Party appealed (habitually, I talk of the party in the past tense) to those who think moving backward is moving forward. Whether that means looking to an

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   There is no doubt that Donald Trump is a traitor, and cannot be considered an American. Is there any possibility that a career criminal, sexual predator, and a failure at everything he has attempted without the aid of foreign nations could become the 47 th President of the United States? With assistance from Vladimir Putin, James Comey, and the mainstream media, it happened once. Think about this carefully. The leading candidate from the right, according to polls, is the worst man in America. Can you honestly tell me that the men and women who call themselves “Republicans” embrace the principles and morals of the Party of Lincoln? What the f**k is happening to my country? I believe that the American people are at fault, and what happens to them in the next few years is what they deserve. I will continue to cherish my right to be treated equally under the law, and my freedom to think and say what I believe. I believe in America and its promise. I will not beco

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Raised by a single mother in the 1950s and 60s, I was fortunate to have been very close and partially raised by my maternal grandparents. They were grandchildren of a Prussian grandfather, who came to this country at the beginning of the 20 th century, and the grandmother he met in America. Of the many things I learned from them, compassion, kindness, and understanding were the most important and remained with me throughout my life. What they couldn’t teach me were the underlying evils which existed then, and have become the norm in the 21 st century. These evils moved out of the shadows and escalated between 2017 and 2021 when an illegitimate president won the Electoral College, and became to leader of the Neo-Nazi movement in America. He and his party, once known as Republicans, combined with the mainstream media, continue to spread lies with the use of tactics including anger, hatred, and violence. At this very moment, somewhere in our nation a

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I am not an elitist. I never graduated from a college or university. I am nothing more, or less, than a 77-year-old man who has decades of experience and had the fortune to enjoy reading. I am what can be considered ‘self-educated.’ I try very hard not to be judgmental, but what I see happening in my beloved country and around the world in the 21 st century is unacceptable and frightening. Common sense seems to have been tossed aside and tyrants have become gods worshipped by the ignorant and uninformed. The United States is no longer the shining star, the epitome of what a democratic, free nation should be. It has morphed into a society more concerned with corporate profits than the quality of life for its people. Freedoms are in decline as fascist politicians seek control over our daily lives in the name of Christianity, and white power. Republicans believe they have the right to rule over us. They no longer believe that their purpose is to serve the needs

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Let’s take an honest look at America in the 21 st century. Where do you think our nation stands on issues which are most important, and where do you think one-half of our dysfunctional government stands? This rating includes 15 nations included in an overall rating of quality of life. Here’s a clue; the United States does not rate first in any category. Inf fact, we are last in the group at number 15. However, in the free world America is ranked 23 rd in healthcare. Only wealthy Americans receive the finest care because only the wealthy can afford the most expensive medical services and personnel available. Even for working class men and women who have healthcare plans at their place of employment, co-pays create hardships for millions of our nation’s people. Our failed healthcare system has become the most expensive and inefficient in the world. I, personally, had two friends die in a hospital after being misdiagnosed. America is the only nation in the worl

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I know this is controversial, but give me a chance to explain. What the terrorist group, Hamas, did in Israel is horrific and unforgivable. I would love to see them all eliminated by any means, as I would any other terrorist group, foreign or domestic. However, retaliating by killing thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women, and children is tantamount to a war crime. So, why is our government sending more money to Israel allowing Benjamin Netanyahu to continue his own form of genocide and placing the world in danger of WWIII? The truth is simple. Our government and our military love wars and winning them at any cost. No country in the world has committed a greater atrocity than the United States when the ultimate weapon of mass destruction was dropped on the people who lived in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. Hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women, and children were killed and thousands more maimed. The truth is that this was the last time

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Republicans have selected a man as unpopular as Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, and Jim Jordan as their Speaker of the House. He is the 56 th Speaker, and most unqualified in history, not the 45 th , as indicated when Steve Scalise introduced him. The 45 th Speaker of the House was Samuel J. Randall. Scalise must have skipped both history and civics classes. The only things we know about Mike Johnson is that he is a member of the right-wing extremist group, the Freedom Caucus, who attempted to overturn the 2020 election. He denies the validity of the Constitution, claiming that only Christians deserve protection and respect under the law. The Congressman from Louisiana is a well-known racist and bigot, denying equality to non-Christians, the LGBTQ community, and equal protection under the law for women. Putting it simply, he is one of 46 members of the House who hate the America of our Founding Fathers, and of course he is a climate change denier. If this is

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Trump has been indicted four times which include 72 felony counts. He is clearly guilty of every allegation. However, he has not been charged for his most serious crime against the American people. He alone is responsible for at least 100,000 of the more than 1,000,000 lives lost related to the pandemic known as Covid-19. Healthcare experts vary in the numbers but the estimates are huge. His failure to take action when he was first informed of an oncoming world health emergency in December of 2019, and fallacious claim that “it will just go away,” until Americans began dying in March of 2020, are the reasons an unnecessary number of our nation’s people lost their lives. Trump is not only guilty of murder, he is guilty of dereliction of duty. He failed his primary purpose, to protect the safety of 330 million Americans. Not once in four years did the worst illegitimate president in the world place the American people ahead of his personal needs and desires. No

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   A long time ago I wrote a story titled “May the Republican Party RIP.” Anyone who failed to read the facts on which this story was based must now take a second look. In 2010 a number of candidates were allowed to run under the banner of the Republican Party. They were not true Republicans, they were a new extremist party called the “TEA Party,” created and funded by billionaires led by the Koch Brothers. Although they had minimal success, some of the richest Americans in our nation did not believe they were as far to the right as they wanted them to be. In 2018 a radical few, calling themselves “The Freedom Caucus,” moved so far to the right they adopted the philosophies of fascism, dismissing the Constitution. One of the founders was Ohio Representative, Jim Jordan. He has made himself famous as a loud-mouthed rebel who continues to block any legislation which would move our nation forward, and a leader of a small group which favors government shutdowns every

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I watched a lot of NFL football this weekend. I am positive that the league officials I watched refused to go to the NFL sponsored school and instead attended clown college. Overall they were inept and on occasion altered the outcome of a few games. I doubt that most football fans realize that there are no “professional” referees in the NFL. All of them have full-time jobs. Officiating is a “second job” for all of them. They are not trained or held accountable as are the officials in Major League Baseball or the NBA. I have seen playoff games and even Super Bowls lost or won because of the decision of officials who were not watching the same game I was. This is not just wrong, it’s criminal. Roger Goodell’s team cannot be criticized without receiving serious punishment. I began complaining about NFL officials after watching a New England Patriot’s game years ago. What I saw was very upsetting, and why I no longer make bets on NFL games, although I live in Nort

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   When Bill Clinton left office in 2001, our nation no longer had a deficit. He eliminated the national debt and left his successor with a surplus for the first time in many years. However, George W. Bush placed our nation in two costly and unwinnable wars. His fiscal policy, originated by Ronald Reagan in 1981, known as “trickledown economics,” failed miserably. These factors led to the Great Recession and the destruction of the housing market. However, the super-rich continued to receive huge tax breaks. Their numbers grew under the failure of another right-wing president. Trump reduced taxes once again on corporations and the wealthy. When he failed to lead our nation in the fight against the Covid-19 coronavirus in 2020, another recession neared and our economy crashed once again. He left the economy in shambles for President Biden to repair. He, too, chose a policy of trickledown economics. The lesson I give you is simple and proven by historical fact. The

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Whenever there is a conflict between nations, the core of the problem is always found in incompetent leaders who are incapable or unwilling to do their jobs. Regardless of the nation, all Presidents, Prime Ministers, or whatever they are called, have the same responsibilities: improve the lives of their country’s citizens, and ensure their safety. My country, the United States of America, has devolved over the last 40+ years. Our Founding Fathers created a nation ruled by the people, not autocrats. However, since the Ronald Reagan era, our elected officials consider themselves rulers, not public servants. They ignore our needs and wishes and serve their own ambitions. No one in Washington can be trusted or respected in the 21 st century. Israel received “Statehood” from the United Nations in 1948. Their neighbors in the region, Palestinians, requested the same status, but have been ignored for the last 75 years. There have been moments in my life when the pos

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I always agreed with Mark Twain until 2017. “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.” The ‘country’ refers to the American people. Until I began to see growing support for the worst man in America, who is also the least qualified presidential candidate in history, I believed in America because I believed in our people. However, I no longer believe that millions of our nation’s people love their country and therefore I am not sure that the United States is worth saving. America has never been a great country. More than half of our nation’s people harbor racist beliefs and cherish their bigotry towards others who are not like themselves. Beginning in June of 2015 this problem escalated. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported an 800 percent in hate crimes. Although this old, obese, white man attempted to overthrow our government, committing the definition of treason, he remains free to continue spreading anger, hatred, and