The Truth HURTS.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/us/politics/woodward-trump-book-virus.html

The widespread economic problems we face, weren’t caused by the Biden Administration’s economic policies… they were caused by the unmitigated spread of COVID-19.

The unmitigated spread of COVID-19 wasn’t caused by mask-wearing, or a maleficent scientist or doctor… it was caused by the deliberate INACTION of President Donald J. Trump and his Administration.

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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/intelligence-report-warned-coronavirus-crisis-early-november-sources/story?id=70031273

The rise of Donald J. Trump wasn’t due to his superior oratory skills or the strength of his domestic political agenda. The rise of Donald J. Trump and his “UltraMAGA” agenda, is the direct result of the ROT and CORRUPTION he once claimed to be fighting against.

The rot and corruption inherent within the Party Establishment was employed in the shadows of the Presidential Primary, to benefit one candidate over another.

A finger was placed on the scale… thereby upending the BALANCE maintained within our electoral process.

87E62B75-869A-428A-97BF-DA40F32AACF6https://observer.com/2017/08/court-admits-dnc-and-debbie-wasserman-schulz-rigged-primaries-against-sanders/

Ego. Anger. Self-interest. Greed. A perceived sense of entitlement… a perceived sense of grievance. These are not the values we should be holding UP and rewarding with elected office… especially an elected office as consequential as the Office of The Presidency.

F3E08011-6C8A-4D32-8149-1EBE514DE586AC0629BC-46FB-4605-9B8C-9BF3386C2582https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/19/business/twitter-musk-trump-reinstate

Yet those values are espoused in successful candidacies to this day. Making the actions of previous Administrations the object of their vengeance… as if political agendas were specifically created to hurt others, as opposed to HELPING them.

This creates the destructive cycle in which we find ourselves, as the focus of the NEXT election… will inevitably be on the LAST.

Are you better off now than you were four years ago?’

That question has now lost all meaning in light of the Presidency of Donald J. Trump and the events of 2020. Let there be NO DOUBT… we will be better off in 2024, than we were in 2020.

F9374AAA-FC58-4648-A593-CA30E3E4E86329DC42D2-7378-4FF0-9783-5D779098F5CDhttps://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-12-10/one-day-us-deaths-top-3-000-more-than-d-day-or-9-11

The question now becomes: How do we ensure we’re better off four years in the FUTURE? Where do we want to GO… how will we get there? Will we find the answers we seek by embracing the failed ideologies of our PAST?

That is for The People to decide.

45555F8E-54CE-475B-92A6-00D7DE81450C92443383-DF17-4DC4-BB45-9A0C2D3F1C64https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/20/us/colorado-springs-shooting-gay-nightclub

I don’t know you… you don’t know me. Yet we have within us the same RED BLOOD. We harbor within us the same hopes and fears. Our worlds seem MILES apart… yet each one of us still STANDS for the same beliefs. That we are ALL created EQUAL, and that some rights transcend these Earthly bounds.

Our Nation is Great because we embody Great Things. Foundational beliefs. Core values, engrained in the heart of every American Citizen. The right to LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. Guaranteed… not just for some or a select few… but for all of us.

When you defend the rights of others, you defend those rights for yourself.

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On account of sex… regardless of what that might be.

I still believe in the WORDS, as they were written…
We are ALL created Equal.

Now, it’s up to us to ensure it is so.

-JC

Landfall

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just STOP all this nonsense and get ourselves back to doing what’s right…

B8EC300A-4066-4E60-AE17-34E102014324AA641F52-5D16-44DC-86E9-4DC2FF9DC61Chttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/us/desantis-florida-migrants-marthas-vineyard.html

Immigrants. Seeking asylum. Seeking refuge. From violence, devastation, corruption… things we all know too well.

But they’re just living off of the welfare of others… taking away my hard-earned DOLLAR.

F60DBB20-FC05-4E1A-9A52-D13244FD2A36B43181F6-579E-404A-8F57-5C80BED981E8https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/brett-favre-told-mississippi-governor-not-take-no-answer-volleyball-st-rcna49446

Yeah… what about that.

F59018C5-92FE-402B-8613-48912454A8DBhttps://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/sixth-florida-property-insurer-declared-insolvent/

As if we needed another reminder of how vulnerable we truly are, when faced with a changing climate.

D82003C8-7161-439F-92E4-6DAABB8FC02DC4DC49A4-6071-492F-B95C-9883CE547B8Chttps://www.washingtonpost.com/business/everybody-moved-to-fortmyers-just-before-hurricane-ian-hit/2022/09/28/d177699a-3f48-11ed-8c6e-9386bd7cd826_story.html

As if we need another demonstration of how truly BLESSED we all are.
Well… almost all of us.

BA932C5B-C706-4D5C-BA71-79AE46A12BA84A37BA3A-9551-4155-9944-F0FAFE277D48https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/week-power-fiona-puerto-ricans-experience-echoes-hurricane-maria-rcna49323

Hmmm… how many ELECTORS does Puerto Rico have? Oh, right.
They’ve got the same number of SENATORS seeking re-election this fall.

735145E8-1621-4373-A94E-BDD8785C7103

09BDFB48-F603-4D50-8FAB-FFB9D5071323

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/01/us/biden-florida-puerto-rico.html

Doing a heck-of-a-job there, Brownie.

… 

This is all I’ve got… my WORDS. My VOICE. There but for the Grace of God go I. I’m not a wealthy man. I’m not an educated man… I am merely a Man. But I know I am not alone. I STAND united with the MAJORITY.

Not the MAJORITY as I see it. Not the MAJORITY as I want it to be. The inherent strength and wisdom of the MAJORITY of this Nation, the United States of America.

Let there be NO DOUBT.

Cast aside your preconceptions and give rise to the KNOWLEDGE we have gained. The Will of the Majority of the United States of America is TRUE. It is JUST. The Majority of this Land STANDS for what is Right.

Two centuries of LIGHT have shown us, as if mere speculation were criminal.

If Ginni Thomas might be SO BOLD… 

3F9E3CB7-ABEC-4176-B0A1-A03C1590529370AA3EE2-73BC-436A-A264-23F737EE14FD

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/30/ginni-thomas-jan-6-interview-2020-election-conspiracy

If Donald J. Trump might be SO BOLD… 

E6683956-14B9-492C-88FB-5007B3341A5C9518C0F6-6213-4D07-ADF7-0C51C44DC8EDhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/30/trump-lawyers-kise-corcoran-bobb/

Then it is my RIGHT… it is my DUTY to SPEAK OUT as well.

To be SILENT is to be COMPLICIT.

I will continue to stand in the way. I will continue to CALL OUT the inaction and hypocrisy that I see. I will do all that I can, with all that I have… for as long as the fates allow. I refuse to become well-adjusted to such a maladjusted society.

Unapologetically. Without FEAR or FAVOR. Our Rule of Law protects our Right to Protest. Without it… we have NO RIGHTS.

If we hold their Right to Free Speech as sacrosanct, then there must be some ray of HOPE for an idea such as mine.

I’m not a MAGA Conservative trying to sell you some bill of goods, pretending that I alone can fix it. Any FOOL can tell you that. I’m not a Liberal Democrat, who prioritizes Virtue Signaling or Affirmative Action.

I am a Progressive. From the Great State of KANSAS.

I STAND for Equality.

Full stop.

That is what we are LACKING. That is what this situation desperately needs.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Puerto Rico, the people of Florida, and all of the survivors of these storms.

May their recovery be our priority.

-JC

The Devil Always Gets His Due

DB74B351-18A4-47DC-81E1-C0ADFFA1153E

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/08/us/trump-fbi-raid

Why would Donald Trump think the FBI raid on Mar-A-Lago was executed by the Democrats and Joe Biden, and not the Department of Justice?

Because that’s what he would have done. That’s the process he would have pursued. That’s the preview for the Main Attraction. COMING SOON! The SEQUAL to his first term in office.

When you DONATE to Donald J. Trump… this is what you’ll get.

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F64D40AA-A44E-4019-BD24-7187C5D25C37

https://www.businessinsider.com/paul-manafort-gave-trump-data-to-russians-for-business-deals-2022-8

Now, I’ve never owned or operated a successful casino before.

But then again… neither has he.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/09/us/politics/trump-tax-returns-house-court.html

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I heard one of the talking heads the other day, ask if this would be the thing that finally CRACKS the support of the Republican Party…

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https://nypost.com/2018/11/09/trump-personally-arranged-payoffs-for-stormy-daniels-karen-mcdougal/

2FBA7AF2-6520-4AA3-8AE9-97E478DF482F

https://www.thewrap.com/how-access-hollywood-found-the-trump-tape-and-why-nbc-news-probably-leaked-it-exclusive/

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… anyone ask a question like that been SMOKING some crack.

BE27EE82-65A5-4F87-9B7A-33F7675028C2https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/us/politics/trump-campaign-filing.html

… 

034FF25E-141E-4C39-A2DE-D4190379E4D255DF3B2F-9765-49DE-8BF4-6AC15E4EFEED

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_of_Eight_(intelligence) 

The Gang of Eight is briefed on all matters of National Security, and an investigation involving charges that stem from the Espionage Act would definitely qualify as a matter of National Security.

Nancy Pelosi said on Morning Joe she wasn’t briefed in advance.
Senator Schumer told Rachel Maddow that he had no clue.
The White House said they first heard about it on Twitter.

85DA832C-F04D-406F-9A03-41FDF48E2CA8https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/08/11/garland-trump-mar-a-lago/

Why would they LIE in public as opposed to TELLING THE TRUTH? Playing politics with our National Security is UNACCEPTABLE.

Every American Citizen deserves the TRUTH.

Something doesn’t smell right here. Either they are being briefed on matters of National Security or they aren’t. IF they are, then they’re lying. IF they’re not, then what the hell is going on on Capitol Hill?

Boy, I sure hope the Leadership of the Democratic Party is telling the TRUTH. Because if they’re not… then the GOP is gonna have a FIELD DAY with this one.

But I don’t feel sorry for Speaker Pelosi or Majority Leader Schumer. They weighed the consequences of their actions and chose to speak on the subject. They didn’t have to say a word about it. They could have been HONEST and said it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation and just left it at that.

To tell you the truth… the person I feel sorry for is Kevin McCarthy. If the Gang of Eight was briefed on the nature of these documents, then he would have known about the execution of this search warrant WEEKS in advance.

What did he know and when did he know it?
It’s gonna be hard to explain that one to Donald Trump… and that’ll make it hard to secure the support of his party in 2023.

… 

We’ve created this cast of characters through OUR VOTE. With OUR CONSENT. What does it say that the “UltraMAGA” supporters continue to call for whatever Donald Trump wants?

Does it say more about the people who would continue to support him, or does it say more about the SYSTEM that would allow a candidate like Donald J. Trump to continue to flourish… becoming their ONLY OPTION. Their candidate of last resort.

In the eyes of some, there are no alternatives left. Sometimes… you just have to knock the whole thing OVER and start again.

As it is in the wake of a violent STORM. As it is in the aftermath of a devastating FLOOD. Few things can compare with the effective strength of a massive body of WATER on structural integrity.

Water, neglect, and the passage of TIME come to mind.

And now, as some call for us to tear it all down, I wonder… what would they have us install in its place? Shall we tear down the statues of Washington so we can immortalize the Art of the Deal? Are we ready to toss aside the notion that in this Country, there are no Kings or Queens?

Or is there something MORE… something that goes beyond the TWO CHOICES on the ballot this fall? How can we ever expect to find the ANSWERS to these questions… when the resolution we have looks like THIS?

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1CB9C022-A901-4893-AAB8-518176FD335A70F755EF-4E31-416F-98D5-9AF89EF33A91https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/us/politics/trump-fbi-justice-department.html

CLARITY… above all else.

The Will of The People must be heard.

Not the Will of the DONORS. Not the Will of the SPECIAL INTERESTS.

The Will of EVERY American Citizen.

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The fight is not to destroy our Union… the fight is to secure it.

Let us waste NO TIME debating any strategy that would seek to undo what has already been done. There are no stronger advocates for Democracy in this world than the people of the United States of America. Because we know, our National Security is ensured when the VOICE of The People is ensured.

Every Citizen. Every Election.

More participation equals BETTER GOVERNANCE.

-JC

The Bedrock of Democracy

What stands between us and the abyss? What are the Guardrails of our Democracy? Every day we are gaining more CLARITY on how fragile our system truly is.

Though the details may be disputed, the overall intentions remain the same, regardless of how it went down. All that stood between a tyrannical leader, hellbent on remaining in POWER, and our Constitutional Democracy… were these guys.

BE9087F1-1784-451B-9A79-3724C25A935ADB652F28-5BDD-4109-9AB3-BA24D93D7B57

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/01/us/politics/anthony-ornato-jan-6-trump.html

That’s it.

A couple of rank-and-file Officers from our Nation’s most elite Law Enforcement detail, the United States Secret Service. Had they chosen to follow the orders of our Commander-in-Chief that day, and actually drove the President to the Capitol… what do you think would have happened?

As the doors opened on that SUV and out stepped Donald J. Trump with his security detail… that crowd would have erupted in thunderous APPLAUSE. They would have carried him UP those steps and escorted him on to the floor of the House of Representatives.

And as the clouds parted and birds started to sing, the President would have stood before the WORLD and addressed Our Nation from the microphone of the Speaker of the House and said-

‘Well Mike… whatcha gonna do NOW?’

The House, in special session, would have voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, after Vice President Mike Pence found several slates of electors to be in dispute. Joe Biden would have been the loser, and Donald J. Trump would have been sworn in for his second term.

It would have been the END of our Democratic Experiment. The end of the peaceful transition of power. It would have marked the beginning of the reign, of the FIRST KING of the United States of America… and the end of Our Constitution.

THIS TIME… it held. HONOR triumphed. For whatever reason, be it respect for our Rule of Law; be it respect for a DIRECT ORDER from their superiors… be it out of FEAR, with a strong instinct for self-preservation.

Whatever their reasoning… in the eyes of our Founders, those Secret Service agents are HEROES. Because of their actions, our Nation STILL STANDS.

NEXT TIME… we may not be so fortunate.

Next time, Tony Ornato won’t be in that car. Because next time, Donald J. Trump… or whomever holds The Office… will ensure it.

Every safeguard. Every norm. Every established rule. Every person of HONOR and commitment will be REMOVED… selectively screened out and asked to leave, long before that opportunity presents itself again.

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… 

If we do nothing… if we take NO ACTION… next time, he will be successful. Next time, the only hearings that will happen, will be those held to bring justice to those who’ve stood OPPOSED to the President.

And you can rest assured… that committee will refer criminal prosecutions to the Department of Justice.

And there will be convictions. On that… I have NO DOUBT.

-JC

The Price of Appeasement

8453F659-688D-466B-90BE-F636FB3B15B9https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/fuel-recycling/mixed-oxide-fuel-mox.aspx 

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https://www.jnfl.co.jp/en/business/mox/

That’s always been the biggest problem with embracing nuclear energy production… what do we do with all that WASTE? Thousands of tons of radioactive nuclear fuel sits cooling in spent fuel pools in every nuclear power facility across the globe. For thousands of years that fuel will be highly radioactive… where will it go? What will we do with it?

We can bury it. We can forget it. We can ignore it. But no matter what we decide to do with it, it will continue to cost us money… for centuries to come.

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7259627A-D1AF-4733-AAC3-557FB07A5408

https://www.rbth.com/science_and_tech/2016/03/21/new-siberian-nuclear-fuel-production-unit-is-worlds-first-of-its-kind_577647

8633A735-0DA8-46D8-AFB9-F6573EF1A16Chttps://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/BN-800-fast-reactor-fully-loaded-with-MOX-fuel

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Thousands of tons of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel… with nowhere to go. No one wants it… ‘not in MY backyard!’ No one has a permanent plan for it… so why not recycle some of it? Make some more useful fuel out of it and save some money in the process. No one seems to want it. I doubt anyone would mind if it just… disappeared.

One man’s TRASH is another man’s TREASURE.

E20587F0-8BB3-4818-964C-0BC3D1559402CB2191B8-27E6-48C3-8082-886F5903F52Bhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_thermal_rocket

CE9981CB-296C-410D-98F6-1E65ABBA1CC2https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-nuclear-powered-spacecraft-moon-venus-jupiter-2021-5

FE683262-0514-4D25-AF30-0C711F4DDC2A

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03147500/document

DFEF973D-A094-485E-B6A7-DC0FAD1EFC5Fhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49432681

It’s called ‘closing the loop’ on the nuclear fuel cycle. Instead of disposing of all that waste, some of it can be recycled and used again in a nuclear reactor. Not in the BOMBS, though. That requires the highly enriched material. The TOP SHELF supply… the GOOD STUFF.

A02F6584-34B8-420A-A7DF-9C14186E1D2Fhttps://neutronbytes.com/2020/12/27/japans-mox-fuel-plan-gets-a-green-light-but-reprocessing-start-delayed-for-two-years/

And that GOOD STUFF is in short supply. Only a handful of locations on earth can produce highly enriched, weapons-grade nuclear material. Those nations who currently have a stockpile want to save all they can for use in their nuclear arsenals.

They wouldn’t want to go and waste the ‘good stuff’ on a single-use rocket engine… especially if they plan on making a lot of them.

5C911B5D-9658-4A73-AFDF-483779629B1650D7FDD5-0A51-445C-B0D4-BE80A8B35644https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/science/nuclear-fuels-are-vulnerable-despite-a-push.html

When there’s short supply and high demand, someone has to find a new supply. Someone will find a way. If there’s money to be made, someone will make it… and TRILLIONS of dollars will motivate people to do, just about anything.

D478B0FA-2BFC-4268-A62D-66A03679D534C9007927-FA25-41FC-823B-3957E81BE763https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-nuclear-exclusive/exclusive-mideast-nuclear-plan-backers-bragged-of-support-of-top-trump-aide-flynn-idUSKBN1DV5Z6

480EFD3E-C73E-4262-9401-734CC3D6FB84https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03147500/document

E3682818-DD33-4B97-84A7-A22C19A65E32https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/russia-want-take-chernobyl-rcna17615

72CB1539-C140-4F00-83D0-7F7D0D8656DFhttps://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-assemblies-loaded-into-new-Chernobyl-used-fu

Yes, it may be ‘Rocket Science’… but it’s as easy to understand as the phrase ‘FOLLOW THE MONEY’.

They can see the writing on the WALL. They’re living in a dying petrostate. Oil is going the way of the dinosaur and they want a piece of the FUTURE. But, in essence… Nuclear Fission is energy of the PAST. Its time is UP.

We are currently working to unleash the Power of the SUN. And as it turns out… that energy is SAFER and CLEANER than anything we’ve ever seen before.

The Nuclear Age is now a relic of the PAST…

… and we will be dealing with the fallout of that era for many years into the future.

C53A97C1-2CB0-46A3-8AB3-B0FD6FCBBC125CFC2842-E905-4825-912D-3F446AFBE37Chttps://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-chief-grossi-to-head-assistance-mission-to-ukraines-chornobyl-nuclear-power-plant-next-week

And what will they find when they get there? It’s already been widely reported that the Russian soldiers destroyed radiological monitoring stations around the site. They even dug trenches in the highly radioactive exclusion zone and then tracked that radioactive dirt back inside the facility, contaminating parts of the building that were already clean… what else did they do while they were there?

They have no respect for International Laws. They have no respect for the Ukrainians whose territory they’ve invaded. They don’t adhere to standards or follow established protocols to ensure safety…

We must brace ourselves and be prepared to find the worst-case scenario inside that building. The inspectors from the IAEA might get there… and find nothing at all.

What would be our response then.

4E4B4729-39DA-4C6B-AADB-74BBD2A26421287FB96C-0D76-423B-8A88-135D198CB745

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-sees-gold-in-ukraine-nuclear-plants-chernobyl-reactor-fuel-waste-disposal-11646946568

There cannot be any appeasement. There must not be any appeasement… because there will never be any appeasement.

Vladimir Putin must withdraw all Russian forces from the entirety of Ukraine. These actions should not be rewarded in any way.

We do so at our own peril.

-JC