The Devil Always Gets His Due

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

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

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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/

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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.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/us/politics/trump-campaign-filing.html

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

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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.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/08/11/garland-trump-mar-a-lago/

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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.

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“The warrant said it is seeking all ‘physical documents and records constituting evidence, contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally possessed in violation of three potential crimes, including a part of the Espionage Act.’”
https://t.co/3WUMukYap9

— Jack Charbonneau (@MrJLCharbonneau) August 12, 2022

@GOPLeader, would you like to retract your statement…

Or is this the agenda of the @GOP?🚨 https://t.co/dt1LIVknO7

— Jack Charbonneau (@MrJLCharbonneau) August 12, 2022

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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.

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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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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/us/politics/trump-fbi-justice-department.html

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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

Act as if it Would Happen Again

The odds of being struck by a tornado in the Great State of Kansas are 1 in 4.5 million.

https://www.kansas.com/news/weather/tornado/article213923139.html

As I’ve said before… when you live where the Twisters live, you MUST be prepared! It’s a matter of LIFE or DEATH.

When I was a younger man, I had a friend with a pickup truck. When the sirens would sound, we’d try and chase down the path of the tornadoes as they rolled through Olathe. We never got “lucky” enough to see one, but we saw more than our share of extreme weather events. Massive hail, rotating straight-line winds, fallen trees… mild, compared to what we wanted to see.

Some years we would chase down one or two storms. Some years, it was one storm every 3 or 4 DAYS. We even crossed paths with the “professionals”. A little pat on the back for ourselves, knowing we were close.

Understanding how these systems work is key when doing something so dangerous. Being able to read the radar and satellite returns accurately, then taking that information and applying it to events unfolding on the ground in real time, is crucial. Miss one piece of data, and you end up right in front of the storm.

As random and chaotic as they are, to a certain degree these storms are predictable; and living in this State means we are ALL required to have a degree in meteorology! Well… at least, an intimate knowledge of how the weather works.

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The tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011, changed all that for me. That one was a beast of another kind. The speed at which it traveled. The speed of the winds within the system. The trail of destruction it left behind and the suddenness with which it appeared… they only had moments to react.

https://hollybaumannphotography.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/two-months-later-joplin-tornado-recovery-efforts/

These systems were starting to Change.

Understanding this, I had to consider not only my safety, but the safety of my children. It was obvious a simple ‘hide in the basement’ strategy would no longer be sufficient. Had that storm dropped over my home… there would have been nothing left.

I had to act as if it would happen again. So we constructed a storm shelter in our basement, based on FEMA designs, that could withstand an EF5 tornado.

THIS TIME it was Joplin. Next time, we might not be so fortunate.

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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-tornado-that-saved-washington-33901211/

“On the night of August 24, 1814, British troops led by Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn marched on Washington, D.C. and set fire to most of the city. Dolley Madison famously saved the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington and a copy of the Declaration of Independence before she fled to nearby Georgetown.

The British didn’t stay long, though; their occupation lasted just 26 hours. What happened?”

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-tornado-that-stopped-the-burning-of-washington/

“George Robert Gleig, a British soldier on the scene, detailed what happened next in his memoirs as the severe thunderstorm rolled into the city in the afternoon.

‘Of the prodigious force of the wind it is impossible for you to form any conception. Roofs of houses were torn off by it, and whisked into the air like sheets of paper, while the rain which accompanied it resembled the rushing of a mighty cataract rather than the dropping of a shower,’ Gleig wrote.”

This isn’t about Donald Trump or Joe Biden. This isn’t about Republican vs. Democrat. This is about the FUTURE of our Nation, and what it is we want that future to BE.

RIGHT NOW, before all the nuance and intricacy. The endless debates over the delicate balance between our individual Liberty and the necessity of the government to defend itself from ALL enemies, both foreign and domestic. Before the political posturing and deliberative delays, we have a chance to declare exactly where we STAND.

Do we now support those who would incite violent actions for political gain? That is a slippery slope, and we all know where it will lead us in the END.

We have come SO FAR! And the only way we keep moving FORWARD is by taking a STAND. After having been within that majestic building, I can’t imagine how anyone would allow these actions to stand as precedent for a future President.

Had those people stopped and looked around them, they would have seen the scars from the LAST TIME our Capitol was taken by force. In such a hallowed hall, in the People’s House, it’s not about who resides within that building…

It’s about the ideals for which those hallowed halls continue to STAND.

… and may they STAND for another 207 YEARS without this happening again.

-JC

Let History Be Our Guide

It is becoming increasingly CLEAR… the longer we wait, the more this becomes permanent. The larger the SCAR will become. And on DAY ONE, the Senate Majority Leader sent the United States Senate HOME FOR THE WEEKEND, knowing the spread of the virus was exponential. DAYS. Lost.

In order to SAVE LIVES, the doctors and scientists of the United States tell us we must STAY HOME. We are doing as required by science and by LAW… and the Senate Majority Leader tells the States, if they can’t cut it they should just file for BANKRUPTCY.

The leadership of the Senate GOP wishes to revert to the Articles of Confederation, a system we rejected over 200 years ago! The majority of the Republican Party currently advocates for political de-evolution.

… let them.

If they choose to fight for a lost cause, let history inform them as to their Party’s fate; cast aside and forgotten along with their political predecessors… Our sight is FUTURE FOCUSED. Let history be our GUIDE.

The NOISE… in this moment, the noise becomes deafening. Deflect and distract, not to our benefit, but to our detriment. It’s hard to find a TRUE bearing within all this chaos. The polarity shift within our political spheres has pushed this nation to its extremes. Divided us on things as basic as TRUTH and FACTS… at a time when we should be UNITED.

LIVES are in the balance, yet elected officials in the Senate unite behind a President, asking in GOOD FAITH, if we should investigate using cleaning supplies as a treatment for COVID-19.

Hey! You know… if it had never been investigated before NOW, in all those years of use on kitchen countertops and in toilet bowls… he might have a strong point.

With every passing day, with every insanity uttered. With every life LOST, the agenda of the Senate Majority Leader is laid BARE before his constituents and the American People. Continuing his lust for political power and electoral supremacy in this moment transforms his actions; from something simply unseemly or distasteful, into something historically adjudicated as being complicit.

But these agendas are NOT OURS. These agendas and ill-informed opinions are not those held by the MAJORITY. And, once again… this fall the people must choose the lesser of two evils:

**Damned if you DO or Damned if you DON’T.**

It’s time for the SYSTEM to change… it’s time for the system to represent the PEOPLE from whom it receives its POWER.

The vaccine is in human trials. May they proceed safely… then let us be on our way. This quarantine cannot end until either TESTING for the virus and it’s antibodies is widespread, OR a vaccine is mass-produced. Until then, we must proceed with CAUTION. The choice is CLEAR when cast in this light, yet the Governor of Georgia wants everybody in his State to go out and get a HAIRCUT… while the infection rate continues to GROW.

“Georgia starts to reopen but nervous mayors warn that coronavirus crisis isn’t over.” CNN.com (04/25/2020)

It is not a failure of science. It is not a failure of the PEOPLE. In fact… it’s not a failure of the system. The system has been designed to work this way. It is a government empowered by the people who put those elected officials into office… THE DONORS.

“Bush signs bank bailout, Oct. 3, 2008.” Politico.com (10/03/2013)

“McConnell signals interest in protecting employers from coronavirus litigation.” Market Watch (04/24/2020)

We have the ability to SAVE LIVES, simply by STAYING HOME. The only reason people want to go back to work, is because the United States Government has FAILED to take care of the PEOPLE first… the CORE of our economic engine. Instead of ensuring FOOD and SHELTER for EVERY AMERICAN until this pandemic is over, The United States Senate has focused on business owners… hoping their kindness and generosity would trickle down.

**To that I say, let HISTORY be their guide.**

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Once again, every American Citizen knows better than Donald J. Trump what the best course of action is to SAVE LIVES… yet he does not act. He goes to great lengths to do the opposite of what is necessary. Just like his businesses, all the risk is on someone ELSE. When things go south… he’ll just WALK AWAY.

Our laws have been set up to enable people like him to be successful. Donald Trump is the shining example of what the GOP wants this nation to BE… and to that end is how they LEGISLATE.

To my ears, a call for a return to normal just rings hollow. I would not send my children to school next week… or next month. I would not go and get a haircut right now. I fear putting the life of my stylist in jeopardy more than anything else… because he is a black man. Even though I have Type 1 diabetes and am at higher risk, I know I have better health insurance than he does.

How would I justify a decision like that to his FAMILY?

“African Americans struggle with disproportionate COVID death toll.” National Geographic (04/24/2020)

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When faced with a CHOICE, the Senate Majority Leader chose INACTION and IGNORANCE, over PREPAREDNESS and SCIENCE. Briefed in NOVEMBER by the United States Military, on the potential threat posed to U.S. Forces in Asia, the Gang of Eight could have started preparing THEN.

“Intelligence report warned of coronavirus crisis as early as November.” ABCNews.com (04/08/2020)

NOVEMBER 2019.

4 DEMOCRATS and 4 REPUBLICANS.

Who has acted in the interest of THE PEOPLE?

… who has NOT.

They knew in November. Now 50,000 Americans have died. And that number will only continue to rise. Plans EXIST… plans have been implemented across the GLOBE, successfully, and countries have started their RECOVERY…

INACTION in the UNITED STATES SENATE

“McConnell slams brakes on next round of coronavirus aid.” Politico.com (04/21/2020)

Tests were available IN JANUARY. South Korea was testing hundreds of thousands every day at the peak of their crisis.

Millions of Americans remain in the dark.

Eddie Glaude Jr. said it best this week: “This is an invitation to the grave.” If not for ourselves, then for those around us who are more susceptible, more vulnerable… for those who are less fortunate than ME.

Because any success we realize by surviving this crisis would not be as sweet, if there was something we could have done… if only we had known.

“In New York Nursing Homes, Death Comes to Facilities With More People of Color.” NPR (04/22/2020)

They’ve known since November. It didn’t have to be like this.

Let us ensure it can never happen again.

End the Electoral College.

-JC

50/50

That was the vote in the Virginia House of Delegates on February 21, 2019, on a proposed rule change that would have forced a vote on ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment…

… it failed.

speaker_cox_3 — Kirk Cox, FRM Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates

A bill supported by over 80% of the people of Virginia. It would have PASSED had a vote been allowed… but it wasn’t even allowed out of committee.

ONE YEAR LATER, after the delegates were held accountable at the ballot box for their INACTION in the legislature, Virginia voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, thereby meeting the Constitutionally required threshold of 38 States.

Just last month, the United States House of Representatives voted to clear the way for final ratification by removing the original deadline, and now…

ONE MAN, in the United States Senate stands OPPOSED.

While it was shocking to see the Virginia Speaker of the House deny equality to more than HALF of his constituents, it was even more shocking to see the Democratic Presidential Candidates stand SILENT as it played out. FIVE WOMEN. 37 States. Only one more to go…

What a lost opportunity to educate the public… about Equality and the legislative process. About Income Inequality and Economic Disadvantage.

A lost opportunity to bring us closer to that more perfect Union.

“ERA bill dies for good…” -Washington Post (02/21/2019)

I have NO DOUBT that if the Democratic Women running for President would have stood on the steps of the Virginia Statehouse in solidarity with the ERA activists, they would have swayed ONE MORE VOTE. With the national media bringing SUNLIGHT to the situation, we would now be standing one year CLOSER to equality.

Then again… we would STILL be standing right HERE, no closer than we are TODAY.

The Majority Leader of the United States Senate does NOT support equality.

The Majority Leader of the United States Senate stands OPPOSED to the MAJORITY of this nation.

The Senate Majority Leader is opposed to the Rule of Law, as conceived by the Founders of this nation, and will not move to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

38 of the 50 States… 76% of this nation now DEMANDS it.

It does not matter his rationale, the PEOPLE have spoken.
Equality should be the Law of this land.

The Senate must Ratify the ERA.

When storms rage, you cannot simply seek SAFE HARBOR, as your ship will be smashed upon the shore. You must sail headlong into the winds and face it, with full faith in the strength of your ship & its crew… and press ONWARD. Even if that means just treading water, because the alternative…

… well, the alternative is no alternative at ALL.

In years past, leaders have spoken of the ‘Fog of War’. In this digital era with the adversary we are engaged with, the entire WAR is FOG. There is no battle. There are no physical sides being drawn.

When we forget who we are, and what we STAND for… our enemies win. When we begin to selectively administer Justice and forget that we are ALL created equal, we FALL BACK… being pushed closer to the rocky shores of our PAST.

We know where we have BEEN. We must remember where we are GOING.

Well-trodden paths are safe and familiar, but they will only lead us to where we’ve been… back to where we are TODAY. Even in the dark of night, even in the deepest fog… we know our path is TRUE when we listen to our moral compass, as it always points us HOME.

We cannot allow ourselves to be complacent. We must fight to hold on to what we’ve already secured. The Constitution outlines a process for RATIFYING Amendments to the Constitution, it does NOT outline a process where ONE MAN can override the overwhelming majority of the PEOPLE.

Anyone who stands opposed to the opinion of 76% of this nation, should not be referred to as Majority Leader… and this fall, the PEOPLE will show him that.

Equal. MUST. Mean. Equal… or we will lose this fight before it’s even begun.