Washington Post

Loss Of A True Statesman: Florida Governor And Senator Bob Graham!

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The state of Florida and the nation has lost a true statesman, former Governor and Senator Bob Graham, who passed away at the age of 87.

Graham was a class act as Florida Governor from 1979-1987, and as a US Senator from 1987-2005.

A leader who was of Presidential stature, he was on the short list for Vice President for Bill Clinton in 1992 and Al Gore in 2000, and briefly sought the Presidency himself in 2004.

He was a very effective governor of the Sunshine state, a true star when compared to recent Republican governors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis. His emphasis was on promotion of the environment and advancement of education.

Graham was Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2001-2003, and worked to oppose the Iraq War under George W. Bush as based on faulty intelligence.

A half brother with the same last name, Phil Graham, came to own the Washington Post.

Florida has not been the same politically since Democrats such as Bob Graham left office, and as Republicans took over state government and domination of Congressional seats.

CNN Major Blunder: Giving Donald Trump Legitimacy By Hosting Town Hall!

Ronald 3 Comments

CNN was begun in 1980 by Ted Turner, and became the leading Cable News Channel, in competition with the print media, particularly the NY Times and Washington Post.

It gained a reputation of being a reliable news source in the eyes of many observers and viewers.

But now, with new leadership, it has declined rapidly in image and judgment.

Tonight, CNN is giving Donald Trump, twice impeached, indicted in New York, and now convicted in a civil trial of sexual abuse and defamation, and facing more legal issues in Georgia, and on improper possession of government documents at Mar a Lago, and inciting the January 6 Insurrection, the opportunity to be at a Town Hall gathering in New Hampshire to be televised nationally!

What is the purpose of this CNN decision? To give Trump legitimacy and ignore his call for destroying the Constitution and rule of law? To have his sedition and treason that incited January 6, 2021 rewarded by promoting him to be elected President again?

This is pure insanity, and blood will be on the hands of CNN and its lunatic leadership for what develops out of this outrageous decision that no reasonable news source would be engaged in, with the false concept of “equal time” to all those seeking the Presidency!

In Age Of News Media Decline, Two Reputable Newspapers Remain The Saviors Of American Democracy!

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In an age of decline of News Media sources, on the local level, and on the national level, in a competitive market for news sources that are reliable and steady, two long established and reliable “national” newspapers remain the rock of the business of journalism!

I am referring to the New York Times (published since 1851) and the Washington Post (published since 1877), which have been over the long run the most reliable and reputable news sources, despite the harsh attacks and criticisms of authoritarian critics.

The more these two great newspapers are attacked, the stronger they become.

Of course, there are other news sources of shorter history of duration that are wonderful and contribute to the promotion of facts and truth. But without the New York Times and Washington Post for the past century and a half, and particularly in the modern era since the abuses of Richard Nixon in the 1970s until the present, American democracy, under great stress and duress more than ever in the age of Donald Trump since 2015, would be in ever greater crisis than it is!

Kevin McCarthy Handing Over January 6 Videos To Tucker Carlson Should Be Prosecutable!

Ronald 3 Comments

In a time of shocking developments on so many levels, it is beyond comprehension why Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has released about 44,000 hours of videos taken at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, to Fox News Channel, and seditionist and massive liar Tucker Carlson!

What good could McCarthy have conjured up to do this, since Carlson has been lying and deceiving ever since January 6, 2021, claiming it was not the Capitol Insurrection that we know occurred?

Fox News Channel is now involved in a massive lawsuit that one could wish would lead to their bankruptcy and prosecution of the various propagandists at that station who KNOW what happened on January 6 and yet covered up, and continue to do so!

By all rights, Speaker McCarthy should be forced to resign, and should be prosecuted for undermining US Capitol security for the future!

If these videos end up being spread far and wide to right wing, anti government terrorists, they would have the information needed to cause a future US Capitol Insurrection, which would endanger all members of Congress, all law enforcement authorities, all US Capitol staff members, and all American citizens who might be on Capitol Hill at any point of time!

There can be NO justification for what McCarthy has done, and ALL news media sources, including reputable agencies, including CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and many others, should have the same right to such material, but all of them with careful control of how it is shared and spread to the American public!

A Salute To The Free Press And Committed Journalists!

Ronald 2 Comments

As the year 2022 goes into the history books, and 2023 brings its new challenges, it is time to applaud and salute the free press and committed journalists for pursuing truth and facts, and continuing the never ending battle for freedom and democracy in the United States and worldwide.

Those who attack the free press in America and elsewhere are enemies that must be challenged and confronted in every way possible, as it is the free press that promotes progress and shows us reality.

Evil is a force that is always present, but we must thank committed journalists, newspapers, periodicals, and cable and internet websites that continue to pursue the goal of expanding basic civil rights and humane outcomes in the midst of the constant barrage of mistruths, propaganda, and discrimination.

So whenever someone attacks the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, Politico, Huffington Post, and a multitude of other news media, they are attacking all decent people who simply want to live their lives wishing for the promotion of peace, tranquility, and the protection and betterman of human rights worldwide.

Kevin McCarthy Would Be A Disaster As Speaker Of The House!

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Trepidation is growing at the looming possibility that Kevin McCarthy could become the Speaker of the House of Representatives in January 2023, two heartbeats away from the Presidency!

While John Boehner and Paul Ryan had their major shortcomings, either of them would be far superior to McCarthy, who has demonstrated his total lack of morals, ethics, and principles in his years working his way up leadership to the potential Speakership!

McCarthy was totally freaked out on January 6, 2021, and momentarily said and did the right thing in condemning Donald Trump, but his ambition took over, and he made up with Trump at Mar A Lago, and denied reality of the criminal activities of that day, including ignoring the suffering of US Capitol police officers!

McCarthy was willing to ditch Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, and work with Elise Stefanik, Jim Jordan, and the 147 House Republicans who refused to accept that Joe Biden won the Presidency!

He is willing to work with the most extremist members of his caucus, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, and he has made it clear that the goal of the Republicans is to destroy ObamaCare (The Affordable Care Act), as well as phase out Medicare and Social Security, and move to impeach President Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and other cabinet officers, even though none would be removed from office by such action!

The lunatic fringe of the Republican Party would hold the reins of power, and promote chaos, including trying to adopt a national abortion ban! As conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post and MSNBC host Chris Hayes have stated, the Republican Party would “wreak havoc”, including threatening not to raise the debt limit, and stopping aid to Ukraine, a gift to Vladimir Putin!

So the Republicans would do what Donald Trump was doing in his Presidential term—cozy up to Putin, and undermine NATO, a horrifying scenario, which would undermine both American democracy and efforts to maintain democracy in Europe and elsewhere!

Pulitzer Prize Board Upholds Awards Of 2018 To NY Times, Washington Post, On Trump-Russian Collusion In 2016 Presidential Election!

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The NY Times and Washington Post, the two “national” newspapers, have received the most Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism in American history–with the NY Times winning 132 and the Washington Post 65.

In 2018, both newspapers won the Pulitzer Prize once again, for their reporting of the Donald Trump Presidential campaign in 2016 colluding with the Russians and Vladimir Putin to help defeat Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump was and remains outraged by such accusations, although a Senate Republican committee in 2019 reaffirmed the truth about that election, that Trump’s narrow victory in three states was fixed!

But now, the Pulitzer Prize Foundation has upheld the correctness of the awards given four years ago, a reaffirmation of freedom of the press and promotion of the truth!

Interesting Survey Of People Honored By US Monuments, From The Washington Post

Ronald 1 Comment

The Washington Post has published an interesting survey of people honored by US Monuments, and there are many surprises in the survey.

Eleven Presidents are in the top 50 figures represented in memorials, with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln being the top two of the fifty listed.

Also listed at number 9 is John F. Kennedy; number 10 is Thomas Jefferson; and number 11 is Ulysses S. Grant.

Andrew Jackson is number 15, a three way tie with Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley.

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Franklin D. Roosevelt tie at 32nd.

Finally, James A. Garfield is in a four way tie at number 47 with three non Presidents.

Interestingly, NOT on the list are such Presidents as Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, or Ronald Reagan.

Some religious figures, native Americans, and African Americans (Martin Luther King (4th), Harriet Tubman (24th), Frederick Douglass (29th)) are also represented, as are a number of individuals who are not at all related to American history, including Christopher Columbus, most notably in third place with 149!

Confederate leaders are also represented, including Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson.

Other well known Americans include the following: Benjamin Franklin at number 8; Alexander Hamilton tied with two others at number 26; and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall in a six way tie at number 41.

Secret Service Has Been Compromised Before, And Now Seems Likely Once Again!

Ronald 1 Comment

The US Secret Service has gone through difficult times, with corruption, incompetence, and scandal in recent years.

Also, the US Secret Service has, by observation of Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post in her book, “Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service”, published in 2021, developed a special loyalty among some of its agents to Donald Trump.

As a result, the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, regarding what she was told by two agents with Trump on January 6, 2021, is being challenged. But Leonnig this morning has claimed that Tony Ornato and Bobby Engel are Trump loyalists, and are willing to lie over what happened.

The indications are strong that these agents told her what she said, that Trump lunged at the driver of the SUV, trying to force the Secret Service to take him to the US Capitol to lead the attack on Congress, as there is no reason for her to make that up, but is simply reporting what she was told.

No Secret Service agent should feel such personal loyalty that they compromise the truth.

If this is simply male braggadocio, that requires higher level appropriate action, and if they lie under oath to cover up, they should face prosecution!

The Problem Of Saudi Arabia: Oil And Human Rights

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When President Joe Biden ran for President in 2020, he was sharply critical of Saudi Arabia’s record on human rights, particularly the horrific murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2018.

Mohammed bin Salman is the heir to the throne in Saudi Arabia, and is a danger, but due to the impact of the oil problem, somehow, Joe Biden has seen it necessary to visit the kingdom sometime in July, but the question is how does he balance the energy issue and yet not bow to the Saudi Crown Prince in an obsequious manner?

This is the real test of Joe Biden, one of innumerable others, and makes one wonder why he, or really anyone, wants to end up in the pressure cooker of the White House!

America must stand for human rights in a world where it is in danger, but practicality makes that extremely difficult!