Katie Bar the Door

This is making the news -- a slight bit, but not nearly as big as it should. You've heard Donald Trump is preparing "retribution' for those on the wrong side of the fence. But there have been no specifics as to what he will do.

Well, now there are. . . . And those plans should scare the heck out of you.

You will remember Michael Flynn. Trump's first national security advisor, he's the guy who won a nice prison sentence for lying to the FBI. Now he's out and working for Trump. Again.

At his side is his longtime aide Ivan Raiklin, a former Green Beret. Raiklin calls himself the "Secretary of Retribution." Now, there's a nice cabinent position. 

From a USA Today article, we read: "In dozens of town hall-style appearances this year, including at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate,  Flynn and Raiklin have talked of the need for Americans do whatever it takes to get Trump re-elected − and then exact vengeance including detention, tribunals and possibly worse."

One of those at one of the rallies spoke of not only draining the swamp, but imprisoning the swamp -- and maybe, on occassion, executing the swamp.

Listen to this, Flynn's own words, ominous in what they offer: "So we gotta win first. We win, and then ... Katie bar the door. Believe me, the gates of hell -- my hell -- will be unleashed." 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/24/donald-trump-presidential-revenge-enemies-enforcers/75716067007/

 
 
Don't Want Him Shot

'Twas long years ago, back in '63
They shot our president, in the land of the free
I guess John Wilkes Booth, shot one of them, too
An American president, who would have knew?
Then Ronald Reagan was added to the list
Oh,  I wish the shooter just would have  missed

And now we're all living in decades beyond
We've even had presidents who are no longer blond
I think I love them all, or at least all but one
But I don't want him shot, and killed by a gun

 

Now There's Another Nazis have come
And Nazis have died
And now there's another
Who's trying to hide

He promises solemnly
Promises clear
There's no connection to him 
And Project 2025, my dear

Hitler was born
Then Hitler passed on
Yes, he passed on the torch
To someone named Don

 

Glenn Beck is Quotable and Fascinating I don't like what Glenn Beck stands for, but he is a fascinating and quotable public figure. I love some of his quotes and don't agree with others. Interesting fact about him: In the summer he lives on a ranch just north of the Idaho border -- and it's powered by solar energy.
"When you choose the path, you choose the destination." -- Glenn Beck

"Sometimes the hardest part of the journey is believing you're worthy of the trip." -- Glenn Beck

"Good for you, you have a heart, you can be a liberal. Now, couple your heart with your brain, and you can be a conservative." -- Glenn Beck

"Political Correctness doesn't change us, it shuts us up." -- Glenn Beck

"To restore America we need less Marx and more Madison." -- Glenn Beck

"Whoever thought a tiny candy bar should be called fun size was a moron." -- Glenn Beck

"Don't fall into the trap of believing so deeply in your own ideology that you cannot even see the flaws in it." -- Glenn Beck

"It's only when we forget about our problems and help others forget theirs that we realize how good we really have it." -- Glenn Beck

"It's only in our mistakes, our errors, and our faults that we grow and truly live." -- Glenn Beck

"The American experiment was about freedom. Freedom to be stupid, freedom to fail, freedom to succeed." -- Glenn Beck

"If you don't find a leader, perhaps it is because you were meant to lead." -- Glenn Beck

The American people care “too much about politics” and “not enough about principles.” -- Glenn Beck

“I think our republic is at the last exit. I could come up with 1,000 ways this thing falls apart. But I can only come up with one way that it sticks together.” -- Glenn Beck

I testify to you here and now, one man can change the world. And I share with you an equal testimony, that man or woman is you.” -- Glenn Beck

“We’ve got to put our petty differences apart . . . or we will, as Lincoln said, be torn apart from the inside. We will fall from the inside.” -- Glenn Beck

“Every truth is holding on by its fingernails,” -- Glenn Beck

“If America decided to vote for less freedom … I could live with that. What I can’t live with is the lies.” -- Glenn Beck

“Any question that somebody says I shouldn’t ask, I’m asking that question. Anybody who says you shouldn’t read this, I’m reading that book,” -- Glenn Beck 

"No discussion or debate is unAmerican,” -- Glenn Beck

"Every time the government grows we lose more of who we are." -- Glenn Beck

“To understand Donald Trump, you have to understand he’s a showman first, always has been. He’s a guy that knows how to draw a crowd.” -- Glenn Beck

“Question with boldness even the very existence of God because if there is a God, he must surely rather honest questions over blindfolded fear.” -- Glenn Beck

“I didn’t want to be a Mormon, my gosh, who wants to be a Mormon? You’re a pariah instantly. Nobody likes you. Nobody trusts you. They all think it’s a cult. Then, you can’t do anything fun, you know, except, I guess, get fat, and even that’s not recommended.” -- Glenn Beck

“I’ll never secede. I believe in those documents in the archives. Those documents belong to the United States of America. I embrace them. They don’t. They’re seceding, not me.” -- Glenn Beck

"Question with boldness, hold to the truth, and speak without fear." -- Glenn Beck

"Following the herd is fine, until they all run off the side of a cliff together." -- Glenn Beck

"You got to have an enemy to fight. And when you have an enemy to fight, then you can unite the entire world behind you, and you seize power. That was Hitler's plan. His enemy: the Jew. Al Gore's enemy, the U.N.'s enemy: global warming. Then you get the scientists - eugenics. You get the scientists - global warming. Then you have to discredit the scientists who say, 'That's not right.' And you must silence all dissenting voices. That's what Hitler did." -- Glenn Beck

"You cannot take away freedom to protect it, you cannot destroy the free market to save it, and you cannot uphold freedom of speech by silencing those with whom you disagree. To take rights away to defend them or to spend your way out of debt defies common sense." -- Glenn Beck

"Most times we're so focused on what we think we want that we can't appreciate how happy we already are. It's only when we forget about our problems and help others forget theirs that we realize how good we really have it." -- Glenn Beck

"Application of your faith will change your life" -- Glenn Beck

"You can either complain about how hard your life is, or you can realize that only you are responsible for it." -- Glenn Beck

"No one who has passed through the storm has ever regretted the journey. No one stands here and wishes to go back to the other side." -- Glenn Beck

 
 
Corruption in Our Land

Yes, we are used to calling it corruption when someone cheats and steals
When they go into a backroom to wheel and deal
But corruption, as much as anything, is when a person passes out lies
Damaging nations, persons and lives

In America -- yes, spreading across this land
Are all the marks of wickedness, yes, of a wicked band
Political lies
Deceit that cries
And alabis never true
Our nation drowns in corruption
And we must for our nation
Even the red, white and blue

For the LDS, it is Interesting to Know Who Kamala's Pastor Is

Much is being made of the vice president's views on religion. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I find it of interest that her pastor, Amos Brown, has a strong friendship with President Russell M. Nelson, a wonderful person who introduced Pres. Nelson at the NCAAP convention when he was honored by that organization. The bond of freindship between Rev. Brown and Pres. Nelson is strong, and President Nelson speaks most-favorably of his good friend. The NCAAP convention has not been the only public event they have shared.

This Meme Against Kamala is a Fraud
 
Kamala Harris was conducting a rally the other day, and as she was discussing abortion, some crowd members began to boo and say unintelligible phrases. As the crowd turned towards the hecklers, Harris heckled the hecklers. "Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally," she said. "No, I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street."

Days later, social media posts popped up, suggesting the hecklers said, "Jesus is Lord." 

"Christians need to remember this," one user posted.

Of course, there is a video of the event, and you cannot hear the hecklers, saying "Jesus is Lord." So, the meme is but a fabrication, false in its claim.

Perhaps we sometimes are too quick in casting aspersions and judging. Sometimes (often, too much and frequently) we find evil in another person just because we want to find evil -- especially with political figures we don't like. Our narrative quickly matches our hatred and we despitefully pour our scorn on them and mock them.

Consider whether the accusation makes sense. Kamala is a church-going person. If she is going to church, that means she regularly worships God. So, now we have this political event -- at which she certainly doesn't want to alienate Christians -- and she would rebuke someone for saying "Jesus is  Lord"? In all that is honest about reasoning do you suppose she would take that opportunity to offend Christians? She is not against them, as is evidenced by her going to church, so why would she do that in front of a crowd of voters?

Extremists have pounced on her for this, sweeping reason aside and painting her to their liking. Forgive, but we do not need to follow them.

Do we accuse Harris of being against Christianity while not acting Christian, ourselves? The scriptures warn us against judging bearing false witness.

 
 Homosexuals Deserve Protection in Seeking Employment

   Mike Lee, my senator, says Kamala Harris is an enormous threat to religious liberty. Yes, that's Kamala Harris who does go to church he is talking about, not Donald Trump who doesn't.
   Lee bases his attack on the fact Kamala wants to pass the Do No Harm Act, which provides protection for gay people when they seek employment.
   Is such protection bad? Seems to me, it might be good. We might not approve of their being gay, but we should still love them and want them to be able to find employment,
   I'm not sure how this bill poses a threat to religious liberty. It is not the same thing as being forced to make wedding cakes for gay people. That is different. If someone refuses to bake them a cake, they can go down the street and get their cake at the next shop. No one is asking if they are gay.
   Employment is different. Sooner or later, the employer is going to find out you are gay. If not provided protections, gay people will be bounced from one job to the next, never being secure in their employment. As I said, we should love them. So do we want to treat them that way?
   I do see one exception: Churches having written statements saying they do not believe in the practice of homosexuality should not be required to employ them. It does not make sense to require churches to hire those who do not uphold the standards of that church. There are plenty of jobs out there, and you can go down the street and get a job at a place that doesn't have a policy against homosexuality.

 
Big Men Don't Fight Little Men's Battles

There's a House committee that has revealed Trump met with senior military officials before the attack on Capitol, urging them to do their jobs by protecting lives and property and to keep J6 peaceful -- and the Pentagon officials ignored his orders.

What to make of it? I would not doubt that the military leaders were not about to obey the president's order if it was to result in using military force to put down those who opposed him, those who protested against him. But, would they decline to protect the Capitol building? Perhaps they did, and if they did, that was wrong.

Recently, news has broken that Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley said, “No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump. Now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is the most dangerous person to this country.”

And I read a comment in the newspaper saying, "Trump told General Millie to have troops at the Capital to maintain order on January 6. Millie ignored Trump's order. No Troops appeared and Millie disobeyed. Why would anyone believe a soldier that would not follow orders?"

If Trump's orders were directed at America's populace, and to putting down any show of disagreement against him, it is good that the military ignored the orders. There is more honor in justice than there is in carrying out an order of injustice. Big men don't fight little men's battles. When orders are given by a maniac, you don't have to prove yourself a maniac by following them.

Sterling Endorsements of Donald Trump

If you are brave enough to read this, read it. We often refuse to listen to things that conflict with our own beliefs, because they hurt too much. Listen if you have the guts. Politicians always list their endorsements. Here are a few of the warm and trusting "endorsements" of our former president, including some by highly respected military leaders. When you consider voting for him, take into account what those who know him best have said about him. If you do not trust the truth, our nation will perish. 

(He) "is the most dangerous person to this country . . .  a fascist to the core.” -- former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley

Agreeing with Gen. Milley, Gen. Jim Mattis, who served as Trump’s defense secretary, said, "Let’s make sure we don’t try to downplay the threat, because the threat is high.”

 “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us.” -- Gen. Jim Mattis

Trump is "a person that has no idea what America stands for." -- John Kelly, secretary of Homeland Security and later chief of staff

He is "a person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators, a person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law." -- retired four-star General John Kelly, who served as Trump's chief of staff

"In no arena of American affairs has the Trump aberration been more destructive than in national security. His short attention span (except on matters of personal advantage) renders coherent foreign policy almost unattainable." -- John Bolton, Trump's national security advisor from 2018 to 2019

"His undertanding of global events, his understanding of global history, his understanding of U.S. history was really limited. It's really hard to have a conversation with someone who doesn't even understand the concept for why we're talking about this." -- Rex Tillerson, secretary of state under Trump

"He will always put his own interests, and gratifying his own ego, ahead of everything else, including the country's interest; there's no question about it." -- William Barr, Trump's attorney general from 2019 to 2029

"Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud,” -- Mitt Romney

“If Trump had said 4 years ago the things he says today about the KKK, Muslims, Mexicans, disabled, I would NOT have accepted his endorsement.” -- Mitt Romney

He is “stupid as well as being ill-tempered,” and a “despicable human being” -- Republican Mitch McConnell, past Senate majority leader

 "He acts like someone who doesn't care about our democracy, acts like someone who wants to be a dictator. He acts like someone who doesn't care for the Constitution." -- Chris Christie, past New Jersey governor and past Republican presidential candidate

“Donald Trump has demonstrated he lacks the character, lacks the commitment to the rule of law, to the United States Constitution to qualify as an elected official, let alone as president of the United States.” -- Mesa, Arizona, Mayor John Giles

"An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections." -- former Arizona Sen. John McCain

"Donald is not simply weak, his ego is a fragile thing that must be bolstered every moment because he knows deep down that he is nothing of what he claims to be." -- Mary Trump, Donald Trump's niece

 
Immigrants are the Secret to Making Cars in the U.S.

We can do better than what Trump is offering. A number of economists are saying Trump's plan to require car manufacturers to make all their vehicles in the U.S. is doomed to fail.

You might have a car assembled in the U.S., but no cars are without parts from other countries. I would guess not a one.

Perhaps if we befriended the immigrant -- of course, Trump would never do that -- we could produced cars made in the USA, parts and all.

Parts manufacturers will blossom across the land,  if immigrants are brought in to work for those companies. Don't say it ain't so, 'cause it is. 

We will not only have cars with the stamp Made in America on them, but we will grow our economy. Immigrants are a sure way to better the economy.

 
 
Preying on the Poor

When your enemy is the poor
Your enemy is yourself
You cannot suppose it's right
To care only about oneself

When you try to make political hay
By denouncing migrant folk
You compassion and reason
Are all full of smoke

Trump campaigns
On getting rid of the migrants
Such audacity, at best
Lies in the heart of tyrants

Vote for him, if you will
But it shows you don't care for the poor
And if our nation lacks values
We're rodden to the core

 

The Great False Hope

The Christian Alternative
Donald Trump is portrayed as that
The Last Christian Hope
For Christ he goes to bat

They met in the National Mall
Tens of thousands of  them
They were straight in what they had to say
They didn't haw and hem

"If we don't stand now, the enemy will take over"
That's the message that they had
So side with Trump, or side with all that's bad

Meanwhile, Glenn Beck gave a message
One that was much the same
Judeo Christians must swarm the polls
Or the land will be lost to Satan's game

It just ain't so, it just isn't true
But Trump is portrayed as the Christian Hope
So we pray that voters will see the fraud
And not fall for his dope

The charlatan is sly
And crafty with his words
But turn away the man of deceit
For wickedness must be purged

Fervor and Flame

It takes faith and fearlessness
To achieve much in life
You need passion and pride
And determination to overcome all strife

It takes grit, it takes growth
You must never quit
Make that your oath

It takes a heady steadiness
Yes, a head that won't be bowed
It takes fervor and a flame within
To blow through every cloud

Build your resume, if you will
On the things that bring success
You can achieve most anything
If you will accept no less

 
 
No Regard

You fooled us, Donald
You fooled us
Coming down the pike
You fooled us

All along
We thought you wanted to win
But coming down the pike
It seems you're doing everything you can
To make your chances thin

What's with being so handsy
With Laura Loomer?
You're already married, Donald
So that isn't very good humor

You went to Detroit
To seek its votes
But mocked the city
And your words were caught in quotes

You rambled and rambled
And rambled on
People thought you were crazy
Yeah, they played that song

You referred to Maine's female governor
As a man
Donald, it appears you're doing everything to lose
That you possibly can

People can see through your trade tariff wars
They know prices will rise
How does it make them feel?
Well, it gives them great horrors

You talk of how kids go to school
And come back of a different sex
Oh, Donald, oh, Donald
Are we to believe such a hex?

Your misinformation on hurricane aid
Has endangered the workers
As death threats were made

Alas, Donald, oh Donald
For all your best efforts
And trying so hard
It seems you'll win anyway
For all of your faux pas
Voters will all disregard

 
 
Yet It Be Unborn

The life of a child
Though yet it be unborn
Let it be cherished
Not from its mother torn

The life of a child
Is precious as gold
It belongs in our company
It belongs in our fold

The life of a child
Is a gift from our God
Though it be unborn
He gives it his nod

 
Waters Rise

The waters rise
The coming taste of a storm
Settles on our lips
America is beset
By hurricanes
And politics

The populace
Doesn't shift
From going to work
And coming home
Then back to work

Impervious
It is
To the storm

That
Might
Drown
Us

 
Harris's Tax Plan Might be Beneficial

   Differing analysts are coming out of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's tax plans. One report says Harris' plan will add  $3.5 trillion to the national debt in the next decade while Trump's plan would up the debt by $7.5 trillion.

   The take away there is that both plans result in increasing the national debt. One plan might be better than the other, but they are both bad.

   Then along comes a  report from a nonpartisan congressional analysts saying Harris's plan will not generate the revenue hoped for

   Off top, I favor Harris's proposal to place a 25 percent minimum rate on  capital gains of taxpayers with more than $100 million in assets. It does seem it would cut into the debt. But, if it is accompanied by increased spending,  then it might be one step forward only to fall two steps back.

 
The Land of the Nightmare

The river rises
And great waves shatter against the rocks
Lightening flashes
And thunder rolls through the night

The skies are alive
And the ground below is shaken
Peace has no place in this land of the nightmare

Anciently, they say
This land was kindly
Gently rising hills
Crowned with fields of grain
Strawberries
Apple trees
And clover

Then came the storm
The billowing storm
It rose first in the east
Then swept violently across the land
To the west

It captured every village
Pillaged every town
Destroyed every city

And the word peace
Was known no more

 

Shattering Waters Below

The swan never flies
Okay, it does
But not overly often
Its wings are satisified
Tucked in
Content upon the waters

I once knew a swan that flew
Rising high into the sky
Then diving down
Deep into the lake

Sometimes I like to be
Like the swan that swims the lake
Satisfied and content

But other times I like to break the norm
And become a storming swan
One that soars into the sky
Then bends its neck to look down
And screaming in a downward dive
It shatters the waters below

 
 
The Battle of the Capitol

Call it the Battle of the Capitol
For I won't refer to it simply as an insurrection
For there was a taste of war in this effort to overthrow our election

Perhaps the Americans were outnumbered three to one
I don't know
And when I say "Americans," I mean the real patriots, son

Casualties? 114 were wounded
I think of American soldiers honored for serving this land
Just as honored should be those who fought off the rebel band

Look at the groups who attacked our capitol
Oath Keepers, QAnon
White supremacists and Proud Boys
People who were capable of making more than just a loud noise

Are we as Americans in these years that have past
Are we to forget those who defended our country?
While we let those who attacked us simply run free?

Don't forget the Alamo
And don't forget J6
Honor those who fought for us
When we count our heroes
Make sure they are in the mix

 
 
America Forever

It's all that America is
All that makes it great
You take away its liberty
And you have nothing, mate

It's stood these years and centuries
Through the many wars
A beacon to all others
Swinging open freedom's doors

Bless the land of liberty
Bless it for all time
May it forever carry the torch
And may its bells forever chime

 

That Ain't Great
 
What's great about America?
You guessed it -- freedom
So what if Trump just wants to rule a kingdom?

That ain't freedom 
And that ain't great
The loss of freedom
Is all you're trying to coordinate

Don't come around here
Saying you'll make America great again
All you'd do for America
Is throw it in the trash bin

 

How Vulnerable

America, how vulnerable
America, how sad
Once no chance of a dictator
How could things go bad?

Make America great again?
Great is democracy's cry
But the country careens toward Donald Trump
And away from apple pie

 
 
Not a Different Flag

I was born in a different age
A different time
But not a different space
I was born under the American Flag
The flag of the United States

Never has there been a time like this
Never a challenge as great
Winds of change across our land
And I fear America's fate

I was born in a different age
A different time
But the flag remains the same
And if the flag with all its glory falls
It's we who are to blame

 
Bombs and Burials

Bombs and burials
One brings the other
One doesn't care
And the other screams for its mother

It wasn't a mother who created the bomb
Mothers know how to love
But it took a lunatic, surely it did
Someone who knew how to hate and shove

Blinded

I can't see a thing
Blinded
Bring me some ice cream

This wouldn't have happened to me, you know
If he wouldn't have told me where to go
I should never have listened to Donald Trump
He's just a guy who crawled out of the dump

Following Donald is a foolish thing
For a lot of sorrow is all it will bring
But just think: half of the nation is in love
With a man who will rule them with an iron glove 

 
We Need Pay Phones

Alas, no pay phones anymore? There should be, maybe not everywhere like they used to be, but we need a few.

Why? Because sometimes we don't want the person we are calling to know our number. For me, it was  fear of a scammer who seemed to be phishing.

 

Go to the Left

Go to the left
Before you do to the right
Be wary of the Rs
Some of them are villains
And some drive villain cars

They'd like to pick you up
They would
And take you for a ride
But if you knew better
I'm sure you'd run and hide

The Rs are the dangerous type
In this land of ours
They'd like to give Donald Trump
All these sickly powers

So go to the left
Instead of the right
Avoid a dictator in our land
Your vote can make a difference
In getting rid of theat man

 

 
They Decided, We Decided

They decided we were liberals
We decided they were not 
They decided they wanted us to sleep outside|
We decided we wanted at  least a cot

They decided we were woke
We decided that was all right
They decided we were ignorant
We decided they were asking for a fight

Politics, politics
Always picking sides
And these are the people 
Who create the great divides