"Guilty" X 34

30/05/24 21:07

May 30, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 25) - Remember this guy: The Smug Mug? This photo was taken last year after he was criminally indicted for the third time in five months. He was self-assured that, once again, he would beat the rap. After all, he's "a winner." Really? Doesn't look that way. The Cowardly Liar had already lost not one but two defamations lawsuits brought by E. Jean Carroll and now faces $83.3 million in civil judgments. And then there's the $454 million judgment he is facing in a civil fraud case involving false representations of his wealth. Well, today, things got worse. Much worse. A Manhattan jury of seven men and five women found him guilty on 34 counts connected to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels in a scheme to protect his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election. Now, he faces the very real prospect of jail time. Many have said it is unlikely that he will be sentenced to prison. But one shouldn't forget that Michael Cohen, his chief accuser, was sentenced to three years in prison for essentially the same crimes - and Cohen cooperated with prosecutors. One observer noted that judges rarely give jail time to underlings and then let the "crime boss" go scott-free. Of course, the morally bankrupt Republican Party is rallying to the Felon-in-Chief's defense. People such as House Speaker Mini-Mike Johnson, Kari "The Botox Barbie" Lake and Senator Josh "The Skeedaddler" Hawley have already claimed that the verdict was bogus and a political witch-hunt. This is incredibly sad, when you consider that Johnson and Hawley have taken oaths of office that require them to defend the Constitution. Of course, these are the same people that engaged in a failed coup-'d'tat on January 6, 2021. As President Joe Biden's campaign noted in a written reaction to today's verdict, this conviction does not prevent the Count of Mar-a-Lardo from getting on the November ballot. "There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president." Our work is not done. The time has come for real Patriots to come to the defense of our nation by voting Democratic this fall. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.

The Real Meaning of Memorial Day

24/05/24 07:51

May 26, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 24) - The world will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion in just under two weeks. One can easily argue that June 6, 1944, was the most important day of the 20th century. Whether millions would live in freedom or under totalitarian rule hung in the balance as troops from Allied nations stormed the beaches of Normandy to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe. It is hard for me to believe that it has been 20 years since I visited those beaches, explored those battlefields, and walked through villages where the fighting was fiercest. However, my visit to the American Cemetery at Colleville-Saint-Laurent above Omaha Beach was the most emotional moment of my four-day tour. I was so moved that I wrote an essay that was published in the Lawrence Journal-World on the 60th anniversary of D-Day in 2004. In it, I noted that of the 9,350 American graves laid out on this now-peaceful plain above the English Channel, 307 of the crosses bear the inscription "Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God." As we approach this Memorial Day weekend, my thoughts do not automatically turn to the fun and joy of the coming summer. They first take me back to that date 20 years ago when I saw tangible evidence of the price of freedom on that bluff above what was once a bloody killing ground. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. It is not Veteran's Day. The day for honoring those who have served in our armed forces is in November. Memorial Day is the day we remember those who made the supreme sacrifice so that present and future generations may live in freedom. One way we honor those who Abraham Lincoln said "gave the last full measure of devotion" is to respect the values for which they fought and died. Those values include equal justice and opportunity for all, fair and free elections, and respect for individual rights within a broader social context. It saddens me that many of our fellow Americans have lost sight of these fundamental tenants that form the basis of our civil society. The partisan tribalism that has defined the American 21st century experience runs contrary to those values we claim to hold dear. This is not a knock on conservatives or liberals, the religious or agnostic, and the rich or the poor. In a free society, all are entitled to have their voices heard within the marketplace of ideas. However, I will say that from the moment he rode down that escalator in his New York highrise in 2015, Donald Trump's craven and profane approach to governance has poisoned our public discourse. This does not mean that all of Trump's followers are - to use Hillary Clinton's ill-chosen characterization - "deplorables." We need to listen to them. And yes, they need to learn to listen to others, as well. After all, freedom of speech and the right to redress our grievances is one of the values for which service men and women have died over the nearly 250 years of the American Republic. If you truly want to honor our fallen heroes this Memorial Day, live the values for which they died. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. Photo of the American Cemetery at Colleville-Saint-Laurent, France, by David Guth.

"Make My Day, Pal."

16/05/24 06:30

May 16, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 23) — You've got to hand it to Joe Biden. That boy's got moxie! Not only did the current and future President of the United States accept the challenge to debate the Defeated Former President, he threw down the gauntlet. “Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020, since then he hasn’t shown up for a debate,” Biden said in a post on the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal.” To add insult to injury, Dark Brandon then taunted the Cowardly Liar by saying he is willing to debate him any time, noting that the Orange One is "free on Wednesdays," a reference to the only day of the week the indicted buffoon is not in court. The best the former president and potential convicted felon could say in response was to bellow on Truth Social - which, by the way, is neither truthful or sociable - "Let's get ready to rumble." And so they will, in June and in September. Both candidates are unpopular and see the debates as a chance to separate themselves. I agree. These debates will provide a sharp contrast between the empathetic, self-deprecating incumbent and the pathetic, self-deficating loser from Mar-a-Lardo. It's a long way to November, but the contest to save American Democracy will be joined in earnest on June 27. May the best man win - just like he did in 2020. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.

Deja Vu for the Class of 2024

07/05/24 06:03

May 7, 2024 (Vol. 18 No. 22) - You have to feel some sorrow for the college class of 2024. This is the time of year that students at colleges and universities across the land take that final ceremonial walk that signifies the end of childhood and the start of adulthood. It is a rite of passage one remembers for the rest of one's life. However, this year, many schools have been forced to cancel their graduation ceremonies because of the ongoing campus protests and counterprotests over Israel's military actions in Gaza. Unfortunately, the class of 2024 has been here before. Four years ago, it was the high school class of 2020 - the COVID class. Most of that year's graduation ceremonies were either cancelled or dramatically altered by the pandemic. To those students - victims of circumstances beyond their control - I send my heartfelt sympathies and congratulations. Here, in Lawrence, Kansas, there have been a few, small protests at the University of Kansas - not enough to alter graduation plans. However, these graduating Jayhawks have another obstacle that will affect their graduation. The football stadium where the ceremonies are traditionally held is under "renovation." (I put "renovation" in quotation marks because the university is, in reality, building a new stadium.) The ceremonies will be held in what's left of Memorial Stadium - which means the KU class of 2024 will graduate in a construction site. That will make for less-than-great pictures. As you can see from the picture above, there is only one section of the grandstand remaining. That means each graduate is forced to limit the number of family/friends who come to see their big day to just six people. In fairness to KU, administrators have no other choice. Allen Field House, which has in the past been a bad-weather back-up site for graduation is, itself, in the midst of a major renovation. However, to its credit, the class of 2024 is a savvy lot. It has had a lot of stuff thrown its way the past few years and managed to not only survive, but thrive. Congratulations, graduates! May you enjoy success as you venture forth into this wacky, unpredictable world. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. Photo courtesy KCTV-5.