Commentary

The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg details what we already knew: Trump is not a patriot; he’s a narcissist who not only doesn’t understand service to the country, actively denigrates it.

(Note: Today’s Around the Block was going to be devoted to Attorney General William Barr’s outrageous interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. You know, the one in which the chief law enforcement officer of the United States would not say that voting twice is illegal. But Barr’s boot-licking is old news.)

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, published a stunning, but unsurprising article about President Donald John Trump’s views of patriotism, military service and those who, unlike him, served our country: they’re “losers” and “suckers.” In supporting this astonishing point of view from the sitting president of the United States, Goldberg quotes Trump’s former White House chief of staff, four-star Marine general John Kelly, “(Trump) can’t fathom the idea of doing something for someone other than himself.”

Continue reading “Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’”

Commentary

But not all Western leaders

Multiple news organizations have reported that Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was poisoned with the same type of Soviet-era nerve agent used in a 2018 attack on a former Russian spy, the German government said Wednesday, provoking outrage from Western leaders who demanded Moscow provide an explanation.

But not all Western leaders.

Continue reading “Germany says Putin critic poisoned – Western leaders outraged!”

Commentary

The choice is yours

As the Republican National Convention (RNC – aka “Really Nasty Creeps” or in many cases “Really Notorious Criminals”) winds down today, I felt that with so much written by professional observers, my voice wasn’t really necessary.

But as you know, it’s hard to keep me silent. So, as a public service I offer this, a complete list of speakers. You might be familiar with some, unfamiliar with others. I’ve highlighted some of the speakers who, in my humble opinion, are particularly “creepy” and deserving of an Around the Block shout-out. For the others, I suggest you use the “world-wide interweb” to look them up. And use the “Google machine” to watch or listen to their inspiring, hopeful speeches highlighting how Donald J. Trump, in 3-1/2 short years has MADE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Not!

Continue reading “RNC = “Really Nasty Creeps,” or “Really Notorious Criminals?””

The Washington Post reported today that federal prosecutors in New York unsealed criminal charges against Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, and three other men they alleged defrauded donors to a massive crowdfunding campaign that claimed to be raising money for construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a news release, prosecutors said Bannon and another organizer, Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, lied when they claimed they would not take any compensation as part of the campaign, called “We Build the Wall.” Bannon, prosecutors alleged, received more than $1 million through a nonprofit entity he controlled, sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage while keeping a “substantial portion” for himself.

Continue reading “Steve Bannon charged with defrauding donors in private effort to raise money for Trump’s border wall”

Commentary

The United States of America, that is

Some of you might know a social media site called “Next Door.” It is the self-described, “local hub to connect and share with the neighborhood. It’s where communities come together to keep a local shopkeeper in business. Where neighbors exchange recommendations for babysitters, plans for local events, and tips about what to order at that new cafe down the street. Where local agencies connect with neighbors in need.”

It is not a venue for screeds, from the right or from the left.

So imagine my surprise when my email box contained this fragment of a “Next Door” post.

Worth reading, this is how I feel! I’m saddened…I never dreamed that I would have to face the prospect of not living in the United States of America, at least not the one I have known all my life. I have never wished to live anywhere else.

Wow, I thought. Someone who is actually “facing the prospect of not living in the USA!” I’ve got to read this I thought, particularly given that I’ve talked about leaving since before Trump’s election in 2016 and talked about it more seriously in the event of a Trump re-election.

Continue reading “To Leave or Not to Leave, That is the Question”