unstoppable . . . ? !

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The unabashed, unconstrained, unencumbered-by-morals-or-ethics, chickenshit tRump maladministration rolls ahead, day by day, with its plans and actions that undermine our U.S. democracy.  Mitch McConnell won’t stop the tRump steamroller, that gargantuan monolithic force of death, destruction, fascism, and finality.  William Barr oils the gears of the deadly, racist DonutRump steamroller, keeping it plowing forward:  hourly, daily, engulfing our civil rights, claiming our loved ones’ lives.

The Hitler/Manson/tRump rolling death machine is now squashing and flattening our U.S. Mail delivery service.  We, the Citizen/Voters, depend on getting our mail.  Look at what it took to stop Hitler.  A world war.  Remember who stopped Charles Manson?  Legendary Los Angeles prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi.  What will it take to STOP DonutRump?  Can we-the-people form a human wedge and divert the corrupt, fascist tRumpDeathRoller into a fucking ditch — before it’s too late?! 

The Cure for the Virus

The U.S. is not supposed to have a Hitler.  Now is the time for us to get rid of Donald J. “Charles Manson” Trump — once and for all.  That defective murdering ranting lying racist incompetent corrupt sleazy weak treasonous cowardly self-loathing nation-destroying son-of-a-bitch GOTTA GO.

With Biden and Harris we can return to sanity.  Restore our country’s soul and its economy.  Tamp down the coronavirus.  Extinguish it.  Use a massive scouring pad to scrub out the stain of tRump corruption.  Prosecute the guilty.  Appoint qualified women and men for a change.  No rapists.

All of America’s dogs will, post-tRump, finally be able to uncover their sensitive ears — no more dog whistles.  Burn Confederate flags.  Remember our racist history, so it never rears its ugly comb-over again.

(Fade out to the lilting sounds of the classic novelty song … Spike Jones’ “Der Führer’s Face.”)

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R.I.P. Bill Withers, 1938-2020

Thank you, Bill Withers — and, thank you, Wickersham’s Conscience (blog)! 🙂

Wickersham's Conscience

Bill Withers, 2017 (Via NPR)

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there’s always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on

WC admires folks who can re-invent themselves. One of WC’s good friends was injured working at this blue collar job; he went back to school and found a very successful professional career. That’s an amazingly difficult process, to make yourself over. But WC’s friend brought it off.

Bill Withers reinvented himself many times over the course of a long life. Being an astonishingly gifted singer-songwriter was just a small part of it.

Withers was the youngest child of a coal miner in Slab Fork, West Virginia during the Great Depression. He re-invented…

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WARNING: May Contain Nuts

Check out the latest post fr. Wickersham’s Conscience – RE: DC allergy – (Blogger is in Idaho, by way of Alaska)

Wickersham's Conscience

This product should come with a warning This product should come with a warning

WC is allergic to the Trump Administration. WC’s symptoms include raised blood pressure, nausea, reasoned anger and occasional despair. Based upon what WC reads on social media and responsible journalism, and sees on television, WC isn’t the only one who suffers this affliction. And WC’s symptoms may not be the worst.

So WC asks the Food and Drug Administration to do the decent thing and require a warning, just as they do for other products that contain allergens. At least until January 2021. Please.

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socialism [noun]

Let’s take a look at the word, “socialism,” to see if there’s anything to be scared of here.
socialism [noun] –
a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
 
There’s an emphasis on community, which sounds a lot like your local neighborhood.
 
Have you heard of any businesses or organizations that are organized as coöps?
 
Examples include REI, Co-Opportunity Natural Foods, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Land O’Lakes, Dairy Farmers of America, CHS Inc., Associated Wholesale Grocers, Growmark Inc., and Ace Hardware.
Many, many more examples of successful coöperatives exist in other countries.
 
Having read this far, be honest: is there anything I’ve described that makes you quake in your boots with fear?
If not, please read on:
 
Expanding this form of social enterprise in the U.S. would have tremendous benefits, particularly conveying a real sense of ownership to working people and other stakeholders in the community & beyond.
No 5-year plans, no Red Army, no gulags. Just humble working folks sharing a bit more in the wealth & success they produce.
Our U.S. economy ought to be organized to work better & deliver more to men & women who, without fancy titles or advanced degrees, do the lion’s share of the labor that keeps the economic wheels turning every day.
If the capitalistic system has left you feeling deprived of a satisfying work life; earnings that keep you more than a step ahead of bill collectors; access to clean streets, streams, lakes, & air; and a sense that society will be there for you if & when you are ill or infirm — for all those reasons, perhaps we should open our minds to the possibility of something better.
A form of socialism that’s not yet been widely known in the U.S., democratic socialism, just might be the answer. It’s like community-based coöps, but on a somewhat larger scale.
What have we got to lose, other than massive pollution, workplace injuries, & pushy billionaires who never know when to quit?
 
Find out more at:
 

The Republican Show Trial of Donald Trump — Wickersham’s Conscience

From Wikipedia: A show trial is a public trial in which the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt, and/or innocence, of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal the presentation of both the accusation and the verdict to the public. There are characteristics of a show trial. Often, witnesses are not […]

via The Republican Show Trial of Donald Trump — Wickersham’s Conscience

Notes on Kavanaugh: Would You Hire This Man?

#PerjuryDisqualifiesBK

Wickersham's Conscience

Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh gives his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh gives his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

A lot of folks don’t seem to understand the purpose of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh. It’s not a trial. It’s nonsense to talk about “innocent until proven guilty” and “evidence.” Those are terms for a court or administrative law performance. They have little if anything to do with the issue on a judicial nomination.

This is a job interview.

This is a decision whether or not to hire a person to be a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Since it’s a lifetime appointment,1 you likely want to exercise a little bit of extra care in the hire decision, but basically it’s a decision whether or not to hire a person.

Most of us have been interviewed for a job. A lot…

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Here’s the Deal: Books Almost Free, No Money Needed

A former colleague of mine, Richard Risemberg, has a couple of worthwhile ebooks out there . . . and, he also happens to be a talented photographer.

Crow Tree Books

The common wisdom is that giving away books gets you reviews that gains you the attention of folks who’ll actually buy books. Maybe this works, or maybe you just give away a lot of books and then starve. I don’t know, but I’m willing to give it a try.

However, the primary avenue for book giveaways is still Amazon, and, as far as I can tell (being no fan of boilerplate, I have not researched the matter profoundly on the Big A’s website), you can’t run a  free book promotion there without listing your book with Amazon Select, and to do that you have to agree not to sell digital versions of your work on any other channel. That means, of course, that the millions of readers who prefer the .epub format are left out in the cold, as are other merchants. Bit of the old restraint of trade, eh…

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