Two Topics Today

There are so many calamities occurring at the same time, I had difficulties settling on what to write about today.  betsy devos, steve goebbels-bannon and the NSC, kellyanne (ok I'll put the 'anne' in her name) goebbels-conway and the "mistake" she made about "the Bowling Green Masscre" , violence at the Berkeley Campus of The University of California (UC Berkeley), strategies for bringing dispirit groups together for one purpose.  jeff sessions is getting lost in the shuffle.  Who is really calling the shots in this administration?  Fake news. Alternative facts.  On and on and on........you get the picture.

Well, I've come down on two topics for today; kellyanne goebbels-conway and the Bowling Green horse shit (please excuse my language) and the violent protest at UC Berkeley.

"I bet, there was very little coverage — I bet it's brand new information to people that President Obama had a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized — and they were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre. I mean, most people don't know that because it didn't get covered."

How intriguing!  How alarming!  How much horse dung (there, I cleaned it up a little bit)!  goebbels-conway made this claim while on the news show Hardball with Chris Matthews yesterday, 2/2/17.  Today she reversed herself (kind of) after being called out strongly on social media for lying.  Right here, I want to note that lying is lying.  Let's not try to soften the blow and give this fowl mouthed person a pass.  she was not giving  "alternative facts".  she wasn't reporting "fake news".  she was doing one thing and one thing only, she was lying and it was a whopper.  I've said it more than once and I'll keep saying it, 'if you tell a lie often enough and loud enough, people will believe you'.  This morning goebbels-conway  said she "misspoke" and that she meant to use the term "Bowling Green terrorists".  

Let's set the record straight.  goebbels-conway was referring to two Iraqi nationals who gained access to America and in 2011 were arrested for attempting to send money and weapons back to Al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq.  One of these men is serving a life sentence and the other was sentenced to forty years in prison.  Neither was charged with plotting violence in our country.  President Obama responded by instituting the requirement for new background checks on visa applicants which did result in Iraq travel visas being issued more slowly. No Iraqi has committed an act of terror in the U.S. since the invasion of Iraq by our country in 2003.  President Obama did not institute a travel ban of any sort.  I'm not surprised that the trump administration would attempt to defend its actions, regarding its travel and refugee ban, by lying and claiming that Barack Obama had done the same thing.  Where else did they have to look for shelter from their own flawed actions?

goebbels-conway also lied about news coverage of these Iraqi nationals. she claimed in the Hardball interview that "it didn't get covered". Research shows that ninety newspapers around the country reported on this issue. In fact, this morning when claiming that she "misspoke", she referenced one of the articles without making note of her reference and not admitting that the story had been covered. Lastly she did not clean up her lie regarding President Obama's "six month ban on the Iraqi refugee program".  This woman may be one of the most unpleasant, deceitful and shallow people I have observed in my 61 years.

Next, I want to address the violence at UC Berkely that occurred on 2/2/17.   breitbart journalist, milo yiannopoulos (who is obviously of Greek descent and happens to be have come to our shores from England , for those of you who don't want foreign nationals in our country) had his appearance cancelled because of the protests that spontaneously occurred due to his scheduled speech.  He was invited to speak by a Republican student group who, as one of their objectives, admittedly wanted to "expose" liberal students (I couldn't believe the use of the word "expose" when I heard an interview with one of the Republican students who arranged the visit, on the NPR show Here and Now).   The University has reported that "The violence was instigated by a group of about 150 masked agitators who came onto campus and interrupted an otherwise non-violent protest."  I have no reason to dispute the veracity of this statement.  What I perceive is that American citizens are fed up with trump and his clique.  They are fed up with the usurpation of 'news' by outlets that make up stories that have no corroboration, no research and with the intention of incitement.  Well, that's what they've got.  I do not think, though, that they counted on liberal "pussies" getting so riled up.  

Now mind you, I am completely against violence in any way at any time.   Violence will only serve to alienate reasonable people that are not yet energized.  They will reject the protests against the extreme right turn our government has been manipulated into.  Violence will give the trump gang a platform by which they can demonize anyone that disagrees with their sick views and policies.  All of us who are working to get our country back under control, must remain in control of ourselves.  

"When they go low, we go high"!  "When they go low, we go high"!  "When they go low, we go high"!  

Keep this in your heart.