Too Much Tequila, Too Little Sunscreen

A Depressing Memory

I’ve never told this story, but it has haunted me for years, the time I made and lost over four million dollars. My story is set early in 1992. I had just resigned from Intel, turned fifty, and was looking for something interesting to do for my last few years. My six years of promoting massively parallel computing and establishing Intel as the market leader had made me known in this specialized industry.

I was offered the top position in a number of startup supercomputer operations. The venture capitalists funding these infant companies were especially persuasive with their generous offers. I could make millions for a couple of years work. I was weighing my options when I got a call from a giant in the computer industry, Henry Burkhardt. He had an early stage startup supercomputer company and wanted to meet me.

Henry was a legend. He attended Princeton on a math scholarship when he was sixteen, dropped out and joined Digital Equipment as a programmer. He left DEC and founded Data General where he implemented his new minicomputer architecture, the Data General Nova. Data General’s success made him wealthy and established him as titan in the industry.

I joined Henry and his management team at Kendall Square Research’s new headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. Everyone I met was selling and selling hard. They were convinced that their shared cache-only memory architecture made massively parallel computers as easy to program as conventional computers. I was impressed with Henry, his company, his people, and his revolutionary new computer design.

Gordon Bell, one of the biggest names in computer science, had consulted with Henry and was listed in the company profile as a technical advisor. Gordon and I had stayed in touch since our days at DEC. I called Gordon to get his take on Henry’s new machine. Gordon echoed the praise I had heard over and over. I now had an assessment from someone I admired and trusted.

After a long day interviews and sales pitches Henry took me to dinner to get to know me better. We talked and talked. He was brilliant and unlike most computer nerds he had interests beyond computer science. He really impressed me. As we finished our desserts he offered me the position of Executive Vice President, and I could choose what I wanted to do.

There was nothing to negotiate. I had checked all the boxes. I accepted. Henry raised his glass and toasted me.

I didn’t know where I could contribute so I did an informal audit of each functional area. I quickly concluded that engineering and finance were on the right track and it was too early to think about manufacturing, so I went to work on sales and marketing. Henry agreed with my assessment and gave me free rein. I redefined our sales message from high performance to ease of programing. My critique and suggestions were well received by our small sales force, but not by the VP of sales, an old-line Cray supercomputer salesman who only knew his old Cray Research pitch. We continued to butt heads, but the salespeople did as I suggested and began to look to me as their leader.

I set up, contracted, and trained an international distribution network that included Olivetti and Siemens in Europe, Canon in Japan, and lesser known firms in Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and South Africia. I trained the salespeople of each of our new distributors. Canon was especially excited by our new relationship. They introduced me to the who’s who of supercomputing in Japan and invited me to give the keynote talk at a conference. We soon sold a large system to prestigious government organization. Our first international sale.

We were on our way to becoming the new force in supercomputing when we woke the giant, IBM by selling systems into their coveted and protected installed base. I know IBM would fight back, but how?

We soon reached the point where Henry, our CFO, and our investors began the process of taking KSR public. I ran the business while Henry drove our IPO (Initial Public Offering) effort. Cheers rang out the day of our IPO. KSR now had the money to grow and expand, and all of the senior management were millionaires. I did the numbers, and my stock options were worth three point two million dollars. Woopie, I was rich.

Our sales continued to grow and as public corporation we reported our sales and financial results quarterly. A sale is technically complete when the customer pays for the product but DEC, and I assume other companies, had a revenue recognition policy of financially declaring the sale complete when the product is shipped to the customer with thirty day payment terms. So the revenue from a sale is recognized and reported a month or two before it is actually earned.

Our sales volume and stock price continued to grow. My net worth on paper was now over four million dollars and growing. I fantasized how and where we were going to live in luxury once my stock options matured. Stock options are incentives structured to reward efforts but also to ensure longevity. My options were exercisable over the coming four years.

I never paid much attention to financial details of running the company, but I did know Henry had contracted the same accounting firm as Data General. What he didn’t know was it was also IBM’s accounting firm. Back in the early days when IBM’s competitors were the BUNCH (Burrows, Univac, NCR, Control Data, Honeywell) IBM assigned a financial analyst to monitor each competitor and report any irregularities. I believe that IBM was monitoring KSR and when they saw that our reported revenue was growing but our cash was not they blew the whistle to their/our accounting firm.

Our accounting firm launched a detailed audit of our revenue recognition process and learned that we had declared revenue for a system that was on loan for evaluation and not sold along with some other revenue recognition irregularities. They reported their findings to the SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) and they stopped the trading of our stock. Our stock price fell to zero and all of our senior managers were under investigation for fraud. I had not only lost my fortune, I was also a suspect in a criminal act.

KSR went belly up and I was found to have played no part in our phony bookkeeping. Henry, the Sales VP that I fought with, and our CFO were charged with issuing materially false and misleading financial statements. While they didn’t admit or deny wrongdoing, they settled. Henry paid $1.1 million. Our Sales VP and CFO were ordered to pay in excess of $300,000 each but they had spent their illicit gains, so their fines were reduced toto $40,000 each. Henry was barred from holding a top management position in a U.S. corporation again and our CFO lost his CPA designation.

I had lost my fortune, was unemployed, and seriously depressed.

Remembering all of this still depresses me. I’ll sign off now, have another drink, and sulk.

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When I retired, we moved to our second home in Arizona. We soon learned that our lovely guard-gated community had no activities or get-togethers of any kind and no sense of community. After five years, we had developed no friendships. I had no golfing buddies, and Linda’s only friends were women she saw professionally: her hairdresser, decorator, etc.

We started looking for an active adult community. Active not in athletics, but active socially. We looked and looked and were ready to give up when we saw the ad for Country Club Estates in Where to Retire magazine.

We moved into our new home and were immediately welcomed into the community by a host of new friends. This was exactly what we were looking for. Before long, we learned that there was a sizable unhappy faction in CCE being riled by a misguided HOA. I got involved and sided with the builder-friendly side in the growing feud.

I wrote and distributed my satirical piece, Angry Adult Community, and became the spokesperson for the good guys. I followed with a couple of parables The Crock-Pot and The Whistle. I was on the staff of the community newsletter and known primarily for my rants.

Things got nasty in the growing CCE feud, so nasty that bad guys sicced the police on me. Sanity eventually won out and all is now well, or as good as you’d expect. I tell that story in When Lunacy Ruled (or thought they did).

A Parable

A friend and neighbor came to me with what she believes is an important proposal for the Country Club Estates Home Owners Association. She passionately argues that our clubhouse needs a new crock-pot. They’re only $29.95 at Wal Mart, we really need one, we can afford one, and our collective lives will all be better if we have one. What can be so hard about this?

I told her to prepare for a tough battle to sell her idea. There will only be a small number of people that will see this issue as important as she does; a small group that truly sees the benefits of crock-pot ownership. Expect an equally small group of people that will believe, almost as passionately as she does, that this is a really dumb idea and last thing we need is a community owned crock-pot.

Prepare yourself for an even larger group that will oppose your idea solely because they just oppose spending money, any money, for any reason, period. These folks can’t be sold. They live their lives frugally, are used to doing without, and will never see the benefit or the economic return of crock-pot ownership.

The good news is that the vast majority of us could care less whether we have a crock-pot or not. We won’t take the time to listen to or even consider all of the important aspects of community crock-pot ownership. We’ll vote, just for the heck of it, based upon what someone said at the last cocktail party or what we heard over the fence the day before yesterday. We really don’t care, but we can be sold.

So far this is normal: a small group for the crock-pot, a small group against the crock-pot, a third group that won’t spend any money on anything, and the majority that could care less. But here at CCE we have two other unusual groups that you’ll have to deal with.

You’ll find a hard-core group of people that believe that the Reedys owe us a crock-pot. They’ll say things like: “The Reedys promised us one in the past and they’ve welshed on the deal or somehow beat us out of one. Jim agreed to give us one once and now he wants to sell us one. He’s greedy and only in this for the money.” You can’t overcome this insanity. These people want to believe this and no sort of argument will convince them otherwise.

The other group that could make your life difficult is how the CCE board will deal with this critical crock-pot issue. They should, but don’t always, keep their personal views to themselves. In the past they have used their management positions, either out of ignorance or just plain meanness, to influence, sway, or rig the vote. Their job is to insure that all sides of this crock-pot issue get heard and that we follow the democratic process outlined in our bylaws, regardless of how they personally feel about crock-pots. As individual members, they’re free to vote secretly just like the rest of us. In the past they haven’t always understood this.

And are you really ready for this? Those opposed to your idea will be vicious, cruel and think nothing of punching below the belt. Not so much from your legitimate opponents, but the don’t-spend-any-money-on-anything folks, and the Reedys-owe-us-one group will do everything to slander you personally and shoot down your idea with a long list of cockamamie arguments.

How bad do you really want this crock-pot?

As she headed for the door, I heard her mumble, “No thanks, I think I take my own over to the clubhouse when we need one.”

One year ago my wife and I moved into what was promoted as, and what seemed to be an active adult community. Sadly, we were to learn that the only activity in this otherwise lovely community is pissing-and-moaning with our elected Homeowners Association (HOA) officials.

Somehow our HOA got off on the wrong foot or was initially aimed in the wrong direction and has never been able to make a course correction. My guess is that the founding members simply saw our HOA as a vehicle for leveraging the builder and enforcing the bylaws.

When you meet the other owners or our elected officials in settings outside of our heated HOA meetings they seem, in most cases, like nice people. How come they turn into Mr. Hyde-like assholes when the gavel strikes the table?

The issues that have everyone astir today are: the lack of a 2007 budget this late in the year, the board’s hiring of a litigation attorney for secret reasons, and new committees being formed to make more rules. But the overriding issue, in my mind, is the lack of any discussion on how to make this a better place to live. There are no proposals to argue over. The proposed budget is the same old stuff, nothing new.

Our ignorance of or lack of interest in improving our community is the real issue; all of the other stuff is just petty bickering. Our board of directors isn’t focused on the only thing they should; making this a more enjoyable and a more valuable place to live. Instead they spend their time arguing about process, rules of order, making more laws, and rigorously enforcing their interpretation of the existing bylaws.

I propose we go back to square one and define a charter or mission statement for our HOA and therefore the job descriptions of the elected management. A suggested charter might read something like:

The charter and only goal of the CCEHA is to mange the expenditure of HOA funds to maximize the quality of our owner’s living experiences and to increase the value of our investments in our homes.

 Period!

Notice, the charter doesn’t say anything about making or enforcing laws. If we have an offender of the existing rules such as curb-side parking of a RV beyond the allotted time, or the yoyo that paints his house chartreuse, or leaves his Christmas decorations up all year we can deal these on a case-by-case basis with a small infractions committee, not the board. They’ll be focused on positive things.

With the management team out of the rules business they will have time to focus on the only thing they should, improving our community. I propose that each discussion topic or agenda item considered by CCEHA management pass this simple test:

1. Will this proposal or discussion topic improve the quality of the lives of a majority of our owners?

2. Will this proposal or discussion topic improve the financial investments our owners have made in Country Club Estates?

I fully understand that this is not a homogenous community. We have a range of owners from young, very active retirees up to sedentary elderly folks, and from the physically fit to the terminally ill. And, the amenity that might improve the life of any of these extreme examples won’t do much for those at the other end of the spectrum.

Increasing property values will effect everyone equally, young and old, sick and well.

I also understand that the usual amenities of a fancy clubhouse, swimming pool and tennis courts may not be the wishes of the majority of our owners.

But we should take stock of what we have now. We have a card room and kitchenette with folding chairs, not a clubhouse. A clubhouse would have comfortable chairs, sitting areas, a few card tables, maybe a pool table or two, and possibly shuffleboard on the patio. Our other amenities are an unused bocce court and horseshoe pitch that lie dormant without any semblance of organized leagues, women’s groups, tournaments etc. Why? Let me tell you why. Because our HOA has been too busy arguing about process, trying to make more rules, and wandering the neighborhood trying to catch someone committing rules infractions. I’m going to shoot the next board member that cruises past my house thinking it’s his job to be a patrolling rules enforcer.

We should put our energy into making and selling proposals on how to improve this place. We should be arguing; but arguing the benefits of a jogging trail versus a shuffleboard court or some such thing. I don’t care if we do either, let’s just do something!

Bob Rockwell

Country Club Estates                                                                    

©2007 by Bob Rockwell

When I’ve bumped into celebrities unexpectedly I have introduced myself as an admirer and fan, offered to shake their hands, and to chat if they’re amiable. The following encounters are my most memorable.

 

A Beer with Wilt

Linda and I enjoyed my company’s season tickets to the Lakers whenever they were available. We became serious Laker fans and rooted and cheered for Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Happy Harrison, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain maybe the best starting lineup of all time.

Wilt had hurt his knee and was not suited up tonight. During the game I went to the concession stand up and back behind the seating for a couple beers. Me and the girl running the bar were the only people on the floor when I heard this booming voice behind me. I turned and faced the biggest person I had ever seen, Wilt Chamberlain. He was 7 feet 1 inch tall and 275 pounds of muscle. I stood chest high to him and I stuck out my hand and introduced myself. He shook my hand. I turned to the bar girl and ordered a beer for Wilt. We clicked our paper cups together and toasted the Lakers.

Deplaning with 74

We had just landed in LA and the passengers filled the aisle waiting to deplane. I had stored my bag in the overhead bin back behind my seat, so I had to wait until the aisle was free to get my bag. I got it and headed out. A big guy was blocking the aisle in first class as he got his bags down from the overhead bin. He turned and apologized, and I recognized him. He was Merlin Olsen the All-Pro defensive tackle of the Los Angeles Rams and one of their legendary “Fearsome Foursome.” We walked out of the plane together and as we were taking the ramp down to the gate I asked him if he would say hello to my son waiting for me at the gate. He said sure and as we entered the terminal we were met by Linda and our three kids. Merlin put down his bag and shook Rob’s hand and introduced himself as number 74 of the Los Angeles Rams and then turned introduced himself to each member of my family before saying goodbye and leaving a family of new fans.

A Round with Sugar Ray

There were always interesting displays and events in the courtyard of the Arizona Diamondbacks home stadium. We had brought Linda’s sister, Theresa and her husband Nick from Denver to the game. We noticed a line of fans forming at a table in the courtyard to get Sugar Ray Leonard’s autograph. Sugar Ray is one of the greatest boxers of all time winning world titles in five weight classes. My guests laughed as I got into the autograph line. When I got to Sugar Ray he looked at me and not seeing something to sign he looked confused. I told him I didn’t want an autograph I wanted to throw him a left hook. He smiled, stood, and took his boxing stance. I threw my best left hook which he skillfully blocked. I thanked him and we shook hands. I returned to my group and proudly proclaimed, “I just went a round with Sugar Ray Leonard.”

The Big Unit

The Arizona Diamondbacks had just defeated the New York Yankees in the seventh game of the World Series. We went to the victory parade and celebrated with the fans on the streets of Phoenix. Randy Johnson, nicknamed The Big Unit for his 6 foot 10 inch height and 225 pounds, was named co-MVP of the series. Randy was a ten-time All-Star, winning the Pitching Triple Crown, and the Cy Young Award five times.

I was shopping at a small shop in a strip mall in Paradise Valley when Randy walked in. I recognized him right away and went to him. I stuck out my hand and said, “I’m Bob Rockwell and I’m a big fan. I just want to say hello and congratulate you.” He glared at me as if I scared him. When I dropped my arm and stepped back he turned and walked away.

Surprising Marty

A colleague from our headquarters in Massachusetts came to Los Angeles to visit many of my customers. He brought his wife from Boston. She had never been to LA before, so Linda hosted her visit. They toured and saw the sights including a taping of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. We took them to  Lawry’s restaurant in Beverly Hills for dinner and as we were entering we met a couple at the coat room. I recognized Marty Allen, the comedian and regular on Hollywood Squares. I walked up to Marty and his wife, and said, “Marty, good to see you. How have you been?” I reached out to shake his hand, but he just stood there looking puzzled, trying to figure out who we were. Linda remembered his wife’s name and said, “Frenchie, nice seeing you.” They were agape. They couldn’t figure out who we were. After a very pregnant pause. We said goodbye and went into the restaurant.

A Drink with Johnny

Lawry’s was busy and told us to wait in the bar. We were seated and had just ordered our drinks when this familiar looking guy at the bar came to our table. As soon as he spoke I recognized his voice, but Linda and our guest knew him. It was Johnny Olson, the famous TV announcer for To Tell the Truth, What's My Line?, Match Game and The Price Is Right. He clearly enjoyed his celebrity status. He told stories and flirted with the ladies as if he was looking for company. Soon we were called to dinner.

Hef

I took a customer from Boston to the Los Angeles Playboy club to have dinner, shoot some pool, and just hang with the bunnies. We were sitting in the far corner of the lounge having a drink when a man emerged from dark. As he approached our table I recognized him, Hugh Hefner, the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine. I stood and said, “Hef, I’m a fan and admirer. I just want to say hello and thank you for Playboy and the Playboy philosophy.” I stuck out my hand and he shook it saying, “Thank you for those kind words and enjoying the club.” He turned and walked away.

I was still standing with my arm extended when my customer said, “Just think about where that hand you just shook has been.”

Hangin’ with a Movie Star

I was on a flight from Seattle to London via the polar route. This was my first over-the-pole flight, so I spent the entire flight staring out the window at the frozen world below. We landed at Heathrow and were exiting the plane. As I passed through first class I fell in line behind this attractive woman. She looked familiar but I couldn’t place her. As we walked together down the boarding ramp she struggled with her many bags. I took one and she just smiled. I recognized that smile but still couldn’t remember who she was. We continued down the ramp as a couple and soon ran into a group blocking the way waving signs and, shouting, “Welcome to London.” “Welcome Shirley MacLaine.”

Shirley looked distressed and turned to me for help. I grabbed her arm and pushed my way through the welcoming committee and into the terminal where we encountered more press and fans. I shoved our way through the mob, and we finally reached baggage claim. She was about to speak when a young man raced up to us. Shirley shouted, “Brandon, where have you been? This gentleman had to do your job.”

Brandon turned to me, shook my hand, and thanked me. I looked to Shirley. She blew me a kiss.

Sweatin’ with …

I took a break from my booth duties at COMDEX, the large computer trade show, to see the other exhibits. I passed by a competitor’s booth as Richard Simmonds was just finishing his flamboyant routine. Richard grabbed my arm as the small crowd dispersed and pointed to a backdrop and a cameraman off to the side. Richard led me to his photo spot and hugged me as the cameraman took a shot. Richard handed me the photo, grinned, and indicated he wanted to chat.

Rumors were that he was gay. I thanked him, grabbed my photo and ran away.

 

Close but missed Encounters

I’ve had a couple of almost encounters with people I would have loved to have met. It still pains me that I missed them.

The Piano Man

We took the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard Island for a romantic getaway. I had chosen a small inn in Edgartown with a gourmet restaurant. We spent the day doing touristy things. We visited the beach where the movie Jaws was filmed, the Chappaquiddick bridge that Ted Kennedy made famous and took a walking tour.

We were enjoying a before dinner cocktail listening to the piano player when our waitress came to our table, grinning and said, “You should have been here last Saturday night.” She paused to catch her breath. “Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley came in for dinner and I waited on them,” she says proudly. “At about ten o’clock Billy Joel asked me to lock the door and invite the kitchen crew into the dining room. Billy moved to the piano and started to play and sing Piano Man. He sang one hit song after another for nearly two hours. We had a private party with the Piano Man and his Super Model wife. It was the greatest night of my life.”

Folk Royalty

The Boxborough Regency Hotel was my new after-work watering hole. It was about halfway between my office in Maynard and our home in Pepperell. Their atrium restaurant and bar are spectacular and so unlike stodgy old New England. One evening I stopped in for a drink and the waitress came to my table grinning and said excitedly, “You should have been here last night. Joan Baez and Bob Dylan came in for drinks after their concert in Boston. They closed the bar.”

“Did they do anything, sing, sign autographs …”

“No, they just acted like a couple on a date.”

What’s the old expression? A day late and a dollar short.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a liberal. I like to think of myself as a moderate, a Ted Kennedy sort of liberal. I have a passion for making healthcare available and affordable to all Americans, making lower-priced, foreign drugs available, and making a college education affordable.

I can deal with conservatives, opponents, foes, and antagonist of all kinds. Sometimes their different take on things is educational and often interesting. I especially enjoy their passion as they argue or present something I totally disagree with. But, what I can’t take is the adversary that is rude, inconsiderate, or otherwise difficult to deal with regardless of the issue. These philistine zealots really get to me. I want these people out of my life.

I used to be a Republican, a conservative in fact. I actually campaigned for the first presidential candidate I could legally vote for, Barry Goldwater. I was sure he was the right guy for the job and that baggy-suited Dixiecrat, Lyndon Johnson was everything I disliked in politicians. I still proudly wear my Goldwater in ‘64 campaign button.

I never understood what happened to the conservative wing of the Republican Party until I did the research for this article. I now know how Goldwater’s fiscal conservatism became the Christian conservatism of today. I naively thought evangelists like Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and the like had an undue influence on congress, Reagan, and the Bushes. I now have someone to blame, to despise, Newt Gingrich. And while we’re castigating Newt, let’s beat him up for the intolerable divisiveness in our congress today. We’ve always had radical extremes on both ends of the political spectrum opposed to each other, but not now. Now the two sides of the aisle are at each other throats as if we have two totally different governments fighting for power. Thanks Newt.

Here are some of the people I never want to see or hear about again. I know they are all Republicans. I like real Republicans like John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Liz Cheney to name a few. What I can’t stand are Trumpsters that put their loyalty to Trump above their Republican tenets, common sense, and the good of our country.

Get these people outta my life:

Donald Trump

45^thPresident of the USA

To start with, he’s not very bright and his massive ego overpowers the advice he receives from his advisors. Take for instance his so-called trade war with China that hurt our farmers, manufactures, and consumers. Why, because Trump didn’t understand how international trade works. He thought he was punishing the Chinese for unfair trade practices when he was actually hurting us. Even more tragic was his refusal to accept the impending COVID-19 pandemic and his wacky touting of ridiculous cures, like injecting disinfectant.

Beyond being dumb and egoistical he’s a really bad guy. He came into office with a background that might be more fitting of a Mafioso or a rich hooligan with a long list of legal problems, scandal accusations, and business bankruptcies. Since coming into office he’s shown his true colors, like his refusal to condemn right-wing domestic terrorists and white supremacist or his kowtowing to dictators and authoritarians around the world. And what’s up with his friendship with Vladimir Putin. Above and beyond all of that he is dishonest to the core. He is a pathological liar who lies about everything from the trivial to the serious. The Washington Post counted him telling 30,573 lies during his 4 years in office.

I don’t trust him, believe him, or respect him in any way. I just want him out of my life.

Newt Gingrich

Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999

Gingrich labored to tie his Christian conservatism to the Republican Party and by his resignation in 1999 Christian conservatism had become firmly ingrained in the Republican Party’s policy platforms. Scholars have credited Gingrich with playing a key role in undermining democratic norms in the United States, and hastening political polarization and partisan prejudice. They argue that Gingrich instilled a “combative” approach in the Republican Party, where hateful language and hyper-partisanship became commonplace, and where democratic norms were abandoned.

Eighty-four ethics charges were filed by Democrats against Gingrich during his term as Speaker. All were eventually dropped except for one.  On January 21, 1997, the House officially reprimanded Gingrich (in a vote of 395 in favor, 28 opposed) and ordered him to reimburse the House for some of the costs of the investigation in the amount of $300,000. It was the first time a Speaker was disciplined for an ethics violation.

Additionally, the House Ethics Committee concluded that inaccurate information supplied to investigators represented “intentional or … reckless” disregard of House rules. The Ethics Committee’s Special Counsel concluded that Gingrich had violated federal tax law and had lied to the ethics panel in an effort to force the committee to dismiss the complaint against him.

In 1998, Gingrich urged fellow Republicans to push the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. It would damage Clinton’s popularity and result in the party winning a number of seats in the House. But instead of gaining seats, Republicans lost five, the worst midterm performance in 64 years by a party not holding the presidency. Other ethics violations including an unpopular book deal, added to his unpopularity even though he himself was reelected in his own district.

In January 1999 he resigned his seat. When relinquishing the speakership, Gingrich referred to other Republicans when he said he was “not willing to preside over people who are cannibals.”

Good riddance.

Jim Jordan

Republican Congressman from Ohio

Jordan, a former wrestler and wrestling coach, has gained his notoriety for being a very close ally of Donald Trump and as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. The committee is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies, federal law enforcement entities, and for the impeachments of federal officials. It is not his far-right politics or bootlicking Trump that has earned my wrath, but his abrasive personality and his inability to debate or argue without losing his temper and throwing fits of rage.

His rejection of a request for an interview by the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is indicative of his loyalty to Trump. Jordan supposedly said, “The American people are tired of Democrats’ nonstop investigations and partisan witch hunts. This request is far outside the bounds of any legitimate inquiry, violates core constitutional principles and would serve to further erode legislative norms.”

The New York Times reported in November 2019: “Democrats, both here in Washington and in his home state of Ohio, see Mr. Jordan as bomb-thrower who is more interested in theatrics and obfuscation than substance. Julian Epstein, who served as the Democrats’ lead counsel in the impeachment of Mr. Clinton, called Mr. Jordan a “carnival barker who peddles dopamine to the base.”

He should go back to wrestling.

Marjorie Taylor Greene

Republican Congresswoman from Georgia

Marjorie Taylor Green could have played the lead in the movie Legally Blond. She is fumbling through life just as the clueless, naïve blond did in the movie. Since joining the House she introduced articles of impeachment against Joe Biden, voted against popular pandemic-relief measures, attributed the California’s wildfires to “Jewish space lasers,” and been officially condemned by CrossFit for claiming her workout was her COVID-19 protection.

She received backlash for attending America First Political Action Conference where white nationalist views were championed and they cheered Putin. During a rally in Georgia she took aim at Secretary Buttigieg by saying, “You know what? Pete Buttigieg can take his electric vehicles and his bicycle, and he and his husband can stay out of our girls’ bathrooms.” The crowd cheered. She recently wrote she appreciated Will Smith’s “alpha male response” of defending his wife after he slapped comedian Chris Rock for making a joke about her during the Oscars presentations.

A group of voters has filed a challenge with the Georgia secretary of state aiming to bar Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for reelection this year because of her alleged support for the events of January 6. Greene claimed that President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi committed “treason” and said power could not be transferred peacefully because Biden did not win the election. The suit points to examples of Greene supporting the Capitol rioters by calling them “political prisoners of war” and claiming that left-wing activists, not Trump supporters, were responsible for the violence on January 6.

She may be legally blond but she is not a terribly bad person, just clueless. I just don’t want her to have anything to do with running my country.

Lindsey Graham

Republican Senator from South Carolina

Graham is more known for his vicious attacks and scowling faces than his political or personal positions. Graham showed his spunk early on by taking part in a leadership challenge against House Speaker Newt Gingrich and was one of 18 House Republicans to co-sponsor a resolution that sought to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Bill Clinton. This was an early effort to impeach Clinton, predating the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal. The scandal ultimately led to a more serious effort to impeach Clinton. Graham voted in favor of legislation to open an impeachment inquiry. The House passed two of the impeachment articles and Graham served as an impeachment manager in the impeachment trial.

The 2000 election brought us the Lindsey Graham we saw scowling on TV. Graham said that Trump “should not concede because if Republicans don’t challenge and change the U.S. election system, there will never be another Republican president elected again.” Graham said he donated $500,000 to Trump’s election lawsuits in various states, and that the option should be “on the table” for Republican state legislators to invalidate election results due to alleged “corruption” by appointing presidential electors who would vote for Trump. The 2020 presidential election in Georgia produced an initial count where Biden defeated Trump by around 14,000 votes, triggering a recount due to the small margin. While the recount was ongoing, Graham privately called the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger to discuss Georgia’s vote counting. Raffensperger told The Washington Post that Graham had asked him to disqualify all mail-in ballots in counties with signature errors. Graham denied suggesting this. He went on to claim that he had also spoken to Arizona’s and Nevada’s secretaries of state.Those secretaries denied this, and Graham reversed himself, saying that he had spoken to the governor of Arizona and no official in Nevada.

In the resulting second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Graham voted “not guilty,” and later he voted against creating the January 6 commission.

I loathe Lindsey Graham for his abrasive style and demeanor in questioning and interviewing. His vicious, snarling face and pulsating finger-pointing overshadows whatever issue is being discussed.

Rand Paul

Republican Senator from Kentucky

Randal Paul, a physician is the son Ron Paul, also a physician who, while serving in the House helped swing the Republican Party rightward and toward libertarianism. Rand Paul follows in his father’s footsteps by pursuing massive cuts in federal spending consistent with his generally libertarian position, Paul proposed cuts involved not only social programs but also defense allocations. In addition, he sought the abolishment of all foreign aid.

It was when the corona virus was becoming a global pandemic that Paul really gained distinction. He became the first senator to test positive for the virus, and he went into a self-quarantine. The following month he resumed his public duties. But it was his all-out attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s medical czar, that put him on center stage. He opposed Dr. Fauci’s insistence on vaccinations and wearing masks and argued that there was no need for a vaccine for children.

During a congressional hearing, Dr. Fauci accused Rand Paul of spreading bad information and inciting death threats against him. In a heated question-and-answer session, Fauci said Paul’s false accusations have kindled the crazies and he gets threats upon his life and his family and his children are harassed with obscene phone calls.

Rand Paul should be a legislator or a physician but not try to be both.

 

Mike Lindell

My Pillow Guy

Michael Lindell is a businessman, conservative political activist, and conspiracy theorist. He is the founder and CEO of My Pillow, Inc., a pillow, bedding, and slipper manufacturing company and a prominent supporter of, and advisor to, former President Donald Trump. In 2016, Lindell met with then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and became an avid supporter, calling Trump “the most amazing president this country has ever seen in history,” In a speech at Liberty University, Lindell said “When I met with Donald Trump, it felt like a divine appointment, and when I walked out of that office I decided I was going to go all in.”

After Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election, Lindell played a significant role in supporting and financing Trump’s attempts to overturn the election result; he spread false conspiracy theories about widespread electoral fraud in that election.

In 2017, the Better Business Bureau revoked accreditation of My Pillow, lowering its rating to an F based on a pattern of complaints by consumers. He was also an active promoter of the toxic plant extract oleandrin, as an alternative medicine cure for COVID-19. In White House meetings with Trump and public appearances, Lindell promoted the toxic plant extract oleandrin as a cure for COVID-19, saying, “This thing works – it’s the miracle of all time.” Lindell has a financial stake in Phoenix Biotechnology, a company that makes oleandrin, and sits on its board. Lindell’s unsubstantiated claims alarmed scientists, since there is no scientific evidence that oleandrin is a safe or effective corona virus treatment, and there is evidence the plant is poisonous at low doses.

But it was not pillows, or oleandrin that put Lindell in the news. It was his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Lindell helped sponsor a bus tour that sought to challenge the election results. Lindell promoted the Jan. 6 rally and attended this rally, but did not go to the Capitol. Following the Capitol storming, Lindell was among those who advanced the false conspiracy theory that people associated with Antifa were responsible for the attack, saying they had probably “dressed as Trump people.” Lindell and others predicted various inquiries into the election would result in Trump being reinstated as president in 2021. In January 2022, Lindell claimed that he possessed “enough evidence to put everybody in prison for life, 300-some million people” for their part in the alleged 2020 election fraud.

Wow, is conspiracy theorist too nice a term to refer to the My Pillow Guy?

Steve Bannon

White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to the President

Stephen Bannon is a media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker, who served as the White House’s chief strategist in the Trump administration. He was the chief executive officer of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. In August 2020, Bannon and three others were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering in connection to the We Build the Wall campaign. The defendants allegedly enriched themselves, despite promising that all contributions would go to building a wall. Bannon pleaded not guilty and was pardoned by Trump before his trial date.

In November 2020, Bannon’s Twitter account was permanently suspended after he suggested that top government infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded. Bannon was held in contempt of Congress in October 2021 after defying a subpoena by the House committee investigating the 2021 United States Capitol attack. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on two criminal contempt charges and turned himself in to authorities, three days later. Bannon lost an appeal regarding his failure to testify before the January 6, 2021, Capitol Riot Committee.

Don’t you wonder what sort of strategy this sleaze ball would author…advocate.

Rudy Guianni

Former Mayor of New York City and President Trump’s personal attorney

Rudy Guianni gained national attention and praise for his leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Giuliani coordinated the response of various city departments while organizing the support of state and federal authorities, for the World Trade Center site, for citywide anti-terrorist measures, and for restoration of destroyed infrastructure. Oprah Winfrey coined him “America’s Mayor” at memorial service held at Yankee Stadium, and Time magazine named Giuliani its Person of the Year for 2001.

In 2016, Giuliani would become one of Trump’s most loyal lieutenants and eventually his personal attorney, defending his every move. His efforts to dig up dirt on the Biden family placed him at the center of the Ukrainian pressure campaign that got Trump impeached. Then, in the aftermath of the 2020 election, Giuliani led the effort to subvert the results, traveling the country peddling baseless conspiracy theories. “We cannot allow these crooks — because that’s what they are — to steal an election from the American people,” he falsely claimed at a news conference. “They elected Donald Trump. They didn’t elect Joe Biden.”

On January 6th, he helped rile up the crowd before the storming of the Capitol, declaring: “Let’s have trial by combat.”

A New York court recently suspended Rudy Giuliani from practicing law in the state, citing his “false and misleading statements” about the election loss of former President Donald Trump. This suspension comes as Giuliani is under criminal investigation by that same federal prosecutor’s office in connection with his work in Ukraine. Since Trump’s defeat in November, the former president and his lawyer have made false claims about the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s victory. They allege, without evidence, that Trump was swindled out of a victory by widespread ballot fraud in key states.

From America’s Mayor to Trump’s lackey to suspected criminal.

Ron DeSantis

Republican Governor of Florida

As a congressman DeSantis signed a 2013 pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian conservative political advocacy funded by David and Charles Koch of the Tea Party fame. In 2017, DeSantis added a rider to the proposed fiscal 2018 spending bill package that would end funding for the Mueller investigation into Russia’s involvement with the election and Russia’s relationship to Trump.

As Governor of Florida he enjoyed early support from President Donald Trump and his Trump-like response to COVID-19 pandemic put DeSantis in the national headlines. The DeSantis administration suppressed unfavorable facts, dispensed dangerous misinformation, dismissed public health professionals, and promoted the views of scientific dissenters who supported the governor’s approach to the disease.

Politics rather than science dictated Florida’s response to COVID-19. DeSantis rejected the implementation of a statewide face mask mandate and belatedly implemented stay-at-home orders. In July 2020, when Florida was a global epicenter of the corona virus with nearly 5,800 deaths, DeSantis largely sidelined health experts and scientists. The Washington Post reported that he relied primarily on his wife, a former television reporter, and his chief of staff, a former hospital executive for advice. In July 2021, Florida experienced a record surge in COVID-19 cases, setting a new daily case record and accounting for around 1 in 5 new infections in the country. Amid the resurgence, DeSantis banned public schools from implementing mask mandates, claiming without evidence that masks were harmful to children, and he threatened to fine, withhold funding, or withhold salary from any school district or school official who did so. Previously, data released by the Florida Department of Health had tied over 100,000 COVID-19 cases to Florida private and public K-12 schools. In late August, the DeSantis administration ordered Alachua and Broward school districts to reverse their mask mandates or face a reduction in state funding, leading the districts’ leaders to declare that they would take legal action in response.

Aren’t you glad he isn’t running your state?

Debbie Lesko

Republican Congresswoman from Arizona

Debbie Lesko came to Congress with a most unusual background. She married Jeffrey Ignas in 1985, and three years later she was charged with a misdemeanor for tampering with government records. The case was later dropped. In 1988, Ignas was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud. After serving four years of the sentence, he was released from prison so he and Debbie could file for bankruptcy protection. The couple was also sued twice for failure to pay bills. They filed for bankruptcy again. Ignas was physically abusive to Debbie, including punching her in the tummy when she was pregnant with her daughter. In 1993, she filed for divorce. She later married Joe Lesko and became involved in the Peoria School District. In 2006, she ran for school board. She placed fourth out of five candidates. She went on to win a seat in the Arizona Senate where she served for three years before announcing she was running in the special election to replace Representative Trent Franks, who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment. She also announced her resignation from the Arizona Senate. She won the election with a narrow margin.

Debby Lesko is a strong ally of former President Donald Trump. In December 2019, she voted against impeaching him. She said there is “no proof, none, that the president has committed an impeachable offense.” Lesko was one of 126 Republican members of the House to sign a brief in support of a lawsuit filed at the Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Lesko was one of the 139 Republican representatives to vote to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Congress at the Electoral College vote count.

In addition to supporting Trump, she rigorously fights abortion, but she favors a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, and has championed legislation that would allow payday lenders to provide loans at annual interest rates as high as 164%. And, she opposed efforts to increase the minimum wage in Arizona to $10. Lesko strongly opposes the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Let’s send her back to the Valley of the Sun.

Greg Abbot

Republican Governor of Texas

Abbot was the longest-serving Texas attorney general in Texas history before becoming governor in 2014. He is an ardent Trump supporter.

Abbot has taken a hard line on abortion. In 2021 he signed the Texas Heartbeat Act into law, which prohibits abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, except to save the mother’s life. Later in 2021, Abbott signed a bill into law that prevented women from mail-ordering abortion medication seven weeks into pregnancy.

His other passion is firearms. In 2015, Abbott signed the campus carry and the open carry bills into law. The campus carry law allows licensed carrying of a concealed handgun on public college campuses. The open carry bill allows the licensed carrying of handguns openly in public areas and in private businesses. In 2017, Abbott signed a bill into law lowering handgun carry license fees and later signed a bill into law that allowed Texans to carry guns without a license. In 2019, he signed a bill allowing for more armed teachers with school districts being unrestricted as to the number they allow.

During an interview with Fox News following the Sutherland Springs church shooting, Abbott urged historical reflection and the consideration that evil had been present in earlier “horrific events” during the Nazi era, the Middle Ages, and biblical times.” In a speech to a NRA convention in Dallas, Abbott said: “The problem is not guns, its hearts without God.”

Guns, guns, and more guns. Let’s hope Texans have hearts with God, whatever that means.

 

Ted Cruz

Republican Senator from Texas

The Dallas Observer reported that: “Ted Cruz was voted the most unpopular member of the U.S. Senate, a body of people whose collective approval rating falls below hemorrhoids, traffic jams, and root canals.” His unpopularity hit a high when he chose to fly off to Cancun while his state was struggling with a killer winter storm and an energy crisis. He came back home wearing a Texas face mask and blaming his own kids for the trip. He’s known for his stupid antics like blocking a bipartisan ceremonial resolution to honor the late Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, because he objected to “partisan” language relaying the justice’s final wishes to delay filling her seat until after the presidential election.

I especially like how he shut down the government and pissed off government-hating, federal deregulating Republicans at the same time. Cruz shut down the government in 2013 in order to prevent the funding for Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Cruz filibustered for more than 13 straight hours by reading some of the works of author Ayn Rand, Ashton Kutcher’s acceptance speech from that year’s Teen Choice Awards, and he achieved peak Cruz craziness by reading from Dr. Seuss’s immortal literary classic Green Eggs and Ham.

As you can see, Ted Cruz is not evil like Trump or a no-holds-barred scrapper like Jim Jordan; he’s just an unpopular right-wing bumpkin.

We can do better. Texas can do better.

 

Matt Gaetz

Republican congressman from Florida

The Politico called Gaetz “one of the most enthusiastic defenders of President Trump” and a “proud Trump protégé”. The Washington Post called him one of Congress’ “most controversial members,” and one who has “unabashedly aligned himself with Trump on basically all things. Gaetz was one of 18 House Republicans to vote to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in peace talks with North Korea.

Gaetz introduced a congressional resolution calling for Robert Mueller to excuse himself as special counsel because of what Gaetz said to be conflicts of interest. He also asked for a special counsel investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email controversy.

After the mob attacked the Capitol on January 6th, Gaetz said there was “pretty compelling evidence that some of the people who breached the Capitol were not Trump supporters” but were rather “masquerading as Trump supporters, and in fact were members of the violent terrorist group Antifa.” An aide to Gaetz posted a video on a blog hours before the storming of the Capitol with the caption: “WE HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR! STOP THE STEAL!”

Gaetz accompanied a Florida County tax collector to a government office where they were producing fake IDs. The tax collector was indicted in on an array of charges, including sex trafficking and creating fake IDs to facilitate sex trafficking. The Justice Department is now investigating Gaetz for allegedly sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl and whether he had violated federal sex trafficking laws by paying her to travel with him across state lines. And later CNN reported that Gaetz had shown pictures of naked women to colleagues on the House floor. Gaetz claimed to have slept with the women in the photos. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into allegations that Gaetz “may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift.”

Matt Gaetz is being criminally investigated for three distinct crimes: Sex trafficking; violating the Mann Act, and obstructing justice. Gaetz has not been charged with any crime and has denied all the accusations. Instead, he dismissed the investigation as a “witch hunt.”

In January 2022, an ex-girlfriend of Gaetz’s testified before a grand jury after being granted immunity, that she reportedly had information relevant to two of three criminal charges being considered for Gaetz: sex trafficking a minor and obstruction of justice. This new information is driving the investigation into a new, decisive phase.

In the last weeks of the Trump administration, Gaetz privately requested a blanket presidential pardon for himself and others, which was reportedly denied because it would set a bad precedent. The next day, Trump publicly denied that Gaetz had asked him for a pardon. Later it was revealed that Trump had reportedly wanted to defend Gaetz but was told to stand down due to the seriousness of the allegations.

I can’t wait til they charge this pervert.

 

I’m a liberal. I like to think of myself as a moderate, a Ted Kennedy sort of liberal. I have a passion for making healthcare available and affordable to all Americans, making lower-priced, foreign drugs available, and making a college education affordable.

I can deal with conservatives, opponents, foes, and antagonist of all kinds. Sometimes their different take on things is educational and often interesting. I especially enjoy their passion as they argue or present something I totally disagree with. But, what I can’t take is the adversary that is rude, inconsiderate, or otherwise difficult to deal with regardless of the issue. These philistine zealots really get to me. I want these people out of my life.

I used to be a Republican, a conservative in fact. I actually campaigned for the first presidential candidate I could legally vote for, Barry Goldwater. I was sure he was the right guy for the job and that baggy-suited Dixiecrat, Lyndon Johnson was everything I disliked in politicians. I still proudly wear my Goldwater in ‘64 campaign button.

I never understood what happened to the conservative wing of the Republican Party until I did the research for this article. I now know how Goldwater’s fiscal conservatism became the Christian conservatism of today. I naively thought evangelists like Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and the like had an undue influence on congress, Reagan, and the Bushes. I now have someone to blame, to despise, Newt Gingrich. And while we’re castigating Newt, let’s beat him up for the intolerable divisiveness in our congress today. We’ve always had radical extremes on both ends of the political spectrum opposed to each other, but not now. Now the two sides of the aisle are at each other throats as if we have two totally different governments fighting for power. Thanks Newt.

Here are some of the people I never want to see or hear about again. I know they are all Republicans. I like real Republicans like John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Liz Cheney to name a few. What I can’t stand are Trumpsters that put their loyalty to Trump above their Republican tenets, common sense, and the good of our country.

Get these people outta my life:

Donald Trump

45^thPresident of the USA

To start with, he’s not very bright and his massive ego overpowers the advice he receives from his advisors. Take for instance his so-called trade war with China that hurt our farmers, manufactures, and consumers. Why, because Trump didn’t understand how international trade works. He thought he was punishing the Chinese for unfair trade practices when he was actually hurting us. Even more tragic was his refusal to accept the impending COVID-19 pandemic and his wacky touting of ridiculous cures, like injecting disinfectant.

Beyond being dumb and egoistical he’s a really bad guy. He came into office with a background that might be more fitting of a Mafioso or a rich hooligan with a long list of legal problems, scandal accusations, and business bankruptcies. Since coming into office he’s shown his true colors, like his refusal to condemn right-wing domestic terrorists and white supremacist or his kowtowing to dictators and authoritarians around the world. And what’s up with his friendship with Vladimir Putin. Above and beyond all of that he is dishonest to the core. He is a pathological liar who lies about everything from the trivial to the serious. The Washington Post counted him telling 30,573 lies during his 4 years in office.

I don’t trust him, believe him, or respect him in any way. I just want him out of my life.

Newt Gingrich

Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999

Gingrich labored to tie his Christian conservatism to the Republican Party and by his resignation in 1999 Christian conservatism had become firmly ingrained in the Republican Party’s policy platforms. Scholars have credited Gingrich with playing a key role in undermining democratic norms in the United States, and hastening political polarization and partisan prejudice. They argue that Gingrich instilled a “combative” approach in the Republican Party, where hateful language and hyper-partisanship became commonplace, and where democratic norms were abandoned.

Eighty-four ethics charges were filed by Democrats against Gingrich during his term as Speaker. All were eventually dropped except for one.  On January 21, 1997, the House officially reprimanded Gingrich (in a vote of 395 in favor, 28 opposed) and ordered him to reimburse the House for some of the costs of the investigation in the amount of $300,000. It was the first time a Speaker was disciplined for an ethics violation.

Additionally, the House Ethics Committee concluded that inaccurate information supplied to investigators represented “intentional or … reckless” disregard of House rules. The Ethics Committee’s Special Counsel concluded that Gingrich had violated federal tax law and had lied to the ethics panel in an effort to force the committee to dismiss the complaint against him.

In 1998, Gingrich urged fellow Republicans to push the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. It would damage Clinton’s popularity and result in the party winning a number of seats in the House. But instead of gaining seats, Republicans lost five, the worst midterm performance in 64 years by a party not holding the presidency. Other ethics violations including an unpopular book deal, added to his unpopularity even though he himself was reelected in his own district.

In January 1999 he resigned his seat. When relinquishing the speakership, Gingrich referred to other Republicans when he said he was “not willing to preside over people who are cannibals.”

Good riddance.

Jim Jordan

Republican Congressman from Ohio

Jordan, a former wrestler and wrestling coach, has gained his notoriety for being a very close ally of Donald Trump and as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. The committee is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies, federal law enforcement entities, and for the impeachments of federal officials. It is not his far-right politics or bootlicking Trump that has earned my wrath, but his abrasive personality and his inability to debate or argue without losing his temper and throwing fits of rage.

His rejection of a request for an interview by the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is indicative of his loyalty to Trump. Jordan supposedly said, “The American people are tired of Democrats’ nonstop investigations and partisan witch hunts. This request is far outside the bounds of any legitimate inquiry, violates core constitutional principles and would serve to further erode legislative norms.”

The New York Times reported in November 2019: “Democrats, both here in Washington and in his home state of Ohio, see Mr. Jordan as bomb-thrower who is more interested in theatrics and obfuscation than substance. Julian Epstein, who served as the Democrats’ lead counsel in the impeachment of Mr. Clinton, called Mr. Jordan a “carnival barker who peddles dopamine to the base.”

He should go back to wrestling.

Marjorie Taylor Greene

Republican Congresswoman from Georgia

Marjorie Taylor Green could have played the lead in the movie Legally Blond. She is fumbling through life just as the clueless, naïve blond did in the movie. Since joining the House she introduced articles of impeachment against Joe Biden, voted against popular pandemic-relief measures, attributed the California’s wildfires to “Jewish space lasers,” and been officially condemned by CrossFit for claiming her workout was her COVID-19 protection.

She received backlash for attending America First Political Action Conference where white nationalist views were championed and they cheered Putin. During a rally in Georgia she took aim at Secretary Buttigieg by saying, “You know what? Pete Buttigieg can take his electric vehicles and his bicycle, and he and his husband can stay out of our girls’ bathrooms.” The crowd cheered. She recently wrote she appreciated Will Smith’s “alpha male response” of defending his wife after he slapped comedian Chris Rock for making a joke about her during the Oscars presentations.

A group of voters has filed a challenge with the Georgia secretary of state aiming to bar Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for reelection this year because of her alleged support for the events of January 6. Greene claimed that President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi committed “treason” and said power could not be transferred peacefully because Biden did not win the election. The suit points to examples of Greene supporting the Capitol rioters by calling them “political prisoners of war” and claiming that left-wing activists, not Trump supporters, were responsible for the violence on January 6.

She may be legally blond but she is not a terribly bad person, just clueless. I just don’t want her to have anything to do with running my country.

Lindsey Graham

Republican Senator from South Carolina

Graham is more known for his vicious attacks and scowling faces than his political or personal positions. Graham showed his spunk early on by taking part in a leadership challenge against House Speaker Newt Gingrich and was one of 18 House Republicans to co-sponsor a resolution that sought to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Bill Clinton. This was an early effort to impeach Clinton, predating the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal. The scandal ultimately led to a more serious effort to impeach Clinton. Graham voted in favor of legislation to open an impeachment inquiry. The House passed two of the impeachment articles and Graham served as an impeachment manager in the impeachment trial.

The 2000 election brought us the Lindsey Graham we saw scowling on TV. Graham said that Trump “should not concede because if Republicans don’t challenge and change the U.S. election system, there will never be another Republican president elected again.” Graham said he donated $500,000 to Trump’s election lawsuits in various states, and that the option should be “on the table” for Republican state legislators to invalidate election results due to alleged “corruption” by appointing presidential electors who would vote for Trump. The 2020 presidential election in Georgia produced an initial count where Biden defeated Trump by around 14,000 votes, triggering a recount due to the small margin. While the recount was ongoing, Graham privately called the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger to discuss Georgia’s vote counting. Raffensperger told The Washington Post that Graham had asked him to disqualify all mail-in ballots in counties with signature errors. Graham denied suggesting this. He went on to claim that he had also spoken to Arizona’s and Nevada’s secretaries of state.Those secretaries denied this, and Graham reversed himself, saying that he had spoken to the governor of Arizona and no official in Nevada.

In the resulting second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Graham voted “not guilty,” and later he voted against creating the January 6 commission.

I loathe Lindsey Graham for his abrasive style and demeanor in questioning and interviewing. His vicious, snarling face and pulsating finger-pointing overshadows whatever issue is being discussed.

Rand Paul

Republican Senator from Kentucky

Randal Paul, a physician is the son Ron Paul, also a physician who, while serving in the House helped swing the Republican Party rightward and toward libertarianism. Rand Paul follows in his father’s footsteps by pursuing massive cuts in federal spending consistent with his generally libertarian position, Paul proposed cuts involved not only social programs but also defense allocations. In addition, he sought the abolishment of all foreign aid.

It was when the corona virus was becoming a global pandemic that Paul really gained distinction. He became the first senator to test positive for the virus, and he went into a self-quarantine. The following month he resumed his public duties. But it was his all-out attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s medical czar, that put him on center stage. He opposed Dr. Fauci’s insistence on vaccinations and wearing masks and argued that there was no need for a vaccine for children.

During a congressional hearing, Dr. Fauci accused Rand Paul of spreading bad information and inciting death threats against him. In a heated question-and-answer session, Fauci said Paul’s false accusations have kindled the crazies and he gets threats upon his life and his family and his children are harassed with obscene phone calls.

Rand Paul should be a legislator or a physician but not try to be both.

 

Mike Lindell

My Pillow Guy

Michael Lindell is a businessman, conservative political activist, and conspiracy theorist. He is the founder and CEO of My Pillow, Inc., a pillow, bedding, and slipper manufacturing company and a prominent supporter of, and advisor to, former President Donald Trump. In 2016, Lindell met with then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and became an avid supporter, calling Trump “the most amazing president this country has ever seen in history,” In a speech at Liberty University, Lindell said “When I met with Donald Trump, it felt like a divine appointment, and when I walked out of that office I decided I was going to go all in.”

After Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election, Lindell played a significant role in supporting and financing Trump’s attempts to overturn the election result; he spread false conspiracy theories about widespread electoral fraud in that election.

In 2017, the Better Business Bureau revoked accreditation of My Pillow, lowering its rating to an F based on a pattern of complaints by consumers. He was also an active promoter of the toxic plant extract oleandrin, as an alternative medicine cure for COVID-19. In White House meetings with Trump and public appearances, Lindell promoted the toxic plant extract oleandrin as a cure for COVID-19, saying, “This thing works – it’s the miracle of all time.” Lindell has a financial stake in Phoenix Biotechnology, a company that makes oleandrin, and sits on its board. Lindell’s unsubstantiated claims alarmed scientists, since there is no scientific evidence that oleandrin is a safe or effective corona virus treatment, and there is evidence the plant is poisonous at low doses.

But it was not pillows, or oleandrin that put Lindell in the news. It was his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Lindell helped sponsor a bus tour that sought to challenge the election results. Lindell promoted the Jan. 6 rally and attended this rally, but did not go to the Capitol. Following the Capitol storming, Lindell was among those who advanced the false conspiracy theory that people associated with Antifa were responsible for the attack, saying they had probably “dressed as Trump people.” Lindell and others predicted various inquiries into the election would result in Trump being reinstated as president in 2021. In January 2022, Lindell claimed that he possessed “enough evidence to put everybody in prison for life, 300-some million people” for their part in the alleged 2020 election fraud.

Wow, is conspiracy theorist too nice a term to refer to the My Pillow Guy?

Steve Bannon

White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to the President

Stephen Bannon is a media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker, who served as the White House’s chief strategist in the Trump administration. He was the chief executive officer of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. In August 2020, Bannon and three others were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering in connection to the We Build the Wall campaign. The defendants allegedly enriched themselves, despite promising that all contributions would go to building a wall. Bannon pleaded not guilty and was pardoned by Trump before his trial date.

In November 2020, Bannon’s Twitter account was permanently suspended after he suggested that top government infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded. Bannon was held in contempt of Congress in October 2021 after defying a subpoena by the House committee investigating the 2021 United States Capitol attack. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on two criminal contempt charges and turned himself in to authorities, three days later. Bannon lost an appeal regarding his failure to testify before the January 6, 2021, Capitol Riot Committee.

Don’t you wonder what sort of strategy this sleaze ball would author…advocate.

Rudy Guianni

Former Mayor of New York City and President Trump’s personal attorney

Rudy Guianni gained national attention and praise for his leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Giuliani coordinated the response of various city departments while organizing the support of state and federal authorities, for the World Trade Center site, for citywide anti-terrorist measures, and for restoration of destroyed infrastructure. Oprah Winfrey coined him “America’s Mayor” at memorial service held at Yankee Stadium, and Time magazine named Giuliani its Person of the Year for 2001.

In 2016, Giuliani would become one of Trump’s most loyal lieutenants and eventually his personal attorney, defending his every move. His efforts to dig up dirt on the Biden family placed him at the center of the Ukrainian pressure campaign that got Trump impeached. Then, in the aftermath of the 2020 election, Giuliani led the effort to subvert the results, traveling the country peddling baseless conspiracy theories. “We cannot allow these crooks — because that’s what they are — to steal an election from the American people,” he falsely claimed at a news conference. “They elected Donald Trump. They didn’t elect Joe Biden.”

On January 6th, he helped rile up the crowd before the storming of the Capitol, declaring: “Let’s have trial by combat.”

A New York court recently suspended Rudy Giuliani from practicing law in the state, citing his “false and misleading statements” about the election loss of former President Donald Trump. This suspension comes as Giuliani is under criminal investigation by that same federal prosecutor’s office in connection with his work in Ukraine. Since Trump’s defeat in November, the former president and his lawyer have made false claims about the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s victory. They allege, without evidence, that Trump was swindled out of a victory by widespread ballot fraud in key states.

From America’s Mayor to Trump’s lackey to suspected criminal.

Ron DeSantis

Republican Governor of Florida

As a congressman DeSantis signed a 2013 pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian conservative political advocacy funded by David and Charles Koch of the Tea Party fame. In 2017, DeSantis added a rider to the proposed fiscal 2018 spending bill package that would end funding for the Mueller investigation into Russia’s involvement with the election and Russia’s relationship to Trump.

As Governor of Florida he enjoyed early support from President Donald Trump and his Trump-like response to COVID-19 pandemic put DeSantis in the national headlines. The DeSantis administration suppressed unfavorable facts, dispensed dangerous misinformation, dismissed public health professionals, and promoted the views of scientific dissenters who supported the governor’s approach to the disease.

Politics rather than science dictated Florida’s response to COVID-19. DeSantis rejected the implementation of a statewide face mask mandate and belatedly implemented stay-at-home orders. In July 2020, when Florida was a global epicenter of the corona virus with nearly 5,800 deaths, DeSantis largely sidelined health experts and scientists. The Washington Post reported that he relied primarily on his wife, a former television reporter, and his chief of staff, a former hospital executive for advice. In July 2021, Florida experienced a record surge in COVID-19 cases, setting a new daily case record and accounting for around 1 in 5 new infections in the country. Amid the resurgence, DeSantis banned public schools from implementing mask mandates, claiming without evidence that masks were harmful to children, and he threatened to fine, withhold funding, or withhold salary from any school district or school official who did so. Previously, data released by the Florida Department of Health had tied over 100,000 COVID-19 cases to Florida private and public K-12 schools. In late August, the DeSantis administration ordered Alachua and Broward school districts to reverse their mask mandates or face a reduction in state funding, leading the districts’ leaders to declare that they would take legal action in response.

Aren’t you glad he isn’t running your state?

Debbie Lesko

Republican Congresswoman from Arizona

Debbie Lesko came to Congress with a most unusual background. She married Jeffrey Ignas in 1985, and three years later she was charged with a misdemeanor for tampering with government records. The case was later dropped. In 1988, Ignas was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud. After serving four years of the sentence, he was released from prison so he and Debbie could file for bankruptcy protection. The couple was also sued twice for failure to pay bills. They filed for bankruptcy again. Ignas was physically abusive to Debbie, including punching her in the tummy when she was pregnant with her daughter. In 1993, she filed for divorce. She later married Joe Lesko and became involved in the Peoria School District. In 2006, she ran for school board. She placed fourth out of five candidates. She went on to win a seat in the Arizona Senate where she served for three years before announcing she was running in the special election to replace Representative Trent Franks, who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment. She also announced her resignation from the Arizona Senate. She won the election with a narrow margin.

Debby Lesko is a strong ally of former President Donald Trump. In December 2019, she voted against impeaching him. She said there is “no proof, none, that the president has committed an impeachable offense.” Lesko was one of 126 Republican members of the House to sign a brief in support of a lawsuit filed at the Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Lesko was one of the 139 Republican representatives to vote to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Congress at the Electoral College vote count.

In addition to supporting Trump, she rigorously fights abortion, but she favors a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, and has championed legislation that would allow payday lenders to provide loans at annual interest rates as high as 164%. And, she opposed efforts to increase the minimum wage in Arizona to $10. Lesko strongly opposes the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Let’s send her back to the Valley of the Sun.

Greg Abbot

Republican Governor of Texas

Abbot was the longest-serving Texas attorney general in Texas history before becoming governor in 2014. He is an ardent Trump supporter.

Abbot has taken a hard line on abortion. In 2021 he signed the Texas Heartbeat Act into law, which prohibits abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, except to save the mother’s life. Later in 2021, Abbott signed a bill into law that prevented women from mail-ordering abortion medication seven weeks into pregnancy.

His other passion is firearms. In 2015, Abbott signed the campus carry and the open carry bills into law. The campus carry law allows licensed carrying of a concealed handgun on public college campuses. The open carry bill allows the licensed carrying of handguns openly in public areas and in private businesses. In 2017, Abbott signed a bill into law lowering handgun carry license fees and later signed a bill into law that allowed Texans to carry guns without a license. In 2019, he signed a bill allowing for more armed teachers with school districts being unrestricted as to the number they allow.

During an interview with Fox News following the Sutherland Springs church shooting, Abbott urged historical reflection and the consideration that evil had been present in earlier “horrific events” during the Nazi era, the Middle Ages, and biblical times.” In a speech to a NRA convention in Dallas, Abbott said: “The problem is not guns, its hearts without God.”

Guns, guns, and more guns. Let’s hope Texans have hearts with God, whatever that means.

 

Ted Cruz

Republican Senator from Texas

The Dallas Observer reported that: “Ted Cruz was voted the most unpopular member of the U.S. Senate, a body of people whose collective approval rating falls below hemorrhoids, traffic jams, and root canals.” His unpopularity hit a high when he chose to fly off to Cancun while his state was struggling with a killer winter storm and an energy crisis. He came back home wearing a Texas face mask and blaming his own kids for the trip. He’s known for his stupid antics like blocking a bipartisan ceremonial resolution to honor the late Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, because he objected to “partisan” language relaying the justice’s final wishes to delay filling her seat until after the presidential election.

I especially like how he shut down the government and pissed off government-hating, federal deregulating Republicans at the same time. Cruz shut down the government in 2013 in order to prevent the funding for Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Cruz filibustered for more than 13 straight hours by reading some of the works of author Ayn Rand, Ashton Kutcher’s acceptance speech from that year’s Teen Choice Awards, and he achieved peak Cruz craziness by reading from Dr. Seuss’s immortal literary classic Green Eggs and Ham.

As you can see, Ted Cruz is not evil like Trump or a no-holds-barred scrapper like Jim Jordan; he’s just an unpopular right-wing bumpkin.

We can do better. Texas can do better.

 

Matt Gaetz

Republican congressman from Florida

The Politico called Gaetz “one of the most enthusiastic defenders of President Trump” and a “proud Trump protégé”. The Washington Post called him one of Congress’ “most controversial members,” and one who has “unabashedly aligned himself with Trump on basically all things. Gaetz was one of 18 House Republicans to vote to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in peace talks with North Korea.

Gaetz introduced a congressional resolution calling for Robert Mueller to excuse himself as special counsel because of what Gaetz said to be conflicts of interest. He also asked for a special counsel investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email controversy.

After the mob attacked the Capitol on January 6th, Gaetz said there was “pretty compelling evidence that some of the people who breached the Capitol were not Trump supporters” but were rather “masquerading as Trump supporters, and in fact were members of the violent terrorist group Antifa.” An aide to Gaetz posted a video on a blog hours before the storming of the Capitol with the caption: “WE HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR! STOP THE STEAL!”

Gaetz accompanied a Florida County tax collector to a government office where they were producing fake IDs. The tax collector was indicted in on an array of charges, including sex trafficking and creating fake IDs to facilitate sex trafficking. The Justice Department is now investigating Gaetz for allegedly sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl and whether he had violated federal sex trafficking laws by paying her to travel with him across state lines. And later CNN reported that Gaetz had shown pictures of naked women to colleagues on the House floor. Gaetz claimed to have slept with the women in the photos. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into allegations that Gaetz “may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift.”

Matt Gaetz is being criminally investigated for three distinct crimes: Sex trafficking; violating the Mann Act, and obstructing justice. Gaetz has not been charged with any crime and has denied all the accusations. Instead, he dismissed the investigation as a “witch hunt.”

In January 2022, an ex-girlfriend of Gaetz’s testified before a grand jury after being granted immunity, that she reportedly had information relevant to two of three criminal charges being considered for Gaetz: sex trafficking a minor and obstruction of justice. This new information is driving the investigation into a new, decisive phase.

In the last weeks of the Trump administration, Gaetz privately requested a blanket presidential pardon for himself and others, which was reportedly denied because it would set a bad precedent. The next day, Trump publicly denied that Gaetz had asked him for a pardon. Later it was revealed that Trump had reportedly wanted to defend Gaetz but was told to stand down due to the seriousness of the allegations.

I can’t wait til they charge this pervert.

 

It’s early morning of January 6, 2023, and I am about to relive one of the darkest days in American history. January 6, 2021, the day an armed mob of Americans stormed our Capitol Building in an attempt to prevent a joint session of Congress from counting the Electoral College votes to declare Joe Biden the President-elect of the United States formally.

Linda and Bob had been going steady for the better part of a year. She wore his class ring and letter sweater. Bob wanted to be a beatnik artist rather than a high-school student, so he dropped out of high school early in my senior year to attend The Colorado Institute of Art. One morning rather than going to class he stopped by the military recruitment center a couple of blocks from the art school. The Marine Corps welcomed him with open arms.

 

Linda kissed Bob goodbye at the airport. He wouldn’t see her again for six months. These are the love letters Bob sent to Linda while away on his Marine training. Linda saved these letters neatly tied with ribbons in a shoe box for sixty-four years. Bob presents his letters here exactly as he wrote them except for a few grammatical changes.

 

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