Welcome To Scama-Zona! Or is it Ari-Scama?!

Arizona is a transient place. 

People come and people go.

But one thing remains constant:

Arizona Republicans run scams.

Many years ago there was the "alternative fuel" scam, in which you could get a very nice check to offset the price of a new dual fuel vehicle. You did not have to ever use the duel fuel aspect of your shiny new vehicle. And most, if not all, of the people who took advantage of this didn't. No, they just took the very nice check and continued using gasoline. Because, well, because they could. So the rest of us were in effect subsidizing the purchase of their new vehicles with our taxes. With no benefit at all to the environment.

(By the way, this one smelled so bad that the Republican governor at the time decided to deep six it before it could bankrupt the state--but only after hundreds of millions of dollars had been wasted.)

Today there is the "sell a shit load of water to the Saudis for a pittance" scam. See, way out in western Arizona, some genius in the Republican controlled state government decided to let the Saudis have access to all the ground water they could pump to grow alfalfa for horses. During our ongoing multi-year drought. Oh, by the way, the horses are in Saudi Arabia. Because of course they are. Has anybody been fired for this? Are you kidding?

And always, ALWAYS, there is the never ending "school vouchers" scam, wherein money for public education is rerouted to charter and private school parents. They can get a voucher to help with tuition. They call this "school choice". And is supposed to help ALL students--according to its sponsors. That is a flat out lie. 

Private schools cost two to three times more than the voucher provides, so the parents have to pay the difference. But guess what? Poorer families can't afford to pay the difference. Which means vouchers are in essence a subsidy for wealthy parents who are already sending their kids to private schools. 

And all while draining money from the already under funded public schools. Neat trick, huh?

 

"A Seriously Troubled Man"

 "A seriously troubled man."

This is how Glorious Leader Orange Man described Kanye West.

And Glorious Leader was trying to help by...?????

Counseling him? Who wouldn't benefit from the knowledge of Glorious Leader Orange Man?

Comforting him? Perhaps there are "comfort ladies" at Mar-a-Lardo?

Trying to get money from him? Once a grifter always a grifter.

Breaking bread with a neo-Nazi anti-semite piece of shit? It's a big tent.

Who knows?

No, what's important here is that Trump could call anyone else--anyone--"seriously troubled." 

Let us list, briefly and no doubt incompletely, Trump's uh...let's call them troubles:

Traitor. Insurrectionist. Twice impeached. Adulterer. Accused rapist. Tax fraud. Mob ties. Multiple bankruptcies. Pathological liar. Racist. Lusts after his eldest daughter.

Any "help" from someone with that resume would be...priceless.

It's Simple

People who think that the President is responsible for gas prices don't really understand how Capitalism works. They also seem to have forgotten all about the war in Ukraine and the general perfidy of Saudi Arabia.

People who think we're the only country suffering from inflation haven't taken a very close look at the rest of the world. They also seem to have forgotten a world wide pandemic which disrupted the normal supply chains. In fact, our inflation is relatively low compared to everywhere else.

So voting for Republicans based on those two items is, well, kind of stupid. 

However, there are some issues that should sway your vote.

For instance, one party wants to eliminate democracy, and one doesn't.

One party wants everyone eligible to vote to be able to vote--easily and safely. And one doesn't.

One party wants to help ALL of the people, and one just wants to help the rich.

One party wants to take the steps necessary to save the planet, and one doesn't give a fuck as long as there's a profit to be made.

So, unless you're a Putin loving total racist asshole, this really shouldn't be a hard decision.

If you're a female the choice is very simple.

You can vote for the Party that thinks of you merely as breeding stock,  a vessel to replenish the "domestic supply of infants", with little or no say in the manner. Face it, you're too "emotional" to make your own decisions. Even if you've been raped-or impregnated by a relative. Even if you're carrying a non-viable fetus.

Or you can vote for the Party that wants you to have autonomy over your body.

That's it.

That's all.

Unbelievable

When you look at the "people" that the Arizona Republican Party has nominated for office in 2022, any rational person would say "Gee, these folks should lose by a landslide."

We're not talking the kind of localized goons like Gosar, Schwiekert, Lesko and Biggs, either. There are House districts in my poor, benighted state, that consistently send this kind of, uh, "person" to Congress. 

Doesn't matter how awful they are, their brain dead constituencies "think" (and, of course, I use that word very loosely) that they are doing a bang up job "owning the Libs" and protecting us all from the brown people and, naturally, "socialism." The fact that they have never achieved anything positive for the state doesn't enter the conversation. They have that "R" next to their names, and by God that's enough for all of those schmucks that consistently return them to office.

No, we're talking about state wide offices. Governor, Senator, AG, and Secretary of State.

We're talking Lake, Masters, Hamadeh, and Finchem.

We're talking a former Fox News talking head without a shred of humanity or dignity, but with the requisite extra dose of hypocrisy. She knows absolutely nothing about governing, and is more than willing to share her ignorance. And all the soft filters in the world can't conceal her utter emptiness.

We're talking Peter Thiel's lapdog. A "libertarian" asshole, who doesn't have a clue about how anything works, but is certain he can "fix" it, and who thinks he's found a state with just enough stupid people to get elected.*

We're talking another "law and order" dipshit who is loudly on the 'it's George Soros who's behind it all" bandwagon. Here's a quote from the law and order boy: "the corrupt media, deep state, the establishment, and even the COURTS worked to rob President Trump and the American people in November 2020." Oh yeah, in addition to the Soros bullshit, he's also dabbled in more overt antisemitism. Which makes him an almost prefect Republican, I guess.

We're talking someone who's gone beyond "all hat, no cattle" to "all hat, no brain". He wandered the fringes of the Jan 6th insurrectionist treason, too timid to take part, but wanting to be there--just in case things worked out for the traitors. He's proudly an Oath Keeper--you know, the clowns that wanted to hang John McCain. And, naturally, an anti-vaxxer. Quite the resume.

They've all begged for the Orange Pig God's approval.  They've all lied about the 2020 election to curry the Orange Oinker's favor. They've all proudly sported "Trump endorsed" on their signs.

Again, and it can't be said often enough: If, at this point, you continue to support Donald J. Trump in any way, then you're a TRAITOR, too.

And this also applies to you if you vote for people who happily grovel before Trump.

*(to be fair, this applies to all Republican candidates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things We Don't Talk About Enough

America's eugenics movement inspired the Nazis. Oops.

Republican presidential candidates committed treason on at least three separate occasions: Nixon's team meddled in the Paris peace accords in 1968, promising the North Vietnamese a "better" deal if they'd reject LBJ's proposed deal. Reagan's team talked to the Iranians in 1980, promising them a "better" deal if they'd reject Carter's deal for the hostages. And Trump, of course, is so far up Putin's ass that he can count the Republican Congressmen nesting there.

Slavery and stolen land helped build this great land of ours.

Guns DO kill people. All the fucking time.

Nobody needs an AR-15 for self protection.

People who like to throw their Second Amendment "rights" in your face always leave out the part that says "a well regulated militia."

Back in the 1950's, the decade that conservatives are so nostalgic for, the corporate tax rate was 45%, and the personal tax rate for the richest people topped out at 91%.

(Actually, it's the 1850's that they're really longing for.)

There's way too many Catholics on the Supreme Court. And the Republican ones are seemingly longing for a return of the Inquisition.

Churches that decide to meddle in politics should be taxed.

Apparently the Christo-fascist majority on the Supreme Court think that their black robes and lifetime appointments make them bullet proof. I guess we'll see.

Libertarians have never built a goddamn thing by themselves.

Without massive government support, all those Billionaire Libertarians would just be a gaggle of cranks sitting at the far end of some dive bar, talking to themselves.

 

But I Thought...

But I thought Donald J. Trump was a billionaire?

So why is he always asking Cletus and Ruth Ann RealAmerican to send him their Bingo money?

A billionaire shouldn't need pocket change from common folk, should he? 

I mean, the Windsors didn't pass the hat to put Queeny in the ground, did they?

Hmmm. Curiouser and Curiouser.

But I thought the Republicans were the law and order party?

So how do they rationalize the constant law breaking of their members?

Oh! That's right, laws don't apply to Republicans. My bad.

But I thought TREASON was a bad thing?

Apparently not when Republicans do it.

But I thought hating people because of the color of their skin, or their sexuality, or their beliefs in general wasn't a particularly Christian thing to do?

Then again, many American Christians are about as far from Christ as you can possibly be. In fact, they spend their lives doing un-Christian things--and then expect to be "saved", because they put some money in the collection plate.

But I thought Hitler was a bad guy?

Then how come Trump rallies look more and more like Nazi rallies, right down to the salute?

Hey, that's a pretty good question!

What Did They Think Would Happen?

So you nominate a life long criminal, who has been charged with money laundering, and accused, with good reason, of multiple sexual assaults, defrauding subcontractors, buddying up to mobsters, lying/cheating/stealing, to name just a few of his accomplishments.

And somehow, with a lot of help from RussiaRussiaRussia, Facebook, a nonfeasant media, the head of the FBI, and a few million gullible and/or brain dead American voters, this asshole gets elected President of the United States.

Did they think he would suddenly stop all of his crime-ing?

Are they fucking stupid?

Well, yes.

But they also knew this was their best, and perhaps last, chance to pack the courts with Christo-fascists.

AND to give a huge tax cut to all of their billionaire/millionaire supporters.

What's a little grifting compared to all of that? 

But when you have someone without any morals at all in a position of almost unlimited power, and you let him go unchecked because you're busy screwing the country in your own way, really bad things can happen.

Donald J. Trump only cares about himself and money. He will do ANYTHING for money, and to gratify his ego.

Selling our secrets to the highest bidder? Why not? If the price is right, anything goes.

It's a safe bet that intelligence assets have died because of him.

It's also a safe bet that some of our nuclear secrets may now be in Moscow, Beijing, Riyadh*, wherever the money was right.

I've said it before, and I will say it again: 

At this point, anyone who still supports Trump is a goddamn TRAITOR.

*There's a reason the Saudis gave Jared Kushner 2 billion dollars to "invest" and it isn't because he's good with money. He gave them something in return. Something he shouldn't have had any access to at all, since he couldn't get a security clearance without his father-in-law's interference. Hopefully, the DOJ will get to the bottom of his crimes, and Jared can spend the rest of his life in prison.

 

 

Where Do They Find These "People"?

As I survey the Republican candidates for office in Arizona, I have just one question:

Where do they find these people?

I've never seen such a collection of...God knows what.

It's like if you combined a carnival freak show, with a mental hospital, with a Nazi rally, with the Island of Doctor Moreau.

It's not enough to be just an inveterate liar any more. 

This was, after all, the basis of the Republican Party for many, many, years.

But today you've got to add in fascism, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and good old fashioned treason, to be taken seriously.

And most importantly, you have to crawl on your hands and knees and beg a Traitor-Sexual Predator-Con Man-Pathological Liar-Tax Cheat-Crook-Multiple Bankrupt-Adulterer-Fraud for his approval.

Yeah, without Donald Trump's blessing a Republican candidate doesn't have a chance in Arizona.

So take what little self respect you have left, put it somewhere, and start groveling before a traitor.

That's what Kari "I'm Completely Unqualified To Hold Any Elected Office" Lake, Blake "I'm Peter Thiel's Lapdog" Masters and Mark "I Will Lie About Anything" Finchem did.

Not an ounce of dignity or humanity in any of them. All of them Stop the Steal true believers.

Again I ask, where do they find these "people"?

If any of these assholes gets elected, this state will go backward even faster than it already is.

Which would make all the MAGAts happy. 

Next stop 1850!

Signor Baseball's My God The Season's More Than Half Over Better Late Than Never MLB Predictions

So, it's a little late.

Ok. It's a lot late.

I've been busy.

Not exactly sure doing what...but something.

Anyway, here goes:

AL

I do not trust the Yankees in the playoffs for the simple reason that they can't seem to beat Houston on a consistent basis. And chances are they won't hit 3-4 home runs in every playoff game. Plus their pitching is still inconsistent. (Some things never change...)

So, they will win 108 to 112 games, everyone in NYC will start dreaming of another World Series, and then they will run into better pitching at some point in the playoffs, the homer binge will dry up like last week's flowers, and that, as they say, will be that. This has happened consistently now for over a decade, but "hope springs eternal" et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Still, it will be fun watching Judge hit home runs, knowing that each one will add a million dollars a year to his next contract. 

For a while it looked like all three wild cards would come out of the East, but the Red Sox, Rays, and Blue Jays have started to come back to the pack, and now it will be 6-7 team horse race--including the the three East runners up, the Guardians, White Sox, Mariners, and Orioles (quelle surprise!) for the three slots.

Elsewhere, the Astros are a lock in the West and the Twins have to worry about both Cleveland and Chicago catching them in the Central. If that happens, throw Minnesota into the wild card mix.

And, yet again, the Angels have wasted a year of both Ohtani and Trout's prime. Two of the best players in the MLB have never even come close to sniffing the playoffs. I don't know who's running that franchise, but he should probably do us all a favor and start looking for a new job. 

NL

Those dreams of a Mets-Yankees World Series have withered like last week's flowers. Atlanta is hot on the Mets' tail, and based on past performances will catch them in mid August/early September. However, New York should still grab a wild card slot, and if Scherzer and DeGrom are healthy, can make some noise in the playoffs. Two very strong starters can take you a long way. You only have to look at the Nationals a couple of years ago, or, for you older folks, the Diamondbacks in 2001. In Philadelphia, the Phillies will have to content themselves with the prospect of a wild card.

In the Central, the Brewers and Cardinals will be neck and neck all the way to the end, with the loser having a strong shot at a wild card.

And in the West, once again the Dodgers are far and away the class of the division. Both the Giants and Padres have a chance at a wild card. 

Finally, the Diamondbacks aren't nearly as bad as last year. They aren't good, either. Next stop is mediocrity. Based on where they were, a .500 season would warrant a parade. But that will have to "wait until next year."

And Arizona's fans can content themselves watching all the former D-Back players in the playoffs with other teams. They should be used to it by now.

The Easiest Cure For Traitors And/Or Treason

So I'm watching The Guns of Navarone the other night.

Pretty good action flick. Solid performances from everyone--with Anthony Quinn especially good. Should probably be remade with modern special effects...

Anyway, at one point in the film, one of the team is found to be a traitor. 

Their treason has endangered the mission and all the other members of the team.

Of course, the traitor has their reasons. 

Traitors always have their reasons.

In the film a short discussion regarding the traitor is followed swiftly by execution.

That's it. 

That's all.

No appeal. 

No Fox News counter argument to obfuscate everything.

No Republican "what about?" bullshit. 

You are a traitor.

This is your punishment.

I guarantee if we put a few of our traitors up against a wall, this sort of shit would never happen again.

The Republican Playbook

1. Get elected any way you can. 

Lie cheat steal. It's all good if it gets you elected. 

Take money from any corporation, billionaire, or foreign state that offers it. It all spends the same.

Blow that racist dog whistle. Blow hard! All of those people who say, "I'm not a racist, but..." will appreciate your efforts.

Make up shit about voter fraud. Smart people realize that it is so infrequent and so statistically insignificant that it can barely be measured. But our base isn't smart, so...knock yourself out!

To attract independents, make up some bullshit about inflation, or baby formula, or Afghanistan, or somebody's laptop. Is Benghazi still a thing? Please, please, please let it be!

Whatever deviance you practice, claim your opponent practices it first. 

Do whatever you can to keep people of color from voting. Same thing applies to young people of all ethnicities.

Remember, rampant hypocrisy is a feature--not a bug. 

2. Once in office:

Continue spreading all the garbage that got you elected. You now have a pulpit. Use it!

You have one job: and that is to help the richest people get richer. Know which side your bread is buttered on, for Christ's sake.

After all, poor people are a drag. They need things. You know, food, education, affordable housing, health care they can afford. And, on top of all of that, well, let's call it what it is, BEGGING, they don't have any money to help your campaign.

STOP anything that might be good for the majority of Americans. Sane gun control, universal health care, higher minimum wage, etc etc etc. Repeat after me, You Are Not There To Help The People Who Need It. That's socialism, after all.

And always remember this: We are all good Christians--and they're not.

Sadly, despite your best efforts, and all that Koch and NRA and foreign money, ultimately you may lose re-election. So make sure that you've fucked up so many things, so thoroughly, that the Democrat who replaces you will have a mountain of things to fix.

3. Then, and this is the really fun part, start complaining as often and as loudly as possible, that they haven't fixed everything fast enough.

Kari Lake Needs Help!

I don't know Kari Lake.

I don't think I know anyone who knows Kari Lake.

Blessedly, we don't travel in the same social circles.

But if anyone reading this knows her, or knows someone who knows her, I'm begging you to organize an intervention.

She needs help. Poor little thing thinks that being a news reader--not even a real journalist, just a news reader--on a Fox propaganda station, in a minor media market, somehow qualifies her to be Governor of Arizona.

Of course, this is not unusual in Arizona Republicans. Our current Governor's sole qualification for office was being an ice cream salesman, after all. So, as they say, the bar is set very, very, low.

I'm not questioning Kari's Republican bona fides, either. She's got them down pat. The groveling and genuflecting to Trump, the haranguing about THE WALL, the fear mongering about hordes of immigrants, the lying about President Biden, the questioning of the legitimacy of the 2020 election. All of the standard Republican reactionary bullshit rolls off her lips so easily. It's really something to behold.

No, what causes me to ask for an intervention for dear Kari is that she promised recently, if elected, to hang a painting of Der Trump, dressed up as some sort of Revolutionary War soldier, in the Governor's office.

And that is a bridge too far. Cadet Bone Spurs as a soldier?! Puhleeeze.

(I suppose, somewhere in the deep dark depths of the internet, you could find a portrait of Hitler as a rabbi...you see what I'm getting at here?)

Anyway, if you truly care about Kari Lake's mental health, such as it is, get her some help, and quickly.

See, Arizona being what it is, if the Republicans can suppress enough Democratic votes, a former Fox News' reader with limited intellect, spewing venomous nonsense, might just be our next governor. 

(By the way, none of the other Republicans running for Governor are appreciably better. Maybe a little less strident, a little more polished--but they are all still pushing the same sad bullshit.)

Still More Thoughts. Still More Prayers.

Here's a thought:

GUNS ARE THE PROBLEM

And only an imbecile still doubts this.

Here's a prayer:

I pray that all of the people who love their guns more than they love their fellow humans DIE from their one true love. 

Please let them take the politicians, NRA, gun manufacturers, and media people who support this madness with them.

And the sooner the better.

Looks Like Blake Masters And Jim Lamon Are Traitors, Too

The calculus on this isn't too complicated.

Both of them have their heads so far up Trumpie's ass that they can count the polyps.

That makes them traitors.

This isn't complicated.

You support a traitor, you're a traitor, too.

No ifs, ands, or buts. 

If that weren't bad enough, and for the Republican Party it obviously isn't, their policies make them demi-fascist assholes. 

And yet one of these two might be the Arizona Republican Party's candidate for the United States Senate.

Whichever gets the nod, they will no doubt get 100% of the ass hat clown vote, and, if our Republican controlled legislature continues fucking with our right to vote, that may be a majority.

Poor Sarah Palin

Poor Sarah Palin.

She thought she had a lifetime lock on the coveted Ignorant Shrill Incompetent Republican Female title.

But, like they say, "you snooze, you lose."

After the intellectual triumph that was her VP campaign, and the resulting Obama years, wherein she basked in the warm waters of Fox News' outrage du jour machine, Sarah took some "me time" off.

She took her eyes off the ball, and what happened?

Other Republican females upped their game. 

Merely being Ignorant, Shrill and Incompetent is no longer enough.

No, in the era of Boebert, Greene, Lesko, Blackburn, Collins and others too numerous to mention, you have to add a few more spices to the fetid, poisonous, soup you're cooking.

Now, the straight faced, hypocritical, bullshit of a Susan Collins is the most genteel additive. But it's way too subtle for the seething MAGA masses, i.e. the MAGAts. "Deeply concerned" just doesn't move the needle much with them.

What you need is that high octane racist, homophobic, xenophobic, paranoiac, Luddite, mix. Just sprinkle liberally, stir, and serve. (Always use a ridiculously large amount of hypocrisy as a starter  base.)

Sarah, being cunning in her own stunningly simple way, recognizes this, and is no doubt working on her comeback. After all, even with their Russian sources dried up--at least temporarily--there's vast sums of other, corporate money to be begged for by all Republicans. 

And she's certainly earned her place at the trough.

So, look out ladies! Sarah's back in town!

Remember,  "you can't keep a miserable, opportunistic, publicity mad hack, down for long!"

Welcome To West Mississippi

People think Arizona is a western state.

And geographically it is.

But in its soul, Arizona is in the deep, deep South.

Whatever small spots of hipness, coolness, or progressiveness it may contain are constantly buried under an avalanche of Trumpist MAGA cunts.

It is essentially West Mississippi, and we kid ourselves to believe otherwise.

The Legislature is controlled by brain dead troglodytes, who do everything they can to kill public education for all by pumping millions of dollars into charter schools for the few. Their phony 2020 election "audit" and subsequent deluge of legislation designed to keep anyone but their festering base from voting should tell you everything you need to know about how they feel about democracy. As far as social issues, well, might as well put sheets on them and light a cross on fire.

The Governor, Mr. Cup or Waffle Cone?, is a corporate whore, in bed with ALEC and whatever right wing billionaires willing to contribute to his campaigns. (He thinks he can run for President someday.  And given the current degenerate state of the Republican Party, he probably can.)

The main newspaper in the main city exists primarily to sell advertising, first, last, and always. Whenever their in-house "liberals" (and in any truly progressive state they would be considered "moderates") write anything remotely critical of the state's power structure, the resultant angry letters to the editor serve to highlight the low IQ's of the general populace.

The state has been in a drought for more than a decade, but that hasn't stopped countless new exurban subdivisions from being built, all with promises of 100 years of water. Because, you know, "free enterprise" always trumps common sense.

For years the state's mantra has been "we don't want to be another California!" No danger of that--except for the traffic. After all, California has countless world class Colleges and Universities. And major industries, including aerospace, defense, Silicon Valley, agriculture, shipping, entertainment--rather than relying on back office call centers, service industry jobs, and cheap houses, built further and further from the city core.

Another California? No, we're giving Mississippi, Alabama, and all the rest of good 'ol Dixie a run for their money!

 

 

Vladimir Putin Completely Understands The Conservative Mind

First of all, Putin is not a socialist or a communist. Putin is a mobster. He is surrounded by a coterie of billionaire mobsters. They have stolen Russia's riches for years. And spread some of that wealth to like minded people all around the world.

Mobsters understand two things: power and money.

Fortunately for Vladimir, those are the two things that conservative politicians everywhere--but especially in the U.S. and Great Britain--understand.

I would venture to say that those are the only things that conservative politicians understand.

They certainly don't want to govern. Governing is hard work. It takes compromise, and often requires progress to be slow and incremental. It also requires explaining difficult solutions to hard problems to a bunch of simpletons.

These ideas are antithetical to the conservative mind. 

Much easier to rile up the simpletons with the "dog whistle du jour."

Which conservative "news" organizations are more than happy to amplify.

Then, when the simpletons are all worked up about ridiculous things, the conservative are free to a) get their hands on the Treasury, and b) pass tax cuts for their richest backers.  

That is the sum total of their governing. Everything else they do is designed to keep the simpletons in a constant state of rage..

Putin is thoroughly evil--but not stupid. (This may be the only thing that differentiates him from Trump, by the way.)

Recognizing the greed of conservative western politicians, he and his crew have been buying them up for years.

Throw in a bunch of completely amoral bankers, tax lawyers, and accountants, and you can begin to understand how we got to where we are.

Remember, it takes at least two willing parties to launder dirty money. 

And there has been no shortage of willing partners with their hands out, falling all over themselves to get a little of Putin and Company's money.

 

Kompromat

 "Kompromat" is literally compromising material.

The Russian's (and the Mob, for that matter) are famous for collecting--and using--kompromat.

It may be of a sexual nature. 

It may be of a financial nature.

It may be of some other personal nature.

It is used to blackmail and extort.

At this point, it feels like almost the entire Republican Party is being blackmailed.

Why else would they have supported, and continue to support, a mobbed up tub of lard in debt to the Russians?

Why do they sometimes appear to be willing to say and do the right thing, only to suddenly change course 180 degrees?

Kompromat is the only logical answer.

The Russians and/or Trump must have serious "dirt" on all of them--especially the ones who openly grovel before Putin and his lapdog, Donnie.

My God! How Bad Could It Be?!

We already know that Donald J. Trump is a coward, a fool, a liar, a racist, a tax cheat, a rapist, an adulterer, and a traitor.

But apparently, Roger P.O.S. Stone has something even worse to hold over Don Don's fat head...and so Roger P.O.S. Stone's sentence had to be commuted, and he had to be pardoned, lest he spill the beans on something unimaginably bad that he knows about Trump.

So the question is, what could be worse than what we already know--or suspect--about that traitor?

Now that the Proud Boys, who were Stone's personal bodyguards on January 6th, 2021, have found their collective tits in the wringer, and Stone is the next rung up the DOJ's ladder to the Orange Stain, I think we may just find out.

Because I don't think Roger would do very well in prison, the smart money says he will spill his guts about everything he knows to save his worthless ass.

And so, the question remains, "My God! How bad could it be?!"