That's gonna do it!!!

Trump's a goner...no way does he survive the latest bombshell coming out of testimony from the January 6th committee. That he's been exposed contemplating and committing unethical and probably illegal behavior is old news...stuff that the faithful aren't even phased by, but the latest revelation that he threw his lunch at a wall is something that even the most rabid MAGA follower has got to be shocked and sickened by. Never in modern history has a leader (former) ever done such a despicable deed. And he got ketchup on the wall to boot! Every American should feel embarrassed and ashamed. Now, Trump might claim that there is precedent for such an act and technically he'd be right.

A cave painting some 17,000 years old discovered in France's famed Lascaux Caves depicts a native chieftain identified as Nagook throwing a plate of food at the cave wall. Some experts say that the recently deciphered neolithic symbols beneath the painting read - "What?!...mammoth for lunch again?!!" Others claim the symbols say - "I did not lose!!" If the later interpretation is correct, Nagook was probably referring to the neolithic custom of electing a new chief every 24 moons, which had just taken place and which in a close election Nagook had reportedly lost, though the point is moot as Nagook had told the tribe's war chief to kill the other candidates if the vote was close.

There is some good that resulted from Nagook's food-throwing temper tantrum. Nagook's servants, being tired of constantly picking up broken pottery plates off the floor spoke with the village handyman, Amaark about the problem. Amaark had just recently found some larger yellow rocks in the river; discovered that the rocks were soft and hammered one of them into a fairly large flat piece. Nagook's servants were pleased with the new  unbreakable plates, and thus the craft of metallurgy was born. Nagook liked the shiny yellow color.

The tribe formed a committee to investigate the murders of the election candidates but soon gave up because potential witnesses either ignored subpoenas or refused to talk about the food fights in the White Cave (as they called it). Thus Nagook remained semi-officially in office to his death at which time his son took over. History has no record of Nagook's descendants, though some say their spirit is alive and well in a location in Florida.

I am not a fan of Nagook...whoops, I mean Trump, but fair is fair and if the January 6th committee can't come of with something more than they've shown so far, they can forget about the DOJ or any other agency investigating let alone prosecuting Trump. The guy is clearly illusional if not delusional but that's not a crime. Neither is throwing lunch at a wall. Still, he is a real threat to democracy. One solution might be for Trump to emulate the 5,000 confederate soldiers and officers who fled to Mexico rather than swear an oath of allegiance to the United States after the civil war. He and his MAGA followers could form their own colony. The ex-confederates named their colony Carlota (it failed and most returned to the U.S. within two years). Trump already has a name for his...Mar-a-Lago South. It has a nice ring to it.

The January 6th Committee Report

I didn't know what to expect when I sat down to watch the report last Thursday night. I thought that maybe it would be an explanation of methodology used; numbers of interviews conducted and documents reviewed, and work yet to be done. Much like one of those boring House or Senate speeches. That's not what took place. It became apparent early that this committee, charged with investigating the full spectrum of the January 6th insurrection actually has as its goal the crucifixion of Donald Trump. I found that to be distasteful, disappointing and just plain stupid. 

The appeals to emotion were distasteful. Officer Edwards testimony contained little factual evidence; most of it concerned thoughts and feelings. The 12 minute video was mostly rehash and except for establishing a timeline added nothing knew. Emotion should have played no part in the presentation. It detracted from relevant information. In my view the same applies to the overly long speeches of Chairman Thompson and Rep. Liz Cheney. The several  substantial points made by both were watered down by the expression of their personal feelings. 

Most damaging was the stupidity of blatantly targeting Trump. This committee better have a lot more evidence than the stuff that was presented in the initial presentation. An average man might be prosecuted and convicted of a felony crime based on the committee's circumstantial evidence, but this is Donald Trump we're talking about, and unless there is a smoking gun in the form of audio and/or video evidence, or corroborating testimony by multiple credible witnesses that proves beyond doubt that Trump was directly involved in the insurrection, neither the Department of Justice, the Attorney General or Homeland Security would dare to prosecute him. His influence is still too great to challenge. Targeting him has only increased his stock with politicians currying his favor, and the MAGA people who live in an alternate world unaffected by fact. The far-right spin doctors are already having a field day putting out reams of disinformation and dismissing the committee findings as "bullshit." 

The above banner was displayed three weeks ago at a faire in Chickamauga. After a year and one-half, with 50-some dismissed law suits and not one shred of evidence, the faithful are still going at it. Apparently Ivanka Trump has accepted the explanation of then Attorney General Barr that there was no evidence of election fraud. So I suppose we'll start hearing cries of, "Hang Ivanka!" 

Personally I don't believe that Trump was directly involved in the insurrection. I have no doubt that once aware of it, or maybe even before, that he welcomed it, encouraged it, and took no action to stop it because he was transfixed in front of a television watching his people storm the Capitol in his name and to his glory. To that degree he was complicit in the insurrection. And yet he is likely to walk away free. I find that troubling, if for no other reason than the precedence it sets.

Why Don't They Unite?

Many Republicans have said that it's time to stop fixating on yesterday and instead look to tomorrow. I'm sure that there are at least as many who share those thoughts but for reasons of their own are reluctant to voice them. Some of them have spoken out and have done so forcibly. 

One man who impressed me the few times I've heard him speak is Georgia's former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan. He declined to run for reelection, instead voicing his disgust with Trump, Trumpism and partisan politics. He has founded and is focusing on the organization GOP 2.0. 

Congressman Adam Kinzinger's Country First organization, if his media interviews and newsletters are to be believed, is gathering steam and could become a shaping force in resurrecting the GOP.

The Lincoln Project has been around for awhile but seems to have been invisible lately, or at least I haven't read anything about it recently.

No Labels is another group with some heavy-hitters associated with it. Maryland's Governor Larry Hogan in the 2020 election voted for Ronald Reagan, something I had considered doing myself but ultimately reluctantly voted for Biden. Hogan may be a name to remember come 2024.

There may be other formal groups of disenfranchised Republicans that I'm not aware of. What strikes me about the four organizations mentioned is that their messages are nearly identical: look forward not backward, eliminate the extremists and tribalism, restore common sense and civility, and unite the country. One other thing they have in common is a donate button. They are competing for donations. 

Isn't being in independent groups, even with a common cause a form of tribalism? Wouldn't they stand a better chance of effecting change if they presented one united front? As individual entities they will likely fail and fade from the scene. United they could conceivably build momentum to reach a critical mass. Add a few more influential voices such as that of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and maybe Mike Pence and who knows, there might even be enough firepower to take down Trump. And with Trump down I'd like to believe that even the most extreme, such as MTG would see which way the wind was blowing and fall into line. 

Probably none of this will come to pass but it sure is pleasant to think about.