Deplorable Stories

Three new and deplorable stories about Trump came out yesterday. Not one, not two, but three within one 24 hour period.

The first had to do with his foundation. As reported by the Washington Post: "Donald Trump’s charitable foundation — which has been sustained for years by donors outside the Trump family — has never obtained the certification that New York requires before charities can solicit money from the public, according to the state attorney general’s office."

What this means is not only that the foundation solicited money illegally, but that there has been no responsible monitoring of whether the money spent by the foundation was in fact used for charitable purposes rather than for personal gain. (Since it has already been reported that $258,000 from the foundation had been spent to settle legal problems and that $10,000 had been spent by his wife to purchase a portrait of Trump, this new evidence about the lack of certification raises an even larger question about the use of the foundations funds.)

The second involved expenditures in Cuba during years when such spending was under embargo. As reported by Newsweek: "A company controlled by Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, secretly conducted business in Communist Cuba during Fidel Castro’s presidency despite strict American trade bans that made such undertakings illegal, according to interviews with former Trump executives, internal company records and court filings." The funds were given to a contractor and disguised as having a charitable purpose....the only kind of expenditure then permitted.

Very simply this means that Trump violated US law and put his own business interests above those of the nation. One has to wonder whether his attempt to develop a chummy relationship with Putin is but a current-day version of these priorities.

Of course, the third involved women (yet again) and involved the treatment of women (waitresses and others) at Trump clubs. As reported in the LA Times: "Donald Trump wanted only the pretty ones, his employees said. After the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes opened for play in 2005, its world-famous owner didn’t stop by more than a few times a year to visit the course .... When Trump did visit, the club’s managers went on alert. They scheduled the young, thin, pretty women on staff to work the clubhouse restaurant — because when Trump saw less-attractive women working at his club, according to court records, he wanted them fired." At least two individuals have taken this to court and some sort of settlement without admission of liability was reached; in addition, all employees had to sign non-disclosure agreements when hired so public discussion would have put them at risk of losing their jobs or being sued.

This story (especially when combined with his continued attacks and "fat-shaming" of former beauty queen Alica Machado) just further underscores his obsession with the female appearance; this is a man with a sick mind who minimilizes women (as well as others) and treats them as objects for his personal use. Little question remains of his misogynistic traits.

These three stories....all in one day....come on top of many others: defrauding students at Trump University, discriminating against tenants who were "colored" (coded with a c) who applied for apartments in buildings he and his family owned and ran, not paying (stiffing) numerous contractors who provided services, numerous bankruptcies (leaving those he owed without pay for services they provided), criticizing a judge because of his Mexican heritage,,,and, well, the list goes on.

This is a man without morals. He is an ugly human being. Yet he retains support. How and why remain a mystery.....

Dear Bernie

Its time to go! Yes it is!


I love your positions. I love your fight and your spirit. I love the way you have called our attention to the injustices we face in our country: inequality, the stranglehold of Wall Street......Nobody will be able to ignore these problems ever again.


But you have now done your thing; you have awakened our national consciousness. It is time to get on with it and do everything you can to prevent a Trump win.


As you and I both know, Trump is a dangerous man. Not only is he a narcissistic demagogue with heinous, bigoted and inconsistent policy positions (if you want to call pronouncements about deporting immigrants "policy positions"), but he is irrational and truly frightening.


Years ago people analyzed Nixon (see the old book Nixon Agonistes) and thought that many of his pronouncemnets were rhe result of paranoia. But compared to Trump, Nixon was secure! All we hear from Trump is how people are against him and "not nice" to him. More and more is coming out on the fraudulent activities of Trump Univesity. Trump's response is to attack the judge on ethnic grounds and to accuse him of bias.


Trump changes what he says (give Japan nuclear weapons, don't give Japan nuclear weapons) more rapidly than the phases of the moon change. And he is so thin-skinned and reactive to even the slightest insults that many of us are truly frightened for world peace.


So Bernie, Hillary Clinton is the clear Democratic Party nominee. And as we all know she is smart, experienced and highly rational.


If you don't see this, you are less smart than I think you are.


And she needs your support to help her win and defeat her very scary, very irrational, and totally absurd opponent. But not only does Hillary need your support, I need your support, and the American people need your support. I truly believe that if you get behind Hillary, we can defeat Trump.


It is imperative that Trump be defeated.


And at this point in the contest, every criticism of Hillary that you put forth is only fuel for the fire that Trump is igniting....You know, of course, he is quoting you and I hate to think that your statements would be the reason for his victory.


So,,,,I beg you. Get out now. Defeat Trump. And then, continue to fight the good fight.

The Blame Game

THE BLAME GAME Because a young child ended up in a gorilla’s enclosure, in a zoo, the gorilla was shot and killed. Tragic and terribly sad. A handsome young gorilla, a rare and fine example of his species, who did not seem to be doing anything wrong, is dead. So sad....... though, like others, we need to point out that the child is, thankfully, alive and well. A tragic and sad event, but who’s to blame? Many point to the child’s mother and think it is her fault for not watching her child closely enough, for letting him find a way into the gorilla’s compound. She is called incompetent, is said to be an example of inept parenting, and, some have even called for her to be investigated for possible child neglect. Her behavior is said to be the cause of the gorilla’s death. Others, equally adamant, condemn the zoo staff, arguing that they should have used a tranquilizer and not a gun. Still others point to the zoo structure and say it should be constructed in a way which prevents humans from getting through. Some (I hate to say this) are even blaming the child and saying he should be responsible for his actions (a 4 year old, really????). Seeking an explanation for a tragic event can have a good result. It may enable one to take corrective actions that prevent a repeat tragedy. Building higher fences or barriers with smaller openings might prevent children from squeezing into dangerous animal compounds. Maybe more personnel are needed as guards. But, in this tragic gorilla incident, most of the comments are not constructive. They are not tributes to the wonders of the gorilla, the care he has received and fact that urban dwellers are able to see and appreciate a being such as this. They are simply rants about how somebody or other did something wrong. Why? Why do so many of us feel the need to elevate ourselves by criticizing others? Please, lets stop playing the “Blame Game” and start having useful conversations.