Modesto City Council Members hide behind a clock during Open Forum

 At last night's meeting, the Modesto City Council introduced a huge clock (timer) on Zoom that appears whenever a citizen speaks to the Council. No longer can citizens see the reactions of the Council members to what is being said. The Council members are being shielded behind this huge clock that takes up the entire screen. This is during the "Public Comments" portion of the City Council meeting, the time during which citizens can speak for three minutes on any item "not on the agenda." 

This huge clock first made its debut last Saturday during the four hour "Listening" session when the Council heard citizen input for improving the Modesto Police Department. Apparently somebody from the Council liked the huge clock because it made a cameo appearance at last night's Council meeting much to the chagrin of citizens who were speaking. 

 

 And nobody could see the facial expressions of any of the duly elected City Council members as citizens spoke on the issues of concern to them. 

And apparently those issues are of concern to the Mayor and Council too, so long as they don't have to look into a camera lens to prove that they are concerned! 

Former Council Member Grewal's weekly presentation

Of course I must not fail to mention that this "Public Comments" portion of the meeting was after a 40 minute "brief" COVID update from Former Council Member Mani Grewal (I know that he is a Board of Supervisors appointee) and a visiting female physician. Mr. Grewal has taken it upon himself to "educate" both Council and citizenry about COVID at every meeting since the pandemic started. There is no clock showing when he speaks, just when voters speak!

When the Council members talk, the clock disappears!

The irony of all of this is that when the Council members speak, the huge clock disappears and you are able to see the Council members' faces. And so they can look into the lens of the camera when they are talking, but not when they are listening to citizens talking. 

As Emerson Drake asked, "Is this even a Council meeting?"

 

I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that several of the members of the City Council, including the Mayor, were elected last year on a platform of "transparency." I think that getting rid of this huge clock might be a proper step in that direction. Smile! You're on camera!

 

 

 

 

Celebrate our Presidents on Presidents' Day: Most cared about our country, right or wrong.

This is Presidents' Day. In my life so far, I have seen six Presidents in person, met two and known one (both Democrats and Republicans). All of them were patriots. All of them put our country first. And they all respected our laws, our Constitution and our electoral process.

They all understood that when an election takes place, that "the People have spoken." And all of them left office gracefully when their terms of office were over. 

 

I was fortunate enough when I was very young to work on Capitol Hill when I was a student. I met two Presidents, several Presidential candidates, and countless Members of Congress and U.S. Senators. I met people who aspired to the Presidency, thought that they should be President, and were ambitious to no end.

 

Put their country first

 

However, despite their unrelenting ambition, and their uncompromising self-confidence, all of them, no matter their Party, believed in our country, revered our Constitution, and believed that our greatest days were ahead of us.

And they all put our country first. All of them had served our country in one way or another, and all of them believed that America was the best nation on Earth.

 

I saw their sincerity

 

I saw and experienced the sincerity of the Presidents and the aspirants to the Presidency that I met, including the one President that I actually knew. And I can tell you that in every instance, these people, both men and women, were sincere in their loyalty to this country and to the Constitution.

 

I feel the pain

 

Needless to say, I feel the pain that Members of Congress and their staffers experienced on the day of the insurrection, January 6, 2021. I have been in all of those rooms of the Capitol. I worked in those rooms as a student when I was young. And I have met and gotten to know many of the people who worked in those rooms and who still work in them now. And I have eaten the infamous "Senate Bean Soup" with them in the Senate Cafeteria.

 

And I can tell you now that I feel the pain of all of these dedicated patriots of both parties.  This is a time that we all need to come together and celebrate our country and our Presidents, except perhaps one.

 

What took place on January 6 was not indicative of the Presidency nor of our country. The President who led this insurrection was an anomaly who never should be allowed to rise to power again. Let us not allow this one revolting anomaly tarnish our celebration of Presidents' Day or those for whom it is celebrated.

 

It is Presidents' Day

 

Yes, it is Presidents' Day. But more importantly, it is our day to celebrate our Presidents, right or wrong. Absolutely and without a doubt, our Presidents, for the most part, have cared about our country, put our country first, and risen to the occasion, no matter the circumstances, no matter the challenges of the day. God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America!!!

 

'Acting President Pence' cannot pardon Trump if he resigns

 Amid the talk of a possible resignation from President Donald Trump in hopes of being pardoned by President Pence is the realization that Pence most likely will not be able to pardon Trump. Here's how it goes: Trump now has less than 60 days left in his term. At this point, even if Trump were to resign today, Pence could assume the responsibilities of the Presidency without taking the oath of office, under the 25th Amendment, just as if the President were temporarily disabled and in the hospital.

As Acting President, not having taken the Oath of Office, Pence really would not be President. He would be the custodian of the duties of the President, but he would not actually be President. In that capacity, so far as I can determine as a political science scholar, Pence would not have the power of the Presidential pardon available to him. 

When Reagan turned power over to Bush

When Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, he turned over the power of the Presidency to George H.W. Bush, his Vice-President, while he underwent surgery. During the surgery, Bush was Acting President but he did not have Presidential pardon powers nor did he take the Oath of Office as President. 

At this point, there are so few days left in Trump's term that Pence most likely would fill in as Acting President without even taking the Oath of Office. And just like Bush in 1981, Pence will not have the pardon powers available to him.

A failing self pardon

It is likely, therefore, that Trump will be advised by his legal team to utilize the one remaining option available to him: pardoning himself. It is unknown at this point if a self-pardon will be successful for Trump. Sources believe the Supreme Court would overturn a self-pardon on the grounds that nobody can fairly judge himself or herself.

State prosecution

Even if Trump is successful at pardoning himself of the federal tax charges against him, he will not be able to relinquish himself of the state charges against him in New York State. Trump will face prosecution after he leaves office. That is for sure, pardon or not.

Lindsey Graham arrested while tossing Georgia ballots into ocean

(Satire at its best)...

Senator Lindsey Graham, (R, SC), was arrested yesterday along a Savannah, Georgia pier while allegedly throwing legal ballots into the Atlantic Ocean. The ballots, which were primarily from Democratic districts in Atlanta and Savannah, were  packed in white U.S. Mail packing boxes with labels addressed to elections offices in Atlanta and Savannah. It was estimated that Graham had at least 70 boxes stacked along the pier, each box easily containing at least 300 marked ballots. 

Graham's Chevy Suburban, which was found about a hundred feet from the pier, was loaded with another 50 to 60 boxes of ballots. It is believed that they were early mail-in ballots that Graham and his cohorts in crime somehow had managed to attain early in the vote counting process.

Scuba team retrieval

A scuba team of Navy Seals, which ironically has just undergone document retrieval training in the high seas, has been deployed to retrieve the ballots and deliver them to the proper Elections Offices. 

Graham's Judiciary Committee Chairmanship

It is not known if or how Graham's arrest and likely conviction will affect his chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee. However, it is unlikely that he will chair the confirmation hearing of the next Supreme Court Justice. Camera crews can't social distance in the Federal Penn!

Trump's biggest regret: Marilyn did not jump out of a cake for his birthday

(Satire at its best).

Outgoing President Donald J. Trump, after finally tweeting that he had lost to Joe Biden, stated that his biggest regret as President was that Marilyn Monroe did not pop out of a birthday cake for him and sing "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to him. "If she could pop out of a birthday cake for JFK in 1962, the second year of his Presidency,  why couldn't she pop out of a cake for me in 2018, the second year of my Presidency?," the President asked Chris Hayes in a rarely granted MSNBC interview.

 

Trump continued, "JFK did great things for civil rights, for world peace and for the Space Race. But look at me. Nobody did more for all of those things than me and my administration. If JFK could get recognition from Marilyn Monroe, then why can't I get at least a pop up birthday cake visit?"

Not worth the jealousy

Hayes then asked the President if he thought that it perhaps was better for everyone concerned that Marilyn did not pop out of a birthday cake for him since it could have made Melania jealous. Trump quickly responded, "Oh no. Melania and I have discussed jealousy before. She has made it very clear to me that I simply am not worth being jealous about. So far as she's concerned, anybody could pop out of that cake and she would not be jealous. I simply am not worth the jealousy to her."

 

 

 

 

 

McConnell gives Trump's Concession Speech for him on Senate Floor

(Satire at its best...)

A tired, torn and haggard Mitch McConnell took to the Senate Floor on Tuesday after an exhaustive meeting in the White House Situation Room with President Trump, Vice-President Pence, Lindsey Graham and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The hastily called meeting, which was scrutinized by Vladimir Putin remotely via hidden cameras and microphones, allegedly was called to discuss "the President's next steps and the future of the GOP." 

It is unknown who among the guests wore masks at the meeting, but unnamed sources have confirmed that Putin was wearing his mask throughout his surveillance of the meeting. It is unknown if the guests were tested for COVID-19 upon entering the Situation Room. However, Russian media sources have verified that Putin recently tested negative for COVID-19.

 

McConnell's announcement:

McConnell, still winded from running into the Capitol corridor after being dropped off by one of the White House Chevy Suburbans driven by Donald Trump Jr., approached the Well of the Senate Floor and began his short, unrehearsed speech with all the major news sources present, even FOX News. 

"I met with the President and Vice-President Pence and leading GOP members of both houses of Congress. We discussed various options for President Trump, the GOP, and, most importantly, the American People, including the President's base. After much bantering back and forth, it was decided that I am to give this short statement which I will read now..

I, Mitch McConnell, acting on behalf of another, hereby concede the 2020 Presidential election to Former Vice-President Joseph A. Biden on behalf of President Donald J. Trump, effective this date, November 10, 2020. I do this freely and with all kinds of reservations; but nobody cares what I think anymore."

 

 

 

What Trump will do the day he loses

 If Donald Trump loses the election on November 3rd, his reaction will be akin to that of a birthday boy who is grounded from attending his own birthday party. To put it mildly, he will not take it well. He will rant, rave, protest and demand a recount. And he will continue his endless Twitter diatribe about the unfairness of the election process, the so-called "fraudulent ballots," the phony mail-in ballots, etc., etc., etc.. He will mudsling towards Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff and others. And he will save plenty of blame for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar. And if he loses Florida too, he will try to "fire" Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for failing to deliver Florida for him.

And of course he will have plenty of blame left for Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham and Kevin McCarthy for failing to bring in the undecided voters for him. He will be in a rant and rave like that of a rabid dog biting its own tail. He will be like a desperate criminal pinned against a wall, not able to ascertain who his friends and enemies are and hating the world. He will lunge out at everyone with an anger, hatred and wrath not seen in a leader since the dictatorial reign of Adolf Hitler at his worst.

He will deny the results

I predict that after Trump goes into his tirade on Twitter blaming all of the aforementioned people for his 2020 election defeat, that he go to the East Lawn of the White House and hold a "no question" press conference. At the press conference, he will announce that he does not accept the results of the election. He will announce that it is a fraudulent election, that the ballots were tampered with and that the "only way" that he could have lost is if there was fraud and he will insist that there was fraud.

He will demand a recount

I predict that Trump's next move will be to demand a "recount" in every county or parish in which he is listed as the loser, across the country. I predict that he will have Attorney General William Barr contact the Secretaries of State of all states that Trump lost and demand a full recount of all the ballots.

He will reject postmarked ballots

I predict that Trump's next move will be to have Barr attempt to issue a binding order to all Secretaries of State in all 50 states to the effect that any and all ballots postmarked November 3rd, but not received until after November 3rd, cannot be counted. This would disqualify most ballots from active military personnel and other Americans overseas, since most of their ballots are not received by Election Day. 

He will deny ballots from unconfirmed voters

In what perhaps will be his boldest move after losing, Trump will attempt, once again through Barr, to invalidate any and all ballots nationwide from voters whose identities were not confirmed through photo identification. This would ban all mail-in ballots nationwide and would ban all ballots from California voters, the nation's most populous state, thus depriving Biden of California's 55 Electoral College votes. (California does not require photo identification for voters and has not done so for years).

He will refuse to concede

I predict that Trump's next move will be to refuse to concede his loss to Joe Biden. Although it is not absolutely mandatory that the incumbent President concede if he loses, it always has been the practice to do so. No defeated incumbent President ever has refused to concede. Although he does not absolutely have to concede, he does have to turn over the powers of the Presidency, as well as the launch codes and the nuclear football, on January 20, 2021. If he refuses to do so on Inauguration Day, then most likely the Marines and the Secret Service would intervene and force the issue. This will be extremely embarrassing indeed for all concerned parties, including the American People.

He will lose his court battles

More than likely, Trump will lose his court battles. Joe Biden will be certified as the winner and will be declared the President-Elect of the United States. It's what most likely will happen next that is of particular interest to students of politics.

He will try to pardon himself

I predict that Trump's next move will be to try to pardon himself for obstruction of justice, abuse of power and tax evasion. I predict that the backlash from this will be swift, deliberate and definitive. Somebody will take it to court and the pardon will be declared "null and void" almost immediately.

He will resign from the Presidency

It is my prediction that just as soon as his self-pardon is declared unconstitutional, that Trump will resign the Presidency with approximately two and a half months left in his term. Trump will make up some phony excuse for resigning, but the real reason will be that he hopes that Pence, who is finishing out Trump's term, will pardon him.

He will move to an undisclosed foreign location

I predict that President Pence, who still has dreams of being elected President in his own right in four to eight years, will not pardon Trump. I predict that Trump, Melania and Barron will move to an undisclosed foreign country, leaving Trump's adult children behind to deal with the Paparrazzi. 

Conclusion...

Well that's how I see it. Of course I do not have a crystal ball; but I think that this is pretty close to how things will play out if Trump loses on November 3rd. Whatever happens, we all know that Trump is not going to take losing easily and that he is going to blame everybody else, including his greatest political allies. In his mind, nothing is his fault and it never has been. And he has never made a mistake. And he handled the pandemic with total artistry. 

I think that the Donald may be in for one rude awakening on November 3rd. It's time for him to vacate  government housing and move to a foreign country; that is if they will have him.