The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff

Leaks from the White House. Leaks from other government agencies. A sea of confusion in Washington, as Trump threatens anyone who opposes his will. Information slowly dripping out about the Trump campaign’s dealings with Russia.

America drowning in a sea of lies.

After his first closed-door meeting with senators, Jared Kushner confirmed that Trump was the subject of at least one extortion attempt during the 2016 election campaign.

It’s history repeating itself, as Kushner continues to reluctantly release information…drip, drip, drip, he should have given six months ago before assuming the position as Trump’s number one boy.

The second meeting started out with that revelation. Can’t help wondering what else he forgot to mention. Time will tell.

Last night Trump spoke before an adoring campaign style crowd and gleefully threatened senators to the delight of his audience who were looking for blood. Chants of “Lock her up!” and “build that wall” kept breaking out.

The Boy Scouts of America are under siege today. Here’s why  This is the first time in 80 years that the Boy Scout Jamboree (held every four years) was riddled with controversy. Thank Trump for that.

As It Stands, it’s not easy watching America writhe in fear and loathing as Trump assaults all civilized conventions.

(Photo – Trump is considering ways to exploit Afghanistan’s rare minerals.)

Did you happen to see the big Boy Scout Jamboree Monday night?

Parents, former Scouts and others were furious after Trump railed against his enemies, promoted his political agenda and underlined his insistence on loyalty before an audience of tens of thousands of school-age Scouts in West Virginia on Monday night.

Somehow Trump turned a gathering of boy scouts into a Hitler Youth rally. Speech experts say Trump’s speech pattern is that of a fourth grader. Maybe that’s why he got cheers -he spoke to their level –  as he shared his politics and views on loyalty.

The Boy Scouts’ official Facebook page was barraged with comments condemning the speech. Several people posted links to the Scouts’ policy on participation in political events — which sharply limits what Scouts should do. Boy Scouts are typically 10 to 18 years old.

Trump Explores Exploiting Rare Earth minerals in Afghanistan

Always in the pursuit of money, Trump is now searching for a reason to keep the United States in Afghanistan after 16 years of war.  The reason: Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth, which his advisers and Afghan officials have told him could be profitably extracted by Western companies.

Now there’s a good reason to keep our combat troops there – to protect Trump’s mining interests! Not!

On Loyalty according to the Book of Trump

Trump judges loyalty in a warped way. Not loyalty to the country. It’s loyalty to me. Lately he’s been accusing Republicans of not being loyal to him. He’s openly questioning his AG Jeff Session’s loyalty.

During his propaganda pitch at the boy scout gathering he even got a plug in when discussing the 12 attributes of Scouting: “Loyalty is important. Some people need to be more loyal to me.”

One last observation: loyalty goes in one direction with Trump. He expects you to be loyal, even when he’s not.

As It Stands, like everything in the Trump era, even words like loyalty can be twisted into something ugly. 

By now I think the world has figured out that Trump is not a Republican. I think that’s safe to say, especially when you consider how he’s been treating Congressional Republicans lately like a bunch of stubborn children.

The way it works is if the Republicans pass a repeal and replace Obamacare, Trump will take credit. His past history has proven this is one of his favorite tricks. If Obamacare stands, then Trump will blame Congress, the Democrats, and anyone else he can think of, and completely disown it. He’s already said as much.

But here’s the thing; look back at Trump’s history where he supported Democrats and the Clinton’s. He once said that if he ever ran for president he would do so as a Republican because their dumb enough to believe anything.

In other words, Trump’s cons starting with the Birther myth that found fertile ground with Conservatives.

I think it’s obvious Trump’s core values are different from the Republican Party’s values. The GOP stands for a lot of good things. Trump, bluntly put, doesn’t stand for anything other than making business deals for himself and his corrupt family. Think Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

The big question is how long will GOP congressmen/women allow themselves to be bullied by a guy they have nothing in common with?

As for Trump and his tantrums, we are witnesses to the destruction of every American value we were once so proud of. The Republican Party was just a stepping stone to power for Trump, and now he’s showing his disdain for the people who backed him.

As It Stands, there’s not a lot we can do about Trump’s rampages on twitter, and in person, other than to ignore him. Maybe he’ll go away.

Wild Fires are ablaze across the USA. It seems to get worse every day.

Our wacked out president tweeted he can pardon anyone he wants, including himself. But his lawyer Jay boy says Trump isn’t even thinking about pardons because he didn’t do anything wrong.

Okay.

If that sounds confusing, welcome to the state of affairs in America. It’s the rise of fake news and the decline of truth. Facts become debatable with Trump and his minions.

Trump’s bromance with Putin is slowly revealing what we all already knew; he loves Putin (that authoritarian thing is sexy) and he’s complicit in obstruction of justice in the Russian probe of his campaign last year. Think James Comey.

I’m getting real excited by the basketball team Magic Johnson is putting together for the Lakers. I’d like to see their #2 draft choice, Alonzo Ball, make Rookie of the Year. Other acquisitions make me think this Laker team will make the playoffs for the first time in three years! (it’s been that long!) FYI: I’ve been a Laker fan since 1964.

What is the future of health care in America? The Republicans can’t even agree among themselves to repeal and replace Obamacare – their mantra for the last 7 years. Hopefully for all Americans, a bi-partisan bill will be passed and everyone will win. This uncertainty is scary.

As It Stands, thank you for stopping bye, and I sure hope you return. Your comments are always welcome.