It rained this week

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!” --Dolly Parton

It continues to rain in America.

My anxiety spiked this week with all of the revelations about the Russia situation.  I woke up Wednesday with the deepest dread and anxiety -- more than at any time since November 8.  It's horrible to be so worried about the country you love and the country that has truly been the greatest in the world.

The Russia Situation deepened. Mike Flynn resigned. Well, the official line is that SCROTUS fired him. That's all fine and good. The Republican leadership's reaction to this scandal? Rand Paul: "I think it makes no sense" to have Republicans investigate other Republicans. Huh? Mike Flynn is just the tip of the iceberg in the Titanic Fiasco that is this SCROTUS administration.  There better be some freaking investigations!

This scandal has the potential to be calamitous. Dan Rather wrote a good essay comparing the Russia scandal to Watergate.

As I noted in an earlier post,  John Schindler, a former National Security Agency analyst, wrote an opinion piece for the Observer (which until recently was owned by SCROTUS's son-in-law and trusted advisor Jared Kushner).

Schindler wrote:

"In light of this, and out of worries about the White House’s ability to keep secrets, some of our spy agencies have begun withholding intelligence from the Oval Office. Why risk your most sensitive information if the president may ignore it anyway? A senior National Security Agency official explained that NSA was systematically holding back some of the “good stuff” from the White House, in an unprecedented move. For decades, NSA has prepared special reports for the president’s eyes only, containing enormously sensitive intelligence. In the last three weeks, however, NSA has ceased doing this, fearing Trump and his staff cannot keep their best SIGINT secrets. 

Since NSA provides something like 80 percent of the actionable intelligence in our government, what’s being kept from the White House may be very significant indeed. However, such concerns are widely shared across the IC, and NSA doesn’t appear to be the only agency withholding intelligence from the administration out of security fears. 

What’s going on was explained lucidly by a senior Pentagon intelligence official, who stated that “since January 20, we’ve assumed that the Kremlin has ears inside the SITROOM,” meaning the White House Situation Room, the 5,500 square-foot conference room in the West Wing where the president and his top staffers get intelligence briefings. “There’s not much the Russians don’t know at this point,” the official added in wry frustration."

The situation is unpresidented.  The implications not only of  SCROTUS colluding with Russia, but of the erosion of trust from the Intelligence Community, are huge. How will that play in the minds of foreign leaders, both friendly and foe?  It is really difficult to wrap my head around the far-reaching implications.  It's a dangerous world we are steering through.

Other things made my heart bleed this week.  It hurts simply that the Russia Situation has eclipsed all the other issues.  The other stuff now feels like minor stuff.....but it is all big stuff! It is getting more and more overwhelming.

This week's concerning stuff:

• Pudzer withdrew his nomination for Secretary of Labor.  That was a good thing. He's scum. 

• SCROTUS's pick for Flynn's replacement, Vice Admiral Robert Harward, declined the offer. 

• A potential crisis played out in front of club members at Mar-a-Lago.  North Korea had launched a missile and the news came to SCROTUS while he was having dinner with the Japanese Prime Minister and other club members at his Florida resort.  People witnessed his actions and reactions, and one even took selfies and posted them on Facebook, including a selfie with the soldier who carries the nuclear codes. SCROTUS's cavalier handling of national security issues should concern us all very much.

• This man still holds the key to the briefcase holding those codes.  This one concerns me every.single.day.

• Though initially not officially directed by the Whitewash House, there have begun round-ups of undocumented immigrants around the country. The AP reported that SCROTUS has his fingers in a plan to pull in the National Guard to assist in large-scale roundups.

• One bright spot, one might say a pot of gold.  The stock market, amazingly, is holding its own. Historically, lesser events have brought it down.  I can't believe it continues to grow.  I do think there will be something that the Rabid Yam does that crashes it, though.  It's already in a bubble. (That's your free Little Sister Resister Prediction for the week--worth all the pixels used to make it)

• I hadn't heard before this week that SCROTUS had actually filed his re-election paperwork on election day. BIZARRE!  But what is more bizarre is that he is planning a campaign rally tomorrow. Nevermind that his administration is in chaos and the country is hurting badly.  No, no, go on, Li'l Adolph, go get your boner on in front of your adoring fans. We'll wait here.  

• The lies continue:  A made-up Terrorist attack in Atlanta (repeated by Spciey three times); misrepresenting the murder rate; misrepresenting  his YUGE election win. And others. It goes on and on.  Check Politifact's fact-checking of yeseterday's press conference.

That whole press conference yesterday was weird, wasn't it? Like other-worldy weird. I am still getting bizarre, surreal feelings four weeks into this crazy situation. 

CNN has compliled some of the more bizarro clips from his press conference.  And there are plenty. "You know what uranium is, don't you? It's bad stuff!"  And "Can you set up a meeting with the Black Caucus since they must be friends of yours, Ms. Black Reporter?"

My favorite (favorite cuz the next four years are 1400 Opposite Days)  "The leaks are real. You're the one that wrote about them and reported them. The leaks are real. You know what they said; you saw it. And the leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake."

OK what universe are we occupying here?

This article from the Boston Globe has that clip about the real leaks/fake news.

If you have the time and the constitution (small "c" constitution, though you might also want to keep handy a copy of the big "C" Constitution), you can watch the whole press conference below.  ...Or just wait for tomorrow's SNL treatment!




And then there was the press event on Wednesday with Netanyahu by his side. Some of the more bizarre ramblings ever.

"Hey, SCROTUS, what do you think about the rise in anti-semitic incidents?"

"I won bigly!"




What the hell was that?  I have similar conversations with my dementia patients!

And his answer about the Israel-Palestine situation? The one-state / two-state answer?  I don't think he even really understands what the issue is.  It's not choosing a flavor of ice cream,  Twidiot!





And yet!  There were some rainbow moments this week!

There are signs that the LIE MACHINE may be starting to wear out some of its parts.  Spicey himself found a time that he could not or would not defend SCROTUS's interminable charges of voter fraud.  He conceded that the Cheeto Mussolini "believes what he believes." FINALLY someone in the administration who is calling it like it is!  I think Spicey's days are numbered.  Which is too bad, cuz Melissa McCarthy kills in her impression of him.  Her second go-round last Saturday night:

And when your favorite fabrication-feeder turns on you, you know things are bad.  Yay for FAUX News for taking a stand!  Go, Shep!




Let's hope these are signs that the Earth is once again righting itself on its axis. Or at least making a little rainbow.

picture used by permission

Thanks for reading! :-)