Bondi banished. Slate. The Iran speech. NATO. Mail-in ballots

Bondi banished. Slate. The Iran speech. NATO. Mail-in ballots

Bondi banished.

When Kristi (ex-Border Barbie) Noem was canned, I asked was Pam (Blondie) Bondi was next. The answer is yes. Trump just removed her as attorney general. He was displeased with the speed at which she was following his wishes to persecute his multitude of enemies but I guess it was the Epstein files that finally got her. As is his wont he will likely get another of his army of personal attorneys to replace her. I guess the prestige of the job outweighs having to work for Trump. 

Slate is just Tesla misspelled

I’m sure you have read about the Jeff Bezo’s backed electric pickup truck some call the “anti-Tesla.” It the Slate, a minimalist vehicle priced at $24,000 with crank up windows. Maybe it is the anti-Tesla because of the low technology, bargain basement price and homely appearance. But note that “Slate” is a Pooh spelling of “Tesla.”  (Winnie the Pooh was once told of her spelling that at least she got all the letters correct, just not in the right order)

Trump’s not-so-victory speech

Was I the only one who got the impression that Trump’s speech on his war on Iran was not a good sign for his conduct of the war? It was only 19 minutes. When has Trump ever given a 19 minute speech? It was saying that “Although we have won we will still bomb Iran back to the Stone Age because obviously they don’t realize that they have lost.” Again he threatened to bomb civilian targets in the country’s infrastructure. He has even indicated exiting the war leaving the Strait of Hormoz closed. All in all it did not sound like a victory speech. I thought he said that we had won. Some victory.

The president keeps saying that he is talking to someone in Iran who wants a ceasefire. Who is he talking to since all we hear out of Iran are denials? I keep wondering if some Iranian teenager is scamming the president social media account.

Leaving NATO?

Trump is spitting mad at our NATO allies for not supporting his war. They all say that it’s not their war – and it is not. The latest threat from the president is leaving the Strait of Hormuz closed and telling our allies to open it themselves if they want the oil. He has also threatened to leave NATO. Does that mean he will shutter all our military facilities in NATO countries and bring our 100,000 troops home? Trump always rails at the NATO countries for not spending 5 percent of their GDP on defense but its our fault. They are being rational to spend as little as they can get away with, so long as the US is defending them. They would be motivated to spend more only if they had to defend themselves. That is why the British ended up not even being able to defend their own base in Cyprus against an Iranian missile. So instead of badgering NATO countries to spend more, all Trump needs to do is to announce the systematic closure of US military assets in Europe and the withdrawal of American forces.

Yet another attempt to nationalize federal elections

After criticizing the democrats for trying to nationalize federal elections with their For the People Act, Trump is trying to do it himself. First, there is the SAVE Act and now he has issued another executive order regarding mail-in ballots. The order requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide states with a list of citizens who are eligible to vote in the next election. It institutes a rule blocking the U.S. Postal Service from transmitting ballots from individuals not on a state-specific mail-in and absentee voter list. It also orders the attorney general to investigate the distribution of “Federal ballots to ineligible voters” and empowers agencies to cut off federal funds to noncompliant states and encourages his Department of “Justice” to investigate and prosecute local election officials who don’t comply.

Pardon me, but isn’t all of this unconstitutional? And it is also chilling to think that a list of eligible voters will be provided to the states and those not on the list won’t be able to vote. I know that the democrats are threatening to sue. But the republicans should also sue. And rather than just sue, I would expect almost every state not to comply. This is only an executive order and will likely be overturned by any court. Some republican governed states, Georgia and Idaho, have already voiced noncompliance.

Federal courts have before ruled that Trump’s executive orders regarding mail-in voting are unconstitutional. The courts determined that he lacks the authority to unilaterally alter federal election procedures. The Constitution grants states the power to regulate their own elections, including mail-in voting. Trump will lose this one and by the way to all of those “No Kings” folk, it Trump were truly a king rather than wishing he were, the edict would have the force of law. So please stop this “No Kings” nonsense and go back to your bingo games and yard sales.