Category: Nonfiction

I’ve Done Nothing Wrong – BONUS POST

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See this blog’s post “King of the Club” to understand how most U.S. Congress members misbehave. The U.S. Congress members who haven’t been complaining about the corruption of the U.S. government all along, but are suddenly grandstanding on ethics now, are all phonies!

They are jealous that they haven’t gotten away with everything Trump has ducked punishment for. In his dementia, Trump continues to spout insensitive, inflammatory nonsense– which the media is provocatively reporting, to get ratings. Here’s what Trump is singing, and has always sung.

IV’E DONE NOTHING WRONG

sung to the tune of “I Write the Songs” with apologies to Barry Manilow and to whomever else the rights may concern.

I’ll be your leader forever, and I’ve done the very best job.

I put the terms and deals together. I am super-rich, and I’ve done nothing wrong.

I’ve done nothing wrong and I make whole-world peace.

I’ve done nothing wrong and my miracles never cease.

I’m proud to say I made young girls cry.

I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong.

My name lies deep in MAGA, and I’ll forever be in America’s soul.

Now you’ll look out through my eyes. We’re great again, because I’ve been bold.

I’ve done nothing wrong and I make whole-world peace.

I’ve done nothing wrong and my miracles never cease.

I’m proud to say I made young girls cry.

I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong.

My court cases make me rant, but I get along great with Vance.

Democrats talk cock-and-bull, so you should boo.

Money is my life. Who cares about my wife?

It’s for me. It’s for me. It’s for me. It’s for me.

So exonerate me, speedily!

I’ve done nothing wrong and I make whole-world peace.

I’ve done nothing wrong and my miracles never cease.

I’m proud to say I made young girls cry.

I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong.

I am perfect, and I’ve done nothing wrong.

Never on Sunday – BONUS POST

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When American playwright Arthur Miller visited China (a one-Party state) in 1978, he commented, “…the Party is the people and cannot oppress itself, and therefore there is no need for lawyers or the Western idea of a separate body of professionals to protect the innocent.”

In these interesting times, the U.S. has shifted to the extreme end of the spectrum– a large number of guilty people have been protected. Societal breakdown is occurring because white-collar criminality has become the new normal. Unlike in 1974, in 2026: The United States Supreme Court is corrupt. The “Nixon” figure (Trump) hasn’t been shamed into resigning, and his cronies aren’t kicking him out.

The only punishment Trump has ever received for crimes in his lifetime has been fining. Neither job loss nor jail time. Fining is hardly a deterrent to bad behavior for someone of his ilk.

So it will take decades longer than it did fifty years ago– to right the ship this time.

In the meantime, Democrats should start to practice what they preach. When they regain sufficient power, they need to get their regulatory game on. It is likely that in 2028, the American people will elect another saintly president like Jimmy Carter, because they are sick of the sinner Donald Trump, who considers himself a saint. The macho men who wish they could get away with what Trump did, are now blaming him for their own personal problems, because he broke his campaign promises.

In connection therewith, this is what U.S. senatorial candidate James Talarico (D-TX) is singing to his opponent Ken Paxton (R-TX).

ON SUNDAY

sung to the tune of “Never on Sunday” with apologies to The Chordettes and to whomever else the rights may concern.

We saw your felony on money-day, on money-day, on money-day, which wasn’t very good.

And we saw your bribery on Tuesday, on Tuesday, on Tuesday, as we knew we would.

And we saw you bailed out on Wednesday, on Thursday, your unfaithfulness on Saturday, no less.

But I won’t oppose-you on Sunday, on Sunday, on Sunday, ’cause that’s my day of rest.

All my days, as you might have guessed, I love thy neighbor, and my day of rest.

I’m anti-billionaire, in my democracy quest.

I’m a Ron Howard-lookalike, in this political contest.

I’m staying moral on a school day, a holiday, a Wednesday, whichever day you choose.

We saw your greedy play, in your heyday, on a payday, and that’s what I refuse.

You were bailed out on a bleak day, a dark day, a weak day, at GOP’s behest.

I won’t oppose you on a Sunday, a Sunday, the one day, I need a little rest.

You were bailed out on a bleak day, a dark day, a weak day, at GOP’s behest.

I won’t oppose you on a Sunday, a Sunday, the one day, I need a little rest.

I Watch Fox – BONUS POST

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As is well known, the integrity of the United States is in decline, due to human-rights violations and corruption. Outing perpetrators by naming names might deter American officials from lying, cheating and stealing in the future. A few current perpetrators with conflicts (stock profiteers) include:

  • Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA)
  • Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX)
  • Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK)
  • Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI)
  • Rep Joseph Gottheimer (D-NJ)
  • Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and
  • Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

Google seems to be anti-Irish on those Republicans. Anyway, the manipulation of behavioral economics for evil, requires that there be messengers to help the ringleader / strongman acquire power and stay in power. Fox-TV personalities such as Sean Hannity, Greg Gutfeld and Jesse Watters fit the bill. While “paying their dues” they themselves must behave like strongmen– making high-powered contacts with whom they exchange favors throughout their careers.

In connection therewith, this Bertrand Russell quote cannot be repeated enough:

“There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths. Almost inevitably some part of him is aware that they are myths and that he believes them only because they are comforting. But he dare not face this thought! Moreover, since he is aware, however dimly, that his opinions are not rational, he becomes furious when they are disputed.”

American leaders can’t admit to themselves how much they’re damaging our democracy. See this blog’s post, “In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz” to note the similarities between the Congo’s kleptocracy of 1997 and the United States’ kleptocracy of 2026.

Here’s a song about it– what Trump is singing.

I WATCH FOX AND TROLL ALL NIGHT

sung to the tune of “Rock and Roll All Night” with apologies to KISS and to whomever else the rights may concern.

A Google search of “KISS songs” omits this song in the search-results because it’s a bad influence on America’s youths.

I’ll never SHOW you everything I’ve got. I keep on ranting about getting shot.

I drive liberals wild. My record’s amazing.

I am the one who makes the world spin. My party’s just begun to win, win, win.

I drive liberals wild. My record’s amazing.

They keep on pouting. They keep on pouting.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I know you know I’m your prez for all time.

We’re great again, and I’m in my prime.

I drive liberals wild. My record’s amazing.

I’ll never SHOW you everything I’ve got.

I am great, and it’s quite a lot, and I drive liberals wild. My record’s amazing.

They keep on pouting. They keep on pouting.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

$ $ $

American playwright Arthur Miller wrote that there was uncertainty as to whether the United States could recover from the Great Depression which was plaguing the country when he was in his teens. In those days, though, Americans blamed themselves for their own personal problems.

There was a lot less scapegoating, litigiousness, and self-absorbed attention whoredom than now. Only white men had a sense of entitlement then.

So, how can the United States recover from its latest bout of capitalist excesses?

Well, there but for the grace of science and cooperation was the United States able to recover from the Great Depression, to become the powerhouse it became. Science has:

  • fueled vaccines, drugs and quantum leaps in medicine;
  • helped create the atomic bomb that curtailed the Second World War;
  • helped win the Space Race against the Soviets;
  • fueled Silicon Valley’s innovations.

So, the United States must reverse the anti-science, anti-intellectual, divisive agenda of the Republicans.

The Dark Pattern

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WARNING: LONG POST

The Book of the Week is “The Dark Pattern, The Hidden Dynamics of Corporate Scandals” by Guido Palazzo and Ulrich Hoffrage, published in 2025. In this hodgepodge of a volume, the authors listed the various goings-on that inevitably lead to a scandal at a big-name corporation. They cite several real-life examples such as Theranos, Boeing and Uber.

Although the authors have European names and do college-level teaching in Switzerland, this book covered American companies and reflected the American mentality. It is difficult, if not impossible to fact-check propaganda spouted by American companies because they manipulate the media.

Prior to the scandal, the media crow about how the CEO is doing a great job in enriching the company’s shareholders. Leadership (that is toxic and heading for trouble but the public doesn’t know it) is enhancing shareholder value (yay!). Until it isn’t. After breaking news of the scandal, the media pile on about the company’s seamy underbelly that led to the failure.

Scandals erupt again and again due to human nature– fear and greed are the two major motivators that cause most of the trouble in the world. Moral failure gradually occurs on a colossal scale throughout the organization, because if it really were only a “few bad apples” there wouldn’t be a scandal. Here’s how it happens.

A large number of employees are eventually brainwashed into rationalizing away their bad behavior, through:

  • ethical shift (baby steps which gradually take one down an unethical path, until matters come to a head; breaking one taboo makes it easier to break more of them);
  • pluralistic ignorance (getting influenced by how others react in an unclear situation);
  • evaluation apprehension (fear of getting publicly judged for speaking up);
  • bystander effect (not reporting bad behavior because one thinks others will do it);
  • euphemistic labeling;
  • what-about-ism;
  • minimizing, ignoring or misconstruing the consequences;
  • dehumanizing the victims to make it easier to harm them.

The human resources department covers the employer’s legal ass by establishing an “ethics hotline” for employees. It is a joke because employees are reporting the bad behavior of their bosses to the very perpetrators of that bad behavior! The bosses will be vengeful– harassing those employees, shutting them up, or firing them.

When interdepartmental rivalry within the company is taken to the extreme, one of two things happen: the company has a scandal, or a group of workers will leave to form a company that competes against their former employer.

The usual cliches apply: The fish rots from the head down; if the truth makes you angry, you’re living a lie; and just another case of the fox guarding the henhouse.

Anger from perceived unfairness will lead to additional vicious office-gossip, and an even more hostile work environment.

Excessive greed led to: 346 deaths in two plane crashes in 2018 and 2019; attendant trauma, lawsuits, hearings; a few heads’ rolling; an attempt to move on, so as to forget all that unpleasantness. Never mind learning from it.

Such was the case with Boeing, whose CEO James McNerney, made approximately $290 million between 2001 and 2016.

Boeing was aware of its software bugs in its plane mechanics. It was cutting costs to the bone in the name of profit. It deemed training pilots in a simulator or in the actual upgraded plane, too expensive.

Boeing also forgot to tell the FAA about that issue. The understaffed, underfunded FAA (a federal agency which is supposed to regulate airline safety) changed its language and became besties with Boeing. “By 2018, Boeing already certified a stunning 96% of their own work [doing the FAA’s job.]”

Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos was a spellbinder, and became a cult leader. She was able to fund her pipe dream because her family and friends were wealthy. The social networks of the wealthy, trust one another even when they lack direct knowledge of a technical subject, such as medicine or investing (like with Bernie Madoff), so they throw their money at the opportunity, blinded by greed.

Uber slapped the new name “gig economy” on an old idea, but became successful because the concept was ready for the technology of the times. The problem was, Uber’s purely libertarian culture got it into legal trouble. A corporate culture of pure libertarianism means zero-sum, cut-throat competition. One independent-contractor’s gain means another’s loss.

After the fact, there is: displacement of responsibility and blaming the victim.

Read the book to learn additional lingo of psychology describing more details of the above, and about other corporate scandals.

Fear-and-Force – BONUS POST

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WARNING: LONG POST

Collectively, idealists are making progress. But there’s counter-intelligence (sic).

No one really knows who is winning the AI propaganda war.

Nonetheless, here’s a quick summary of fear-and-force atrocities: currently, of 20 to 25 years ago, and 52 to 57 years ago, that have or had a negative psychological and / or physical effect on millions of (not just Americans’) lives.

WAR-RELATED

CURRENTLY: Trump and his gang (teaming up with Israeli leader Netanyahu) launched a war against Iran; domestic goon squads are roaming the United States rooting out foreigners, touching off rioting and even more protests in a vicious cycle; not to mention extreme retaliation against anyone on Trump’s enemies list.

20 TO 25 YEARS AGO: Cheney, Bush and their gang (in 2003 teaming up with British leader Blair) launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; there were offshore torture chambers in Guantanamo Bay in which some 500 to 600 Middle Easterners (accused “terrorists”) were detained and denied the previous American version of due process.

52 TO 57 YEARS AGO: Nixon and his gang continued destroying Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos; protests stemming from various dissatisfactions among Americans, and political assassinations, touched off rioting and even more protests in a vicious cycle; not to mention: extreme retaliation against anyone on Nixon’s enemies list, and the Damocles sword of conscription hanging over every American male– teenage or older, and his family.

COMMUNICATIONS

CURRENTLY: There is electronic surveillance everywhere, 24/7 of very nearly all Americans, plus instantaneous communications of propaganda. Trump has touched off an orgy of litigation regarding “free speech.”

20 TO 25 YEARS AGO: Computing power had yet to reach its peak, so that Big Brother apparatus and assembly of spying infrastructure had yet to be completed.

52 TO 57 YEARS AGO: FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and his gang created and tried to maintain an overwhelming number of physical files (or dossiers)– with typewriters, on paper– an extremely inefficient system. Nixon, in controlling the FCC, attempted to intimidate the leaders of the limited number of communications outlets across the United States. He got mixed results. Nixon himself was the one who wanted to record all audio goings-on in the Oval Office. For posterity.

ENVIRONMENTALISM / HEALTHCARE

CURRENTLY: Hypocrisy and greed rule the United States. Unfortunately, cancer treatment is more lucrative than cancer-risk minimization.

20 TO 25 YEARS AGO: Hypocrisy and greed ruled the United States. Unfortunately, cancer treatment was more lucrative than cancer-risk minimization.

52 TO 57 YEARS AGO: A few “Cassandras” were telling the world about disasters, past, present and future, eventually spawning a movement. Yet politicians know that raising taxes (even if warranted in order to pay for an ounce of prevention– to minimize damage from an inevitable future “Hurricane Katrina” type disaster) will get them voted out of office. So they don’t raise taxes. They just hope a Katrina doesn’t happen on their watch.

IN GENERAL, CURRENTLY

All previous abuses of United States politics have become concentrated in one big, excessive system of dishonesty, hypocrisy, greed, incompetence, chaos, etc.; some of which will dissipate or turn around. Time will tell how soon. The turnaround will happen in baby steps. In connection therewith, one baby step is the election of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. The smear campaign against him shows he’s a good threat to the status quo. Here’s a song that elaborates on that.

THE COMMIE-MUSLIM

sung to the tune of “The Loco-Motion” [the original version] with apologies to Estate of Gerry Goffin, and Carole King, and to whomever else the rights may concern.

Fox is doing the same old rant now.

C’mon haters, boo the Commie-Muslim.

They’ll turn-you against Mamdani, with his tax-the-rich stance now.

C’mon haters, boo the Commie-Muslim.

The little scared minds boo him with ease.

It’s easier than checking facts to see-him SINcerely.

So come on, come on, boo the Commie-Muslim dumbly.

You gotta ask specific questions now. Come on haters.

Hurry up. Talk back. Oh well, critical-thinking is what you lack.

You’re so quick to boo him, let’s play “telephone” now.

C’mon haters, boo the Commie-Muslim.

But-but Jeff Bezos’ actions are well known now.

C’mon haters, boo the Commie-Muslim.

The rich will leave New York now, it’s out of control.

With Fox’s provocation, this line gets old.

So come on, come on, boo the Commie-Muslim dumbly.

He’s got Hochul’s approval, that Commie-Muslim.

C’mon haters, boo the Commie-Muslim.

His big plans have got Democrats buzzin’.

C’mon haters, boo the Commie-Muslim.

Fox always has a rant that’s easy to do.

It’s fun to smear Mamdani. He hates the Jews.

So come on, come on, boo the Commie-Muslim dumbly.

C’mon, boo the Commie-Muslim. C’mon, boo the Commie-Muslim. C’mon, boo the Commie-Muslim…

This Is for Everyone

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WARNING: LONG POST

The Book of the Week is “This Is for Everyone, The Unfinished Story of the World Wide Web” by Tim Berners-Lee (hereinafter referred to as TBL), published in 2025. In this hodgepodge / bragfest / advertisement for his company’s services, the author (who has bragging rights only insofar as the World Wide Web was his idea) recounted how he actually helped change the world. Americans might balk at the English mentality of TBL. He constantly claimed that the internet should not be a profit-seeking entity, but at the same time, he was woefully naive in saying that the capitalistic side-effects of it that are evil, can be reversed.

IT IS ALWAYS TOO LATE TO REGULATE ANY TRENDING TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE ITS NEGATIVE EFFECTS AREN’T SEEN UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE!

The author came across as an idealist, one of three kinds of major world-influencers. The other two are the pragmatist, and the strongman. The first kind is like Bernie Sanders– generous to a fault, desirous of creating a utopian world. The next is like Barack Obama– acknowledges the reality that there are haters and evildoers who will “poison the well” in their misdirected rage. So he picks his battles and compromises with the angry nasty haters, etc., BUT– he’s a peacenik, not a pacifist– until the tide can be reversed. The strongman kind is well known; his initials are DJT.

TBL was born in London in 1955. He related a (rather fanciful– to the reader) anecdote about how the Web could educate people in all different countries. In the early 2010’s, a centuries-old farming technique used in the African country of Burkina Faso was translated into various languages and put on video on the Web when an NGO gave a farmer a smart phone.

Other farmers in his area, and as far away as Mali and Niger allegedly learned the technique from him. The reclaimed land (which was thought too arid to be farmed) provided enough food to nourish an estimated three million people. The reader might ask: Over the decades, why haven’t NGO’s helped farmers in that region, albeit a little less efficiently, prior to that??

One answer might be, that nations in Africa have the same kinds of problems as those of Haiti, in terms of feeding their people [See this blog’s post, “Haiti After the Earthquake”].

Anyway, in describing how he pushed for his idea of the World Wide Web, TBL was far from comprehensive in naming specific entities and people that and who were major influencers along the way; among the omitted: ICANN, Linus Torvalds, Richard Stallman, Julian Assange, Loebner Prize, WHOIS.com, etc.

TBL repeatedly circled back to “Solid” which is his company, that sells a “pod” based on his idea of a kind of electronic account that links ALL personal data– financial, medial and whatever else an individual user wants to keep there. Yes, it’s maximally efficient and the user has full control over all privacy settings. BUT it’s at high risk for maximally efficient theft of ALL personal data– financial, medical and whatever else the individual user is keeping there! No social engineering required.

Sooner or later, there will be a disgruntled or incompetent employee at Solid, who will not even need to be a hacker!! Even secure servers, obviously, wouldn’t prevent the data from disappearing in the event of a Crowdstrike (honest ineptitude) type crash.

Solid is going to end up like Bitcoin. It was created for the Silicon Valley set, and will spread to their family and friends, and perhaps to a few ordinary Americans, because TBL is more concerned about privacy and efficiency than security. Americans are hyper-aware of all three. Further, when TBL was asked whether Ed Snowden was a hero or a villain, he said hero. So even when the world was made aware of the US and UK governments’ abuses regarding spying with software, no watchdog groups changed Big Brother’s behavior. In fact, it got worse.

Another cringeworthy electronic service the author also described, was a chatbot named Charlie. The author provided a sample conversation between Charlie and a user, in which Charlie was condescending. The author described the negative psychological effects of evil social media, but also (blissfully unaware of his hypocrisy) proudly proclaimed that everyone should have a personal AI friend like Charlie.

One way AI is making positive medical advances is in diagnoses of patients. The software is more accurate than human doctors. It has multiple regression analysis behind it– statistics handled by software that, in the past would have taken humans years to calculate by hand for diagnosing one patient!

Additionally, TBL discussed the newest version of chat rooms or forums, in which there are rules for civil discourse. Good luck with that, all. Perhaps moderators can keep the peace in user-discussions, but governments can’t regulated users’ behavior or user-related policies set forth by the companies on the internet. They’re global 24/7.

There is no global government. The UN comes close, and it’s better than nothing, at attempting to keep the world civil. What the US government can regulate is business-related crimes that deal with anti-trust issues, financial and securities matters and data breaches. The trouble is, politicians financially benefit from lack of regulation of the internet companies, as the companies are political donors.

Read the book to learn much more about entities, people, issues and controversies in connection with the Web’s evolution, including but far from limited to: the Web Foundation; intellectual property rights; deepfakes; and lest it be forgotten, 23andMe’s bankruptcy filing in 2025 when the data ownership question reared its ugly head yet again.

Nothing Random / In the Ring – BONUS POST

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WARNING: VERY, VERY LONG POST

The first Bonus Book of the Week is “Nothing Random, Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built” by Gayle Feldman, published in 2026. Ironically, the writing in this tome was awkward and contained bad grammar in certain spots. Anyway, the author recounted the U.S. book industry of a bygone era– a decades-long saga typical for a business run by alpha males with clashing egos.

The reader might recall that prior to the internet, publishing a physical book required months and months of advance preparation, involving what would now be considered a bloated staff. The publishing personnel took pride in their work, and truly cared about doing quality work. It wasn’t all about the big dollar sign as it is nowadays.

In summer 1963, author Ayn Rand, on contract with publisher Random House, was writing a book of essays, one of which was super-controversial. Rand contended that JFK was fascistic, supporting her arguments by quoting the president, showing how he sounded like Hitler and Goering. She truly believed that the most prosperous nation would have purely capitalistic economics, and completely libertarian politics. She felt capitalism is a meritocratic system.

But to start with, capitalism requires a government that provides and maintains the systems of a healthy, well-educated workforce. When private entities provide essential services such as healthcare and education, there occurs corruption– because profit-seeking entities favor money over people. Therefore, the government needs to have some socialistic systems in the forms of: financial assistance for certain of its citizens, locally run public schools, public libraries and public transportation, to name a few.

Capitalism is a meritocracy only insofar as there’s no cronyism between the government and business leaders. Pure meritocracy is a fantasy. There is always a certain level of corruption in government, that waxes and wanes with the tenor of the times. This is inevitable due to the greed of human nature. Public-private partnerships are a necessary evil in a democratic society.

So arguably, Rand’s political and economic systems are a recipe for the eventual formation of an oligopolistic oligarchy, run by fighting warlords. Sounds familiar.

One bright spot in today’s sorry state of affairs in America, can be seen in today’s communications environment: This is the Golden Age of Free Speech. The internet has allowed anyone and everyone to have their say if they want to– on social media, or if they get their own website– with no censorship. And no one needs to have great wealth or power anymore, in order to do so.

Read the book to learn much, much, much more about Bennett Cerf’s life and times.

The second Bonus Book of the Week is “In the Ring, The Trials of A Washington Lawyer” by Robert S. Bennett, published in 2008. This wordy volume contained awkward phrasing and bad grammar in certain spots. But it showed how tolerance for criminality in the United States government has skyrocketed.

The huge surge in the demand for white-collar criminal-defense attorneys in recent decades, is one indication. Bennett thought the attorney’s job is to do everything possible short of illegal or unethical behavior, to help save his client’s reputation and freedom. He recounted several legal cases he handled.

One, in 1981, involved U.S. Senator Harrison A. Williams, Jr., who– after indisputable evidence of corruption surfaced– was convicted in the ABSCAM scandal. The investigating committee was truly nonpartisan. After the trial, Williams’ fellow senators felt his continued presence compromised the dignity of their government body, and therefore, they were obligated to expel him. Williams eventually resigned. HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED.

Unethical behavior and criminality have reached such a screaming crescendo that this country’s TOP leader (not simply a senator!) and his cronies are staying in power. And Congress is letting them.

The Democrats are letting the GOP have their way, thinking voters will blame the GOP– as the GOP has a majority in Congress; Democrats think they will win back a lot of seats in the midterm elections. But some voters are angry at the Democrats for looking weak, and not fighting back.

The concentration of power among the billionaires has gotten so extreme, that in the near future, the United States must return to the 1950’s era mentality of: (like the healthcare company ChenMed’s culture) Americans’ expecting to be treated by medical doctors who are trusted family friends; and taxing the rich as the standard, acceptable way of life.

Or else, the United States will continue to devolve into the kleptocracy of a Third World country.

Bennett showed how, when an international incident occurs, there are complicated, incestuous global relationships that require delicate negotiations. In the case of a 1997 Soviet-Georgian diplomat’s drunken-driving accident in Washington, D.C. in which someone died, controversy ensued as to whether the diplomat should have immunity from jail-time or fining. The U.S. could have instead cut off financial aid to Soviet Georgia as punishment. However, retaliatory action could be taken against American diplomats at embassies around the world.

The author wrote, “I have always felt that there was more business for criminal lawyers representing companies when the Republicans were in power rather than the Democrats.”

Anyway, read the book to learn of several additional situations which Bennett felt he handled skillfully, despite his having to deal with alpha males with hubris syndrome, James Bond wannabes, black ops and CIA operatives.

Regarding the aforementioned issues, here’s a song that answers the question: Why are the billionaires keeping Trump in office? It’s what Trump is singing to the few people still working for him.

U.S. of A.

sung to the tune of “Y.M.C.A.” [the album version] with apologies to The Village People and to whomever else the rights may concern.

My men, there’s no need to feel shame. I say, my men, immortalize my name. I say my men, ’cause I rule this great game. There’s no need to ask, am I stopping?

My men, I love making dough. I say my men, here is where you can go. You can stay here. I’ll rule the world for all time, all on the American taxpayers’ dime.

It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A. It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A.

It has everything for us men to enjoy. Our PR guys put out the best noise.

It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A. It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A.

My pardons will get you clean. I’ll help you lie-cheat-and-steal. The courts favor all our deals.

My men, we get rid of enemies. I say my men, I do cover-ups with ease. I say my men, you must re-district with me, and you build my ballroom, you see.

Oh yes, I must rule by myself. I say my men, I can be a big help. You must be here, in the U.S. of A. ‘Cause it’s my way or the highway.

It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A. It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A.

It has everything for us men to enjoy. Our PR guys put out the best noise.

It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A. It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A.

My pardons will get you clean. I’ll help you lie-cheat-and-steal. The courts favor all our deals.

My men, I am making world peace. I say my miracles, never ever ever cease.

I know you’re glad, that I am alive. I, the world’s savior have arrived.

Always, my men come up to me. They thank me. I am backed by Wall Street. I give them, to the U.S. of A. I can help myself to its riches every day.

It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A. It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A.

It has everything for us men to enjoy. Our PR guys put out the best noise.

U.S. of A. It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A.

My men, my men there’s no need to feel shame. I say my men, immortalize my name. I say my men, ’cause I rule this great game.

U.S. of A. It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A.

My men, my men, we get rid of enemies. I say my men, I do cover-ups with ease.

U.S. of A. You’ll find me plundering the U.S. of A.

My men, my men, I must rule by myself. I say my men, I can be a big help. Just go to the U.S. of A.

U.S. of A. It’s fun to plunder the U.S. of A…

The Calling

[Please note: The word “Featured” on the left side above was NOT inserted by this blogger, but apparently was inserted by WordPress, and it cannot be removed. NO post in this blog is sponsored.]

The Book of the Week is “The Calling, A Memoir of Family, Faith and the Future of Healthcare” by Dr. Chris Chen and Dr. Gordon Chen, published in 2022. In this wordy, redundant volume, the brother-authors recounted their family’s history.

The Chen brothers, their wives, and their parents have built a successful medical practice of value-based care. They began in South Florida, serving low-income senior citizens in poor health. Their primary-care physicians (formerly called “general practitioners”) are truly passionate about treating their patients as though the patients are their own loved ones.

The family’s business, ChenMed, gets a flat fee from health-insurance companies, rather than a fee per patient. It is up to the practice’s bean-counters to do preventive care to make the business profitable. Arrogant and greedy doctors need not apply to ChenMed.

The doctors do quality over quantity, seeing a maximum of four hundred fifty patients per month. They have maximized the efficiency in their business so that they can spend a lot more time with each individual patient. Initially, they see cardiac patients daily until they get to know them. Of course, there is an emotional toll on the medical personnel when there are inexplicable complications or deaths.

It appears ChenMed has bragging rights– in the last forty years, it has established an impressive presence in the United States. And its monster-sized competition has copied the concept of their business model.

The Chens practice not only medicine, but also Christianity. The family’s patriarch thinks that one who does not believe in a supreme being, does not have a moral compass. Yes, people who have a bible that’s falling apart, usually aren’t. But that doesn’t mean that people who don’t have a bible usually are falling apart. There are plenty of ways other than religion for people to relieve the stresses of daily life, and still behave ethically.

Anyway, read the book to learn much more about the family’s and ChenMed’s backgrounds.

Scenes From an Orwellian Juggernaut – BONUS POST

[Please note: The word “Featured” on the left side above was NOT inserted by this blogger, but apparently was inserted by WordPress, and it cannot be removed. NO post in this blog is sponsored.]

A question for the ages:

How can Americans lower the likelihood of having to suffer through another sucky administration in the future? Stemming the propaganda would help a lot.

It will take decades to reverse the “fake news” trend, but it’s possible. The ways to do it involve lots of learning:

  • The American education system must teach critical thinking— in order to raise awareness of debating, public-speaking and propaganda techniques. In 1914, Oxford professor John Alexander Smith told his students the following: “…if you work hard and intelligently, you should be able to detect when a man is talking rot, and that, in my view, is the main, if not the sole purpose of education.”
  • Americans must read or listen to a vast quantity of entire books of nonfiction personal accounts written by all different stakeholders with different perspectives of the same historical incident or person or place or institution– and note which information is common to most or all accounts– making that information more likely to be true.
  • Americans must travel to get exposed to the rest of the world– get life-experience in true deprivation and trauma and learn gratitude for their living standards.

In sum, critical thinking, books and exposure to the world are a start. Everyone must reconcile science with religion in their own way, but keep in mind the philosophy, “Better to have unanswered questions than unquestioned answers.”

There are still an infinite number of unanswered questions about the second Trump administration, due to secrecy. However, the following song is a snapshot of the state of affairs in spring 2026.

SCENES FROM AN ORWELLIAN JUGGERNAUT

sung to the tune of “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” with apologies to Billy Joel and to whomever else the rights may concern. Please note: The lyrics in the beginning and end have been omitted because Prez T does not drink alcohol, and he is no longer a teenager. Only the “Brenda and Eddie” segment is relevant.

whoa whoa whoa oh oh oh whoa whoa whoa oh oh

Billionaires and Prez T are the populist steadies and the prez is drama queen of Iran, flying around with their GOP crowd, with their fancy PR on.

No one has more power. Fox is rewriting history by the hour.

We never knew they would take control of our lives.

We’re stuck now, with the prez’s scapegoating, profiteering spies.

whoa whoa whoa oh oh oh whoa whoa whoa oh oh

Billionaires and Prez T are still going steady with their Project 2025.

They’re a mean, greedy bunch of frat boys, still committing crimes.

They smear their foes like crazy.

AI software will make us ridiculously lazy.

Apparently GOP can afford to live that kind of life.

Oh, and the little people can’t wait to bid Prez T goodbye.

oh oh oh oh oh oh

Well the GOP’s losing ground and down for the count but they constantly play on our fears.

Need it be said we’re being led by chuckleheads who waste our tax dollars every year.

Internally they fight against threats to the Right.

They’re nervous as the midterms near.

whoa whoa whoa whoa Spouting cock-and-bull!

whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa

They got the MAGA minds. Voters missed the strongman signs.

Politics is always the same in the end.

They rule by fear and force as a matter of course, and Americans see Big Brother trends.

Billionaires and Prez T stay on the green but YOU might never go there again.

oh oh oh oh

Billionaires and Prez T are getting a last squeeze of Project 2025.

They’re stooping so low at the end of their show. They’ve messed up our lives.

Dems will no longer be appeasers. Dems have got fewer reactionary geezers.

We’re sure they’ll rise again, by the by.

Oh, and that’s all I’ll say about billionaires and Prez T.

Do expect midterm lies and hypocrisy.

And here we are wishing Prez T would bleep bleep bleep bleep.

whoa whoa whoa oh oh oh whoa whoa whoa oh oh…