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There are celebrities who entertain us. And by doing so, we become their fans. We buy tickets to see their films...and we contribute to Nielsen ratings by watching their television programs.
There are show business stars who are beloved...admired...and respected... because we discover they did something extraordinary to help a person or persons in need...or because they came to the rescue for one or more people in trouble.
We like famous Hollywood performers for lots of reasons. Some stand out more than others because of awards...because of their good looks...or simply because... they just seem to be nice.
And then...there was Jerry Lewis.
Jerry fit all of the above sentiments.
Throughout this past week, there have been many newspaper articles written... numerous TV and radio news reports that have aired...and countless social media comments that have been posted...that have paid tribute to the life, the comic genius and the warmhearted humanitarianism of Jerry Lewis.
Jerry's enormous talents are to be recognized for his movies...for his television shows...and for his 10-year comedy partnership with Dean Martin. And he deserves much applause for a stellar career. But I'm going to leave Jerry's Hollywood highlights - including his repertoire of films and his many awards and other honors - to be written about by others. However, I would be remiss if I didn't make note of at least a few of Jerry's memorable screen appearances that stand out in my mind and which captured his vast range as an actor.
Jerry Lewis, of course, was brilliant in The King Of Comedy. But of all his motion pictures...my favorite is the 1960 film, Visit To A Small Planet. I can watch it over and over again. And I have. Yet, I fall down with laughter each and every time.
As for television...I will forever remember the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode, "Uncle" from 2006. An NBC promo urged viewers not to miss "an unprecedented performance" by Jerry Lewis. The words I will use to describe Jerry's artistry in SVU: flawless and spellbinding.
But beyond Jerry Lewis on camera...I will always hold a special place in my heart for Jerry's personal kindness to me, back in 1995, when I was diagnosed with cancer for the first time. I took my mom to see the smash hit musical production, Damn Yankees on Broadway, which starred Jerry Lewis as The Devil. We laughed so hard that I thought each of us would bust a gut. And I needed to laugh. Although long ago, I still treasure that evening. After all, my doctor had recently crushed me with the words, "You have cancer." Therefore, it was the first time, in many weeks, that I was able to smile, let alone break out in laughter.
After the show, I wrote Jerry Lewis a letter to tell him how special that night was...how for - albeit only a few hours - my mind was void of my health problems... and that he brought bright sunshine to my life that had been plagued by darkness. Jerry made me so happy that I - shortly thereafter - got tickets to see Damn Yankees for a second time. I once again took my mom...and not only did the show free my head of thoughts about cancer...I think both performances gave my mother a couple of peaceful evenings about her son's pending surgery. I was glad to share those two outings with her.
I had obviously hoped that Jerry would somehow receive my letter and read it. But as someone who enjoyed many years of a career working in the entertainment industry, I was well aware that more often than not, show-biz luminaries generally don't have the opportunity to read all their fan mail. But my letter went directly to Jerry's house in Las Vegas, Nevada. And so...a few weeks later...to my great surprise...I was thrilled when I found in my mailbox - that's a postal mailbox not an e-mail box - an envelope, which inside had a personal letter to me from Jerry Lewis.
I was overwhelmed with joy. I had not yet undergone my cancer surgery and getting a letter from Jerry Lewis - especially with the heartfelt words he wrote - was exactly what I needed to get me through another traumatic day.
Jerry thanked me for my kind words to him. Not only did I express my gratitude for lifting up my spirits when I was as low as I ever was in my life...but I saluted him for all his years of altruism by raising money to help people who are afflicted with neuromuscular diseases. I thanked Jerry on behalf of his tens-of-millions of fans... who realize that because of his lifelong dedication...nobody who is diagnosed with any form of muscular dystrophy would ever be alone...and they would "never walk alone."
I can't imagine there are many people throughout the United States who are unaware of Jerry's signature song, which he sang to close each of his Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons. As with the telethon itself...Jerry Lewis singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" was as much a tradition on Labor Day as fireworks on the 4th of July. It was a song that had been requested by muscular dystrophy patients throughout America and it became their anthem.
In his letter to me, Jerry wished me well with my upcoming surgery and he encouraged me to fight hard and to be strong as I struggled to rid my body of cancer. I knew Jerry's thoughts were genuine and his prayers meant a lot to me.
With Jerry Lewis, there was always his hope...always his prayer...always his desire...and always his strength...that "his kids" would indeed walk someday...and sooner rather than later.
The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon was as much a staple in our country as is baseball, hotdogs and apple pie. All or part of the 21-and-a-half-hour broadcast was appointment television for most Americans during its 45-year history between 1966 and 2010. But in 2011, the Muscular Dystrophy Association unfairly forced out - or, if you will...cruelly terminated Jerry Lewis as its national chairman and as the host of an American institution...a telethon that Jerry created...which was instrumental in bringing a focus to neuromuscular diseases...and that brought in to the limelight an overall concentration to MDA. But Jerry's philanthropic efforts with the Muscular Dystrophy Association began long before his Labor Day telethons. Beginning in 1950, Jerry raised funds for the New York City chapter of MDA with The Jerry Lewis Thanksgiving Party. And in May 2015...Jerry told the on-line program, FOX 411..."In 61 years, we raised 2-billion-600-million dollars. So I feel pretty satisfied about the 61 years of...constant looking to make children better." And in more than six decades, Muscular Dystrophy Association officials say that Jerry never accepted one penny for his work with with MDA and the telethon. He was their "number one volunteer."
Jerry Lewis brought love...laughter...and tears...to each of us who watched The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon. As I wrote in my tribute to Jerry - over Labor Day weekend in 2014 - a column titled, It's Another Labor Day Weekend...And It's Not The Same Without Jerry Lewis..."Jerry Lewis was the heart and soul that breathed life into the Muscular Dystrophy Association and HIS telethon." There would be no Muscular Dystrophy Association without Jerry Lewis. Yet MDA officials were cold-hearted and insensitive towards him. MDA - as an organization - treated Jerry with a lack of respect when they technically dismissed him from his posts. Jerry Lewis deserved to be honored with dignity. And after 61 years...MDA instead...showed him the door.
The chairman of the board of the Muscular Dystrophy Association - Dr. R. Rodney Howell, M.D. - issued a statement following the death of Jerry Lewis. Part of Dr. Howell's remarks are printed below.
"The Muscular Dystrophy Association is deeply saddened by the death of beloved comedian, performer, humanitarian and former MDA telethon star and national chairman Jerry Lewis. MDA would not be the organization it is today if it were not for Jerry's tireless efforts on behalf of "his kids." His enthusiasm for finding cures for neuromuscular disease was matched only by his unyielding commitment to see the fight through to the end. Jerry's efforts on the annual MDA telethon transformed the broadcast in to an American tradition each Labor Day weekend for 45 years. MDA and the families we serve will always be grateful for the thousands of hours he dedicated through the telethon. Jerry's love, passion and brilliance are woven throughout this organization, which he helped build from the ground up. Though we will miss him beyond measure, we suspect that somewhere in heaven, he's already urging the angels to give 'just one dollar more for my kids.'"
That's a classy sentiment by Dr. Howell. Too bad MDA lacked similar class in 2011 when officials of the organization took away Jerry's lifelong passion from under him.
I'm always amazed when such a tribute is presented after someone dies... especially when - as Time magazine wrote in August 2012 - "Jerry Lewis was dumped by the MDA, the charity he had been identified with since the 1950s. He's still bitter about it." In an interview with Time for that 2012 issue, Jerry was asked what happened. "That's not a place I want to go. Because if I go there, you'll never get me back." Actor and Jerry Lewis friend, Richard Belzer told Time..."This was a hurt man." Belzer called reasons associated with Jerry's departure from the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the telethon..."insulting." Belzer said...they "provoke(d) him to leave. It was a moral outrage." MDA officials have long stated that Jerry retired. One might say he resigned. I insist that because of MDA's poor treatment of him, it was tantamount to being fired.
Although none would ever match or reach the caliber of The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon - on his "Love Network" of television stations - every telethon for any health organization or charity that followed...or that may come to the airwaves in the future...owes a monumental thanks to Jerry Lewis.
I never had the pleasure and the privilege to meet Jerry Lewis, but I did - in a sense - work for him when I was executive producer of a Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon in central New York State. And I was proud to give my time - in even a small way - to helping "Jerry's Kids."
The public - to this day - does not know the reason why Jerry Lewis devoted 61 years to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Some people have reportedly thought that it was because Jerry had a child, a sibling, other relative, or friend who died from a neuromuscular disease. But Jerry would never discuss his reason. I worked with one of Jerry's sons on an ABC television show in Hollywood, back in 1979. His dad's telethon came up in conversation one day with several people in the studio. But when someone asked about the reason his dad did the annual telethon, Jerry's son claimed he had no clue. Whether he does know or not...is not important. And if keeping it private is what Jerry Lewis wanted...then anybody who does know the secret - perhaps his wife or any of his children - then I hope they will never reveal it to anyone. After all...it really doesn't matter why Jerry did it. We should just be grateful that he did.
The sad news came...that Jerry Lewis had died of natural causes...on Sunday, August 20th, 2017...while he was at home in Las Vegas...surrounded by his family and loved ones. He was 91.
As I posted on my Facebook page...following Jerry's death..."The world has lost a special, special person." Jerry Lewis will be missed. He was a legend...an international icon...and an American treasure.
Heaven got a little funnier last Sunday. But more importantly...heaven got a whole lot better. If anyone was to receive his wings...at the moment he arrived at The Pearly Gates... it would be Jerry Lewis. But then... Jerry was already an angel...here on Earth.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a
publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy
is Gary B. Duglin.
Now, please express your personal
opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The
Controversy.
Photo Credits: Us Magazine (Jerry Lewis #1), Mansfield Avenue Productions (Jerry Lewis #2) and ABC News by the Associated Press (Jerry Lewis #3)
Copyright 2017 Gary B. Duglin and
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When are the Members of the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives going to get off their behinds and impeach Donald Trump for being mentally unfit to serve as President of the United States? Must our country become a cesspool of total embarrassment and a haven of disgust before Congress moves in a forward direction to remove Trump from office?
Regular readers of The Controversy can attest...that since after the election last November...I predicted Donald Trump would not survive a full four-year term. And that for many months, I have written that Trump would follow in Richard Nixon's footsteps...and like America's 37th president, the 45th would resign the presidency in disgrace. As with Nixon...Trump will never put himself through House impeachment hearings, let alone a U.S. Senate trial and conviction. Therefore, Trump's narcissism and other mental disorders will force him - as he does with everything else - to blame everyone from Democrats to the press...from Republicans in his own Administration to the GOP on Capitol Hill...for his reasons for resigning. But Donald Trump will not ever take responsibility for any of his actions that have been criticized by part or most of the American population. As a result, he will tell Congress - in plain English - to "go to hell and go f--k yourselves. I don't need this s--t and I am outta here."
Senator Bob Corker has already questioned whether Trump is stable and competent to be president. On Thursday, August 17th, 2017, the Tennessee Republican told reporters that Trump "has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability...nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate...in order to be successful."
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain on August 17th - where thirteen people were killed and more than one-hundred were injured, some critically - Trump once again proved to be completely off-the-wall and totally unpresidential when, in a tweet, on that same day, the "Liar-In-Chief" quoted an Internet hoax. "Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!" IT'S A LIE! It's a myth! It NEVER happened! For the man who consistently accuses the "fake media" for reporting "fake news" - which is far from fake and is reported by professional, first-rate journalists - Donald Trump repeats a fully fake story that historians all around the world have categorically stated is untrue. And this is the second time that Trump has cited this falsehood. In a February 2016 South Carolina campaign rally, Trump - in animated fashion - echoed a debunked legend that has been wrongly attributed to American World War I General John J. Pershing. "They had a terrorism problem. And there's a whole thing with swine and animals and pigs...they don't like 'em. And General Pershing was a rough guy. And they were having terrorism problems just like we do. And he caught fifty terrorists who did tremendous damage and killed many people. And he took fifty men...and he dipped fifty bullets in pig's blood. He took fifty bullets and he dipped them in pig's blood. And he had his men load his rifles...and he lined up the fifty people...and they shot forty-nine of those people. And the fiftieth person, he said, 'You go back to your people...and you tell them what happened.' And for twenty-five years there wasn't a problem. Okay? Twenty-five years, there wasn't a problem." There is not one scintilla of historical evidence to prove that any of Trump's rant is fact. It is not true. Not at all. And yet, Trump has shared this lie twice. Not only did he feel it necessary to regurgitate a lie that he told 18 months ago, but like most liars, he didn't remember exactly the way he first said it. Originally - at that February 2016 rally - Trump insisted Pershing's stunt ended terrorism for 25 years. Yet in his August 2017 tweet, Trump claimed terrorism had been stopped for 35 years. Neither, of course, is true. But only Trump - in his demented mind - knows why he added 10 years.
In the wake of the Saturday, August 12th riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, Donald Trump defended neo-Nazis, white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan. Three major publications have agreed that Trump's vile verbiage - from his Tuesday, August 15th meltdown press conference - supported anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry overall. The Economist magazine's new cover shows an artist's image of Trump while bellowing into a white megaphone, which appears to be a Ku Klux Klan hood with eye holes. Time magazine's latest cover depicts a drawing of a white man wearing black, stormtrooper boots. The man is draped in an American flag that is held at a 45-degree angle by a pole...and raised to represent the man's arm and hand stretched forward to create the Nazi salute. And The New Yorker magazine's new cover displays an artist's likeness of Trump in a sailboat that has a sail with eye holes that resembles a KKK hood. These three publications follow Trump's despicable words that there were "very fine people on both sides" of the Charlottesville protest...which included haters of Jews, blacks and other minorities...and where a 32-year old woman was brutally murdered.
Donald Trump is a man who cannot remain the President of the United States. Congress and the American people need to take immediate steps to legally and lawfully end the presidency of someone who should never have been elected to the office in the first place. My comments today do not have anything to do with politics. This is not about Democrats' revenge for Trump winning The Oval Office in an electoral vote victory over Hillary Clinton. This is about the safety and security... the economic health...and the total well-being of the United States of America. Donald Trump is a danger to our nation. So I appeal to every single Democratic Congressperson...and every single Democratic Senator...along with enough House and Senate Republicans - some of which I believe are of sound mind - to, in tandem, appropriately walk the path towards evicting Donald Trump from The White House. But do it soon...before Trump's insanity brings our country to the brink of disaster... or worse.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a
publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy
is Gary B. Duglin.
Now, please express your personal
opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The
Controversy.
Copyright 2017 Gary B. Duglin and
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In his narcissistic way, Donald Trump - while at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio on Tuesday, July 25th, 2017 - patted himself on the back as being the greatest president the United States has ever had, except for Abraham Lincoln. "With the exception of the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any other president that's ever held this office."
President Lincoln would never have defended racism and bigotry. President Lincoln would never have used the despicable words that Donald Trump spoke on Tuesday, August 15th, when Trump painted neo-Nazis and white supremacists as victims. President Lincoln was against the ugliness that Donald Trump defended in the most disgraceful press conference I have ever witnessed in my life.
It was President Abraham Lincoln who issued the Emancipation Proclamation, on January 1st, 1863, which changed the federal legal status of more than 3-million slaves of the South...and ordered them to be free. President Lincoln would never have equated blacks of his era to the abominable slave owners who wrongfully degraded and brutally abused innocent human beings and considered them property not people. At this point, I am not sure what Donald Trump is capable of saying or doing.
Donald Trump can never rank himself in the same league with Abraham Lincoln. The name Donald Trump should never be spoken in the same breath with our beloved 16th President.
It was Saturday, August 12th when white supremacists and neo-Nazis - carrying racist signs, Ku Klux Klan banners, and swastikas on Nazi flags - performed domestic terrorism on the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, where one person was senselessly killed and nineteen others were injured. A 32-year old woman - Heather Heyer - was savagely murdered by a 20-year old Ohio man...when a car driven by him...plowed through a crowd on a street...in this generally quiet community. I won't include the name of the killer in this column, as it nauseates me to even think of it...and I don't want to give him any fame whatsoever.
One witness told NBC News that the vehicular assault "was very clearly intentional." The witness noted..."From the far end of the street, (the car) accelerated...slowed down right before the crowd...and then slammed on the gas through the crowd...sending bodies flying. And then it reversed back in to the street, dragging bodies and clothes." The driver of the car is in custody and has been booked on a felony count of second degree murder. He could eventually be charged with federal domestic terrorism and a hate crime.
Later that day, two Virginia state police troopers were killed in a helicopter disaster...when their chopper crashed and burned in a wooded area...as the officers were patroling near the violent rally that was billed as "Unite The Right." Law enforcement authorities in Virginia reported that the courageous cops were on board the whirlybird in an effort to "assist public safety resources with the ongoing situation in Charlottesville." The F.B.I. has begun a civil rights investigation on the Charlottesville riot of death.
Yet, at that infamous August 15th news conference - held at Trump Tower in New York City - Donald Trump had the audacity and the unmitigated gall to compare the viciousness and maliciousness by neo-Nazis, white supremacists and members of the Ku Klux Klan to those they were opposing in this deadly protest. There are "very fine people on both sides," declared Trump. He blames "both sides" for the "violence."
As President of the United States, Donald Trump stood before the American people and legitimized monsters who chanted painful and hateful phrases about Jews, blacks and other minorities. For Trump to support such a diabolical demonstration is reprehensible.
The so-called "alt-right" activists were originally protesting in opposition to the removal of a bronze statue of Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee, which stands in Charlottesville's Emancipation Park, formerly called Lee Park. But these Nazi bastards...and these white supremacists, white nationalists and Ku Klux Klan men...are the scum of the earth. They are cut from the same hideous fabric that tragically brought the world Adolf Hitler. So let's not put lipstick and perfume on the name "alt-right" and make it anything, but what it really is; an organization of depraved and degenerate slimebags. This group wants to kill Jews. It's Nazism. It's racism in its worst form. These evil creatures want to kill anyone whose skin color is black, brown or anything other than white. To call these wicked lowlifes... "animals"...would be an insult to the four-legged, warmblooded mammals of our planet. Neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members, white supremacists and others of their sick ilk are heinously satanistic...and their coldblooded actions must be stopped.
Instead of an unequivocal and unambiguous condemnation by Donald Trump, he - on Saturday afternoon, August 12th at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club - read this statement. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides...on many sides." But in those remarks, Trump never specifically denounced neo-Nazis, the KKK and white supremacists. He did not pinpoint the disgust in our country and call them by name.
Trump's "many sides" comment found him being chastised by Democrats and Republicans alike...reportedly even from members of his own Administration. So under extreme pressure to be more "presidential"...Trump - on Monday, August 14th - came forward and read this prepared speech. "Racism is evil...and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs...including the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists...and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans."
But then...Donald Trump became Donald Trump once again. His August 14th teleprompter remarks were not from his heart. They did not truly reflect the feelings of Donald Trump...and many of us in our country suspected it...and knew it. They were words written by one or more staffers who advised Trump that it was...what needed to be said. But after doing it, Trump wasn't going to leave it there. He wasn't going to let anyone get away with telling him what he should do. So on Tuesday, August 15th...in a deeply disturbing and repulsive display of reckless behavior...Trump, once again, changed his tune and his tone. And he, therefore, proved to me one more time...that for which I have written over the last two years...that Donald Trump is a seriously ill and mentally deranged person who is unfit to serve as our nation's president. And that he not only needs to be impeached and removed from office, but he needs to be committed and institutionalized. Donald Trump is certifiable. He is a danger to our country and to the citizens of it.
The GOP must totally break ties from Donald Trump. Republicans on Capitol Hill and in governors' mansions nationwide must run for their lives and away from Trump. No Republican senator...no Republican congressman...no GOP governor or politician whatsoever should ever stand next to Trump. And obviously fearing public ridicule and a loss of future profits to their businesses, the chief executive officers of some of the nation's largest companies - who served on Trump's manufacturing advisory council - decided to abandon the group because of Trump's controversial comments at his press conference. It's apparent they want nothing to do with Trump.
Donald Trump is the only U.S. president in history to be praised by a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. In a tweet on August 15th, David Duke wrote..."Thank you President Trump for your honesty and courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville and condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM (Black Lives Matter)/Antifa (Antifascist Movement)."
Prior to the eruption of violence in Charlottesville, on August 12th, Duke spewed his venom in a video, where he paid tribute to Donald Trump. The former KKK leader stated..."We are determined to take our country back. We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That's why we voted for Donald Trump. Because he said he's going to take our country back. That's what we gotta do."
Let us all remember that there are members of Trump's inner circle...people in his Administration...who he appointed...who are known to be involved...associated...or, at the very least, linked in some form...with white nationalists, white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazis. Donald Trump is using taxpayers' money to pay the salaries of hateful, prejudiced and bigoted people who work in The White House. No such person should ever be employed by any federal government department or agency.
Trump's comments at his August 15th press conference are inexcusable and unforgivable. No decent American should support Trump? I want former President Barack Obama...former President George W. Bush...former President Bill Clinton... former President George H. W. Bush...and former President Jimmy Carter...to stand together and jointly call for the resignation of Donald Trump. And Vice President Mike Pence...along with a majority of Trump's Cabinet members...should invoke the 25th Amendment. Section 4 of that Amendment states that if they decide that for whatever reason, Trump is "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office"...such a statement in writing would be sent to the Speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate. Vice President Pence would then become "acting president." Trump could dispute that decision and a two-thirds majority vote in both Congressional chambers would be necessary to keep the vice president in charge. Without those numbers, Trump would resume his powers and remain in office. But after Trump's news conference, I am confident that Congress would go along with Pence and the Cabinet.
White House staffers say Trump "went rogue" at his meltdown press conference. And they were stunned by his rant. Arms folded and his head down, newly appointed White House chief of staff, retired U.S. Marine Corps General John Kelly appeared nervously troubled as he waited off to the side during Trump's "Q and A" with reporters. Personally, I could never work for anybody who uttered such vile language as Donald Trump did. But then - knowing what Kelly knew about Trump before he took the job - I'm surprised he had any interest in joining the presidential team at all...even to serve - as he did previously - as Secretary of Homeland Security, let alone as White House chief of staff. It's too soon to be sure whether Kelly will part ways with Trump. But if he's smart, he'll run, not walk, to the closest exit of The White House...and not look back.
Donald Trump has embarrassed the United States, as a nation...and he has embarrassed each and every American who has a conscience and who cares about their fellow man and their fellow woman...no matter their race, religion or ethnic heritage.
August 15th, 2017 is a date all Americans should etch in their minds, as that day was the beginning of the end for Donald Trump as president. Trump dug a hole for himself on Saturday, August 12th, which he tried to dig out of on Monday, August 14th. But at his news conference on Tuesday, August 15th...Donald Trump not only dug himself a deeper hole...but he metaphorically began his own political funeral. And it won't be too long before Congress...Trump's Cabinet...or the American people... shovel over the dirt...and bury him.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a
publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy
is Gary B. Duglin.
Now, please express your personal
opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The
Controversy.
Copyright 2017 Gary B. Duglin and
TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.
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There will be no war between the United States of America and North Korea. If such a military encounter were to become a reality, we can all kiss our loved ones goodbye and say farewell to the planet Earth. A U.S.-North Korea war would be the beginning of World War III...and World War III would be World War Death. And World War Death...would be the end of our world.
This is one big poker game. It's a giant bluff by both country's so-called leaders. I say "so-called leaders" because neither is truly leading anybody. A leader needs followers...and in the United States, two-thirds of the population (and counting) have no desire to follow Donald Trump anywhere. And North Korea is a dictatorship with no laws other than...whatever Kim Jong-un says, goes.
Trump must cease from inflaming an issue with North Korea. He must discontinue his incendiary threats. Adding fuel to them cannot be productive. A calming effect by America's President would have been better than Trump's off-the-cuff remark - on Tuesday, August 8th, 2017 - when he warned North Korea to "not make any more threats to the United States" otherwise the east Asian country "will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." Trump then embellished on his pledge by vowing that North Korea "will be met with fire, fury and frankly power...the likes of which this world has never seen before." But on Thursday, August 10th - while on vacation at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey - Trump announced that his harsh words may not have been "tough enough."
Donald Trump's promise is in reaction to the insanity of Kim Jong-un's nuclear threat. Some - but not all U.S. intelligence analysts - have assessed that North Korea has created a miniature nuclear warhead. Apparently, North Korea has been able to shrink a warhead and place it inside a missile. Some analysts have determined that such a nuclear warhead could travel the distance from Pyongyang to Los Angeles.
But Trump is instigating a situation that can be avoided. Bluntly put in simple terms - and in plain English - Donald Trump needs to keep his damn mouth shut. Trump - the narcissist that he is - has boasted about the U.S. nuclear arsenal... merely because he wants to take credit for making our stockpile the most forceful and most dynamic in American history. In his tweet on Wednesday morning, August 9th, Trump wrote..."My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before." But - as is the norm for Donald Trump - he has once again lied. He has no business and no right to praise and compliment himself for accomplishments that are not his own. Experts in the nuclear field - as well as former U.S. officials - have categorically stated that our nation's nuclear arsenal is no different than it was when President Barack Obama left office on January 20th. Jeffrey Lewis - a nuclear expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies - told The Washington Post..."There's no point at which (Trump's) statement touches reality." After all...it was President Obama who signed in to law a one-trillion-dollar modernization plan...and nothing - according to experts and officials - has been adjusted or improved since then. Yet, instead of Trump correcting his misstatement, America's "Liar-In-Chief" told reporters at his Bedminster club - on Thursday, August 10th - that the United States' nuclear arsenal is in "tip-top shape...and getting better...and getting stronger." Trump proves more and more everyday that he is a pathological liar.
Hostile threats and apocalyptic rhetoric by both Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un can only inflate this issue. North Korea is currently trying to intimidate the United States with nuclear action near Guam. North Korean state media has reported that Kim may consider firing four missiles over the Pacific Ocean near the American territory. Such missiles would first soar over Japan and then land about twenty miles off the coast of Guam.
The United States of today - as other American Presidents or their Secretaries of State and other diplomats have done throughout history - would be better off attempting negotiations towards peace rather than confrontations towards war. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un should both be thinking...meetings not missiles.
Everyone needs to slam on the brakes and stop all the scare tactics about nuclear war. I happen to be acquainted - as I'm sure many of you are too - with numerous people who have expressed a tremendous amount of fear that Trump and Kim are going to threaten each other until a war commences. Perhaps you feel that way. I, however, do not believe that either of these two dunderheads are stupid enough that they will risk the possibility for the complete destruction of our globe. Therefore, Trump...nor Kim...will cross the line in to a nuclear military operation. Nobody wants a nuclear world war.
Both Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are delusional and dangerous. But even if either one is protected...and survives a nuclear war...without a living planet, neither would have a nation of people...or a world of people...to rule. In a nuclear world war...seven-and-a-half-billion people will die. We will all be dead.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a
publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy
is Gary B. Duglin.
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It was the early days of Donald Trump's run for the Republican nomination when - before nearly any other journalist and most other Americans, in general - I labeled Trump everything from a narcissistic maniac...to mentally ill...to a dangerous lunatic who is unfit to be President of the United States. At the time, I was criticized by some Republicans and Democrats alike for using such harsh language. But today, Trump continues to prove me right. And although others may not be as blunt as I am by using the same words...it is obvious by the Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017 Quinnipiac University Poll that a vast majority of people in the United States - about two-thirds of Americans - now agree with me, either in total or at least in part. Quinnipiac shows that Trump's approval rating has plunged into the basement at an embarrassing 33 percent...and I believe those declining numbers will soon fall even lower and will eventually sink to depths of an underground cavern.
Donald Trump is a failure. After a little more than six-and-a-half months in The White House, Trump has accomplished absolutely nothing that he promised his supporters he would do except to get a conservative Associate Justice to fill the seat on the U.S. Supreme Court that was left vacant by the February 13th, 2016 death of Antonin Scalia.
Trump vowed during his campaign that he would "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as "Obamacare." Trump failed. Although it needs improvements, the Affordable Care Act remains the law of the land...and - as I wrote in numerous past columns - it always will be.
Trump was going to build a wall along the U.S./Mexico border...and he insisted that our friends to the south would pay for it. There is no wall. There will never be a wall. And again...Trump failed.
Trump has said that the Russia story is "a hoax" and "fake news." Yet everyday there is more and more proof that members of the Trump campaign - and perhaps Donald Trump himself - colluded with Russia by interfering in the 2016 presidential election. There is black and white evidence - in the form of e-mails - that Trump's son, Donald Trump, Jr., was willing to meet with a Russian lawyer who he thought would provide detrimental information that would destroy Hillary Clinton's chances at winning the presidency. And who else was at that June 9th, 2016 meeting? Trump's son-in-law...Jared Kushner.
In recent days, Donald Trump did what Donald Trump does most of all. He lied. On Monday, July 31st, The Washington Post reported that it was "Daddy Donald" who actually dictated the statement that Donald, Jr. had discussed the adoption of Russian children with the Russian attorney at that Trump Tower meeting last year in New York City. But that was a lie.
Donald Trump has, therefore, obstructed justice. Not only did he do so with the written remarks about his son and son-in-law's meeting with the Russian lawyer, but by firing then FBI Director James Comey. My Republican readers are going to dispute my words - especially with regards to Comey - but how can you? Our nation and our world heard Trump admit - in an interview with NBC News Chief Anchor Lester Holt - that he terminated Comey because of the Russia investigation. But a sit-down conversation with a highly respected, veteran journalist is not testimony under oath. And that is what Special Prosecutor Bob Mueller needs...to bring down Donald Trump and end his presidency.
Donald Trump has no appetite to help America...or Americans who didn't vote for him. In fact, he has no craving to help regular voters who did cast their ballots for him. Trump's only desire is to benefit his friends and the super rich citizens of our country. Otherwise, he cares to help nobody else, but perhaps his family. And I'd bet there are some Trump relatives who he might wind up throwing under the bus in an effort to save his own skin. Tragically, there are middle-class and poor people who have been hoodwinked in to thinking that Trump will make them financially successful. Nothing of the sort will ever happen. And all those innocent individuals will have been snookered by America's "conman-in-chief."
There is no way that Donald Trump is going to repay those Americans who live check-to-check...or who are hungry and don't have enough money to even make ends meet. Instead, he's going to take more and more vacations. After all, in a story that was also published in the July 31st edition of Sports Illustrated...Golf Magazine reported that Trump says he frequently stays at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club because "that White House is a real dump." The article states that eight or nine people at the Trump National Golf Club - including members and staffers - overheard Trump's derogatory remarks when he allegedly uttered them while attending the U.S. Women's Open in July. Let us remember that former President Barack Obama never made such an offensive statement about The White House...but that Trump chastised Mr. Obama during the presidential campaign saying..."I would rarely leave The White House because there's so much work to be done. I would not be a president who took vacations. I would not be a president that takes time off." But - according to published reports - by the end of August 2017, Trump will have had triple the amount of leisure time during his first seven months in office as President Obama did for the same period in his first term. Various news organizations have said that by August 31st, Trump will have enjoyed 53 days of playtime compared to 15 days for Mr. Obama between January 20th and August 31st, 2009. So if Trump doesn't like living in The White House, maybe he should listen to Democratic political consultant and news commentator Paul Begala who tweeted on August 1st..."If @realDonaldTrump truly thinks the White House is a 'dump,' many of us would chip in to pay for the Uhaul to take him back to Trump Tower." Paul, I'm with you, my friend.
Trump has been guilty - for quite some time - for expressing insulting and demeaning remarks to numerous individuals and groups of people. And now he has added transgender Americans to his bigot list. On Wednesday, July 26th, Trump announced that transgenders can no longer serve in the U.S. military. A 2016 Rand Corporation study estimates...of the 2.1 million Americans in our Armed Forces... there are perhaps nearly 12-thousand active and reserved members who are transgenders. Trump has - in the past - verbally attacked African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and a variety of other ethnic, racial and religious groups...not to mention his disgusting, misogynistic behavior. And now...Trump has offended the LGBTQ community. Who will be next?
The United States of America is burdened by a President who has caused nothing but chaos in our nation and in The White House. Therefore, Bob Mueller must accelerate his efforts and move full-speed ahead on obtaining incontrovertible evidence that Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses. Reporters for The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Associated Press and other first-rate news outlets have already laid the groundwork with enough proof to bury Trump's presidency. But reliable sources - even dozens of them - won't hold up in a courtroom...or, in this case, in a House of Representatives impeachment hearing room...so a Senate conviction could not become a reality. Hopefully, Mueller will dig up those sources as witnessess and subpoena them to testify under oath before the new Grand Jury he has impaneled. It will be those sworn testimonies, which will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt whether Donald Trump broke the law and if he is criminally guilty of obstruction of justice and/or possibly other federal illegalities. And if, in fact, Trump is guilty of criminal activity...once those witnesses appear before Congress, he would be impeached and removed from office. I look forward to the day when Senators can say to Trump - as he did so many times to contestants on his television shows, The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice - "You're fired." But the evidence must be irrefutable otherwise a Republican-controlled Congress will never even attempt to start impeachment proceedings. It would then be up to Americans - all across the country - to elect only Democrats to the House and Senate in the 2018 midterm elections. If not, we may be stuck with Donald Trump for a full four-year term. And by 2020 our nation will need more than Bob Mueller to save us. We'll need a Messiah.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a
publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy
is Gary B. Duglin.
Now, please express your personal
opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The
Controversy.
Copyright
2017 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.
