THE CONTROVERSY: September 2018

Saturday, September 29, 2018

SENATOR JEFF FLAKE HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL

After reading this editorial, please express your own thoughts. At the bottom, please click on the word "Comments" below the copyright and type your remarks in the box. When finished, please click on the word "Publish." Please also share a link to this column with others in your e-mail directory and on social media.

This column - in part or in its entirety - may be freely shared among individuals, and it may be reprinted, republished, or quoted in any medium including broadcast, cable, satellite, print, Internet, and other forms of media, but only when crediting Gary B. Duglin and The Controversy.

I've always been a believer of angels. As hokey as some people may think, I believe deep in my heart that there are people on Earth who - in another time - lived a life on the grounds of our planet.

Long before Michael Landon's Highway To Heaven...and Touched By An Angel with Roma Downey and Della Reese...my faith in God inspired me to feel comforted for a belief in heaven...and that this everlasting kingdom of immortality is a paradise which is blessed with angels. Inside my soul, I trust there are celestial guardians who not only help humans by performing deeds on their own, but through God's miracles, a particular angel - who the Lord has assigned to a person or persons - can motivate such individuals to act in ways that would benefit themselves and others too.

On Friday, September 28th, 2018, Americans witnessed the ethereal efforts of one of those angels.

Two women...outside an elevator at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC...and Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona who was detained inside that open elevator by the two women...were the chosen recipients of the anonymous angel. The divine messenger was performing God's work and was imbued by the Almighty to arrange for Senator Flake to be stopped by 39-year old Ana Maria Archila and 23-year old Maria Gallagher, both of New York. Flake had indicated earlier that he planned to vote in favor of Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. But Archila and Gallagher - who had been demonstrating on Capitol Hill - confronted Flake as he boarded an elevator en route to the Senate Judiciary Committee chamber. The pair of protesters blocked the elevator door so it would not close...and in a compelling and captivating exchange of words, these two women made certain that Flake knew that he - and he alone - could likely be the deciding vote in allowing a nominee to move forward to the highest court in the land while he is being accused of sexual assault. Archila and Gallagher opened up to Flake on national television that they are both victims of sexual assault.

So who is this angel? And why would he...or she...take on a matter of national importance between liberals and conservatives? After all...God...nor His angels...are Democrats or Republicans. Our Father who art in heaven does not enter in to the political arena. But I'm convinced that He has not been pleased with what He has observed recently in the United States. So to perhaps mend our country...if only for a moment...God took it upon Himself to level the playing field...and to at least allow an independent entity to assist in seeking the truth. Remember...when Moses received The Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, it is the Ninth Commandment that teaches us..."Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

The identity of the angel, in reality, will remain a mystery. But in the core of my being, I believe that the angel is John McCain. The late Republican senior senator from Arizona was a close personal friend and mentor to Senator Flake. Regular readers of The Controversy are well aware that my political views - as liberal and as progressive as they are - found me to generally disagree with Senator McCain. But John McCain was a decent and honorable gentleman...and a true American hero. He would never want to deliberately hurt anyone, especially those who were being wronged by others.

When Donald Trump and nearly all Republicans in Congress attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act with a vote on July 28th, 2017, it was Senator McCain's iconic thumbs-down gesture that stopped the death of "Obamacare." McCain knew that it would be catastrophic to take away healthcare that rightfully belonged to millions of Americans who - previous to President Barack Obama's signature piece of legislation - were unable to obtain it...either because it was too expensive, or because the subscriber suffered from pre-existing conditions.

Inside the Capitol elevator on September 28th, the spirit of John McCain flowed throughout Jeff Flake's body...and as if an angel was a magic wand...Senator McCain presented Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher with the courage to compassionately communicate to Senator Flake...for the benefit of themselves...and on behalf of others.

Flake later voted to send Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Senate floor, but with one condition...that his GOP colleagues hold off on the final confirmation vote for one week so that the F.B.I. has time to investigate the sexual assault allegations. Flake's basic message to other Republicans was that he would not support Kavanaugh again unless the F.B.I. was permitted to pursue additional information from witnesses. "I think it would be proper to delay the floor vote for up to but not more than one week in order to let the F.B.I. do an investigation, limited in time and scope, to the current allegations that are there." Flake continued..."That is my position. I think that we ought to do what we can to make sure that we do all due diligence with a nomination this important." And Flake finished by stating..."I can't make that commitment for the leadership. I can only say I will only be comfortable moving on the floor until the F.B.I. has done more investigation than they have already. It may not take a week. I understand that some of these witnesses may not want to discuss anything further, but I think we owe them due diligence."

Throughout the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, September 27th, Judge Kavanaugh "categorically and unequivocally" denied any of the sexual assault and sexual misconduct allegations against him.

It's so sad that a fight over the nomination of a Supreme Court justice will come down to sexual assault allegations from more than three decades ago and whether Kavanaugh is believed to have acted so violently or if Dr. Christine Blasey Ford - and other women who allege they are victims - are mistaken, confused or lying.

For the record, I oppose Brett Kavanaugh's nomination, but I did before the sexual assault allegations were ever made. I believe Dr. Ford's testimony when she also appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 27th. I do not trust Kavanaugh as there is doubt...and for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court - even I agreed with him politically, which I don't - when there is doubt of any kind, I cannot support him to be sitting on any seat...in any court. Tragically, lives have been affected on both sides. The ball is now in the F.B.I.'s court..and such an investigation is what I - and other Democrats - have been wanting for nearly two weeks since learning of the first accusation on September 16th.

Because later on September 28th, Donald Trump issued the following statement through his press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. "I've ordered the F.B.I. to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh's file. As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week."

My mom often says..."God works in strange ways." And in this case...He provided Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher with the fortitude to aggressively approach Senator Flake and to pull his heartstrings and, therefore, persuade him to do what is right...for them...and for all women who have been sexually mistreated.

In Frank Capra's classic motion picture, It's A Wonderful Life - my all-time favorite movie - James Stewart as George Bailey...is told by an angel named Clarence that "Each man's life touches so many other lives." By the touch of an angel named John McCain...Jeff Flake, Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher were given the power to touch the lives of an entire nation...and to be instrumental in a history-making event.

It's only been 36 days since John McCain passed on. No I won't say died because he lives on as an angel. As George Bailey's young daughter, Zuzu tells her daddy at the end of the film when she hears a bell ring..."Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." John McCain earned his wings on September 28th, 2018. On that same day...Jeff Flake, Ana Maria Archila, and Maria Gallagher ensured that...longtime in to the future...they too will be given theirs.

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.

Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The Controversy.

Photo credits: CBS News (Senator Jeff Flake), Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images (Former Senator John McCain) and Make The Road Act and New York Post (Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher)

Copyright 2018 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

THE TRUMP TOWER MEETING IS WHAT WILL BURY THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY AND THE TRUMP DYNASTY

No sane individual - or for that matter, no person who knows anything about politics...or the law... or who possesses simple common decency and patriotism for America and the democracy of our country - would accept an invitation for a meeting with Russians as Trump, Jr. did. "The Young Donald" should never have agreed to confer with a Kremlin-connected lawyer. And when he told Jared Kushner - and the then-chairman of the Trump Campaign, Paul Manafort who with his political background should have known better - Trump, Jr. should have been advised that such a meeting would be criminal. All of this confirms to me what I've always believed - and have written about in earlier columns - that Donald Trump himself had to know about the secret get-together beforehand, and that when Trump, Jr. undoubtedly told Daddy about it, the now "liar-in-chief" licked his lips and savored the taste of evil deceit as if it was a triple-scoop hot fudge sundae. Nothing happens in "Trumpworld" without the patriarch knowing about it. Goldstone's e-mail was telling Trump, Jr. that the Russians wanted to interfere in our election by attacking the Democratic nominee. But Republican Trump later called that "opposition research." No Donald...that's breaking the law.

A foreigner cannot provide assistance - in the form of a donation or a contribution - to an American political campaign. That is illegal according to United States federal law. The Trump Tower meeting is a textbook definition of criminal wrongdoing as Goldstone's e-mail specifically identifies a Russian government official of wanting to provide damaging information on Hillary Clinton and that the Russians desire to do so was their way of aiding the Trump campaign. This was clear intent by Trump, Jr., Kushner and Manafort to conspire with Russia in a plot to meddle in our election. In the eyes of the law, "official documents and information" is just as much a "donation" as money. Thus, for three senior advisers to Donald Trump to be gung-ho about such a meeting - and then to attend it with the vim, vigor and gusto that the three men had, paints a picture-perfect display of conspiring to collude with Putin's people. If anybody doesn't see that, I can recommend a good ophthalmologist.

Donald Trump and his family of henchmen are hiding from the truth. But special counsel Mueller is on a direct path to find it. I wrote the following in my September 15th, 2018 column, but it is worth repeating. "If Trump starts to see the handwriting on the wall...and it's clear that Mueller is about ready to cook his goose...I doubt The Art Of The Deal author will wait much longer to make a deal with Mueller and/or Congress. When push comes to shove and orange jumpsuits become part of the wardrobe...along with handcuffs as their jewelry accessories for Trump's three oldest children and one son-in-law...Trump, I believe, will agree to resign the presidency so that Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Jared don't get thrown behind bars on state and/or federal charges. Thick smoke is billowing from The White House and Trump Tower... and soon a full-fledged fire (metaphorically speaking) is going to burn down the Trump presidency and the Trump dynasty."

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.

Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The Controversy.

Photo credit: Associated Press (Donald Trump, Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort)

Copyright 2018 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

MEN WHO SEXUALLY ASSAULT WOMEN SHOULDN'T BE A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE...OR PRESIDENT

This column - in part or in its entirety - may be freely shared among individuals, and it may be reprinted, republished, or quoted in any medium including broadcast, cable, satellite, and other forms of media, but only when crediting Gary B. Duglin and The Controversy.

The Republicans of the Senate Judiciary Committee are as heartless and as spineless as jellyfish. They want to rush to have Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testify under oath in front of their panel on Monday, September 24th, 2018. It's a foregone conclusion that the senators know if there's enough credible evidence to prove that the 51-year old research psychologist and professor is telling the truth about an attempted rape by U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that it might be impossible to get another high court nominee confirmed before the November 6th mid-term elections. The committee also invited Kavanaugh to respond to the allegations under oath on the same day as Ford.

It is critical for the F.B.I. to investigate the allegations, which is what Ford is demanding before she makes an appearance in Congress. But in order for the Bureau to begin any examination, it is necessary for Donald Trump to formally make the request, which Trump refuses to do. About the F.B.I., Trump claims that this type of case is "not what they do." Of course that's not true and Trump could certainly direct the F.B.I. to gather background information about Judge Kavanaugh, which could include conducting interviews with witnesses who are familiar with the sexual assault allegations. Unfortunately, Dr. Ford has no authority as a citizen to tell the Bureau to investigate...and the U.S. Senate can't either because Kavanaugh is Trump's nominee not the Senate's. Legally that might not be obstruction of justice, but it sure does sound like it to me. Therefore - until all of this can be sorted out - it is imperative to further delay any vote by the full Senate to confirm or deny a Supreme Court seat to Kavanaugh. Obviously, the G.O.P. is worried sick that an official, non-partisan investigation might go beyond the mid-terms. If that's what it takes to get to the truth, so be it. Instead of concentrating on their conservative agenda, Republicans should care more about a woman who has accused a sitting federal judge of trying to rape her at a high school party when she was 15 years old and he, at 17, was allegedly drunk. But then...senators like Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley and members Orrin Hatch, Lindsey Graham and the other eight Republican men on the panel...helped to elect a man president of the United States...and he...Donald Trump...has been accused by nineteen women of various forms of sexual misconduct.

The Washington Post - on Sunday, September 16th - reported the following, as told to the newspaper by Dr. Ford...that Kavanaugh and another intoxicated person "corralled her in to a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers" in the suburbs of Maryland in 1982. "Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes while grinding his body against hers." The article also stated that "Kavanaugh tried to pull off her one-piece bathing suit." Ford told The Post..."I thought he might inadvertently kill me. He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing." Kavanaugh has "unequivocally" denied the allegations, but The Post wrote that in early August of this year Ford passed a lie detector test that was administered by a former F.B.I. agent. The test reportedly determined that Ford was being truthful with her sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh.

Let's be logical. Why would Ford create a fantasy and subject herself to vicious harassment and terrifying death threats? Why would she point the finger at the 53-year old Judge Kavanaugh if her allegations were not true? Nobody who lies would want the F.B.I. to investigate. Hmm. Could it be that's the reason why Donald Trump is so hellbent on having special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe shut down? President "Pinocchio" - as of September 13th - has, according to The Washington Post's Fact-Checker, lied more than 5,000 times since he moved into The White House.

If Dr. Ford makes the case and convinces enough G.O.P. senators, Judge Kavanaugh will not be confirmed. So karma's a bitch. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky - and other Senate Republicans - stole a Supreme Court seat from President Barack Obama and from liberals, progressives and all Democrats nationwide. When Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy retired on July 31st, Trump should have waited to nominate a successor to Kennedy until after the mid-terms. When Associate Justice Antonin Scalia died on February 13th, 2016, McConnell denied President Obama the right - and yes, it was a right - to see his nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, go before the Senate for a vote. Point of fact...McConnell wouldn't even give Garland a meeting, let alone a confirmation hearing or a vote. McConnell claimed he did what he did because it was an election year. However, it was nearly nine months before Americans were going to the polls on November 8th, 2016. With Judge Kavanaugh, it's now less than seven weeks before the mid-terms and both Trump and McConnell want to move full speed ahead with their efforts to see the Supreme Court nominee confirmed. That's political shenanigans of the worst kind.

But Senator McConnell is following in the footsteps of Donald Trump. Both are deceiving, manipulating monsters and most Senate Republicans are merely McConnell's marionettes.

Let us also take note that there is no female Republican senator on the Judiciary Committee. According to Yahoo! News, "In the committee's 202-year history, it has not had a single Republican woman." Only Democrats seem to welcome women on to the judiciary panel and currently four of the ten Democrats are female. Therefore, with majority control, a group of eleven, white Republican men essentially have all the power over this sexual assault issue.

No matter what happens, there will be doubts in too many Americans' minds that will taint this nomination. If Kavanaugh is eventually confirmed, his position on the U.S. Supreme Court will always be one that is questioned. If Donald Trump has any brains at all - which he probably doesn't - he would remove Kavanaugh's name from nomination before this matter becomes any uglier and any more embarrassing for all people concerned and our nation.

Sacrificing women for political achievement is the key focus for Republicans on Capitol Hill. But then...the "misogynist-in-chief" uses women as play-toys...then he pays them off to keep their mouths shut and treats them like dirt. The title of this column is not to suggest that Brett Kavanaugh is guilty of a crime from 36 years ago. All the facts are, of course, not yet on the table. I simply make a statement that men who sexually assault women shouldn't be a Supreme Court justice or president of the United States of America. Always remember...when it comes to women, Donald Trump admitted on the 2005 Access Hollywood video - which was released on October 7th, 2016 just thirty-one days before the presidential election on November 8th - "You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful... I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the p--sy. You can do anything."

No Donald...you can't. At least you shouldn't. And neither should anybody else.

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.

Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The Controversy.

Photo credits: Georgetown Preparatory School, North Bethesda, Maryland (Brett Kavanaugh, teenager) and Holton-Arms School, Bethesda, Maryland (Christine Blasey {Ford}, teenager)

Copyright 2018 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, September 15, 2018

BOB WOODWARD AND THE ANONYMOUS NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED ARE TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE "LIAR-IN-CHIEF" DONALD TRUMP AND HIS "CRAZYTOWN" WHITE HOUSE

Just to be clear...I do not wish anything bad for Donald Trump's personal being. No physical sickness. No harm. That is NOT what I'm about. Trump should live and be well. No matter how much I oppose his deranged policies and no matter how much I find his warped thinking to be abhorrent and destructive to the people of our nation, I sincerely hope Trump lives beyond his 100th birthday. That way he can suffer humiliation for decades after special counsel Robert Mueller forces his resignation, just as Richard Nixon was forced to resign the presidency pending an impeachment after Watergate.

A new poll by The Washington Post and ABC News says 60 percent of Americans DISAPPROVE of Donald Trump as president of the United States with 36 percent approving of his performance. Only 24 percent of people "strongly" approve of Trump. Prediction: Watch as Trump's disapproval rating soars even higher. It won't be long before 70 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump sitting behind The Oval Office desk. Trump can call himself a "very stable genius," but the vast majority of Americans are a hell of a lot more stable and much smarter than Donald Trump or any of his base will ever be.

While aboard Air Force One on September 7th, 2018, Trump told reporters that he wants Attorney General Jeff Sessions to find out who wrote the Op-Ed that was published by The New York Times on September 5th. How 'bout this for a twist? As I tweeted on September 7th..."If I was writing a political screenplay, I'd have Sessions be the author of the Op-Ed. Maybe what's on my creative mind will turn out to be more fact than fiction."

The White House is in crisis. The Op-Ed only identifies the author as a "senior official in the Trump administration." The piece slams Trump and it claims there have been conversations among cabinet members to move down a path that could constitutionally bring down the Trump presidency. The Op-Ed spells out intentions by not only the writer, but by others too. "Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until - one way or another - it's over."

Talk of the 25th Amendment - according to former director of communications for The White House office of public liaison Omarosa Manigault Newman - was not uncommon. On September 9th, on MSNBC, Manigault Newman made news when she told anchor Alex Witt that White House staffers would text each other and use #TFA to reference that the 25th Amendment is something to think about. As Arte Johnson would have said on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In..."Verrrry interesting!"

The Op-Ed, though, pinpointed some specific concerns. "The root of the problem is the president's amorality. I work for the president, but like-minded colleagues and I have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations. We believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic."

A Quinnipiac University poll - released on September 10th - shows that only 28 percent of Americans do not believe the charges in the Op-Ed.

It's been plain to see since June 16th, 2015 - the day Trump announced that he was a Republican candidate - that he is a mentally incompetent and unstable narcissist who would be unfit to serve as our nation's commander-in-chief. But the campaign continued and Trump shockingly won the electoral vote in the 2016 presidential election. Now...many voters who didn't think so before...are realizing that Trump cares only about himself... not the Republican Party...not about our country...and certainly not about any American who is not white and not wealthy.

As I tweeted on September 10th..."@realBobWoodward (along with @carlbernstein) was 100% correct about Richard Nixon. Woodward (with his new book) is 100% correct about Donald Trump."

In Woodward's explosive new book, FEAR: Trump In The White House...the legendary Pulitzer Prize winning journalist quotes White House chief of staff John Kelly as describing his position as "the worst job I've ever had." Kelly labels the Trump White House as "crazytown" and tags Trump "an idiot." Kelly denies using the word "idiot" and Trump calls Woodward's book..."total fiction"..."a joke"... and "fake news." But let's be logical, realistic and honest. I trust a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner with impeccable credentials who has been revered by the country for more than four decades and whose reporting is beyond reproach with unimpeachable sources. I do not trust a vicious and vindictive liar who nearly two-thirds of Americans believe is dishonest.

That Quinnipiac University poll from September 10th indicates that 60 percent of Americans do not think Donald Trump is honest...and 65 percent of people in the United States believe Trump is not level-headed.

The Washington Post's Fact-Checker confirmed on September 13th that Trump has made 5,000 false or misleading claims since he took the oath of office on January 20th, 2017. That's more than 8 lies each day. I'm amazed Trump's nose is not a mile long. If America's 1st president was alive today, he'd be stunned to see that the 45th president could be such a venomous con artist. The "Father of our Country" would be floored and flabbergasted by Trump's deceptive behavior. After all...unlike Donald... George - as legend has it - could never tell a lie.

What is it that Trump has to do before Republicans recognize the magnitude of the problem that our nation is suffering? I suppose he actually would have to go to New York City and "stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody." Even then...Trump believes he "wouldn't lose any voters." Tragically...he's probably right. Trump's base would likely say..."He must have had a good and justifiable reason."

For me, the icing on the cake, so far, has got to be when Trump wouldn't denounce Nazis, white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan immediately after the Charlottesville, Virginia protests in August 2017, and when Trump permitted migrant babies and children (plus tweens and teens too) from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to be locked up in cages. Trump ordered the separation of those kids from their families after their parents attempted to cross the U.S./Mexico border to seek freedom from the violence in their countries. To this day - according to documented data obtained by The New York Times - there are 12,800 migrant children in federal custody. Federal shelters that house migrant children are jampacked with these kids. What kind of president separates children from their parents and locks them up in detention centers? Donald...stop stealing babies from their mommies and daddies. America - as a humanitarian nation - must keep families together. But with Trump in The White House, most of these children will probably never see their mothers and fathers again.

Republicans wasted tens of millions of taxpayers' dollars to wrongfully impeach then-President Bill Clinton because he wasn't totally forthcoming about a bl--job. Yes, let's cut the crap and tell it like it is. Of course the Senate didn't see eye to eye with the House of Representatives and so President Clinton was acquitted. But with Donald Trump, money is properly being spent because of evidence of obstruction of justice. I'll refresh your memories in case any of you have forgotten.

On May 11th, 2017, Trump acknowledged on national television that he fired James Comey as F.B.I. director to end the Russia investigation. The following are the exact words from Trump's interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt. "And in fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won." That quote by Trump is the bombshell. He admits to thinking about the Russia investigation...that it was on his mind...when he terminated Comey. But Trump was wrong. Getting rid of Comey didn't put a stop to the Russia probe. It only made things worse for Trump as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel, which took the Russia investigation to an even higher level.

The crux of the Mueller probe involves the allegations that Donald Trump conspired to collude with Russia in an effort to interfere in America's 2016 presidential election. Mueller continues to drive forward to definitively discover the truth about Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin...and to learn whether another sitting U.S. president...is a "crook." Richard Nixon infamously said he wasn't. And yet he was.

On September 11th, "Trump whisperer" Sean Hannity predicted that Donald Trump will fire special counsel Mueller, "sooner rather than later." The Fox News television host told listeners on his syndicated radio show that Trump could put an end to the Russia investigation by terminating Mueller, potentially in a matter of days. But legally, Trump cannot give the boot to Mueller. Only the deputy attorney general can do that. Since Attorney General Sessions recused himself from all matters pertaining to the Russia probe, D.A.G. Rosenstein appointed Mueller and he's the only one who can give him the ax. But Trump could dismiss Rosenstein and nominate a new D.A.G., but it would then require Senate confirmation. Only when confirmed could the new deputy attorney general discharge Mueller...a firing that would create a constitutional crisis and devastation for our country.

With precision and clarity while noting grave concern, Congressman Adam Schiff - Democrat of California - reacted on September 14th to Sean Hannity's thoughts. "The fact that one of the president's top confidantes and mouthpieces is publicly advocating such a reckless action is a massive warning sign about the danger to our democracy."

When are Republicans in Congress going to get off their butts and put the American people ahead of their jobs? There's no question that GOP members of the House of Representatives are more interested in kissing Donald Trump's ass, plus smooching the rear-ends of the Trump base who for some sick reason continue to worship "The Donald" and elevate him to an undeserved pedestal.

Although he may not have an opportunity to come across Dorothy along the yellow brick road, since Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is not running for re-election for his congressional seat...Ryan needs to somehow find a way to meet The Wizard so the Wisconsin

Republican can receive the courage he needs to begin impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. That recent poll by The Washington Post and ABC News says nearly half of our nation - 49 percent of Americans - feel Congress should commence with impeachment. Only 46 percent are in favor of keeping Trump in office. Hey Paul...Bert Lahr helped Judy Garland. Now you need to help our country.

But besides Ryan...Republicans on Capitol Hill don't have the balls - in plain English - to do what's right. Whether they actually believe it or not...Republicans - for the most part - in both the House of Representatives and the Senate are professing that Trump is as innocent as a newborn baby. In reality, any sane person who possesses a scintilla of integrity in their bones has to admit that an innocent man does not go on tweeting tirades as Trump often does.

Eventually - if impeachment proceedings were to begin - Donald Trump will not want his dirty laundry spread about for all Americans to sniff. Trump isn't going to want the stink of his life to be revealed under oath and before the United States Congress in a live televised event. I am confident - as I have penned in many previous columns - that Trump will, instead, pull a Richard Nixon and resign the presidency before any of us have the chance to be exposed to even more stench than we've already been offended by over the last three years. All that being said, though...Trump's arrogance...his egotism and conceit...pumped him up in an August interview with Fox News...and caused him to make threats. "If I ever get impeached, I think the market would crash. I think everybody would be poor." Donald Trump has always been all about Donald Trump. He cares about nobody but himself.

Regular readers of The Controversy are well aware that I have been pushing for Trump to resign for more than a year. It's mind-boggling that he has lasted in The White House as long as he has after nineteen women accused Trump of inappropriate sexual behavior. Such sexual misconduct should have bounced him out of The Oval Office as fast as a Mexican jumping bean.

Over the last year, NBC's Today show anchor Matt Lauer, CBS This Morning anchor Charlie Rose, and most recently, CBS chairman and chief executive officer Les Moonves were fired because of allegations of sexual misconduct. It's beyond baffling that Trump has survived the chopping block. But then...he was elected president after the Access Hollywood video was released, just one month before the 2016 election. In that 2005 video, Trump grandstanded to Billy Bush about his sexcapades...allegedly with television personality Nancy O'Dell, among others.

"I moved on her, actually. You know she was down on Palm Beach. I moved on her...and I failed. I'll admit it. I did try and f--k her. She was married. No, no, Nancy. No this was...and I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, 'I'll show you where they have some nice furniture.' I took her out furniture... I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn't get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden, I see her. She's now got the big phony tits and everything. She's totally changed her look."

The conversation continued as the Access Hollywood bus arrived at NBC studios in Burbank, California and Trump noticed actress Arianne Zucker who he was meeting that day to videotape a scene with her on Days Of Our Lives.

"Yeah, that's her...with the gold. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful... I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything." Billy Bush replied..."Whatever you want." And Trump uttered the line that nobody should forget. "Grab 'em by the p---y. You can do anything."

After the video was released, then-Vice President Joe Biden insisted that Trump's lewd comments were the "textbook definition of sexual assault." Numerous others in the public eye have made similar remarks.

Furthermore, Michael Cohen, in August, implicated Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator with his sworn testimony in a federal courtroom. Cohen acknowledged under oath that Trump "directed" him to break the law by paying two women - the names of which Cohen did not reveal but who Trump allegedly had sexual affairs with - so that they would keep silent about the flings. It's widely known from earlier reports and from the women themselves that Trump ordered Cohen to give $150,000 in hush money to Playboy model Karen McDougal and $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels for the express purpose to keep the two women from blabbing before the election. That means Trump was complicit in an illegal act because by Cohen coughing up the cash from Trump's coffers, it would squash any chance that voters would find out and, as a result, then possibly abandon Trump if they learned he was involved in extra-marital affairs, especially when they were not too long after Melania Trump gave birth to Trump son, Barron. Thus - based on Cohen's testimony - legal scholars have stated that Trump conspired with Cohen to violate federal campaign finance laws. Cohen told a judge that he "knowingly and willfully" broke the law and that he did so "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office." The payment to Daniels - whose real name is Stephanie Clifford - exceeded the individual contribution limit of $2,700. McDougal was paid by a corporate entity and federal law does not allow corporations to donate directly to federal candidates. Anybody with an ounce of brains knows we cannot separate Michael Cohen's guilt from Donald Trump.

In addition to Cohen pleading guilty to his crimes, others in the Trump orbit have either pleaded guilty or been convicted for their illegal activities. Let us also not forget that two of Trump's closest confidants - Allen Weisselberg and David Pecker - have been granted immunity by special counsel Mueller and they are supposedly unzipping their lips and letting the cats out of the bags. Weisselberg is chief financial officer for The Trump Organization and Pecker is the chairman of American Media which publishes The National Enquirer. Weisselberg and Pecker are people - along with those who have pleaded guilty or who have been convicted - who know where the proverbial "bodies are buried." Their brains are the treasure chests that hold some of Trump's deepest and darkest secrets. And if they haven't done so already... they're all going to flip like stacks of Aunt Jemima pancakes. As Congressman Eric Swalwell - Democrat of California - tweeted on September 14th..."Why shouldn't we believe you (Trump) are as corrupt as the people around you?"

On Friday, September 14th, former Trump Campaign chairman, Paul Manafort - who had already been convicted in August on federal charges in a Virginia trial - pleaded guilty in a Washington, DC federal court on additional felony counts. Between both cases, Manafort is on the hook for crimes ranging from money laundering, tax fraud, lying to the Justice Department, violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and conspiring to obstruct justice by witness tampering...among other charges. But Manafort made a deal to play ball with Mueller and federal prosecutors. He has agreed to provide unspecified documents and to testify before the Grand Jury. The cooperation agreement says that Manafort must completely cooperate with investigators in "any and all matters as to what the government deems the cooperation relevant." In other words - just as others have presumably done - Manafort will be spilling the beans on everything...and Trump will not only be thrown under the bus, but he'll be squooshed underneath it.

Remember...Manafort was part of that June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Donald Trump, Jr. and his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner when they met with a Russian lawyer and at least three other people who had offered to provide "official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary (Clinton) and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father." Those words were part of an e-mail that Trump, Jr. received from music publicist Rob Goldstone who arranged the meeting. In agreeing to meet with the Russians, Trump, Jr. e-mailed Goldstone back by writing..."If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer." In July 2017, Trump, Jr. admitted that Goldstone stated in an e-mail to him that the Russian government was involved and that the meeting was intended to get "dirt on Clinton" in a "Russian effort to aid (the Trump) campaign." I'm sure Robert Mueller wants to hear all about the preparation for that meeting and the meeting itself. But the White House is denying that Manafort's plea deal has anything to do with Donald Trump. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued the following statement. "This had absolutely nothing to do with the president or his victorious 2016 presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated." And bears don't poop in the woods.

Donald Trump, for some time, had included Paul Manafort in his "circle of trust." I bet now Trump wishes he never met him. Manafort's full cooperation with federal prosecutors could mean - if he lives long enough - he may not have to spend the rest of his life in prison. Manafort is 69 years old.

If Trump starts to see the handwriting on the wall...and it's clear that Mueller is about ready to cook his goose...I doubt The Art Of The Deal author will wait much longer to make a deal with Mueller and/or Congress. When push comes to shove and orange jumpsuits become part of the wardrobe - along with handcuffs as their jewelry accessories - for Trump's three oldest children and one son-in-law - Trump, I believe, will agree to resign the presidency so that Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Jared don't get thrown behind bars on state and/or federal charges.

Thick smoke is billowing from The White House and Trump Tower...and soon a full-fledged fire (metaphorically speaking) is going to burn down the Trump presidency and the Trump dynasty.

In 52 days, Americans will have the opportunity to move forward. It is crucial that Democrats and Independents cast their ballots on November 6th so that the Democrats regain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Republicans who have a conscience - and there are still some of you out there - it is imperative that you put aside your conservative thinking so that Donald Trump loses his majority support in Congress. For the good of America, elect only Democrats to the House and Senate.

I realize that many of you are going to think I'm the biggest wackadoodle for suggesting that Republicans break ranks...but from where I stand...it's the only way to save America. Listen to President Barack Obama...and vote!

Donald Trump has gone off the deep end by encouraging "violence" if Republicans don't cross the finish line in victory with the mid-term elections. By Trump merely saying, "I just hope there won't be violence," that's his demented way of influencing those certain Trump supporters - who are part of the sick-minded and delusional lunatic fringe - to hit the streets and initiate riots in major cities and small towns from Maine to Hawaii. There would be bloodbaths from the Atlantic seaboard to the tropics of the central Pacific.

On August 27th, Trump spelled out to evangelical leaders at a Washington, DC dinner..."You're one election away from losing everything you got." When a statement like that from the president of the United States is picked up through social media, the nut-jobs that hear it could make it their business to create and wreak havoc where catastrophic chaos could blanket our nation.

Resign NOW, Donald. Exit The White House for the last time... and save yourself and our country from more embarrassment and perhaps civil unrest. Because as Bob Woodward remembers about his old boss - the late great executive editor of The Washington Post - Ben Bradlee..."the truth emerges." And it will, Donald. It will.

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.

Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The Controversy.

Photo credits: Pinterest ("already lied in every state"), Kevin Siers and Cagle Cartoons Inc. (Trump forgets words to God Bless America cartoon), Cliff Owen/Associated Press (Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein), Ed Hall and Artizans Syndicate (Crazy Town cartoon), Democrats Organizing for America (former President George Washington) Other 98 ("What we don't have"), The Great American Disconnect (The Cowardly Ryan), Clay Jones and Claytoonz.com (All The President's Felons), Limit, Inc. and ME.ME (Vote), Facebook (former President Barack Obama) and Getty Images and The Hill (Donald Trump)

Copyright 2018 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

9/11: SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER...BUT WE MUST NEVER FORGET

On September 11, 2001, I anchored my Florida radio station's all-day local coverage of the tragic attack on our country. It was without question the most heart-wrenching and difficult broadcast of my then 28-year professional career.

In no way would I ever - in the slightest - compare myself to Walter Cronkite. But idolizing him since childhood...before I went on the air, I remembered an interview that Walter gave years earlier where he talked about November 22, 1963 and covering the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In the interview, I had recalled that Walter discussed the importance of remaining professional as he reported the story. But that it was an emotional time and, therefore, his own emotions were revealed...especially when the news of President Kennedy's death was confirmed. As my microphone went live on 9/11/2001, it hit me on how tough this might be. It was in that one tick of the clock on the wall...when I thought of Walter Cronkite...and that he had acknowledged that it was "tough"...to announce that JFK was dead. I knew then...that no matter what the outcome...I would make it through the day in a professional manner. But that if my emotions did show for a moment...it would be okay.

I - along with the rest of America - were witnesses to a monumental disaster...a catastrophe unlike anything we had ever seen before in the United States. We didn't know, at the time, the amount of lives that would be lost. But suicide terrorists killed 2,977 people and injured more than 6,000 others that day when four airplanes were crashed by al-Qaeda hijackers. Each of those 19 radicals also perished.

American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were deliberately flown into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City at 8:46 A.M. and 9:03 A.M., respectively. American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed into The Pentagon, outside Washington, DC, in Arlington, Virginia at 9:37 A.M. And United Airlines Flight 93 - which was presumably headed towards our nation's capital with a possible intended target of either The White House or the U.S. Capitol - crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after a group of passengers fought the four hijackers. In order to thwart the terrorists, the cockpit recording confirmed there was a dramatic struggle as - it is believed -one passenger attempted to ram the cockpit door with a beverage cart while another passenger tried to overtake the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. Once it became evident by the hijackers that the passengers might overpower them and take control of the aircraft, the terrorists - officials suspect - flipped over the plane and sped it - at 500 miles per hour - straight down into the ground at 10:03 A.M.

Watching the second airplane slice into the South Tower in lower Manhattan was numbing. Plumes of billowing black smoke engulfed the New York skyline as the blazing buildings broiled and began to crumble before our eyes. The exquisite beauty that was yesterday was now gone. But when the Twin Towers toppled to the ground below and disintegrated in to ruins - first the South Tower at 9:59 A.M. - that's when my emotions hit me hardest. I was on the air at 10:28 A.M. when the North Tower collapsed to become a colossal cloud of dust. That very instant was my Walter Cronkite "President Kennedy died" moment. That passing fragment of time will forever be ingrained in the fabric of my soul.

The horrendous images from that devastating day must remain in the forefront of our minds...and we cannot ever forget how our hearts were broken. Throughout one of America's darkest days, I painfully broadcast a dreadfully harrowing experience. But when I signed off for the night - following a physically and emotionally draining day - I am cognizant of the fact that my drive home was one of silent reflection. However...when I entered my house, I could no longer hold back the tears. I mourned the thousands of people who were savagely murdered by madmen whose vicious hatred had changed our country and our world forever. I prayed for countless more who had been injured. And I grieved for the families and loved ones of all the victims. I absorbed the heroic efforts of firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and other first responders who bravely rushed to Ground Zero and risked their own lives to help strangers in need. The vision of their courage is seared in my memory.

So now...seventeen years later...each of us must never forget how we felt on September 11, 2001...how we coped...and how we were saddened by this evil assault on our land. God willing...it will never happen again.

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.

Please express your personal views by following the instructions above. And thank you for reading The Controversy.

Photo credits: Tamara Beckwith/REX/Shutterstock (Photo 1), YouTube (Photo 2), The Tennessee Star/J C Bowman (Photo 3), YouTube (Photo 4), Quora (Photo 5)