"A Song To Kill For" by Billy Edd Wheeler

"A Song To Kill For" is Billy Edd Wheeler's only novel. Wheeler is best known as a songwriter and playwright in addition to also having done some performing in the field of country music, having been a popular after dinner speaker for many years. This novel was self-published under the label Infinity Publishing which is virtually non-existent on the internet. They have been defunct since October 2023. I purchased this copy from Amazon and it was publication on demand. I'm not certain if Infinity which had been primarily a children's book publisher was an imprint of Amazon, or if it might have been owned by Wheeler and later sold to Amazon. While this is a self-published novel,Wheeler has a lenghty history as a playwright having written at least nine plays, several of which were produced for quite a few years as outdoor dramas around the southeastern US and Midwest. Wheeler also wrote several songs which were major hits as performed by others. Those songs include "Jackson" which was a signature duet for Johnny Cash and June Carter; "The Reverend Mister Black" which was a hit for the Kingston Trio;"Coward Of The County" which was a massive hit for Kenny Rogers; and, "Coal Tattoo" which has been recoreded by numerous artists with history in the Appalachian Coalfields including Kathy Mattea, The Kingston Trio, and Jim Croce. His well received plays include ""Hatfields and McCoys", "Young Abe Lincoln", and "Johnny Appleseed". It shouldn't surprise anyone to know that his greatest impact as a writer came in the area of playwriting since he held a masters degree in playwriting from Yale University in addition to his bachelors degree from Berea COllege. This book is worth reading even though it is not a great novel. It is funny, fairly well plotted, and has some well developed characters including the protagonist Gabriel Leatherwood who seems to, at least in part, to have been an alter ego of Wheeler himself. Leatherwood is a native West Virginian who is a musician and songwriter who traveld to Nashville only to have several of his early songs stolen by the lead villian who is the owner of music publishing company. Leatherwood decides to take on the company and its owner along with a sizeable cast of lesser villians who assist in his crimes including murder. Along the way, Leatherwood is lucky enough to fall in love with a beautiful female attorney, get invited to the White House to perform, and survive a rather graphic attempted murder by one of those villians. In the end, he marries the heroine, saves his songs, becomes rather wealthy, and chooses to return to Appalachian West Virginia with the woman of his dreams. I repeat, the book is worth reading especially if you are a musician of the country persuasion, an Appalachian, a writer,or if you enjoy crime stories and mysteries. It is not a great novel or a perfect novel. But it is worthy attempt at a first novel by a gifted writer in other areas of the arts.

"Kentucky Pride" by Gene Markey, A Civil War Reconstruction Novel From 1956

"Kentucky Pride" is a 1956 novel by Gene Markey who for many years was the husband of Lucille Markey Wright, the owner of famed Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Before he married the widow Wright, Markey was a Navy Reserve Admiral, a Hollywood screen writer, and a well known Hollywood ladies man. But he became a devoted student of Kentucky history and produced several novels which were set in Kentucky, most of which were actually set in Lexington, Kentucky. This novel is best described as a Civil War/Reconstruction novel whose protagonist, Aidan Kensal, is former Confederate Major who owns a Lexington thoroughbred farm. His two associates who figure heavily into the novel are a jockey from the mountains of Kentucky, and a second Lexington Confederate both of whom have served with Kensal in the Confederate unit commanded by John Morgan. The three are attempting to return to Central Kentucky after the Civil War has ended, and the novel seems to be somewhat sympathetic to the Lost Cause. The primary villian is a Union Major Veach Doucain who has grown up near Aidan and has always hated him because of his families wealth, large farm, and outstanding Thoroughbred breeding program. Doucain is assisted by several lesser villians, four of whom form the other members of what is known as The Counsel of Evil which is a committee which has been sanctioned by the Union government to run the affairs of the area from an anonymous shield of power and silence. The other key member of The Council of Evil is a banker, Bowen Slaidrick, who is both a member of the council and the legal guardian of his neice Lacey who is the legitimate owner of another large farm which adjoins Aidan's. Doucain is obsessed with owning Aidan's property and destroying him at any cost. Lacey would have been called a tomboy in today's parlance and the opening of the novel involves an attempted stage coach robbery which is foiled by Aidan, Link, and Fid, the jockey, along with Lacey who is riding beside the driver atop the stage coach. When the driver is wounded, Lacey takes the rains, uses a whip to lash at least one of the highwaymen, and drives the stage away in a gallop as Aidan and his friends send the robbers packing. Action like this pops up in almost ever chapter of the novel and is offset by one after another action by The Council of Evil to rob Aidan of all he owns. If you can accept the fact that the good guys in this novel are returning Confederal soldiers and a few other Confederate sympathizers who are friends of Aidan in Lexington, it is well worth reading. It is loaded with good or better character development, a strong plot which flows smoothly, great conflict and conflict resolution, and a story which I am certain happened several times in the years immediately after the Civil War, especially in the Confederate states and border states. Gene Markey could write or he would never have been a major Hollywood script writer. Yes, I know it isn't popular in today's world to write novels about protagonists who are Confederate soldiers being pilloried by Union officers and supporters. But this novel is well worth reading if you can set your prejudices aside.

The Minimization, Normalization, and Endorsement Of TREASON!

On Janaury 20, 2025, TRAITOR Trump signed a blanket pardon form for somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,600 individuals who had all been charged in the worst insurrection ever perpetrated against the government of the United States since the Civil War. Not only was it the worst insurrection of modern history against the USA, it was perpetrated by the very TRAITOR who was pardoning those other TRAITORS, Insurrectionists, and enemies of the legally constituted government of the United States. The text of that pardon statement only names 14 of the TRAITORS but attempts to also provide "a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021". The language in that pardon statement is highly suspect from a legal standpoint. It attempts to provide that "full, complete and unconditional pardon" to some uncounted number of unknown and unnamed criminals whose crimes are not even known and can have been perpetrated at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021". The geographic area is not remotely delineated and could even be construed to cover the crimes of the still unknown TRAITOR who placed two bombs near the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties. I sincerely doubt that this "pardon" document would be held to be legal if reviewed by an unbiased court of law. Would the horribly dangerous Right Wing Radical Repugnican majority on the US Supreme Court uphold that document? I honestly don't know the answer to that question. But you can bet your ass that some prosecutor in the general area at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021" should file an appeal and take the case all the way to the US Supreme Court to find out what they would do. But with the US Department of Justice now being in the control of TRAITOR Trump and whatever nominee for US Attorney General he can manage to get approved by the US Senate, you can bet that no appeal of the order will come from any US Attorney under that jurisdiction. But it is my impression that the City Attorney For The District Of Columbia should file that appeal before the Supreme Court and force them to take some position or other on this release of at least 1,600 TRAITORS and the possible intervention into the cases of any future TRAITORS the law enforcement community can manage to charge for crimes such as the attempted bombing of those two political party headquarters. This attempted pardon is also already placing the United States government and its citizens under a great deal of danger because those 1,600 TRAITORS have already been released from the US Bureau of Prisons and are walking free in our country just as their TREASONOUS supporter, TRAITOR Trump. This attempted pardon is just as criminal, just as TREASONOUS as the crimes of January 6, 2021, by both those named and unnamed in the document. It is just the first of what are certain to be other crimes by TRAITOR Trump, the Criminal Syndicate which is now being composed in the US Senate to pose as a "cabinet". God Help Us All!

Hurricane Helene Upset My 41 Day Schedule!

 

On September 26, 2024, just 3 days ago, I had written this blog post stating what  I intended to be a plan of action for the next 41 days until the election on November 5, 2024, which calls for me to write a blog post each day based on some chapter of one of the books which I had included in a list at the end of that blog post in my effort to do all I can to influence as many voters as possible in America to do the right thing and vote to elect Kamala Harris as President of The United States.  But Hurricane Helene came along, blew on shore in the Big Bend section of Florida and managed to affect weather over a major chunk of the Southeast and even into parts of the Midwest.  I had not begun the first of these blog posts before noon on September 27, 2024, and the remains of Helene hit Eastern Kentucky and knocked out our electricity at home.  I had no way to complete a blog post until the electricity was restored.  At our house, even in warm weather, it can sometimes take as much as 5 days to see electricity restored in an outage.  I went into my normal power outage routine, got my generator up and running, ran cords all over the house to carry power to the bare minimum of items: food freezer, refrigerator, my wife's power bed and its related alternating air mattress, and for a couple of hours at a time the television so we could stay up with the news.  Then we settled in to wait to see the electricity come back on.  Our initial tentative reported restoration time was 11pm on Monday, Tomorrow, September 30, 2024, which would have been about normal for our location.  So we set in to endure whatever happens which is what we do in all outages.  

 

Of course, we were also grateful that we don't live in the real hurricane disaster areas in several states to the south of us: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.  But amazingly, yesterday evening, September 28, 2024, at about 5:30pm our power suddenly came back on.  That was a sweet surprise.  I began the process of tearing down all the outage work I had done the day before with the exception of putting the generator back in the storage building since it was still pouring rain here. I got the house cleared of the extension cords, started doing laundry, etc.  I put the generator back in the building this morning when the rain stopped.  And I managed to get that first blog post of my 41 day plan written and posted at this link.  But I'm still two days behind on that 41 day plan which has now been turned into a 39 day plan by Hurricane Helene.  However, it is my intention to still post 41 posts in these 39 days about the upcoming election in support of Kamala Harris as President of The United States.  In my opinion, there has never been a more unfit candidate for any position of public trust than TRAITOR Trump.  He is a TRAITOR, Insurrectionist, Seditionist, Career Criminal, Serial Rapist, Convicted Felon, Tax Cheat, Pathological Liar, and Idiot.  He has proven himself to be unfit to lead a one car funeral every day of his life for at least the last ten years.  There was never a time when he was qualified to an elected public official at any level.  While living illegally in the White House for four years based on his TREASON with Vladimir Putin who owns him and stole the 2016 election for him in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, he proved on a daily basis that he wanted to destroy Democracy in America.  God Help Us All, if he ever gets anywhere near the White House again.  For the next 39 days, I will be going back to that list of books in the first blog post on a daily basis to discuss the writings of other American Patriots who also understand just how great a threat TRAITOR Trump is to the United States, American Democracy, Worldwide Democracy, the entire Human Race, and the Planet.  I might run into other little hitches such as the recent power outage but I will post those 41 posts.  I only hope I can influence as many voters as possible to do the right thing and support Kamala Harris as the next President of The United States.  

The Glorification Of Cold Blooded Murder At Western Kentucky University On March 27, 2024

 

 

Because of righteous outrage in the state of Kentucky and the larger surrounding area, law enforcement agencies serving the state of Kentucky, Warren County, Bowling Green, and Western Kentucky University are being called on to divert their resources on March 27, 2024, to monitor protests on the campus of the university and the city which are being held to protest the outrageous decision of the university administration to allow Kyle Rittenhouse to speak at the university in an event which is sponsored by the Right Wing Radical campus organization Turning Point USA which is described as "part of a national organization that advocates for right-wing causes on high school, college, and university campuses."  This is an organization which should never have been granted a charter on the campus of any university.  This is an event which should never have been scheduled and granted the use of campus property in any building owned by a legitimate university.  This is a speaker who should never be allowed to speak on any public property in any state in the union.  This entire event is a travesty and a manifest failure of the university management.  

Kyle Rittenhouse shot three men, two fatally, during public protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020, when he was aged 17. Rittenhouse was acquitted at his trial in November 2021, after testifying that he had acted in self-defense.  But the facts of the matter are that he was transported across state lines from the Chicago area by his mother while they were transporting the fully automatic rifle he used to commit the murders. He was acquitted of all charges and his mother was never charged for any crimes related to contributing to the delinquency of a minor or federal firearms laws regarding the transportation of the weapon across state lines.  Since the trial, Rittenhouse has sought to make himself a public hero in the eyes of those who mistakenly believe the Second Amendment allows anyone to own any kind of weapon they choose in America and to use those weapons in such blatantly illegal and murderous ways.  

The university administration insists that this is a matter of free speech despite the fact that the United States Supreme Court has ruled a few categories of speech are not protected from government restrictions. The main such categories are incitement, defamation, fraud, obscenity, child pornography, fighting words, and threats. As the Supreme Court held in Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), the government may forbid “incitement”—speech “directed at inciting or producing lawless action” and “likely to incite or produce such action”.  While I admit that it is unlikely that Rittenhouse or the organization sponsoring the event will directly call for lawless actions, the very fact that a person is speaking in a public forum who killed two men in cold blood with an automatic rifle and escaped any form of legal consequences is likely to incite illegal action.  The university administration and a few at other universities have been too spineless to stand up to these groups and Rittenhouse.  Their stated reason, protection of the right to free speech, does not hold water.  Their refusal to stand up to a student organization which promotes such events is detrimental to the university community and the greater community surrounding that university.  Several other student organizations, local groups, and even national groups have spoken out against this event to no avail.  Western Kentucky Public Radio has published an editorial piece by writer Jacob Martin which speaks strongly about the issues involved in this event.  But the administration holds strongly to the view that it is about free speech not the glorification of cold blooded murder.  The entire administration at this university needs to be removed.  Such irrational decision making on the part of a university administration can never be acceptable.  I am asking everyone of my readers to make a call to Western Kentucky University at this number (270-745-0111) and register your opposition to this event and the decision making process which has allowed it to take place.  

"Killers Of The Flower Moon" by David Grann, A Reflective Look Back On A Previous Reading

 

"Killers of the Flower Moon" spent a total of 5 weeks on the NY Times Best Sellers List, was a massive financial success, and has recently been turned into a major Hollywood movie.  It tells the story of a long string of murders of Osage Indians in the 1920's in Oklahoma on and around the Osage Reservation.  David Grann, the author, has had a long career as a major writer for several important American magazines including "The New Republic", "The Atlantic Monthly", and "The New York Times Magazine".  He has also published at least five major books most of which have been best sellers.  He is a prolific writer, a highly productive and successful writer, a truly commercial writer.  But, based on this book, which is a wonderful read, he is not now and not likely to ever become a "great writer".  This book is written in a compelling fashion intended to hold the average reader's attention to the very end.  It is well crafted for the commercial market but one should remember that the average American reader is poorly educated with less than a high school education, reads only about 15 minutes a day, and almost never reads a newspaper. Their ability to discriminate between good and lesser quality writing is almost nonexistent. The book will hold your attention and, in my opinion, it is well worth reading because it tells an important historical story about one of our many minority groups in this country, and actually led me to read further about the Osage tribe in fiction.  In addition to being the product of extensive research both in historical documents and interviews with living people, the book is copiously supported with genuine photographs of many of the principal people in the story, both victims and perpetrators.  

During the 1920's and, perhaps, both before and after that decade numerous members of the Osage tribe were murdered in order for their government appointed guardians to assume control of the vast amounts of money tribe members were collecting from the sale of oil drilling rights on the extensive acreage of the reservation.  During that time period, the Osage were collectively and individually among the richest people in America because the reservation land, which the government had assumed was worthless before designating it as the reservation, proved to be the richest oil field in the country at the time.  It became common practice for the Osage to be designated by courts to be incompetent to manage their own money and they were given guardians who were always white and nearly always corrupt.  In the long run, many of those court appointed guardians became the murderers and financial successors to their Osage wards.  The plot of the book is the story from murder to arrest and conviction of what seems to have been only a small percentage of those felonious guardians. The book also leaves little doubt that many more deaths of Osage tribe members were likely also uninvestigated murders.  This book is worth reading and any negative statements I have made about it are indictments of the overall book publishing industry and the average American just as much as they may be directly about the author and his writing style.  I can give him one unreserved commendation in that he is, or his staff are, tremendous researcher(s).   

"On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century" by Timothy Snyder--Reflections On A Book And Current Events

This little masterpiece is a book every American should read as soon as possible and take everything it says seriously to heart.  Timothy Snyder is one of the best non-fiction authors, researchers, and history professors working in America today.  He is the Levin Professor of History at Yale University, one of the most prolific authors of non-fiction in the country, and, arguably, the most important expert on the Holocaust alive today.  I have previously written about Snyder's masterpiece "Black Earth: The Holocaust As History and Warning" which I consider to be the best book I have ever read about the Holocaust.  I had read the book in discussion today several months ago and never got around to writing about it on this blog when I have actually always intended to try to write about each of the twenty chapters.  Each of those chapters is a lesson which every American should strive to learn and to live by.  

Although this book never mentions the TRAITOR Donald Trump by name, he and his many crimes are the primary motivation for the book.  The fact that it doesn't mention him by name is my primary beef with the book.   I believe we should always call a spade a spade, a shovel a shovel, and a TRAITOR just that, a TRAITOR.  And that is what brings us to current events. As I said in a brief post last night, I firmly believe that history will prove that March 30, 2023, will come to be remembered as one of the most important days in American History, the day when the process began to hold TRAITOR Trump legally responsible for his many crimes against the people and the government of the United States.  The New York indictments are only the beginning of that legal process.  The New York case and each of the other state and federal indictments into the the crimes of TRAITOR Trump must be carried out to their full logical and legal culminations and those culminations must result in his conviction, sentencing, and imprisonment for the many crimes he has committed at least since June 16, 2015, the day he made the asinine assumption  that he was fit to be the leader of the free world.  

This little book by Timothy Snyder provides a perfectly rational and logical blueprint for the country and each of its citizens to work diligently for all time to prevent the possibility that such a criminal and TRAITOR can ever again manage to be placed in a TREASONOUSLY obtained position of power in this country.  Chapter One, entitled "Do Not Obey In Advance" carries a warning rooted both in the Holocaust and rise of the Nazi party in Germany and in the proliferation of TRAITOR TRUMP and his cult.  The two movements are nearly identical in their lust for undeserved power and their willingness to destroy the countries in which they arose. The willingness of his cult of followers to "obey in advance" led to the insurrection and domestic terrorism of January 6th. The opening sentence in the book states that "Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given."  That sentence is absolutely true and also absolutely true of how Adolph Hitler rose to power and was nearly able to destroy the world. It is also true in a slightly less universal way of how the TRAITOR  Trump rose to power. His cult of followers freely followed him and his lies.  The US justice system initially ignored the many obvious signs that foreign meddling in the 2016 election led to the razor thin leads the votes showed in Michigan, Illinois, and Pennsylvania and that system freely allowed him to be installed in the White House despite those signs of vast criminal activity in the electoral process.  The Right Wing Radical Repugnicans nationwide freely allowed him to escape not one but two clearly justified impeachments.  And for eight years, a majority of the people of the United States have freely allowed him to escape criminal prosecution.  Those times ended on the day TRAITOR Trump was indicted in New York. Further indictments will come in the other cases. No longer must the people of the United States "freely" allow this TRAITOR to escape punishment. However, in America a majority of those who voted in both the 2016 and 2020 elections knew him for what he was, voted against him, fought him and his TREASONOUS ambitions diligently and tirelessly during the entire time he was able to live illegally in the White House based on his TREASON with Russia and Vladimir Putin's ability to steal an American election in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.  Without that diligent and tireless resistance, this country would have become another example of just how easy it is for a would be despot to seize power, overcome a resistant populace, and destroy a country.  

Timothy Snyder's little masterpiece of a book contains 19 other statements on which each chapter is based which are just as accurate about the rise of tyranny in susceptible populaces and destroy the nations in which they arise.  Buy "On Tyranny..." by Timothy Snyder!  Read and memorize all of its 126 incredibly important pages!  Live by the truths contained in those pages!  Do not stop fighting tirelessly to demand and ensure that TRAITOR Trump is held responsible for all his crimes against this country and its people!  Do not relax about the danger he presents until he dies in the federal prison cell which he has so richly deserved for his entire adult life!  

 

March 30, 2023, A Great Day In American History--A TRAITOR Has His First Indictment-More To Come

Today, March 30, 2023, will go down in history as one of the greatest days in the history of the USA.  The worst TRAITOR in the history of the world has been indicted, finally.  Yes, this is a relatively minor indictment for one of the lesser of his many crimes.  No, this first indictment is not for his TREASON which should have been the first, last, and only indictment which ever had to be brought against TRAITOR Trump.  But the legal process has begun to prove once and for all that no one is above the law in the United States of America, especially if that person is a TRAITOR and an enemy of the state.  And what is truly sad is that this day was ever necessary.  This career criminal, sex offender, pathological liar, domestic and international terrorist, and ultimately a TRAITOR should have been indicted, convicted, sentenced, and imprisoned as much as fifty years ago for his thousands of business based crimes, or his sex crimes and the country would never have had to suffer all we have and will continue to suffer because the TRAITOR was allowed to live illegally in the White House for four years after committing TREASON with Russia.  Today, is a great day in America and will come to be known as one of the greatest days in the entire history of the country.  

An Important View Of The US Constitution

 

As I mentioned in an earlier post about Virginia Colonial Governor Berkeley, I have been reading a surprisingly wonderful book by Bob Deans called "The River Where America Began: A Journey Along The James".  While the book is about the history of the settlement of the James River Region in Coastal Virginia and the role it played in the early history of colonial America and the American Revolution, Deans also periodically provides his own insightful examinations of the history of democracy in America.  The short section of the book which I quote below is one of the most pertinent of those insightful examinations.  

The Constitution was never meant to settle for all time every imaginable dilemma the US government might confront.  Its genius was, and is, that it allows each generation of Americans to resolve its own issues.  It was designed to be a living document, showing the way for government to evolve with the times, while remaining true to those principles upon which the nation was founded and still holding inviolate the rights of the people as sovereign, goals the document set forth in its opening lines: "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."  (Deans, p. 219) 

 In both instances of the quotation in the indented paragraph above, truer words were never spoken, first by the Founding Fathers, and secondly by Deans.  Although there is now widespread disagreement about the interpretation of the words in the US Constitution, they are nearly always universally recognized as just that, some of the best words ever written in history especially the history of democracy in the world.  And Deans' own words in the first section of that paragraph are just as true as the original words in the US Constitution.  When Deans says that the US Constitution "was designed to be a living document, showing the way for government to evolve with the times, while remaining true to those principles upon which the nation was founded and still holding inviolate the rights of the people as sovereign", no one, in a discussion of the Constitution, could have hit the nail on the head more soundly.  Yes, the US Constitution is and should forever be a living document but it should also always still hold inviolate the rights of the people as sovereign.  There have been several instances when the living document were necessarily changed to further insure the rights of the people, beginning with the original ten amendments, The Bill of Rights, on December 15, 1791.  There have also been a few considerably more modern and necessary changes in the Constitution in order to insure the rights of the people.  The Thirteenth Amendment passed in January 1865 and was necesssary to abolish slavery which it is interesting to know was one of the most divisive issues in the formation of the new United States and, at least, a major partial cause of the US Civil War.  The Fifteenth Amendment, passed four years later in 1869, made a necessary and gallant attempt to guarantee the vote to all citizens of the country regardless of race, color, or prior history of slavery.  Yet, even today, there are widespread attempts in most Right Wing Radical Repugnican held states to infringe the right to vote for many million people because of a variety of factors which might make them more likely to vote in a rational manner against Repugnican candidates.  Those various factors include race, color, national origin, level of education, and profession and state legislatures in many of those aforementioned Right Wing Radical Repugnican states have instituted a variety of ID laws and other strictures on the right to vote in order to suppress the votes of such people.  The Nineteenth Amendment, ratified in 1920, finally guaranteed the right to vote regardless of sex which was necessarily intended to give all women the right to vote.  But more than one hundred years later, in 2022, those very same state legislatures include many women in the groups they attempt to make voting less likely or easy for.  The Twenty-Fourth Amendment, finally passed in 1962, outlawed poll taxes as a requirement for the right to vote.

Yet, after all these, and the remainder of the twenty-seven amendments to the Constitution were passed we still find ourselves in a situation in this country which makes it necessary that, sooner or later, more such amendments must be passed to ensure both that the rights of the people shall be held inviolate and that the US Constitution will continue to be a living instrument.  We are still fighting out way, as a country out of those four incredibly dark and dangerous years from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, when the White House and the country were being held hostage by a TRAITOR who was living illegally in the White House based on his TREASON with Russia.  The Fourth Section of the Twenty-fifth Amendment needs to be rewritten in stronger, more crystal clear terms to make it a necessary act for members of the cabinet to take action to remove an unfit occupant of the White House.  Recently, despite the knowledge among several members of the cabinet at the time that the occupant of the White House was unfit, a majority of those cabinet members could not be induced to agree to take the necessary actions which would have removed TRAITOR Trump from the White House and removed the ever present danger he represented from the country.  The language in that amenment must be clarified or we will see another instance, at some time in the future of this country, when an unfit, illegal occupant of the White House may well destroy the country.  

Yet, despite the 200+ year history of the US Constitution as a sacred and living instrument, on December 4 ,2022, that very same TRAITOR, the former illegal occupant of the White House publicly called for the suspension of the Constitution as a means for him to regain his illicit and illegal residence in the White House.  With these words: "A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Not even Benedict Arnold or Aldrich Ames, previously the arguable two worst traitors in the history of the country never uttered such clear cut words endorsing TREASON as those used by TRAITOR Trump. Such blatant, public TREASON on the part of TRAITOR Trump was not even used when he incited the January 6th incident of TREASON, Sedition, Domestic Terrorism, and criminality.  For this statement alone, he deserves to be prosecuted even if he had never committed any of the hundreds of TREASONOUS, Seditious, and simply criminal acts he committed before December 4, 2022.  Such acts, such words, and such crimes have now lead to multiple attacks on the US power grid, the aborted attempt to kidnap and murder the governor Michigan, and hundreds of other Right Wing Radical crimes.  

The response to all these acts, all these crimes must be that we, as a people take the actions necessary to guarantee that the US Constitution will be forever a living instrument and subject to any necessary changes in order to control and curtail such sedition and treason from such criminals as TRAITOR Trump and those Right Wing Radicals who step forward to volunteer to be his co-conspirators. 

The Right Wing Radical Repugnican Clown Car In Kentucky

 

I took a drive to Frankfort town.

I had to see what was going down.

I took the exit off the interstate,

Drove right up to the Capitol gate,

Circled on around the square, 

Had to see what was there.

I saw a car in front of a body shop,

Twelve colors of paint from bottom to top,

Red, brown, yellow, and a sickly green,

Strangest car I'd ever seen,

A big elephant sitting on the hood,

A body man working to make it look good.

He had a big R painted in my view.

I wondered what he intended to do.

I circled back to park at the shop

That car was just too funny, I had to stop.

I said, "Hey, feller, that looks like work,

That old car's got a lot of quirks,

The tires are worn, two are flat,

What can you do with a car like that?"  

He grinned and said, "I reckon you're right.

But I got offered money just last night.

All I have to do is paint it several colors

And I'll make ten thousand dollars."  

I asked about the rust and all them dents,

That car wasn't worth more than ten cents.

The body man said, "I'll just cover that up,

Get the motor running like a turpentined pup.

This car's got a job all through twenty three,

All over the state this car will be.

It'll run from the Big Muddy to the Tug.

Selling a scam like bad likker in a pretty jug."

I asked, "What do  you mean?  What are you saying?"  

"This car is their hope Republicans are praying,

It's their campaign car is what they're saying.

They've already got a dozen takers,

Idiots, criminals, scammers, fakers, 

They'll climb in and ignore the weather.

They're planning to ride a dozen together.

There's a half dozen men waiting to ride,

And one or two women are climbing inside.

They want to turn this state around.

They want to drive it into the ground.

They've already put sales tax on everything.

Cut taxes on the rich and got them to sing.

Put all them bills on all the poor

And they've got plans to do a lot more.

They say they'll kill all the good jobs,

Quit feeding people corn and give them cobs, 

Hide all their good tricks under the law

And make this the worst state you ever saw.

There's Mike Harmon the Auditor of Public Accounts

Who knows to what he might amount.

There's even a man named David Cooper

He wants you to believe he's a super dooper.

He can't say what he might do

But he's really trying to fool me and you.

Eric Deters used to practice law

Until he was arrested over what witnesses saw

When he chased his nephew around the town,

The boy says he's lucky he never was found.

 Alan Keck is mayor in pretty small town

But says he's the answer to keeping Kentuckians down

He wants the front seat in this clown car

Says prior mistakes are never a bar

To being the governor of this great state

He'll fix it all and won't be late.

Ryan Quarles wants to drive the car

All over the state both near and far.

He says he's a farmer with a big education

Says Harvard won't ever hurt his reputation. 

Robbie Smith is a teacher without much of a plan

But he swears he's a qualified man, 

Says he just wants a term of one year

Then run again to allay all our fear,

Wants to change a whole lot of things

But seems to have lost the list that he brings."

The body man said "these candidates keep talking

But in this car they might be walking.

If I get it painted and I get it sold

The tale it will tell will always be told

About how Kentucky was bought and sold.

There's even a couple of women who want to drive

And swear all the state will arrive alive.

There's Savanna Maddox from Scott County

Who says she can win without paying a bounty

For votes from people who are willing to sell

In order to see Kentucky become living hell.

Ooops! Maddox admitted she was wrong.

Kentucky can't be bought for a song.

Her short campaign didn't go well.

She couldn't turn Kentucky into living hell.

But the question now is did she sell

Out to someone with money who could spell?  

She announced her campaign on June 6

On December 20 she admitted she didn't know enough tricks.

Six & a half months was way too long

For such a campaign which was always wrong.

Daniel Cameron who fights daily against good

Swears he is the candidate Kentucky should

Put to driving the state into the ground

As if enough evidence hasn't been found

To send him home after four years

Of driving all sane Kentuckians to tears

With losing law suits against every good work

He says anything positive he'll always shirk.  

But the strangest candidate of all

The one who would answer any outrageous call

Is the one whose record proves most daft

The former ambassador Kelly Knight Craft

Who worked for two years daily to do naught

For the man Putin and Russia bought

Because her husband spent coal money 

To get a do nothing job for his honey.

The body man laughed and said "that's all

If nobody else tries to answer the call

To be governor of Kentucky after next fall.

But they say Bevin, you remember old Matt,

Is tired of staying at home getting fat

On money from pardons for all takers,

Rapists, murderers, thieves and fakers.

Matt might jump in the race

And give all the others a bitter taste

When he reminds the voters what you get when you do

What the Republicans want you to.

But this clown car will be full in old 23

With the worst crowd of clowns 

The state could ever see."

But then he smiled and said over his grin,

"It won't matter to me who wins.

I'm leaving the state when I finish this car.

I'm going away just about as far

As it is possible for me to travel

Before this clown car blows up and scatters gravel

In the face of every voter dumb enough to do

What the Republicans want them to do."

I shook my head and dried a tear, 

And left old Frankfort with a lot of fear

Of what could happen in the next election

If the common sense of voters takes a defection

And leaves us all out of our senses

Following this clown car without defenses, 

Listening to liars, fakers, and shills

Trying to ruin Kentucky with horrible deals.  

So vote with caution in the upcoming year

Remember the man who calms all your fear

Stick with the man whose been proven just dandy

Vote Straight Democratic! Vote For Andy!  

Roger D. Hicks, December 18, 2022. 

"The Law Of Pine Mountain" by Phillip K. Epling--Book Review

This book was referred to me by a friend after I had inquired about information about Bad John Hall, the former gun-happy police chief of Wheelwright, Kentucky, which is a whole other story.  The book was written by someone named Phillip K. Epling and the edition I have in my possession was printed by what I assume was a vanity press created by the author known as E & E Publishing Company, Elkhorn City, KY 41522. 

But I have also found other editions of the book under imprints including Overmountain Press McClain Printing, and Reformation Publishers.  The book is about a man named John Wright, known widely as both Bad John Wright, Devil John Wright and several other nicknames related to his ability with a gun and willingness to use it. He was born in 1844 and died in 1931 at the age of 86 which was a very ripe old age for a gunslinger in the early twentieth century.  He had a reputation for honesty despite his well known propensity for killing other men. He served several years as  a deputy sheriff in Letcher County Kentucky along with one term as a magistrate.  He was often used to hunt down wanted men and one story in this book claims he once chased a horse thief out of Kentucky, across the Ohio River into Ohio, then back across the Ohio into West Virginia, all the way into Virginia, and then killed the man and recovered the high priced race horse not far from Cumberland Gap before bringing the horse back to the rightful owner.

The book is poorly written, highly fictionalized, and questionable as to truth. I am sure it also had some influence in the ongoing defamation of Appalachian people as gunslingers, killers, and other less desieable elements of civilized society.   But, if you are into reading about  legends of the Appalachian mountains, especially those legends which involve such men, you might find the book worth reading.  For me the best, and most likely most accurate story in the book concerns the fact that Bad John Wright was a cousin to a man who was known as The Kentucky River Giant, Martin Van Buren Bates, who was nearly eight feet tall, married a woman of equal size from Nova Scotia, spent their lives traveling with circuses, and retired to Seville, Ohio where they are buried.  The book claims that Wright spent a few years traveling with his cousin and working in the circuses before returning to Cynthiana, Kentucky, where he married his own wife, Martha Wright.  After a few year in Cynthiana, the Wrights returned to Letcher County for most of their lives but he is buried in Wise County Virginia.

In addition to the weaknesses I have listed in the preceding paragraph, the edition of the book which my friend loaned me also contains several photographs and a letter written by Martha Wright which appear to have been copied on some low quality, older version of a copier which rendered them virtually useless for a reader.  But if you are dying to know more about Bad John Wright, you might enjoy the book. 

The Murder Of Chief Deputy Bristol Taylor

Chief Deputy Bristol Taylor Photo by The Taylor Family

On Friday, November 23, 1973, Knott County Kentucky Chief Deputy Bristol Taylor was shot and killed while responding to a call about a drunk and disorderly man at the Blue Star Restaurant in Mousie, Kentucky. As he and another deputy, Herman Gibson, approached the shooter's vehicle the man, who was later identified as Marvin Gibson, opened fire on them with a .357 caliber revolver.  He shot Chief Deputy Taylor four times. The other deputy was shot once and wounded.  In a subsequent trial, the shooter was only convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison.  Chief Deputy Taylor was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Knott County Sheriff's Department for four years. He was survived by his wife Fern and four children, Tony, Deronda, Mickey, and Gary.  He was only twenty-nine years old and had been the Chief Deputy Sheriff in Knott County about four years.  He was buried in the Taylor Family Cemetery on Branham's Creek Road in Knott County.  

Marvin Gibson was able to win a change of venue to Pike County Circuit Court in Pikeville, Kentucky.  The trial was under the jurisdiction of Pike Circuit Judge E. N. Venters. During the brief trial in 1974, Marvin Gibson admitted to the crime. He was convicted of manslaughter in Taylor’s death and of wounding Herman Gibson. He was sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison by Judge E.N. Venters.

Chief Deputy Bristol Taylor & Family Photo by Troublesome Creek Times

Due to a complex schedule, I have not searched either newspaper or court records from the time of the murder and trial of the shooter, but I remember the shooting and sentencing of the killer.  The fact that the killer was only convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to only sixteen years after having killed a deputy and wounding another is a travesty of the highest order.  In today's world, most killers of police officers all across the country receive life sentences without the possibility of parole.  I will pursue the newspaper coverage of this incident and the trial proceedings and bring this post more up to date in the near future.  With Kentucky Parole Board standards at the time, it is highly likely that the killer was out of prison before Chief Deputy Taylor's youngest child was legally an adult.  

In 2012, based on efforts by State Representative John Short, the Kentucky General Asembly passed a resolution to name Kentucky 1393, Branham's Creek Road where the family cemetery is located, the  Deputy Bristol Taylor Memorial Highway. The ceremony to dedicate the highway was held on Friday, June 22, 2012, near the Taylor Cemetery, where Bristol Taylor is buried. The ceremony was open to the public and was attended by numerous public officials, family members, and law enforcement officers.  The ceremony began with the Presentation of Colors by Knott County DAV Chapter 171 with Arthur Mullins acting as their Commander. Kyra Short sang the National Anthem. Pastor McCoy Taylor held prayer and State Rep. John Short spoke and presented the formal declaration from the state legislature to the Taylor Family. Bristol Taylor’s sons Mickey and Tony spoke on behalf of the family.  The family unveiled the sign designating the highway as the Deputy Bristol Taylor Memorial Highway. A crew from Highway District 12 installed signs at the intersection of Ky. 899 and Ky. 1393 and at the intersection of Ky. 1393 and Ky. 582.

Bristol Taylor had been born to Everett and Mattie Short Taylor on March 17, 1944. He served in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserves from 1960- 1966, including a tour of duty in France. When Taulbee Pratt was elected Knott County Sheriff in 1969, he appointed Taylor chief deputy. He served in that capacity until his death.  While many law enforcement and judicial practices were markedly different in 1973, than they are today, it is unconscionable that a competent judge and jury could have only convicted the shooter of the lesser charge of manslaughter in what was a cold blooded murder and attempted murder.  The designation of a minor country road in honor of Chief Deputy Bristol Taylor was a commendable but less than sufficient act in light of his proven dedication to serve his country and community over an extended period both in the military and law enforcement.  Chief Deputy Bristol Taylor deserves more to be done in his honor.  

Mass Murder In Allen Kentucky 1981

As mass murder has become almost a daily occurrence in the United States with three hundred and seven being reported in 2018 as of November 16, 2018, we tend to generally believe that it is a relatively recent phenomenon.  But that is not entirely true.  Mass murders have been happening in America since at least since 1966 when Richard Speck murdered eight nurses in one night in Chicago.  On Labor Day in 1949 what is generally believed to be the first mass murder in America occurred when Howard Unruh murdered thirteen people in Camden, New Jersey.  But this blog is generally centered on subjects within Central and Southern Appalachia.  The first mass murder I remember in Appalachia happened in Allen, Kentucky, in October 1981 when five men were murdered in an auto parts store in Allen, Kentucky, less than twenty miles from where I grew up in Dema, Kentucky, and about three miles from Banner, Kentucky, where I operated an auction house for several years.  

On Friday, October 16, 1981, William "Okie" Bevins, a seventy year old retired miner walked into a small auto parts store on the banks of the Big Sandy River and shot eight men, fatally wounding five of them.  According to news coverage of the event at the time, Bevins drove back to his home at Printer, Kentucky, after the murders, dropped the gun down a hand dug well and was sitting on his porch when the arresting officers arrived.  He claimed that he had been bitten by a spider earlier in the day and had no memory of any of the day's events afterward.  Bevins had been convicted of a previous murder in 1930. He had served seven years on a life sentence in that case.  Witnesses who knew Bevins and at least one of his victims believed that the murders had occurred because of an ongoing relationship with the wife of one of the dead men,  twenty-eight year old Roger Click of Allen.  The other seven men, including the three wounded survivors, all seem to have been only what the military calls "collateral damage".   The general consensus at the time was that Bevins simply intended to murder all the witnesses to the crime.  As is common in such crimes, Bevins was transferred to the Laurel County Jail in London, Kentucky, for his own protection and claimed during the investigative interviews conducted there that he did know Roger Click who had previously rented a house from him and that Click always paid his rent on time.  

The other victims of the shooting were Rufus Hamilton, whom Bevins claimed he had worked with in the mines for more than ten years, Roger Hatfield, 34, Mohawk, W. Va.; Jarvey Hamilton, 27, Grethel, Kentucky, and Michael Halbert, 28, Allen, a co-owner of the auto parts store.  According to the testimony of his thirteen year old brother, Roger Click called home from the store just seconds before he was murdered.  Stanley Click, 13, answered the telephone at the home of their mother. He said the person on the other end didn't identify himself but Stanley Click was certain it was his brother.  He told investigators that "Roger yelled out as loud as I ever heard, 'God help me, Mommy!' Then it sounded like a belt popping, I handed the phone to Mommy and she heard it, too." At least one other witness, Tommy Joe Reitz, testified that he saw Bevins and Click arguing outside the store before Click went inside and asked to use the telephone.  Reitz went on to say that he saw Bevins follow Click inside the store and left immediately.  Autopsy reports on the bodies of the five victims revealed that each of them had been shot between two and eight times and colloquial reports from the area always agreed that Bevins had shot each victim at least once after they fell to make certain that they were dead. The story was so unusual and violent that it actually made the New York Times.  Sadly, in today's world, such stories of mass murder do not survive much longer than the victims. 

Bevins initially plead not guilty and a jury trial began in Floyd Circuit Court in Prestonsburg, Kentucky.  But following early testimony, Bevins instructed his legal counsel to withdraw his plea of not guilty, entered a plea of guilty to all charges, and ask for the judge to proceed with sentencing.  The judge sustained the motion by counsel and proceeded to sentence Bevins to death.  On March 20, 1986, the Kentucky Supreme Court delivered a ruling on an appeal by Bevins in which he claimed nearly a dozen errors in the trial and sentence.  The ruling stated "We have conducted an independent review of these circumstances and conclude that these circumstances exceed any minimum threshold justifying capital punishment. The sentence is not excessive or disproportionate to the death penalty imposed in other cases.  The judgment is affirmed."  In 1972, the US Supreme court ruled in Furman v. Georgia that the death penalty was unconstitutional and Bevins' death sentence was commuted to life.  He died in prison. 

Only Four Kinds Of People

 

 

For five years or so, I have been telling my friends that there are only four kinds of people who support TRAITOR, International & Domestic Terrorist, Russian Agent, Self-confessed and Still Unpunished Sex Offender, Proven Tax Cheat, Career Criminal, Idiot, and Quisling Trump which I firmly believe.  But, for some reason or other, I had not written a blog post about it and that is a shame.  I should have put this online at least as early as June 2015 when he rode down that trashy escalor.  It is long past time for everyone in America who understands the TREASON of the man to step up and begin working to bring about his second electoral defeat, removal from the scene of his most recent  three year crime spree, indictment, conviction, and imprisonment for the remainder of his slimy life. Since his legitimate impeachment failed because of the TREASON of 51 US Senators who voted to acquit him on the most well founded charges ever brought before the US Senate in an impeachment trial, these are only options to avoid the further destruction of America and American Democracy.  But right now we need to discuss the four kinds of people who support him and begin working to educate and inform those with enough intelligence to become informed so that they can mend their ways and join us in the effort to save America from this TRAITOR and Russian Agent.  Below, you will find my discussion of the four kinds of people to which I am referring. 

1. Other TRAITORS who fully support his work to help Vladimir Putin carry out the Russian plan to seize total power and control in the world and to destroy America, American Democracy, and all our diplomatic allies including the members of the G7, NATO, G20, and all other alliances of countries who support representative democracy worldwide. This group has been proven to contain many members of the Repugnican Party as we have learned more about the depths to which the Russian spy Maria Buttina was able to penetrate both the Repugnican Party and the National Rifle Association, the federal criminal convictions of many of his supporters, the evidence we have seen released by Michael Cohen and others, and the self-admission of his lies about Covid 19 to Bob Woodward by TRAITOR Trump.  If you look at the list of associates of TRAITOR Trump and examine their connections to Russia, you will see that there have been only a few very restrictive qualifications considered when he was hiring people.  Those hiring qualifications are a) connections and commitment to Russia; b) criminal intent; and c) total loyalty to both TRAITOR Trump and Russia. 
2. Other Career Criminals who believe they can benefit from the ongoing worldwide crime spree by TRAITOR, International and Domestic Terrorist, Russian Agent, and Quisling Trump. These people have no meaningful allegiance to the United States or any other country for that matter.  Their only desire is to join in the ongoing crime spree and illegally, illegitimately, and immorally accumulate some level of money or power to which they are not entitled in any way, shape, form, or fashion.  These people range from corporate executives to common criminals.  They include bankers, stock speculators who are betting that the insane trade war will not collapse the US economy, and even people who are simply designing and selling new, trashy merchandise to support the cause of TRAITOR, International Terrorist, Russian Agent, and Quisling Trump.
3. People Of A Wide Variety Of Stripes Whose Hatred And Prejudices He Endorses This group includes nearly all aspects of the Radical Right Wing in America which can range from outlaw motorcycle gangs to the KKK, Aryan Brotherhood, Neo-Fascists, and, sadly, the self-described "Christians" who ignore the teachings found in the New Testament and are merely Hypochristians, hypocrites who describe themselves as "Christian" in order to feel safe spiritually or to seek public approval.  Many of these people share hatreds of specific groups including African Americans, Hispanics, immigrants, liberal activists, and environmentalists which are just as vile and virulent as the expressed hatreds of the KKK and Aryan Brotherhood.  
4. Idiots Who Are Just Too Stupid To Understand The Nature Of His Crimes I do not believe this group needs any further explanation as to who they are.  You can find most of them on their days off, if they work at all, walking into WalMart wearing a MAGA hat and carrying a firearm to help them inflate their miniscule penises. 

If you find yourself among these four groups of people, it is morally incumbent upon you to try to determine whether or not you have the requisite intelligence and moral character to change and support the defense of America from the crimes of TRAITOR, International Terrorist, Russian Agent, and Quisling Trump.  

 

 

Skyrider Publishing--Caveat Emptor

Recently, I needed a copy of the Pearl S. Buck novel, "Sons", and after a quick scan of available copies on Amazon I ordered a copy through Amazon which it turned out was printed, not published, by a somewhat shadowy organization called "Skyrider Publishing".  The book was labeled as "New" and when it arrived it appeared to be new based on a superficial examination.  The cover was plain with only a nondescript, remotely oriental looking symbol on the front cover between the title on the top and name of the author on the bottom.  But as I began to read it a week or two later, I realized that it had no publisher's page, prefatory material, copyright, or afterword of any kind.  The only way to know its origin is to the last page in the book, opposite the snow white, inside, rear cover where you find a bar code or UPC and the statement "Made In The USA Lexington, KY 31 March 2018".  The inside front cover is also snow white and opposite a title page which simply says in black letters "Sons By Pearl S. Buck".  When you turn the title page, the text begins immediately and proceeds throughout the book with no white space at the end of a chapter.  The next chapter is simply numbered in Roman numerals and begins with a paragraph break after the preceding chapter.  The text is rife with spelling and grammatical errors which I know  from reading other works by Pearl S. Buck would not be in an original copy from the legitimate publishers.  By the time I had discovered these serious flaws in the book, I had already had it for several days after I had received it.  Incidentally, I had ordered it on March 26, 2018, five days before the date listed on that back page. 

I did a Google Search that day for Skyrider Publishing and again today, May 29, 2018, as I am writing this blog post.  I can find almost nothing about Skyrider Publishing on the Internet where you can always find a plethora of information about even the most obscure of subjects.  There is a Facebook page for Skyrider Publishing which has almost no information on it and a blog which is loaded with old novels and other books which all appear to have been out of copyright when they were put on the blog.  This is only a guess but it appears that Skyrider Publishing is an arm of Amazon and used to rapidly reproduce out of copyright books, sell them as new, and turn a quick profit on legally and morally shaky work produced in a shoddy manner.  

I will never again knowingly purchase another book created by Skyrider Publishing and will strongly and eternally urge anyone I can influence to do the same. If I ever unknowingly purchase such a book, I will immediately return it to the seller and demand a refund. Caveat Emptor!  Let the buyer beware!  Always keep your eyes open when you are buying books and never knowingly or unknowingly support any organization which is reproducing formerly copyrighted work for a fast buck. 

"A Higher Loyalty Truth, Lies, And Leadership" by James Comey---Book Review

Comey, James. A Higher Loyalty Truth, Lies, And Leadership (New York, Flatiron Books 2018)

If you are only going to read one book this year, this is the book you should read!  

Once in a while a book comes along that is the most important book in print at that time.  For the year 2018, this is that book.  At this time (May 29, 2018), this book is ranked #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List and has spent five weeks on the list.  I pre-ordered it, read it immediately, and should have written about it on this blog on the same day I finished it.  I apologize for that delay.  But "A Higher Loyalty..." is not the most important book of the year because it is a best seller.  The reverse is true.  It is a best seller because, Thank God, a major portion of the readers in America realize that is an incredibly important work.  This book is an autobiographical and historical work by one of the two most important men in the world, James Comey, who is literally standing in the breach protecting this country and the world from a would be dictator, TRAITOR Trump. 

Photo of Robert Mueller and James Comey by The Washington Times

Now let me put at least one of the major misunderstandings about this book to rest for you.  This book is not, in any major way, about TRAITOR Trump.  It is about James Comey, his life and career, and the important values and people who shaped him into the patriot, hero, attorney, public servant, and practicing Christian he is today.  In fact, TRAITOR Trump is mentioned only two or three times in the first one hundred pages of the book and only then to place James Comey, his life's work, and his incredibly unjust firing in their proper perspective.  The book is a masterfully written piece of work which is a fast read, enlightening in many areas, and very well constructed and fluid in its progress from opening to conclusion.  James Comey grew up in a devoutly religious home and was raised to be respectful, ambitious, hard working, and honest.  That is exactly who he turned out to be. The book progresses from his early childhood when he was heavily influenced by being a victim of a violent burglary to the day he was unjustly and criminally fired by TRAITOR Trump.  Mr. Comey discusses and explains the values he was exposed to by his parents, his long and loving relationship with wife and children, his exemplary career as a US Attorney and Director of the FBI, his successful career working for two duly elected presidents each from a different political party, and his deep commitment to the country. 

Photo Of James Comey & His Family by ABC News

Without much discussion of TRAITOR Trump at all, James Comey is able to skillfully elucidate the general public about the inherent differences between an American Patriot and a traitor, a committed Christian and a man who is irreligious at best, an absolutely honest man and a career criminal, a bastion of truth and a pathological liar, and an outstanding citizen and a self-serving representative of all that is evil in the world.  James Comey is a man who should be hailed as the hero he is and he will be as the full load of evidence mounts against TRAITOR Trump.  Buy this book as soon as you can get a copy in your hands.  Read it from cover to cover as soon as you have it in your hands.  Then pass it on to someone else with the stipulation that they must read it and pass it on ad infinitum.

If you are only going to read one book this year, this is the book you should read! 

Mourning For The Country

For most of the last three months, I have been mourning for the country.  Beginning on November 9, 2016, immediately after the announcement that Hillary Clinton had lost the presidential election, I have fluctuated between utter disgust, bafflement, and grief.  How could such a highly qualified candidate lose, even in a close election, to such a markedly unqualified, ignorant, hate filled, and evil man?  Then the announcement came from the seventeen US intelligence agencies that the election apparatus had been tampered with, in favor of Donald Trump, in several states through the use of the Russian hacker network known as Fancy Bear.  Now the whole outcome in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan made a lot more sense.  A glaring statistical anomaly in key precincts in these three states and Florida had been discovered.  The key precincts were all won by Trump with shockingly similar voting percentages, far too close to identical to be accidental.  I found myself going from disgust, bafflement, and grief to anger.  It has become more and more clear as we have gotten farther away from the election that some kind of effort was put forth on the part of Putin and the Russian government in order to influence the election in favor of Trump.  Theories about their motives range from a simple desire to see the American electoral process in turmoil to outright treason and collusion on Trump's part.  

Earlier in the year, Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign manager, had been forced to resign because of his history of involvement with Russia in Ukraine.  Trump's eventual choice as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, one of the least qualified nominees ever named for a cabinet post, had done extensive business in Russia and even accepted an award from Putin known as the Russian Order of Friendship.  Additionally, the Washington Post has called Trump's collective nominees for cabinet posts "The Worst Cabinet In American History".

Trump's assemblage of liars, thieves, potential traitors and criminals is collectively a motley crew who have been assembled deliberately to provide Trump with an entourage that will not question his actions or motives no matter how insane or criminal they may be.  There is Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas, who once could not remember the name of the department which he has been chosen to direct and has been indicted, but sadly not convicted, of abuse of power in Texas during his time in office.   There is Betsy DeVos, a member of the same family which built the worst pyramid scheme in American history, Amway.

During her confirmation hearing, DeVos actually stated that American schools should have guns on campus to protect students from grizzly bears. She is also an outspoken advocate for charter schools which are nothing more than religious based means to deprive public schools and students of federal education funds. There are other equally unqualified and ignorant people in this gang of thieves.  There is Scott Pruitt, appointed to head the EPA, who has been the most virulent enemy of the agency over the last several years.  There is Jeff Sessions, chosen to be Attorney General, who in 1986 was refused a federal judgeship because he was too racist at a time when virtually no level of racism could get an appointee denied a judgeship.  

Obviously, I have plenty of reason to grieve for the country.  But, as January 2017 comes to an end, I have realized that grieving is not productive.  I need to work, as does every other committed citizen to help bring an end to the gang of Right Wing Radical criminals being able to destroy American Democracy.  Citizens of a democracy can and must speak out on a daily basis to defend that democracy.  Citizens of Germany in the 1930's stood silent as Adolph Hitler and the Nazis seized control of power in Germany, began World War II, and perpetrated the Holocaust.  American citizens cannot allow this gang to do the same in the greatest country in the world.  My time for grief is over.  My time of diligent resistance is here.  I will work every day to help America prevent the disaster which is even now unfolding in Washington.  So should you!

"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."   Thomas Paine