Friday 5!
One
A sitting President of the United States lost an election and then orchestrated an elaborate scheme to seize control of government and stay in power.
Read that again… It sounds like the plot of a novel. I’m sure it probably is. But in this case it happened. In the months preceding the 2020 election, when Trump realized that he would lose his bid to hold the White House, he and his inner circle began working on a plot – that is the correct term btw – They plotted to steal the election, get the GOP controlled House of Representatives to declare Trump the winner, and then use the military to quell resistance from the angry voters.
Their plan was to use sets of fake electors from seven states to muddy the waters and make it easier for Trump to claim that the election was in question when it was not. The plan was well orchestrated down to the fake electors signing the proper forms and submitting them to the federal government to be counted with the legitimate electoral votes.
This is just one part of the overall plan… that they wrote down and revised… and made available to people in the form of the Eastman Memo. Folks, Trump and company are owed their day in court, but there is a mountain of evidence that they followed the plan put forth by John Eastman to the letter.
Trump lead an attempted coup. Some of us warned that he was capable of this in 2014 when it looked like he would make another run at the White House.
Now, the GOP and Trump's minions are working through Project 2025 to set up his next transition to power. If it happens, it will be the last peaceful transition we see in our lifetimes.
Note: The Project 2025 link will take you to The Heritage Foundation because they are the ones running it. Here’s some more objective information. This should scare you btw.
Two
The American right has spent lots of time yelling about how oppressed they are. Why? Because governments at all levels are investigating them and then bringing charges against them for the crimes outlined in number one.
They hope to keep their supporters in the dark about the nature of the investigations at the same time using those investigations to paint the Biden Administration and anyone else digging up their criminal activities as simply attacking political opposition.
This is a lie, but like the right has done for decades, they will use that lie to build a counter narrative around reality and then beat their supporters over the head with it until it’s all they know.
Right-wing media has been instrumental in this effort and will continue to be. The GOP is as corrupt as it gets folks.
Three
And now for something completely different!
Worlds best Cincinnati Style Chili (My recipe perfected over almost 30 years).
Ingredients:
3 quarts of water + 1 cup after its cooked a bit
5 diced onions (using a food processor is recommended)
6 pounds of ground 80/20 beef
8 Cloves Garlic: minced
Tomato purée 88oz (If you use sauce, cut back on the water a bit.)
12 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp Spanish Paprika
1.5 tsp Ground Cumin- 8 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Red Pepper
3 tsp Ground Allspice
2 tsp Ground Cloves
4 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 square Bakers Chocolate
2 whole Bay Leaves
2 tbsp. White Vinegar
6 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions:
1. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a LARGE pot.
2. Add diced onions and let it boil for 20 minutes.
3. Slowly add the ground beef and break it up as much as possible.
4. Continue boiling until the meat is cooked.
5. Add garlic and tomato puree. Let the temperature rise to a low boil and let it sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. In the meantime, mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Be sure to shave the chocolate so it’s easy to mix in.
7. Add vinegar and Worcestershire sauce then dry ingredients. Stir well.
8. Let simmer for 4 - 6 hours, stirring to keep the bottom from burning.
9. Eat a bowl to test at about 3 hours… then have another because it’s that good.
Best ways to eat it?
3-way = Serve over fresh pasta with lots of finely ground sharp cheddar cheese.
4-way = Add pinto beans.
5-way = Add onions.
This chili is perfect for hotdogs too!
Four
Back to school... or OMG it's August already???
Can this really be happening? Well, it could be worse. I'm nearing the end of a long career... fewer than three years to go. It's weird that all the students I'm ever going to have are now in high school. I'll miss it when it's over, but not as much as folks think. Year 32 here I come.
See my post on lessons learned from my long stint in the classroom.
Five
I'll leave you with this. There are currently three Trump trials on the horizon, and may well be four. It's imperative that these happen. Trump will do all he can to stall, bring his supporters to bear on those pursuing justice, and muddy the waters of justice.
Things may very well get more violet, but hear me when I say this. If Trump is elected again next November it will be the last democratic presidential election we see in the United States.