Category: Progressive Commentary

CORRUPTRION DEFINED

Donald T****’s recent creation of a “US Strategic Crypto Reserve” has caused a deal of concern among many observers. That is because T**** has investment holdings in crypto currencies and, since his announcement, the value of those holdings has risen dramatically. 

For example: In the day following the announcement, Bitcoin and Ethereum, the two largest cryptocurrencies, posted 20% and 12% gains respectively. A lesser known crypto, Ripple, posted a 25% gain. It should come as no surprise that T****’s cryptocurrency investment portfolio includes all three of these. 

Corruption in human affairs is defined as a dishonest or fraudulent abuse of entrusted power or position for personal gain. 

Let’s look at this. Does a president have the power, authority or position to create a crypto currency reserve? Yes, he does. Was this action by T**** dishonest? Because he did not disclose his cryptocurrency holdings, yes, it was. And will his action incur for himself personal gain? Yes, it will. 

The Aristotelian nature of this logistic syllogism is precise; the conclusion is irrefutable. Is Donald T****’s creation of a US Crypto Reserve an act of corruption by a sitting president?

Yes, it is. 

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thebernhardperspective.com

IF YOU SEE IT, ITS THERE

This comes under the heading of, if you see it, it’s there.  

Rep. Tim Burchett, (R-TN) is standing by his labeling George Soros as a “money-changer of the worst kind.” This is a long-standing anti-Semitic trope against the financier, who is Jewish

Burchetrt’s use of the term “money changer” refers to the biblical parable of Jesus throwing money changers (ie: Jews) out of a temple. It harkens back to over a millennium of Christian hatred of Jews, who were not allowed to own property, of being unclean “money changers.”

Burchett continues and segues into the standard disclaimer declaring how much he loves the Jews: “My voting record clearly reflects my support for the Jewish people,” he says.

And let’s not forget Donald T***’s ‘some of my best friends are Jews’ -stye platitude from a campaign speech last year: “I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had.”

So. With all their talk about how much they love Jews and support Israel, do the T**** and his MAGA’s really give a rat’s ass about Jewish people? Not hardly. In fact, they wear their anti-Semitism on their soiled sleeves.

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thebernhardperspective.com

Taking stock after only 56 days in office. here’s what we know we have:

We have a president who sides with dictatorships like Belarus, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Russia against an embattled, nascent democracy, Ukraine.. 

We have a president who has appointed some of the most incompetent people imaginable to his Cabinet and to run the most critical departments in the government.

We have a president who has started a trade war with our three biggest trading partners, and we’re watching the beginnings of what could be a catastrophic financial meltdown. 

We have a president who doesn’t respect American institutions. Nor does he acknowledge the limits to his executive power or the separation of powers our Founding Fathers specifically intended when they created the Constitution of the United States of America. 

Given these things that we know we have, I am not at all convinced that Donald T****  loves our country. I believe he is just using it. I am convinced that he only loves himself, his money and his lust for power. 

And I am convinced that there is only one response to what we know about Donald T**** for those who do love our country, There is only one way to fight against T****’s madness. Only One Path Forward

STAND UP     SHOUT OUT      RESIST 

#1PathForward

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thebernhardperspective.com

T**** IS A TRAITOR

Question: Is Donald T**** working for us, or is he a Russian asset? Is he in Putin’s back pocket? Let’s tale a look.

When he asserts from the Oval Office that Ukraine started the war and that its president Volodymyr  Zelenskyy is a dictator, T**** is repeating Russian propaganda and lies.

He gave away bargaining points before negotiations began when he said that NATO membership for Ukraine was not on the table. This is a major Russian condition for any negotiated settlement. 

And while his hope for a 30-day moratorium in a quest for a lasting peace is laudable, this “master of the deal” demands concessions from Ukraine, the transgressed victim, that it give up its sovereign territory to its enemy and its national wealth to us, yet requires no concessions at all from the transgressing aggressor, Russia. 

As a bargaining tool, he cut off arms shipments to Ukraine. Then he cut off all aid to Ukraine, and finally he cut intelligence information from Ukraine. He reversed these decisions only after Zelenskyy agreed to his 30-day cease fire proposal in his one-sided quest for a “deal.”

He has done everything he can to undermine NATO on the world stage, even to the point of admitting he would not allow the US defend a NATO ally if it were attacked, and maintaining that NATO would not defend the US in a similar situation.

He has done everything he can to discredit Zelenskyy. Tag-teaming the Ukrainian president with JD Vance as they blindsided him in a staged event was horrid and inexcusable. His repeating Putin’s lie that Zelenskyy is a dictator while knowing full well it isn’t true, is no less so.

In all these things Donald T**** has done precisely what a Russian asset would do, exactly what Putin would want his puppet, his paid for mouthpiece, to do. And he has done exactly what an American traitor would do. 

In answer to the question is T**** a Russian asset, the answer is clearly, yes. He is. President, T**** is openly working on the behalf of and giving aid and comfort to America’s enemy, Russia. In doing so, according to Article lll, Section 3, clause 1 of the US Constitution, he is committing treason. 

President Donald T**** is a traitor.

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HITLER AND HIS GENERALS

Donald T**** has alleged more than once that he wishes he had generals like Hitler’s generals. I sincerely doubt that he understands the concept of irony, let alone how it applies here., 

History records that after the initial success of the Blitzkrieg, Germany’s generals lost every essential battle of WW II, starting with the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of Britain. Their armies were kicked off the African continent and surrendered in Italy. Their vaunted Atlantic Wall was breached in less than 24 hours and their invasion of Russia was a catastrophic failure. Eventually, the Allies defeated the Wehrmacht on both fronts.

And the Irony? Above all else Donald denigrates losers. And the truth is that Hitler’s generals lost their war. 

Also, the primary attribute Donald demands from his subordinates is loyalty, and he apparently believes that Hitler’s generals were loyal to him. But the truth is that his highest ranking officers held him in low regard and were involved in no less than 5 assassination attempts against him. In fact, a pair of his field marshals were aware of two of these attempts, yet neither of them thought to report it to their Führer. 

I suspect that what T**** really admires has to do with style rather than substance. Shallow and superficial in all things, he is most likely impressed with the Nazi general’s stiff, sharp uniforms and the way they are portrayed in movies with their disciplined, military correctness. He admires the way they are always snapping their heels together and delivering stiff-armed “Hiel Hitler” salutes all the time. Nothing impresses an autocratic more than servile obsequiousness.

But the truth is not in the movies or perceptions but in history, which is where the fate of the Führer and his generals is sealed. So when to comes to Donald T*** and his desire for generals like Hitler’s, I am mindful of the old adage, 

 “Be careful what you wish for. You just may get it.”

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T****’S ACT OF CORRUPTION

Following President Donald T****’s announcement on 2 March regarding the establishment of a “U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve,” there have been concerns about potential conflicts of interest. This is because both T**** and some of his advisers have investments tied to the cryptocurrency  market.

T****’s announcements have spurred the market upwards. The two major major cryptos, Bitcoin and Ethereum, experienced significant price increases. Bitcoin surged by approximately 20%, Ethereum by 12%. The lesser known Ripple’s value increased 25% after the announcement. The reserve is set to include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and three other cryptos. 

It should come as no surprise that President Donald T*****’s personal cryptocurrency portfolio includes investments in Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple.

Corruption is defined as the dishonest or fraudulent abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Let’s just look at this. Is a president entrusted with the power to make decisions such as creating a crypto reserve? Yes, he is. Is this action by Donald T**** dishonest? Because he pointedly has not revealed his personal stake in the crypto market, yes it is. And does this action result in personnel gain for T****? Yes it does. 

The syllogistic logic behind this chain of implications is irrefutable; the conclusion is valid. So. Is Donald T****’s creation of a U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve a corrupt act by a sitting president? 

Yes. It is.  

#1PathForward

T****’S BETRAYAL OF DUTY

At his inauguration, Donald T*** raised his right hand and swore that he would faithfully uphold  laws of the United States. However, being a man of little faith, he clearly had no intention of doing anything of the kind. 

Some examples: Since he took office, he has illegally impounded billions of dollars signed into law by Congress. He has shut down and purported to eliminate agencies lawfully created by Congress. He has illegally fired tens of thousands of government officials and employees without the authority to do so. He has claimed to have to altered or eliminated Constitutional amendments, something which no one person can do.

All these things he has done simply by fiat, by a wave of his hand, by issuing orders, “edicts” and “proclamations” as if he were royalty or worse. And all in contravention of laws that he had sworn he would uphold.

Virtually all of these actions are being challenged in court. Most of these challenges are being upheld in lower courts for the simple reason that T**** is acting in violation of the law. 

However, since he obviously has no concern for the rule of law, It is likely that he will simply ignore the lawful orders of the lower courts, something has already begun to do so. Appeals will ultimately go to the Supreme Court.

T**** would appear to believe he has that court on his side. And if not, to paraphrase Andrew Jackson on a state’s rights ruling, T****’s position will likely be “[the courts} have made their decisions, now let them enforce them.”

The Executive branch is expected to enforce the rulings of the Supreme Court. Outright refusal is quite rare; such action by a president in peacetime has occurred only once, by Andrew Jackson in 1832. (President Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus during the Civil War in 1861 in violation of a Supreme Court ruling.) In modern times, no U.S. President has flatly refused to execute a Supreme Court order. 

One of the bedrock principles of the American way of life is that no man is above the law. If the president deliberately and with malice fails to preform his Constitutional duty, he is putting himself above the law, and our system of governance teeters on the edge.

However, the destruction of our democracy is T****’s objective so that he can achieve his goal: full autocratic, dictatorial power. That is Donald T****’s objective; that is his goal.

The goal of those who love our American democracy and way of government must necessarily be to stop him. This is best done at the ballot box. In the meantime, there is another necessary way. Another path to follow. One Path Forward. 

STAND UP        SHOUT OUT        RESIST

#1PathForward

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VANCE’S DISGRACE

Vice President JD Vance, along with his wife and their three children, headed off to a ski resort in Vermont as part of a planned vacation.They were met by hundreds of loud protesters standing in the cold and snow, lining the road and holding a sea of signs calling Vance a “traitor,” telling him, among other things, to “f**k” off” and “go ski in Russia.”

This is as it should be.

I do feel badly for his family. His kids are quite young, cannot understand and did not pick this slimy jerk as their father. And his wife most likely had a completely different idea of what her life was going to be.

But Vance? Not in the slightest. In fact, I believe he needs to be reminded every time he dares to show his face in public what a small-minded, mealy mouthed and pathetic excuse he is for a vice president he really is. His boss has already figured it out.

It is a lesson learned decades ago by another much reviled, vilified and disdained president, Lyndon Johnson. It got so bad for Lyndon that the only way he could travel around the country was from one Air Force Base to another, and then sweep into town protected by a huge motorcade. And even then, lines of police had to keep angry crowds back in front of his hotel.

This needs to happen to both these guys, all the time. They need to be reminded every time they stick their heads out in public that we know they lied to the American people during the campaign, we know they’re lying to us now and we know they will always lie to us. We know the they are little more than pathetic excuses for autocratic wannabes.

They must be remind that we know they have abandoned the concept of free, democratic rule, and that they have aligned themselves and our country with the most vile and murderous dictators in the world. And that we know they are trashing our country’s singular, sterling reputation as Ronald Reagan’s “Shining city on a hill.”

We know that this must stop and we know that we must be the ones to stop it. We know that we cannot be afraid and we know that we have no choice. We know there is only one course of action for us to take. There is only One Path Forward.

STAND UP SHOUT OUT RESIST

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T**** GRABS FOR POWER

President T**** made his claim to autocracy clear on Saturday, February 15, in this social media post: “He who saves his Country violates no Law.” This phrase, attributed to Napoleon, signals Trump’s  intention to assume one-man rule. This is Trump’s leadership principle,

This principle goes by another name — The Führer Principle. This was the foundation of Nazi Germany’s government and a key characteristic of a fascist state. It was how the Supreme Leader’s will was transformed into law, and how a duly elected Chancellor became a tyrant. 

In pursuit of this power, T**** has issued an executive order giving himself and the attorney general direct authority over numerous regulatory agencies. These agencies will be required to take orders from the president and gain approval from him for regulations or actions they propose. The president and attorney general will also retain the power to interpret the law for executive branch actions. 

These agencies were established by Congress as semi-independent, and T****’s actions will be challenged in the courts. T***** is assuming that the Supreme Court is on his side. 

That may very well be true. But the Court has not ruled that a president can violate the law, only that he cannot be held criminally accountable if he does. T**** has said that he will abide by decisions of the courts, but T**** is a liar.

After first denying any knowledge of it, T**** has admitted that he is following the Project 2025 plan for a Conservative coup and his ascension to autocratic rule. That is what is happening now. 

Those who love our democracy and wish to keep it have only one way to stop this naked grab for dictatorial power. Only one way to fight back. Only One Path Forward.

STAND UP     SPEAK OUT      RESIST

#1PathForward

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thebernhardperspective.com

“Democracies can’t survive if people are hungry or out of a job. They [the T**** administration] want Americans hungry.”—Rep. Sarah McBrice (D-Del.). 

McBride also noted that for the T**** administration to “illegally freeze funding” and “gut the federal workforce has chaos as its goal. “They want Americans scared for their future. That is how Donald T**** keeps his power.” 

She is correct. 

With people struggling to pay their bills, feed their families, and grabbing for the pittance that’s left of the government programs designed to mitigate against homelessness, hunger and privation, they won’t have the time or energy to recognize or fight back against the Dictator T**** and his MAGA oligarchs who have stolen our country in order to line their pockets.

And if we want out country back, we’ll have to take it back. There is only one way to defeat them. Only one way to reserve our democracy. Only one path forward.

STAND UP      SHOUT OUT      RESIST

#1PathForward

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