{"id":1059,"date":"2020-07-29T13:25:28","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T13:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1059"},"modified":"2020-07-29T13:25:28","modified_gmt":"2020-07-29T13:25:28","slug":"july-29-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1059","title":{"rendered":"July 29, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \u2018menu\u2019 of what to write about today is overwhelming \u2013 like almost every other day these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pandemic:\u00a0 There is, of course, the ongoing pandemic that is raging out of control across the country.\u00a0 Despite the increasing death toll, which has surpassed the total number of people killed in the Civil War, Trump continues to push to reopen the country, especially schools.\u00a0 The Major League Baseball season got underway and within four days, games had to be cancelled and some teams are seeing significant numbers of players testing positive for coronavirus.\u00a0 And we are going to open schools safely how?\u00a0 \u00a0Oh, that\u2019s right, we\u2019re going to follow the national plan put out there by Betsy Devos, Secretary of Education.\u00a0 I seem to have lost my copy \u2013 has anyone else seen it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testimony of Attorney General Barr:\u00a0 Attorney General Barr testified before Congress today and was combative as expected, and continued the narrative that the Mueller probe was wrongly instituted and conducted.\u00a0 That in spite the findings of the DOJ Inspector General and the Republican led Senate Intelligence Committee that the Mueller probe was entirely appropriate.\u00a0 He has appointed his own investigator who will no doubt come to a completely different conclusion that the DOJ inspector general and the Senate Intelligence Committee supporting Barr\u2019s narrative that the \u2018Russia gate\u2019 probe was bogus.\u00a0 This report will no doubt be released shortly prior to the election!\u00a0 Barr has made it eminently clear, despite his vehement protestations, that he has become Trump\u2019s Attorney General rather than the Attorney General of the United States.\u00a0 Lobbying to have the charges against Michael Flynn dismissed; weighing in to reduce the sentence of Roger Stone; firing the lead attorney for the Southern District of New York (and lying about it in the process); \u2013 he has completely undermined the credibility of the Department of Justice to the point where over 1,000 former DOJ prosecutors have called for his resignation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deployment of Federal Troops to US Cities:\u00a0 Trump, supported by Bill Barr, continues to deploy Federal troops to US cities, ostensibly for purposes of \u2018Law and Order\u2019. (And why is the footage of some of these encounters ending up in Trump campaign ads?) \u00a0\u00a0However, the Federal troops are uninvited by the local authorities and appear to be bent on escalating the violence.\u00a0\u00a0 I wonder what kind of reaction Trump would have if a bunch of uninvited \u2018guests\u2019 descended upon Mar A Lago!\u00a0 Sending Federal troops is guaranteed to escalate violence.\u00a0 Regardless of what is going on, they will always be viewed as an invading force and be treated as such.\u00a0 This has nothing to do with \u2018Law and Order\u2019 but everything to do with politics.\u00a0 It\u2019s a page right out of the Authoritarian Playbook.\u00a0 One of the more interesting exchanges in Barr\u2019s testimony before Congress yesterday when he was challenged as to why he didn\u2019t send Federal agents to protect the Michigan State capitol and Michigan\u2019s governor, when a bunch of heavily armed white people were protesting against the governor\u2019s coronavirus containment measures and were threatening to lynch and behead her!!!\u00a0 Of course, we all know the answer to that \u2013 the people in Michigan were white and supported Trump and the BLM protesters are a mixed bag including a lot of people of color and who do not support Trump.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t take a genius to figure this out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congressional Gridlock Holds Up Coronavirus Aid:\u00a0\u00a0 The $600 unemployment benefit will run out for a lot of people on July 31^{st<\/sup>.\u00a0 Congress has known this for weeks.\u00a0 The House passed a bill 10 weeks ago.\u00a0 And what has Mitch McConnell been doing?\u00a0 He has continued to push through judicial nominees with dispatch.\u00a0 That seems to be the priority.\u00a0\u00a0 The Senate coronavirus relief bill was done without any input from Democrats and is just now hitting the street.\u00a0\u00a0 One has to ask, \u201cWhat the hell is Congress doing?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Just for the record \u2013 these people work for us, theoretically \u2013\u00a0 and if we were to collectively write a performance appraisal, they would likely be terminated for cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n}

Trump complains that no one likes him:\u00a0 It is very sad that I am even writing this.\u00a0 Here we are in the midst of the largest health crisis facing this country in a century and the President of the United States is more concerned about the approval ratings that Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are getting versus his dismal ratings.\u00a0 It\u2019s appalling that we have a \u2018leader\u2019 who acts like a petulant, jealous child. \u00a0The explanation is very simple.\u00a0 Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are doing their jobs.\u00a0 They are providing fact-based recommendations based upon science and data.\u00a0 Trump, is not doing his job and he constantly lies to the American people.\u00a0\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t take a genius to figure this out.\u00a0 But, then again, Trump lives in \u2018Trumpland\u2019 and we all know that is a different reality that most of the rest of us live in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melania Trump announces Rose Garden makeover:\u00a0 And, of course, with all of this chaos going on, the White House feels that its appropriate to announce the First Lady has decided to redo the Rose Garden at the White House.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s just lovely.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s just another example of how this White House is absolutely tone deaf with respect to what is really going on in this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Trump loses will he transition power peacefully:\u00a0 What the hell is going on in this country?\u00a0 Never in my lifetime was this even a question.\u00a0 Now I read more and more articles voicing concern that Trump will do everything to contest the election.\u00a0 He is already sowing seeds of distrust in the electoral process.\u00a0 The United States of America, once viewed as the beacon of democracy will become the laughing stock of the world if Trump loses and fails to hand power over peacefully and without protest.\u00a0\u00a0 The reputation of this country is already damaged around the world and such a scenario will cause irreparable damage.\u00a0 This is just another example where it is patently obvious to anyone that cares to give it serious thought that Trump doesn\u2019t give a shit about the United States of America \u2013 Trump cares about Trump, period!<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"