Benghazi

Oh my!  Kevin McCarthy, the front-runner to be the next Republican Speaker of the House, just admitted that Benghazi is a political whack-job on Hillary.

Way to garner GOP votes, imbecile!

And on top of that, he has a real problem with the English language, as noted on Rachel Maddow's show tonight.

This guy wants to be Speaker?  Listen to him and think "George W. Bush."

My god, are they ALL bozos on that bus? hahahaha

if that link does not work, go here to watch the stunning Maddow sequence.

Fiorina 2

Oh, remember the poor fetus in the video that Carly Fiorina has been going on and on and on about. How indignant Fiorina was. "I DARE you to watch the video!" she chided Clinton and the Democrats.

Well, the video wasn't of an aborted fetus. It was a stillborn fetus, from a miscarriage, not an abortion. And, the video had nothing at all to do with Planned Parenthood.

On some level, we knew this all along.

As we've seen time and time again, the truth just doesn't seem to matter to the GOP anymore. It's really a little freaky when one of the two main political parties stoops to such tactics on such a regular basis. It doesn't seem sustainable, yet they have the support of millions of Americans, presumably.

Anti-Abortion Group Forced To Admit Fiorina Lied About Planned Parenthood Videos (VIDEO)

Not only did Carly Fiorina lie about the contents of an anti-Planned Parenthood video at the second Republican debate, but it seems that the footage she referenced may not have depicted anything related to Planned Parenthood at all.

“As regards [to] Planned Parenthood, anyone who has watched this videotape, I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama to watch these tapes,” Fiorina said at the debate hosted by CNN in an effort to rally the “Christian” soldiers against the women’s health organization. “Watch a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain.”

Unfortunately for Fiorina, people did watch the tape, which shows nothing of the sort. None of the videos referenced by Fiorina were released by anti-abortion group, Center for Medical Progress, though one video shows edited-in footage of a fetus on a stainless-steel background with its leg moving. The problem is that this footage, regardless of any arguments surrounding it, likely has nothing to do with Planned Parenthood.

Gregg Cunningham, founder of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, who collected the footage, refused in an interview with TIME to identify the date, location, creators of the video, or any specifics that would lead a reasonable person to believe that this imagery has anything to do with Planned Parenthood. In fact, TIME notes that:

“He also made no claim that the images shown in the video had anything to do with Planned Parenthood, the organization that Fiorina and others have targeted for federal defunding. ‘I am neither confirming or denying the affiliation of the clinic who did this abortion,’ Cunningham said.”

David Daleiden, creator of the Center for Medical Progress videos, says he edited in Cunningham’s footage to tell a story he couldn’t otherwise verify — one of the medical technicians witnessed an abortion that resulted in a fetus with moving limbs and a beating heart. Sure, there’s no discussion of harvesting its brain, there also is no sound, and there are numerous cuts in the footage. In fact, there’s more than a distinct possibility that the footage actually shows a miscarriage rather than an abortion, but “whatevs,” right?

Okay, Okay, it absolutely was a miscarriage, but what does that matter, asks Daleiden. In a CNN interview, the anti-abortion activist says that whether or not the fetus shown is from a miscarriage or abortion does not matter, as long as it serves to prove a point he fabricated. “Carly Fiorina was referencing a sequence in our video that shows footage of a born-alive infant from a late term abortion actually moving in the specimen pan” —  Or in other words, a stillborn infant.

“But if you’re talking about organ harvesting and abortions and how terrible they are why, would you use a stillborn fetus, which is not a function of an abortion?” host Chris Cuomo asked, leading Daleiden to respond:

“It’s the same baby, whether it’s born dead or alive, whether the organs are harvested or not.”

“It’s also completely irrelevant to the point you’re trying to make, which is, ‘Look at what they do to these babies,’”  Cuomo pointed out. “It was born stillborn. It was not aborted. Doesn’t it matter to you if you’re talking about abortion?” But to Daleiden facts are a nonissue:

“It’s the same kind of fetus.”

“My point is context,” said Cuomo . “You’re saying, ‘what they do in abortions,’ that wasn’t an abortion. That’s my point.”

These admissions spell “trouble” for pathological liar Fiorina, whose rise in popularity is largely hinged on her ability to prattle on about the videos — Ah, who are we kidding? Conservatives just don’t give a f*ck. Even though the unedited video clearly shows Fiorina’s pants to be on fire, Live Action News, a “pro-birth” website, claims that the footage vindicates the 2016 hopeful, though even LAN admits the footage was from a miscarriage — and Daleiden just doesn’t give two sh*ts or a f*ck about the truth.

Watch the anti-choice activist admit to the lie, below:

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Sweden fossil-free?

Congratulations to Sweden for becoming one of the first countries to develop a plan to be totally fossil fuel-free. They are setting a good example for the rest of the world to follow. The sooner we get away from the use of fossil fuels, the better off we all - and the planet - will be.

As for the US, shit, we cannot even discontinue the subsidies paid to gigantic multi-national oil companies.

​Sweden to Become One of World’s First Fossil Fuel-Free Nation​

Sweden is setting out to prove that the world doesn’t need fossil fuels. In a recent announcement, the Swedish government said it will invest 4.5 billion kronor, or US$546 million, in their 2016 budget “to meet the challenges of climate change, increase the share of renewable energy and stimulate development of innovative environmental technology.”

“Sweden will become one of the first fossil-free welfare states in the world,” Prime Minister Stefan Löfven told the press. “When European regulations do not go far enough Sweden will lead the way.”

As broken down by Bloomberg, here’s how Sweden plans to completely abandon fossil fuels (no deadline has been set):

• 390 million kronor per year between 2017 and 2019 in photovoltaics, with a plan to spend 1.4 billion kronor in total
• 50 million kronor annually on electricity storage research
• 10 million kronor on smart grids
• 1 billion kronor to renovate residential buildings and make them more energy efficient
• Subsidies and investment in green transportation such as electric cars and buses
• Increase funding of climate-related projects in developing countries, raising its budget to 500 million kronor

Science Alert also pointed out that most of the budget increase will be financed through tax increases on petrol and diesel fuel.

According to Science Alert, “The move comes after Sweden suffered extreme heatwaves last summer, and one of the worst bushfires in the country’s history. The government has committed to taking action to protect its citizens from the effects of climate change in the future.”

If Sweden’s clean energy plans sound a bit like a pipe dream, the country already receives about 78 percent of its electricity from nuclear power and hydroelectric power, which do not generate carbon emissions. (Although it appears that the Scandanavian country is favorable towards nuclear energy, it has no plans to replace its aging plants. By the looks of its current budget, Sweden is throwing most of its eggs into the solar basket.)

Additionally, it’s not so far-fetched for a country to run entirely on renewable energy sources. Earlier this year, Costa Rica announced that for roughly three months, 100 percent of the country’s electricity needs came from renewables. Hawaii is also poised to become the first U.S. state to adopt such a standard.

Perhaps in an effort to “lead by example,” as the Ecologist wrote, Sweden’s clean energy announcement comes a few months before the all important international climate talks in Paris (or COP21) this December.

“By setting ambitious goals, Sweden will take a leading role in the international negotiations on a new climate agreement,” the Swedish government said. “Only by doing so do we take our moral responsibility for future generations, while taking advantage of the job and innovation opportunities that the green transition brings.”

The original is here, and you can read about other nations working towards the same goal, such as Costa Rica, Albania, India, Afghanistan, and China by clicking here.  Wait, China?!

Lansing Mayor Bernero

A flashback to only a short while ago when the Mayor of Lansing, Michigan, Virgil Bernero, made a short but rousing speech at the 44th Annual Hash Bash in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was April 4, 2015. 

We need more Mayors like Virgil Bernero.

Free the People!

Free the Weed!

The War on Marijuana

is a War on the People!

Lend him your ears.

Carly Fiorina

Carly Fiorina is another disgusting example of a GOP'er that just cannot tell the truth.  It's really amazing how much they lie. And most of them CAN NOT EVER admit they were wrong about anything. After all, that would suggest WEAKNESS, right?  :sarcasm: 

Carly is rising in the GOP polls because of her polished ability to lie like a dog. She sounds so convincing, as if she knows what she's talking about. And the GOP loves forceful personalities, no matter if they are inveterate liars or not. 

If you have been paying any attention, you also know that Carly is a hopeless liar, but it's always welcome to hear someone who pays even closer attention confirm your opinion.

Yale Professor Blasts Fiorina: She has a ‘psychopathic denial of reality’

Carly 'Skinhead' Fiorina

Yale professor Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld blasted GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina on Monday, questioning her fitness to run the country based on her pattern of fabricating facts.

Sonnenfeld pointed out Fiorina’s public claim that videos from the Center for Medical Progress show a fully-formed fetus being picked apart by Planned Parenthood workers while its heart is beating and legs kicking. The clip does not exist, yet Fiorina refuses to acknowledge it.

Sonnenfeld also attacked Fiorina for her repeated claim that she led Hewlett-Packard through difficult times. “I feel like the proverbial mosquito in the nudist colony, I hardly know where to strike first,” Sonnenfeld said about claims by Fiorina that she was a good CEO of Hewlett-Packard. “There’s so much wrong with this, but the thing that comes through clearest is this — if we weren’t on TV I’d say almost psychopathic denial of reality. As you saw even the creators of that hoax Planned Parenthood critique, even they say this is not the footage that she says it is.”

Fiorina was a complete failure as CEO of Hewlett-Packard. She ended up cutting tens of thousands of jobs as a result of her mismanagement, and disastrous merger with Compaq. Arianna Packard, granddaughter of company co-founder David Packard, stated: “I know a little bit about Carly Fiorina, having watched her almost destroy the company my grandfather founded.” A former employee of Fiorina was even more blunt: “she is an a**hole of magnificent proportions…pathologically unable to give a s**t about anything but herself.”

Also, Fiorina portrays herself as a hard-liner on Iran. However, during her six-year tenure at Hewlett-Packard between 1999 and 2005, her company sold more than $100 million worth of computers and other high-tech equipment to Iranian customers, despite US export sanctions at the time that prevented her from doing this.

Recently, Mother Jones compiled a killer list comparing Fiorina’s lies to the facts. Here are a few of their findings:

1. Claim: Fiorina was not fired from her job at Hewlett-Packard because of performance.Facts: In February 2005, Fiorina was dismissed from her post as CEO of HP by a board of directors that she’s since called “dysfunctional.” At the time, she roundly told reporters that the firing was not about performance. She struck a similar note in her 2006 memoir, Tough Choices, writing that after more than five years leading HP, by December 2004 she had she had pulled the company toward success. She cited a strong fourth quarter, despite a third-quarter “stumble.” In fact, the stumble was an enormous shortfall: HP missed its earnings projections that quarter by 23 percent. “When companies miss by a few pennies, it doesn’t mean all that much,” the New York Timeswrote of Fiorina in 2006. “When companies miss by 23 percent, Wall Street starts wondering if the people at the top have a clue what’s going on in the various businesses.” The Times also pointed out at the time that although Fiorina wrote in her memoir that HP missed its number on her watch on three times, “in fact, the company fell short at least nine times on either revenue, profit or both.”

2. Claim: The Securities and Exchange Commision investigated allegations of HP’s violations of the Iran embargo and cleared HP management of any knowledge of the problem.Facts: Last week, several news outlets reported that Fiorina was CEO of HP when the company allegedly sold products to Iran via a third-party company in Dubai, potentially a violation of the US-Iran sanctions. When conservative radio host Sean Hannity questioned Fiorina about the allegations last Friday, she said, “The SEC did a thorough investigation and concluded that no one in management, myself included, knew anything about it.
In fact, there’s no evidence that an SEC investigation of the allegations ever happened. The SEC did inquire about the company’s Iran dealings in a 2009 letter, after Fiorina had left the company. But there’s no evidence that a ruling clearing management of any knowledge was ever issued. What’s more, in their response to the SEC, HP indicated that management was aware of the Dubai-based company Redington Gulf’s sales of HP products to Iran, but that such sales were legal under US law.

3. Claim: Fiorina told Fox News host Chris Wallace last week that Redington Gulf was “not honest” with HP about selling HP products to Iran, a potential violation of US-Iran sanctions.Facts: Redington Gulf was open about its sale of HP products to Iran. The company issued a press release in 2003 saying that its relationship with HP began in 1997 to focus on “one market–Iran.”

For more on this story, click Raw Story Yale prof opens can of whoop-ass on Fiorina: She has an ‘almost psychopathic denial of reality’, and Mother Jones “Carly Fiorina Makes a Lot of Stuff Up About Everything.”

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Fuck the Pope

Tim Minchin says it with much more style than I could.

Enough already with coverage of the Pope. I think I'd rather have Trump saturating the airwaves. Well, maybe not.

Shakira sings "Imagine"

Hey, hey, hey, I think we have a new mascot. Way to go, Shakira!  She's got some ... chutzpah!

Even though this Pope seems to be charming everyone, if you look critically, not much, if anything, has changed in the Roman Catholic Church since he was appointed. All style. No substance

Shakira sings "Imagine there's no heaven...and no religion, too" right after Pope speaks at UN

Shakira’s religious affiliation is a bit dubious. She was raised Catholic, and in 2013 she said she struggled with faith, but recently she’s stayed fairly quiet about her position.

At any rate…singing John Lennon’s  “Imagine” at a United Nations (UN) Conference right after the pope speaks is a ballsy move. But part of the reason she may have chosen that song is that she was there as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which is centered around gaining child’s rights and giving them emergency relief. 

Singing a song about how wonderful God before the pope spoke would have added more blinding light to Catholic church’s halo, the same halo that has enabled the sexual abuse of around 100,000 children.

As David Clohessy, national spokesman and director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), stated recently:

Francis is masterful at symbolic moves and public relations that foster the impression of reform but change little or nothing…. 

For years, Vatican officials have written letters to bishops about this scandal. But since virtually no bishop is ever punished for ignoring or violating church abuse guidelines or policies, many bishops ignore or violate them. So a letter from the pontiff to his prelates, regardless of content, is meaningless. 

To be blunt, Francis hasn’t exposed one cleric who has committed or is concealing child sex crimes. Nor has he ordered any of the world’s 5,100 bishops to do so.

And he’s continuing the ancient, hurtful practice of dealing with abusers internally and essentially stiff-arming secular law enforcement. That’s inexcusable.

Indeed, one of the recent tactics seems to be allowing suspected molesting priests to move (without defrocking or investigating them) to poor areas in South America — the very continent Pope Francis was hand-picked from.

Which also happens to be where Shakira is from.  And not only that, she is extremely passionate about the rights of children in Colombia, her home country within that continent. As her UNICEF profile states:

Shakira is the founder of the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which provides displaced and underprivileged children in her native Colombia with access to quality education. In addition to building projects which ensure that children have safe and well-equipped learning facilities, the foundation supplies nutritious meals; educational enrichment through art, music and recreation; and economic opportunities for families.  Shakira also established the Barefoot Foundation, which advocates globally for universal access to education and she is the co-founder of ALAS, a movement of Latin American artists and businesspeople dedicated to early childhood development interventions.  

As a Goodwill Ambassador, Shakira has expanded her child advocacy efforts on the global level. Through public service announcements and her participation in fundraisers and other events for UNICEF national committees, she has increased awareness of UNICEF’s work in areas such as HIV/AIDS, education and child protection.

And on that “child protection” front, so far on his US visit Pope Francis has twice  infuriated child abuse survivors by focusing on how difficult the scandal has been on the church and highlighting the “courage” clergy members showed as the Catholic Church struggled with a public relations problem due to the child abuse accusations.

Less focus was placed on the victims. And, more disturbingly, Pope Francis continues to keep the records that the Vatican has on child molesting priests under lock and key, instead of turning it over to law enforcement.

Given this background, had a UNICEF supporter like Shakira sung in support of religion, she would have been further insulting those victims.

She could have been neutral. But no.

She seems to have decided (with her genius-level IQ) to go the other extreme. Singing “Imagine there’s no heaven…and no religion, too” in front of Pope Francis and the UN.

For the children…the time has come, Pope Francis, not for meaningless platitudes, but for action.

As she put it before singing,

Our children have the right to equal opportunity — to thrive, to be happy, and healthy, and safe. Now is the time to not just imagine, but do.

Good song choice, Shakira.

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Imagine, indeed

super blood moon

Some crackpots and cultists (especially particularly loony branches of Christianity) see the end of the world in the upcoming full moon, super moon and blood moon. It's the sign of the End Times! Jesus will be coming soon!

And that's just Republican members of Congress.

Sunday evening all across America.

Supermoon plus eclipse equals rare sky show Sunday night

A total lunar eclipse will share the stage with a so-called supermoon Sunday night or early Monday, depending where you are. That combination hasn't been seen since 1982 and won't happen again until 2033.

When a full or new moon makes its closest approach to Earth, that's a supermoon. Although still about 220,000 miles away, this full moon will look bigger and brighter than usual. In fact, it will be the closest full moon of the year, about 30,000 miles closer than the average distance. (The moon's orbit is far from a perfect circle.)

NASA planetary scientist Noah Petro is hoping the celestial event will ignite more interest in the moon. He is deputy project for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, which has been studying the moon from lunar orbit since 2009.

"The moon's a dynamic place," Petro said Wednesday. "We're seeing changes on the surface of the moon from LRO. We're seeing that it's not this static dead body in the sky ... it's this great astronomical object that we have in our backyard, essentially. So people should get out and start looking at it."

Many stargazers, professional and amateur alike, dislike the term "supermoon," noting the visible difference between a moon and supermoon is slight to all but the most faithful observers.

"It's not like the difference between an ordinary man and Superman," said Alan MacRobert, a senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine. "It really ought to be called a tiny, slightly little bit bigger moon, rather than the supermoon."

The full eclipse of the moon will last more than an hour and be visible, weather permitting, from North and South America, Europe, Africa and western Asia. Showtime on the U.S. East Coast is 10:11 p.m. EDT (0211 GMT); that's when the moon, Earth and sun will be lined up, with Earth's shadow totally obscuring the moon.

In Europe, the action will unfold before dawn Monday. No matter where, the preshow will begin two hours earlier.

There won't be another total lunar eclipse until 2018.

This eclipse marks the end of a tetrad, or series of four total lunar eclipses set six months apart. This series began in April 2014.

The 21st century will see eight of these tetrads, an uncommonly good run. From 1600 to 1900, there were none.

Observatories are marking the celestial event with public telescope viewing, although magnifying devices won't be necessary; the eclipse will be easily visible with the naked eye. Astronomers are urging stargazers to simply look to the east.

In Los Angeles, Griffith Observatory also will serve up Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on the piano and other moon-themed music.

NASA will provide a live video feed of the entire eclipse—an option in case clouds obscure your own view.

 Explore further: Second total lunar eclipse of year coming up Wed.

More information: NASA: www.nasa.gov/

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Here's a pretty good short video from Space.com

Between the World & Me

I recently finished reading Ta-Nehisi Coates recent book, "Between the World and Me."  It's a small book, a pretty quick, but painful, read.

I have had an incomplete sense of how difficult it must be to be a black male in America, of course, since I am Caucasian.  We throw black males into jail at a rate much higher than white males.  It truly does seem to be a continuation of the suppression we have exerted over the black population in this country.

Reading the book gave me an even deeper sense of the fear and desperation that blacks experience in this country. Racism is far from dead in America, sadly. 

Coates gives voice to the fear and anger that blacks experience today. It is very difficult to "walk in their shoes".  I know that I enjoy a tremendous advantage by simply being a Caucasian in this country. I do take it for granted, but I will try to do better.

I think this book should be required reading for racists everywhere. Maybe required reading in schools, but we just don't seem to be too able to honestly face difficult issues in this country.

There's a good review of this book in the New York Times. 

Church of Bacon 2

I am considering becoming ordained in the Church of Bacon.  It's a big step.  I could be a Friar! Annointed in holy grease!

It's no joke. It's the Catholic Church (prominent among so many) that is the real, sad, sick joke.

About the Church

The United Church of Bacon is a real, legal church based in Las Vegas, Nevada with over 12,000 members worldwide.

We chose a funny bacon name to expose how wrong it is for society to give automatic respect and special legal privileges to religions. Is our saying we worship Bacon really any stranger than Catholics who say that communion wafers become the body of Christ? Unlike God, who is invisible, at least we can see Bacon. Bacon is demonstrably real.

Our name has nothing to do with a rude term for police officers. We respect the police and our founder is a decorated veteran.

We were founded in 2010 by friends of magician Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller. We now have over 12,000 members from around the world.

The Church of Bacon's 9 Commandments

(We tried to make it 10, but ran out of space on the tablets and didn’t want to start over.)

1. Be Skeptical.

We are a church of skeptics and atheists. Our religion is to doubt religion. We are a non-prophet organization.

Keep learning. Accept scientific consensuses. Promote science and reason.

2. Respect Boundaries.

We accept anyone into the church and you may worship another God besides Bacon.

However, we support separation of church and state. Faith-based arguments from one group of people have no business in government decisions that affect all of the people.

Religious organizations that pressure government to their worldview violate the basic rights of minority religions and non-religious people of the world.

3. Normalize Atheists.

We oppose discrimination against nonbelievers. Religious people are not superior to the rest of us. Skeptics and atheists do not lack a moral compass. We are an important and growing minority. We deserve a normalized, respected place in families, communities, and public discourse.

It’s not enough to notice discrimination. We need speak up when it happens.

4. Normalize Religion.

We oppose special privileges in the law for religious organizations. There is nothing about people of faith and their groups that makes them better than secular non-profits.

5. Have Fun.

We have fun. We mock all beliefs, even our own. At least Bacon is demonstrably real, unlike God, but some skeptics even question this “theory”.

6. Be Good.

Unlike some religions, we don’t get tangled in unproveable supernatural interpretations of goodness that might be manipulated or misinterpreted to justify anything. Just be kind to people while respecting their boundaries.

Baconists love people of all races, backgrounds, sexual orientations, genders, and beliefs. The divine smell of bacon is bestowed equally on all people (except those who have no sense of smell, for whom baconists feel much pity)

7. Be Generous.

Like some religions teach, you should love your neighbor. That’s why we encourage giving to a list of recommended charities.

8. Praise Bacon!

Bacon is our god, but that’s just a term of endearment. We don’t believe that Bacon is actually spiritual, though smelling it is surely a Divine Experience. We also like donuts because they are Holey.

In the beginning there was the Big Bang, which begat all of time and space. Eventually sacrificial pigs evolved and the God of Bacon came to be.

Praise Bacon! If you don’t like pigs, you may praise Vegetarian Bacon or Turkey Bacon. Or just love the smell.

Bacon is not jealous. You may have other gods or no gods before Bacon.

We are entirely different from those who worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster, for we prefer our pasta on top of our bacon, while they prefer their bacon on top of their pasta. But that’s cool. Again, we accept everyone who loves the smell of bacon. Also, bacon is real.

The Great Mystery of Bacon is whether it is male or female. Bacon Prophet and Founder John Whiteside has listened closely to frying Bacon and has been unable to determine its gender from the sound of sizzle. He found that the more he turned up the heat, the more aggressive Bacon got. We do not need to understand all mysteries about Bacon to love the smell of Bacon.

9. Protest Bias in the Law

By asking for legal privileges on behalf of a Bacon God, the United Church of Bacon illustrates how every church has strange beliefs and that’s no basis for bias in the law. Religious people are not superior to nonreligious people, and religious organizations do not deserve special legal privileges above secular non-profits.

Religions receive many unfair privileges, including not needing to report how donations are spent, an oversight that would limit abuse.

The United Church of Bacon does report its expenditures and aims to give a larger portion of its budget to good causes than any other church in the United States.

We need to take religions off of their pedestal and give them the same treatment as secular non-profits.

Our Mission

Acting on our beliefs gives us a mission! Read more about who we are and our mission.

Join Us and Change the World

They’ll only listen if we speak. Will you stand up for the rights of atheists and skeptics? We need you!

Join the 12,000 members who support our 9 Bacon Commandments and our mission to end discrimination, fight superstition, and expose religious privileges in the law.

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As Commandments go, these are pretty tasty, and they make sense!

Trump suckered

Donald Trump was so impressed with the endorsement from Veterans For A Strong America. He thought he was being endorsed by a group with thousands of veteran members. Well, make that a group with ONE guy.

Snookered!  The formula looks easy.  Appeal to Trump's vanity and he'll follow you anywhere.

Busted! ‘Veterans’ Group’ Supporting Trump Is Actually One Guy In South Dakota

Donald Trump, in an apparent warm-up for the second GOP debate, gave what was billed as a “policy” speech aboard the USS Iowa warship Tuesday evening, and the event was also supposed to be a fundraiser for a “veterans’ group.” Tickets for the event were priced between $100-1,000 per person. Considering that there were nearly 1,000 attendees, quite a bit of money was raised.

One problem, however: the group that benefitted from the ticket sales, Veterans for a Strong America, appears to be just one man who happens to live in South Dakota.

As Rachel Maddow detailed on her show last night, Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings for the group’s PAC reveal that, in addition to having only $30 cash in hand and $318 in debts, the organization’s only member is its founder, Joel Arends.

As Maddow explained:

“Donald Trump was not in the military, but he did use a pretty military backdrop tonight to raise money for a non-existent veterans’ group, which endorsed him formally as part of his introduction — and he said they have hundreds of thousands of members. And they don’t. And so the whole thing is fake.”

Tuesday’s speech came after Arends released a statement earlier this year declaring that he would be backing Trump even after he insulted Sen. John McCain’s war record. Oddly, Arends worked on McCain’s campaign in Iowa in 2007.

Maddow said it has become clear that Trump either doesn’t know about the true nature of the group, or he knows and simply decided no one would notice the lie:

“I’m sure that in that moment, Donald Trump was very grateful to have that statement of support from this group. But Veterans For A Strong America really does appear to be just one guy.”

This incident, whether or not Trump knew the reality of Veterans for a Strong America, is emblematic of Trump’s entire campaign. For months now, Trump has simply lied about anything and everything, telling people what they want to hear instead of what is actually the truth.

But the gloss is beginning to fade from the Donald. He is nothing but a huckster, a grifter, a crass opportunist who only wants one thing: His own self-aggrandizement. It was fun while it lasted, Donald, but it’s about to come crashing down all around you.

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And to top this off, it appears that the whole fundraiser in California was ILLEGAL.  It looks like Donald Trump isn't quite the "really smart" guy he'd like us to believe.