WHERE YOUR MARBLE COUNTER TOP COMES FROM ...

I know this post is kind of random, but this and other photos help us understand how "human scars on earth" have been created. You can learn about this and more by clicking here.

- Mark

DONALD TRUMP'S TRUE CALLING, IF HE WEREN'T BORN RICH

- Mark

IS GOD OK WITH ABORTION, AND MURDER? YOU BE THE JUDGE ...

Contrary to what our Bible-thumping friends like to claim, it appears God is actually OK with abortion. From the Bible's Numbers 5: 16-28 ...

But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has had intercourse with you,” 21 —let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse and say to the woman—“the Lord make you an execration and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your uterus drop, your womb discharge; 22 now may this water that brings the curse enter your bowels and make your womb discharge, your uterus drop!” And the woman shall say, “Amen. Amen.”

What this means is that, yes, you can make the case that abortion and Roe v. Wade are part of God's plan. And if we're going with biblical stories, it appears that indiscriminate murder is also part of God's plan ... as long as God's doing the killing.

- Mark

SAME ISSUE, DIFFERENT RESPONSES: CAN YOU SPOT THE DIFFERENCE?

So the state of Texas has backed the high school that expelled a girl over her First Amendment-backed right to not stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. However, in Wisconsin, school officials say they can't do anything about a group of students who appeared in a group photo giving the Nazi salute because it's protected speech.

Can you spot the difference between the two free speech issues? Take your time.

-Mark

RESISTANCE AGAINST A STATE'S IMMORAL POLICIES IS NOT A CRIME

- Mark

MORE WINNING ... JUST NOT FOR YOU AND ME

Apart from the negative impact Trump's tariff war is having on U.S. consumers and producers (aluminum and soy beans especially), one thing was clear before the tax giveaway legislation for the rich passed last year: Trump's tax plan wasn't going to help American workers, or America's balance sheet, because the legislation provides tax incentives to shut down and relocate.

So, yeah, Donald Trump's tax plan - backed entirely by the GOP in Congress - works against the interests of American consumers, producers, workers and our nation's long-term financial interests.

The tax and financial winners, on the other hand, are the biggest corporations, their shareholders and their executives. Here's how it works in real time ...

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It's one of the reason the pay of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the United States far outpaces what the person on the shop floor earns.

- Mark

CALIFORNIA'S 21st CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT RACE SWINGS TOWARDS DEMOCRAT TJ COX

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Democrat TJ Cox has pulled ahead of incumbent Republican David Valadao in California's 21st congressional district, which stretches from Bakersfield to Fresno. Bakersfield's KGET 17 News' Eytan Wallace takes a look at the race, with commentary from Cathy Abernathy and yours truly.

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FYI, David Valadao has consistently voted with Donald Trump, which is odd considering that California's 21st congressional district is one of the poorest congressional districts in the United States. 

In fact, in "Geographies of Opportunities" we learn that, when it comes to the "Human Development" scale, the nation's lowest ranked congressional district - below every congressional district in Kentucky, Mississippi, or West Virginia - is California's 21st CD. 

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In a few words, while CD 21 helps feed the nation "many can barely afford to feed their families." Yet Rep. David Valadao was consistently siding with Donald Trump and his rich friends. 

- Mark

UPDATES: The Fresno Bee has TJ Cox up by more than 500 votes, which you can access by clicking here.

The Hill and the Los Angeles Times are now calling the district for TJ Cox.

TRUMP EATS GLUE ...THEN RESPONDS TO GOVERNMENT CLIMATE REPORT

With Arctic Sea ice disappearing, and government scientists telling the world about the impact of climate change on the earth, Donald Trump responded: "I don't believe it ..."

- Mark

**[Trump didn't really eat glue. He just talks as if he did.]**

A PORTRAIT OF REAL JESUS FOR OUR FAKE CHRISTIAN FRIENDS

- Mark

THE "FRUITS" OF TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS

This is what the gospel of "trickle down" has reaped ...

- Mark

THE CHILDREN OF TRUMP, AND HIS FAKE CHRISTIAN SUPPORTERS

And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say 

to you, as you did it to one of the least of 

these my brothers, you did it to me."

- Matthew 25:40

Our Commander-in-Chief "protecting" America by going after "the least" of us among our brothers ...

- Mark

TRUMP'S "NATURAL INSTINCT FOR SCIENCE" ON DISPLAY, IN REAL TIME ...

Remember when Donald Trump said that when it comes to climate change that he has a "natural instinct for science"? Well, now we have proof of those instincts, sort of ...

- Mark

WALMART NATION

To learn more about Walmart Nation click here.

- Mark

MORE WINNING: GENERAL MOTORS' STOCKS JUST WENT THROUGH THE ROOF. HERE'S WHY ...

General Motors' stock prices are booming after shooting up more than 7 percent today. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how this happened after reading today's headlines ... 

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This is winning, I guess.

You can read about GM's plans to close plants in North America by clicking here.

- Mark

TRUMP RIDES THE HORSE OF BIGOTRY AND HATE, AGAIN ... AND THE FAKE CHRISTIANS CHEER HIM ON

Applying for asylum is not a crime. In fact, the law makes it clear that you "must be physically present in the United States" to apply for what's called for "affirmative" asylum (defensive asylum refers to those who are asking not to be removed from the U.S.). 

Donald Trump knows this, or should know this. 

So what does Trump do this post-Thanksgiving Monday? In an effort to rile up the bigots and fear mongers in his base, he called "many" of the migrants coming from Central America "stone cold criminals" and then threatened to shut down the border so no one can make it to the United States and apply for asylum. 

Let's be clear on this, again. Applying for asylum in the United States is not a crime. As well, to apply for asylum there is a legitimate process that includes being physically present in the United States.

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On the positive side, in spite of Trump's bigoted calls for exclusion, there are good and decent Americans who not only understand the law, but are compassionate and caring human beings, as this Newsweek piece reminds us. 

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At a time when so many Christian Americans are getting prepared to honor Christ's birthday, you would think Trump's Christian supporters would see the irony in their hatred and bigotry towards the poorest among us during this holiday season. 

But they don't.

The fact that Trump's supporters choose to embrace the policies of a morally depraved man, rather than the messages of love and tolerance that are in their bibles, tells us one thing: there are a good number of Fake Christians running around this holiday season.  

- Mark

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

OK, now for some Thanksgiving funnies ...

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- Mark

DON'T BUY THAT TURKEY JUST YET ... IF YOU'RE A TRUMP SUPPORTER

- Mark

WILL THERE BE A PARADE NOW? TROOPS COMING HOME FROM "OPERATION CARAVAN" ...

With Grand Chess Master Trump in charge of our military I know I feel safer.

If "Operation Caravan" doesn't get Trump mentioned along with Napoleon and Alexander the Great in our history books I don't know what will. The courage and sacrifice needed during the Caravan Campaign merit a medal of some sort, right? Let's start the parade ...

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Learn about Trump's "strategery" by clicking here. Sigh ...

- Mark

ADMIRAL McRAVEN: WHEN YOU ATTACK THE PRESS "YOU THREATEN THE CONSTITUTION"

- Mark

FOREST FIRE MANAGEMENT 101

- Mark

AT LEAST THEY HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR

- Mark

For those of you who don't get the reference (most likely because you're under 25 years of age) you've missed out on some good cartoons. But here's what you should be looking out for in the future ...

A REAL MYSTERY HERE ...

- Mark

MEANWHILE, IN YET ANOTHER EPISODE OF "AMERICAN DECLINE, UNDER TRUMP" ...

If you're a Trump supporter and think Donald Trump did a great job in Singapore, and believe that he actually made the world safer (as Trump claims), you really need to read this.

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- Mark

THE TWO PEOPLE WHO HELP US SEE THE "REAL" DONALD TRUMP

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- Mark

THE PENTHOUSE LIFESTYLE, IN THE JUNGLE

Living in the jungle can have its perks ...

- Mark

ICE CUBE'S "ARREST THE PRESIDENT"

Fair Warning: The language might be offensive for some, though if you're a Trump supporter you're probably used to most of it by now (just saying) ...

If the video doesn't appear, you can access it on FB by clicking here.

- Mark

TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY FALLING APART?

Retired four-star general Barry McCaffrey spoke out about Donald Trump's decision to skip the ceremony commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the end of WWII in France. The event was attended by other world leaders, which is just one of the reasons McCaffrey didn't hold back. Quoting the four-star general, The Week writes,

... Trump skipping the event in France was "insulting." The president did so simply because he wanted to "stay out of the rain, eat cheeseburgers, watch TV, and tweet angry denunciations of his many enemies ...".

With the Democrats Blue Wave electoral victories last week, and the Mueller investigation picking up steam, it appears Donald Trump is getting the sense that his presidency is beginning to swirl the drain. The LA Times is reporting that Trump "stung by midterms and nervous about Mueller" is starting to retreat from "traditional presidential duties" which you can read about here.

- Mark

WHERE'S OUR "CARAVAN INVASION" CROWD NOW ... DID IT START TO RAIN?

- Mark

AMERICA IS A BETTER PLACE BECAUSE ...

- Mark

NATIONALISM IS A BETRAYAL OF PATRIOTISM

One hundred years ago, after WWI ended, getting the leaders of France and Germany together to seriously contemplate the brutalities of war and how to end them, was not possible. The failures of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) makes that abundantly clear. Today it's possible because another "great war" forced a new generation to develop a more sophisticated understanding of power.

Donald Trump has no clue about any of this, or why he's living in the ugly shadow of the past.

French president Emmanuel Macron explains what's wrong with both Trump's nationalism, and Trump's misinformed world view.

And, for those who haven't taken a political science class in a while, the sectarian nationalism that Donald Trump embraces emphasizes the uglier side of America's ethnic, religious or even regional (i.e. European) roots. Trump's world view promotes white nationalism, and even cultural supremacy. There is no unifying sense of inclusion or community in what Trump embraces.

Patriotism, on the other hand, generally references civic pride (community), common historical achievements (e.g. the 4th of July), and a genuine embrace of a broader set of ideas (e.g. life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) that bring people together.

In even simpler terms, patriotism is FDR and Lincoln. Nationalism is Trump.

- Mark

SIGN OF THE DAY ... MONTH

- Mark

THIS IS HOW IT STARTS ...

- Mark

PUTIN NOT HAPPY WITH SURROGATE'S LOSS

While Donald Trump called yesterday's election results a "big victory" for him, his handler has was not too happy ...

You can read about the "biggest disappointment" in Putin's career by clicking here.

- Mark

For those of you wondering about the reference, keep in mind this is the Borowtiz Report.

THE SILVER LINING TO TRUMP

Some of the new faces in Congress ...

- Mark

I like this picture too ...

THIS NOVEMBER 6th, THE CHOICE IS SIMPLE

For all the things Trump has called Democrats, this is rather tame, and actually funny.

- Mark

ANOTHER REASON TO VOTE BLUE

- Mark