"Someday at Christmas" reasonates so much more with idiot Trumpy in the White House

Someday at Christmas men won't be boys, playing with bombs like kids play with toys...

[link:https://m.

2017 was Trumpism's last gasp

(CNN) As the year comes to a close, the job of making sense of it begins.
This year, I heard so many people ask, "Is this really happening?" It felt at times as if we were living in an alternate reality. There's no denying that 2017 was both bizarre and a rallying of all sorts. The question is, who will be left standing when the rally is over?

While the year saw the rise of Trump, this is not the beginning of his term, it is the end. As painful as it has been to watch him and his supporters rally, theirs is merely a last gasp of a dying world view.

Ten years ago, when my father-in-law was dying of esophageal cancer, we called hospice in. I'll never forget what they told us: that just before death, we might see a surprising surge of energy in him, something that doctors refer to as "terminal lucidity."
They cautioned us that this would not be a sign of strength, but rather that death was near. Sure enough, a few weeks before his death, he was out of bed and had a surprising amount of energy. It was a last gasp at life. He died shortly after that.

That's what 2017 represents for me: a last gasp by Trump and the bigoted, sexist, nationalist and greedy forces that propelled him to power. (read more)

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/22/opinions/2017-was-trumpisms-last-gasp-robbins/index.html

18 realistic ways to become a happier, more chill person in 2018....

.....because it was basically impossible to be one this year.

(#1 Tip - take little breaks from the news, really, do this!)

What a year it has been. From current events ― including political turmoil and high-profile allegations of sexual misconduct in several industries ― to regular life stressors, it’s been a loooong 365 days.

If you’re overthinking everything and stressed beyond measure, you’re certainly not alone. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Say goodbye to 2017 ― and some of the negative emotions that came with it ― by adopting a few of these expert- and research-backed habits in the new year. They certainly won’t solve everything, but they’ll help make you feel a little calmer and happier in the moment. Baby steps, right?

Research shows that negative news can poorly affect your mental health. Simply put, it’s absolutely essential to take time away from the barrage of bad news stories. Experts recommend this to their patients, and do it themselves to keep their own stress under control. Here are some tips on how to take care of yourself during a chaotic news cycle.

[link:https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-be-happier-next-year_us_5a381f75e4b0c65287ab8319?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009|

"Why I Love Steve Bannon" (says the author, NOT me)

"I love Stephen K. Bannon. No, not amorous love, that’s a thought beyond repulsive in his case. I love him because he continues to terrorize GOP mainstream leaders. And with the 2018 mid-terms fast steamrolling toward us, my political love affair with him will only grow. The aftermath of the Judge Roy Moore Alabama Senate race cinched things for me with Bannon.

At a meeting of conservative big wigs at the Trump International Hotel in D.C. a few days after the Alabama election, Bannon was unrepentant and defiant. He defended his long and loud tout of Moore’s candidacy. He poked an accusing finger at the GOP establishment for cutting bait on Moore, and leaving him dangling almost alone in supporting him. But ominously, he vowed to do everything he could to rip the GOP establishment apart. To Bannon, GOP mainstream leaders, not the Democrats, are Political Enemy Number One. It’s his declared war on them that is the cause of terror and some panic within the GOP. Bannon has even fine tuned his GOP target even sharper. He is going full throttle after the man who symbolizes all in his world that’s wrong with the GOP top dogs. That’s Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He got it right. McConnell is the glue hat holds the GOP establishment together. The Senate is the name of the game in getting anything legislatively done. And almost nothing gets done there without McConnell.

Bannon’s strength is to play on and to stoke popular rage and frustration with tin ear politicians who’ve turned voters into invisible men and women. That translates to millions of disgruntled, frustrated voters who will be sorely tempted to push, prod and hector the GOP to give the Moore’s of the GOP their due. Many will be just as sorely tempted to vote for them as maverick candidates, or if their name is not on any ballot, stay at home. This would be tantamount to a vote for the Democrat foe. This would be an even bigger disaster for the GOP.

Bannon, then, is the GOP’s textbook Catch-22. If they pound him too hard this will only push the hard right and populist right even into a bigger frenzy against the GOP anointed office seekers or holders. That’s tantamount to a vote for the Democrats. In fact, 20,000 plus GOP voters in Alabama that did not cross over and vote for Democrat Doug Jones. Instead they wrote in “any Republican other than Moore.” This in effect was a vote for Jones. This was enough to tip the race to him. It can happen again in 2018, That’s my hope. And that’s why I love Bannon for helping make that happen."

[link:https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/i-love-steve-bannon_us_5a36c386e4b0e1b4472ae77a?section=us_contributor|

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His latest book is, The Trump Challenge to Black America (Middle Passage Press). He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One.

What an idiot! Trump couldn't vote because he put down wrong birthdate

[link:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/melania-ivanka-jared-mayoral-election-votes-didn-count-article-1.3692124|

I noticed something about Sessions today that I hadn't noticed before....

He has the exact same "tell" that Trumpy has right before he lies. It's that weird little sniff-snort thing he does as he is trying to incorporate his lie into a sentence. I always heard that dogs and their owners start to look alike after awhile, but maybe they start to sound alike too.

Scott Dworkin just tweeted that it's Jared

Mueller’s Trump-Russia Investigation Just Reached Jared Kushner’s Doorstep #TrumpRussia #FireKushner #AMJoy verifiedpolitics.com…

Turn it up!!!!!

[link:https://m.

Alabama says NO to ballot preservation! Uh oh

[link:https://mobile.twitter.com/Greg_Palast/status/940606792287039488?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet|

BREAKING: Order granting #Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill's motion to stay, which essentially overrules TRO secured by #VotingRights activists that would have preserved digital copies of #AlabamaSenateRace paper ballots