Welcome to Trump's wag the dog .

The strikes on the Syrian airbase didn't destroy Syria's capability to use chemical weapons or impede their ability to launch air strikes. Runways are still intact and we're used to launch strikes again today. The missile strikes damaged some buildings and some antiquated aircraft that haven't flown in months if not years. 

As long as Syria has the capability to launch aircraft they have the capability to use chemical weapons. The only way to make sure Syria cannot use aircraft for chemical weapons delivery would be to wipe out its air force completely.

For y'all who think Trump did something to make a statement, well bless your heart. You fell for "wag the dog." 

Here is what Trump has done for no other reason than to boost his approval ratings.

He had to inform Russia so they can keep their people safe and of course Russia warned Syria who removed equipment and personnel. 

We launched 59 missiles against an air strip for a very crappy return on investment. We blew up concrete, yay! 

Russia scrapped the deconfliction agreement which means any action taken by America will put US forces at risk. Further strikes to hit truly vital and valuable targets are now of the table with Russia expanding their ant aircraft role to include Syrian assets.

Now the US and allies will find it difficult to conduct operations without having Russia as a threat. You will see allies and US forces asking to have the deconfliction agreement put back in place. Tillerson will go to Moscow and negotiate to have the agreement put back in place and Putin will set lifting of sanctions as a condition. Trump will say to congress that our hands are tied and to keep our soldiers safe we need to lift sanctions. 

Welcome to "Trump wag the dog" where our military personnel have become part of Trump's ploy to lift sanctions.

If any US personnel die because of Trump's ploy then he doesn't just need to be impeached but tried for murder.

Russia is probably complicit in Syrian gas attack.

so Donald Trump authorized a cruise missile attack in retaliation for Syrian gas attack on civilians. I will not slam Trump on doing this, because If I were President I would probably do the same. Here is the thing. The US notified Russia that the attack was coming so they could pull there people out of there before the attack. Nothing wrong with that because any other administration would do the same thing. Here is what is wrong, Russian personnel were working and supporting Syrian forces at an airfield used to launch the chemical weapons air strikes. Let that sink in for a bit. Now a Russia claimed that it was not a gas attack but an air strike that hit a rebel gas factory. No.
How did Syria manage to load planes with chemical weapons while Russian personnel were all about without a Russian adviser asking, "what ya got there?" I seriously doubt that would happen.
Russia, like Syria, probably gambled that Trump would not make a big deal of it and that the Russian disinformation network working in the US could convince enough Trump followers into believing it was a hoax. Apparently they left Trump out of the loop or Fox News didn't pickup the hoax thing.
Anyway you look at it, Russia has some explaining to do on why it had personnel working at a base used to carry out chemical attacks on civilians.

Hit Republicans were it hurts most, big businesses' wallet

Stop fighting Republican hypocrisy and hit where it hurts them most, the wallet.
They say it is hard to fight an ideology and I have to agree. Right now we are trying to fight a war on ideological grounds with the Republican controlled elected government by pointing out their hypocrisy concerning the Gorsuch nomination to the Supreme Court. I can tell you that you're trying to fight an elephant with a BB gun. The most you will be able to accomplish is piss the elephant off which will then run around destroying everything. I would like to suggest a different method. Cut off the elephant’s access to food.
Elephants are big creatures that require lots of food to survive. The Republican elephant is quite like the Animal in the that it needs large amounts of food, in this case money, to survive. Where does the Republican Elephant gets the food, money, it requires to live? Think about who normally owns an elephant, zoos and circuses. Zoos and circuses are businesses and if the business starts to suffer then there is less for the elephant to eat. So if you want to cut off the Republican Elephant’s food supply then you need to hurt its food supplier, big business.
It is too late to apply this strategy to stop the Gorsuch  confirmation but it is probably the best weapon to stop Trump and his Republican supporters from destroying this country.
I read where Mercedes Benz has pulled its advertisements from airing on the O’Reilly Factor because of the host’s sexual harassment of women. This is a great move to send a message that the company doesn't endorse someone who mistreats women. It is a good start and it needs to expand to companies not endorsing a news channel that has a reputation for sexual harassment but also acting as a propaganda machine for Donald Trump.
Yes, I know that Fox News isn't part of the government, but it is part of the problem America is currently facing. Fox News doesn't just cater to the conservative right, it caters to the alt- right.
What if the majority of Americans stopped buying and using services from the people who advertise on Fox? Do you think that Fox has enough dedicated viewers to overcome that profit loss? I don't think so. A great many dedicated Fox News junkies do not earn much money.
But we should not limit ourselves to Fox News advertisers, we should expand the effort to its parent company, 21st Century Fox. Yes, we need to put the financial hurt on the big Fox. Stop watching Fox shows. Write to the producers of the Fox shows you love and let them know you cannot in good conscience watch a show that contributes profits and support to Donald Trump and his Republican supporters. Hell, contact the actors who have shows on Fox and let them know how you feel. Do things that put financial pressure on the Fox empire. When I say things, I mean boycott, letter write, and protest.
Next, find all the big businesses that support Trump, Republicans, or others associated with Trump's agenda. Write them, boycott them and protest them letting them know we have the numbers and commitment to hurt their bottom line significantly if they keep supporting Republicans. Be specific on what and who you do not want them to support. Keep the pressure going and take your business elsewhere until they have had enough. Cause the biggest financial hurt possible to Trump supporting big business. I guarantee that despite what they say they love profits more than they love New York City's Orange Village Idiot.
Could this work? If we have enough true Americans left in this country it would. A true American is someone, liberal or conservative, that thinks Trump is unfit to be president and doesn't like Russia meddling in our business, unlike the Trump Train.
What would be great if it were possible would be to organize a nationwide all encompassing general strike and protest, to not just protest against Trump but all entities that support him. Let them know we don't want a Russian Puppet president nor his racist advisers running our country.

The hypocrisy of some false patriotic conservative talk show hosts.

I get such a kick out of some veterans who seem to worship at the altar of Fox News and other conservative news outlets. Can you use Fox News without the “fake” or “ pro- Russian” qualifiers? I am asking for a friend. Any way what gets me Is these veterans will slam on News outlets that report facts or lean to the democrat view. You here news anchors called all kinds of names most implying that the reporters are cowardly. Yep, for some reason there is this belief that conservative talk show hosts are all battle hardened military guys that shoot straight and won't back down to anyone, that these guys are one of them, veterans. Well I got news for you, for you who believe Bill O'Reilly, Roger Stone jr. and Alex Jones are somehow military men, they are not. None of them have served in the country’s armed services.
 Bill O’Reilly and Roger Stone Jr. are both of the age that they could have served in Vietnam, but I bet they both received student deferments just like their Führer. What is funny is that these two would most likely go after a democrat who received deferments during Vietnam. As for Alex Jones? I have seen clips of him flying off the handle during his show, and considering his love of conspiracy theories, I don't think he would be able to pass a psychiatric examination to enlist if he wanted.
But for some reason these are the guys who love to champion the conservative cause and always talking how they love the military and support them. Funny? You love them so much but not enough to walk in their footsteps. I am a veteran and I have more respect for a conscience objector or someone who says that they didn't think the military was the right choice for them than someone who tries to wrap themselves in the flag and make it look like they would answer their countries call if asked. Well here is one for you. We now have an all volunteer service and it has been so since the 1970s so they know they will never be asked.
If the truth be known that the three I listed and others like them would crap themselves if they had to face combat. Bill O'Reilly, don't try to use The Falklands war, El Salvador, and North Ireland to say you have seen combat, that dead horse has been beat enough. And another thing, seeing photographs of an atrocity doesn't mean you witnessed it. By O'Reilly’s logic everyone who checked out The Civil War collection would be a Civil War veteran.
Why do these guys bug me and why am I upset at Veterans who worship them? Hypocrisy. It is because these people and the veterans will slam on Bill Clinton's student deferment during Vietnam and will worship the big orange draft dodger that is posing as president. The same people will make stupid statements about how a president should have military experience yet elect a man whose military experience consists of how to use utensils at a  formal dinner and how to make his bed.
I am not saying that people need to serve in the military to be president or report on military affairs, I just hate the posers with their fake patriotism and bravado. If it were to come to trusting my life to someone in a combat situation or casualty situation I would not choose a person like O'Reilly, Stone, or Jones. Why? They are blowhards who talk a big show but disappear when things start to go down. They also seem to fly off the handle over the littlest thing. I do think it would be funny to see how they would react on a submarine at depth when suddenly the power goes out because the reactor scrammed. Or on the planes when you lose hydraulics running deep doing high speed ops. I would just hate to be the guy relieving them at the end of the watch because I guarantee that will be one wet seat from them peeing and crapping themselves. You see, on a submarine there is no where to run during a casualty like fire, flooding, or other emergency. On a submarine you have to keep your head and save yourselves because there is no emergency services but your fellow crewmen.
Somehow I don't think there are two many conservative talk show hosts that one could depend on because they seem to be too self centered.

If Obamacare goes then Union healthcare will go next.

ok, it is 12:45 AM so I will make this quick and dirty. Remember, I am shooting from the hip here with a gut feeling. So, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
Consider that if the Republicans and their big orange leader are successful at repealing Obamacare ( Affordable Healthcare Act) that they will be sending a message to companies and organizations everywhere that providing healthcare is optional and unimportant. We know that healthcare plans can be part of negotiations between organizations and unions.  We know that the Unions have healthcare plans which employers contribute to as part of negotiated contracts. Now what happens when the government says well it is not that important to provide healthcare and by not doing so you cut costs. Companies already know that if they didn't have to fund employee healthcare they would make larger profits. Now suddenly healthcare for employees is something they can cut or eliminate. But the Unions won't let that happen. Wrong, they may be almost powerless to prevent that because reduced bargaining power. Reduced bargaining power? Have you seen the current administration in the White House? Trump is no friend to Unions despite anything he has said to the contrary. No, Trump will side with big business. As far as Trump is concerned Unions cut into profits and that is no good. Let's say that a Union goes on strike because its healthcare is to be cut. Don't be surprised to see the company start hiring non-Union employees to replace, probably permanently, union workers. Will you get any support from Trump? Will he intervene on your behalf? Heck no. Trump will say the company has a right to hire non-Union people and those same people have a right to work and should not be discriminated because they don't belong to a Union. I guarantee that the new non-Union employees will be working for less money and no extra benefits. No one from the department of labor or any part of Trump's administration will come to the aid of the Unions.
No if you're law enforcement or other government worker you cannot even go on strike so your negotiating power is really limited. Don't be surprised if federal, state, and local governments start cutting healthcare benefits to employees. So all those law enforcement agencies and organizations that supported Trump may have cut their own throats when it comes to benefits like healthcare. If you're City or county wants to save money on things they can now look at healthcare as a place to make cuts because repeal of Obamacare would set precedent. You voted for someone who is profit oriented and is known to stiff his workers, do you think he really gives a crap about you?
If Trump somehow survives without being impeached you will see a sharp increase in labor disputes across the board within two years. It will start in the private sector as contracts come up for renegotiation then the government sector as they look to cut spending. It will not be just teachers Unions, it will be other government workers, and eventually law enforcement. When it comes to law enforcement there will be a push to privatize it and allow contractors to take over, especially in corrections. It is sad, but law enforcement may have screwed themselves by endorsing Trump.
If anyone is left with an affordable healthcare plan in 4 years it will be a miracle, that is if Obamacare is repealed.

an open letter to Mark Cuban

I respect you Mark Cuban, but you are wrong.

Mr. Cuban, I have read your Twitter thread about how you think that Donald Trump was unwittingly used by Russia during the 2016 election. I have to disagree with you on this assumption. You provided reasons for why you believe what you do, but some of the traits you listed about Mr. Trump are what makes him the perfect target for blackmail by Russia. While Trump may not have sought out Russia with the plan to use them to his advantage during the election he was most assuredly a knowing participant. This can be proven by Donald Trump's rhetoric during the campaign. He shot from the hip not using prepared speeches so what he said was from his own mind and it is not a coincidence that it aligns so well with Russian propaganda and objectives.
You are correct that Trump does not have the attention to detail and the intelligence to come up with and carry out such a plan on his own. Even Russian intelligence knows this and that is why they provided him with handlers and had Trump recruit those closest to him to help. It is not uncommon for people being used by intelligence agencies to recruit family and friends to aid them in espionage. John Walker recruited his son. (Walker is despised by the Navy, especially by Submariners.)
I am quite familiar with Russian recruit methods when it comes to spies. I served in the Navy from 1986 to 1997 on Ballistic Missile Submarines. My job required me to have a Top Secret clearance because I handled intel and other classified material. I was also part of the Personal reliability Program for people who worked on or around Nuclear Weapons and Strategic Systems. The military does not just give you a clearance, they train you on procedures for handling material and how not to be compromised by foreign agents. Not all spies volunteer to betray their country, some are recruited because they did something that if known could ruin their career. We were instructed to never put our self in such a situation and to be on the lookout for traps. During the Cold War Russia would use various assets and methods to try and compromise people in the submarine force or other highly sensitive field. Catch someone in adultery, a homosexual relationship, using drugs, being in the wrong place, you get the picture. Who fell for those traps? People with personality traits similar to Donald Trump, big ego, loud mouth, and thinks they are smarter than they usually are. It is these types that like to spout out how important their job is, especially in places they should not, the very places staked out by intelligence agents looking for someone to compromise. Donald Trump is not the brightest bulb, but he is a little smarter than you give him credit. And as people in the south say, “He lacks the common sense god gave a piss ant.” He does know how to blow smoke and con people, he even has a knack for self preservation. All traits that are useful for someone playing both sides. No, Donald Trump isn't an unwitting stooge, he knows what he is doing and is now worrying that others know. He is even using old Russian tactics to try and discredit the truth, not for The masses, but his followers. While Trump would like every person to believe his version of Russian tampering he knows the only people he needs to focus on is his loyal followers. He know he just has to make false accusations to keep his core from even considering the truth. He knows his people are the minority but he has convinced them, and continues to do so, that they are really the majority and the media is lying. Why? Because he knows he has enough numbers to cause chaos if he is impeached. Donald Trump's assignment given to him by Russia was not to when the election but to divide the nation in such away it would require the US to pull off the world stage and let Russia expand its power. In away, Trump and Russia screwed up in reverse when he won. Now there is more attention to what went down during the election and that is something Russia does not want. Russia risks having there methods of meddling in others politics being exposed and more sanctions. Putin and Russia cannot afford more sanctions and maintain control because when the Russian people start suffering they become a danger to Putin's regime. It his very likely that even more Russian’s behind this operation will end up dying of mysterious causes. I believe Aleksandr Dugin maybe among those names. Dugin is a political scientist and adviser to the Kremlin. It is said he is Putin's favorite philosopher so to speak. His book, “Foundations of Geopolitics” is a blueprint for what Russia is doing now to take down the US and other political powers so they can reshape the political globe so they are the strongest nation.
Trump knew what he got into and did so willingly, he just needed direction from Russia and that is why certain people were planted in his campaign. Russia just made a mistake choosing Manafort.
Also, I cannot believe you met with Steve Bannon. That is like meeting with the devil. In case you did not know it, Bannon and Dugin are cut from the same cloth and share a  very similar philosophy.

Why Trump's EPA is a danger to the seafood industry and more.

I wrote this for my family and friends who live in Franklin County Florida where a large portion of its economy depends on the seafood industry but this applies to all such places in America.

I know it's late on the east coast, and so late it is early morning but I have got to make one last post. This is to my friends and family in Florida, specifically Franklin County.
I know Franklin County and I know many of you are either dependent on the seafood industry or just love to go fishing. I want to tell you right now that Donald Trump and his EPA are about to ruin the Apalachicola Estuary. How? While people may think relaxing EPA standards are good for industry they are not for the fishing industry at all. Lifting restrictions on pollution control means that industries will not have to worry about increased pollution reaching rivers. I know most companies try to avoid polluting rivers but with relaxed standards they may not be as concerned about a slight increase in certain chemicals reaching the Flint, and more importantly, the Chattahoochee River. Both of these Rivers form the Apalachicola River. We know there is a dispute between Georgia and Florida about how much water Georgia can take from the Chattahoochee for Atlanta and other cities. When Georgia takes a lot of water there is less freshwater flowing into Apalachicola Bay and that throws the ecosystem out of whack which hurts Oyster production. Now imagine an increase in various pollutants like heavy metals, dioxins, PCBs, and even phosphorus and nitrogen based fertilizers. All of these can cause a problem that have a negative impact on wildlife. Heavy metals like mercury and lead can build up in fish making them unsafe to eat. The bigger the fish, the larger the contamination. Dioxins, PCBs and other chemicals can cause numerous problems for fish and people who consume them such as cancer, birth defects, poisoning in general. Increased phosphorus and nitrogen based fertilizer runoff can cause, actually does cause, algae blooms that are toxic which make things like oysters toxic to people. Without EPA restrictions on pollution Apalachicola Bay will become a wasteland beneath the waves. Further from the shore will be affected too. The Gulf of Mexico currently has a dead spot caused by agriculture runoff into the Mississippi River, but without regulations and restrictions you will see more pop up and the Northwest Coast of Florida will be one. Franklin County does not have beaches the size of Panama City and west of there. And though St. George Island is a tourist draw it is not a large enough of one to sustain the economy of Franklin County? What industry will Franklin County turn to when the whole fishing industry is wiped out? Logging? Not sustainable over the long haul. What other resources does it have that can take the place of the seafood industry? I love the County but without the seafood industry its economic future is bleak. I remember back in the 1980s where people were concerned that the development of St. George Island into a place with condominiums like those in Panama City would have a negative impact on Apalachicola Bay, especially the oyster beds. No one wanted to risk having increased septic system run off ruining the Bay. Heck, people were upset that Bobby Bowden had invested in the development project. As I recall he got out of it because of that.
Now Apalachicola Bay and Franklin County face a greater threat to the environment that can destroy the livelihoods of people who live there now. Can Franklin county afford to lose the seafood industry to increased pollution caused by other industries to the north? It appears it may have to because Trump and the EPA head Pruitt do not think regulations concerning the environment and pollution are good for business. Do you know what they forgot to consider in making that decision? The Florida Seafood industry like that in Franklin County and the people who depend on it to live.
And for you freshwater fisherman, there is just as much of a danger to that fishing industry too so you can say goodbye to bass fishing in a few years. You may catch some kind of fish but it will more than lively be an Asian Carp or Tilapia.