Scams you should not fall for in 2020

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Sunday January 05, 2020 · 4:30 PM PST

2020/01/05 · 16:30

no image description available — The grifter in chief

It is a new year, and with the 2020 election coming up, I thought this would be a good time to go over some scams you should not fall for in the coming year. Not all of these are political, but some are.

The No. 1 scam not to fall for is anything Trump, his campaign, or his sycophants say. They are all liars. The biggest con this man ever pulled was to say, “Make America great again.” He is little more than a cult leader with a rabid base of followers who have left reason, logic, critical thinking, and common sense behind. Let’s face it: If Trump had not been born rich, he would either be unemployable or he would be running some boiler room scamming people out of their hard-earned money. No matter who the Democratic nominee is in 2020, vote for them. I don’t care if you are hurt that your candidate did not win the nomination. Pull up your big-kid pants, suck it up, and vote for the Democratic nominee to get this piece of shit out of office.
The No. 2 scam not to fall for was already pointed out in No. 1. If your Democratic primary candidate loses the nomination, vote for the candidate who won the nomination. Do not whine about it; do not pull that purity bullshit. There is too much at stake—the very soul of this nation is on the line. Be an adult, and do the right thing—which is to do everything you can to get Trump out of office.
Do not blindly join social media groups supporting one candidate over another. This is how Russia was able to interfere in our election in 2016. Verify the validity of the groups.
Do not blindly share memes or tweets on social media without verifying that they are factual, and not just something that aligns with your personal bias. Trump is a horrible shitty guy—most of his sycophants are horrible shitty people. We do not need to make stuff up about them. Be careful sharing memes about Democratic candidates: Verify that they are accurate prior to sharing. Again, this is how Russia was able to interfere in the 2016 election. If a meme seems too good to be true, if it confirms your bias, verify that it is true before you share it on social media.
This is where I will start with the nonpolitical scams. For the love of God, no bank, credit card company, or other entity will ever call you or email you asking for your account number, password, user name, or any other personal information. The Social Security office will not call you about your Social Security number being locked, lost, or anything else, EVER. Do not give these scammers any information.
Related to No. 5: Spam and phishing emails—do not click on links in unsolicited emails. Do not open attachments in unsolicited emails. If you do, you are opening yourself up to all sorts of bad things—including malware, viruses, and key loggers.
Social media scams are many. Some seem innocuous: You know those lists that ask things about you and tell you to share them? Like, when did you graduate, your dog’s name, did you ever do X, Y, and Z? That is a scammer’s dream. You are giving them all of the secondary security information you use in questions when you secure your bank and credit card accounts. While they may seem fun, and you may learn something about your friends, you are also putting personal information out there that scammers use to build a profile of you, and it opens you up to being ripped off. How the Nigerian prince scams have survived from email spam to social media posts amazes me—no one is ever going to email you or direct message you on social media saying you have an inheritance or some other garbage coming to you. These people are crooks. Do not fall for it. Facebook is not going to contact you saying that your account is being canceled. Do not click on any links; do not give out your password. If you do, you will lose control of your account.
When you fill up for gas at your local convenience store, make sure you are not sticking your card into a card skimmer.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday December 29, 2019 · 2:45 PM PST

2019/12/29 · 14:45

It is the end of 2019, and I would normally write about what happened in the past year. Honestly, though, this year has been craptastic because of the current White House resident. So without further ado, I present what I would like to see happen in 2020. This list will cover a multitude of issues: some important, some not so important. Maybe a couple are tongue-in-cheek, and they are not really in any particular order.

Donald Trump out of office. I do not care if he is convicted in his impeachment trial, if he resigns, or has some sort of health issue that forces him out. I want him gone. He is unstable, is the exact opposite of what the nation needs as a leader, and quite honestly the worst that humanity has to offer. I also do not want to hear that Mike Pence is worse. Pence is a sanctimonious, hypocritical, faux Christian, but he is not worse that Donald J. Trump. To any Republicans reading this, know that I do not hate Donald Trump because he is a Republican, I hate him because he is a horrible human being. I would despise him if he were a Democrat or an independent. He is not a leader, and is little more than a grifter and a con-man—and a bad one, at that.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to lose his seat to Amy McGrath in 2020. No man has done more to cause damage to this country than Mitch McConnell. He has put party over country on a consistent basis, and his refusal to hold a fair trial in the Senate for Trump’s impeachment shows he has no desire to actually do his job as a senator, and as Senate Majority Leader. If any person deserves to lose an election, it is Mitch McConnell.
For the Cleveland Browns, and/or the Detroit Lions to have winning seasons, and to go on to the Super Bowl. For the love of God, these two cities have suffered enough.
I want to see the NCAA finally agree to allow college athletes to be paid and have endorsement deals. These young men and women are putting their bodies on the line, and are making colleges and universities billions of dollars. If they want to hawk Gatorade or Nike, they should be able to make a couple of bucks.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday December 22, 2019 · 3:00 PM PST

2019/12/22 · 15:00

When I served in the Army some thirty-odd years ago, there was no such thing as “don’t ask, don’t tell.” If you were homosexual, you were considered a deviant by the military. Two guys I served with were gay, and one was found out and kicked out of the Army—but not before the Army, and those he served with, put him through hell. The other lived in fear, hiding who he was lest he be found out and kicked out himself. He shared his secret with only a few close friends, and it was a secret we all closely guarded, as we knew the stakes if someone in the chain of command found out.

Over time, the military transitioned from an outright ban on homosexuality to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy under President Bill Clinton. You could still be kicked out, but if you hid your sexuality, you could serve. This policy fell far short of what should have happened, which should have been that if you volunteered, you should be able to serve, regardless of your sexual orientation.

Under President Barack Obama, the restrictions on serving based on sexual orientation were finally eliminated. The current White House resident reinstated a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military because, well, he is a vile human being. But I digress.

The military has slowly but surely moved into the 21st century in regard to allowing anyone who wants to serve and meets the requirements (e.g., for height, weight, physical fitness, etc.) to serve (with the exception of Trump’s hateful ban on transgender service members).

The U.S. Navy has now taken one more step toward acceptance. A San Diego Union-Tribune report republished by the military- and veteran-focused website Task & Purpose notes,

Construction began Friday on the future Harvey Milk, a fleet oiler named for the slain gay rights leader and the first openly gay man elected in California.

[...]

“Today the Navy's constructing a ship named after the first openly gay elected official in California," [California Assemblymember Todd Gloria] said. "It shows the progress we're making and a deepening of the commitment the military has to including gay and lesbian service members."

[...]

Fleet oilers like the future Harvey Milk are used to replenish fuel oil and dry goods to Navy ships at sea. The Milk will be the second ship in the new John Lewis class of fleet oilers. The future John Lewis, named for the civil rights leader and congressman, also is being built at NASSCO San Diego.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday December 15, 2019 · 7:20 AM PST

2019/12/15 · 07:20

While it may not seem like it is, the basis for the prison system in the United States of America is supposed to be rehabilitation of those who commit criminal acts into law-abiding, productive citizens. I could write volumes on the injustices perpetuated by our justice and correctional systems. While the ideal of the modern prison system was reform, it has more often than not fallen far short of that ideal. In fact, our so-called correctional facilities are really no more than brutal warehouses for people.

That being said, often, after someone who has been incarcerated has paid their “debt to society,” we as a society continue to punish them. We pass laws that cause them to lose their right to vote; and the odds of someone with a criminal record obtaining gainful employment are astronomical, with those formerly incarcerated seeing an unemployment rate of over 25%. The website Employment Screening Resources reports,

The Prison Policy Initiative has released a report entitled “Out of Prison & Out of Work” that calculates the unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated ex-offenders to be 27 percent, meaning that more than one out of four people who served time in prison and were released are looking for work but cannot find a job.

The 27 percent ex-offender unemployment rate – which even surpasses the 25 percent unemployment rate that all Americans experienced during the height of the Great Depression in the 1930s – is especially striking given that the report revealed ex-offenders are more likely to want to find work than the average American.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday December 08, 2019 · 1:00 PM PST

2019/12/08 · 13:00

There was so much hope and promise in the beginning of widespread use of the World Wide Web. All the world’s information available at our fingertips, everything that mankind has ever learned, available at the push of a button. At first it was used for chain emails from your crazy aunt Edna, as time went on, it evolved into cat videos and memes. The sum total of humanity’s knowledge was still there, but hey cat videos. Of course, the cat videos were not enough for some; they created vast conspiracies that have always lurked underground in our society.

But with the dawn of the Information Age, these conspiracies grew, and more and more people got sucked into them. The Earth is flat; the moon landing was faked; 9/11 was an inside job; vaccines cause autism; the Clintons killed Vince Foster; Trump or Clinton (depending on what side of the political spectrum you are on) killed Epstein. The list can go on and on. But the idiocy, and lunacy, of these conspiracy theories and others that I see cross my Facebook timeline and my Twitter feed are distressing, especially when I see people who should know better sharing them.

Oftentimes, we get sucked into these rabbit holes through something called conformation bias. For example, if there was a story shared on Facebook that Donald Trump kicked a dog many of us would not only believe the story, but we would share it with our friends. Why? We already all believe the worst about Trump, that he is capable of doing anything, and that he is truly evil—so it would not be a stretch to believe that he kicked a dog. Our predisposed bias against Trump makes it easy to believe that he could kick a dog.

Now Donald Trump is a horrible, shitty excuse for a human being—but, it is important that just because we see, read, or hear something that seems believable that we stop for a minute and think about what it is we are consuming. The first thing to look at is what is the source? What is the agenda of that source? What is the goal of the piece of media? Is a meme that is trying to get a quick reaction and share? Is it a video that plays on your emotions? Or is it what appears to be a well-written piece on a subject you care about? It all comes back to the source. This is not to say that a well-made piece of media cannot be a meme, a heart-wrenching video, or an opinion piece that strikes a chord with you.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday December 01, 2019 · 6:00 PM PST

2019/12/01 · 18:00

Donald Trump is a horrible person, he is corrupt, likely compromised by the Russians, and he is, I have no doubt in my mind, a criminal. He should be behind bars for his crimes. But he will never be held accountable for his actions.

The Founding Fathers of this nation created a system that was designed to hold elected officials accountable for their actions. That system has been undermined by a memo from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Council that has never been tested in court, and if it were, it would likely be found unconstitutional. Nowhere in the United States Constitution does it say that a sitting president cannot be indicted for criminal activity.

The system has also been compromised by the Republican Party, a party that is so addicted to power that it refuses to follow the rule of law. The evidence against Trump is damning, yet congressional Republicans are bending over backward to protect him. Why? Why are Republicans vehemently defending Trump?

One reason congressional Republicans are defending Trump is that he is their useful idiot. Now, this worked better when they held both the House and the Senate. But the fact of the matter is that they just need him to push their agenda without question. Trump is not smart enough to know what he is signing, and he is easily manipulated. He is the perfect patsy to sign anything they put in front of him, and will push any agenda he is given: All it takes is to praise him and stroke his ego. Feed his narcissistic fire, and he will do whatever you wish.

They fear him. Look at how quickly Trump turns on anyone who speaks out against him; and when Trump turns on someone, his sycophants also come out for blood. Congressional Republicans fear this, as it could put them in the position of being primaried for their seats, or losing their seats to a Democrat in a general election. Looking at Trump’s polling numbers, I do question why they continue to fear him: He is increasingly unpopular across the country, and his lack of popularity is hurting Republicans more than it helps them.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday November 24, 2019 · 4:30 PM PST

2019/11/24 · 16:30

I will never understand the mentality behind the gun lobby, and the firearms fetishists who do the NRA’s bidding. Recently in Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers called a special session of the state Legislature to address firearms safety. One of the two the bills the special session was called to discuss would have addressed background checks and would have expanded them to cover private gun sales and gun shows in Wisconsin. The other would have implemented a red flag law that would have allowed law enforcement to temporarily revoke someone’s gun ownership rights if they’re deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.

Two completely reasonable bills that would not infringe on any responsible gun owner’s rights. But shiny metal penises are evidently more important than protecting human lives. Both the state Assembly and the state Senate immediately adjourned the special session. The bills were not addressed, and there were no debates on their merits or deficiencies. That is not democracy. That is a gerrymandered majority being drunk with power.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday November 17, 2019 · 6:00 PM PST

2019/11/17 · 18:00

As I write this in my living room in Wisconsin, I look out my windows to see icicles, snow, and a squirrel wondering just where under this white hellscape he buried that damn acorn. While the snow has fallen about a month early here, the culture wars are right on time. Scott Walker has fired the first shots of the War on Christmas^©. I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that most people really do not give a crap whether you say Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Christmas tree, holiday tree, or future firewood.

Of course, if there is a way to rev up the culture wars and to divide the populace, leave it to Scott Walker, former governor of Wisconsin and guy who has never worked a day in his life.

First some backstory: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers recently announced the state Capitol’s 2019 holiday tree theme, “Celebrate Science," and asked schoolchildren to submit science-related ornaments for the tree. Madison news website Channel 3000 reported, “Wisconsin politicians began referring to the tree as a holiday tree in 1985. Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker declared the tree a Christmas tree in 2011, drawing the ire of the Madison-based Freedom from Religion Foundation.” Of course, 2018 gubernatorial race loser Scott “Divide and Conquer” Walker had terminated a tradition that had been observed by both Republican and Democratic governors without issue.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday November 10, 2019 · 1:00 PM PST

2019/11/10 · 13:00

In the United States, our military comes from all walks of life. And like in the civilian world, you have some really great people. You also have some folks who would steal from their own grandmothers. That is the nature of any large organization. When I served, I served with some great people, I also served with a couple guys who probably should have been in prison.

The military also has its own set of rules, the uniform code of military justice. It details non-judicial punishment, known as Article 15, this covers a gamut of issues, and punishment can include confinement to quarters, loss of rank, loss of pay, and extra duty. Smart off to your squad leader, and you could find yourself in front of your commanding officer receiving one of these. A service member can survive getting an Article 15, and even go on and have a long career.

Then, there are the more serious crimes, these are punishable by court martial. Among the crimes serious enough for court martial are war crimes. Since 2001 there have been a number of high profile war crime cases that have gone to court martial.

Navy Chief Edward Gallagher was charged on ten criminal counts.

Attempted murder
Premeditated murder
Aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon x2 on non-combatants
Firearm, discharging willfully, under such circumstances as to endanger human life at non-combatants
Obstructing justice (three counts)
Wrongfully pose for an unofficial picture with a human casualty
Wrongfully complete reenlistment ceremony next to a human casualty
Wrongfully operate a drone over a human casualty
Wrongful use of a controlled substance—Tramadol Hydrochloride
Unlawful possession of a controlled substance

He was found guilty of only one, wrongfully posing for an unofficial picture with a human casualty. He was supposed to be reduced in grade to E-1.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday November 03, 2019 · 2:00 PM PST

2019/11/03 · 14:00

Donald J. Trump is a habitual liar. I know that will probably not come as a shock to anyone. It is, however, something that needs to be said often, and loudly, especially by the press. He is unfit for office, and his penchant for not telling the truth, and by extension, his spokespeople’s inability to be truthful on a consistent basis to the American public, should in itself be an impeachable offense.

As Americans, especially in this digital age, we have a relationship of sorts with our leaders. In the past, if a politician lied, it would end up in the paper, which you may or may not read, and if the politician lied, it was a lot more effort to track down the lie and the subsequent truth. In today’s world, we see these people on TV almost 24/7. Information is instantly available at our fingertips, the truth is merely a few finger taps away. Also a few taps away are conspiracy theories and defenders of the lies.

Trust is a fragile thing. Secrets and lies jeopardize trust and can damage us and our relationships—sometimes irreparably. Which is why honesty from our country’s leadership is vital. Dishonesty opens a door for foreign powers to manipulate leaders, and the general populace. Distrust allows bad actors, like militias, and white supremacist groups (who are already paranoid), to grow and flourish.

Facebook recently announced that politicians were exempt from their t ruth in advertising policy:

If you see an ad on Facebook, should the contents of that ad be true? Historically, the answer has been yes. The company’s posted advertising guidelines prohibit “misinformation,” defined here as “ads that include claims debunked by third-party fact checkers or, in certain circumstances, claims debunked by organizations with particular expertise.”….Facebook is now exempting political figures from this policy. If a political candidate or party wants to run a Facebook ad announcing that their rival is a lizard person, they now have an open lane to do so.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday October 27, 2019 · 2:45 PM PDT

2019/10/27 · 14:45

There are a lot of questions swirling around about impeachment. The lack of a solid civics education in this country has left a lot of Americans to wonder what is impeachment, what is it for, what does it do, and will it remove the president from office.

What is an impeachment inquiry?

An impeachment inquiry is when evidence is gathered, and hearings are held to find out if there has been enough wrongdoing for an office holder, in this case, the president, to be impeached. There is no constitutional requirement for an impeachment inquiry, nor is there a requirement to hold a vote to approve an impeachment inquiry.

Where in the Constitution is impeachment mentioned?

“The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.” —Article I, Section 2, Clause 5

“The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.” —Article, Section 3, Clause 6

“Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.” —Article, Section 3, Clause 7

When the House of Representatives votes to impeach, will the president be removed from office?

No, once impeached the process moves over to the Senate where there will be a trial. To remove him from office the Senate must vote to convict with a two-thirds majority.

Mark E Andersen for Daily Kos

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Sunday October 20, 2019 · 6:00 PM PDT

2019/10/20 · 18:00

I say this in a sense of normalcy, but these times are anything but normal. In a just world, a man like Donald J. Trump would never be allowed within five miles of the White House. But, that is not the world we live in today. In a normal and just world, Trump would be impeached, convicted, and then charged with state and federal crimes, and jailed. It is my hope that this nation is coming to its senses and about to do just that; however, it is also entirely possible he survives impeachment, and goes on to win a second term. Never underestimate the power of the uninformed voter.

That being said, at some point, hopefully sooner than later, he will either be removed from office via impeachment or the ballot box. The question before us then becomes, how in the hell do we undo all the damage he and the GOP have done to this country? I am assuming that the damage done by the Republican Party is so bad that in the next election we gain control of the Senate, maintain control over the house, and take back the Executive Branch.

What should our priorities be, not as a party, but what priorities should we take on that are best for all Americans?

This list is in no particular order of precedence, just issues facing us that must be dealt with, some are directly Trump related, others are not. One of which is that there is currently a right-wing movement to hold a constitutional convention.

A well-funded, highly coordinated national effort is underway to call a constitutional convention, under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, for the first time in history. The result of such a convention could be a complete overhaul of the Constitution and supporters of the convention are dangerously close to succeeding. With special interest groups gaining more momentum, conservative advocates are just six states short of reaching the constitutionally-required 34-state goal. They are targeting Republican-controlled legislatures in 2018 and are within striking distance.

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