Ellipsis: E Pluribus Unum

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

E Pluribus Unum

"Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half have never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half."

~Gore Vidal

Screening History

Again, a there is a little autumn magic involved in my photo jaunt last Saturday. I am not kidding. I had already left the park and gone for some lunch, when I got the idea to go back and look for some afternoon shadows. When I got there, I got out of the car and began to walk. I was looking over a small slope at the natural, late afternoon shadows. As is often the case, the sun was still way to bright to be able to capture the light and dark the way I wanted to, so I got ready to leave.

As I was walking back to the car, I was looking almost straight down. I do that often, because one never know what can be found. That point was proved last Saturday when I spotted an upside down penny, with the words E. Pluribus Unum, staring straight back at me! It made me smile, and believe it or not, I hadn't seen this particular design! How that's possible, I don't know. Either I haven't been paying attention, or I just haven't come across one. Either way, as I said, it made me smile.

Tonight I am smiling for different reasons, but the penny is still relevant to my mood. You see, yesterday, Nancy Pelosi gave her formal endorsement for an official Impeachment investigation, into Donald Trump and his administration, over his involvement in possible attempts of using tax dollars to extort the Ukraine. He apparently withheld humanitarian funds, in lieu of the government of the Ukraine digging up any and all political dirt on Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden.

It's just one more action of a sick and demented human being. Frankly, I never thought any impeachment investigation would take place, despite his having confessed to obvious Obstruction of Justice, and Robert Mueller having indicated both in his report, which I read cover to cover by the way, and in his in-person testimony, that had Donald Trump not been the President of the United States, he would have been subject to criminal prosecution. Mueller declined to do so, because of Justice Department policy that indicates the opinion that a sitting president cannot be, or should not be prosecuted.

One of Trump's personal lawyers once said that he was against his client speaking directly with Robert Mueller during the investigation because Trump couldn't follow his advice about following a script. Trump likes to go off on long riffs, and consume the conversation. Not a bad strategy in the world of Real Estate perhaps, but when it comes to speaking with authorities, it's not a good idea. I am not lawyer, but even I know, less is more! It was the lawyer's contention that if Trump spoke to Mueller directly, he'd end up in an orange jumpsuit.

That has always been apparent to me, and now even more. Trump couldn't shut up on that phone call with the President of the Ukraine, and he's in trouble. While this incident probably won't end up with him in an orange jumpsuit, it will make him especially vulnerable to prosecution on any crimes he may have committed both before and after he took office. He can't stop his bitchy whiny tweeting, he can't stop committing, at least illegally adjacent crimes, and he cannot understand what America is about. I'd feel sorry for him if... nah fuck it... there is NO circumstance that could make me feel sorry for him. And because he is now, today, acting like a cornered animal, I won't feel safe until he is no longer president.

One thing, according to lore...

find a penny pick it up,

all day long you'll have good luck.

... but is it a bad idea to pick up an upside down penny? You know I am a big believer in curses. Especially money related curses. So, did I just jinx everything?

Penny Luck