kanesrealm

The marijuana laws of the United States are extremely complicated jurisdictionally and by categorization. It's time to put an end to that. The Trump Administration's Justice Department under the leadership of Jeff Sessions has just rolled back the Obama Administration's policy of essentially not prosecuting marijuana growers and sellers in states where recreational use is legal and those businesses are in compliance with their state laws and not suspected of involvement with criminal enterprises triggering federal investigation. Neither Trump or Sessions have said they are in fact going after those legal merchants for violating federal law and no directives to do so have been issued to U.S. Attorneys. Sessions is a longtime opponent of marijuana legalization and Trump is a wild card who will do anything to divert attention away from his own whackiness and potential meltdown. Do not succumb to the belief that the Obama Administration was pro marijuana because of th...

Last weekend President Trump issued an Executive Order banning travel to the United States from seven majority Muslim nations. The media and opponents have called it a Muslim ban. It's easy to understand why that is. Trump's own campaign rhetoric calling for a Muslim ban and his use of the word "ban" last weekend in his usual word salad speaking style have fed the notion. However, the order itself doesn't say this. It is a pause on refugees and citizens of those countries entering the United States until "we" evaluate the vetting process for those visitors. As a democratic Republic it was handled sloppily and incompetently, as an authoritarian state it would be considered business as usual and there is the problem, well, one of them. Note carefully that because of the backlash in our country, the Trump Administration and key Republicans have gone out of their way to point out that the seven countries in question are the ones that were identified by the ...

Some of you may think my previous post was a bit harsh, not so. In fact I pulled my punch out of regard for my more sensitive readers. Let's go deeper, shall we. I never drank the Obama Kool-aid, in reality I drink no politicians Kool-aid. I view them all with a healthy skepticism and then hope that they might live up to their rhetoric and rise to statesman like decorum. They rarely do and Barack Obama is no exception. When Obama originally announced he was running for the Democratic nomination for President I wrote that maybe in the future when he had seasoning and an established national record but not now. No sooner had he been elected to the U.S. Senate then bam, he's running for President. He had no record of substance and his brief time in the Senate was less than stellar. I was not impressed by him. Throughout the campaign and debates, the one candidate who stood out and distinguished himself was Joe Biden but the media wasn't interested in old Joe, nice guy but th...

Here's one to piss everybody off. Enjoy! Last night Barack Obama delivered his farewell address in Trump style with a big venue in Chicago with 20,000 people in attendance. I was moved only by my need to adjust my chair. I have struggled for years to figure out what it is about Barack Obama I find so uninspiring and now I know. He is like the promise of a great song. The first few bars are catchy and the last note tricks you into believing it was good but everything in between is shit. Last night it was breaking news that a two page unsubstantiated addendum was added to the classified hacking briefing given to the President and President Elect that Russia had compromising information on Donald Trump. By this morning holes the size of the moon had been shot in this story and many news organizations had refused to run with it because it was questionable. What does this so called document show? That Trump fucked a goat? Even if he did, who cares, it gets cold in Russia. Trump is ...

The new session of Congress officially began yesterday. The super duper amped up Republican control of all branches of government is at hand and up first in the House on the night of January 2, while no one was watching a group of Republican delinquents moved to get rid of the Independent House Ethics Commission. Speaker Ryan and Majority Leader McCarthy didn't want this to happen but they were ignored which tells you they have no power over their own caucus. But the public was watching and reached out in rage bombarding Congress with phone calls. Even Donald Trump tweeted his displeasure that they had chosen this as their first act. To be clear, Trump doesn't mind them getting rid of the ethics commission, he just feels they should wait, (read the tweet.) So down the drain went this first initiative. So what to do? Oh yes, the chestnut, the official introduction of the Bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. If you read regularly you're about to experience dejavu, get u...

No doubt you're sitting in your spinning chair, your fingers rapidly tapping the arms with  piston precision, frequently checking your e-mail and my delightful non-graphic blog site and wondering, "where is Kane?" Well, Mr. Kane is right where he has always been, trapped in darkness and tortured by demons, but enough about my love life. There is a lot of political matters to write about and yet nothing to write about. We have eighteen days to go before Donald J. Trump becomes President of the United States. Speculating on what is about to happen is quite pointless but his Cabinet nominees give some indication of the overall tone of the incoming administration. All very rich with a few poor millionaires thrown in for good measure. All with a philosophy from earlier times in history when the nobles of the land ruled while the rest of us toiled in the field and said yes my Lord. Trump speaks endlessly about deregulation but it won't be about making the opening of a smal...

Donald Trump fooled the national media yet again. Yesterday Robert Costa of The Washington Post asked Donald Trump directly during an interview aboard Trump's plane, "was President Obama born in the U.S.?" Trump refused to answer. This created a shit storm and by late last night a spokesman for the Trump-Pence Campaign issued a statement that said Obama was born in the U.S. but it didn't come out of Trump's own mouth. This morning the Trump Campaign announced a press conference at his new hotel where there would be a big announcement about the birther issue. The media salivated and got in line. What they got was Trump on stage promoting his new hotel surrounded by retired military officers and other supporters as he gave a commercial for the hotel, then had the military officers bash Clinton one by one and say how much we need Trump. This went on and on. Finally Trump told lies. He said Hillary Clinton started the birther movement and he ended it, the President ...

We have just witnessed the stupidity of politicians worrying so much about the way something looks, it interferes with what was a good thing. President Obama stated emphatically at the beginning of August that the 400 million dollar payment made in cash to Iran had no link to the release of hostages. We now know that wasn't true because a spokesman for the State Department just answered a question honestly about it. We did hold up the payment until those hostages were released. It is not ransom because the money was not ours, it was Iran's. It's a legal case dating back to 1979 which was about to be settled in the Hague where all indications were we would lose and be ordered to pay billions in interest and penalties. Because of the recent Iran Nuclear Deal we were able to strike the appropriate deal, which was they only get back the money they paid for weapons under the Shah that were never delivered because of the Revolution. It was smart to play hardball and say throug...

The State of Louisiana is confronting the worst flooding that area has faced in 1,000 years, I didn't create that figure it comes from scientists. I think epic sums it up. But why am I commenting on this you ask? First and most important I feel for anyone facing such devastation and it is my sincere hope that their pain and suffering ends soon. Now to the rest. Donald Trump went to Louisiana to tour some of the damage. If you believe that he went there for anything other than a photo-op I'll be kind and say you're deluding yourself. One woman was caught on tape yelling to Trump at least he wasn't out playing golf, a reference to the fact that President Obama is on vacation, Martha's Vineyard to be exact and he always golfs on vacation. Trump naturally couldn't let it go, he had to make a dig. Granted, this woman set up the line, I guess she was unaware that Trump golfs every weekend and indeed owns many golf courses worldwide. As a candidate he is also in no p...

Donald Trump is setting the stage for what he clearly believes is going to be his defeat on November 8th. He's been making references to our "rigged system", but now he's going further by stating that the only way he'll be defeated is because our elections are rigged and that cheating will be involved. His narcissism is so great that he is willing to plant seeds of massive distrust and directly imply we are a Banana Republic, just to soothe his own ego. I still cannot predict what will happen on election day. By normal metrics a candidate that is as erratic and bombastic as Trump would lose, but just how many Americans want to burn the house down is unknown. Trump's rallies, in spite of what he thinks, are not an indication of his support. His rallies only demonstrate that people want to attend a free show. Attacking the media has always been good for a politician but Trump is now taking it to a new level. He now says not only is he up against "Crooked...

I continue to be stunned by the lack of basic civics knowledge in my country. Today Donald Trump once again dropped his pants and took a dump in the public square. He was droning on about Hillary Clinton wanting to eliminate Second Amendment rights and if she's elected she'll take your guns. This is an old chestnut used by Republicans against many Democrats and it's total hogwash. Trump went further and suggested that hardcore folks might take action. No one with a sound mind is confused, his intent was to incite violence and potential assassination. The fact is Hillary Clinton is pro gun ownership. That is her record and nothing she has said suggests otherwise. The point here is the profound ignorance of millions of Americans, including Donald Trump. There are very basic things about our Republic that people should know. No President can remove a Constitutional right. That can only occur through the amendment process which requires all fifty states to participate. Let m...

The horrendous mass shooting in Orlando, Florida at a gay night club has left the United States with the largest event of this type in our history. It has also in the most tragic circumstances provided us with a clear choice in our upcoming general election. Hillary Clinton cancelled her already scheduled day of campaigning and instead delivered a heartfelt reflection on the weekends tragedy and presented a plan moving forward. At no time did she mention Donald Trump. She struck a chord of unity and in every regard rose to the level of being Presidential. Contrast that with the speech of Donald Trump who continues to blatantly demonstrate he is nothing more than a demagogic sack of shit. I will not, as the press feels compelled to say, that those supporting him are somehow not responsible and are simply afraid, baloney. Trump has no plan for anything. His entire push is about shock and fomenting hatred. Instead of calling for unity he basically blamed President Obama and Hillary Clin...

Rumors are in the air that President Barack Obama is quietly saying behind the scenes that it's time for Bernie Sanders to get out of the race and support Hillary Clinton. As I write this Sanders just beat Clinton in Alaska and Washington. I have no doubt that these rumors are true, so instead of remaining in the dark I will publicly say to President Obama, it's time for you to shit or get off the pot! Obama has all but come out and formally endorsed Hillary Clinton. He has hinted and insinuated it but even with this simple act he's too cool for school. He may endorse her but only after he's sure there is no way Sanders could pull an upset. He will absolutely campaign for her if she is the nominee because he needs her but no matter what he says, deep down he thinks Bill and Hillary Clinton have an odd odor, something similar to a garlic fart. There are memories of something once enjoyed but now there are unpleasant lingering after effects. Obama's opinions on Sand...

I am not a Trumpite, in case you haven't figured that out, but the media needs to focus on facts and stop trafficking in lies and innuendo. Also stop putting me in the position of defending people I don't want to. At a recent rally Donald Trump asked the supporters gathered there to raise their hands and swear to vote for him. All politicians ask people to promise to vote for them.The raising of the hands is unusual but it's Trump. The supporters did it, most half heartedly. The spin on various social media platforms has been to compare it to the heil Hitler salute. The press then ran with the story. It is absolute nonsense. It was not a salute, it was people raising their hands the same way hands are raised everyday in this country for a variety of reasons. Donald Trump is not Adolph Hitler. It is wrong for right-wing nutbags to refer to President Obama as Hitler and it's wrong to suggest it of Trump. Let's remember Hitler wrote a book from his prison cell which ...

One of the tactics being employed by the Clinton Campaign is to suggest that Bernie Sanders is anti Obama. This is for the purpose of motivating what they believe to be the Obama coalition, including African Americans, to vote against Sanders. It might seem like a good idea, but it's not. Clinton is wrapping herself around President Obama in spite of her own disagreements with him. For the Democratic Primaries it may be successful but in the general election this fall her portrayal as a third term of Obama will backfire. The Republicans are already emphasizing it and Clinton is giving them plenty of ammunition. What we know for certain is that Barack Obama has no coattails to ride. Bernie Sanders is not anti Obama but he has criticized him when he feels it's warranted. That is part of his authenticity. He has been attacked for his suggestion in 2011 on a radio program and in response to a question, that Obama should potentially face a primary challenge. There is nothing wrong ...

Here we go again. Candidate Obama made a huge (HUGE) deal about closing GITMO during the 2008 election. President Obama has done damn little to address it and now in the final year he wants to stir the hornets nest. He's not likely to succeed nor should he. By the gods (of which none exist) would someone please point out the fact that the terrorist suspects at GITMO are on American soil. Over and over again those opposing it's closing say the same thing, "we don't want these people on American soil." Guantanamo Bay is a military base and just like an Embassy it is considered to be American soil in the eyes of international law. An attack on such facilities/soil is an act of war. Guantanamo Bay is not the issue and it never has been. The geographical disposition of these suspects is irrelevant. Is there anyone with a functioning brain that believes we cannot safely confine these prisoners in our maximum security facilities including military prisons right here in...

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly yesterday, he was 79. For almost thirty years he was one of the loudest and most colorful voices on the court. A staunch conservative and self described originalist, Scalia's ability to turn a phrase and intimidate lawyers appearing before the court was legendary. I disagree vehemently with many of Scalia's views but I liked and respected him. As he himself said of those he fought with, be they his fellow Justices or anyone else, just because I disagree with you doesn't mean I hate you. Naturally there are those who are already disgracing his memory and they're all Republicans. His death had barely been announced when the press releases started flying, not to express profound sympathy for the Scalia family but to send a loud message to President Obama that he shouldn't bother nominating anyone because it's an election year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate won't take up the issue. Th...

Barack Obama gets blamed for everything from original sin to tainted meat by his political adversaries and haters in general. The latest comes from the Patron Saint of Gibberish, Sarah Palin. Dear Sarah was speaking at a Trump rally yesterday and started  in her own words, "acknowledging the elephant in the room". That was reference to the fact that her son Track has been arrested in Alaska on domestic violence charges. He is accused of beating his girlfriend. Track served a tour in Afghanistan and Palin talked, incoherently, about soldiers coming back different and implying that Track has P.T.S.D. She then blamed President Obama for this and said that's why we need a President who will care about what happens to our soldiers. Sarah Palin is an idiot. Not because of intelligence, or lack of, but because her political rhetoric contradicts itself a dozen times a day. She's a self identified Mama Grizzly but that is just one more fake description in the myth of Sarah P...

I hate the month of January, always have and see nothing which could change my mind. While many see the ringing in of the New Year as a time of renewal and a time to set new goals, I see at as the bitter cold of nothingness, both figuratively and literally. On a brighter note, this past Saturday the first day of the implementation of the Iran Nuclear Deal officially began. On that day five American prisoners held in Iran were freed. Four of them were in exchange for seven Iranian prisoners held by our country on various charges, none of which were terror related but that didn't stop  President Obama's critics from complaining about it. I doubt the freed Americans care and I certainly don't. It was offers of good will on both sides. On the issue of the nuclear deal itself, the idiots of our country continue to regurgitate the lie about the billions of dollars we are giving Iran. The one hundred billion dollars in question belongs to Iran and are assets which had been froze...

Bobby Jindal dropped out of the Republican sweepstakes, so yeah, not much more to say there. So long Bob. After the terrorist attacks and the intensive press coverage I had to shut the news off last Saturday and that is why you, my dear readers, received no thoughts on the Democratic debate that night. Without seeing it I can tell you it was irrelevant. I opted to binge watch episodes of Stargate and Xena, my time was well spent. Sometimes you've just got to pull the plug and disconnect. I want to take this opportunity to tell all of the news channels to stop playing the combo sad and ominous soundtracks while reporting on Paris. Just stop it, this is not a movie or T.V. show, just stop. Everything seems bleak but I tell you it is not. Something quite uncommon may be about to happen. ISIS/ISIL may very well have just signed their death warrant and accomplished the unimaginable. All 28 members of the European Union are unified and have invoked full cooperative security measures, ...