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Monthly Archives: May 2026

Podcast Episode: Red States, Blue States All Victims of trumpelstilskin!


Pip: Michael1942's Blog has a message for anyone still sorting themselves into the red pile or the blue pile: stop it.

Mara: That's the territory today — how the red-state, blue-state divide functions as a tool of manipulation, and what michael1942 argues we should be doing instead.

Pip: Let's get into it.

Red States, Blue States: We're All Getting Played

Pip: The argument here is that partisan labels aren't just imprecise — they're actively useful to the people doing the damage. The question the post puts on the table is: who actually benefits from the divide?

Mara: The post is direct about it. The setup is that these are political labels designed to split voters into manipulable camps, and then comes the line that lands hardest: "we have met the enemy and the enemy is us."

Pip: That's the Pogo quote, and it hits differently in this context. The upshot is that by staying sorted into parties, voters are doing the work of division for the people in power — no extra effort required on their end.

Mara: The post makes a specific structural point worth sitting with. The corruption isn't framed as a party problem — it's framed as a vulnerability problem. The argument is that Trumpel, as the post names him, would have bent whichever party gave him the opening. The GOP was the one that did.

Pip: So the party label is almost incidental. The mechanism is the same regardless of the jersey.

Mara: Right, and that's where the post pivots to something concrete. It calls for looking carefully at your representative — individual accountability over party loyalty. The framing is that the war is now between the administration and everyone else, with voters as the ones absorbing the losses.

Pip: Which makes "forget the party, watch the person" less of a bumper sticker and more of a survival strategy.

Mara: The post closes by naming this a civil war — not metaphorically decorative, but as a call to reengage with Congress and the executive branch directly. The arena is the government itself.

Pip: The diagnosis is bleak but the prescription is at least actionable — show up, pay attention, hold the individual to account.

Mara: The core idea here is that the labels are the trap, and the exit is individual scrutiny over tribal loyalty.

Pip: More of that scrutiny next time — keep watching.

Red States, Blue States All Victims of trumpelstilskin!


One of the current tropes is what’s a red state and what’s a blue state. These are political labels to divide us (voters) into camps that can be manipulated. The reality is that any and all evils committed by this administration especially, hits us all. Solution: forget parties and look carefully at your representative. Trumpel has corrupted the GOP and would have corrupted the Dem’s had he taken that stance. At this time Trumpel has trampled the GOP and is at war with the Dems while we are the losers. Simply put “we have met the enemy and the enemy is us”! It is time to reengage in this “civil war” with the Congress and the Executive office aka Government.

It Has Occurred to Me.


We are in the clutches of a corrupt President with a complicit GOP and a willing High court. There are always a few outliers in both of those groups but not enough (usually) to fall to the will of a corrupt official. The high court has only their integrity and their qualifications to support their appointments. Unfortunately, in the last 20 plus years the integrity portion seems to have waned and overlooked or explained away (privately) while Congressional approval moves forward. below are the details of a Justice’s appointment and removal-a bit of a long read MA

A Supreme Court justice can only be removed through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by a two-thirds vote in the Senate.

Constitutional Basis and Lifetime Tenure

Supreme Court justices are appointed for life under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, serving until they resign, retire, die, or are removed through impeachment. This lifetime tenure is designed to protect judicial independence, ensuring justices can make decisions without political pressure. Justices cannot be removed by the president, Congress, or public vote outside of the impeachment process, and their salaries cannot be reduced while in office legalclarity.org+1.

Impeachment Process

  1. Initiation in the House of Representatives: A member of the House introduces articles of impeachment, formally accusing the justice of “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors” legalclarity.org+1. The House Judiciary Committee investigates, holds hearings, and decides whether to send the articles to the full House. A simple majority vote in the House is sufficient to impeach, which formally charges the justice but does not remove them The Hill+1.
  2. Senate Trial: After impeachment, the Senate conducts a trial to determine guilt. The justice has the right to defend themselves, present evidence, and be represented by counsel. The presiding officer is typically a Senate-designated official; the Chief Justice presides only if the president is being tried legalclarity.org+1.
  3. Conviction and Removal: Conviction requires a two-thirds majority of senators present. If convicted, the justice is removed from office and may also be barred from holding future federal office legalclarity.org+1. This high threshold makes removal extremely rare.

Historical Context

Only one Supreme Court justice, Samuel Chase, has ever been impeached (in 1805). He was accused of political bias and misconduct but was acquitted by the Senate and remained on the Court until his death in 1811 verisonalaw.com+2. No justice has ever been successfully removed through impeachment, highlighting the rarity and difficulty of the process.

Alternative to Removal

A justice may also leave the bench voluntarily through resignation or retirement, which is the most common way justices depart from the Supreme Court legalclarity.org+1.

Key Takeaways

Justices typically leave the Court through resignation or death, not removal.
This framework ensures accountability while maintaining the impartiality and stability of the Supreme Court.

Removal is constitutionally limited to impeachment and Senate conviction.

The process is intentionally difficult to protect judicial independence.

Historical precedent shows that removal is extraordinarily rare, with only one impeachment and no successful convictions.

16 tons of number 1 Crap!


In less than 2 years this administration has successful impoverished millions of voters while stuffing their own pockets. This puts a large sign on the GOP who are supported by many voters. We (voters) deserve good and honest governance no matter what party we endorse. If the people, we elect allow the travesties we now endure then they should be removed. This is a Democracy that’s being trampled by “Black hatted” individuals and groups whose sole objective is power to run the government as THEY see fit and fill their own pockets. We do not need another Civil War, or do we? Currently the new BS is taking Medicaid money from States who are falsely accused of providing Medicaid to illegals. Illegals cannot, I repeat cannot receive Medicaid under any circumstances! It is my belief they (the misadministration) are looking for ways to get funding for Presidiot’s ill-conceived war and other whimsical projects.

It is Officially Official!


The political Mafia (aka Trump Organization) has taken over the government and dragged the criminal ruling class from each state with it. There is no other way to say it. The Federal Government as it is right now can be likened to the “Star Wars” saga. We have elected the basest members of society to represent us under a thin cape of “honesty” and strength to fight for us. To quote another Movie: “What we have is a failure to communicate”. There is no other way we can overcome this is the power of the vote (guided by facts). The once trustworthy streams of information are now suspect in the information they provide except for the comic strips that dare to poke fun at politicians and their politics. Make no mistake we are now under the leaky umbrella of long time suspected and now confirmed grifter on a grand scale. The common denominator is “proof of concept”- we have always suspected the political class and we have been proven correct more times that we should have to experience. OUR ONE JOB (as voters) is to forget party lines if possible and pay attention to who is running for office (new or incumbent) and determine by facts if they are worth your support. Remember the good and bad often meld into “tolerable” as far as politics go.

We may have to abide by “tolerable” to survive these next few years, with that exercise any of the several avenues of contacts with the existing seat fillers and voice your opinion-OFTEN!

Grapes of Wrath?


Redistricting is the process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral districts to ensure fair and equal representation based on population changes.

What Redistricting Is

Redistricting involves adjusting the lines of electoral districts, which are the geographic areas from which voters elect representatives to government bodies, including the U.S. House of Representatives, state legislatures, and local councils. The primary goal is to ensure that each district has roughly equal populations so that every citizen’s vote carries similar weight, upholding the principle of “one person, one vote”. This process is typically triggered by the decennial U.S. Census, which provides updated population data.

How Redistricting Works

In most states, the state legislature is responsible for drawing district lines, often subject to the governor’s approval. Some states use independent or bipartisan commissions to reduce partisan influence and create more neutral maps. Districts are drawn based on criteria such as contiguity, compactness, preservation of communities of interest, and adherence to the Voting Rights Act to prevent racial gerrymandering. Redistricting can also occur outside the census cycle if court orders or state laws require adjustments.

Redistricting vs. Gerrymandering

While redistricting is intended to be fair, it can be manipulated for political advantage, a practice known as gerrymandering. Gerrymandering occurs when district lines are drawn to favor a particular party or incumbent, diluting the voting power of certain groups and undermining democratic representation. Fair redistricting, by contrast, ensures that districts reflect population changes and diversity, giving all voters an equitable voice in elections.

Why Redistricting Matters

Redistricting is crucial for maintaining representative democracy. Without it, population shifts could lead to unequal representation, where some districts have far more voters than others, weakening the influence of individuals in larger districts. Proper redistricting also ensures that growing communities, including those of color, are fairly represented in legislative bodies. Public participation, transparency, and legal oversight are key to achieving fair and effective redistricting.

The rise of the Reconstruction era?


The Reconstruction era (1865–1877) was the period after the American Civil War focused on reintegrating the Southern states into the Union and defining the rights of newly freed African Americans.OverviewThe Reconstruction era followed the Civil War and addressed the challenges of abolishing slavery, restoring the Union, and integrating millions of formerly enslaved people into American society and politics. It involved significant legal, social, and political changes, including the passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, which abolished slavery, established birthright citizenship, guaranteed due process and equal protection under the law, and prohibited racial discrimination in voting. Wikipedia+2Phases of ReconstructionPresidential Reconstruction (1865–1867): Led by President Andrew Johnson, this phase was lenient toward the former Confederate states, allowing them to quickly reestablish governments with minimal requirements. Southern legislatures enacted restrictive Black Codes to control the labor and behavior of African Americans. History+1
Radical Reconstruction (1867–1877): Congress, dominated by Radical Republicans, imposed stricter conditions for Southern readmission, including ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment and granting voting rights to Black men. The South was divided into five military districts to enforce federal authority and protect African Americans. During this period, African Americans actively participated in politics, holding public office at local, state, and national levels. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History+2Achievements and ChallengesReconstruction restored the federal Union, established a legal framework for racial equality, and temporarily empowered African Americans politically. Freedmen’s Bureau programs provided food, shelter, education, and legal support to newly freed people. However, the era faced violent resistance from white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, and Southern states implemented measures such as poll taxes and literacy tests to suppress Black political participation. Wikipedia+2LegacyAlthough many Reconstruction reforms were rolled back after 1877, when federal troops withdrew from the South, the constitutional amendments laid the foundation for the civil rights movement of the 20th century. Historians now view Reconstruction as both a period of significant progress in interracial democracy and a time of unfulfilled promises due to systemic resistance and racial violence. Wikipedia+2Broader ContextReconstruction also intersected with national developments, including economic changes in the North and West, the rise of the Gilded Age, and debates over federal versus state authority. The era remains a critical chapter in understanding the evolution of American citizenship, civil rights, and the ongoing struggle for racial equality. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History+1