K.R. Eckert: BOOKS POLITICS, HISTORY AND A WHOLE LOT MORE.

This is the story of a Dictator.  He is overweight.  He has awful hair.  He admires strength.  He offers only bluster. He feels entitled.  He attended good schools.  He came away not with education, But with an enhanced feeling of his own importance.  He traps himself in a cycle of arrogance. And ignorance.  He believes his bloodline makes him great. He demands loyalty, Yet offers none.  He creates days to celebrate himself. He is illegitimate. He came power due to cracks in the system, Not the will of the people. He is propped up by others, Created through artificial means. He antagonizes nations on his border. He embarrasses even his friends. He subsists on fear, And threats. He purges those who stand in his way. He survives on threats. He believes war is strength.  Be longs to bomb.  Let me show you this man,

The worst President in the history of the country is...(drumroll)...Donald J. Trump.  Ok, yes, Trump is the worst.  And yes, I know it's only been 100 days.  But really, there's no other option.  Yes Donald Trump is the worst.  No matter what he does, he will be the worst.  And somewhere James Buchanan is going is dance of joy.  So why is he the worst? Well, Because he wants to build a wall, while a the same time cutting Meals on Wheels.  Because he wants to ban people.  Because he uses phrases like "America First".  Because he feels entitled because he's rich.  Because he thinks reality TV is a qualification.  Because he thinks he knows more than the Generals.  Because he says "only I an fix it." Because he claims a mandate, without even a popular vote victory.  Because he hires Nationalistic bigots to populate the West Wing.  Because he calls those who oppose him his "enemies," even when they are Ameri...

We spend a lot of time studying the founders.  Or is it the framers?  Well, we've come to use both terms to describe the same people, but really folks, there's a difference.  And no, this is not a semantic argument, this really matters.  This is history, and it's important to get it right.  Of course it's important to clarify at the outset that we're discussing the people, almost all men, unfortunately, who created America.  The "Founding" depending on how one views it, lasted for between 25 and 50 years.  Without question, it began in 1765 when the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act.  When it ended is a matter for debate, but that's another story.  This is about the people.  Now, who are the founders?  Tough question.  There are literally hundreds, even thousands of them.  Anyone who contributed to the founding is a founder.  Pretty simple right?  Some examples: Anyone who signed the Declaration of ...

What do you get if you mate a rabid baboon with a mutant lizard? *Duh, I don't know, what* I don't know either.  But it's living at the White House.  Cue rim shut. 

You see Mr. (un)President, I don't want a wall. I don't want if if we must pay for it. I don't want it if you manage to wave a magic wand and convince the Mexicans to pay for it. No, I do not want it at all. I want a civilization. Walls, meant to keep people out (or in), are not civilized. I want education - that is civilized. I want healthcare - that is civilized. I want to take care of the poor - that is civilized.   I want to take care of the elderly - that is civilized. I want to take care of the disabled - that is civilized. I want to take care of the planet - that is civilized. I want to promote universal human equality - that is civilized. I want to take care of veterans - that is civilized. Ok? Got it, Mr. Trump? Got it nationalistic populists? There is no good reason for a wall. There is no good reason to keep pushing these faux national security policies if you intend to destroy the society you are supposed to be securing.

Over the course of the coming days and weeks, I will be offering up my list, from one through forty-two the Presidents from worst to best.  Why only 42?  Simple.  Technically, we are up to the 45th President.  BUT, Grover Cleveland is counted twice.  Add to that the fact the James Garfield served less than six months and William Henry Harrison only one month, it is my opinion that these two men did not serve long enough to be judged.  In fact, an list which includes them, as many aggregate lists attempt to do is acting irresponsibly and unfairly.  The series will begin today or tomorrow with Donald Trump.  Note:  I will lust the Presidents as *I* as a student of history view them.  I will base my views on the FACTS available.  My rules as far as judging Presidents limit the judgments only to the terms of their Presidencies.  As such a lesser President such as U.S. Grant gets no credit for his military success, nor would a...

You know, in this time of governmetal insanity I take some confort in knowing that we have several decent living ex-Presidents to remind us what government CAN be. The intellectual internationalism of Carter and Bush 41, the active pragmatism of Clinton and the Progressive optimism of Obama. And even Bush 43 is a monument to decency compared to what we have now. At the very least we have examples to show is that competent government has existed and can exist, during this, ... the most incompetent period in the history of American government. And I am therefore struck with the fact that during the height of Watergate in 1974, there were no living former Presidents. Nixon was it. I don't suppose there's much point to this post, but I find this staggering.  I find it impossible to imagine navigating the Trump's America without having the great living reminder of Obama's, and Clinton's and Carter's and Bush's.  We need these monuments to a bett...

The current canning of Bill O'Reilly brings has made me think about his writing.  No one "culture war" garabge like A BOLD FRASH PEICE OF (IN)HUMANITY or PINHEAD AND PATRIOTS (guess which he is), no I'm speaking about his historical (sort of) works.  Ok, lets get it over with...BILL O'REILLY IS NOT A HISTORIAN.  No he is not.  Neither is Rush Limbaugh or any of these other clowns.  I say this in such an angry tone because (at the time of this writing) O'Reilly is number 4 in the history (non-fiction) category on Amazon.  This bothers me because, well, see the capitalized rant above.  No Bill O'Reilly is not a historian.  He is polemicist who occasionally tries to wax moronic on historical issues.  This wouldn't be such a problem if his hell-for leather James Patterson like narratives were presented as fiction or even as politics.  But no, he wants to be seen in the history section.  I have no doubt his get off on the idea of wan...

Today I read an article (in a Gannet Newspaper), informing us that the Secret Service is closing the sidewalk near the South Lawn of the White House die to increased incidents there, including some with (there words, not mine) "the mentally ill." NOW.... There is a lot I can say...a lot any of us can say.  But, frankly, if the standard the if that's the Secret Service's standard, perhaps they should look into shutting down the White House Residence.  Special Note:  I don't care for Trump.  These posts most of them depressingly humorous will be a recurring series here. 

It's becoming more and more clear that certain behaviors are no long acceptable in the corporate public world.  Or at least, it's unacceptable to get caught.  So we all know what's happened to Bill O'Reilly.  But it ain't like it's news.  He was always a horndog.  Everyone knew it.  And no one cared.  Not, that is, until advertisers began pulling the plug.  Why did Bill O'Reilly go?  Not protestors, certainly not morality.  His show is caput because the big money turned against.  Him.  That, by the way, is why North Carolina now has a Democratic Governor and why that state's legislature (sort of) repealed the "bathroom bill." Money folks.  Money.  It makes the world go round.  It ain't about protests, or social media outrage.  If we want to make the world change, if we want the powerful classes to begin listening to the masses you need to hit them  in the wallet.  You don't like what a ...