DDD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DEC/19/2016

THE MAIN EVENTS

• The Electoral College convened and only two so-called Hamilton, or faithless, electors refused to reward failed businessman and fascist demagogue Donald J. Trump the American Presidency, despite countless questions surrounding both the integrity of the election process in a number of swing states and the looming questions of Russian and FBI interference in said election.
  
• The Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, is assassinated by a lone nut gunman at an art gallery in Ankara.
  
• Another vehicular terrorist attack by an Islamic extremist kills 12, this time in Berlin, as a stolen lorry plows through a crowded event taking place at a popular Christmas Market.

A DEEPER DIVE

• A new poll has revealed that nearly 60% of Trump voters believe that Trump, who received nearly 3,000,000 fewer votes than Hillary Clinton, actually won the popular vote. Or, at least, that's what they told poll-takers they believe. We have to remember that we're dealing with a cohort in this case who believe that absolutely nothing the mainstream news media reports is true, so why shouldn't they lie to the mainstream media? In their world, facts aren't true, and experts don't know shit. Lying to the media only serves to strengthen their worldview.
   
• You're never going to convert a Trumpnik True Believer, but if you have some fence-sitting friends who doubt the fact that Donald Trump is a racist demagogue, simply forward this list. Unless they're too far gone, they will probably be hard pressed to dismiss Fortune Magazine as an organ of SJW extremism.
  
• Reading Michael Moore's pre-election analysis/prediction, titled 5 Reasons Why Trump Will Win, turns out to serve as a pretty interesting analysis, at least partially, of what actually took place on Election Day. Point Five is particularly relevant, I suspect. I hereby regret having poo-poo'd his words as the whining of a self-rigtheously betrayed super-lefty at the time.
  
• I realize that regular readers of this blog probably don't need any more reasons to worry about the state of American elections, but for those masochists among you who just can't help but take in as many gory details about the walking wounded system that has delivered unto us The Donald, today's edition of The Brad Blog makes for essential reading and/or listening. It includes a couple great interviews with two obviously deeply committed voting rights and electoral integrity activists that will get your blood boiling and set the hairs on your arms standing on end. If you aren't already, you should all be subscribed to Brad Blog's daily email updates, by the way.
  
• Noted attorney E. Randol Schoenberg has filed a lawsuit against the FBI this week in order to get answers about why Director James Comey falsely suggested that Hillary Clinton committed a crime just days before the 2016 election, in what some officials are describing as a series of crimes that could potentially dwarf Nixon's Watergate scandals in significance and effect. “It’s more likely something criminal happened in the obtaining of the search warrant than… Hillary Clinton did something wrong,” Schoenberg points out before indicating that if Trump were found to be in any way involved in the FBI's decision, it would likely lead to his impeachment. Furthermore, there is reason to believe that others involved in this scheme, including New Jersey governor Chris Christie and former NYC mayor Rudi Giuliani could very well be guilty of treason. 

PS - Don't worry... these daily reports won't all be this long. I just had some backlog to work through. Same goes for Suggested Readings, below. I'll be limiting my link offerings to three per day after this. Cheers! YOPJ

SUGGESTED READING(S)

• Of all the notions that have been hardening into conventional wisdom since Trump's electoral "victory" in November, the one that perhaps rankles the most - because it is least true - is the idea that Hillary Clinton was widely despised prior to deciding to run for the Presidency for a second time. I know, I know... crazy talk, right?  Only, it's not. Neal Gabler's informative essay lays out the facts and gives you the numbers showing how the media set up, then drove home, a self-fulfilling prophecy about Clinton's "likability" and trustworthiness. It is a must read, particularly for those who seem to think Hillary had the press safely tucked away in her bright yellow pantsuit pocket.
  
• Heather Digby Parton's essay on Sore Winner Syndrome helps to explain why Donald Trump's supporters are still so fuckin' angry about everything, and at everyone. Turns out Abraham Lincoln knew a thing or two about that topic. I don't know whether to find that fact encouraging or depressing as hell.
  
• For all you book fiends out there, science fiction master JG Ballard's daughter talks about how her father had long foreseen the rise of a candidate like Donald Trump in this excellent interview with The Guardian.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"There is going to be chaos, unthinkable things will happen, but Trump is not going to have a free hand. This is a big, diverse country and Trump is a minority president with a lot of demonstrated weaknesses. He is going to be struggling too. Be scared, be angry, be noisy, and don’t act intimidated even if you are. The story is still being written."

- Blogger Arthur Goldwag, from his essay, "It's Not Over Till It's Over".

DDD EXTRAS

• Read all about Stanley Kubrick's film of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, serial killer John Wayne Gacy, and President Bill Clinton's impeachment, and more, in today's edition of the Paracultural Calendar, over at our sister blog, Useless Eater.

THE TAKEAWAY

Americans need to make electoral reform their NUMBER ONE POLITICAL PRIORITY, and must do everything in their power to return every state in the nation to the Gold Standard for Democratic Elections. Americans, visit the provided link to join the mailing list and find out more about how YOU can make this happen.