THE CONTROVERSY

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

IF YOU'RE NOT VACCINATED, YOU'RE STEALING FROM ME

After reading this editorial, please express your own thoughts. At the bottom, please click on the word "Comments" below the copyright and type your remarks in the box. When finished, please click on the word "Publish." Please also share a link to this column with others in your e-mail directory and on social media.

This copyrighted column - in part or in its entirety - may be freely shared among individuals, and it may be reprinted, republished, or quoted in any medium, including broadcast, cable, satellite, print, Internet, and other forms of media, but only when crediting Gary B. Duglin and The Controversy.

Many of you may feel I'm being a little unfair with parts of today's column. Others, I'm confident, will agree with every word. And then, some of you might be - in plain English - pissed-off by the entire editorial. If you are...so be it. Why? Because some of you are interfering with my life. Anyone in the United States who is not willing to be fully vaccinated with one of the Food and Drug Administration's approved COVID-19 vaccines is making it impossible for the rest of us to return to pre-pandemic normal living. By not getting vaccinated, you're causing this deadly disease to not only remain a viciously violent force against us, but you're somewhat responsible - if not largely responsible - for COVID-19 mutating in to multiple variants, which could be more perilous than the original, and that could eventually bring illness or death to hundreds-of-thousands or perhaps millions more Americans.

Accuse me of being selfish, but I don't care. If you're refusing to be vaccinated, YOU'RE being selfish, and you're stealing from me valuable and precious time that I could be spending with some of my loved ones and friends - including my 90-year-old mother and my four-and-a-half-week-old grandnephew; both of whom live across the nation from me, and the latter I have yet to meet in person. In fact, most of my family live in areas of our country where I would - at this point in my life - have to travel by air. And although being on a passenger-packed airplane, or in a crowded airport, doesn't fear me, it does scare others who then don't want to be near me unless I'm quarantined for several days and then COVID-tested more than once and with consecutive negative results. I have no problem doing that and I respect the reasons for being cautious and careful; especially with a newborn baby.

The truth is - even though I'm triple-vaccinated, having been innoculated with the first and second dose of the Pfizer vaccine plus the so-called "booster shot" (a fact I will mention multiple times throughout this column) - there is a chance, slight that it might be, that I could contract the coronavirus and test positive for COVID, but without becoming sick myself. Or, if I did get exposed and came down with symptoms, I more than likely would not -

according to most physicians and healthcare experts - end up ill enough to require admittance to a hospital. But of course my personal doctors, the physicians at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Anthony Fauci himself cannot guarantee me that my body won't be invaded, and that I won't feel as if I was attacked by the shark from Jaws. Obviously, COVID can't bite off a limb or swallow me whole, but people who have suffered from the coronavirus have described this disorienting disease as being like "an alien takeover." Another COVID survivor told The New York Times - as the newspaper reported in an article on May 7, 2020 - that having the coronavirus felt "like someone (was) inside my head (who) was

trying to push my eyes out." Feeling "like I had been in a boxing ring with Mike Tyson," feeling "like there was an anvil sitting on my chest," and feeling "like (I was) drowning" were just a few other examples shared by patients and reported by The Times.

Personally, I'm not overly worried today about getting sick with the coronavirus. Being triple-vaccinated, the odds are that it won't happen. But I'm not stupid. After all, I'm a two-time cancer survivor with other immune system issues. But I can't live in a bubble forever. Oh I was plenty

frightened for about thirteen months; that is before I got my first and second vaccinations. For more than a year - unless my own health dictated a visit to a doctor or to a hospital for a test or a procedure - I didn't leave my apartment except to be outdoors while wearing a mask and remaining socially distant from everyone. I entered no supermarkets, no stores of any kind, nobody else's homes, and as the photograph to the left proves, I didn't even get a haircut. Actually, since my last haircut before the

pandemic was on January 25, 2020, it was exactly fifteen months to the day when - on April 25, 2021 - my hair stylist gave me a makeover.

Now that I'm triple-vaccinated, my anxiety about COVID has reduced. That being said, I'm certainly not a fool. I understand that although the risk is minuscule, breakthrough cases do occur and a fully vaccinated person could infect others. Until babies and young children are recipients of the vaccine, there is the possibility - again, small that it might be - that an infant, toddler, or pre-pubescent youth could get seriously ill from someone who has, in fact, been vaccinated. Pfizer wants the FDA to authorize Emergency Use of their COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11. That's more than 28 million Americans. The FDA is scheduled to meet on October 26, 2021 to consider Pfizer's request. Meanwhile, expert advisers to the CDC are expected to have their conference on November 2 and 3 to make their recommendations. The federal government has typically given the CDC the last word on coronavirus policies; including vaccines. The childen's dose is one-third of the adult dose, and clinics all across America should start stocking up on lollipops because vaccines to the youngsters are likely to begin early next month. Should Pfizer be given the go-ahead for vaccinations to 5 to 11-year olds, that would still leave infants and children under 5 without the approval for shots. I'm hoping that goal will be accomplished by the end of 2021.

The only way our lives in America can return to pre-pandemic normalcy is for everyone - or just about everyone - to get vaccinated. Therefore, getting COVID-19 vaccinations should be mandatory throughout the United States. I said it back in December 2020 when the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization to Pfizer, thereby giving the pharmaceutical company the green light for adults to receive their vaccinations. Despite my support for President Joe Biden, our newly-inaugurated leader wasn't in favor of mandates when he took office on January 20, 2021. But now, Mr. Biden believes, "There is no other way to beat the pandemic than to get the vast majority of the American people vaccinated," and therefore, the President is now promoting mandates. He is encouraging companies nationwide to require their employees to stick out their arms and get their shots. Without mandates, unvaccinated Americans are jeopardizing the lives of their families, neighbors and co-workers, while they also contribute to the downfall of the U.S. economy. President Biden, on September 24, 2021, pointed the finger of blame on unvaccinated Americans because it's to a great extent their fault that our nation's economic recovery has slowed. People who feel there's a hex on the vax have also put unnecessary strain on the U.S. healthcare system. Mr. Biden also targets some "elected officials (who are) actually working to undermine with false information the fight against COVID-19. This is totally unacceptable."

Yes, Mr. President, it IS totally unacceptable. Republicans are avalanching a mountain of misinformation. There are some governors, U.S. senators, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and other politicians - generally thought to be Republicans, not Democrats - who I think are willing to put their constituents at risk in their despicable desire to destroy America while a Democratic President sits behind The Oval Office desk. And, baffling as it is, they're all acting like a flock of stupid

sheep as they continue to follow the twice impeached Florida narcissist Donald Trump, who is going to lead them to the slaughterhouse. Trump's combative cohorts are echoing his lies, as they cascade those falsehoods like diarrhea in a commode of deceit. Meantime, the corrupt conservative commentators at Fox News are fueling the fire by spewing their vindictive venom into the already brainwashed minds of the Trump base. Sadly and tragically, it wouldn't bother Republicans who fit the category if they...kill the country...if it helps their party win control of both chambers of Congress in 2022, and if it's the ammunition they need so that their 2024 nominee for president is handed the keys to The White House on January 20, 2025. Some Republicans - not all, but some - will do anything they can - whether immoral or unethical, hateful or sinful, dishonest or illegal - in order to claim victory in an election. Revenge and retribution are all that Trump Republicans in Congress and the Trump base of voters care about. Until Donald Trump, Republicans - at least for the most part - didn't feel that way. But that changed with Trump. It is believed by some that Satan seduces humans in to sin. Trump does the same with congressional Republicans and others elsewhere. And they have sold their souls to "the devil."

The mantra for most Republicans seems to be the following. If Democrats think it's good, then it has to be bad. President Biden wants everyone vaccinated. Therefore, in the eyes of those particular Republicans, COVID vaccinations are either to be given voluntarily, or avoided altogether. President Biden, on September 9, 2021, ordered private-sector companies with more than 100 employees to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations or test for the virus weekly. Mr. Biden's action affects about 80 million people. The President also laid down the law, so to speak, for approximately 17 million healthcare workers who receive their paychecks from facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid funding. They are required to be fully vaccinated, as are several million more people who are employed by the federal government or who are contractors that do business with "Uncle Sam." Such individuals cannot bargain for testing in lieu of vaccinations.

In a perfect world - or at least in a perfect United States of America - vaccinations would never have become political. But Trump, plus certain other influential Republicans, and the lunatics at Fox News, have somehow been able to convince 67 million eligible Americans to reject their innoculations. They haven't gotten any shots at all. (That statistic is from The Associated Press on October 7, 2021). On the positive side of the vaccination issue, as of October 12, 2021, NBC News reported that 56.5 percent of the entire U.S. population (that's 188.4 million people) are considered fully vaccinated with at least two shots of the Pfizer vaccine, two shots of the Moderna vaccine, or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Booster shots are not included in the aforementioned statistics.

Ending the pandemic would not only save lives, it would put the American workforce back on the job and be the financial boost our country needs. Such accomplishments would almost ensure Democrats to retain control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives next year and re-elect President Biden three years from now.

Politics aside - which I've already stated, it has no business being part of the COVID-19 pandemic or the vaccinations necessary to stop it - my focus returns to how this pandemic has personally affected me; along with each of you who are vaccinated. Babies are being born and grandparents, uncles, aunts and others have not been able to share in the on-site happiness when a new mommy and daddy in your family bring their son or daughter home from the hospital. Birthday parties, holiday celebrations and other festivities with family and friends have had important and special people missing; and it's mostly because of COVID-19.

For more than two centuries, vaccines have changed people's lives for the better. Check out the following list. 1796 - SMALLPOX, 1885 - RABIES, 1890 - TETANUS, 1896 - TYPHOID FEVER, 1906 - TUBERCULOSIS, 1923 - DIPHTHERIA, 1926 - WHOOPING COUGH, 1932 - YELLOW FEVER, 1937 - INFLUENZA, 1952 - POLIO, 1963 - MEASLES, 1967 - MUMPS, 1969 - RUBELLA, 1974 - CHICKENPOX and 2020 - COVID-19. You'd probably be dead if you didn't have (or, in certain cases, such as rabies, you weren't able to get) the listed vaccines. I know my next statement will sound like "a Yogi Berra-ism," but don't wait until you're dead to get double-vaccinated (or even triple-vaccinated) to prevent COVID-19/the coronavirus. Dr. Fauci, in a podcast interview with theSkimm on September 12, 2021, warned that we must get practically every American fully vaccinated in order to stop the transmission of the disease. "If we get the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated we will get to herd immunity. If we do it in the next six months, it will happen in the next six months. If we do it in the next two months, it'll happen in the next two months." Dr. Fauci feels that if health and government authorities can't convince people to get vaccinated then business owners and school officials need to make it mandatory for workers, students and teachers. That same day, September 12, Dr. Fauci - who is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Adviser to President Biden - told a convention of journalists that getting the pandemic under control could take "many, many more (vaccine) mandates." Dr. Fauci says "we have the tools to end this, and yet we're not doing it." But here's an additional problem. If more governors respond to mandates the way the Republican governors of

Texas and Florida have, then America will never reach herd immunity. "The Lone Star State's" Governor Greg Abbott, on October 11, 2021, issued an executive order directing that "no entity" in Texas can demand a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Abbott's action bans any business - including private companies, from requiring vaccinations for their employees or their customers. In a tweet, Abbott wrote, "The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective and our best defense against the virus, but should always remain voluntary and never forced." But Abbott - who in August became one of the more than 45 million Americans who have contracted the coronavirus - is facing a battle with some of our nation's biggest companies - including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines - and they are defying the governor's order. In a statement, American Airlines - which is

based in Fort Worth, Texas - insists "the federal vaccine mandate supercedes any conflicting state laws." Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on October 12, 2021, proposed a law to shield all workers in "The Sunshine State" from being fired from their jobs for not getting COVID-19 vaccinations. Can DeSantis make such a decision on his own through an executive action, or would such a ruling require passing of an actual law by the state legislature? DeSantis says he is exploring his options.

So I conclude this column the same way I began it. I first address my comments to anyone who has not been fully vaccinated. If that's you, and you've not gotten your shots, why the hell haven't you? If you're eligible, those of you who aren't vaccinated, and those of you who convey and promote fake reports, you're what I call..."COVID Culprits." It was March 11, 2020 when the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. Two days later, on March 13, 2020, Donald Trump declared the pandemic a national emergency. Since then, more than 700,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19. I don't think you want to be part of the next horrific milestone in America; 800,000 dead, 900,000 dead, 1 million Americans dead because of COVID-19. By you not being protected against COVID-19, you're worsening a pandemic that could likely come to a end; at least in the United States. Instead, I, and millions of other Americans, are aching through - with misery and anguish - this brutally treacherous and relentlessly threatening healthcare crisis.

Throughout my professional career as a journalist, I have advocated for the rights of others and for the freedoms and liberties we enjoy as Americans. However, just as you can't shout "fire" in a crowded theater, unless there are flames - or at least smoke - spreading phony information about the COVID-19 vaccines is tantamount to being criminal. With freedom of speech, some legal experts and constitutional scholars (perhaps all) would argue that expressing fantasies and fabrications about a disease - even a deadly one that has killed nearly 5 million people worldwide - is an American's right to have an opinion and, therefore, such conduct is not actually unlawful, so cannot be grounds for arrest. But your unconscionable behavior makes you no better than a felon. Oh I know that's a harsh statement, but your lack of human decency alone is enough evidence for this judge - along with (I believe) a jury of millions - to render a verdict of guilty as charged. The same applies to anyone who won't get vaccinated. If any of the aforementioned "COVID Culprits" desire a suspended sentence, all it will take is for you to get vaccinated and, if it applies to you, to stop your deception. In other words...shut up! Be smart. Save your life and the lives of your family and friends. It's the American thing to do. It's the human thing to do.

And that's The Controversy for today.

I'm Gary B. Duglin.

"We'll talk again."

The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.

Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions printed at the top of this column. And thank you for reading The Controversy.

Photo credits:

1 - Gary B. Duglin (Gary B. Duglin, first Pfizer vaccination, March 19, 2021)

2 - Gary B. Duglin (Gary B. Duglin, second Pfizer vaccination, April 9, 2021)

3 - Gary B. Duglin (Gary B. Duglin, third Pfizer vaccination - "The Booster Shot" - August 18, 2021)

4 - Gary B. Duglin (Gary B. Duglin, before haircut, April 25, 2021)

5 - Gary B. Duglin (Gary B. Duglin, after haircut, April 25, 2021)

6 - Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press (President Joe Biden)

7 - Joshua Roberts/Getty Images (Donald Trump)

8 - theSkimm podcast screenshot (Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D.)

9 - Montinique Monroe/Getty Images (Texas Governor Greg Abbott)

10 - Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/Light Rocket via Getty Images (Florida Governor Ron DeSantis)

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

IMAGINE OUR 21ST CENTURY AMERICAN FLAG WITH ONLY 49 STARS. OR 48. OR 47. OR LESS.

If Republicans in Congress and Republicans nationwide continue to take as the gospel truth, and then promote "The Big Lie" of a criminal sociopath, it's possible that, at some point, the cherished emblem of our nation will be painted with fewer "bright stars." And although the red, white and blue of "Old Glory" will still "wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave," it might not fly over certain meadows and metropolises that are now part of the United States of America.

The unscrupulous Donald Trump and his brainwashed Trumpism cheerleaders

- some of whom are revolutionists - are slowly, but then again perhaps quickly, shredding our Star Spangled Banner. The narcissistic Trump is hellbent to take command of our country; not as its president, but as its supreme ruler.

While in The White House, Trump envisioned his power and position of our republic to be exactly the opposite to what our Founders created. Instead, he believes in a dictatorship, comparable to that of North Korea, and that he sees himself in a role on par with Kim Jong-un.

Remember that on June 15, 2018, Trump - with a serious tone - told Fox News that he wants Americans to treat him as North Koreans do Kim. "He's the head of a country, and I mean, he's the strong head. Don't let anyone think different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same." Republicans wanted to spin it that Trump was joking. It is not at all funny for the president of the United States to jest that he wants to be dictator. But Trump has proved time and time again that it is undoubtedly his desire and his goal.

Trump has given birth to a loyal, yet volatile, society that may spawn the formation of a non-democratic government with the evil tyrant Trump as its imperial monarch. It's apparent to me that Trump's aim is to somehow pattern a polity and culture with he as its high priest, and his disciples the populace.

Republicans who embrace Trump and his deceptions are delusional; and to put any truth in his inane and insane conspiracy theory is a stab in the back of American patriotism.

Trump's national popularity became more prominent - when from 2004 until he announced his presidential candidacy in 2015 - Trump hosted a reality competition television show. NBC's The Apprentice catapulted Trump's public persona to super-stardom and, as a result, skyrocketed his political celebrity. But in true reality, Trump should have fronted a program called The Sorest Loser. Because that's what he is.

It was a futile attempt when thousands of Trump's treasonous worshippers tried on January 6, 2021 to overturn the 2020 presidential election after Trump incited the armed insurrection at The U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. It was a day in United States history that will be remembered forever as hideous and dark; and the atrociously sinful Donald Trump needs to legally be held accountable for directing this seditious scene.

It's what the then President-elect Joe Biden called a "mob of thugs."

At the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, GOP nominee Trump didn't tell his supporters - and Americans overall - to put their faith in God, or to have confidence in Trump's entire administration after he's elected. Trump didn't even suggest that the people of our great nation trust each other in helping to move our country forward. But the egomaniacal Trump boasted, "I alone can fix it." Well, he failed. Instead, he alone broke it. In addition, it was Trump - and he alone - who is responsible for domestic terrorists to uncontrollably rampage our sanctuary of liberty in a bloodbath of ugliness.

For weeks before, Trump solicited his cult-like, die-hard devotees to swarm our national capital city as if they were wild killer bees. He emblazed with fire and fury an unconscionable explosion of irate rioters who savagely orchestrated a siege on the predominant citadel of America's democracy. Trump betrayed his presidential pledge to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" when he provoked a bloodthirsty band of beasts to brutally and barbarically invade the hallowed halls and the stately and sacred seat of our federal government's legislative branch.

When the crowd gathered for a rally on the Ellipse outside The White House in the noontime hour of January 6, Trump - in essence - gave a direct order to his troops. "We will never concede. It doesn't happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore... You will have an illegitimate president... This is what you will have (with Joe Biden) and we can't let that happen... We will stop the steal... If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."

So the pandemonium and mayhem of January 6 was Donald Trump's fault. His malicious motivation caused obscene and unrestrained disorder by a gang of goons, which led to diabolical destruction and the death of seven people, including two U.S. Capitol Police officers and one policeman from DC's Metropolitan Police Department. These people would probably still be alive today if Trump had graciously conceded the election to the now President Biden. But Trump - the dangerous demagogue and villainous madman - stimulated an incendiary disruption of our democracy when our

congressional legislators and the
then vice president of the United States - Mike Pence - were scheduled to perform their constitutional duty under the 12th Amendement to certify and confirm the 2020 Electoral College votes. Any American who applauds Trump's ruthless, reckless, and sadistic behavior needs to re-think their own citizenship, because defending Trump is tantamount to being a traitor to our country.

But now - more than six months since Democratic nominee Joe Biden was declared the winner - dozens of Republican state legislatures are attempting to enact measures that will make it much more difficult for people to vote. Lawmakers have introduced upwards of 300 or more bills with restrictive provisions as Republicans lodge an outright attack on American democracy. And that's exactly what this is. As such, I make reference to the word democracy several times throughout this column.

Limiting mail-in ballots, ending early in-person voting, and reducing Election Day voting hours are only a few of the vulgar proposals that are included in the Republican state measures. Meanwhile, three Republican governors in particular - Doug Ducey of

Arizona, Ron DeSantis of Florida and Brian Kemp of Georgia - have each already signed in to law, voter suppression legislation that clearly represent an anti-democratic and sinister intent. These laws are not what the general citizenry wants. It is a threat to silence Black, Brown and other minority communities, and it's a danger to the fundamental rights of all Americans as it assaults the constitutional process. And yes. I will use this

word too. It's racism. As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer - Democrat from New York - tweeted on May 10, 2021, "We should make it easier for people to vote - not harder."

Donald Trump and his "Big Lie" have concocted a colossal calamity that must be crushed by

Congress. H.R.1: The For The People Act of 2021 passed in the House of Representatives on March 3. Before President Biden can sign the measure in to law, it must pass the Senate. But

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell isn't going to make it easy. The Kentucky Republican isn't giving President Biden and the Democrats anything on a silver platter. Therefore, the archaic Senate filibuster has got to be abolished. However, it will still mean that all 50 Senate Democrats need to

agree, and that way Vice President Kamala Harris can break the tie to defeat the 50

Republicans. It's Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of California who is absolutely accurate with his ardent analysis from May 7. "We need to ensure the Grim Reaper of the Senate (Mitch McConnell) can't add hundreds of progressive bills to his legislative graveyard. The filibuster is not a healthy check and balance. It's a roadblock to progress."

Despite the fact that there has never been any evidence to prove Trump's claim that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him, 76 percent of self-identified Republicans are convinced there was "widespread fraud," and that President Biden was not legitimately elected in November of last year. It's mind-boggling to think that more than three-quarters of Republicans across America have come to the illogical and irrational conclusion that Trump's fabrications and fantasies are not lies, but truths. The recent Quinnipiac University national poll shows that three of every four Republicans are in lockstep with Trump and his venomous falsehoods; notwithstanding that at least 60 lawsuits contesting election processes, ballot counting, and vote certifications, were lost by Trump and others who filed on his behalf. But those lawsuits were doomed from the get-go, as Trump's vile allegations were - and still are - baseless and bogus. That's why judges in multiple states - including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - threw the suits out of court due to lack of evidence. In addition, constitutional and legal scholars described the lawsuits as everything from "frivolous" to "without merit." Ironically, most of the jurists who either dismissed or dropped the cases were on the bench because they had been previously appointed by Trump.

Trump is so mentally deranged, and so enraged with animosity, that he's determined to seek and get revenge. Of course Trump is wrong to want any retaliation against President Biden and the Democrats. Anyone with an ounce of credibility and integrity knows that Mr. Biden legally, morally, and ethically beat Trump in the 2020 election. But Trump's toxic tongue has poisoned the minds of millions of Americans, and he has infected our democratic process with the rabidness of a mad dog.

More importantly to Trump's ego is not the win of the presidency itself, but Trump making certain that his legacy is protected. Trump's success - and whatever is best for him - is all that Trump ever cares about. If he can overthrow the government of a state - perhaps a state like Florida, where the current governor wants nothing more than to be the heir apparent to the Trump throne - then it could be the beginning of Trump's reign of terror as emperor of his own principality. And afterwards, Trump is capable of attempting to follow Adolf Hitler's playbook by invading other adjacent states.

Donald Trump needs to be stopped. He is not above the law; although he may think so. The United States Department of Justice cannot allow him to escape prosecution for his past crimes, nor can Trump be permitted to have any possible opportunity to either run a campaign for president in 2024, or to design, organize, and lead a coup, whereby he could gain control of a state government and take power as its sole authority. Our country is a democracy, not an autocracy.

Since the summer of 1959, America has 50 states. Imagine our 21st century American Flag with only 49 stars. And what if Trump could take over the government of more than one state? Imagine our Stars and Stripes with only 48 stars. Or 47. Or less.

Some of you may think that I'm writing a totally fictional and far-fetched fable for a Hollywood motion picture screenplay. Just remember that nobody (oh, maybe there were a few people), but basically nobody who thought there was a snowball's chance in hell for Hillary Clinton to lose to Donald Trump. Even Trump himself - who hadn't prepared a victory speech - didn't think he'd end up with the keys to The Oval Office. Former Secretary of State Clinton was expected to be elected the

first woman president of the United States. Well, if Trump does have a notion to somehow seize one or more states for his own corrupt colony, federal law enforcement officials need to quell such a rebellion before it even gets started. And prosecuting attorneys, a judge and a jury need to provide the flagrantly wicked real estate wheeler-dealer with a long-term lease at a house that's jam-packed with roommates and decorated with lots of bars on the doors and windows. Otherwise, who knows what could happen? We were wrong about Trump in 2016. Let's not be wrong again.

And that's The Controversy for today.

I'm Gary B. Duglin.

"We'll talk again."

The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.

Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions printed at the top of this column. And thank you for reading The Controversy.

Photo credits:

1 - ChamberOfCommerce.org (American Flag with 46 stars)

2 - Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press (Donald Trump)

3 - NBC News Screenshot (Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un)

4 - NBCUniversal and Mark Burnett Productions (The Apprentice)

5 - Jon Cherry/Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)

6 - Susan Walsh/The Associated Press (President Joe Biden while he was President-elect)

7 - PBS News Hour Screenshot (Donald Trump)

8 - Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call (The Capitol Siege)

9 - Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press (Donald Trump with rally crowd)

10 - Stephanie Keith/Reuters (The Capitol Siege)

11 - Getty Images (Former Vice President Mike Pence)

12 - NBC News Screenshot (Arizona Governor Doug Ducey)

13 - Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press (Florida Governor Ron DeSantis)

14 - Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images (Georgia Governor Brian Kemp)

15 - MSNBC Screenshot (Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer)

16 - Stefani Reynolds/Pool/Getty Images (President Joe Biden)

17 - Leah Millis/Reuters (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell)

18 - Bloomberg via Getty Images (Vice President Kamala Harris)

19 - Joshua Roberts/Reuters (Representative Adam Schiff)

20 - Gage Skidmore/Flickr (Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler)

21 - Justin Sullivan/Getty Images (Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton)

22 - Yves Herman/Reuters (Donald Trump)

Sunday, April 25, 2021

A PICTURE (OR A VIDEO) IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. DEREK CHAUVIN LEARNED THAT THE HARD WAY. AND SO WILL DONALD TRUMP.

It was January 20th, 2021 - a little more than three months ago - that for the second time in history, America was saved from a merciless tyrant. On July 4th, 1776, our Founding Fathers gave birth to independence for the people of our land. As our nation was born, King George III of Great Britain was dethroned from ruling over the new United States. Nearly 245 years later, a present-day patriarch named Joe Biden - who was duly elected by the citizens of our country on November 3rd, 2020 - was sworn in as our 46th President.

As President Biden moved into The White House, a criminal sociopath - "Tyrant #2" - was evicted. We, the people of the United States, must never forget the heinous and treasonous crimes committed by Donald Trump; especially that on January 6th, 2021, he spearheaded an armed, deadly insurrection in an effort to overthrow the U.S. government. Trump created a chaotic crisis that resulted from a savagely orchestrated siege on the predominant citadel of our nation's democracy; an unconscionable incursion on the chambers that house our elected Members of Congress.

Trump is a vicious and vindictive villain who must be prosecuted for inciting the violence that escalated in to the storming of The U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Domestic terrorists rioted and attacked. Their goal was to overturn Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election; a contest for which Mr. Biden legally won in a landslide. But for weeks, Trump extended his personal invitation - nay solicitation - to his faithful disciples and any other people who believed that it was he, Trump, who should have been declared the winner of the election. Therefore, such a triumphant feat would award him a second term behind The Oval Office desk. Thousands of Trump loyalists were more devoted and more dedicated to a traitor than to American patriotism. They - as were Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives for the last four years - put Trump over our country. Yet, even after the assault on Capitol Hill - which disrupted a joint session of Congress that was assembled to formally count electoral votes and proclaim victory for Joe Biden - these same congressional Republicans refused to impeach and convict Trump for his high crimes. Democrats controlling the House were, however, successful in impeaching Trump on January 13th, 2021. He is the only president in U.S. history to be impeached twice; the first time being on December 18th, 2019. Having never been convicted by the then-Republican-controlled Senate, Trump would not be removed from office. It took voters throughout America to accomplish that task. But Trump asserted by spreading venomous falsehoods - downright vile lies - that the election was stolen from him by fraudulent votes.

There's an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. That adage applies to a video too. Derek Chauvin learned that the hard way. And so will Donald Trump. Video pictures and still photographs also proved the proverb to be true

when a jury in the Chauvin trial convicted the White former police officer for killing George Floyd. Chauvin, on April 20th, 2021, was found guilty on all charges - second degree murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter - for causing the death of the 46-year old Floyd, a Black man who was being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill - currency that Floyd probably didn't even know was fake - to purchase cigarettes in a local Minneapolis, Minnesota market.

Since May 25th, 2020, people throughout America and around the world have viewed the devastingly disturbing images of Chauvin firmly pressing his knee on to Floyd's neck. Handcuffed and laying face down with his head pinned to the concrete ground of a Minneapolis street, Floyd's weak and defenseless body was braced up against the wheel of a police car, and - after 9 minutes and 29 seconds - the pressure from Chauvin's knee cut off Floyd's airway so that he could not breathe. Chauvin callously crushed Floyd's windpipe and, therefore, blocked any chance for Floyd to get oxygen to flow in to his lungs. As Chauvin literally squeezed the life out of George Floyd, Floyd was crying out, "I can't breathe." But the inhumane and ruthless police officer and his three insensitive cohorts didn't give a damn that Floyd was choking to death. As he gasped for air and with his last ounce of strength, Floyd sobbed and whined for his mother who had died two years before. "Momma! Momma!"

I venture to guess that most Americans, at this point, have seen the essential

video that was recorded on the day George Floyd was killed. Such camera footage was widely circulated on the Internet and broadcast on television. I want to believe that anytime you catch the painfully chilling and heart-wrenching visuals, you become - as I do each time I watch - more and more pissed off, perturbed and sad. Thankfully, a quick-thinking teenage girl with a smart phone - and a whole lot of smarts herself - combined her intelligence with her courage and compassion as she captured on video the absolute proof necessary for jurors to convict Derek Chauvin. Darnella Frazier provided prosecutors with the most vital piece of evidence against Chauvin. The then-17-year old bystander's guts, brought glory to our nation, as the guilty verdicts sparked celebrations across America. Those decisions by the jury are a turning point for our country, but not a point of total jubilation and success. With joy, there is also grieving. No guilty verdict alone will rid our nation of racism. Although Chauvin's conviction brings some justice for George Floyd, it's not complete justice for America. Not yet. Darnella Frazier's grit, heroism and common sense to digitally document a murder being committed was a risk to her own safety. The killer was a cop. However, Frazier's video undoubtedly sealed the deal for convicting Chauvin, as it could not be disputed. And like the recording itself, Darnella Frazier will go down in history as being a significant witness to an abhorrent, felonious homicide. Without Frazier and her video, the truth about George Floyd's death may have never been proven, and Derek Chauvin would have likely gotten away with murder.

A jury of five men and seven women - including four White females, two White males, three Black males, one Black female, and two mixed-race females - came to the unanimous conclusion after less than eleven hours of deliberations, that because of what they saw in the video recording and photos, and because of what they heard from under-oath testimony by numerous witnesses, Derek Chauvin deserves to be incarcerated for taking the life of George Floyd.

Sentencing for Chauvin won't be for about a couple of months - June 16th, according to The New York Times - but after he read the three verdicts, Judge Peter Cahill ruled - from his bench in the Hennepin County Courthouse - that Chauvin's bail is now revoked, and he will await sentencing behind bars. Chauvin is being held in a maximum security prison and is being kept in solitary confinement for 23 of the 24 hours of each day. The 45-year old Chauvin faces up to 75 years in prison. That's up to 40 years for second degree murder, up to 25 years for third degree murder, and up to 10 years for second degree manslaughter. However, it's possible - and perhaps likely - that Chauvin will serve his sentences concurrently for all three crimes, which means he could be in prison for a maximum of up to 40 years; or it could be less. That ruling will ultimately be up to the judge.

The three other ex-cops, who were with Chauvin when he murdered Floyd, are accused of aiding and abetting second degree murder, and aiding and abetting second degree manslaughter. Their trial is scheduled to begin in August.

George Floyd was not a threat to Derek Chauvin, yet the then-cop squashed Floyd's neck. Even when Floyd was not moving a muscle, when he was totally motionless and not responsive at all, when there was no pulse, Chauvin continued to apply with irrational recklessness, uncivilized force, by grinding his knee on to Floyd's collar.

Let's be clear. We should acknowledge that not every police officer is awful and appalling. Not all cops are like Derek Chauvin. As with everything in life, with the good, there will be some bad. According to data compiled by the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, there are more than 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers currently serving in the United States. There are other unconfirmed studies that increase that figure to approximately one-million cops who serve us with dignity and integrity every day. Each one pins on or carries a badge, or a shield. Each one holsters a gun, and each one knows that on any given day they might fire that weapon. They also are quite aware that someone could shoot a bullet at them. We will not be safe without the heroes of our police departments throughout America. But we need to clean house. We, the American people, in tandem with our politicians and the police themselves, need to come together in peace as a unified operation, but with enthusiastic energy so that we can all live in harmony. Participation is crucial by every city and town across the board. Civilian citizens have the right to contribute and be a fundamental asset in policing our police. From the top brass, down through the rank and file, the bad ones have got to go. There can be no exceptions. There can be no second chances; not when people's lives are at stake. And the good cops? They need to be thanked. They need to be praised. They need to be respected. Not all police officers are as wickedly hurtful as the evil one who fatally injured George Floyd. Only some. Most cops are honorable professionals and - depending on the circumstances - they are understanding, kind, and even - at times - comforting. The vast majority of cops are on duty to protect the public. And they do. But the sinfully satanic officers who demonically crucify others must be excised - with a pitchfork, if necessary - from police departments nationwide.

Following the consequential verdicts, President Biden addressed the nation and he struck a chord of truth about the killing of George Floyd. "It was a murder in the full light of day, and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see. The systemic racism. The systemic racism is a stain on our nation's soul. The knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans. The murder of George Floyd launched a summer of protests we hadn't seen since the civil rights era in the 60s. Protests that unified people of every race and generation, in peace and with purpose to say enough. Enough. Enough of this senseless killings." President Biden is a person of compassion and empathy. He truly cares about others. Thankfully - after four years of not having one - we now have a President whose character exemplifies those qualities. President Biden noted that he spoke after the verdicts with George Floyd's family. The President told them, "The guilty verdict does not bring back George. Nothing can ever bring their brother, their father back. But this can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America."

Vice President Kamala Harris presented her thoughts prior to President Biden's. "A measure of justice isn't the same as equal justice. This verdict brings us a step closer, and the fact is, we still have work to do. We still must reform the system." The Vice President talked about The George Floyd Justice and Policing Act. It's legislation that she - as a U.S. senator from California - authored last year

with two other Democratic lawmakers; Representative Karen Bass also of California

and Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. "This bill would hold law enforcement accountable, and help build trust between law enforcement and our communities. This bill is part of George Floyd's legacy. The President and I will continue to urge the Senate to pass this legislation. This work is long overdue. America has a long history of systemic racism. Black Americans - and Black men in particular - have been treated throughout the course of our history as less than human. Here's the truth about racial injustice. It is not just a Black America problem, or a people of color problem. It is a problem for every American. It is keeping us from fulfilling the promise of liberty and justice for all. We are all a part of George Floyd's legacy. And our job now is to honor it, and to honor him."

President Biden's heartstrings were tugged, at the funeral of George Floyd last year, and Mr. Biden shared a personal moment with us during his April 20th speech. The President remembered a special moment with Floyd's then-6-year old daughter, Gianna, who told Mr. Biden, "Daddy changed the world." When the President spoke with her after the verdicts were announced, he repeated what he said last year to her. "Daddy did change the world."

America has been traumatized by both the George Floyd murder and the seditious scene at The U.S. Capitol. We cannot have police officers being beaten to death by a politician's combatants. And we cannot have police officers killing their suspects when the cops' lives are not threatened and are not in imminent danger. Now that a jury has ordered Derek Chauvin to be liable for his actions, what about Donald Trump? If Trump is indicted in connection with The Capitol assault, a jury in a Trump trial may very well be convinced by Trump's own words, which were recorded in videos an hour before a bloodthirsty band of beasts brutally and barbarically launched their invasion on the stately and sacred seat of our federal government's legislative branch. Donald Trump directed this agonizing atrocity, which then-President-elect Biden called "lawlessness" and "chaos" by a "mob of thugs." Therefore - like Derek Chauvin - Trump needs to pay for his crimes. It is now the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Justice to legally hold Trump accountable for instigating marauding homegrown terrorists to uncontrollably rampage our sanctuary of liberty in to a bloodbath of ugliness.

Trump's incendiary language resulted in unrestrained, civil disorder and death as his hoodlums vandalized The Capitol complex. The destruction caused more than $30 million in damages, and more than 400 alleged participants have been arrested and charged with crimes. Reportedly, an estimated 100 additional people who were involved with the ghastly turmoil of that day are expected to be taken in to custody before the end of April. Many of the individuals who engaged in the outdoor riot were booked for unlawful entry on to The Capitol grounds. But those who actually raided the congressional castle - such as white supremacists, among others - have received more serious charges; as have any of the monsters who physically battered and bruised, or killed, someone else. Nearly 150 people suffered injuries during the revolution, and five people - including a police officer - died. But as bad as it was -

and any scrupulous, sane, and virtuous person knows this was bad - it could have been much worse, as these Trump traducers - these anarchists - had constructed gallows on the site of The Capitol so they could hang the sitting vice president at the

time, Mike Pence, a Republican;

and the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat. Therefore, Donald Trump must claim blame for his unlawful transgressions. He cannot be allowed to escape prosecution for crimes against our democracy.

The question now is - how do we make certain that justice will be served in a law-abiding manner? Arresting, indicting, and convicting Trump should not be a partisan affair. It should not - in the least - be a political problem. One would think that the video evidence against Trump automatically converts to a prison sentence. Repeating a phrase that Trump often used when verbally bashing certain Democrats, "Lock him (or her) up," may - in reality - come back to bite Trump in the butt. One would think that Trump's own words should slam the penitentiary door shut on him for whatever time is left in his life. But despite the fact that Trump was instrumental in causing misery to families who lost loved ones, and to our country as a whole, even he is entitled to due process under the law, the right to counsel, and a courtroom trial where the outcome is determined by a judge and a jury of his peers.

January 6th, 2021 will be remembered forever as a hideous and dark day in the history of the United States, as people who identify themselves as Americans tried to obliterate the tradition of a congenial and tranquil transition of power from the outgoing president to the newly-elected one. But because the unhinged Donald Trump would not acknowledge his loss to Joe Biden, Trump betrayed his pledge to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Consequently, evacuation was imperative. Senators and House representatives were guided as they were rushed through the hallowed halls of our nation's Capitol in to a secluded area for protection while bedlam broke out in the marble Rotunda of this historic, cherished monument.

Rowdy rabble-rousers turned revolutionists were already emblazed with fire and fury when they amassed on the Ellipse in front of The White House that morning to hear Trump as he added fuel to an intense inferno. "We will never concede. It doesn't happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore. You will have an illegitimate president (with Joe Biden). This is what you will have, and we can't let that happen. We will stop the steal. If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore." So

with those fierce and ferocious phrases, the "arsonist-in-chief" lit a match and tossed it in to a tank of gasoline, and thus an explosion of irate rioters ran amok through The Capitol grounds in a shameful demonstration that was comparable to a mission of military warfare. Some pro-Trump insurgents were weaponized with guns, explosive

devices, and even a Confederate flag as they ravaged and ransacked congressional offices.

Others climbed The Capitol's scaffolding, or used flag poles, crutches, and homemade battering rams to knock down doors and smash windows. Swarming like wild killer bees, the rebels used steel

pipes as they thrashed brave Capitol Police officers and clobbered cops from Washington's Metropolitan Police Department. Nefarious, lawbreaking mobsters looted Capitol offices and stole personal items, including laptop computers. One person ripped off Speaker Pelosi's gavel, while another individual, who broke in to the California Democrat's suite, was

photographed sitting in the Speaker's chair with his feet on her desk.

But here's what prompted these people to act like shipboard mutineers. They were encouraged by a malicious madman - a dangerously deranged demagogue - who stimulated a treacherous intrusion of our democratic process, with the intent to flip the 2020 election, and thus invalidate the win by Democrat Biden, so to give Republican Trump the gold medal. Such a movement was a ludicrous obsession as it was

impossible to happen. It could never be realized. But that didn't stop these ultra-radicals from going ahead with their obscene quest to attain diabolical havoc and cause a flagrantly corrupt catastrophe. January 6th was the day when our congressional legislators and the vice president of the United States were scheduled to perform their constitutional duty under the 12th Amendment by certifying and confirming the Electoral College votes. Their job did get done, but not until about 3:40 A.M. on January 7th. That's because the cult-like, die-hard and hostile Trump devotees had other terrifying plans. Their ambition was to promote pandemonium and menacing mayhem after Trump manipulated them as if they were his personal puppets.

From the detestable desire to demolish democracy, to the despicably distressing demolition of George Floyd's life, the triple conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder and manslaughter of Floyd is a great victory for civil rights and human rights. It's not the be-all-and-end-all, but as President Biden eloquently expressed, it's "a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America." Hopefully, with this momentous conviction - this unanimous guilty verdict on all three counts - Floyd's death will not be in vain. And as tragic as Floyd's murder is, these verdicts should ingrain in the minds of all police officers that they cannot use excessive force of any kind, toward any person, no matter their race. The voices of the Chauvin jury spoke loud and clear with their guilty verdicts that cruel, heartless, police brutality will not be tolerated in the United States of America. A police officer should never act as judge, jury and executioner.

Racism, bigotry and prejudices of all types have no place in American law enforcement; no place in American justice; no place in America period. We cannot return to the 1960s, or the "Jim Crow" era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We cannot ever allow anyone in our country to mistreat Black Americans "as less than human," to quote Vice President Harris. We cannot permit the horrifying and horrendous abuse of any persons; no matter their skin color. Slavery is a disgusting

and disgraceful part of our nation's past. America doesn't have another Abraham Lincoln, and we probably never will have one like him again. But we can come close. In fact, we have. We do. And we will again. Because we always have people who care. We always have people who feel - as I do, and as President Biden and Vice President Harris do - that we must profoundly oppose any form of racism, any form of bigotry, any form of prejudice. I can only hope that the people of future generations will look at others without focusing on their race or ethnicity, and that they will lack the hatred that unfortunately today is widespread in the United States. Everyone in America - in fact, everyone in the world - should be considered equal. It's what our Founders wanted. At least most of them did. And it's the way it should be.

Racist attitudes CAN change. It might take a generation or two to do it completely, but such an objective can be achieved. It's a change that can begin today at home. Children become racists because their parents are racists. There's an old song that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote for the musical production South Pacific. The song is titled, "You've Got To Be Taught." The lyrics begin as follows.

"You've got to be taught, to hate and fear; You've got to be taught from year to year; It's got to be drummed, in your dear little ear; You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught, to be afraid; Of people whose eyes, are oddly made; And people whose skin, is a different shade; You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught, before it's too late; Before you are six, or seven, or eight; To hate all the people, your relatives hate; You've got to be carefully taught."

The song goes on from there. But Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were, and still are, one-hundred percent correct. Actually, the lyrics were written by Mr. Hammerstein, so it's his words that are right on target. Personally, I knew it long before I ever heard the song; long before I saw the South Pacific film; and long before I ever was the stage manager and lighting director for my high school stage production of the Broadway show. My parents taught me when I was a little boy that I should never judge a person because of the color of their skin. And I learned that even before I was "six, or seven, or eight."

As the words explain in the graphic on the photo to the right, Labrador Retrievers come in a variety of colors. They are loved and treated equally no matter what they look like. Labs don't fight each other because of the differences in their color. Can't we all learn to live like Labrador Retrievers and be color blind? Can't we all get along with each other and not care about the color of a person's skin? Everyone needs to remember that we all bleed the same color. We all cry the same tears. Skin color should never matter. Race should not matter unless referring to the human race; of which we are all part. Senseless killings - racist or otherwise - have got to stop. We can be better. We need to be better. We must be better to survive. After all, each of us is supposed to be equal to the other. If dogs have the smarts to figure that out, so should we.

George Perry Floyd Jr. died at the hands (and by the knee) of a murderer. George is gone, but let's not forget him. Let's make the murder of George Floyd mean something. The man responsible for that death - Derek Chauvin - is a cold-blooded killer. And Donald Trump is cold and calculating. Both men sicken me, and each one is culpable for monumental tragedies that our country has suffered over the last year.

Nobody in the United States of America is above the law. Not a former police officer. And not a former president.

And that's The Controversy for today.

I'm Gary B. Duglin.

"We'll talk again."

The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.

Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions printed at the top of this column. And thank you for reading The Controversy.

Photo credits:

1 - Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via Reuters (Derek Chauvin)

2 - Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press (Donald Trump)

3 - Darnella Frazier via The Associated Press (Derek Chauvin with his knee on George Floyd's neck)

4 - Screenshot from Now This (Darnella Frazier)

5 - Screenshot from WCVB-TV, Boston, Massachusetts (Judge Peter Cahill reads verdicts as Derek Chauvin watches and listens)

6 - Doug Mills/The New York Times (President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris in the background)

7 - The Associated Press (Vice President Kamala Harris with President Joe Biden in the background)

8 - Erin Schaff/The New York Times (Representative Karen Bass)

9 - The New York Times (Senator Cory Booker)

10 - Gianna Floyd via Instagram (Gianna Floyd)

11 - Jon Cherry/Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)

12 - Screenshot from CNBC (The Capitol Siege)

13 - Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)

14 - Getty Images (Former Vice President Mike Pence)

15 - Screenshot from ABC News (Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi)

16 - Daily Express (President Joe Biden and Donald Trump)

17 - Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images (Donald Trump)

18 - Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)

19 - Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)

20 - Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call (The Capitol Siege)

21 - Stephanie Keith/Reuters (The Capitol Siege)

22 - Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images (The Capitol Siege)

23 - Jose Luis Magana/The Associated Press (The Capitol Siege)

24 - Wikipedia (Former President Abraham Lincoln)

25 - The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization (Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II)

26 - Anything Labrador (Labrador Retrievers)

27 - The George Floyd Family and Ben Crump (George Perry Floyd Jr.)