Do Fossil Fuels Prevent Rape?

This is what happens when our President hires "the best people": we get the very best whoppers. The  gaffes roll down like water, and the inoperative statements like a mighty stream. Not sure what this all means? Well, the Trump Swamp is over-the-head deep with examples, so... let's go!

Our first example is the excellent Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry. During his appearance at an American Petroleum Institute-sponsored event, Perry was interrupted by protestors who suggested that fossil fuels are accelerating climate change, which will cause global food shortages, resources collapsing, wide-scale massive and uncontrolled refugee/immigration, and wars - things that our own military is preparing for. The nonplussed Perry responded:
Huh. So... sexual assaults go away when the lights are on? And expensive-to-import-and-refine fossil fuels are the best bet for developing poor African countries' infrastructure development? Why not solar? Far cheaper, and no need for creating costly pipelines, grids and polluting power plants. Oh, that's right - this is the former Governor of Texas Rick Perry, Mr. Oil and Gas. The same guy who ran for president and famously stumbled during a debate when he declared he'd eliminate three federal agencies - but couldn't name the third.

Naturally, he is now the head of that hard-to-recall agency. But he didn't even know what the Energy Department really does! He was surprised to discover it mostly did things he thought it did not:

https://newrepublic.com/minutes/139961/rick-perry-didnt-know-energy-department-month-ago

Sheesh, what an utter doofus! Recall that his predecessor was a Nobel Prize winning physicist. At least he's bringing back some dignity to Washington, DC after that Obama guy stunk it up for eight years... yes, this guy:

"The perfect Energy Secretary for a nation that requires a "Do Not Eat" warning on a box of nails," said one commenter. Okay, you might say, like Donny Osmond, "one bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl." But that's where you and Donny would be wrong. The whole barrel is rotten! It's a comprehensive collection of Idiots, Sycophants, Grifters and Creationists. Exaggeration? Not hardly:

The Cabinet represents the best and brightest of an Administration. We have Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a gentleman with no diplomacy experience but spent decades with Exxon.  Rex called his current boss "a fucking moron." He has hollowed out the State Department, is fond of napping, and is overseeing the diplomatic diminishment of our country. Also, good to note that during this whole North Korea kerfluffle, we still have no Ambassador to South Korea.

Another great catch is Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin. As a never-before public servant, Mnuchin was a hedge-fund major domo in Goldman Sachs, a reviled place for Trump supporters. Then he became chief of OneWest, a mortgage lender renowned for its aggressive foreclosing practices on folks like Trump supporters. He has done lots of murky stuff. And he married a modern-day Marie Antoinette.

Other Cabinet question marks include:

Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The good doctor has no experience with anything that his agency oversees. Except he lived near a housing project when he was young. And he believes the pyramids were built by the Bible's Joseph to store grain.

Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior. "Fracking is proof that God's got a great sense of humor and He loves us," Mr. Zinke claims. He spends too much on his own special transportation, he cuts back on Interior's budget/workforce, and he wants more fossil fuel companies to work public lands. He also doled out a $300 million contract for Puerto Rico power restoration to a two-man outfit from his hometown in Montana. A neighbor. Where his son had worked. The best, though, is this:

Wherever/whenever Zinke travels, the Interior Department building that he happens to be in must fly a special flag that indicates he is inside. Salute the elite!

Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA protects our air and water. Under Pruitt's watch, we have coal power plant wastewater re-introduced into nearby lakes and rivers. This should not be a shock for Pruitt-watchers - as Oklahoma Attorney General, he launched numerous lawsuits against... the EPA.  He's bringing on a new advisor who believes... that the air is too clean. He also has decided to reorganize the department, citing the Bible's Book of Joshua to explain things (it also opens the door for more Big Business influence).

Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education. DeVos went to private Christian schools, as have her children. As did her creepy brother Erik Prince, the head of what used to be the infamous Blackwater Security (of Iraq War notoriety). Now she runs the department that manages public school direction and funding on the federal level. And as a wealthy religious zealot, it is her calling to make public schools build "God's Kingdom" here in the US. She also made news during her confirmation hearing when she expressed concern that bears present a problem to schoolchildren, so guns should be kept in schools. She is a visionary, of sorts.

But enough of the Cabinet, as this examination would drag on beyond our tolerance for pain. Although it is worth mentioning that there are nine Fundamentalists in the Cabinet... not that there's anything wrong with that, unless one takes in the in-house "Spiritual Advisor" for them, the influential Ralph Drollinger. He shepards them and numerous other sheep in the GOP Congressional Caucus. He advises them that the  US Government is "an avenger of wrath," that Trump is "an adjudicator of wrongdoing," that "women can't teach men" and won't be in a room alone with another woman not his wife. Yes, he's a Mike Pence guy and a Creationist! He seems nice.

Well, you might say, these are bad, crooked and inept people... but surely they can't ALL be like this? That's true! But it does seem like most are:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-other-huge-scandal-mueller-brought-to-light-this-week/2017/11/01/5e05a458-bf4c-11e7-959c-fe2b598d8c00_story.html?utm_term=.20d90c6834d0

and this:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/vote-controversial-trump-epa-nominee-delayed-n811836

and this:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/11/02/trump-nominates-some-club-members-plum-government-jobs/823231001/

and this:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-pledged-to-drain-the-swamp-instead-he-filled-it-with-industry-sharks

and this:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41655117

Oh, and this, too:

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/01/jim-bridenstine-nasa-confirmation-hearing-244416

Hoo boy! Nominating high level folks with experience like being a member of Mar-a-Lago, a Meineke muffler shop manager, a bartender, and a wedding consultant. And, of course, the grifters and unbridled nutty zealots. Looks like we can't keep winning for losing.

For what it's worth, our most favored of all ridiculousness exhibited by this Administration has to be that of White House Counsel, Don McGahn. This position is the primary legal counsel for the White House. It's among the most important jobs, especially for this particular president. But according to recently departed Director of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub (who couldn't stand it anymore), Mr. McGahn was, well, kinda incompetent:

McGahn displays his ignorance

Wow, what a howler!! For more on how the competent fled and what their views are on what remains behind, check this out:

http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/trump-quitters/

"That set the tone for, Oh boy, this is really bad." Yes, indeed. It did, does and will continue. And it is reflective of the partisan base that sent Trump to do his good work. Here is our final link, from the highly respected Annenberg Public Policy Center, regarding a study made of how Americans don't know squat about their government. This is frightening and revealing how someone like Trump could get elected:

https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/americans-are-poorly-informed-about-basic-constitutional-provisions/

"I love the poorly educated!" exulted candidate Trump. Little did we know that he spoke about most Americans. Betsy DeVos, bring on the Kingdom of God!

Finally, to end on a high note, consider the ongoing efforts to ridicule and satirize this government. On Halloween night, someone put a Jack-o-Lantern in front of the residence of recently indicted former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. The visage, of course, is that of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Got him! And the pipeline is ready to flow...