Another Trump Mess That Needs Cleaning - Why Is Lawrence DeJoy STILL Here?

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Remember this clown?  He's a Trump toady named Louis DeJoy, who was named the Postmaster General.  This candy-bar-in-the-swimming-pool was handpicked to break the USPS so mail-in ballots wouldn't be counted.  Yup, that thug.   It didn't work but he's still here.  His ham-handed attempts to slow the delivery of ballots was not only disgusting and unsuccessful but he damaged a much-lovingly derided institution relied upon for hundreds of years.  Throughout our history, the US Postal Service has been delivering to locations near and far-flung across the country.  The "snail mail" as it is affectionately called, is probably doomed to the same fate as the dinosaur and the land line.  Right now, however, during Covid, we have to rely on the mail.

De Joy looks and sounds like a rejected extra from the Sopranos.  When I think of postal workers, I picture Jerry Seinfeld on a route or Tom Hanks delivering a card.  What I don't envision?  What no one wants?  Is an unqualified, thuggish, cretin to smash one of our most cherished and revered institutions.  The mail is often a subject of derisive jokes and complaints but they're our bad jokes, our petty concerns, America depends on the US Postal Service, especially in difficult times.

In researching DeJoy I saw his comment where he declared, "You better get used to me, I'm not going anywhere."  Really?

Need An American Hero? Look No Further!

 
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Hanks Rescuing a Plucky Immigrant - Happy Resolution! -

Classic America!  Tom Hanks in a Western!  "News of the World" won't change your point of view but it might make you feel a tad better, a smidge more hopeful, give you an an inkling there are better times ahead.   If you like Westerns (I love them) this one checks most of the boxes: Desert thirst scene, cliff gunfight, close-calls, bad guys, Death everywhere and, wait for it, decency.  Tom Hanks reliably charts the true course, does the right thing, saves a cute little girl and, in doing so, saves himself.  He's not John Wayne, but maybe he's better.  This character is a little slow to figure out the right path, but after a couple of ill-fated tries figures out the perfect solution.  How great, how American is that?

The character Hanks portrayed is a little bit like this country; Well-intentioned, dependable yet curiously  self-destructive.  We are good people, we can give everybody an apology, a coupon for something or a check!  We can overcome racial inequality, an insurrection that's coming, the riot that took place.  We will  face future challenges with generosity, honor and openness to respect all ideas.

Read the Constitution, it's what we do.

We are decent and compassionate people that support each other in hard times.  We are a nation of immigrants.  Assimilating foreigners into our society is in our DNA.  We put equality and the law above all else. So I don't have any patience for people whining about borders or immigrants, let's shut up and share! Something as simple as a film can remind us of our shared values and concerns, they're pretty much the same everywhere - safety, food, housing and medical care.  Oh yeah, and we have to save the planet, - So there's that.  Arguing who did what to whom is an argument for another day for someone  else who is petty enough to keep score.  

Every day is a new beginning.  The world is increasingly hostile, polarized and unfamiliar.  Doing seemingly ordinary tasks requires more planning, strategizing and the execution of said task has to be flawless.  I will.  I'm an American!

Today in Tokyo -

 Magic?  Maybe.  1st Olympic Gold for Ireland EVER!

Look how happy they are!  I'm happy for them!  I mean, how great is that? Luck?  No.  Skill and a great deal of hard work garnered this honor.  I didn't know what sculling even was, but these Irish boys are faster at it than anyone, in this case, Germans.  I've seen my share of Olympic Games and paid nominal attention every cycle.  These Tokyo games captured my attention.  I like everything about The Japanese; the art, their aesthetic, their cuisine, their reverence of history.  They believe that strength is in the group not the individual.  The pursuit of perfection is a noble endeavor in itself; the journey is the destination.  And they made the 2020 games in Tokyo unforgettable and inspiring.  The Japanese did the impossible - they had a successful, mentally aware, harmony of respect and athletic excellence and sportsmanship during a pandemic.  Luck?  Tokyo doesn't need any.

Conspiracy Theory? No. Idea of How 1/6 Was Planned? THAT, I Have!

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This is a classic scene from a classic film, "The Godfather".  Michael Corleone goes to the hospital to see his mafia father (Marlon Brando) whose been shot seven times by a drug kingpin, and clinging to life.

What you note through the scene, is that all the staff is gone.  Michael quickly calls Tom Hagen to send reinforcement bodyguards and tells Hagen, "Pop's all alone.  Tessio's (mob lieutenant) men aren't here."

You know what happens next.  1/6 at the Capitol was similar in many ways, the building seemed eerily empty.  The authorities were scarce and slow to respond.  It looked a lot like an obvious, GF1 movie mafia, set-up to me.  Who do we all know (besides the My Pillow guy) that was described by his own top advisor as a "f&*%ing moron"?  What GF fan thought he could pull an attempted coup off? What idiot thought he could incite a mob to overturn our election?  What imbecile surmised   Americans would just forget thousands of racist thugs trashing our sacred capitol and threatening our lawmakers with death?

I can imagine such an individual.  Someone who feels nothing for anyone but himself, values no one but himself.  Other humans only exist to serve him, make him look/sound better, increase his value.  I keep thinking things are normal, we got rid of #45, but like doggy-do-on-a-shoe, he's embarrassing, smells and sticks long after he's physically left.  He's still  here!  Make your representative aware that last you checked, we all had a sacred right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but #45 is messing up those rights.  Still.

Time to give #45 a more robust definition of what "No" means.  Maybe America could issue a Permanent Restraining Order, an eviction notice (from the country, if possible), a Bounty/Reward (whatever happened to Dog, The Bounty Hunter?  He'd be awesome!  Hey, he's a "Florida Man" too!  It'll be great quasi-reality TV!) 

As the days drag on, the arrest/indictment of #45's henchmen and stooges grows longer and deeper.  It's like an old video game I used to play- Space Invaders.   You were a big ship and you fought off smaller ships.  At first it's easy and then the little ships come faster and faster and they 'res more of them and finally you're surrounded by shooting, little, ships.  It's inevitable, you lose.  And that's how I see #45s future.  As Peter Clemenza (Mafia Capo) remarked to Michael during "the war", "you have to have one (mob war) every ten years or so.  Gets rid of the bad blood."  Do I think arranging minimal security and siccing a vicious mob on The US Capitol to kill people based on a mafia movie was fairly stupid, obvious, horrible, and therefore practically screams 'Me!   Me!  Look over here!'  Do I think this is exactly the sort of scat Sir Orange traffics in?  If I gave an answer, I'd run the risk of being called a conspiracy theorist.  I just have ideas...

QEII - The Original

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I was prepared to happily complain assault/ about the daily dump of grift/crime/corruption from the previous president.  The reports are  flooding in - the dam is about to break.  Then I saw this:

Yessiree.  It's "The Queen", HRH,  QE2 herself carving her millionth cake with a sword, real "Game of Thrones" stuff.  And when her daughter-in-law, The Duchess of York, offered a knife she had a snippy response.  A snarky answer.  A cutting remark that was simple yet clever.  In a word, the cutting/stabbing/hacking process was hilarious!  Could it be?  Dare I hope?  At 95, widowed, she's revealing herself to be a smart ass?  Because that would be irrefutable proof that God has a profound funnybone.  Whatever the reason, she's certainly more interesting to watch, I, for one, can't wait to see what she does next.      Wear a crazy hat?  Or buy several hat factories and produce unusual headgear at her QEII hat factories? Take a Corgi to a formal event in a tiny, Gucci doggie tux?  She can do pretty much anything she wants to, after all.  She should too!  She is The Queen, and the wealthiest woman on the planet!  

I mean, the possibilities abound!  She has that great accent, she could do all the ads in-castle herself She could market hats and give the proceeds to charity!  She's old school and very collectable, as appraisers say, her brand is golden. I don't think I want a plate with her face but a chic hat or bobblehead could be fun.. .

Keeping my eye on our "Joe", the Queen sent the President off to Ireland yesterday. HRH wore another dreamy chapeau, the reporters said there were discussions regarding a possible visit to the White House.  Maybe she'll go.  Maybe she won't.  She can do anything she wants, if she wants to.   As the Bidens said their goodbyes I really looked at The Queen, she looked incredibly sad, bereft, even.  No one is supposed to touch HRH, but she looked in desperate need of a hug,  I don't really know why, but I was in tears for this woman, she lost her  life partner of 70+ years!  And still she carries on.   That's true strength/  Real bravery.  She is a heroine.  She's seen everything, gone everywhere, met gobs of people over half a century.  I just saw a very sad lady in a splendid example of millinery, maybe questioning her purpose, her continued existence on the planet.  On the other hand maybe she was contemplating Corgis or hats or Corgis in bonnets or annoying Americans, who knows?

I think I know, we saw something heartbreaking and real - a small lady in a fancy hat, totally alone in a giant space.

If I had that kind of epic, unrelenting, sadness, that no gold, jewels, or any earthly wealth could provide any relief or solace for, I'd be a little steadied by the presence of Joe and Jill Biden.  They are Americans and they know loss.  Our President gave her the emotional hug she needed, and we all wanted to give.

A superhero with an amazing hat?   Mysterious too (I mean, what is in her purse, anyway?  That's a backstory right there).  We lost RBG, maybe QE2 could be the next icon...  We could make her relevant, market her, she could be a small-but-mighty boss.

I'll take female inspiration anywhere I can find it, I think a smart-ass/octogenarian Queen could provide a lot of motivation for females everywhere!  Maybe hats would come back!

.

A Missing Tiger is an American Mystery - The 1/6 Insurrection? No Mystery There - Investigate It But Beware: It Will Be Dark, Very Dark

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 An American Mystery:  Life/Death, A Crime? Where's that Baby?

    24 Hrs. Later:  Found Him! Happy Kitty!  No Catnapping!  Mystery Solved!  

The 1/6 Insurrection?  No mystery.  Very obvious, very documented and very, very sad.  Brave people died.  The mindless thugs who contaminated  some of our most revered structures, historic landmarks, and assaulted (and killed) the skeleton security force on duty were many, many things. They were/not and never-will-be "mysterious".   Those were criminal cretins who stormed the Capitol at the repeated demand of the "F*&%ing Moron-In-Chief" (Rex Tillerson said it, not me).  To learn that a real investigation is going to commence to investigate the violent mob does not generate feelings of revelations and resolution.  Instead, I know the results of any real investigation of the 1/6 riot will reveal facts more depraved and evil than anyone imagined.

We made Trump an ex-experiment-in-horror in November of 2020. It's May of 2021 and he's still here!  I mean, what's it going to take to get rid of this guy?  I'm an American, I thought he probably cheated in 2016, but I held my nose and gave him a fair chance.  I didn't say anything in 2016 when he won, I wasn't happy but I accepted it.  What I didn't realize is he is a toxic dump who will say anything, do anything, lie/cheat/steal/blackmail anyone; he's weaseling around  his inevitable loss by claiming the election was "rigged" (it wasn't) and it was "stolen" (nope).  The fact is Trump is a loser!  He LOST!  Deal with it, we've moved on.

Some of us have waited  for that horrible racist, that insatiable black hole wearing a human suit to spin off into oblivion. It's past time for him to go.   Now children are being blown up in Gaza.  Now, as I write.  Biden can stop the killing with a phone call.  OK, but we're responsible, do you think Trump will give those families comfort or at least cash? Of course not.  So thanks, Citizen F@#kface!  (all me!) Thank you, Jared!  Trump is visually the Opposition's dream.  Not viable.  Not camera ready.  Have you seen him lately?  He's looking more like Jabba-the-Hutt than ever!  We have to move on to other dangers that are currently beyond our control.  A Russian based (backed) successful blackmail of the longest oil pipeline in the Eastern Seaboard took place this week and is a heads-up of the future of cyber crime.  The Earth is heating up and the CDC Director said "We're all doomed!"  She really said that!  Haha?  I don't think she was kidding, either...

I do have questions about that hillbilly-horror/invasion though:  why was it so easy for the killers/traitors to get in to the Capitol?  Why was it so simple for those yokels to drag their knuckles into Speaker Pelosi's office? Remember the deserted hospital Don Corleone was in (The Godfather)where the crooked police captain had pulled all security?  1/6 had that feel-old school movie mob move)  The thugs overwhelming the scant police assigned to the Capitol had communication and seemed to have a destination.   Why was the Capitol so eerily shortstaffed? I know the answers will fill us with dread but this could be the spark of a redemptive bonfire.

 I like this country a lot. Americans make mistakes but we learn from our mishaps and repair the damage.  We try to leave the world a little better than we found it.  Those people in Texas worked together to find that big cat and relocate it to a tiger sanctuary in Northern Texas!  How great is that?  Neighbors looking out for each other, a lost kitty who'd gotten a little too big and some kind folks gave the kitty a new home with other XXL kitties. The local police enabled the tiger-transfer - it was a community coming together to help.  That's how I see this country; good-hearted and growing, changing, helping wherever we can.  We don''t need to become great, we are pretty great.  We (well not me) elected a really, really, bad President.

We apologize.  Have a cookie.

       

An Irish Rose By The Bay

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                                        Fire with Blue Stones On A Deck - And a View of SFO
                                                  Fire with Blue Stones!  AND  a View!

You want to hear where I spent Mother's Day?  Of course, you do!  I went to San Bruno.  I may not have the ability to walk (or speak, or use opposable thumbs, yada, yada...) but I am very blessed by who my in-laws are.  Especially my mo-in-law, she's way cool!  I won't embarrass her by using her name. No, on second thought, WTH- She's great and everyone should know it.  Rose always has a smile, a joke, something good to eat.  Her house smells like wildflowers,  She's dialed into most of "the family"  and has the latest news.  She buys fresh, shelled, crabmeat just because she knows I like it.  Rose was born in Ireland; she has a lilting accent a wicked sense of humor.  She always has a cookie around. I am more grateful this year to have her in my life.   

I've written before about my collection of colored glass.  I have a lot of glass, all hand blown.  Rose has given me several pieces of Waterford crystal from Ireland.  Waterford is the only glass I prefer for decor or occasions.  It's a kaleidoscope of color, the shapes and cuts are precise and unique.  Waterford has an added benefit - the lead crystal is heavy.  My delicate, fragile French pieces turn into lethal shards with my slightest touch.  The Waterford pieces don't shatter, they seldom even. tip over. 

I am always looking at the darker side of things, what's really going on and who's behind it.  I expect to see the worst in humanity and my grimmest predictions are sadly, usually exceeded.  Even I need to to breathe once in awhile.  At Rose's house there is only light and warmth.   Good things to eat and good times to have.-  reminders for what is possible.  I have a feeling we'll need all the great memories we can gather and use them to guide and inspire.  I fear there are some very dark days ahead of us...We'll all need hugs and direction - I know where I can get some of both.

GOT or Chauvin Trial? Warning: No Impartiality Here - That Dude Is A Straight Up Sadist

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Remember this dude?  GOT's #1 Torturer, Female Abuser and All-Around-Really (Really) Bad Boyfriend  - Ramsay Bolton! RIH!

Ramsay was a straight up sadist.  In a fictional kingdom with fake everything (blood, knives, bows & arrows, corpses, etc.) but the actor playing the painseeker was pretty good.   You know who's a real-life sadist??  Pretty simple, Nazi Boy-Toy, Derek Chauvin!  It only takes one glance at that smug smirk as he's pressing his knee and all his weight into George Floyd's neck!  Thanks to cell phones (little truth-telling machines - unimpeachable) we saw it - over and over.  I'm not the only person who noticed how much Chauvin was seeming to enjoy the pain and fear he was inflicting on Mr. Floyd.

I like video for the same reason I like photos - both tell a story.  Representative Maxine Waters has come under fire for opining on this case.  I'm representing no one and of course, I'll continue to say whatever I like about what I see.   I'll watch that video again and again.   Mr. Chauvin appeared to thoroughly enjoy himself with his beefy knee jamming Mr. Floyd's neck.  I believe he'll have many, many years to contemplate his actions.  Is Chauvin a racist?  Probably. Is he a psychopathic sadist?  Likely.  The only question that matters is did Derek Chauvin cause the death of George Floyd?  

Of course he did!  Duh!  Do I need to draw a picture?  Watch the video!  Watch it again!  Can't you see the glee?  He's enjoying the suffering, the fear, the dying.  I don't have any pulmonary expertise but I now know what it looks like when a man slowly extinguishes  the life out of another person.  And how long it takes.  Thank you, Officer! We can't employ and equip killers such as Chauvin to "police".  I'm sure police  procedures will be overhauled, city leaders will be fired, etc.  Right now, though, we have to deal with the problem Chauvin's case brought to boil - social justice.

Everything You Ever Needed To Understand This Guy Can Tell Us

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I always thought I'd make a pretty good juror for a big case.  I'm impartial, detail-oriented and fastidious about following the rule of law.  I have infinite patience, I question everything.  I have been watching (with horrified fascination) the Derek Chauvin murder trial.  I own, nay, proclaim to all that I listen/research/fact-check and immerse myself into television.  Any kind, every type of TV, I watch, or have seen.  Between Covid and Cancer (and a healthy(?) dose of germaphobia) I'm in full lockdown mode. We watch a lot of TV.  Thanks to Covid, TV, has vastly improved.  There is something for everyone.  However, as a very selective viewer, I don't watch just anything.  Who am I kidding?  I watch almost everything! I have the attention span of a two year old.  I've discovered I'd be a terrible juror!  Dr. Martin Tobin, testified in the Chauvin Trial and he described, minute-by-minute, George Floyd's death in his lilting, Irish brogue.  

Attention was riveted.  That voice could tell  me my dog died, and I'd apologize to him.  Impartiality? Gone!  Listening to the "other side"?  Uh,  no thanks! I'm good.  Chauvin pressed the life out of that poor man.  Dr. Tobin's  testimony solidified the Prosecution's theory.  Fairly obvious what happened and why.  Defense? Not necessary.  Dr. Tobin told the jury (the world) all we needed to know in a charming Irish brogue.  This particular method of conveying horrific facts was as powerful as it was lyrical.  Dr.  Tobin could read the dictionary and impart gravitas and empathy to the text.  This charming, caring, Crosby-esque, pulmonologist was lethal as a Prosecution witness. I'm not an attorney but even I know enough about trial law (LA Law/Law & Order) to know you do not, under any circumstances, keep a sympathetic expert testifying a second longer than you have to.  This witness is an Irish truth-teller.  So, of course, the Defense-for-the-Defenseless cross-examined the wonderful doctor from Kilkenny.  Bad idea!  By the end of the good doctor's cross-examination I wanted to bring out my Wedgewood (TY, Rose) and make a "cup o' tea" for the gentleman and hear the rest of the story.  I wanted to watch that smug defense lawyer get hog-tied and pressed for 9 minutes until "the last breath left his body", on a dirty city street.  That was more than testimony, it was master storytelling!  I saw that man being ground into crushed,  under the full weight of Chauvin + 40#s.  His face under a wheel, I think he was dead before the EMTs came.

Chauvin's trial has brought American racism into focus - we have to deal with it now.  I believe this is the time of social change in this country.  Dr. Tobin made death "real" for the listener, told a sad story, drew a simple, clear picture everyone can see.  But choosing to see the uncomfortable truth is different than acting upon what we all saw.  

We will keep seeing seeing this until we do something about it.

Dr. Tobin has probably delivered terrible news to scores of people, but the way he explains death is comforting and informative!

Do Not Watch This Film - Way Too Bleak, Grimy and Cold- Nomadland= Dirt & Depression

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This is the type of film we all can enjoy now.  But nooooo, I was tricked by the PR machine; "Nomadland" is widely acclaimed, brilliantly written,  acted and produced.  But, timing is everything and "Nomadland" is now less a tale of an independent woman finding her voice and more of a two hour illustration of how difficult being older and homeless is.

In short, it's dirty (like the ground dirt, not sexy), everybody is always freezing, in a barren part of the country.  The aged "nomads" are always hungry and what food they get is disgusting.  I mean it's seriously unappealing.  The protagonist, Fern, needs a bath, badly.  Frances McDormand( the aforementioned Fern) uses the highway as a toilet, and that's in the first five minutes (she'll probably get an Oscar. ) I saw it and wanted to shower.  We are hurting and surviving in all kinds of ways.  I get inspired by strong, beautiful, "dames" (Eva Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, Deborah Kerr) who could simultaneously solve mysteries and toss off snappy one-liners in elegant drawing rooms.

"Nomadland" is neither beautiful or witty.  All humans are filmed in "natural" (read: harshest, non-forgiving) light. Every "nomad" looks like they're itchy.   There is nothing pleasant, if it were any more putrid, I'd contact a Hazmat Unit.  It's not like the video tape in "The Ring" - you won't die if you see it.  What seeing anything this totally bleak and grim can do is take a little of your joy.  Movies have to remind me of how funny and amazing life can be.

During Covid, we watch an award-winner of some topic of general interest together, as a family.  So, like the handwritten letter I opened, (Jehova's Witness propaganda, personally addressed, fooled me for a second) now Netflix requires increased security.  I awoke this morning with my usual, glass-is-half-full optimism, but vetting of acclaimed, seemingly safe entertainment requires another layer, a closer look.

Stay  vigilant.  Dark images can come from anywhere, don't let anything steal your sunshine.

All You Need Is - Pope Francis!

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I haven't written in awhile, life has been particularly challenging.  Then I saw this:

 

The Pope went to Iraq!  I mean this caring, humble, beloved human got on a plane and flew to Iraq!  How great is that?  And the Iraqis were happy to have him!   All the Iraqis, whether they were Christian or something else.  Those poor people have been living in war for so long they seemed thrilled this Pontiff came to their country.  They were dancing in the streets.  Isn't that the greatest?  Pope Francis saw some people in need and fixed them, or, at the very least, showed the world he cared.  Very inspiring.  I can't hop on a jet to go anyplace but I can do something to make someone, somewhere smile for a second.  I remember a TV show back in the 90's on VH1 called, "The Best Week Ever".  The Pope might be having "The Best Year Ever".  I mean he jets across the globe to give support and comfort to beleaguered people in a dangerous land.   That's amazing!  It kind of makes me feel small and selfish.  Like I should do something, no matter how small.  I know, I'll niggle Senator McConnell again!

Mitch and Me - Fin

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                                                  Racist in the Rotunda

In my final, most assuredly unread, letter to Senator (R) Speaker Mitch McConnell I drew the obvious-to-any-optimist conclusion that Trump is closer to a rabid dog than a person, a trapped criminal and doesn't care one whit who or how many die.  He'll be gone soon and American elections will be sanctioned  as a routine again.  Three congresspeople caught Covid from some opponents who refused to wear masks!  I always thought Trump would not finish his first term.  Since 2011, I perceive time differently than I used to.  The next days (7) can go by like any other week or stretch out in front some of us in a seemingly endless procession of seconds. As a Dark Tourist and a BIG believer in the repetition of history, I'm endlessly fascinated by Trump's self-destruction.  Every day is a new and slime-filled adventure!  After last week's insurrection we are all faced with yet another imminent threat. Great.  I have drawn two straight lines between two unnecessary and predictable disasters that currently plague us:  Covid-19 and Inauguration and one stubby-fingered vulgarian who won't take a hint.  " Dude, just go away!"  "Take your tanning bed and carnival crew and scram!"

Trump has been dumped by an entire country.  

Very tedious.

I believe those home-grown terrorists defiling our Congress pushed our legislators to act.  Trump encouraged the vandalists to overrun the Capitol, now McConnell is reportedly done with #45*.  We all are.  The problem now is how to manage the thugs.  Because they're still  there.  Trump lied to them and they don't know it, they're angry and violent.  The world has changed - fast.  Life may never be the same, so to survive we have to change.  "Make America Great Again" was a lie too.  America has been and will always be great.  America is an idea - a perfect idea.  

We'll get over this!  And we'll be stronger and wiser.  I know, Leader McConnell can tell "the base" or "the hoard" or whatever the right wing extremists are calling themselves the truth:  There was no "massive election fraud".  Biden won, Trump lost.  Really.   He lied.  I'm sorry, here's 2K and a cookie.  Now go home.

See?  American Ingenuity!