Libby Fischer Hellmann's Blog, page 13

Nobody's Child

What a special honor! Nobody’s Child was just named 1 of “100 Indie Books You Should Read Before You Die…” https://calebandlindapirtle.com/100-i...

Blood Run, Jamie Freveletti, and SOLVED!

Hi, everyone. I know it’s been a while, and yes, I’ve been negligent in blogging. There’s just so much going on it’s difficult to focus. I think many of you know what I mean. But I do want to tell you that I’m now the host of two interview shows. One is with the Authors on the Air Radio network, and my show, as some of you know is Second Sunday Crime.

But I have another gig too, and the big news with that one is that we are now on Facebook Live! The show is SOLVED! and it’s produced by AuthorsVoice.net, part of the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop in Chicago. I’m celebrating the end of my first year with them. So I thought I’d repost some of my shows here for you to watch at your leisure. (They’re on YouTube as well.)

So, herewith is my January 4th interview with thriller author Jamie Freveletti. Her new novel is BLOOD RUN. In it she brings back her bio-scientist Emma Caldridge in an action-packed story set in Africa near the Sahara Desert.

Enjoy!!

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Bobby Sox and the Chicago Writers Association

Some good news here. In fact, I’ll just reprint the press release. I am honored to be included.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Libby Hellmann, 847-441-9194, author@libbyhellmann.com

or Kristy Schnabel, 503-638-0853, info@redherringspress.com



Chicago Author’s Novel a Finalist for CWA Book of the Year Award

Chicago, IL, October 3, 2017—Crime thriller author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s latest work of fiction, War, Spies and Bobby Sox: Stories about World War II At Home, was nominated for the 2017 Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year Award in Indie Fiction. A collection of three novellas set during World War II on the American home front, War, Spies and Bobby Sox is one of three finalists for the award, which will be announced in early December. Hellmann’s book depicts the tumultuous effect of war on three women and illustrates how the action, terror and tragedy of World War II was not confined to the front lines.

Hellmann left a career in broadcast news in Washington, DC, and moved to Chicago 35 years ago, where she began to write gritty crime fiction. Fourteen novels and 25 short stories later, she’s now firmly rooted, and claims they’ll take her out of the Windy City feet first. She has been nominated for many awards in the mystery and crime writing community and has won several. In 2005 Hellmann was the national president of Sisters In Crime, a 3,500-member organization dedicated to the advancement of female crime authors. She also hosts two monthly interview shows: SOLVED!, a streaming TV show which is part of AuthorsVoice.net, and “Second Sunday Crime” a radio show on the Authors on the Air internet network.

War, Spies and Bobby Sox: Stories About World War II At Home

The Red Herrings Press

Available in print, ebook and audiobook online and wherever fine books are sold

ISBN: 978-1-938733-97-0

E-book: 978-1-938733-98-7

Audiobook: 978-1-938733-99-4

For more information, visit http://libbyhellmann.com.

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GAME ON 2018: Voter Suppression, Part 2

Of all the dissolute goings-on this country faces, voting suppression strikes at the heart of our democracy, and to me is the most frightening. Simply put, we are at a tipping point. Unless we make major changes in the way we vote and how those votes are tabulated, we’re going to sleepwalk into a dystopian landscape where democracy is dead, and the right to vote belongs to the wealthy, white, and right wing.

In Part One I tried to outline the major barriers and suppression tactics used in 2016 that helped elect Donald Trump. One reader wrote how depressing it all sounded and that few solutions were apparent. Happily, the good news is that there are good angels committed to avenging, restoring, and protecting the most sacred and visible symbol of our democracy. Even better, some—but not all—of these efforts could be in effect before the 2018 midterms.

Manipulation of Vote Tallies

The more research is done, the more apparent it becomes that yes, vote tallies were changed during the 2016 in the crucial states that Trump ultimately won. I mentioned Mike Farb and Unhack the Vote. If you haven’t read the articles on the site about how this happened, you should.

Recently, though, some states are beginning to wake up. Just a couple of days ago, state election officials in Virginia decided to bar the touchscreen machines that are considered so vulnerable. And this will happen, in 2017, in preparation for Virginia’s gubernatorial election. National voting experts are calling this an “extraordinary step forward for integrity and security.”

Other groups, like MIT and UC Berkeley are looking back at 2016 and calling for presidential election audits. In July, the state of Colorado agreed to an audit although what the results will show are still a question mark.

Of course, the simplest solution to the problem of hacked or otherwise vulnerable voting machines is to go back to paper ballots. The Dutch did exactly that in their recent national election in March and counted them by hand.

Hopefully many US states will take the same approach. Since election systems are the province of the states, write/text/call your Congressmen to demand paper ballots and hand-counted tallies.

Avengers Take to the Courts

Many players are taking to the courts to clean up gerrymandering and the purging of voter rolls. The ACLU is aggressively litigating Trump and Kris Kobach’s ongoing lies about voter fraud. In Georgia the ACLU has put Chatham County on notice by suing Fulton County over their illegal purge notices. And it’s threatening a lawsuit over purge notices sent to voters in Gwinnett and Cobb counties too. They’ve also taken on other states that use the heinous Crosscheck system several years ago, like Ohio. And the League of Women Voters along with the NAACP are suing the Indidana Crosscheck voter purge. Finally, the ACLU is suing the White House Election Fraud Commission, almost before it went into business. The Commission, headed by Kris Kolbach (what a surprise) would have legitimized the Crosscheck program by applying it nationwide. Stay tuned.

Major partisan gerrymandering cases are also ongoing in Maryland, Wisconsin, Texas, and North Carolina. In fact, the cases in Texas and Wisconsin will be heard by the Supreme Court, despite a decision from Supreme Court Justice Alito to stay parts of a lower court ruling in Texas.

In May former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold called gerrymandering the equivalent of “our generation’s civil rights moment, our 1965.” He believes the country needs a Federal 21st century Voting Rights Act. The onus is on us to demand one, and on Congress to pass it.

Even former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is getting involved. A few days ago The San Francisco Chronicle reported that

Instead of dropping in on late-night talk shows to promote his new project, Schwarzenegger is drawing a mass audience to the issue by starring in a series of short, funny videos, heavily salted with quotations from his movies, that have gone viral. Each explains the issue in simple, easy-to-understand terms.

Btw, in case you’d like to know how other countries handle gerrymandering, check this WAPO article. Bottom line, it can be done. With just integrity, guts, and organization.

Citizens United Begone!

Adam Schiff, the Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, has introduced a joint resolution to Congress to overthrow Citizens United. And while the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have a right to spend unlimited sums of money to influence elections, not all cities and states agree. In fact, Atlantic Magazine says that efforts to reverse the law must and have begun on the state level.

Some promising campaign-finance initiatives are already appearing at the state and local levels. Maine, Connecticut, Arizona, Seattle, and New York City have each adopted generous public-financing schemes to reduce the influence of private wealth.

What You Can Do

But that doesn’t answer the question that is central to all of us. What can we do as individuals? Will it matter? How do we do it? Well, here are some suggestions that you can do, even if you only have two minutes to spare.

— ACLU On October 1st, People Power – the ACLU’s grassroots mobilization program will launch a new campaign focused on organizing local communities to protect and expand our fundamental right to vote.  Their plan is to organize THOUSANDS of grassroots events in communities all across the U.S. We’ll be ready to fight back against attacks on our voting rights and put pressure on our lawmakers to expand this fundamental pillar of our free society. If you can join the launch event. Or even organize your own.

–This is one of my favorites. Whether you have two minutes or two hours, you can get the “Voter Suppression Toolkit” which was created by the Showing Up For Racial Justice organization, because, let’s face it, most voter suppression tactics are aimed at people of color.

Whether you have time to post a tweet, write a FB post, or something a little more involving, you CAN make a difference. Please click here to find out more about it.

You can join their Facebook group here.

— Most important. Make sure you have registered to vote. Many states send out a registration card when you do. If your state does, make sure you get it and you’re on the books. If it doesn’t come, or you’re in any way suspicious, call the voting commission in your area. And call your state representative.

— Finally, VOTE. Even if it’s just for the local dogcatcher, school board, or Citizens community group. If you don’t vote consistently, your voter registration can (mysterious) go inactive. This will be CRITICAL in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections. Only with a a Democratic majority in the Senate can we be assured he will be gone.

To learn more about voter suppression, watch the film that told you Trump would steal the 2016 election, reveals who did it, how, and what they’ll do next. Greg Palast’s documentary The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: A Tale of Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, is on sale on his website. It’s also available to rent through Amazon. If you’re a member of Prime, it’s FREE!

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Blueprint for Fixing our World – #3, Part 1: Trump and Voting Suppression

The term voter suppression describes the efforts, both legal and illegal, to stop eligible people from casting their vote. It is not new: voting suppression in the US stretches back to 1838’s Gallatin County Election Day Battle. Today, however, it’s become increasingly dangerous. In fact, Democratic Senator Chris Coons recently said in Time Magazine: “Too many Americans don’t realize that voter suppression works, and that it has a cumulative, destructive effect on our democracy that builds with every election.”

It’s also important to say that Donald Trump, per se, is not the biggest perpetrator of suppressing the vote. His knowledge of how the system actually is supposed to work is likely quite limited. But that doesn’t mean that both state—the GOP and its dark money funders—and non-state actors— Russian hackers working with the knowledge and consent of Putin—haven’t done their best to suppress votes. Or that Drumpf isn’t cheerleading those efforts from the Oval Office.

Hours after the election, I told everyone I knew that the Russians stole the election. Not with a massive attack, I maintained. They simply flipped a few votes here, a few votes there, primarily in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Those efforts were just enough to turn the electoral college red. My friends indulged me, but I’m sure they thought I was nursing a huge case of sour grapes. Eight months later, however, it looks more and more like that was the case. At least Esquire seems to think so.

It would be impossible to review all the research and information about voting suppression strategies and tactic in one blog. So what follows are just a few reports and incidents you absolutely, positively need to check out. And bear in mind most of these activities began well before the election.

Unhack the Vote, created by Mike Farb studies voting patterns in the aforementioned states and has found evidence that defies coincidence, particularly in Pennsylvania. In that state, for example they discovered 3 precincts with a vote tally margin of exactly .666667 in the GOP’s favor. Wisconsin was won by 5,000 votes, primarily in a county where the vote tally was higher than the number of voters registered. Gee, think the voting software was manipulated?


Hackers, probably Russian, tried to access voting rolls and in many cases succeeded. Recent articles now report that 21 states (and still counting) were targeted. Many actually made it through the firewalls. While it’s unknown whether they were able to alter vote totals, we do know they stole voter data in both Illinois and Arizona. (More about that later).
We also know our voting machines are largely insecure, and that hacking them can be done remotely or onsite in less than five minutes. And probably were.

                     

Counties in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia experienced difficulties with their electronic poll books, which made it difficult for registered voters to cast their ballots on Election Day, according to The New York Times. Indeed, one of the companies that provided the software used in those books, VR Systems, had been penetrated by Russian hackers several months earlier.

Which brings us to the far more insidious efforts of election and political officials, all GOP, to suppress the vote before and during the election. Here are just some of the ways this was done.

For the seventh time since 2011, a federal court has found Texas intentionally discriminated against minority voters, through its redistricting plans and strict voter ID law.


Under the pretense of dealing with voter fraud, almost every state took measures to restrict voting before the 2016 election, including tighter voter ID requirements, cuts in early voting opportunities and polling places, and barriers to tens of thousands of low-income and people of color citizens. Five of fourteen states had shameful histories of racial discrimination in voting, and had been forced to get federal approval before changing their voting procedures.

Trouble In Arizona; Cesspool In North Carolina: Arizona enjoyed a high voter turnout for the state’s democratic primary in 2016, but plenty of voters waited more than five hours at polling stations. These queues happened because, between 2008 and 2016, polling locations in Arizona were cut by 70%, from 200 to just 40, allegedly to save money.


But it appears that North Carolina wins the prize for the most draconian action of voter suppression. During 2013 the state House passed a bill forcing voters to show a state photo ID, passport, or military ID card for the 2016 election. The court initially reversed itself when lawyers found that the new system targeted African Americans “with almost surgical precision,” and clear “discriminatory intent”.  But North Carolina also saw 6,700 people of color lose their right to vote because of Crosscheck. Election officials sent letters to black communities marked ‘do not forward’, and named those who didn’t respond ‘ghost voters’, and were removed from vote rolls by Republicans.
North Carolina voters also faced mass poll closures during the 2016 election. In fact forty counties with large black communities had 158 fewer polling stations than they enjoyed for the last election, when Obama was re-elected, and the first week of early voting for the 2016 election saw African American voter participation reduced by 16% compared to 2012.


Research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.c...) revealed that Hispanic voters spend one and a half times as long in line than their white counterparts, and African Americans spend nearly twice as long waiting to vote. It’s clear that the longer you have to wait, the less likely you are to vote.


Gerrymandering: And what about the systematic gerrymandering efforts that have produced a Republican stranglehold over Congress? Gerrymandering allows states to redraw election districts that favor the party in control. Since Republicans control more than half of statehouses, guess who the gerrymandered districts favor?  According to Vox, if elections for the 2018 US House of Representatives were held today, polling averages suggest Democrats would get a little bit over 54 percent of the vote which sounds great but won’t deliver Democrats a landslide House majority. In fact, it won’t deliver them a majority at all. 54 percent of the vote will translate to 206 seats, leaving Republicans with 229 seats and the majority. Or only 47% of the seats. Because gerrymandered districts are predominantly Republican, they presumably would vote for a Republican Congressman. Undoing GOP gerrymandering needs to be done one district at a time. And that’s a lot of hard work for Dems.


Citizens United:: And then there’s the 2010 disaster that is Citizens United.  is when the Supreme Court decided that unlimited corporate money could be given to a candidate. Their decision made it possible for The Koch brothers, Robert Mercer, and corporations to explode the voting process and make politicians spend over half their time in Washington raising money. Moreover, because CU doesn’t require amounts to be curtailed or disclosed, it’s opened the door to shady and in some cases illegal contributions (dark money) from foreign actors.

But that’s still not the end of the story. For the first time, new tactics were used during the 2016 election season itself. Many believe they worked. Some were clearly the result of Russian hacking efforts, others were funded by Robert Mercer and perhaps money donated by Russians through the Trump campaign.

Invasion of the BOTs: Automated software has created millions of fake accounts on Twitter and Facebook. These fake accounts are used to spreading disinformation, make political attacks on people and institutions, and generally sow discord and chaos. While individuals can block them, you first need to recognize they are bots, not humans, which, in a brief scan of your newsfeed, isn’t always apparent. But more than being a nuisance, an Oxford University study found they had an effect on the results.


Cambridge Analytica and Voter Profiles: Remember when Trump unexpectedly went to Michigan on the last weekend before the election season to hold a rally? How did his campaign know to send him to a dependably Democratic-voting rust-state belt? Because of a particularly nefarious new private data gathering and analysis system, spearheaded by a company called Cambridge Analytica. CA is funded by Robert Mercer, and was run by one of its board members, Steve Bannon. Remember those voter rolls accessed by Russian hackers in Blue State Illinois and Red State Arizona? Cambridge Analytica was able to also steal huge Facebook lists and compared that data with those voter rolls. Because the FB data includes likes, hobbies, and behavior, CA came up with lists of likely Trump and Hillary voters. Then they targeted each group with pro-Trump or Anti-Hillary messages. By analyzing state by state results, it seems that Republicans knew exactly which state to manipulate data from or purge voters. Talk about a “rigged” election.

Since this post turned out to be quite long, (congrats for making it this far) I’ve broken it into parts. Next time I’ll talk about some of the fixes.

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Blueprint for Fixing Our World #2: 6 Steps To Help Defeat Trump’s Autocracy and the Subversion of Democracy

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Everything that Donald Trump has done or said since becoming President has been laced with the threads of authoritarianism. Trump and his Cabinet of billionaires yearn to rule with absolute power, obedience, and unfettered greed. And they have wasted no time trying to achieve those goals. What’s emerged over the past six months is a disturbing pattern of centralization, regulations in free fall, and a dangerous subversion of democratic norms.

So many thoughtful people are alarmed by his administration’s behavior that it’s impossible to cite them all. Amy Siskind, the Huffington Post journalist, Clinton campaigner, and Wall Street exec, has been keeping a weekly diary of Trump’s creeping authoritarianism. As she said in a recent interview with British newspaper, The Independent, “It’s scary to look back on the early weeks and see what we’ve already gotten used to. We forget all the things we should be outraged about.” 

Sarah Kendzior, another terrific reporter from St Louis who’s active on Twitter, tells the story of Trump’s growing autocracy and its impact on our democracy in Tweets among other venues. In her words:

“There are multiple signs US is headed toward full autocracy, that checks and balances are failing.”

  “I’ve been saying since Jan we hang between a flawed democracy and a burgeoning autocracy. We are moving more quickly to autocracy now.”

  “What you will be left with (unless powerful people act) is a dynastic, kleptocratic Russian proxy state controlled by mafioso-style rule.” 

The New Republic website’s Brian Beutler writes that we’re on the brink of an authoritarian crisis. “Republicans have given every indication over the course of the past several months that no malfeasance, no matter how naked and severe, will impel them to rein in Trump or impeach him.”

Mother Jones  also reminds us of Trump’s conspiracy theories, attacks on the press, respect for tyrants, fear of immigrants, attacks on federal judges and more.

Amid all that, David Frum’s Atlantic chilling cover story describes “How to Build an Autocracy.” “We are living through the most dangerous challenge to the free government of the United States that anyone alive has encountered,” he writes, emphasizing it’s not to persecute the innocent, but instead to protect the guilty (rich).

And Molly McKew, a DC writer with extensive experience working for oligarchs and Eastern European leaders, details the subversion of democracy. She compares the gutting of institutions, a weak Congress, and increasing centralization to what happened in Russia after 2000, and fears the process of subversion in the US is almost complete.

What these and many more writers describe is sobering, harrowing, and is short on solutions. And yet we must find them. Of course, the most effective one would be to get Trump out of office. But until Mueller can create an air-tight case, or the mainstream media publish evidence of Trump’s treason (hint, hint), we’re pretty much stuck. And like any dangerous storm or disaster, even after he’s gone we’ll have a boatload of clean up to do.

So… where to start?

Congress Needs To Grow A Pair

First off, have to remember the President’s power is NOT unlimited. Our system is based on three co-equal branches of government. (Remember Civics 101? – more about that later). The bad news is that Congress has been wallowing in their own divisiveness and self-interest and has done little to rein in Trump’s more heinous actions and concentration of power. The good news is that his escalating attacks on them might motivate them to take action. And while the average citizen doesn’t have much power to restore a healthy balance of power between the executive and the legislative branches, we do have the ability to flood their offices with phone calls and texts or show up in person, as Obamacare supporters did. It made a difference.

Judicial Activism

Fortunately, the courts, both Federal and State, are doing most of the job for Congress. While the jury is still out on SCOTUS, mostly because nothing of consequence has come before them yet, the the lower courts have been aggressively involved.  Judges have stopped the travel ban, supported ACLU, rolled back gerrymandering in some states, and are about to hear a slew of environmental cases.

And of course, the Special Counsel when it’s done will prosecute a scandal that will rock this country and the world. Expect prosecutors to issue over 100 indictments for collusion, money laundering, even treason. Yes. Treason. Will that embarrass and shame us enough to start behaving?

Local Actions

California Governor Jerry Brown is pulling together a consortium of states to adhere to the Paris Agreement. Other governors are exploring health care solutions that work. Even city mayors like Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel are starting the lead in protecting and extending the rights of citizens, particularly immigrants.

All that is good news. Still, that doesn’t answer the question of what you can do. Happily, It’s easier than you think.

What You Can Do

1. Call, email, or visit your Congressman when you are riled up about something, particularly Trump’s subversion of democracy. I know, I know; you’ve heard this before. But think about it. Congress works for you, not the other way around. And, at the risk of being naïve, I suspect that Congress will be more responsive going forward. But if they’re not, join one of the Indivisible groups in your town. Groups are always more influential than individuals, and the crowds at town meetings, thanks to Indivisible, scare Congress. At the very least, they remind Congress do “the next right thing” instead of what their big donors want. And that your vote is not up for the highest bidder. Get involved when the issue is one you particularly care about: climate change, the repeal of Citizens United (that’s gonna be a tough one, I know), or the reimposition of Glass Steagell

2. Register to Vote and then DO IT– not just in general elections, but in primaries AND local elections, all the way down to your school board. Voting is the lifeblood of our democracy. It’s not hard to do, and it’s where the new crop of politicians who will be running for Congress come from. You have an opportunity to elect people you think are honest and reflect your point of view.

3. Take a Civics class. Politicians don’t care if you know how the system works. In fact, they probably would prefer that you didn’t. But you need to know. You are the reason they are in office in the first place. Unfortunately, civics is not taught in school as much as it used to be and should be (ever wonder why? Me too)  Anyway, you’ll be amazed what foresight the Founding Fathers had. And how that has been adapted through the years. In fact, I believe Trump and every member of the Cabinet and West Wing, including the President, should take a civics class. I nominate Laurence Tribe to teach it. In the meantime, NPR has a great Civics 101 podcast series that’s free. You don’t have to listen to them all, but you can listen in the car, doing errands, cleaning the house, etc.

4. Pick your core issue. No one can battle everything at once. So decide what you’re most concerned about: climate change? Voting irregularities? Bots on Social Media? Health care? Education? Revoking Citizens United? And then start paying attention to what’s going on with it. Notice I haven’t said do anything. Yet. You need to be informed before you act.

5.Get a world map. Locate North Korea, Iran, and Iraq. You’ll be a lot smarter than these folks.

 

6. Finally, paradoxical as it sounds, listen to opinions that are opposite to yours. Try to understand where they’re coming from, and if you conclude it’s from an honorable as opposed to self-interested place (everyone deals from self-interest to some degree), ask questions. Why do they feel that way? Why do you feel the way you do? We’ve lost the ability to hear each other. And we need it back.

There… that wasn’t so hard, was it? LMK what you think.  More in my next post.

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A Blueprint for Fixing Our World

Remember Vlad the Impaler, the medieval prince who gave us our first version of the blood-sucking Dracula? The past seventeen years have seen the rise of a true-to-life Vlad, now the leader of Russia. He and his oligarch buddies helped support—in fact, resuscitate—Donald Trump. They saved him from his third bankruptcy, provided opportunities for him to clean their money, and subverted our elections in 2016 in return for his promise to lift sanctions against them.

But I don’t intend to rehash what we already know and why it happened. Nor do I want to belabor Trump’s horrifying character, which has contributed to the mess we’re in.

If you are still in any doubt about the sheer range and scope of Trump’s destruction of political, social and cultural institutions, take a look at this list crafted by Political Dig . Because that’s where my series of Trump-inspired blogposts kicks off. And for a timeline of Trump-Russia events that began even before November 7th, created by the Bill Moyers gang, click here.

Rage, frustration, and disbelief

Like many others, I’ve spent the months since Trump’s election in a state of rage, disbelief, and paralysis. I have not been able to write anything since November 7th. I’m reminded of the time right after 9-11 attack when no one I knew could write – how could we make up stories when our reality was so terrifying? Now, though, I’ve decided eight months is enough. I can no longer allow Trump to have power over me. It’s time to harness my rage to create something that might be actually useful.

What I hope to do is offer suggestions from people a whole lot smarter and more experienced than I to fix our country. So, welcome to my Trump series, a series of blog posts I’m calling “A Blueprint for Fixing What 45 Fucked up” or in more palatable language, A Blueprint for Fixing Our World.

Most Presidents fail to keep their promises

Most US Presidents renege on their promises. In fact it’s said that just one, James K. Polk, who was President back in 1845, managed to keep every single promise he made to the electorate, fulfill all his campaign promises, and complete his presidential agenda from start to finish. And even so, Polk only served one term and is not usually named among the top 10 Presidents of all time. Which goes to prove that 2016 was not the only time Americans voted against their own self-interest.

 

Nixon was an out-and-out criminal. The jury is still out on poker-playing Warren Harding. George W kicked off a series of costly conflicts which killed thousands of soldiers and—oh right— helped plunge us into a deep recession. Herbert Hoover fueled a raft of trade wars and helped us fall into the Great Depression. John Tyler was a stalwart supporter of slavery and Fillmore helped it spread. But Trump trumps them all, forgive the pun, to such an extent that he’s begun to destroy and dismantle our democracy. Even worse, he’s damaged the ideal we cherish of a “more perfect union.” In record time.

A Country Broken

So what needs fixing? Glad you asked. Consider the following.

He hasn’t persuaded Congress to repeal or replace Obamacare—yet he still insists Congress must.

He hasn’t cut taxes and his tax reform plans, which will only benefit the wealthy, are still murky. Instead of “draining the swamp,” he’s helped it thrive by appointing more billionaires to his administration than any President. Their huge conflicts of interest– managing the departments in which they have a financial stake—are glossed over, even praised.

In six months he has spent more of the public’s tax money on travel and security than Obama did in his entire eight years.

He has failed to keep jobs in America.

He has begged for approval and toadied up to Putin, to the point where many Americans now see it as treason. It appears that they made a Faustian deal: Russia would help elect Trump in return for lifting the Magnitsky sanctions. But Trump couldn’t deliver on sanctions relief, and now, as The Hill says, Putin has counter-punched: “Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to curtail American staff at diplomatic posts by more than 750 people could herald a frosty turn in Moscow’s relations with the United States.”

He has refused to divest himself of his businesses, and he’s profiting off those businesses while he’s president – something that’s totally unprecedented. As Richard Painter, who acted as President George W. Bush’s chief ethics officer, said, this “clearly illustrates that around the world, he will just simply expand around the various holdings and as they continue to expand, the conflicts of interest expand.”

He has abandoned measures to mitigate climate change and has no time for scientists or other experts, preferring to rely on his own flawed intuition and the science-free personal pronouncements of climate-deniers, some of whom are in his Cabinet.

His immigration policy is cruel and getting worse. As Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, N.J., said in May, “you really have to believe in inflicting cruelty on innocent people to choose to support the policies we’ve seen in recent months.” He has encouraged the nation’s Catholic leaders to resist the immigration stance of the administration.  And the influential Jewish group ADL (Anti-Defamation League) has recently called Trump’s stance on immigration “un-American.” Even Pope Francis disagrees with his plans.

He has flouted the rule of law and obstructed justice regularly since his election: firing Comey, his threat to fire Sessions Mueller, writing a dishonest statement about his son’s meeting with Russians. Conspiring with Fox News to create—wait for it—a fake news story about Seth Rich.

He consistently denigrates the US intelligence community and now is leveling his scorn on Congress too.

His mercurial temperament, malignant narcissism, and rejection of political protocols is shocking, and his mental capacity is under question. His lack of personal and political discipline, endless impulsive comments (like telling police not to be so nice), constant use of Twitter, and unending obsession with Hillary and Obama reflect, at best, a superficial understanding of governing. And his ability to lie indiscriminately has weakened the United States’ credibility.

His has insulted most world leaders and has gutted the State Department, in the process devastating global US diplomacy. The unfilled positions in virtually every State Department office have become a danger to our security and our safety. His lack of nuance in conducting foreign relations is embarrassing, and harmful.

Our voting systems and its apparatus, whether due to Russian meddling or GOP electioneering shenanigans, is unreliable. Voter suppression legislation has been proposed in over half the states, and Trump wants to strengthen those proposals even more with a federal commission that could potentially delegitimize voters throughout the country.

And that’s just the first six months.

The Fix: Where To Start?

Sadly, scientists have discovered that no matter how hard you try, you can’t change people’s minds when they have entrenched views: try convincing an atheist to turn to religion, or a religious person to abandon their faith. Trump’s base has been described as a cult; they’ll likely support him to the bitter end. Let’s hope that time comes soon… and that a host of deprogrammers are out there. For the rest of us, though, it’s not too soon to think about the Post-Trump era. What do we need to fix? What do we need to reinstate? What do we need to abolish? I’ve decided to tackle the “fixes” by dividing them into subject areas. Generally, they fall into the categories listed below. Unfortunately, the list looks like the agenda of a meeting from hell.

Authoritarianism and autocracy: License to steal?
Constitutional crises/obstruction of justice
The environment, science, and climate change
Healthcare horrors
Foreign Relations, especially Russia policy
Immigration
Lies and alternative facts
Leaks, truth-sayers, and the Resistance
Integrity of Voting Systems
Cultural Annihilation: Growing cynicism toward the media; rising hate and violence;

Come back next time for the first fix. In the meantime, you might enjoy this website. Part of the Resistance, the Shadow Cabinet keeps track of everything he is doing, so you and I don’t have to.

 

Do I need to add or remove any categories? Don’t be shy.

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The Libby App

You know that your local library has thousands of ebooks and audiobooks, but did you know that you can borrow them, instantly, for free, using your favorite device?

How? There’s a new app in town, created by Overdrive, and it’s called— wait for it— Libby.  Wasn’t it kind of Overdrive to name their new application after me? 

Here’s what you can do with ebooks and audiobooks using your Libby app:

Find a book/audio
Borrow a book/audio
Return a book/audio
Renew a book/audio
Read/listen to a book or audio

And more… all in one place.

Here’s how it works. You need to have a library card at your local library first. If you’re like me, you have more than one library card. Fear not — the Libby App can handle both or more in one place.  Tap to find your library, enter your library card number and password, and then you’ll be able browse and start reading or listening right away. As with Overdrive, you can send books to your Kindle. That can be configured in your Libby app.

Reviews of the App are in and here’s what people are saying: “easy to use,” “checkouts are much easier,” “the most beautiful library book app ever,” and “librarian approved.”

Of course, there might be a glitch or two in the beginning. For example, one of the sample audio files I chose didn’t load.

The chief advantage for me is that all my library checkouts are in one place, and I can easily see how much time I have left to read or listen to my books. The FAQ section stated that later this month, they will be rolling out the ability to see where you are in the hold line for a book. That’s pretty neat!

Another feature that I’m looking forward to is the indication that I’ve already read a book – I tend to forget what I’ve read or listened to.  Reportedly, the cover image of the book flips across to the right side once it has been read.

Want to learn more? Head here: https://meet.libbyapp.com/ where you can download the Libby app for your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop to read wherever on whatever device you want.

The best part? You can take Libby everywhere, and isn’t that a nice thought. Hey, do you think they’ll come up with a t-shirt? I want one!

 

 

 

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The Dark Crimes Bundle

I am SO excited to tell you about a new collection of crime novels (It debuts Wednesday, June 14, 2017) in which I’m a contributor. No… actually, I’ll let Kris Rusch tell you about it. She’s the “curator” (AKA Editor in Chief) who invited the authors into the bundle.

 

 

 

 

The Dark Crimes Bundle — Curated by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

I have only a handful of requirements of crime fiction—innovative characters, twisty plots, concrete settings, and great voice. Not many mystery writers manage to hit each requirement. I’ve read so much crime fiction that I’m hard to surprise. I get irritated when I can’t “see” the setting. I don’t want to hang out with the same kind of characters who show up on TV. And I really want to hear someone whisper in my ear as I’m reading.

Every writer in this bundle hits all my crime fiction requirements. In fact, every writer here exceeds them—always surprising me, always entertaining me.

I love the work of each writer in this bundle. In one way or another, I’ve worked with each one of them. I’m not the only one who recognizes their quality either. We have New York Times bestsellers, Macavity winners, Shamus winners, Derringer winners, ITW Thriller Writer award winners, and international bestsellers.

We have first books in some great ongoing series. We have some stellar short story collections, which will allow you to sample the work of even more writers. We have historicals—from 1931 Berlin to 1981 New Orleans. We have 21st century stories—from internet stalking to teenage bullying. We have international crime fiction—from London grave robbers to a Toronto medical mystery. And, with the inclusion of more than 30 short stories, we not only cover every single mystery and crime subgenre, we also manage to sample stories from Grand Masters and first-timers alike.

If you like mystery and crime fiction as much as I do, you’ll love this bundle. And if you’re new to the genre, this bundle will introduce you to enough authors to influence your reading for years to come.

Also, in the spirit of adventure, let me also point out our charity. In the past twenty years, the online gaming world has become a major place for people all over the world to interact with each other. AbleGamers makes it possible for people with disabilities to participate, by providing everything from equipment personalized for each person’s needs to advice to the game developers on how to make their entertainment accessible.

Entertainment takes our mind off the troubles in the world, even when we’re exploring the world’s dark corners, as we do in this bundle. As you pick up a copy of this bundle, please consider throwing in a few dollars to help AbleGamers. You’ll get great books to read, and someone somewhere will get a shiny piece of equipment to help them find a few hours of escape as well.

Thanks! – Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The initial titles in the Dark Crimes Bundle (minimum $5 to purchase) are:

Grim Reaper by O’Neil De Noux
Easy Innocence by Libby Fischer Hellmann
Spree by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Fiction River Special: Crime by Fiction River
Pretty Little Horses by Annie Reed

If you pay more than the bonus price of just $15, you get all five of the regular titles, plus five more!

A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell
Notorious D.O.C. by Melissa Yi
Year’s Best Crime & Mystery Stories 2016 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and John Helfers
Desecration by J.F. Penn
Kill Game – A Cold Poker Gang Mystery by Dean Wesley Smith

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) for all books!

It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.

Get quality reads: We’ve chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth. If you can only spare a little, that’s fine! You’ll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there’s nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to AbleGamers!
Receive extra books: If you beat the bonus price, you’ll get the bonus books!

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.

For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us at  @storybundle  and like us on  Facebook .

PS Libby here: Hope you’ll take a look. This is a fabulous collection of authors and titles! Not to be missed…I’m even buying a few as gifts!

 

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Do I Have A Deal For You!

This is a GREAT DEAL… but act fast!! The price goes up to $9.99 Sunday night. Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

**SALE***

14 THRILLERS by 14 AUTHORS at the TOP OF THEIR GAME for ONLY — 99 ¢ !

GIANT BOX SET — RIP INTO KILLER FICTION . . .

DEATH, LIES, & DUCT TAPE

This amazing collection of 14 critically-acclaimed thrillers were written by some of the best thriller writers today. This library of best-selling books is only 99c.

Don’t miss out!

Check out this collection of murder and intrigue:

Don Bailey – Bone Maker

A.J. Carella – True Deceit

Mark Dawson – The Cleaner

Kerry J. Donovan – The DCI Jones Casebook – Sean Freeman

Molly Greene – The Mark Of The Loon

Helen Hanson – 3 Lies

Libby Fischer Hellmann – Havana Lost

Seeley James – The Geneva Decision

Catherine Lee – Dark Heart

Mark McKay – A Terminal Agenda

Joe McNally – For Your Sins

John W. Mefford – AT Bay

A.J. Stewart – Stiff Arm Steal

Ian Sutherland – Social Engineer

**BUY LINKS**

http://smarturl.it/AmazonDLAD

http://smarturl.it/BNDLAD

http://smarturl.it/KoboDLAD

https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/...

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