SOCIAL MEDIA MUSINGS: BOOK 9

By George Waas

Since the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, I have posted numerous essays and other commentaries on Facebook. They are of varying length on matters of politics, law, history, personal matters, and other subjects as well. My first book on social musings contains 142 Facebook posts. My second book is a continuation of my posts, an additional 118. My third adds another 104. My fourth adds 78 more. My fifth adds another 85. My sixth book includes another 116. Book 7 adds 106. Book 8 adds another 82. Book 9 adds another 82 for a combined total of 916 essays, commentaries, notes, etc., all taken together as social media musings.

As I’ve said throughout this series of books, I believe in an informed citizenry that relies on facts, logic, critical thinking, and reasoned judgment. At a time when too many people rely too heavily on social media and the misinformation from those sources; at a time when anger and rage too often replace common sense and critical thinking, it is hoped that the essays and social commentaries in this series of books on social media musings will inspire dialogue and further citizen involvement in their communities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9798823026154

George Waas

George Waas is a former newspaper reporter and a retired 50-year member of the Florida Bar. He spent 32 years as a lawyer with the State of Florida, the last 24 with the Florida Attorney General’s Office. An award-winning lawyer, he argued cases at every level of the federal and Florida judiciary, including the United States Supreme Court. This is his tenth book, all published by AuthorHouse and are available from the publisher, as well as from Barnes and Noble and Amazon. He is married to Harriet Issner Waas and has two daughters, Lani (Hudgins) and Amy (Kinsey), and four grandchildren, Hailey and Kelsie (Lani) and Avery and Connor (Amy).

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© 2024 George Waas. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 05/01/2024

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2616-1 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2615-4 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

The Legal Profession Should Seek Removal From The Practice Those Lawyers Who Participated In Advocating Donald Trump’s Rigged Election Lie.

Right Wing Lunacy, Madness And Insanity.

How To Deal With Hate Through Economic Pain.

An Example Of Reverse Psychology.

Another Mass Shooting; Another Shrug Of The Shoulders By Certain Government Officials.

Is Donald Trump’s Lawyer Merely Venting, Or Is She Psysically Threatening A Judge?

The Far Right Is Criticizing Taylor Swift For Burning Jet Fuel To Visit Her Boyfriend. Overlooked Is Someone Who’s Burning Jet Fuel Every Day Bringing His Con Game, Spreading Lies, And Hawking His Wares To Raise Funds To Pay Judgments.

The Risk Of A Theocracy In America: Is Religion The Opiate Of The Masses?

The Death Of Administrative Agency Deference; The Demise Of Crisis Management.

Sliding Toward A Theocracy.

When Has Conservatism Been On The Right Side Of History?

Witch Hunts In New York; Parental Rights In Florida. Myth More Than Reality.

The Fate Of Dictators And Despots. Russia’s Vladimir Putin Should Take Note—As Should Others As Well.

The Demise Of The Traditional Limited Government, Less Taxes, More Individual Freedom Republican Party.

This Is The Latest Example Of Mediocracy In Government.

Donald Trump’s Immunity Claim Will Now Be Decided By The Supreme Court. Key Question: Were His Actions Official Acts Of A President?

Trump And His Billions In His New York Civil Fraud Case. Is He Really That Rich?

Florida Republican Lawmakers Want To Lower The Standard For Defamation Lawsuits. Be Careful What You Wish For.

Donald Trump Has A Solution To His Financial Predicament. A Diabolical, Machiavellian Solution.

Nikki Haley: America Has Never Been A Racist Country. She Needs A History Lesson. Here Is One.

Donald Trump’s Name Will Appear On All State Ballots. Only Congress Can Remove A Federal Candidate’s Name From The Ballot. This Raises Other Questions.

Art Does Imitate Life.

History Teaches; Whether We Learn Is Another Matter.

Gov. Ron DeSantis Says Florida Is A Law And Order State. Uh, Oh.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott Wants To Be Senate Republican Leader, But Needs Donald Trump’s Blessing. Did Their Meeting Go Something Like This?

The Decline Of The Work Ethic: Fact Or Fiction?

The Democrats’ Local Intraparty Squabbles Make People Forget The Lunacy That’s Rampant In The Republican Party.

When Will A Woman Become President?

President Biden’s State Of The Union Address: Vigorous, Forcing Republicans To Rely On Old Stand-Bys That Ring Hollow.

What Exactly Does The Right Mean When They Oppose Woke Indoctrination?

Why Can’t The Republican Party Do Some Serious Soul-Searching?

In Praise Of Dictators, Despots And Tyrants.

Actors Support An Israeli-Hamas Ceasefire. Add A Disavowal Of From The River To The Sea And This Support Might Be Successful.

Donald Trump Won’t Stop Defaming Jean Carroll.

Senator Katie Britt’s Woe-Is-Me Pity Party: A Fool And His Money Are Soon Parted.

Banning TikTok? This Has Lots Of Moving Parts.

Is The Judiciary Complicit In Donald Trump’s Delay Strategy For His Criminal Trials?

Some Perspectives On The Changing Seasons.

Donald Trump Going On Trial This Year? Don’t Bet On It.

How Did We Sink So Low?

Two Scenarios, Independent Of Each Other, Have One Thing In Common: They Help Donald Trump.

Know Our History. It May Be What Saves Our Form Of Government.

Joe Biden Is Wishy-Washy. And So He Is; But That’s Better Than The Alternative.

What Will The Disenchanteds Do In November?

What Is It About Joe Biden That Causes A Pathological Rejection Of His Candidacy?

Bigotry By Minorities Against Minorities: Divide And Conquer?

Donald Trump’s Get Rich Quick Scheme: Buy Stock In His Truth Social. What Could Go Wrong?

NBC’s Embarrassment: Hiring Ronna McDaniel, Then Firing Her. The Moral Is Wealthy People Make Stupid Decisions.

Ho Hum. Another Gag Order Is Placed On Donald Trump. They Haven’t Worked In The Past; This Latest One Won’t Work, Either. Unless.....

The Importance Of Humor In A Divided America.

Shameless

Have You No Sense Of Decency? Shameless.

How To Cross-Examine An Expert Witness

A Former Federal Judge Says It’s Time For The Judiciary And American Public To Hold Donald Trump Accountable For His Vicious Attacks On Judges, Their Families And Others Involved In His Criminal Cases. It’s Time To Hold Him In Contempt Of Court And Send Him To Jail.

Some Pet Peeves Of This Senior Citizen.

Florida Backs Abortion Ban; Reverses 34-Year State Precedent.

Presidential Image And Whataboutism.

Eight Cruise Ship Passengers Stranded In Africa After Missing The All-Aboard Call: A Classic Example Of What Not To Do On A Cruise.

Inflation! Tipflation! A Culprit Among Us.

A Primer On Trump Republicans’ Version Of Common Sense.

For The Sports Fans: Lists. Whether We Like Them Or Not, We All Make Them.

The Donald Trump Threat, From Those Who Know Him Best.

The Presidential Pardon: What’s Good For Trump Is Good For Biden.

The Importance Of Humor In A Divided America—Revisited

Julius Caesar, The Original Jersey Boy.

Reform: A Most Dangerous Word.

Obey The Party’s Boss, Or Face The Wrath: A Lesson For The Speaker Of The House And Others Who Dare To Cross Donald Trump.

Bill Maher Says To Save Our Country, We Need To Put The Brakes On Extreme Wokism. His Commentary Is Riddled With Illogic.

I’m Sorry. I Made A Mistake. Please Forgive Me. These Are Some Of The Hardest Words To Say.

National Public Radio Suspends Editor For Exposing Left-Wing Bias, Saying America No Longer Trusts NPR. Some Comments On The State Of Journalism, Bias And Other Related Matters.

Make Sure The Legal Profession Is Represented By The Best And The Brightest. Keep Admission Standards High And The Bar Exam As Rigorous As It Is.

What The Republican Party Used To Be, And What It Is Now.

Be Cautious When People Constantly Use Phrases Demonstrating Truthfulness. Truth May Be The Last Thing On The Speaker’s Mind.

Taylor Swift Is The Subject Of Vile And Baseless Criticism Because Of Her Success. Her Critics Will Never Know Success, So They Do What They Do Best: Criticize.

There Is A Rash Of Major League Baseball Pitchers Suffering Serious Arm Injuries. The Recently Invoked Pitch Clock Has Been Cited As The Reason. But Is It Really? Here Is My Take, With Statistics.

Donald Trump’s Blanket Immunity Case Is Before The Supreme Court. Let’s See If The Nine Justices Buy Any Of His Bleatings.

What Is A President’s Official Act For Which There Is Immunity From Criminal Prosecution? A Solomonic Question Indeed.

Chilling Words Spoken In Defense Of Donald Trump.

Campus Protests Are Protected By The First Amendment. But There Is Nothing In That Amendment That Requires Government To Meet Demands.

Perception Is Reality. History Proves It. Today’s Political Climate Proves It.

War In The Middle East. Campus Demonstrations. A President Embroiled In Controversy. History Teaches; Do The Students Learn?

Judicial Interpretation Of The Constitution.

INTRODUCTION

In 2022, I wrote a book titled Social Media Musings. In the introduction, I said I am the product of two professions driven by inquiry and skepticism, journalism and law.

I noted that both professions are founded upon logic, rational thinking, critical analysis, and sound judgment. So, when I see something that doesn’t make sense, defies logic, is irrational, or otherwise off-the-wall, I ask questions and search for answers.

I also confessed that I am a Facebook junkie, although not necessarily enamored with social media. There is certainly far too much misinformation, flat-out wrong information, etc., being spread on social media. And we know that a lie travels around the globe while the truth is putting on its shoes. Bad information to the pliant minds of the gullible is a dangerous mix.

In my first book, I said that, for the most part, I kept my opinions to myself, or shared them with family and friends, until the January 6, 2021, attack on our nation’s capital. Since then, taking to heart the note on the Facebook page that says, What’s on your mind, I’ve posted my thoughts and opinions about various situations on a variety of subjects. Many of my posts are quite lengthy, solely because of the importance I place on fact, analysis, reason, logic, critical thinking, and sound judgment.

One of the great retorts to opinions some don’t like is keep your opinion to yourself. Invariably, however, those who greeted me with this putdown have no problem letting me have their opinions. Opinion are just that; they can be accepted or rejected by others as a matter of course. However, I firmly believe it helps to have a factual foundation for opinions; too often, opinion is based solely on belief. Facts can be presented and disputed; arguing a person’s unsupported belief is a waste of time.

In any event, I constantly remind myself of Facebook’s offer to write what’s on my mind; and that’s what matters to me. If someone doesn’t want or care for my opinions, they don’t have to pay attention. Usually, they don’t anyway.

I decided to ignore the retort and proceeded to include in my book, in chronological order from January 6, 2021, to February 2022, my posts on a variety of subjects, mostly—but certainly not all— on politics. Since that book was published in March 2022, I continued to post of Facebook, hoping to continue a national dialogue on issues of great public importance. This resulted in Book 2, which was also published in 2022. But I didn’t stop there. I also published Book 3 that same year. But I didn’t stop there. I published Book 4 a few months later. After publishing Book 5, I vowed that would be my final book on social media musings, and that I would still continue posting on Facebook but not include them in future publications—unless I changed my mind. Considering the outrageous things that continue to plague our nation, I changed my mind. I added Books 6 and 7. I realize that writing and posting on Facebook is now a hobby. After spending more than 50 years in the two professions that require intensive writing, I simply enjoy the great creative challenge of writing. I now plan to write and post and publish for as long as I am able. Then came book 8 followed by this one, Book 9.

I hope that by this time, it is obvious that social commentary makes up the overarching theme of my posts. The purpose of social commentary is to provide discussion, including analysis, on social, cultural, political, and economic issues that affect all of us. A major theme of social commentary is to implement or promote change by informing the general public about a given problem and appealing to people’s sense of reason and justice. There is yet a more personal reason for my many posts; in light of events over the past few years, I am deeply concerned about the future—in the near term for my wife and me; in the long term for my children, grandchildren and generations to follow.

Many of my posts are a call for change; and from what we’ve experienced over the past few years, we need change. A change in attitude; a change in how we talk to each other and a change in how we relate to one another.

You don’t have to be a famous entertainer or athlete to engage in social commentary. All too often, we equate fame and notoriety with intelligence and depth of thought. Having a social conscience and being able to express it intelligently doesn’t depend on fame or notoriety. In fact, there are many whose opinions are influential solely because of fame or notoriety; the reality is they haven’t a clue what they’re talking about. Further, as the 2022 election campaigns played out, there were several candidates who repeatedly demonstrated ignorance and stupidity, yet garnered millions of votes. Ignorance and stupidity must never become fashionable or acceptable. Enlightenment must always trump darkness. As we move toward the 2024 presidential election, and with what extremists promise the next administration will look like and seek to accomplish, social commentary and public engagement is even more essential that is was just a few years ago.

What allows a person to offer meaningful social commentary is being sufficiently educated to comment rationally and reasonably on relationships among people and between people and their government.

At the heart of any social commentary lies an agreeable set of facts. Without agreement on observable, tangible facts, discourse and commentary become virtually impossible. It is toward that end that these musings are primarily directed.

This is Book 9 of my series on social media musings on Facebook.

THE LEGAL PROFESSION SHOULD SEEK REMOVAL FROM THE PRACTICE THOSE LAWYERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN ADVOCATING DONALD TRUMP’S RIGGED ELECTION LIE.

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, it seems limited attention has been given to those lawyers who stoked the rigged election lie and by their actions defamed innocent people and put their lives at great risk of harm.

Honorable lawyers wouldn’t have taken frivolous cases to the courts because judges would have sanctioned lawyers for filing them. So much of what took place after the election, including January 6, might well have been avoided had not a small group of lawyers pressed frivolous claims. A solid definition of a frivolous claim is one which, at the time the lawsuit was filed, was not supported by the material facts necessary to bring a claim, or was not supported by the application of then-existing law.

Lawyers are required to do a pre-suit investigation and act upon due diligence to see if the facts and applicable law support a meritorious lawsuit. The courts’ rejection of every lawsuit based on election fraud amply shows the absence of material facts necessary to bring such a claim.

There have been compilations made of the lawyers involved in leading Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. These are lawyers who either worked directly for Trump or independently advocated for him knowing—or certainly should have known—their advocacy or support was based on a lie.

Those lawyers who actively promoted Trump’s rigged election lie without any supporting evidence; promoted baseless conspiracy theories designed to keep Trump in office; defamed both public officials and private persons and placed them at physical peril based on meritless election fraud claims; or otherwise engaged in any activity that promoted baseless unsupported claims should have been disbarred or compelled to retire from every jurisdiction where they are admitted to practice.

The legal profession owes it to its members and the public at large to assure that lawyers who lie or otherwise promote claims without evidence be permanently barred from holding themselves out as honorable members of the legal profession.

They deserve to suffer the most severe professional penalty.

If, in their representations, they committed criminal acts, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and serve prison time.

As a 50-year retired member of my state bar, I believe wrist-slapping is too kind a treatment for their scofflaw behavior.

RIGHT WING LUNACY, MADNESS AND INSANITY.

Donald Trump says Nancy Pelosi was responsible for the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

VP wannabee Elise Stefanik said she wouldn’t have certified the 2029 Electoral College results.

A leading Republican official said those participants in the January 6 riot were not Republican voters.

These aren’t conservative values. These aren’t conservative thoughts.

This is lunacy. This is madness. This is insanity.

Pelosi was in fear for her life from a Trump-instigated mob. As was Mike Pence and others as well. These are facts.

Stefanik would have plunged the nation into an unprecedented constitutional nightmare.

The last one is a denial of reality.

Without a single fact to support these outrageous statements—just as there isn’t a single fact to support the rigged election lie— the madness from the extreme right persists.

Together, these are dangerous lies treated as fact designed to brainwash and indoctrinate their true believers to keep them in a perpetual state of anger.

When is enough enough? When will Republicans who are true to their party’s history and traditions forcefully reject this insanity?

These deplorable people have dragged the party into the political sewer. When will sanity return the party to its status as the loyal opposition?

For shame!

Maybe this nonsense will compel sane Republicans to join the Democrat Party, thereby expanding its base, and leave the Republican Party to the loonies who now run it.

HOW TO DEAL WITH HATE THROUGH ECONOMIC PAIN.

It’s no accident that hate attacks and hate crimes have increased dramatically over the past eight years. The FBI defines a hate crime as a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.

During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump mocked disabled people. This sent a message to his loyalists.

When Trump first issued his Muslim travel ban seven days into his administration in 2017, the message to his followers was clear: Muslims pose a threat to Americans. For the acts of a few, millions were targeted. (This targeted ban recalls the Japanese interment during World War II, when Japanese-Americans were targeted for roundup and placement in camps. A total of 1,862 people died from medical problems while in these internment camps. About one out of every 10 of these people died from tuberculosis.)

A few months later in 2017 as anti-Semitic demonstrators marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump infamously said there was some nice people on both sides. His message to his followers was equally clear: it’s ok for his backers to be anti-Semitic because they’re nice people, too.

Throughout his administration, African Americans were singled out for attack. His government backers in several states cracked down on African American studies, as well as programs for the LGBTQ+ communities.

It comes as no surprise to the thinking public who the target is in the migrant border crisis. It just so happens that those migrants are all Hispanics. And Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, impeached by the House of Representatives for not doing his job because Congress won’t pass needed immigration legislation, just happens to be from Cuba and is the son of Jewish parents.

Trump has alluded to migration from Europe, implying that would be acceptable. Of course it would; that’s where his ancestors—and those of his MAGAs and legislative servants came from. Note that when European migration was at its peak last century, migrants were fleeing from famine and poverty, seeking a better life. These are the reasons the current migrants from the south are leaving their countries, with one addition—fear of persecution.

The pattern is unmistakably clear: These efforts, and others, serve to marginalize groups based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender and gender identity. This divisiveness is the calling card of today’s Republican Party owned and run by right wing extremists.

Instead of universal condemnation of these varied forms of discrimination, the party’s dominant figure has no qualms about his loyalists instigating violence against minorities based on status.

To be sure, Democrats and a few Republicans have condemned such marginalization/discrimination. But Trump’s dog whistles, coupled with actions of some of his most ardent supporters, have allowed radical groups to believe their views and, more importantly, their actions against these minorities are perfectly proper and actually called for by Trump and his acolytes.

The question thus arises: how to deal with the bigotry fueling the rising incidences of hate, including hate crimes?

If crimes are committed and the perpetrators are known, prosecution to the fullest extent of the law is certainly available.

If threats are specific and create a clear and present danger of physical attack, there is no First Amendment protection and there are both criminal and civil remedies available.

But if threats are protected by the First Amendment, what ways are there to effectively respond that don’t involve the government?

Perhaps the answer lies in a generalized remedy known as the economic squeeze. Identify the attackers and publicize their names, addresses, etc., in the media and through the business community. Businesses don’t have to hire those who attack these groups and commit hate crimes. Any effort at economic isolation might serve as a deterrent. If, for example, those Charlottesville marchers knew their names, addresses, etc., would be published by local media and throughout the business community, resulting in loss of employment and income, maybe—just maybe—those marchers might have thought otherwise about their display of anti-Semitism.

If, by this type of disclosure, a landlord learns he/she rented a house