SOCIAL MEDIA MUSINGS: BOOK 8

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 book adds another 104 to my list. My fourth book adds 78 more. My fifth book adds another 85. My sixth book includes another 116. Book 7 adds 106 more; Book 8 adds another 82 for a combined total of 834 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: Feb 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9798823021890

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 02/07/2024

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2188-3 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2189-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023912898

Adobe Stock images depicting people are used with their permission and for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Adobe Stock.

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

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody Knows Injustice When She Sees It. She Needs To Look More Closely.

A Word On Presidential Incompetence.

Was It Worth It? Was It Worth Destroying Their Lives Over Repeated Lies?

Donald Trump’s Nightmarish Plan For An American Dictatorship.

For A Successful Retirement, I Recommend These Three Things.

Donald Trump Is Barred From Appearing On The Colorado Ballot Next Year. Not So Fast!

The American Right Wing Admires Hungary’s Authoritarian Viktor Orban. This Is What They Want For America.

The FSU-ACC Battle Has Begun.

Donald Trump Says He’s Not A Bully; Joe Biden Is. And Rick Scott Calls For The Ouster Of Mitch McConnell. Just Another Day In The World Of Right Wing Extremism.

Trump Says He Knows Nothing About Adolf Hitler. Another Lie, Or Complete And Utter Ignorance?

The President Is King, So Says Donald Trump. Once Again, He Must Be Told No!

The Importance Of Humor In A Divided America.

Ah, The Critics. There Are Doers And Talkers. Don’t You Just Love The Talkers Who Can’t Do?

The Sad State Of Freemasonry As A Fraternity, And What Can Be Done Before Membership Becomes Unsustainable.

An Ominous Message In Today’s Headline: ‘Americans Sour On The Primary Election Process And Major Political Parties…"

Nikki Haley Makes A Major Slip-Up In Handling A Simple Civil War Question. She Blames Joe Biden And The Democrats For Setting Her Up. It’s Not Working.

Calls For Genocide. Three University Presidents. When Can Freedom Of Speech Be Regulated? A Modern Lesson From Germany.

The Rabid Rightists Accuse Biden Of Incompetence And Mismanagement. They Are In Denial, And They Are Wrong On The Facts.

Today’s Republican Party, In A Nutshell

Words Matter. Words Of Violence Matter. Prominence Or Notoriety Matters.

The Charge Of Racism Has Fueled The Resignation Of Harvard’s President. Facts, However, Matter.

Why Is It Newsworthy When Famous People Say Dumb Things Out Of Their Lanes?

In His January 6 Insurrection Trial, Trump Can’t Rely On The Idiot Defense. That And The Prospects Of A Pardon May Be All He Has Going For Him.

The Republican Party Has Turned The Constitution Into An Assault Weapon, Attacking Fundamental Constitutional Rights By Deft Re-Interpretation.

A Primer On Due Process: What Process Is Due? And What Is Being Taught In Our Nation’s Law Schools Today.

The Two State Insurrection Decisions Portend Chaos, And Democracy Is Threatened.

Legislation Is Filed To Crack Down On Social Media. The Devil’s In The Details.

Absolute Immunity For A President Who Commits Crimes. How Far Can This Go?

On The Heels Of Donald Trump’s President As Pharaoh Pitch In Federal Court, The Party’s Circus Continues.

Why Do We Hate? My Answer.

The SAG Nominees Are Out; Snub Story Follows. Guaranteed.

Florida School Board Bans Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, The Guinness Book Of World Records, Anne Frank’s Diary, Etc. What’s Next?

Donald Trump And The Victim Card.

Florida Government Lawyers Argue The State’s First Amendment Rights Allow For Book-Banning. A Federal Judge Kicks This Notion To The Curb.

Compassionate Conservatism. Human Dignity. Don’t Be Fooled.

Florida’s Open Government Laws: Watch What They Do, Not What They Say.

The House Committee Impeachment Investigation Of Joe Biden Was Never About Impeachment, So Says Committee Chairman James Comer. Another Example Of Rank Hypocrisy.

This Is An Example Of The Human Side Of Donald Trump. It Always Has Been–And Will Continue To Be– All About Him.

Trump’s Iowa MAGAs Say America Needs A Dictator. Pundit Ann Coulter Says Trump’s Voters Are Morons. You Can’t Make This Stuff Up.

The Zombie Apocalypse And MAGA Propaganda.

A Conservative Author Is Outraged Over Florida’s Possible Banning Of His Books. For Him, Only Liberal Books Are To Be Banned. And Conservative Efforts To Rein In Administrative Agencies Don’t Mask Their Real Agenda. Hypocrisy Abounds, But They Don’t Care So Long As Their Supporters Buy What They Sell.

How Competent Were The Strategists For The Severl Other Republican Presidential Candidates?

For Florida Right Wing Politicians, Banning Flags Are Now In Their Line Of Sight. What’s Next?

House Republicans Want To Impeach Homeland Secretary Mayorkas, Blaming Him For The Border Crisis. How Will This Solve The Crisis? They Won’t Pass Needed Legislation, And Won’t Provide Aid To Ukraine, Which Helps Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Why Not Ban Dictionaries, Thesaureses And The Bible? They Contain Offensive Words That Might Sear The Minds Of Our Students. Sheer Madness.

Republicans Are Pushing Legislation To Make It Easier To Sue The Media For Defamation. They Would Be Wise To Remember That What’s Good For The Goose Is Good For The Gander. Be Careful What You Wish For.

State School Voucher Programs: Curriculum Cleansing.

Florida’s Legislative Conservatives Believe In Parental Rights, Until They Don’t. Case In Point, Social Media.

DeSantis Withdraws From The Republican Party Presidential Race, Endorsing Donald Trump. He Had No Choice. Considering Trump’s Baggage, The Endorsement Rings Hollow.

Here Is Proposed Legislation That’s A Gift To Bigotry, Courtesy Of The Florida Republican Party.

Donald Trump Calls Joe Biden The Most Corrupt President In American History. Just As He’s Been Wrong Before, He’s Wrong On This One, Too.

For Republicans, Politics Is A Blood Sport.

If Republicans Win In November, Prices Will Go Down And Personal Income Will Go Up. Not Going To Happen.

What Exactly Is An Activist Judge?

It Is A Waste Of Time To Suggest That Florida Legislators And The Governor Do Things They’re Not Going To Do. They’re Going To Do Whatever They Want As Long As They Can Get Away With It.

How To Beat A Bully.

Conservative Values; Conservative Thought; Indoctrination.

Is There A New Ron DeSantis Emerging? Can A Leopard Really Change His Spots?

The Immigration Fiasco, Courtesy Of The Republican Party Extremists.

Does The Constitution’s High Crimes And Misdemeanors Impeachment Requirement Apply To Policy Disputes? Does The Mayorkas’ Impeachment Over An Immigration Dispute Compel Supreme Court Intervention?

This Is A Warning: How Democracy Dies.

The Importance Of Humor In A Divided America.

Declining Club Membership: Another Example Of Isolation

Newspaper Editorials Are Essential In A Free Society.

Journalism May Be Dead, Just Not In A Way Readily Understood.

The Sad State Of American Print Journalism–And A Personal Story.

The Value Of Pets In Our Lives.

What Is Your Story Worth?

Love Will Keep Us Together: Songs Send A Powerful Message

Plant A Tree, Have A Child, Write A Book—That’s Immortality.

Democrats And Republicans Agree On What It Takes To Win Elections. This Is The Focus Of Their Attention Leading To November.

For The Rabid House Republicans, First It’s The Mayorkas Impeachment, Followed By The Taylor Swift Conspiracy.

Is This The Year Congress Finally Regulates Social Media Content And Imposes Obligations On Company Executives?

FSU Is Offering A Class On Taylor Swift! Wait Until The Anti-Wokers Get A Load Of This!

A Power Couple Can Be Too Powerful For The Sensibilites Of Some Politicians—Those Of The Extremist, Conspiratorial Kind.

Scientists Have Uncovered The Source Of Crazy Conspiracy Theories. It Is Revealed Here For The First Time.

Does Ron DeSantis Still Want To Be Governor Of Florida?

In Bill Maher’s Words, We Could Just Get Serious About The Middle East Crisis.

When Will Florida Produce A President?

A Comment On Presidential Leadership.

House Speaker Mike Johnson And Donald Trump: Masters Of Duplicity.

The Influencers. Why Politicians Worry.

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. I have now added Book 8.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve included a few posts from previous books; less than 20. However, they are not related to politics and their transient nature; these repeats are just as important now as when I first published them. See if you can spot them; I hope that will make my point. (The first time I did this was in Book 7, but I failed to note this. My bad.)

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 8 of my series on social media musings on Facebook.

FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY KNOWS INJUSTICE WHEN SHE SEES IT. SHE NEEDS TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody says she knows injustice when she sees it. And she sees it in the college football playoffs which leaves FSU out in the cold.

Reality check. This is a safety valve issue for her. There is really no negative here for a state that loves its football.

It is also an issue that allows for deflection from the preposterous position she and her lawyers have very recently staked out in federal court. She and her staff contend that the government’s book ban is nothing more than the government exercising its right of free speech. In other words, the government is free to ban books and generally prevent anyone from exercising his or her free speech rights if it runs counter to the government’s First Amendment free speech right.

For Moody, it’s the government that determines personal individual free speech rights. Moody, who says she knows injustice when she sees it, evidently sees no injustice in declaring personal constitutional free speech rights subservient to those of the government. Perhaps she’s not wedded to the notion that America is a nation of law, not of men. It’s the Constitution that gives us individual rights, not a partisan legislative body.

One can only wonder what’s next? If a person exercises the right to remain silent, will the government pass a law making it illegal to remain silent under enumerated circumstances? What other personal rights will bend to the government’s putative rights? How far does this government knows best theory of constitutional law go?

This latest wacky theory proffered by Republicans deserves the same fate as those offered in support of a certain bogus rigged election claim; it should be summarily tossed in the garbage bin.

A WORD ON PRESIDENTIAL INCOMPETENCE.

I have to take issue with those who say Joe Biden is incompetent. I think it’s easy to slap that label on him because of his age, unsteady gait and pregnant pauses. He is certainly not aging well, and I agree he shouldn’t run again, but calling him incompetent is a bridge too far. It plays into the hands of those propagandists who need one simple word to describe Biden, and they choose that one because it seems such an easy fit, regardless of whether it’s a legitimate description.

Incompetence means the inability to do something successfully; ineptitude. It usually means a lack of legal ability to do something, especially to testify or stand trial. It’s used to describe people who are ineffective, shoddy, or just terrible at what they’re supposed to do.

Let’s see if that’s at play with Biden.

The Bay of Pigs invasion was the failed attempt by U.S.-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. President Eisenhower authorized the operation and it was subsequently approved by President Kennedy. Neither Eisenhower nor Kennedy was accused of incompetence.

Brilliant lawyer and politically savvy Richard Nixon recorded himself committing crimes for which he would have been impeached and convicted, yet no one ever accused him of being incompetent.

The Iran hostage crisis paralyzed Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Operation Eagle Claw was a failed mission by the U.S. military in April 1980 to rescue Americans who were held during that crisis. I don’t believe Carter was accused of being incompetent.

The Iran–Contra scandal occurred during the second term of the Reagan administration. Between 1981 and 1986, senior administration officials secretly facilitated the illegal sale of arms to Iran, who was subjected to an arms embargo at the time. The administration hoped to use the proceeds of the arms sale to fund the Contras, an anti-Sandinista rebel group in Nicaragua. Under the Boland Amendment, further funding of the Contras by legislative appropriations was prohibited by Congress, but the Reagan administration figured out a loophole by secretively using non-appropriated funds instead. Reagan wasn’t accused of being incompetent.

Bill Clinton, considered by many to be one of the brightest presidents in our history, lied to the public and under oath, yet no one labelled him an incompetent.

Bad judgment? Sure. Miscalculations? Yep. But incompetence? No.

So, why is Joe Biden accused of incompetence? Easy answer. Because of his age, his unsteady gait and his seconds—that seem like minutes–of pondering in silence. Mitch McConnell had a couple of frozen moments, but no one accuses him of incompetence.

Yet, it’s those unsteady steps and uncomfortable pauses that allow accusations of incompetence to resonate with a large segment of the populace. Because he looks ineffective he is ineffective and therefore he must be incompetent. Never mind that these accusations in large part come from those who support Donald Trump. It’s a label that for many easily explains a complexity of behavior. A simple one-word description/solution to a complex matter—how easy it is to fall for that!

If Biden were 61 instead of 81, I doubt the word incompetence would be bandied around like it is. Usually, Republicans point to inflation, the border and the Afghanistan withdrawal that took 13 lives, and Biden’s appearance as justification for labelling him incompetent. And since we’ve never had a president past 80, it’s easy to slap this label on him. If Biden didn’t have an arthritic back (I can relate to that), if he were a vigorous 80-plus, such a label would be harder to stick, if at all.

But for a president who’s not aging well, it’s both easier and far more convenient to accuse him of incompetence than it is to deal with his legislative successes despite never having both houses of Congress in Democrat control. He’s had to work with a Republican-led Senate during his first two years; a Senate that has required more VP tie-breaking votes than any time previously even while having to deal with a couple of recalcitrant Democrats; and a House now run by Republican extremists. Yet, his legislative record far exceeds that of his immediate predecessor.

If inflation or bad judgments or miscalculations were the measure of incompetence, this label would attach at one time or another to just about every one of our 45 previous presidents.

Although I agree he shouldn’t run again. I can’t fault him for believing that only he can beat Trump. He’s done it once already, regardless of what Trump says.

Much can happen between now and next November. This may well be an election where events control the outcome rather than the candidates themselves.

But calling Biden incompetent, weak and ineffective and thereby allowing many to consider Trump (or a sound-alike) as the solution is a bridge far too far.

WAS IT WORTH IT? WAS IT WORTH DESTROYING THEIR LIVES OVER REPEATED LIES?

I’ve often wondered what compels someone to spend many years—and lots of money—to become a lawyer, and many more years to develop a solid reputation, only to trash it in mere moments.

Rudy Giuliani could have been fondly remembered for his service as federal prosecutor and more impressively as mayor of New York City on 9/11 and during its aftermath. Instead, as a result of incredibly poor decisions, he’s now a laughingstock, a pathetic figure facing disbarment, potential criminal prosecution and now must pay a multimillion dollar judgment for his actions leading up to and following the 2020 presidential election.

Other disgraced lawyers facing possible disbarment along with criminal prosecution and damages lawsuits for their 2020 election conduct include John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark, Ray Smith, Robert Chesley and Mark Meadows.

Then there’s Mike Pillow Man Lindell, Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro and a host of others who defied congressional subpoenas and stand convicted of contempt of Congress.

More than 20 Trump loyalists stand accused of criminal conduct in the four Trump criminal indictments. A few have done a mea culpa, apologizing and fessing up to their lies, but most continue to double down, attacking the judicial system each one took an oath to protect and defend.

Why? Was is money? Power? Were they easily swayed by Trump’s bombastic, off-the-wall rhetoric? Were they brainwashed by Trump propaganda? Was it mental health issues? Perhaps a false but fixed belief they were doing something good? Or do they actually believe as true Trump’s attacks on the very foundation of our form of government? Do they applaud when Trump promises to install a dictatorial form of government should he return to the White House?

Whatever the motivation, the fact remains that each of these lawyers and government officials took an oath under state law to defend and protect the United States Constitution