Tag archive: Damocles

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The (Cosmic) Week That Was

The week of January 13th, 2019 presented a number of interesting stories, which together paint a picture of celestial heavy weather such as we have rarely seen. With the Sun still within orb of its annual conjunction with Pluto, fresh off its tete-a-tete with Saturn, it was likely we’d have limitation and devastation on our minds, and events proved that to be the case. But it was asteroid NOT that really made its presence felt, in story after story, illumining various dead ends, impasses and reversals. NOT lent its particular brand of obstructionism to the proceedings, issuing a variety of nolle prosequi rulings worldwide, applying the breaks and throwing up roadblocks.

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SR2 apprentice2

Political Apprentice, Season Three: The Trump Administration’s 2019 Solar Return

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse … they do. We’ve seen how lousy a year this is shaping up to be for Trump personally. Now it’s the administration’s turn to feel the heat. Amazing how there are cycles within cycles with this stuff, from transits to Trump’s natal, the ongoing effects of his prior solar return, the transit sky’s interaction with his celestial referent, and now the administration itself. And all saying the same thing – you’re goin’ down, buddy!

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TMC cover

Merry Christmas, Donald!

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, the POTUS gave to me: one ousted White House Chief of Staff; an ill-advised Syrian pullout; one retiring Defense Secretary; a dissolved Trump charity; one sentenced former “fixer”; Trade Wars with China; a deferred sentence for a former National Security Adviser; five DOJ investigations into his conduct; four dictator cronies; three tanking stock markets; two departing Cabinet Secretaries; and a partial governmental shutdown in a pear tree.

 

One might think, with asteroid Santa coming to its station on Christmas Day, conjoined Donald Trump’s natal Ascendant, that the holiday haul for the 45th President might be pretty good. But apparently, Santa only has coal left in his magic sack.

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SW2 sessions MAGA

Sessions Sacked

On Wednesday, November 7th, 2018, while the Midterm Election votes were still being counted, Donald Trump saw the fulfillment of a years-long dream: the forced resignation of Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions. (And don’t think the timing on that isn’t significant; Trump wanted something controversial to distract from the Democratic victory the day before, and Sessions fit the bill perfectly.)

 

Yes, Sessions was the first sitting US Senator to openly endorse Trump’s Presidential campaign in 2016; yes, he was Trump’s handpicked choice for the post he now leaves; yes, he was perhaps the most effective of Trump’s Cabinet officials in enacting the administration’s ultra-conservative agenda.

 

But Sessions’ fatal flaw was a teeny modicum of ethical behavior, when he recused himself from the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. This he was required to do, having been a major campaign surrogate for Trump, and he only did it after lying to Congress during his AG confirmation hearings about his own interactions with Russian agents.

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ME i voted

Midterm Elections 2018: Post Mortem

Well, it’s finally over. Mostly. As of this writing (Wednesday morning, November 7, though a protracted Verizon service outage may delay posting), the results appear to be a mixed bag. The Democrats have retaken the House of Representatives, but the Republicans have expanded their Senate majority. Barring a few key races (Arizona, Florida and Montana Senate races still too close to call, a Mississippi Senate race requiring a run-off, and a likely legal challenge in Georgia’s gubernatorial election), the broad outlines are clear.

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SS shooting cover

Slaughter in the Synagogue

Shortly after Shabbat services began at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday, October 27, 2018, a lone gunman entered and began shooting up the congregation with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle and two Glock hand guns. He left 11 dead and another six wounded, including several police officers who responded to the 911 calls. The suspect, Robert Bowers, was apprehended after being shot by police and remains in the hospital, though he faces arraignment on 29 Federal charges on the Monday. Bowers had a history of anti-Semitic posts on social media sites, and told arresting officers that he “just wanted to kill Jews”, whom he accused of bringing terrorists into the US to destroy the country.

 

The rampage is the most deadly act of anti-Semitism in US history, and the 294th mass shooting in the country this year. Obviously, we’ve been down this road many times before; it is wide and commodious, and there appears to be no turning.

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