On 11-30-23, the Washington Post penned an Opinion by Robert Kagan, Editor at large for | "The Trump dictatorship", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

My Gawd, how overdue and excessively wordy is this essay.

However, the Trump phenomenon can only be attributed to our own embarrassing acknowledgement that the money influence coupled with instant news distribution, (in any uncontrolled nor fact-based format), had more to do with him than our own check and balance, an informed electorate.

Unless our Legislative Branch gets serious about effective election reforms and putting candidates in more dialog-laced performance forums we will continue to be influenced by power brokers, not qualification, nor human decency.

     On 11-30-23, the Washington Post penned the article: "George Santos says lawmakers ‘bullying’ him as expulsion vote looms", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

“It doesn’t mean that it’s goodbye forever,” he (Santos) said.

Hopefully, this sad saga of human indecency and national embarrassment will pass. Eventually it seems, not soon enough.

In the future, let's hope the news media pays more attention to their obligation to inform us, (the voting public), of unqualified and undesirable candidates before election instead of capitalizing on their headline grabbing aftereffects.

    On 11-27-23, the Washington Post penned an Analysis |"With Trump moving closer to renomination, rewriting Jan. 6 attack gains urgency", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus: 

"What Trump is doing now, 340-odd days before the 2024 general election, is amplifying self-serving falsehoods and finding a hungry audience for them. This is also precisely what he was doing in the weeks before the Capitol riot." (...wrote the WAPO analysis).

For those registered to vote in this country who continue to ignore overwhelming evidence of Trump's record for illegal and abusive use of power or denial of oaths and rule of law. And yet he continues to remind us he offers us and our government nothing going forward but a continuing self-serving agenda of illegal and abusive conduct, think!

Think about just how much turmoil follows in his path. Think about how little value he puts in law-abiding people of goodness and service. Think about the human wrecks left in the wake of his lies and bully tactics. And think about how little purpose or care to now or going forward he puts into the tranquility of our country.

He was and is, unfit to serve as a steward for our government.  And so say I.  

    On 11-26-23, the Washington Post penned an article that: "Univision anchor Jorge Ramos rebukes network for not challenging Trump", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

“We cannot normalize behavior that threatens democracy and the Hispanic community, or offer Trump an open microphone to broadcast his falsehoods and conspiracy theories. We must question and fact-check everything he says,” (quoted from the WAPO article)

Trump does not allow time or space for challenge to his monologs. And they are consistently staged.

There is no way to describe his publicity offerings than pure propaganda.

     On 11-25-23, the Washington Post penned the article: "Russia held these Ukrainian teens captive. Their testimonies could be used against Putin", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus: 

It is a world-wide shame that we tolerate the likes of Russia's Putin who corrupts the concepts of value and goodness in his fellow human beings.

He is truly a horrible person who deserves our contempt and disrespect.

     On 11-21-23, the Washington Post penned an Opinion by Catherine Rampell | "Why we’re borrowing to fund the elderly while neglecting everyone else", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

Ms. Rampell would have you believe that pensioners enjoy a one-way street of monetary benefits it seems. Well, Ms. Rampell, consider this. Those government pensions when combined with other sources result in pensioners paying, that's right, federal income taxes. And don't forget the percentage of monthly deduction from that government pension that goes. that's right, into Medicare and prescription drug plans.

And most of all recall that pensioners enjoy travel, food, and entertainment rather than sitting around growing old, so they make great contributions, that's right, to federal, state, and local sales, excise, and sur tax coffers.

Doesn't sound like much of a free ride to me. Kind of like those who protest the free ticket immigrants get. Who are also making payments, that's right, to those same sources. Get a clue, cry-baby.

     On 11-20-23, the Washington Post penned an article of "Vulgarities, insults, baseless attacks: Trump backers follow his lead", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

"Some of them have increasingly suggested to voters that the former president’s behavior is a problem." (Quoted the WAPO article)

If mischief-inciting miscreant qualifies as Presidential material, and you've missed all the obvious signs of embryonic fascism, or the character traits of mental (and moral) illness, then go ahead and take Trump at his word.

After all, his words are little but an immature, crass and mendacious theater.  And he's very proficient at that at least, and little else.

     On 11-14-23, the Washington Post penned the article: "Ex-Trump allies detail efforts to overturn election in Georgia plea videos", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus: 

There seems to be no lack of evidence that Trump and his cohorts made a concerted effort to compromise the legal voting process in Georgia. But this extended period of time accumulating more, and better evidence continues to frustrate those of us who want an accountability, not more titillating looks at Trump's book of horrors. We need a courtroom conviction, not a continuing media expose'.

    On 11-12-23, the Washington Post penned the article: "Hamas envisioned deeper attacks, aiming to provoke an Israeli war", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus: 

Be aware of what Hamas really is. It's not an organized army from an organized country. It is a gang of middle eastern thugs belonging to no organized government with no parliamentarian authority to appeal or transact with. There's is not to perform a representation of the Palestinian state, and they behold to no authority but their own secret plan of cause and effect. They are a criminal element of uncontrolled chaos. And they have no method of finance other than from those countries who desire to promote their secret plan of cause and effect for their own agendas.

Actually, there's is an element not unlike our own internal terrorist organizations similar to the Hell's Angels.

   On 11-8-23, the Seattle Times penned an editorial for: "Google owes news outlets at least $10 billion yearly, study estimates" | Brier Dudley, and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

Bravo Mr. Dudley. You have certainly raised this reader's awareness of the secondary impact for how search engines, cyber information and consumer sites are influenced from the newsprint media. And the impact of lost revenue from advertising suffered primarily by the print media because of them.

Yes, when I stop to think about it, there are dozens of cyber inquires I make based on your newsprint industry. Like inquires for definitions of new words I see in print. Like on-line ordering of that book from the latest top read lists. Like inquiry to a locally positioned news source to find out more about a sketchy report by my news source. And it goes on and on.

And of course, the biggest impact of all. That cyber story is either a reprint or an enhancement of a news story originally researched and penned by journalists of the newsprint media. Thus, I'm paying so much more for my newsprint's loss of revenue to sources that enjoy marketing advantage at their expense? Wow!

   On 11-2-23, the Seattle Times penned an article for, "Business bigfoots the Seattle election, but quietly this time", and on the date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus: 

Let's face the inconvenient truth. The "Citizens United" decision by our Supreme Court did exactly what was intended. Opened the door to allow those with the gold to finance their rule. It took the politics out of the election process and substituted the ability to finance the marketing of a candidate without resorting to transparency, responsibility, and qualifications for the office they aspired to occupy.

   On 11-8-23, the Washington Post penned an article that: "FBI director didn’t accept new Md. headquarters decision (by the General Services Administration), sought do-over", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

Recall that the GSA was the same agency that saw no conflict of interest in then President Trump's remodeling of the old Post Office building into an expensive hotel and restaurant venue in the shadow of the White House and Congress. And allowed the Trump Business Organization to self-provide their record of revenue that determined a GSA provision for sharing a percentage of profit.

Funny how it turned into a white elephant when he was voted off the DC island?

    On 11-6-23, the Washington Post penned the article, ‘Are you sitting down?’ The windfall (from Joan B. Kroc) that transformed NPR 20 years ago, and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

Your first mistake is associating personalities with the quality of news reporting. The public networks have always sought to provide objective, complete, and truth-based analysis of the news they report.

That results from the efforts of their editorial management and the written interpretations by journalistic staff. Of course, the value of its presentation depends on the airway's delivery to its listening market, but putting your faith of reliable news in the delivering source is the stuff of political illusion.

But it helps explain how for-profit broadcasters seek to create a cult market rather than a reputable listening audience. Or, as Soren Kierkegkaard said, "People demand freedom of speech as compensation for freedom of thought, which is seldom used."

    On 11-5-23, the Washington Post penned an article that, "Trump and allies plot revenge, Justice Department control in a second term" and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

Well, I'd like to offer a critical list of Trump's shortcomings, but I just can't bring myself to denigrate those who suffer from intellectual deficiency, immature judgmental skills, and mental illness.

For you MAGA folk, denigrate means to put down.

    On 11-3-23, the Washington Post penned an article that, "Students hated ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ Their teachers (in Mikitio, WA) tried to dump it", and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

The culture and class of a society is determined by the diverse path of an individual's educational readings and self-acknowledging writings. Not by the opinions of others who profess to understand their motives.

Social science (a highly opinionated venue) has already determined that the human mind is too complex for being categorized with total accuracy. And I'd dare say these comments stand in evidence, including my own.

    On 11-2-23, the Washington Post penned an article for "Local journalists arrested in small Alabama town for grand jury story" and on that date the Enlightened Prisoner responded thus:

When a newspaper with national news publication capabilities like WAPO gives coverage to such egregious incidents of governmental abuse, the only thing left to be said is, thank you for being on the side of unfettered transparency and accountability WAPO. Thank you for protecting our Constitutional rights.