Donald Trump is re-enacting the treasonous behavior described in the Robert Mueller investigation

Republicans who have been too quick to claim that the Robert Mueller report somehow and falsely vindicated the stupid Donald Trump from having colluded with the Russians to illegally claim to be potus.....well, Donald Trump has now made his own case for "guilty!".

The GOP's boot-licking cowardice knows no bounds

By Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson  echo published in the on line forum ArcaMax

WASHINGTON, DC -- Donald Trump's defense against impeachment is bombastic, full of lies and incoherent to the point of lunacy, which is no surprise. Republicans are be-clowning themselves to pretend Trump is making sense -- and that, sadly, is also no surprise.

Trump has described his smoking-gun phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "perfect," which is only true from the point of view of the prosecutors in his impeachment trial, if it comes to that. 

Trump's lawyer has claimed that Zelensky was the first to mention Joe and Hunter Biden, while the rough transcript of the call clearly shows that it was Trump who did so. He has demanded that the whistle blower be unmasked and claimed that he or she somehow misrepresented the call, hoping no one will notice that the allegations in the whistle blower's complaint have been confirmed by documents and statements released by the White House.

Trump has accused House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., of "treason" and demanded that they be impeached. After first refusing to say whether he wanted Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, he admitted it and called on China to investigate them, too. And as for Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah -- who said that Trump's call with Zelensky was "troubling in the extreme" and that his requests to Ukraine and China were "wrong and appalling" -- Trump has called him a "pompous 'ass'" and wants him impeached, too.

(Maine Writer- In other words, Donald Trump is certifiably crazy!) 

Senator Romney, however, is the only prominent GOP officeholder thus far to call out Trump for the (crazy!) conduct that will likely get him impeached. Senators. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Ben Sasse, R-Neb., have been critical of the China appeal but have said nothing about Ukraine. The boot-licking cowardice of today's Republican Party knows no bounds.

Perhaps none have embarrassed themselves more than Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., who had a rough time Sunday on "Meet the Press." Host Chuck Todd asked him about a quote of his that had appeared in The Wall Street Journal. When Johnson heard that $391 million in military aid for Ukraine might be being withheld to coerce an investigation into the Bidens, Johnson told the Journal, "I winced. My reaction was, 'Oh God. I don't want to see those two things combined.'"

There it is, the quid pro quo. But Johnson was apparently determined not to be seen as having criticized Trump, lest he become the target of a Trump tweet-storm. So he launched into a diatribe about how Trump's presidency had been "sabotaged" and given "no measure of honeymoon whatsoever" and then dove into fantasy-based conspiracy theories about the origin of the Mueller investigation. After a long struggle by Todd to return to the subject of Ukraine, Johnson finally said: "When I asked the president about that, he completely denied it. He adamantly denied it. He vehemently, angrily denied it. He said, "I'd never do that." So that is the piece of the puzzle I'm here to report today."

Runner-up for some sort of Profiles in Spinelessness award is Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who said that when Trump stood on the White House lawn and called on the despotic Chinese government, with its kangaroo-court justice system, to investigate a former U.S vice president and his family, he was just kidding around to get a rise out of the media.

Look at the videotape. What I see is a desperate president trying to convince the public that his attempted shakedown of Ukraine was so innocent, so unimpeachable, that he's willing to do the same thing to China openly. Then again, it might have been slam-dunk evidence for another article of impeachment. Either way, Trump's performance looked and sounded nothing like fun and games with the White House press corps.

At this point, we can dispense with the notion that Trump welcomes impeachment because he believes it gives him a political advantage. He reportedly told House Republicans that being impeached would be "a bad thing to have on your resume." His tweets and harangues betray what seems to be a visceral horror of being hauled into the dock and put on trial, even if he believes that ultimately he will not be removed from office. In his long life of privilege, Trump has rarely been held accountable for his bad behavior. He seems not to enjoy the experience.

For now, Trump can cling to the fact that lily-livered Republicans still fear his wrath. They're looking at the polls, though, and hearing from their constituents. It is certainly true that brute-force intimidation can compel obedience -- but it rarely generates true loyalty.

P.S. Maine Writer wants to know if Robert Mueller can write an appendage to his 448 page report?

Mathematics of Florida gun massacres

Dear Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Rick Scott:

Profile of a classic gun lackey by Dick Polman "Political impotence in the wake of gun violence is a pre-existing condition."

Senator Marco Rubio needs an arithmetic lesson in Florida gun massacres fatalities - Do Something!

Florida Governor Rick Scott

5 Dead - Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida, United States, on January 6, 2017, near the baggage claim in Terminal 2. Five people were killed while six others were injured in the shooting. About 36 people sustained injuries in the ensuing panic.

49 Dead - On June 12, 2016, a 29-year-old killed 49 people and wounded 58 others in a terrorist attack/hate crime inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. He was shot and killed by Orlando Police Department (OPD) officers after a three-hour standoff. 

17 Dead - On February 14, 2018, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Parkland Florida. 

Total_______________________

71 Dead in three gun violence massacres.

Message to all Republicans ~ Do something!

Thankfully - a Republican with a social conscience

I'm hoping and praying to hear about more Republicans who will support the decision by Senator Marco Rubio to stand against the ravaging impact of the GOP "tax cuts for the rich", unless provisions are made to help the working poor.

Reported in The Miami Herald

Rubio to vote against GOP tax bill if child credit isn't expanded for low-income families

By Alex Daugherty, Lesley Clare and Emma Dumain

WASHINGTON - Florida : Sen. Marco Rubio told Senate Republican leadership on Thursday that he intends to vote against the massive tax bill barreling through Congress, if the child tax credit isn’t expanded, a potential major blow in President Donald Trump’s desire to pass a tax overhaul by Christmas.

If the bill isn’t changed and Rubio votes against the plan, there would be no room for additional Republican dissension as the GOP only holds 52 of 100 Senate seats. 

Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker already announced that he would vote against the plan because of concerns over the federal deficit, leaving Republicans with only 51 votes.

Vice President Mike Pence would break a tie if the GOP has 50 votes, and his office announced that he will delay a planned trip to the Middle East, in case his tie-breaking vote is needed.

(MaineWriter- this is part of the Vice President's Messianic call to "servitude" as reported in the Atlantic, "God's Plan for Mike Pence"; but he certainly isn't serving the middle class by only hearkening to the master's Trumponian voice.)

Rubio’s plan to expand the child tax credit, which reduces some families' tax bill for every child they have under the age of 17, was shot down two weeks ago after Republican senators chafed at raising corporate taxes to pay for it.

But when Republican House and Senate tax negotiators met this week, they decided to raise a proposed corporate tax cut to pay for a lower tax rate for wealthy individuals.

Rubio wasn’t happy.

“My concern is, you found the money to lower the top rate and you found the money to add in (but) you can't find a little bit to somewhat increase the refundable portion of it?” Rubio said on Thursday. “There’s ways to do it and we’ll be very reasonable.”

Rubio said he didn’t have any assurances that his concerns would be addressed, though he talked to Trump about an expanded child tax credit and noted Trump alluded to it during a speech on Wednesday.

“You'll hear the numbers very soon but they're even larger than anticipated,” Trump said.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a point person in the Republican tax negotiations, said he also supports an expansion of the child tax credit along the lines of Rubio’s proposal, and that changes could be made to assuage the Florida Republican.

“It is not over,” Scott said of negotiations for the entire bill. “There is no done deal yet from my perspective, but we are making significant progress.”

Scott is closely aligned with GOP leaders on the tax bill and would not withhold his vote if Rubio's requests are not fully granted.

Texas Sen .John Cornyn, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said leadership is working with Rubio to get him on board.

“I think he’ll be satisfied,” Cornyn told reporters.

Rubio’s plan, co-sponsored by Utah Sen. Mike Lee, would also make the $2,000 tax credit fully refundable, meaning that if a low-income family’s tax credit exceeds their total amount owed in taxes, they would be eligible for a tax refund. The tax credit would also be tied to the rate of inflation, which means the tax credit will increase if inflation increases.

“He (Trump) said the refundable portion would be higher, let’s hope he’s right,” Rubio said.

Lee is undecided on the bill in its current form, a spokesperson said. If Rubio, Lee and Corker vote against the bill it will fail in the Senate if all Democrats vote against it, which is expected.

Trump on Thursday predicted that Rubio will “get there” on the tax bill and that Republican leaders will get enough votes in “a very short period of time.”

“I think he’ll (Rubio) get there. He’s really been a great guy, very supportive,” Trump said. “I think that Sen. Rubio will be there, very shortly.”

Despite the failure of their proposal to expand the child tax credit two weeks ago, Rubio and Lee voted for the initial tax bill that passed the Senate with 51 votes and did not threaten to vote against it. Three Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Steve Daines of Montana, have threatened to vote against the tax bill in recent weeks unless changes or promises were made.

Rubio has repeatedly said he would vote against a tax plan that does not sufficiently benefit the middle class, though he has previously stopped short of threatening to vote against the final plan because of the child tax credit until now.

Trump was undeterred by his formal presidential rival announcing opposition to the bill in its current state, doubling down on his promise to sign the bill by Christmas.

“I think we will get there. It’ll be in a very short period of time,” Trump said. “It will be the greatest Christmas present that a lot of people have ever received.”

Orlando Sentinel echo- letter to protect status of "dreamers"

This letter to the editor is an "echo", blogged from Florida, to support the status of "Dreamers"."

Let (immigrant) Dreamers stay- Orlando Sentinel

Regarding the editorial “Pass bipartisan bill to protect Dreamers from deportation and bolster U.S. economy” 

(OrlandoSentinel.com, Wednesday):

I could not agree more with the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board. Dreamers must be protected, and the surest way to do this is to pass bipartisan legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants who have been in the United States since childhood to maintain a legal status, and apply for citizenship, as long as they can meet certain educational, employment and background requirements.

I also believe that President Trump should stand with the Florida delegation, including Sen. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson and Reps. Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, in making the protection of Dreamers a priority. The president should not allow 10 state attorneys general to sway him when there are so many Dreamers who love this country and need his help.

There are more than 800,000 immigrants in the United States who have been granted Dreamer status, 33,000 of whom reside in Florida. Revoking those permits would cost the U.S economy more than $460 billion over a decade. In Florida alone, loss of work permits would cost the state economy $1.5 billion a year.

Julio Fuentes president, Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

When infectious disease becomes political - Zika and Republicans

Let the American voter be aware - it is the Republicans in Congress who are responsible for the growing concern about Zika infectious disease, because they blocked a funding proposal before taking their generous summer legislative recess. It seems to me, with the many billion$ in defense money floating the Florida economy, the Republicans could find a few million in surplus funds to help prevent the spread of Zika.

I suspect Senator Marco Rubio R-FL might reconsider any further delays in funding this proposal, as reported.

Thomas R. Frieden has been since 2009 the Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "..the cupboard is bare.."
The Washington Post Reports:

To Your Health Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will run out of money to fight Zika in U.S. 

The federal agency leading the public health response to the Zika threat in the United States will run out of funding to combat the mosquito-borne virus by late September, its director said Monday.

"The cupboard is bare," said Tom Frieden, who heads the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

"Basically, we're out of money, and we need Congress to act to allow us to respond effectively."

Of the $222 million that the CDC allocated for domestic Zika response this year, about $200 million has been committed, Frieden said during a media roundtable in Washington. "The rest will be gone by the end of September."

The timing further raises the threat for high-risk states along the Gulf Coast, particularly if Congress again fails to act on the Obama administration's emergency funding request when lawmakers return to Washington next month.

"We're in peak mosquito season" — which typically lasts through October in the United States — and if transmission starts occurring more broadly, CDC “might not have the resources” to respond and send teams to support local and state officials, Frieden said.

The CDC has already issued unprecedented travel advisories for two areas in Florida where mosquitoes are actively spreading the virus: a one-square-mile section of Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood and a 1.5-square-mile zone in Miami Beach. Pregnant women are urged to stay out of both areas because of the danger Zika poses to a fetus.

[Here is how the CDC set its first travel advisory for Florida]

Negotiations in Congress over a $1.9 billion Zika spending package fell apart in late June. Federal health officials have shifted money from elsewhere in the Department of Health and Human Services to fund the domestic response. That includes $38 million from fighting Ebola, $44 million from general public health emergency funds and, most recently, $81 million from programs at the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

The money has gone to help states track the virus, provide assistance about birth defects caused by Zika and increase mosquito-control efforts. Within CDC itself, officials also have pulled resources from programs on immunization, disease infection and HIV outreach, including prevention treatment for people at risk of getting HIV, Frieden said.

Researchers continue to detail ever-graver consequences for babies born to mothers infected with Zika. A report from Brazil, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, described a newborn in Sao Paolo who had Zika virus in his blood for more than two months. While the baby had no obvious illness or visible birth defects at birth or when doctors examined him at about eight weeks, by six months he had developed severe Zika-related brain damage.

The first trimester of pregnancy is thought to be when Zika infection poses the greatest risk. In this case, however, the baby’s mother was infected late in her second trimester.

At the same time, the virus continues to spread to the rest of the world. The latest outbreak is in Singapore, a Southeast Asia travel hub, which typically has 500 full-time inspectors working to eliminate standing water where mosquitoes can breed. The fact that Zika is spreading there, with at least 82 cases now confirmed, shows how "it's going to be really tough" for other places to control, Frieden said.

During the coming weeks in the United States, Frieden expects there will be more cases of infants born with Zika-related neurological problems. As of mid-August, 17 babies infected in utero had been diagnosed with microcephaly, a condition defined by an abnormally small head and often serious brain damage.

In hard-hit Puerto Rico, the CDC estimates that 6,000 to 10,000 pregnant women will become infected during this mosquito season and that at least 100 to 270 infants will be born with microcephaly.

Without additional funding, Frieden said, the CDC won’t be able to undertake key projects to better understand and control the virus, including Zika’s long-term impact on infants and diagnostics to identify if a person has been previously infected.

In Puerto Rico, the agency also won't be able to help the island establish its own vector control program. Without one, the island has not been able to conduct effective surveillance, mosquito control or public engagement, even though Puerto Rico is experiencing a Zika epidemic and has had a history of other vector-borne diseases.

Frieden said the few additional cases that have surfaced in other parts of South Florida are considered single cases that don’t represent a greater spread of the virus. (Hmmm, not sure I agree with this assessment but Frieden is supposed to be the expert...)

The travel advisories will be lifted after 45 days with no new cases from local transmission — the equivalent of three mosquito incubation periods. 

Although the Wynwood area is about halfway through that period, he said, Miami Beach is still experiencing new cases.

Guantánamo belongs to Cuba

Senator Cruz "to loose" and Senator Marco Rubio have no idea about this US-Cuba treaty; because, otherwise, they couldn't possibly make preposterous statements about how to sustain Guantánamo and the prison where Muslim terrorists are held, without due process.


"...agrees and covenants to pay to the Republic of Cuba the annual sum of two thousand dollars, in gold coin of the United States,.."
There's no way to expand Guantánamo when the US doesn't own the property!


Guantánamo

Guantanamo Cuba, aerial view

Lease to the United States by the Government of Cuba of Certain Areas of Land and Water for Naval or Coaling Stations in Guantanamo and Bahia Honda; July 2, 1903 http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/dip_cuba003.asp

Signed at Habana, July 2, 1903;
Approved by the President, October 2, 1903;
Ratified by the President of Cuba, August 17,1903;
Ratifications exchanged at Washington, October 6,1903

The United States of America and the Republic of Cuba, being desirous to conclude the conditions of the lease of areas of land and water for the establishment of naval or coaling stations in Guantanamo and Bahia Honda the Republic of Cuba made to the United States by the Agreement of February 16/23,1903, in fulfillment of the provisions of Article Seven of the Constitutional Appendix of the Republic of Cuba, have appointed their Plenipotentiaries to that end.-

The President of the United States of America, Herbert G. Squiers, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Havana.

And the President of the Republic of Cuba, Jose M. Garcia Montes, Secretary of Finance, and acting Secretary of State and Justice, who, after communicating to each other their respective full powers, found to be in due form, have agreed upon the following:

ARTICLE I

The United States of America agrees and covenants to pay to the Republic of Cuba the annual sum of two thousand dollars, in gold coin of the United States, as long as the former shall occupy and use said areas of land by virtue of said agreement.

All private lands and other real property within said areas shall be acquired forthwith by the Republic of Cuba.

The United States of America agrees to furnish to the Republic of Cuba the sums necessary for the purchase of said private lands and properties and such sums shall be accepted by the Republic of Cuba as advance payment on account of rental due by virtue of said Agreement.

ARTICLE II

The said areas shall be surveyed and their boundaries distinctly marked by permanent fences or inclosures.

The expenses of construction and maintenance of such fences or inclosures shall be borne by the United States.

ARTICLE III

The United States of America agrees that no person, partnership, or corporation shall be permitted to establish or maintain a commercial, industrial or other enterprise within said areas.

ARTICLE IV

Fugitives from justice charged with crimes or misdemeanors amenable to Cuban Law, taking refuge within said areas, shall be delivered up by the United States authorities on demand by duly authorized Cuban authorities.

On the other hand the Republic of Cuba agrees that fugitives from justice charged with crimes or misdemeanors amenable to United States law, committed within said areas, taking refuge in Cuban territory, shall on demand, be delivered up to duly authorized United States authorities.

ARTICLE V

Materials of all kinds, merchandise, stores and munitions of war imported into said areas for exclusive use and consumption therein, shall not be subject to payment of customs duties nor any other fees or charges and the vessels which may carry same shall not be subject to payment of port, tonnage, anchorage or other fees, except in case said vessels shall be discharged without the limits of said areas; and said vessels shall not be discharged without the limits of said areas otherwise than through a regular port of entry of the Republic of Cuba when both cargo and vessel shall be subject to all Cuban Customs laws and regulations and payment of corresponding duties and fees.

It is further agreed that such materials, merchandise, stores and munitions of war shall not be transported from said areas into Cuban territory.

ARTICLE VI

Except as provided in the preceding Article, vessels entering into or departing from the Bays of Guantanamo and Bahia Honda within the limits of Cuban territory shall be subject exclusively to Cuban laws and authorities and orders emanating from the latter in all that respects port police, Customs or Health, and authorities of the United States shall place no obstacle in the way of entrance and departure of said vessels except in case of a state of war.

ARTICLE VII

This lease shall be ratified and the ratifications shall be exchanged in the City of Washington within seven months from this date.

In witness whereof, We, the respective Plenipotentiaries, have signed this lease and hereunto affixed our Seals.

Done at Havana, in duplicate in English and Spanish this second day of July nineteen hundred and three.

JOSE M. GARCIA MONTES [SEAL]

H. G. SQUIERS [SEAL]

I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, having seen and considered the foregoing lease, do hereby approve the same, by virtue of the authority conferred by the seventh of the provisions defining the relations which are to exist between the United States and Cuba, contained in the Act of Congress approved March 2, 1901, entitled "An Act making appropriation for the support of the Army for the fiscal year ending June 30,1902."

Washington, October 2, 1903.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 

In other words (although I'm certainly no expert about treaties and leases) it appears that the future of Guantánamo is really under Cuban jurisprudence.

Pope Francis bravely brings spiritual focus to immigration

"Francis, the first pope from the Americas, has designed his trip through Mexico to replicate the route migrants take -- southern Chiapas state, where Central Americans arrive on their way to the U.S.; Michoacan, source of a large percentage of Mexican immigrants to Southern California and elsewhere; and, now, the border."- Los Angeles Times

He said a blessing, with Texas on the nearby horizon

While Republican "Blinky bottle Rubio" puts on a religious symbol display when cameras on him, he doesn't seem to pay much attention to the message of Catholic Pontif Pope Francis, who demonstrated spiritual compasson for immigrants in Mexico.

It seems to me, the Roman Catholic leaders of the US, like Senator Rubio, should have attended the Mass led today by Pope Francis, celebrated in Juarez, on the US-Mexico border. Pope Francis is demonstrating compassion for Hispanic immigrants!

Los Angeles Times reports:
Pope Francis decries 'human tragedy' that forces migration in landmark Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border
By:
Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Cindy Carcamo and Tracy WilkinsonContact Reporters

Pope Francis concluded an emotional, provocative journey through Mexico Wednesday, symbolically tracing the path of migrants headed for the United States and ending up at the border that divides and unites two societies.

Thousands of people gathered on both sides of the border—an election-year lightening rod that represents the tumultuous issue of immigration—to say Mass with the pope and hear his message of the need for fair wages, human dignity and an end to the violence convulsing Mexico.

Pope Francis during a brief stop near the international border with the United States of America to greet the faithful from across the border, in Ciudad Juarez. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

In a ceremony at the border before the mass, the pope mounted a ramp where one large cross and several smaller ones were posed to represent migrants killed in their attempts to reach the U.S. He said a blessing, with Texas on the nearby horizon. Those gathered on the levee waved and shouted, "Te queremos, papa,"--We love you, pope.

The pope did not cross into the United States but stayed here in the scruffy city of Ciudad Juarez, once infamous for a sky-high murder rate , especially of young women, many employed by foreign-owned factories along the border. But his message was clearly intended for both sides.

But his messages were clearly intended for both sides.
Speaking earlier in the day and in the same blunt style that has characterized all of his speeches in Mexico, he advocated for fair pay and reasonable workloads to an audience that included workers from the maquiladoras, or factories, as well as their owners and other members of the business elite.

The minimum wage in Juarez is less than five dollars a day, and hours are long. He listened as one woman, Deysi Flores Gamez, complained that parents toil such long days and nights, they can’t care properly for their children, who often stray into a life of crime.

“God will hold accountable the enslavers of our day,” he said, speaking, as he has throughout, in his native Spanish.

Juarez sits across the Rio Grande from El Paso, where people were also gathering to hear the pope via large television screens. Some approached the levee that marks the U.S. spot closest to Mexico on the river's banks.

Claudia Diaz, a 44-year-old woman without legal status who lives in New Mexico, walked onto the levee past Border Patrol agents and a highly fortified U.S-Mexico border fence.

She said she wasn't scared and instead focused on finding her seat in a VIP section--the closest spot to the pope on the U.S. side.

"This right here, what the pope is doing, is a miracle because he has permitted for people like us to be at this place—in these lands that are so vigilados, so militarized where so many have died trying to cross this river," she said pointing to the Rio Grande, which was mostly parched.

"For us to be here at this moment is very big."

After the pope's blessing at the border, after the pontiff had headed back toward the Juarez fairgrounds for the mass, Diaz and most of the people on the levee sat quietly but couldn't hear much.

Diaz was weeping. "It really was beautiful," she said.

"This is so unjust--being here on this side and not to be able to cross and be over there with him," she said, gesturing toward Mexico. "We just have to be content with being on this side."

Diaz, originally from Juarez, said many of her cousins, friends and her mother-in-law were attending the mass on the other side.

"It's sad here on our side because we can't even hear the mass. They couldn't even put a speaker here so we could hear it."

Earlier, the pope visited a notorious prison here, saying he could not ignore the most marginalized of Mexican society and blasting a culture that incarcerates those trapped “in a cycle of violence and crime.”

“We have already lost many decades thinking and believing that everything will be resolved by isolating, separating, incarcerating, and ridding ourselves of problems, believing that these policies really solve problems,” the pope said after hearing a female inmate speak on behalf of the prison's population and embracing her.

“We have forgotten to focus on what must truly be our concern: people’s lives; their lives, those of their families, and those who have suffered because of this cycle of violence,” he said.

Inmates filed in a line to greet the pope individually, as a band played “Besame Mucho”—Kiss me a lot.

Inmates had spiffed up the facility ahead of the pope's arrival, painting and removing trash. They—men and women—wore identical uniforms emblazoned with the name of the prison.

“From inside this prison,” the Pope continued, “you must work hard to change the situations which create the most exclusion. Speak with your loved ones, tell them of your experiences, help them to put an end to this cycle of violence and exclusion.

"The one who has suffered the greatest pain, and we could say ‘has experienced hell,’ can become a prophet in society. Work so that this society which uses people and discards them will not go on claiming victims.”

In a moment of silent prayer at the end of the pope's message, some of the inmates could be seen weeping.

The pope was handed the keys to the city after disembarking from his plane earlier in the morning as a band played a tango in his honor.

Ciudad Juarez is a city that is coping with all of Mexico’s troubles-- killing, drug trafficking, poverty, corruption and, especially, the often-perilous migration of Mexicans to the United States.

Francis, the first pope from the Americas, has designed his trip through Mexico to replicate the route migrants take -- southern Chiapas state, where Central Americans arrive on their way to the U.S.; Michoacan, source of a large percentage of Mexican immigrants to Southern California and elsewhere; and, now, the border.

As he wraps up his six-day trip through Mexico, the pope was planning to pray along the border, giving recognition to those who attempt to cross, even as he urged Mexico to become a nation where it was safe “to dream” and not have to abandon.

The faithful were gathering on both sides of the border long before daylight, and long lines were forming near the fairgrounds in anticipation of the pope's mass scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Lisa Ayoub Rodriguez, 35, wheeled her father-in-law from Indiana along the barricades toward the site of the papal Mass. It will be her second time seeing a pope in Mexico: she saw John Paul II in Mexico City after he canonized Juan Diego, the Indian credited with a vision of the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of the Americas.

"I know he's just a man, but he's also the leader of the church, a humble extension of God's hand," Ayoub said as she and her husband took turns with the wheelchair.

They live in El Paso, have followed news of the violence in Juarez; the father-in-law was hesitant to cross the border. But they were reassured by what they saw Wednesday: scores of volunteers greeting them and singing with tambourines, police and security manning the barricades.

"Juarez has been through a lot. For him to be here brings this energy," she said.

Of the 215,000 tickets distributed for Wednesday's Mass, at least 10,000 went to residents of El Paso, who will be crossing the border to attend.

An additional 4,000 people were expected to traverse from the U.S. to join a human chain protecting the pope's 25-mile route from the airport to the border Mass.

Scores of volunteers arrived at 4 a.m. to line the metal barricades. Among them were those who live in this border city, those who relocated to Texas during the past decade of violence, and visitors from the U.S.

Juarez not long ago was the murder capital of Mexico, at a time of skyrocketing homicide rates. It was also infamous for killings that singled out women, usually workers at the thriving maquiladora industries that supply the U.S. with clothing, television sets, snacks and other consumer products.

Much of the killing subsided after deals were struck with drug gangs. But kidnappings and extortion remain rampant.

The pope has not been shy in criticizing government officials and even his own clergy for their failure to look after the poor and downtrodden. It remained to be seen whether Francis would meet with the most iconic victims in Mexico, families of 43 college students kidnapped and presumably killed by corrupt authorities. The families have been invited to the Mass in Juarez but a private meeting was not scheduled.

The issue of drug violence came up even among three altar boys who were waiting to enter the papal Mass in their red-and-white outfits and silver crosses. They came with a church group from Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, where they grew up distrusting police.

"The only ones who protect us are the cartel of Juarez, the narcos. They defend us," said Isai Solano, 14, while eating fried beans and salsa from a plastic bag.

He especially distrusts the federal police who, despite all the public rhetoric about things becoming safer here, he said still act with impunity.

"The federales kill people and leave them and nothing happens," he said as several Juarez police officers stood nearby.

Daniela Hernandez, 17, was selling drinks and chicharones from a stand outside one of the entrances to the papal Mass. Others were chopping mango and jicama, then sprinkling them with chili and a squirt of lime.

Hernandez’s neighborhood is still plagued by robberies, but things have been peaceful ahead of the pope's visit; she said she hopes it stays that way afterward.

"I think people will reflect on all that happened and that the Mass will help us," she said. "The bad will turn to good."

Jaime Cortez, 59, sat on a street corner near the fairgrounds playing guitar and singing under a banner message for Pope Francis "La familia Cortez Te ama"; the Cortez family loves you.

"Raise your hands! Shake your body! Applaud!" Cortez shouted as he played, and the Cortez family as well as passersby complied, smiling.

"It's a day of celebration here," he said.

The family, like many here, lives on both sides of the border. Cortez moved to El Paso 30 years ago to work in a factory making military uniforms. Today, he was wearing a Texas Longhorns cap. But he loves Juarez, visits weekly and would like to see it emerge past the cycle of violence.

"You used to be able to go out in a street corner like this at 2 in the morning and talk like we are," he said.

In El Paso, just across the border from Juarez, Raul Gallegos, an Uber driver, had about the only vehicle downtown at 7 a. m. Wednesday. He said he'd never seen the city so quiet during a weekday morning.

He passed several parked police vehicles with their lights on during this drive to the Cordova bridge. The security, especially the multiple blockades, seemed a bit much, he said.

"It would have been different if he would've come here," he said of Pope Francis.

Along the pope's travel route in Juarez, vendors sold pope caps, flags and bracelets while volunteers distributed packed breakfasts and clutched blankets and jackets, hopping to stay warm in the chilly morning.

Julia Nunez, 49, lives in the nearby Juarez Valley, in Praxedis Guerrero. She works in the maquiladora factories that fuel the local economy. So did her son, Ivan Nunez. In 2011, he was killed, beaten in the street. Now, she keeps to herself.

"I don't go out, I don't talk to anyone and I don't have any problems," the volunteer said as she stood with other members of the human chain in their white Pope Francis T-shirts near the fairgrounds where the papal Mass will be held Wednesday.

"But that's living in fear!" Another woman said.

Pope Francis in Mexico

I hope he brings us peace, that peopplefeel we don't have tolive with violence withfear, thatwe have solidarity," she said.  Her 22-year-old daughter came too, and said the Pope gives her hopse that things can improve.  "He's very sincere, he speaks the truth and he speaks with all his heart," said America Alonso, a stay-at-home mom with a 5-year-old son she hopes to raise here.

Volunteer Carmen Aguirre, 56, returned to Juarez  from the Texas panhandle for the event, but said her family abandoned the Juarez Valley during the worst of the violence and won't be back soon.

Ther's a lot of desolation and abandoned houses. They don't want to return because of their kids," she said of elatives now in El Paso. But Pope Francis gives her hope.  "We have this faith that we are going to escape this violence, that the place will be cleansed for our children and grandchildren," she said as police trucks and buses passed, headed to the fairgrounds.
Nunez nodded.

Presidential Leadership - Communication from the Heart

President Obama finally gave a State of the Union message, one in which he believed, and it showed. 

In one of the best State of the Union speeches in recent memory, President Obama communicated his passion for progressive leadership with conviction, during last night's highly rated annual report to Congress. 

American people polled by CNN gave his post speech high marks, even giving as high as 70 percent approval to his call to action in support for the victims of gun violence.  "They deserve a vote", was his emotional clarion call, which received thunderous applause from Democrats and many of the victims themselves, who were evident, seated throughout the House gallery.

In contrast, the official Republican rebuttal to the President's speech, by politically promising Senator Marco Rubio, was unconvincing.  Rather than explaining how Republicans have alternatives to the President's progressive agenda, Senator Rubio used apologetic arguments (he believes in Medicare - but he wants to cut benefits and services!) and melodrama (his family was poor, too)  to garner sympathy for his point of view.  In other words, if Senator Rubio has aspirations about becoming a future President, he needs a lot of practice giving important speeches.  It was painfully obvious that  Senator Rubio did not take much time to rehearse his rebuttal speech and he even interrupted himself by gobbling a distracting gulp of water in the middle of an important segment. In fact, Senator Rubio's speech will go down as one of the worst presentations ever for an important televised speech, because his memorable moment was visibly flawed by the water incident.

President Obama's speech was brilliantly uplifting:  "Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, there is much progress to report. After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home. After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over 6 million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in five years and less foreign oil than we have in 20. Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before."

Unfortunately, two Supreme Court justices were absent during the rousing speech.  Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas snubbed the event.  Perhaps they have the clout to be arrogant, but their absence is even more evidence of Governor Jindal of Louisiana's description of Republicans being "stupid".  

President Obama's leadership was firmly communicated to the American people last evening. Indeed, it was like his speech was the first one, rather than the 5th, he's given to Congress and the American people.  

Although a menu of progressive issues were supported in the President's speech, the biggest take away is that he finally found wind for his political sails. As a matter of fact, President Obama's leadership is taking the wind out of Republican rhetoric.

It's time the Republicans are all sailed right out of office.