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#1: Aurelian Ginkgo (AurelianGinkgo) on Dec 11, 2017

Sorry, accidental post.

Poor, poor nation. :(

When I saw it was a flag, and upside down, that's the first thing I thought of. Lordy.

Aw, c'mon people. No politics here, OK?

:( :( :( !!!

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Well put Brian.

I suppose you would all rather have Killary for a president. She has left a trail of dead bodies, lied under oath, misused the Clinton's so called charity fund, accepted large sums of money for expected favors in return, is in the pocket of George Soros who wants to destroy the USA, has protected pedophile rings, and the list goes on and on. You may not like Trump, but he is our president and we should respect that. He might not be the best of all presidents, but he is so much better than the alternative.

***Warning***The following rant contains political opinion.

Wow, you really did a 180 on the "no politics here" imposition. I guess dikhz (btw, funny username) really convinced you.

Wasn't the Russian Troll Factory news that she RAN a pedophile ring?

Not the best president ever is quite the understatement. Only time will tell for sure, but so far, he has my vote for worst president ever. #worstpresever

Oabama wins worst president ever, hands down.

President Donald Trump's goal of 3 percent growth has been realized in two of the three quarters since he took office, and economists say the trend can keep going for at least another quarter and possibly longer.

Third-quarter GDP grew by 3 percent, well above the 2.5 percent expected by economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters and below the 2.8 percent in the CNBC/Moody's Rapid Update. The third-quarter number comes on top of 3.1 percent growth in the second quarter, making for the best back-to-back quarters since 2014 and ending a long streak of sluggish 2 percent growth.

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The left studiously twist every thing he says. He still has Obama spies leaking false information. How can someone go down in history as a good president who has violated our constitution numerous times as Obama has done. Mickey Mouse would have been a better president than Obummer.

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Norma Dee, where are your information from? Fake news?

Btw Great puzzle, Brian

He did not respect the law and our Constitution when he was president, and he does not respect them now. Recently, while Obama was busy setting up his “shadow government” to protest and disrupt President Trump efforts to lead our nation, the Supreme Court ruled that Obama violated the Constitution.

And, that’s what he did, for three full years!

According to Chief Justice John Roberts, Obama did an “end-run around” the Constitution.

Lafe Solomon had violated the agency’s ethics rules by violating and intervening in a case on behalf of a company that he owned stock in. According to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, (FVRA) he should have stepped down. That is why the Senate refused to take up his nomination to serve as permanent general counsel.

In a 6-2 opinion, written authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court ruled that Barack Hussein Obama violated the Constitution. Surprise, surprise, surprise!

“Barack Obama has now revealed that he unilaterally plans to use executive orders to ‘bypass’ Congress. His shocking words were: ‘We are not just going to be waiting for legislation. … I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone. And I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions,’ she wrote.

“I hope every American actually sees Obama speak those words on a TV or computer screen. His dictatorial attitude, layered with arrogance and condescension, should be repudiated by a self-governing people

“Obama claims to have taught constitutional law, but he doesn’t seem to be familiar with the Constitution’s words. Lost in his shuffle are ‘all legislative powers’ are vested in Congress, and the president ‘shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.'”

Issues on which Obama has been accused of being in conflict with the Constitution:

A federal judge said his funding for Obamacare was unconstitutional.
A court was told Obama’s gun-control plans “exceed the powers of the president.”
National Review columnist Ilya Shapiro once pointed out Obama’s 10 top constitutional violations of 2015, including financial bailouts.
His belief that “gay” trumps religion in the U.S. Constitution.
His ordering of religious believers to provide abortion pills in violation of their faith.
The Iran deal.
Obama’s amnesty plan.
His agenda to enact same-sex “marriage.”
His recess appointments.
His refusal to deport illegal aliens.
His attempt to coerce Catholics to support birth control
His mandate over private health care records.
His orders that schools and public buildings open women’s restrooms to men who say they are women.
His insistence that states cannot deprive abortionists of public funding.
That the feds can orders states not to enforce immigration laws.
That the federal government can simply change definitions of words in federal law, even though it may cost Americans.
That he can decide which people will be allowed to move into certain neighborhoods.
That he can decide who faces prosecution.
That he can change the Constitution’s language, from “freedom of religion” to “freedom of worship.”
That he can dictate speech codes
That the IRS can selectively target Christians and conservatives because they disagree with Obama’s policies.


Want more? Just Google "how many times has Obama violated the constitution". The list of his violations goes on for pages and pages.

What was that about no politics here, Norma? Generally speaking, I agree, although given the divisiveness that is part of the fabric of American life now, it's a bit difficult to avoid a subject virtually everyone feels. And it's impossible to go along with you on this particular puzzle, since the very point of it is political.

But for you to then go off the deep end with not only a rant, but a rant based on some of the questionable sources that are the very basis of Brian's -- and many citizens' -- distress.

I believe there is value to allowing someone to express their political views here, as long as they are not violent, defamatory, hateful, or criminal.

I also believe that, unlike normal discourse in the United States these days, people with opposing views should be able to express and discuss those views without resorting to tirades like yours. What used to make this country great was that opposing sides could discuss almost anything in a civilized manner. Those days are largely gone, and the present administration has, if anything, made things worse.

Finally, if I Google, "how many times has Obama violated the Constitution," I will no doubt get dozens of hits. Once I weed out the ones from "Fox & Friends," Breitbart, Infowars, and the like, it is unlikely there will be many, if any credible sources left.

It used to be standard practice to assume anything you read on the Web was false unless you could confirm otherwise or it was a 'trusted' site. That's why sites like Wikipedia allow for continuous editing, commenting, and correcting of information. But not only has the Web gotten significantly worse in recent years, there are far too many people, on the right and the left, who now take it as gospel. What they often believe are trusted sites are anything but. Combine that with the tendency to only read what one already believe, it's frightening to think of what some people truly believe to be real.

True that not everything you see on the internet is fact, however, with a little patience you can find the truth. Here's one gem of truth:

A federal appeals court said President Obama’s own words claiming powers to “change the law” were part of the reason it struck down his deportation amnesty, in a ruling late Monday that reaffirmed the president must carry out laws and doesn’t have blanket powers to waive them.

US-CourtOfAppeals-5thCircuit-SealThe United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that President Barack Obama violated the Constitution in order unilateral changes to immigration laws in the latest such ruling against executive overreach by the President. The President’s own words were used by the panel to rule that he intended to unilaterally change the law.

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Great picture. As far as the rest of the comments, I'll just leave it at "wow".

Time to do a little soul searching. David R. Felton has made a few good points, even though leaning strongly to the left. But bottom line: Have I changed any of your opinions or changed the way you feel about Trump or Obama? Absolutely not! Have any of you changed the way I feel? Of course not. Is there any chance any of us will change how others feel? Very, very little chance of that. Right?

So, the very talented Brian Bellis makes a fabulous puzzle with the unique design of an upside down flag and throws out a rather casual sounding, but actually very loaded remark and the fireworks begin. But has anything else changed? Unfortunately, yes. We have spoken many times about how this site was a sanctuary and an escape from the crap that surrounds us on a daily basis. That's no longer true if we engage in these kinds of discussions.

And it's quite possible it changes how we perceive each other.

I understand that many (if not all) of you hate me now, but hopefully I have made a point about staying away from politics on this site. There are plenty of other sites where opinions are welcomed and encouraged.

Let us all not forget that the first amendment is very precious and should be defended against those hate groups who are trying to use the first amendment to destroy it.

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I have often dispaired at what our forefathers intended by the first amendment and what it has become. But trying to change it would open too many cans of worms, causing endless debates on what constitutes free speech and what doesn't.

This is not an argument for or against free speech, but just and observation of changing times. Remember (if you are old enough) how terribly shocked people were when Clark Gable was allowed to say "damn" in Gone With the Wind? But now the "f" bomb and worse are dropped continuously throughout a movie and no one thinks anything of it?

A clever puzzle Brian. Thank you.

Norma. I have no room in my heart for hate. I will respect and defend your right to say anything you damn well want to as long as it doesn't cause physical injury to others. I would prefer that any discussions here stay civil and not get personal. Disagree with my ideas but respect my right to present them.

Recently, I have been disappointed by tactics taken by some fellow liberals in getting neoconservatives to cancel college lectures. We should learn to listen to other points of view or at worst, don't show up to those lectures. NOT shout them down.

I hate when my people land on the wrong side of an issue just because they don't want to be in agreement with opposition.

I don't always click on the comments, but I'm glad I did this time. This has been a very interesting discussion and, while I don't share Norma's point of view, I was very glad to read it. Some things to consider: after decades of being under a Republican microscope, Mrs. Clinton has never been indicted. If she had committed a crime, they would have found it. Obama's administration was remarkably free of scandal. If Republicans could have found an actual crime they would have pursued it. Lacking any crime, they throw out all kinds of accusations.
As for Trump, he has officially admitted some crimes: redlining and fraud, and has unofficially admitted others: obstruction and sexual harassment and assault. There are others possible: conspiracy, money laundering, violation of the Emoluments Clause, the Corrupt Foreign Practices Act, laws concerning foundations, for example.
Let's make a deal. If Trump manages to finish his four years in office, I'll pay more attention to FOX News and the like; but if he is impeached and removed, I hope anyone who depends on those news sources will pay more attention the The New York Times and the Washington Post.
Oh, and the puzzle was really good, Brian.

I'm with Norma. This was supposed to be a respite from the world. If I want to argue with illogical sheep, I'll hang out on Twitter. This site is tainted for me now. Sad. Wish you all good lives. I'm out.

It's a shame a single comment thread would drive you away.

I think everyone with passionate feelings on this thread wants good things from life. They want happiness and health and success, for themselves, their country and the world. People live in different circles, seeing different news stories and speaking to different groups of people... ideas get solidified. At the end of the day, I don't believe that one group of people is bad or evil or ill meaning. I don't think that shouting one's belief louder than the other side will bring us to any kind of shared understanding. I think this is a sad, stuck place we find ourselves in. I don't think that this started with the 2016 election, or with the previous presidency... I think we've been drifting apart into separate communities for a couple of decades. I'd like to believe that I enjoy solving puzzles on this site along with people who both agree and disagree with my political views... so that we can have SOMETHING in common and remember our shared humanity and our shared need for the world to be a good place for us to live in.

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