Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.

America voted for radical (technically, reactionary) change. We got it. Generalissimo Donaldov's fawning performance in Helsinki last Monday brought shouts of high treason from high places, except from top Democrats.

At least Sen. Schumer and Shadow Speaker Pelosi joined a statement with House Speaker Paul Ryan (even Hermit the Frog hedgingly, grudgingly, curmudgeonly and croakingly kinda concurring.)

The four top congressional leaders disagreed with Czar Trumpsky and continued to back US intelligence agencies which unanimously concluded that Bad Vlad and the Vampires did play a date in the US in 2016 and are booking encores.

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow wrote "Trump is a traitor and may well be treasonous." Wimp.

Triple-Pulitzer winner Thomas Friedman stated "There is overwhelming evidence that our president, for the first time in our history, is deliberately or through gross negligence or because of his own twisted personality engaged in treasonous behavior — behavior that violates his oath of office to 'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States'...

"Listening to Trump, it was as if Franklin Roosevelt had announced after Pearl Harbor: 'Hey, both sides are to blame. Our battleships in Hawaii were a little provocative to Japan — and, by the way, I had nothing to do with the causes for their attack. So cool it.' " Friedman continued.

Former C.I.A. Director John Brennan tweeted "Donald Trump’s news conference performance in Helsinki rises to and exceeds the threshold of 'high crimes & misdemeanors.' It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???"

Were I still beating Lush Rambo on the radio, I'd now cue Martha & the Vandellas doing "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide."

But I've got a better idea. For most of the 20th Century, Republicans overtly and covertly accused Democrats of treason for advocating such subversive socialist/communist programs as Social Security, Medicare, welfare, food stamps, universal health care, free public education, voting rights, civil rights, women's rights, economic fairness and anti-discrimination.

The vitriol was just mindless political rhetoric, but it intimidated cowardly Donkeyites for the better part of a century.

Cue Bob Dylan with a song for Republicans, Reaganauts, Religionauts and Corporate Welfare Queens: "How does it feel to be on your own? Like a complete unknown? With no direction home? Like a Rolling Stone."

How does it feel, indeed.

ABORTION TOURISM. With his nomination of another moonhowling Kool-Aid quaffer to the US Supreme Court, the only president we've got deserves credit for opening up a whole new market niche for Nevada.

Low cost abortion tours with rooms, airfare, medical consulting, free shows, Raider tickets and a big buffet all included in one low price. What's not to like?

LAZY JUDGE SYNDROME. That disgrace to my heritage, the late Justice Antonino Scalia, invented a legal subterfuge that guaranteed that he and those who followed wouldn't have to do a lick of work on the bench. Noah Webster would do everything for them.

All that future Antonistas would ever have to do is use a garden-variety dictionary to make complex legal decisions. Today's conservative screwoffs might find a few quirks, like the fact that "steward" and "stewart" were actually nice ways of saying pig-sty warden. They might be forced into occasional taboo improv, e.g., a trombone was called a "sagbutt" back when James Madison and John Jay walked the land. Don't want to offend the weight-loss industry.

Besides, we've got an early tee time.

Last year, I accurately predicted that now-Justice Gorsuch would become Poison Annie's Revenge. (Barbwire 2-7-2017) His mom, Ann Gorsuch Burford resigned under fire as EPA boss after an associate's conviction, but not before carving the toxic template for the now-defrocked Scott Pruitt.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN DEPT. Signs have popped up on southwest McCarran trying to drum up developer interest in the 1,019-acre Ballardini Ranch, the last pristine expanse of open space in the Truckee Meadows. You may access the entire sordid 2006 saga of Love's Labours Lost at ProtectOurWashoe.org. Not to worry. The Great Recession killed the first attempt to bulldoze the bears and bunnies. Great Depression2 will provide instant replay. Washoe County already paid $15 million plus attorney fees for the land without obtaining title, and karma will dictate that justice be done. Sometimes, depression cures depredation...Following up an item I printed last year, I just got a tip that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has finally agreed to investigate Douglas County government for ignoring racist intimidation...We now have a "classic hip-hop" (fka rap) music station at 95.5-fm. Mississippi West is maturing, albeit decades tardy, as usual. Rap eclipsed rock for pop domination a couple of years ago...Barbwire spies report that one of the last bastions of old white guy power is crumbling as Downtown Reno Rotary hemorrhages members...Courageous Marilyn Jones has retired as Duncan-Traner librarian. She had the guts to openly defy huckster ex-Washoe School boss Heath Morrison's stifling of dissent about his abortive attempt to cut already-skeletal library budgets. The community will miss her. So will her students. So will I.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)
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Andrew Barbano is a 49-year Nevadan, executive producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration, first vice-president and political action chair of the Reno-Sparks NAACP, labor/consumer/civil rights advocate, member of Communications Workers of America Local 9413/AFL-CIO and editor of NevadaLabor.com and BallotBoxing.US and SenJoeNeal.org and DoctorLawyerWatch.com/ As always, his opinions are strictly his own. Check local listings for other Nevada cable systems. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Sparks Tribune since 1988 and received its 8th Nevada Press Association award and 5th first-place at the 30 Sept. 2017 NPA annual convention in Carson City. (That trophy and about six bucks will get you a Latte Mocha Cotsafracas Chingade at just about any Starbux worldwide, guaranteed.)

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