The Western Word is coming to you, STILL, I repeat STILL, coronavirus free, from deep inside an underground bunker in Montana. The bunker also serves as the worldwide headquarters for The Western Word blog!

Quote of the day…

I never thought the comment “I wouldn’t touch him/her with a six-foot pole” would become a national policy, but here we are! – Unknown

Today’s independent commentary deals with these people/issues:

• 2020 Census Response
• Crazy Trump Train
• White House Video
• One More Thing

2020 CENSUS RESPONSE:

Montana is way behind in responding to the 2020 U.S. Census. As of this morning, Montana ranked 45th in total self-response rate with a 40.2% rate. Minnesota was first with a 57.5% response rate.

As I wrote on April 3:

…there are many Montanans who are ignorant and don’t want the “gubment” in their business. By not completing the 2020 Census, these people think they are sticking it to the man.

They are breaking the law by not participating. The fact is these rednecks are sticking it to their state – to their neighbors. Millions of dollars are based on the census count. Those dollars are going somewhere, so they might as well come to Montana.

You can complete the 2020 Census online HERE.

CRAZY TRUMP TRAIN:

I’ve said that watching the White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing is like watching a circus and some days it’s a total shit show. It’s like you don’t want to see the car wreck, but you peek anyway.

On Monday, Paula Reid of CBS News asked Trump what he did in the early stages besides restrict travel from China which was announced on January 31 and was put in place February 2.

The fact is that Trump did little else in February except to hold campaign rallies and play golf. He dismissed the threat several times. He said during Monday’s briefing that “Everything we did was right.”

The questions from Reid ignited Trump and off the rails he went.

Trump fired back at Reid saying, “You’re so disgraceful. It’s so disgraceful the way you say that.” When pressed a little more by Reid, Trump said, “You know you’re a fake, your whole network, the way you cover it is fake.” (USA Today)

A little later on, Trump was asked about his earlier Tweet Monday morning that said, “For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect.” (The Hill)

When pressed about it he could not name the provisions that give him the authority. Finally, he responded with this doozy:

The President of the United States has the authority to do what the President has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The President of the United States calls the shots.

He called the authority “total.”

Some called Trump’s actions during the briefing “unhinged” and “childish” and a “temper tantrum.” I think one of the doctors on his task force should involuntarily commit Trump based on mental illness.

Super conservative U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) tweeted a little while after Trump made the “total” authority remark:

The federal government does not have absolute power.

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” United States Constitution, Amendment X.

THE WHITE HOUSE VIDEO:

President Trump played a campaign-style video during Monday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing which was titled, “The Media Minimized the Risk from the Start.”

President Trump played the White House-made video at the daily coronavirus briefing full of press clips over the past few months about the administration’s response. Members of the press were shown a 4-minute clip Monday highlighting media predictions that did not come true, a timeline of the president’s response and how the nation’s governors have praised Trump. (RealClearPolitics)

It appears that Trump is trying to blame the media for his poor performance.

You can read the transcript and see the video HERE.

ONE MORE THING:

You wanted a reality show host as your President, well now you are on Survivor. –Unknown

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