The administration is treating war like a video game. We cannot restart the lives lost. War is devastating.
Be LOUD! 💔🤍💙
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Goodtrouble) to contact members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly.
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
One of our biggest hindrances at this point might be fatigue. I know Dr. Richardson mentions from time to time how tired she is. So, while we are loud and proactive in our particular areas of resistance to this regime, we also need to take breaks.
Spring is happening in some States or at least the easing of a harsh winter. Go outside. Look at daffodils. Buy a new shirt or dress. Whatever works for each of us to refuel we should do it.
Years ago I heard the term “compassion fatigue.” I thought it accurately describes at least part of what some of us might be feeling now. This is to be expected, what with Bannon’s “flood the zone” strategy of attempting to overwhelm us every hour it seems, with something new and usually harmful to the American people. I have lived with decades of chronic pain. I can’t march, but every day I call my reps. I sign petitions. I write out postcards for elections. I donate carefully to races I feel candidates have the best chance to win. I get on Zoom calls. I phone bank. I share and reshare information on social media.
But I also get outside. I enjoy the Los Angeles warmth and sun, I watch my favorite classic film, I play with my cats, I paint, I write, I listen to music. Do not let them defeat you. Engage. Rest. Enjoy. Start over. Thank you Heather and thank you to every person here fighting for humanity. ❤️
Yes, again. The fire changed everything for many of us who were actively facing and resisting any way we could. Jess Craven said she was going to be at a San Gabrial Vally Foothill Democatic Club meeting last Thursday evening. We are renting down in the valley and I went to say hi to her and finally meet new people who were actively facing our threats. It felt refreshing to be back. Our rebuild is out of my hands as we wait for permits and the builder starts building. Time will be my own again soon, I hope. ALTADENA STRONG!!
As someone who lost everything in the Lāhainā fire and is still navigating the long road of rebuilding, I feel this deeply. These disasters change our communities, but they also open our eyes to the larger systems and choices shaping our future. The conversations happening now go far beyond any one place. Standing in solidarity with everyone pushing for meaningful change. Lāhainā Strong. Altadena Strong.
I understand your pain Denise. I can’t march either. Two months ago I finally agreed to a total knee replacement. Now I can walk far enough, about 300', to find that my lower back says. "SIT! NOW!" All that is why I had the time, and need, to began editing my past thoughts and notes as a lifelong student of American history and Constitutional law and writing some new lines about "what they did, how and when they did it and what we must do to save our Republic, our Democracy -- the Rule of Law." Please read, share and discuss my "Memorandum to We the People." I promise the professional interpretation and effective presentation of my Memorandum by Mr. Dale Rowett of LexiGraphics.Pro alone is worth a visit to my page at UnitedWeAmend.org.
Mr. Killackey: I'm heading over there now to read and share with others. I am always impressed with the level of scholarship and contribution of information provided by the people on this substack. Thank you and keep up the physical therapy.....
I'm one week out from knee replacement #2. Recovery is a process, and I hope that you see the same recovery at 6 months that I did last year (and I hope that I do, too!).
Thanks for these links, and I look forward to reading your writings!
I cannot believe the difference medical science offers. I am heading for bilateral cochlear implants in May. All life is a struggle and if you don't keep fighting you will die. The current President and Supreme Court is a good example of what I am talking about. We need good knee joints to be able to kick their asses.
Before winter set in I was out for my run (now only a mile) and I stumbled for the first time ever. I protected my head but got scabs on my knee and elbow and I landed on my hand and one finger was deeply gashed. Better my finger than my head, lol. The occasional run gives me stamina.
I had bilateral knee replacement surgery when I was 72 years old (now 85.) With those knees, I have no pain and have gone on to win a number of golf tournaments. No more tennis or badminton. Modern medicine is amazing. I hope that your results are as good as mine and even better.
Hi Albert - as I say now, at 59, if it’s not one thing it’s another! Seriously, I hope you continue to improve with your knee. Backs just seem to have a mind of their own (haha). I’d love to read what you’ve written and will head on over there. Thank YOU for doing this - sometimes just reading other peoples’ work is a balm to the soul!
Thanks. I don’t feel amazing. I’ve had pain for 32 years and as I have gotten older I feel more worn out. But somehow doing all I can, no matter how small, to fight these Fascists, has given me renewed purpose. Also, I’m extremely stubborn, determined and refuse to just roll over and give up. Some days it feels like progress, some days it feels helpless, but the point is, to just keep moving forward. They want us to give up and screw that. I don’t like being told what to do, especially by a bunch of psychopaths!
Looks like the aches and pains column, lol. I’ve had periodic sciatica all my life. Fortunately it only pops up once every 5 or 10 years but when it does, I panic. And now there are other ache and pains for this 72 year old. I’m told it gets worse. Dag who is gonna feed the cats. And one cat that I just took in and a litter. God.But they are so cute.how could I ever say no.
Sciatica is seriously sent by the Devil! 😂 I joke but really, it’s the worst. Oh a cat person! Hello! I have two cuties and they often keep me going! Wish I could have one more. After that it’s just too much work. Animals are the BEST. Never trust a man who doesn’t like animals - looking at YOU TRUMP!
Yes you are amazing says one stubborn critter to another. I had chronic pain for several months and was so exhausted. Can’t imagine years with such agony. And all the other stuff, sure hope the activities of many make a difference. Renewed purpose is what I’m working on. I welcome any help…
So sorry - no amount of chronic pain is ever really bearable - but now I feel I can direct my stubbornness toward these Fascists. Honestly the last ten years have focused me in a way nothing else has. And it helps so much being connected to so many others who feel the same way!
Its been 10 years of Trumps shit in our face at least twice daily. 10 years of a criminal and social deviant getting way with torts left and right, and shoving it all in our face. 10 years of constant grifting and ignoring court orders, 30,000 lies the 1st 4 years alone, a major insurrection with zero consequences, using our government and our tax dollars to enrich himself, his family, and his fellow Epstein clansmen, and all the while a sizable minority of our "fellow citizens" are loving it all. It is impossible to keep up ones anger at it all.
Robert, same thoughts occurred to me, it's been 10 years of this tabloid garbage. I think we'll get through this. Hopefully without creating nuclear no-go zones from some conflict. Almost fun to watch as the MAGA40% staring up at the gas signs for gas going higher and higher. But the killer is the cost of diesel which is directly reflected in the price you and I pay for EVERY good we buy. Those are costs we are stuck with.
Alex, one of the main difficulties is that our media "fell in love" with Baby Donnie, or at least the image that had always been put out for him. He has always been a jerk, but he was supposedly a rich great businessman who made "great deals." What he was, is an ignoramus with Daddy's money (essentially stolen from Daddy), and a masterful con artist who could get the easily-manipulated to do whatever he wanted and there was rarely accountability for anything he did, to the point of 6 bankruptcies. No one should ever be able to get away with that. One can't help but wonder what he gained through his long association with Jeffrey Epstein. It had to be plenty for Trump to even notice him. I heard that it is possible Trump helped to get the whole operation going and used his influence with banks and other entities to get the money for the projects. I don't know for sure that is what happened, but, would that surprise me, not on your life! These activities with no accountability just set him up to do to this nation what he has been doing to contractors, communities, and women all his life.
Agree Ruth. And for the "media" whose freight is paid for by advertisers it was a feeding frenzy. One truckload of crap after another. Stormy days and Stormy nights, "breaking news", and cleavage to grab those viewer-ratings. We're in the gutter. At least Fox got taken to task for mis-behavior, but it was under a billion.., chump change today for that crowd.
Yes, much of what I do each day here in Las Cruces, NM. Keep a balance and stay sane. Get outdoors each day, do some art work, walk the dog. Write letters, donate ... As Joyce says, "We're in this together."
Walk the dog, indeed. My 90lb 10.5 year old Labrador / Flat Coated retriever, Hennerey, wrecked his joints from years of extremely enthusiastic play. He can barely walk a block, but is otherwise healthy and very happy. I’m about to pull the trigger on a stroller / bike trailer for him, so we can get back into nature. He is the joy in my life.
Thomas, we have a small guy with a terrier face who is about 15 and pulls my husband on the walk every am. He still indulges in zoomies from time to time. He is a joy to us too and often makes us laugh.
Denise, you are right about the deliberate intentions of those currently in power to overwhelm us with their cruelty, incompetence, attacks on nearly every aspect of life so we will not have the energy to fight them while they don't have to worry about anything. They have accumulated huge sums of money, much of it from our tax money, so don't really care that gas prices are rocketing, food prices are outrageous, and more people are finding themselves visiting food banks and avoiding getting medical care. Those like Bannon and the rest of Trump's toddler pool lie, deceive, and create havoc. It is hard to determine their goals except to cause havoc. They know Trump has dementia and that whatever he says will be parts ego wishes and the rest lies. That is not unlike most of the rest of his life except that now it is more disjointed and more people are dying, although a lot have died already and the toddler pool does not care; after all they are just fine. We do need to stop, get out into the air, nature, watch spring starting its glorious run. With that renewal, we will have more energy to deal with the utter depravity of a group of rich white men who have no positive moral compass among them. How anyone still supports Trump and his crazies is astounding to me since they have done nothing positive for anyone, just like their Republican predecessors for the past half-century. They are good at blaming, lying, insulting, denying and on and on. We must work together, join our energies to stop them!
Ruth, it is hard to understand, but they play to deep prejudices that some people have. I have seen posts, usually by males, who are absolutely exultant that we are destroying Iran. They love the violence.
Two Univ. of Kansas professors conducted a study on those who voted for Trump in the 2016 election and published their findings in the Feb. 2018 edition of the peer-reviewed journal, "Critical Sociology." Their findings? Trump's voters voted for him because of his prejudices. They want Trump to crush the immigrants, women and gay rights' advocates, brown-skinned people, and more. Some think that Trump is anointed by God to replace our democratic form of government with a Christian theocracy, led by white people, of course.
Michele, it seems that when men get power and money, they think it is because of their brilliance (it rarely is) and that they can do whatever they want with it, no matter who is harmed. And, they do not want any accountability, just kudos for the things they think went great for them. We need to find ways to curb male overzealousness because it so often turns out poorly. All the wars in the world in the past many millennia have been male led or inspired with a rare few exceptions and those women who were leaders in war, were nearly always taken down and humiliated or killed by men. Ugh!
But Michele.., where does it start. First grade? 2nd grade? The home? Our Country? Montessori schools? Corporal punishment? Are women a kinder, gentler lot? Maybe look for some other "males" to compare with. Maybe some who don't wear hats at the dinner table..., hahahhaaa but I hear ya Michele.., makes one wonder.
Not trying to blame all men here, just reporting the posts I have seen. I can think of some modern examples of monstrous women as I am sure you can as well. I think the attitude can start pretty early, probably at home. Have a friend who is substituting and she gave an account of third graders being horrible. I received some corporal punishment because I am old enough to have grown up when it was considered OK by most people. I do not take pleasure in watching innocent people bombed. I do confess to wishing certain people to bow out, but it is not something I would feel normally. I know several people who feel the same way, both genders, and they are bothered by it.
Corporal punishment is a monster. Recommending Pilates for all physical ills. The practice leads to an understanding of the body that no amount of physical therapy ever gave me. Started at 78, at almost 92, even with the interruption of Covid, still improving musculature.
Well said. They simply do not care because it will never affect them. When the Republicans simply rolled over for Trump and endorsed his Big Death Bill, it stunned me. I thought were they always sociopaths? Are they truly that scared of him? I suppose power is more important than their constituents’ lives. Whatever it is, I admit, I want to see every single one lose or get out. The numbers of R’s retiring is staggering. Yes, it’s infuriating they are retiring with cushy pensions and lifelong healthcare, but I still want them gone. I think if anything, we can see now how utterly compromised both sides of the aisle are - at least many Democrats - and how weak much of our Constitution is. If we ever make it out of this nightmare, major overhauls need to be made so this can never happen again.
And as if war weren’t enough, Dr. Oz (the man behind the curtain) thinks another four million people are not entitled to health insurance. They should be cut off due to waste, fraud and abuse.
I wonder what these four million Americans did? What was their waste, fraud and abuse? The fact that they used medical services they didn’t “need” (waste!!)? The fact that their unreported income makes them unworthy of healthcare (fraud!!)?
Who identified these wasters, fraudsters and abusers? AI? Based on what criteria?
Perhaps I am lacking in imagination. I thought it was the insurers and the clinics that were responsible for billing for services not delivered, or prescribing more expensive services, or denying services while they keep the full government payments (I’m looking at you, Medicare (Dis)Advantage). But this administration never investigates the health oligarchs. No, they focus on cutting the services and eliminating eligibility.
We have to cut the eligibility of these greedy bastards. Make sure you are registered (well in advance) and VOTE. They will not stop unless we stop them.
I heard this. Unfortunately I can’t express my feelings about Oz or RFK Jr. or the Republicans taking away health care from millions of people the way I’d like or I’d probably have the Secret Service at my door. I find myself so enraged and I know that isn’t good for me mentally or physically. These people are true monsters though.
As a country, we do seem to have a heck of a lot of money (tax $$ I assume) so that we could have universal health care. Obama almost had it. Perhaps FFRF ought to be up front. Maybe "AI" will walk us thru some of our petty hang-ups `and convolutions-of-some-law or technicality stopping the show? Of course, now that we seem to be allowing churches (tax exempt!!) to participate in the political scene we need some leaders who understand what FFRF is all about.
Marge, I always find it interesting that someone who has had everything all his life wants to keep people from having something as basic as healthcare. I can't help but wonder which medical school graduated a man with no ability to empathize. I already know who nominated him to an important position he is neither qualified for nor deserving of and why; it's to destroy our democracy one cabinet post or agency position at a time or rather all of them at once.
Denise, I also have chronic pain; it’s a good day when I can roll over in bed without screaming. No more marching for me. But you inspire me with what you do to preserve our Republic. Thank you for your service.
I’m so sorry to hear this Marge. I did try to do a protest once last year but yikes that was a mistake. I feel guilty but I know I shouldn’t. I just try to do what I can although some days it seems especially overwhelming. I wish you low or no pain moments - as many as possible!
Denise, I just read yesterday a recommendation for getting outside in the light first thing in the am. OK, I confess I am drinking a cup of coffee at the moment and it windy and rainy outside, but I enjoy that. Yesterday, I started some more flowers in my greenhouse. We have allclassical portland on all day. I read a lot and play with the dog. Kudos for all that you do.
I had a dream last night that the drones were flying over like flocks of birds, they were all sizes. There was much fear. Suddenly a huge plane flew over and took them out, plastic falling out of the sky like rain. The people realized how cheaply they were made and Joy started to spread. I woke suddenly and thought “He’s (we all know who He is) dying”. Dreams are random and complicated but sometimes they come true… let it be so.
Yes, take care. No Kings Day is March 28, 2026. But, many, many effective actions can be taken now.
One issue, Heather is monitoring closely is ICE's planned custodial detentions & the development of prisons & on-going property acquisition of "facilities" in Colorado.
Yesterday, 3/10/26 , I subscribed to the FREE Colorado Times Recorder (CTR) daily newsletter.
Per Jason Salzman's CTR headline on 3/6/26: "After the Colorado Times Recorder Revealed Secret Detention Centers in Colorado, 31 CO lawmakers called on ICE for "immediate transparency".
Transparency then public action & direct legal response.
There have been anti-war protests occurring along with other protests every day. The media generally ignores protests unless really big. I am, frankly, pinning a lot of hope on the March 28 protest. I hope we wake more Americans up. The deliberate ignorance I see every day is galling and is a huge pall on what we are trying to do. Our biggest hindrance is the media. They continue to normalize this regime. This includes too many in the independent journalism group.
Amazing every day it seems like it’s politics as usual in the media when it’s a tornado, tsunami and hurricane all around us. How can so many keep on pretending for so long…
Hello JD... From HCR Today: "“I am most concerned about the threat to American lives, of potentially deploying our sons and daughters on the ground in Iran. We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran…and there is also, as disturbingly as anything else, the specter of active Russian aid to Iran, putting in danger American lives. Literally, Russia seems to be aiding our enemy, actively and intensively, with intelligence and perhaps with other means, and China, also, may be assisting Iran.”... ... In 2020 DJT shrugged off Reports of Putin putting Bounties on our Troops in Afghanistan.... In 2020, DJT also mismanaged COVID which cost the lives of over 1-Million Americans... DJT 2.0 seems to be DJT is inflicting maximum damage on the USA thru Malice & Incompetence....
Trump and Kegseth went into their unnecessary war with no planning or strategy. It was stupid, but entirely characteristic of how they do things. They have used up most of their missile supplies, and haven’t planned for more, and want to send American troops into what would be a bloodbath. The bombing is going to paradoxically increase the Iranian people’s support for their government, and the government in power in Iran is unlikely to be dislodged. Trump disdained his own intelligence group’s advice against bombing Iran, and immediately rushed in to go after Iran. Ordinary people will get even angrier as they see costs for food and energy rising, and they lose their jobs. Trump and Kegseth have never learned that just because we have the military capability to do something doesn’t make it wise for is to do it. In addition, Trump credits his “gut” with his decision to bomb Iran. His gut led him into all sorts of failed business ventures, now it’s leading him into unwise foreign and domestic policy ventures.
trump moves his mouth, vibrates his vocal chords, but all we get is incoherent noise together with macabre, nightmarish depictions of hell, followed often by low brow humor - all a perversion of the natural order of life......
Heather spoke of "our sons and daughters on the ground in Iran..." And this is true. It also is most important to think of all on the ground in a war zone as OUR sons and daughters. The Iranians too are "our sons and daughters." They are all our sons and daughters. Wherever they are, whatever color or ethnicity or religion or citizenship. They are all our sons and daughters.
Last night I went to Maine's Democrat Candidate for Senate 44th town hall in Machias, ME. It was standing room only. Machias is in Washington County and it has traditionally been a Republican stronghold.
Graham Platner is your great-grandfather's politician. He goes door to door to talk with people. He has amassed 15,000 volunteers already and he claims that's not enough. He wants more. He wants people from the local communities to talk to their neighbors about his campaign.
He only mentioned his opponent's name once and Trump's name twice, so he's not going negative -- yet!
He's an oyster fisherman who makes $60,000 a year from fishing so he is truly a populist unlike Susan Collins who has gotten rich off of being a Senator.
Yep, I think he's great. I just donated to him yesterday. And I'm a long ways from Maine. But he gives me hope that we can take back the Senate. Keep your eyes on the prize - we must have a free and fair election next November.
You know who one of his biggest hindrances?--the Democratic Party elite. I saw a great interview with him on this. Just like with Mamdani the Schumers, Jeffries and elites in the Democratic Party do not like the up and coming progressive/younger people in the Party.
Most importantly he is a clean candidate. Here is his overview:
According to AIPAC Tracker his is one of their endorsed candidates. This means he is free and clear of PAC money-yay! I highly recommend we all start closely examining candidates. Eloquence and sincere promises are nice but if there is PAC money funding them, they will be beholden to their PAC owners.
A PAC money controlled Democratic Party helped get us in this mess. I am urging people to carefully examine what the incumbents are about and the candidates.
Then you adad the circle of interpretive delirium caused by the terminal inability to trust the official, truthful version by so many Americans. The possibility of agreeing on even the most basic facts seems impossible.
I watched the skating in the Olympics for relaxation. Then the algorithm threw me into Scott Hamilton's skating. Remember him? I recommend watching him. His footwork is amazing and even more importantly his lightheartedness and joy are a balm.
Barbara, there clearly are some who choose ignorance, possibly because “no one has come for them.” But there is another story for many: stress overload has overridden their prefrontal cortex, leaving them stuck in fight/flight/freeze.
During much of the last eleven years of my career I taught human service staff about the impact of stress on the health, cognition, and behavior of people experiencing homelessness. In the process, I taught staff to recognize that the impact of prolonged, serious and irremediable stresses in their own lives led to many of the same symptoms. When they recalled such a period of stress and took a brief quiz, they identified up to twenty stress overload symptoms they had experienced. And those symptoms were the same symptoms their homeless clients were suffering.
IMHO, this administration is intentionally inflicting stress overload on We The People. It suits their strategy. And it copies one of the techniques used by the Nazis against the Jews during WW2. By separating families, constantly changing the rules, inflicting random violence, repeatedly moving people from one ghetto or concentration camp to another, and pitting kapos against their own people, the Nazis reduced their ability to resist. Do we believe this administration is not familiar with this systematic technique for quashing dissent?
Okay, they are not yet full-on Nazis. But they are building the camps. And we are not yet sufficiently stressed to quit resisting. But people have widely different levels of resilience and have faced different intensities of stress. Many are in freeze/flight/fight already because they have personally hit the limits of their resilience. It can be subtle. It can look like willful ignorance or disregard. But these are the people who can, with support and information, take steps in the right direction. Tell them how to check their voter registration, or even assist them in doing so. Organize voter registration.
Minneapolis has been brilliant in supporting people in stress overload. Bring them groceries, have a White person drive them to school or work, recruit businesses to create safe spaces, allow school to be temporarily online for the most vulnerable, gather rent money for those who could not risk going to work…. Deal with the individuals’ stressors along with marching and phoning and writing and speaking at meetings. When people feel safe, they can then participate more fully.
Whew. Can you tell that this is a priority issue for me? LOL.
Thank you! This is so well explained. We need your expertise more than ever. You could speak at local political event organizers about this. Again. thank you. You really opened my eyes today.
On March 28 I'll be rallying. I can't walk far so I'm bringing my camp stool. There are always people who can't march, so there are plenty of folks to be with. My sign will read, "No King, No WAR."
Thank you so much Margaret! And thank you for your great dedication to doing good despite the personal cost. (I have one of those stools too, which I forget to bring along. :)
It's simple. Trump and his oligarch lords and ladies have the Devine Rights of Kings to all the world's wealth. So, get out of our way or get bombed, decapitated, imprisoned, deported and so forth. We are mighty. You are weak. You MUST learn to be happy to make personal sacrifices for our enrichment.
So true! RFK actually said that people just need to buy cheaper meat--you know, the kind full of fat and little protein, old and almost but not quite moldy, while they eat grandly and spend our money on their pleasures, including a president who golfs while bombs are dropping at his behest. If this were all a movie, it wouldn't be believable.
Check out Project Salt Box for a map of where these proposed, leased, and bought warehouses are! The sales of a few have been prevented because people KNEW about them!
Evil never rests but we must or change our strategy.. I read news, no watching him anymore. Glad others do but I can’t. HCR plods on as we must. As she says, pick up your torch and shine whatever light you can when you can.
I never listen to him, read about him nor do I ever analyze him. Dr. Richardson in her record of these times must but I skip that part. I keep channeling my deep anger towards change. That is our revenge.
I can’t watch anymore. Don’t have CNN, MS NOW OR ANY other “cable” news channel. It saved me $84 a month and also my sanity. I can’t listen to the daily bs from this administration.
Absolutely. Sometimes we need to turn away from the news and indulge just a bit. Last night I went to my monthly book club meeting — a small group of wonderful like-minded women. I looked around the table as we talked about the current situation and saw tired, worried eyes and knew that mine were the same. We’re all GenX and know enough history to be deeply concerned, and we try to do our part, in between taking care of aging parents, illnesses, small businesses, careers, and families. But we agreed that supporting each other and building our community are a part of that too. We see so many forms of community breaking down. Third spaces are less abundant; people are more isolated. I am trying to be kinder in my day-to-day interactions because I feel like it all adds up in some small way.
Never give up. Never surrender! Dr. Cox Richardson and many others show unequivocally that what you see in your lifetime will affect what you do if you are intelligent, caring, and humane. That was the case with Eisenhower and many Americans during WWII. If you were born wealthy and insulated by class, gender, and expectations of superiority, you will behave differently. You can easily see this in Trump, Thiel, Musk, and others in the so-called ‘upper classes’. Is it any surprise that the empathy so evinced by Eisenhower and others is depicted as weak and foolish by such men who receive empathy and complete deference from their fellows of all classes as a matter of course, but men who have never seen or felt the suffering of the average human or who revel in it as a sign of those men’s superiority and their will to do anything they feel like doing? Is there any surprise that the social and religious depictions of average white men as superior relative to anyone black, brown, or woman, all children, all animals, and all nature, have affected the way such men behave to those ‘outside’ groups? Now do we understand why a white doctor would use no anesthesia on his black woman experiments to understand human vesicovaginal fistula which would apply in practice only to well-off white women for whom anesthesia was de rigueur? This man’s subsequent generations are indeed influenced in their behaviors by such men. Can you say no equity, no DEI? You are what you see.
Google AI query: name the white doctor who used no anesthesia on black women to build modern gynecology
AI Overview
J. Marion Sims
is the 19th-century American physician known as the "father of modern gynecology" who performed experimental, unanesthetized surgeries on enslaved Black women, most notably named Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy. He developed surgical techniques for vesicovaginal fistula by operating on them repeatedly without anesthesia.
Thank you, Barbara. I take your advice very seriously -- everyday I engage in activities that totally distract me from trump's orgy of idiocy or as someone recently called it a "moronacracy." My mental and physical health will NEVER be compromised or reduced by his trantrums, threats or his pituitary dysfunctions.
Honestly Stephanie I resist the made-up names for what is happening. I think they distract from the reality of where we are. For example:
Fascists not Republicans
Regime not an Administration
Concentration Camp not a Detention Camp
These aren't exaggerations at all. The media likes to play pretend which is actually propaganda. A coup happened in America. We are living under a fascist regime with armed military killing, disappearing and unlawfully detaining people on American soil.
I will be there on March 28 like I've been in every previous protest. Yes we outnumber them: Among supreme court, Congress and President the score is 545 human beings out of over 300 million of us. How troubling that these few are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague the US!
Barbara, your comment summarized what I just posted prior to reading any comments today. I'm only going as far as a like to Megan (BLESS HER!!) and reading your comment. I'm blaming the storms that raged through our area last night--poor sleep, it's overcast, and I swear today I can feel every single (bad word!) arthritic bone in my body.
Trump tells us we are in a $2 billion per day war. The American people did not choose this. The Republicans in Congress chose this by their blind obedience to Trump, ignoring their constituents. Hundreds of thousands of Americans abroad have been abandoned, and military lives are being lost, because no one cared enough, or was smart enough, to plan for a real war, and not a machismo video game fantasy of “warfighter ethos”.
Meanwhile, the documented fraud, waste, and abuse that the Republicans claim they abhor is rampant at the Pentagon. $94 billion spent in one use-it-or-lose-it month on lobster, steak, and ice cream machines. Children in America are hungrier, fewer have adequate health care, and seniors are having to choose between paying for life-sustaining medicines and paying the electric bill. Just so billionaire AI data centers can be subsidized, and new yachts and villas can be bought with the profits.
All of this is being hidden under the cloak of “national security.” What secrets need to be kept? Iran knows what we are doing and what our intentions are. They are fighting back. Russia is giving them specific intelligence. The world sees what we are doing on video in real time. So do we, the American people.
The only secrets that the Trump administration needs to keep are the reasons for going to war NOW.
And we do know those reasons too, deep in our guts, that it is to distract from the crimes and corruption of the Epstein class.
It is time to take to the streets in the most massive peaceful protest the world has ever seen. We must repudiate the madness of the man who would be king and his corrupt regime. We must strike and shut the nation down because going on with our daily lives is complicity and tacit approval.
The expensive food purchases seem particularly obscene when you consider they claim poor people are more chiseling and grifting off taxpayer money, when the poor people they detest go without. This is what comes of placing evil con artists and their toadies in charge of government. We need a government whose members consider the common good rather than Trump, who wants to make money with the presidency.
The Heritage Foundation staffing initiative was guaranteed to weed out anyone with a sense of public integrity. Now that Trump has instituted a plan to weed out an entire layer of the civil service through new regulations and replace them with political appointees, the damage will go much deeper and take much longer to repair.
Trump’s new rule revives his old “Schedule F” concept under a new label, creating a special civil service category (now called “Schedule Policy/Career”) that makes tens of thousands of policy‑related career employees effectively at‑will and much easier to fire.
The new rule creates a new category called Schedule Policy/Career in the “excepted service,” modeled on the earlier Schedule F Trump tried to implement in 2020. It targets high‑level career roles that are “confidential, policy‑determining, policy‑making, or policy‑advocating,” i.e., people who design, shape, or publicly defend administration policy. It moves these positions out of the normal Title 5 civil service protections, making them at‑will, without the usual adverse‑action procedures or independent appeal rights to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
The OPM and the White House estimate roughly 50,000 federal positions could be reclassified into this new category, out of about 2.1 million federal employees. These are mostly first-line managers in policy and analysis groups.
THIS IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK. The final OPM rule is scheduled to take effect around March 8–9, 2026, after which agencies can begin proposing specific positions for conversion, with the process to be finalized by a forthcoming presidential executive order.
There is a whole cascade of adverse outcomes for civil service members.
Employees moved into Schedule Policy/Career lose standard civil service removal protections and traditional whistleblower channels; instead, complaints go to their own agency’s general counsel, which critics say undermines independent review. The OPM insists merit‑based hiring, veterans’ preference, and whistleblower protections are formally preserved, but unions and good‑government groups argue the rule opens the door to politicized purges and loyalty‑based hiring/firing at senior career levels.
In 2020, Trump created “Schedule F” by executive order to reclassify policy‑oriented career employees into an at‑will excepted‑service category, but it was never implemented and was revoked by President Biden in January 2021. The new rule is effectively a regulatory relaunch of that idea. It is meant to expand direct presidential control over parts of the career civil service by weakening job protections.
There is ongoing pushback and litigation. Federal employee unions and advocacy groups have already announced or filed lawsuits to block the rule, arguing it violates civil service statutes and is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. They warn that reclassified positions could be filled with ideological loyalists and that the threat of easy removal will chill dissent or independent legal/policy analysis within agencies.
But as we all know by now, when it comes to Trump, it is fire now, and let the Courts decide on the legal niceties far down the road.
Thanks, Georgia, for this in-depth examination of a stab to the heart of our democracy. This shows how strong the shadow tyranny has become since Eisenhower first warned us about it.
Another symptom is the dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by DOGE and Russell Vought. As E. Tammy Kim reports in this issue of The New Yorker:
"Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency had subjected federal agencies to a combination of insults, shakeups, and random firings. Some two hundred and thirteen thousand civil servants have been let go or pushed to resign. Few agencies were hit as hard as the C.F.P.B., whose mission is to protect consumers and to insure that the markets for financial products “are fair, transparent, and competitive.” Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, who had also been handed control of the C.F.P.B., essentially attempted to liquidate it. He seemed to regard it as an avatar of runaway liberal bureaucracy, a “woke” institution that targeted “disfavored industries and individuals.
...(C.F.P.B.) has recovered twenty-one billion dollars in direct relief for consumers and five billion dollars in civil penalties from a wide range of companies. Millions of Americans have come to it for help."
There is so much going on that is incredibly destructive to good government and public integrity, hidden by multiple layers of distraction. Everything that has been put into place to protect an individual’s rights, including the right to dissent within the government, is being eliminated.
(Since Russell Vought’s stop work order) "The C.F.P.B. has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to employees who aren’t allowed to do their jobs. Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee estimate that the bureau’s idleness has cost consumers nearly twenty billion dollars."
The dismissal of so many key federal workers and the decision to transfer so many FBI agents to immigration work may have left the US vulnerable to terrorist reprisals in response to these strikes.
FBI director, Kash Patel, has been keen to show that they have not been thrown off-guard by these re-assignments of agents and he posted this on Twitter/X:
Trump on the other hand, when asked about the possibility of Iran attacking the US mainland, said this week: “I guess ... We think about it all the time. We plan for it. But yeah, you know, we expect some things. Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.” This is a remarkably casual response indicative of the confused state the administration is in currently.
As the ChristoNazi threat to our species and our Mother Earth intensifies, three terminal horrors become ever more probable:
(1) -- That the former United States is not only a failed nation; it is also a doomed nation -- a nation that became terminal ill on 22 November 1963, and (boiling over with hate), literally voted itself to death on 5 November 2024;
(2) -- That the ChristoNazi regime is already scheming how it will justify its use of nukes against Iran as the final solution of the global economic crisis it inflicted on the world by its illegal war;
(3) -- That we stand literally on the brink of Ragnarøkkr, of Götterdämmerung -- that Trump is not just the incarnation of Hitler but the embodiment of Loki.
Quoth Völuspá: "Black become the sun's beams in the summers that follow, weathers all treacherous. Do you still seek to know? And what? Brothers will fight and kill each other, sisters' children will defile kinship. It is harsh in the world, whoredom rife —an axe age, a sword age —shields are riven— a wind age, a wolf age— before the world goes headlong. No man will have mercy on another." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar%C3%B6)
As death approached my oldest half-brother, a founding director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he said Trump will be the end of the world.
Ah, Georgia. I spent 30 years working for state and county governments. I’m retired now but I know exactly how this would affect civil service managers, analysts, supervisors - as I’ve been all of those. My colleagues and I believed in asking forgiveness rather than permission because we knew our leaders trusted and valued our expertise. They could have argued that rapidly rehousing people experiencing homelessness was not their priority, but they never once did. We were free to innovate, apply for federal funds, write and revise contracts with nonprofits and collect data on their outcomes— all of which were necessary to create a completely new, effective and efficient approach to homelessness (which Obama and VA have replicated in every state—although Trump is intent on replacing it with institutionalization).
My point is that a political, loyal, unqualified cadre of civil servants would never have even thought about creatively solving social problems (or any national problems), much less have the expertise to implement solutions. Consider what their destruction of civil service would portend for healthcare, environmental issues, national security, etc. You can already see it in action at the Cabinet level, where unqualified people are too lazy to even familiarize themselves with their departments before sending in the bulldozers.
It was an aside, but I kinda had to wonder what on earth warranted 272 orders of over $500 each on donuts. I wryly thought of the first episode of Pluribus.
I believe, Kathy, that piano was necessary prop for Kristi Noem.
She wanted it for one of the videos she had made of herself. You know, part of that $200,000,000-plus package of videos in which she was always the central figure.
In this case, her script called for herself and Corey Lewandowski to be pleasuring each other on top of the piano.
According to an X posting from Molly Jong-Fast, the Steinway piano was purchased for the Air Force Chief of Staff’s home. Molly Jong-Fast is fairly reputable, so I think she was able to get the inside scoop. She also detailed the huge expenses on lobster and crab legs, as well as the donuts.
Noem was likely bounced for her DHS commercials, which featured her and displeased Donald because he wasn’t given credit. Trump is too narcissistic to be left out of attention. Markwayne Mullin will be just as cruel and incompetent as Noem, but he might be smart enough to give Donald all the credit.
You echo what Eisenhower said. Isn’t it tragic that American ignorance couldn’t connect the dots after his “military-industrial complex” speech? (Many did, I know, but the far right at the time were determined to diminish him at every turn). The division was much alive then but it has become lethal.
As beautifully reported in “JFK and the Unspeakable” by James Douglass, Kennedy was killed by the CIA for turning to peace in his backchannel relationships with Khrushchev and with Castro. In his American University speech 5 months before he was killed, he made this point:
“No nation in the history of battle ever suffered more than the Soviet Union suffered in the course of the Second World War. At least 20 million lost their lives. Countless millions of homes and farms were burned or sacked. A third of the nation's territory, including nearly two thirds of its industrial base, was turned into a wasteland--a loss equivalent to the devastation of this country east of Chicago.
Today, should total war ever break out again--no matter how--our two countries would become the primary targets. It is an ironic but accurate fact that the two strongest powers are the two in the most danger of devastation. All we have built, all we have worked for, would be destroyed in the first 24 hours. And even in the cold war, which brings burdens and dangers to so many nations, including this Nation's closest allies--our two countries bear the heaviest burdens. For we are both devoting massive sums of money to weapons that could be better devoted to combating ignorance, poverty, and disease. We are both caught up in a vicious and dangerous cycle in which suspicion on one side breeds suspicion on the other, and new weapons beget counterweapons.
In short, both the United States and its allies, and the Soviet Union and its allies, have a mutually deep interest in a just and genuine peace and in halting the arms race. Agreements to this end are in the interests of the Soviet Union as well as ours--and even the most hostile nations can be relied upon to accept and keep those treaty obligations, and only those treaty obligations, which are in their own interest.
So, let us not be blind to our differences--but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.”
Of course, Cornyn flipped on the filibuster. He has caught the self-interest before country disease that afflicts almost all who remain in the Republican party.
Rep. Kevin Kiley flipping to independent but still caucusing with the Republicans is an interesting development, and somewhat hopeful, but his district was heavily affected by the California redistricting and he is running in the new district. So it is not clear if this is self-interest as the only strategy he has to get re-elected or if he is breaking on substantive issues. Below is how right-wing Newsmax is spinning it.
The sum is many hundreds of Billions of Dollars in theft and waste. Georgia, last week you suggested in so many words that a list I posted outlining the inner-workings of the 15 Executive Departments could be worked into a Job description Senators must follow in Confirmation Hearings. I agree that this should be a Democratic campaign issue: "Unfit for Duty!" Especially after the ignominious Kristi Noem being exposed for blowing hundreds of millions of dollars on herself. I think people should copy the stuff below and mail it to their U.S. Senators. It will be continued in another post.
The leadership of the fifteen Executive Departments of the United States is too often unfit for duty. In 2025, President Trump nominated Kristi Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security and the Senate consented. The inner-workings of the Department involves Cybersecurity, law enforcement, border security, Counterterrorism and more. It is reasonable to expect that consenting to such a nomination our Senate would require a graduate education and work experience in at least one or more of those fields. Kristi Noem is a farmer and rancher from South Dakota which led to her becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and then governor. She has a B.A. in political science. One year later she was being impeached and criticized for her handling of the killings of two Americans by agents under her command and for her using more than $220 million in government funds on TV advertisements which focused primarily on her. She also used more than $300 million on three private luxury jets. President Trump removed her and on March 5, 2026, nominated Markwayne nominated Markwayne Mullin, a U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, to replace Noem. Mullin campaigned as "A rancher. A businessman. Not a politician!" He was a MMA fighter, and radio talk show host. He has a two-year college degree in Construction. Democrats must make this corrupt favoritism of “Unfit for Duty” Republicans a campaign issue. A few of the Departments are listed below followed by the types of inner workings of that Department, a description of a reasonable minimum level of knowledge and experience which a nominee must demonstrate as their fitness for duty. Under that is the current Department leader.
Department of State.
Type of Work: Diplomacy, Foreign policy, international law and relations.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in International Relations or International Law from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in these or related fields, or have worked as a Foreign Service Officer for the Department of State for five years or more, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of International Relations, or International Law for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of State, Marco Rubio B.A. in political science, J.D. Former U.S. Senator.
Department of the Treasury.
Type of Work: Economics and finance, accounting, taxation.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Economics, Accounting, or Taxation, from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in financial management, public finance, capital markets, economics, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Economics, Taxation, Accounting, five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent. B.A. in political science. Former Head of Soros Fund Management, London office.
Department of Defense.
Type of Work: Military science and strategy, engineering, logistics, intelligence.
Education and Experience Required: Have served full-time for ten years or more as an Officer in the United States military, or Post-graduate qualification in Military Science, and/or Warfare Tactics from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in a Defense Industry, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Military Science, and/or Warfare Tactics for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. B.A. in political science.
Department of Justice.
Type of Work: Criminal and civil law, law enforcement, criminology.
Education and Experience Required: Have served one term or more as Attorney General of a State, or Post-graduate qualification in Law from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have served as a full-time criminal court judge for five years or more, or have worked full-time as a criminal lawyer for ten years or more, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Law, Criminal Justice or Criminology for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Attorney General, Pam Bondi. BA in criminal justice. J.D. Florida attorney general (2011–2019)
Department of the Interior.
Type of Work: Natural resource management, environmental science.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Forestry, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, or Wildlife Biology from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Forestry, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, or Wildlife Biology or related fileds, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Forestry, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, or Wildlife Biology for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum. B.A. University Studies. MBA. Governor of North Dakota (2016–2024)
Type of Work: Agricultural science, forestry, food science.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Forestry, Agriculture, Agronomy, Animal Science, Horticulture, Plant Science, or a related field from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Forestry, Agriculture, Agronomy, Animal Science, Horticulture, Plant Science, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Forestry, Agriculture, Agronomy, Animal Science, Horticulture, Plant Science or related filed for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins. B.S. in agricultural development. J.D.
Department of Commerce.
Type of Work: Economics and statistics, trade policy, intellectual property law.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Economics, Statistics, International Trade Policy, or Intellectual Property Law from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Economics, Statistics, International Trade Policy, or Intellectual Property Law or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Economics, Statistics, International Trade Policy, or Intellectual Property Law for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick. B.A. in economics.
Department of Labor.
Type of Work: Labor relations, sociology, occupational safety, employment law,..
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Labor and Employment Relations, Sociology or Employment Law from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Labor and Employment Relations, Sociology or Employment Law or a related filed or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Labor and Employment Relations, Sociology or Employment Law for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer. B.A. in business administration. One term U.S. representative.
Department of Health and Human Services.
Type of Work: Public health, medicine, biomedical research.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Natural and Health Sciences from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Natural and Health Sciences or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Natural and Health Sciences for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. B.A. in American history and literature. J.D.
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Type of Work: Urban studies and planning, real estate, sociology.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Urban Planning, Geography, Sociology, or Public Policy from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Urban Planning, Geography, Sociology, or Public Policy or a related field or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Urban Planning, Geography, Sociology, or Public Policy for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Scott Turner. Full academic and athletic scholarship B.A. in speech communications. Played cornerback in the NFL.
Department of Transportation.
Type of Work: Civil engineering, logistics, urban planning, Air Traffic Control and safety,...
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Aeronautics or a related field from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Aeronautics or a related field, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Aeronautics or a related field for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Transportation, Sean P Duffy. B.A. in marketing. J.D., Lumberjack World Champion. Former U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.
Department of Energy.
Type of Work: Physics, chemistry, nuclear science, energy policy, and environmental science.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Physics, Chemistry, Nuclear Science, Energy Policy, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Genetic Engineering, Applied Molecular Biology, quantum computing or Artificial Intelligence from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Physics, Chemistry, Nuclear Science, Energy Policy, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Genetic Engineering, Applied Molecular Biology, quantum computing or Artificial Intelligence or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Physics, Chemistry, Nuclear Science, Energy Policy, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Genetic Engineering, Applied Molecular Biology, quantum computing or Artificial Intelligence for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright. B.A. in mechanical engineering. M.A. in electrical engineering at MIT and U.C. Berkeley.
Department of Education.
Type of Work: Pedagogy (theories of education), sociology, education policy, and statistics.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Education Sciences of Curriculum and Instruction from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Education Sciences of Curriculum and Instruction or a related field, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Education Sciences of Curriculum and Instruction for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Education, Linda E. McMahon. B.A. in French. CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Department of Veteran Affairs.
Type of Work: Medicine, healthcare administration, psychology, public administration.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Natural and Health Sciences from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Natural and Health Sciences or a related field or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Natural and Health Sciences for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Doug Collins. B.A. in political science and criminal law. Master of Divinity. J.D.
Copy this post and mail it First Class to both of your U.S. Senators.
I hope Georgia edits it down. Yet I went back and forth about the way it presents as longer paragraphs for 1, 2, 3, .......15 Departments. Maybe that shows how Strong, how Civilized we have evolved become. And then look at the crap in charge it. Thanks Dale.
Thank you for the time and effort you put into this! It will take me some time to digest and provide a thoughtful response. I have been feeling like the jugglers and plate spinners on the old Ed Sullivan show—the ones that had the plates spinning on bendable wands that they had to keep jiggling to keep them going, and it got more and more hectic as they added more and more plates.I am mentally exhausted thinking about war, waste, monumentalism, the civil service, and the nature of drone warfare, and the evolution of the Epstein file, and it’s not even 7:00 am. The snow is finally gone with yesterday’s 80F day in NJ. I need some outdoor time, cleaning up all the winter damage, and looking for signs of spring.
You are most welcome. You have a good idea to make it into a campaign for Democrats to create a Senate rule for being Fit for Duty. Please edit into it all the constructive criticism it needs as I have no ego. For example, my block and paste, repeating the education words in each job description, must be cut way back. It was just lazy for me to block and paste it. Do what needs to be done in rewording, please. I saw Dale Rowett made it into a PDF. He was an outstanding help in the final edit and presentation of my Memorandum to We the People. Perhaps he can jump in also. If this were a PDF then it would be more easy for Democras to email it to their Senators and the press. Have fun. BTW, it appears only AG Bondi and Sec Chris Wright at Energy are the only ones who qualify. After that it goes way down hill.
Albert, thanks for your work in putting this list together. This is illuminating. I wonder how the last couple of Democratic cabinets would look. Could this kind of thing be par for the course? That would ease my blood pressure after reading your post! But these guys are all such light-weights! From the Prez on down. Degrees aren’t everything, but some sense of seriousness would help.
The Departments are our legacy of how far we have evolved in 250 years. It is scary as hell to compare and contrast what should be the leaders and what we have. So correct you are about education. Two of the three smartest people I even met have no education above a couple of years in high school. George Washington had no education from a college. That is why the Constitution only requires a person to be born here 35 or more years ago to be President. We need to change that also and that is in the amendment language of my Memorandum. But still, I would not take my dog for a medical exam unless the vet had a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
These job descriptions are excellent. Even if the education of the current Secretary relates to the department they manage, their loyalty to the orange felon means they will set aside any knowledge they have.
But Pete Kegsbreath as Secretary of Defense and Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security? Kegsbreath, a second team weekend host on Fox. Mullin, a plumber as Secretary of Homeland Security. These people are in no way fit for the department they serve. I have an excellent plumber, but I would not ask him to perform a colonoscopy.
AG Bondi and Sec Chris Wright at Energy are the only ones who qualify. Wright has cut back on climate change regs and promotes oil use to help the economy. Thus maybe there needs to be a rule that the nominee's head not be up their ass.
War is mass murder no matter how you frame it. War is always cruel. As much as I hate it I cannot rule out violence as a last ditch effort at self defense. I think the Axis required a violent response, and yet the carnage on both sides was horrifying. There is no "good" murder, and the grounds for justified murder is narrow, with a lot of devil-in-the-details. There is no "good" capital punishment no matter how vile the perpetrator might be. It only reinforces the notion that elective homicide can be justified if one feels enough wronged. Mark Twain once wrote seriously droll piece about praying for victory in war while ignoring the real world horrifying consequences. To live with integrity is to acknowledge reality.
Well said!!! And to continue to resist, we also need to take care of ourselves to maintain energy. I focus on my breath. (Thank you Walk for Peace for this assistance.) And, interesting to note how knowledge of US military presence known. How does Iran know where to send drones? If Russia providing them with info, how did Russia get info? Because tRump gave it to Russia via classified docs he brought to Mar-a-Lago. Traitor that he is. And Republicans doing everything behind closed doors.
The targeting for the drones comes from very high-resolution satellite imagery. I think what was most valuable at Mar-a-Lago were the details about the human assets embedded in foreign governments to provide intel on internal policy discussions and decisions, and who could be compromised. I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump traded that in exchange for kompromat that Putin had on him. Self-interest above all…
Would be great to know exactly what all those highly classified documents were about without divulging specifics. So much for transparency in this swamp of an administration.
Martin Luther King Jr. saw civil disobedience as a moral duty to nonviolently break unjust laws in order to move society toward justice. Income taxes fund just and unjust programs. The social safety net programs will be the first impacted, not the last.
There is also injustice in who will be punished for breaking the law. You or I will get a letter that tells us about the fines you've accumulated and threatens to garnish your wages, because it requires no human effort to identify nonpayment on a simple return. Meanwhile, all the people with the expertise to go after the 1% with the complicated tax returns and dodges have been discarded.
I won’t give the current regime any kind of legal leverage over me because it could compromise my ability to protest and keep fighting. If I am unjustly and illegally arrested for exercising my rights of free speech and assembly, then I will keep fighting from jail and accept the punishment.
"Income taxes fund just and unjust programs. The social safety net programs will be the first impacted, not the last."
This is the argument I have used (with little success) against purity voters who won't vote for the less damaging of two candidates because of one or another flaw, and that something I could experienced with friends since I first could vote, though I too was infuriated by the stong-arming of the DNC of Hubert Humphrey as nominee, though he had not even competed in the primaries. But the alternative was Nixon.
The thing is the extended impact allowing a greater threat to win has on ALL of society, and potentially the future beyond. And when our vote is careless, either due to insufficient forward thinking, or just not bothering, it is typically those with the least power and the frankly shittiest deal, that suffer most; excluded minorities, women, children, the poor, the disabled, the elderly. Many who waste their vote will expect to be personally impacted not so much.
If we really believe in government of the people, by the people, for the people, then the vote is a share both of choice and personal accountability. We have limited personal impact on how everything turns out, but the better homework we do, the more outcomes are likely to trend in our favor. I recall many years ago when a famous golfer (whose name I have lost) was told he was lucky, he replied "The more I practice, the luckier I get".
Ranked-choice instant-runoff voting addresses that issue. The independent is my first choice, the Democrat is my second choice because we differ on one major make-or-break issue for me, but the Democrat is certainly better than the Republican. The Republican is my third choice; I don’t rank the libertarian because he is inconceivably bad to me.
The Libertarian receives the fewest votes and is dropped in the first round, with most of his votes going to the Republican. The Independent receives the fewest votes in the second round, and my vote goes to the Democrat, as do most of the others whose top choice was the Independent. On the third round, the Dems plus most of the Independents beat the Republicans plus most of the Libertarian vote.
The issue that was most important to me contributed to blocking the worst evils: the Republican and the Libertarian. A message gets sent to the Democrat that he/she won because of support from Independents, so he/she had better come to policy decisions that include the Independents' input, or they may not get re-elected. You can see how the flow of votes moved through the rounds of voting, so issue-oriented small parties can have an impact.
And best of all, the single-issue lobbyists and PACs are disempowered because, as long as we have free and fair elections, it is the vote tally that counts. Unfortunately, in today’s America, the caveat is required.
I'm not sure of your two choices in your para one here, Georgia.
There you place "no one cared enough, or was smart enough, to plan for a real war" against the "machismo video game fantasy of 'warfighter ethos.'"
A 3rd option might have been diplomatic. Though this was never an option, given that the U.S. since overthrowing Iran's freely, democratically elected Mosaddegh in 1953 has never had sufficient adults to attend to the nuances and compromises which respecting other cultures entails.
The U.S. instead from 1953 to 1979 had only appeasing its WASP fossil fuel elites who put their own profits over anything else, which obligated the U.S. to sponsor SAVAK, the Shah's bloodthirsty secret police -- trained in torture, armed, and financed by the U.S. -- no different than Donald's current regime of ICE and CBP gone amuck in American cities as ever did the Shah's SAVAK all those years earlier.
The intensity of the retaliatory strikes has signaled that Iran was more prepared for the war than many in the Trump administration had anticipated, U.S. military officials say.
Iran was prepared and now it is clear their motivation is even greater. A report from Cyprus states that the new leader Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the strike which killed his father. Also his own wife, his son and many more of his family.
They have justifiably deep grudges against the U.S., Carol.
Ever since not just 47 years ago, but especially since 1953, when the U.S. CIA enacted a coup against the freely and democratically elected Mosaddegh -- and then not only installed the cruel Shah, but also funded, armed, and trained his savage secret police, the SAVAK, in torture, disappearances, and mind-beggaring other cruelties.
All to float to the top of the world all those we'd later know as Donald's and Putin's Epstein class.
Yes, Phil, the UK and the US saw to it that Mossadegh would be ousted for daring to nationalize Iran’s oil industry. Something I never learned in school.
Diplomacy has never been an option with Trump because diplomacy is about the interests of countries and Trump is only about self-interest. He wants to reduce everything to deals to enrich himself.
In paragraph one, I was trying to contrast the reality of current nature of war and the fantasy of Hegseth’s war games.
The "Use it or lose it" strategy is not new in the world of defense budgeting & programming. In my old Navy world, I would budget & program for ship maintenance & modernization. Some projects came in on-time, on budget, some didn't. Some got pushed into the next fiscal year due to operations. So I'm guilty of using some of that funding for frivolous things too, like replacing worn out shipyard maintenance equipment, extra training for Sailors & civilian trades workers, infrastructure modernizations. I never thought of lobster dinners & pianos for my troopers. I guess I lousy Captain.
I think the list of how the money was spent indicates there was never a bona fide budget. Hegseth just scrawled down some numbers, and the Republicans in Congress approved them without checking whether they made sense. I don’t think there was a list of things that wouldn’t make the deadline; they didn’t order anything, and then they had to scramble to order stuff with no lead time. So they went grocery shopping.
The expensive piano for a residence is different. Maybe it was for Pam Bondi, who apparently has moved to a military base for better protection. If so, I guess Bondi has less expensive tastes than Noem, with her expensive airborne boudoir and shower.
There is more talk about bringing back the draft, which is not going to sit well with Gen-Z.
We need a list of all of the kids and grandkids (male and female 18-26 year olds) of the Senators and Congresscritters of both parties as well as those of the Cabinet and other high ranking administration officials. Then expose them pulically and interview them to see what they think of Trump's War in Iran. Ask them if they are willing to go to Iran to fight the Iranians?
Sounds like the Vietnam mess, run to Canada, enroll in college, burn your draft card, hold congress accountable ha ha, that worked!
Why do we elect these unqualified people? The population is manipulated beyond our wildest imagination.
Never mind, let's watch tictoc, buy something in plastic and order DoorDash. Oh one more thing fertilize your grass and smash as many caterpillars that you can find.
I was lucky. I missed the draft by one year in 1973. I was required to carry my selective service card with me for 8 years "just in case" they brought it back.
So many of my friends and family weren't so lucky.
G L, I remember years ago, Michael Moore, bringing this topic up asking senators on the street. Are you willing to send your kids to Iraq? Nobody would respond to him.
Donald Trump has delusions of grandeur well beyond that of a King, Supreme Leader, or Dictator. He believes he is God. And not just any one religion’s God, he thinks he is The King of Kings, The God of Gods, The Supreme Being. The leader of the world.
His ego is so great, his personal delusions and deceptions so perfected, that he need not bother with humility, goodness or compassion a prerequisite of any other of humanity's Gods.
Trump teaches hate, not love, because he hates everything he sees, including himself.
His lessons are steal from your friends, swindle your elders and hate your neighbor. He covets your daughters, and sends your sons off to die in one of his wars. Trump scorches, pollutes and tries to usurp every corner of the earth.
His goal is not mere accumulation of all wealth, his goal is to be worshiped and envied in perpetuity above Jesus, or God. True saviors never ask for demand or expect such.
He demands your unearned loyalty and constant admiration under all circumstance. He needs immortal recognition vastly beyond his personal achievements, demanding the awards of others for tasks he cannot accomplish.
Ironically, Trump DOES realize he is not only mortal, but he has reached the end of his cognizant runway as do all mortals.
He actually knows he is an epicenter of distain and disrespect worldwide. He treats humanity with the same hate and disrespect he gets back from humanity. He lies to himself and his staff lies to him, reinforcing his delusions. Trump expects us all to believe his lies, because he believes them.
Trump has been played all his life by the Epstein’s, and Putin's of this world. They control Trump by catering to his numerous weaknesses and documenting his off leash actions.Then they threaten exposure to Epstein and Putin’s files that Trump's delicate ego is afraid of.
SCOTUS mistakenly gave Trump immunity, but God has not granted Tump immortality. Upon his demise or incarceration, history will set his record straight.
Epstein on the brain will get you nowhere be happy don’t be the person that’s lying in their hospital bed almost dying and your last words are epstein and nothing has changed between now and when that happens
One more thought - you know in a way I see what you mean…it’s like they WERE Republicans - and so many loathed Trump…but they seemed to morph into these monstrous MAGA creatures - I have studied cults and they still baffle me.
While I agree to a certain extent, I’m 59 years old and grew up with Reagan (trickle down spawn of Satan though he was haha) as my first “Republican.”Even with what I considered some of their faults, those men - Reagan, George H.W. Bush, even dips** George W. Bush - were IMHO more old school Republicans. I agreed with some things, disagreed with others…but they never had this insane MAGA cult.
You mean like Larry Summers like Bill Gates like Bill Clinton like Prince Andrew. People like you, SCOT, who ignore reality because we have the system here called justice in America. Just like one of those George Floyd idiots that cost $2 billion of damage until you waited for the trial. Injured 1000 policeman, close down cities broke down police precinct, injured hundreds of people and caused undo chaos in this country because people like you don’t like American justice. And maybe you should pay attention to Bill Clinton who said Donald Trump never indicated anything to mediate any involvement with Jeff Epstein. In fact, if you knew the fact Donald Trump through epstein off his property and 05 reported him for bad behavior in 06 and actually was a witness for a defendant against epstein in a trial.ooooops
It's simple. Trump and his oligarch lords and ladies have the Devine Rights of Kings to all the world's wealth. So, get out of our way or get bombed, decapitated, imprisoned, deported and so forth. We are mighty. You are weak. You MUST learn to be happy to make personal sacrifices for our enrichment.
Charming, Paul, your expectation that "history will set his record straight."
Charming, I say, as clearly you imagine some America where history matters in its schools, and among references from those on its media platforms. I imagine an America like this, too -- and one where its schools also center humanities and the arts of humane essay writing.
Do you think any of the currently dominant standardized testers will concede any of their power and unquestioned dominance to the America you and I entertain as possible?
This is the post I’ve been promising. You feel the promise that tells you what a hypocrite. The Democrats really are and I’ve said it for years if Trump does something, it’s bad no matter what it is if Biden did the exact same thing you’d be cheering and unfortunately, for you, the answer is coming.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority …
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what are your thoughts?
Are you from the planet your anus or are you further out with the ex planet Pluto?
Trump is doing nothing but spreading democracy all over the world, which apparently you don’t like. If you go to did any of their job at all, Biden would be in prison right now, along with Obama for setting two planes full cash for Iran to build more nuclear devices and weapons.
Why don’t you focus on policies instead of your heat if Joe Biden were producing the policies of Donald Trump is doing you’d be standing on a chair with a flag in your hand, yelling, and screaming and applauding.
Biden didn't launch mindless foreign wars for his own benefit and he didn't kill kill 180 school girls with a single mistargeted missile strike. Trump's crimes are not the "fog of war" but the "fog of a corrupted brain". Soon, he and our "warlord of lethality", Heir Hegseth, will have killed many thousands of civilians in Iran. Unlike you MAGA cult loonies, we don't "wave flags" to celebrate murder.
And you keep coming like manna from heaven years ago a man by the name of Harry Truman dropped a couple of bombs and killed a quarter to a half 1 million people to end a war and you’re talking about 180 school girls which it wasn’t that many and they’re still having to determine how exactly that happened not to mention that there was a statistic I sent to a number of people this morning with all the crimes committed by all the illegals here Wtfu
When you answer my question, I will respond until then you are flotsam and jetsam to me. But have a nice Do you know what I have found? By the way liberals don’t give a shit about results especially when it’s a republican. All they care about is process which means nothing. The only thing that means anything is results just like in a baseball game things go up things go down hits happen runs happen errors happen people get hit with baseballs. All kinds of stuff happens but at the bottom of the ninth thinning when the third out is made that’s when the judgment comes you have a winner and you have a loser. So WTFU, you don’t exist to me until I get an answer to my questions
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what do you think there are Merrill?
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority …
What is wrong with you people what the hell is wrong with you? If you take Trump’s name out of almost everything that Trump has done and included Biden‘s name instead replace Trump’s name with Biden you’d be cheering in the streets. But America haters here can’t stand the truth
Nothing says “healthy constitutional republic” quite like senators leaving a classified war briefing furious, confused, and apparently still shopping for the actual plan. According to the March 10 report, lawmakers came out warning that they had more questions than answers about the cost of the war, the danger to American troops, and the risk of escalation. Which is reassuring. If you’re going to drift toward a wider conflict with Iran, it’s nice to know nobody involved can explain it in a way fit for public consumption.
Senator Richard Blumenthal’s alarm was not subtle. He said the public deserves answers about the cost, the threat to American lives, and the possibility that this war of choice could widen, potentially with Russian assistance to Iran in the background. Senator Chris Murphy added that the administration appears to have no goal beyond continued bombing and no plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. That is not so much a strategy as a very expensive temper tantrum with missiles.
And because modern governance is apparently a prestige television reboot of imperial decline, Senator Jacky Rosen complained that everything is being kept inside classified briefings, making it harder for elected officials to talk honestly with the people they represent. Congress is constitutionally supposed to matter in questions of war, but in practice it seems to have been recast as a focus group that gets ushered into a secure room, handed half a narrative, and sent back out to smile politely.
Meanwhile, the war is reportedly costing about $1 billion a day. America, as always, is too broke for ordinary people right up until it’s time to set money on fire overseas and call the flames leadership.
Sen. Rosen’s comment touches on a very important issue, specifically the abuse of our classified information system. This is not anything new, I’ve seen it for years when working with big defense contractors who would make their business development meetings of all things “classified,” not because they were protecting critical national security information, but because they were shielding themselves from transparency. It’s the same game here. The human bullshit dispenser Leavitt called this administration the “most transparent in history” in an utter act of reverse projection a few months ago. Anyone with an ounce of capability for discernment and critical thinking can see this regime does nothing but lie, prevaricate, and hide the truth. The information discussed yesterday is not sensitive “need to know” information, it’s basic facts about the war that are unfavorable to the regime’s position and therefore their classification is an abuse of power.
Let us not forget that theses wars were begun to reduce exposure to the Jeffery Epstein pedophile files. Wars and invasions to distract us but it won’t work.
Here’s a special analysis of the issues and everybody else here and I’m going to display it all day long today…I’m here. I’m just gonna give you an overview and then the rest of the day I’m gonna give it a detail.
And by the way, as I said to you for a long time now, and I will continue to say it and watch while you sit here in pain, waiting for nothing to happen, which is exactly what’s going to happen nothing. Matter who is in power three years from now or 50 years from now. Every single piece of Nervin sent you when your body is hate Trump.
Guess you didn’t listen when Bill Clinton said Donald Trump has never said anything to me about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein nor do I think I have any reason to believe that Trump was involved! Bet you that’s not how your media put it but go listen to his words exactly. This last part is just for you and your happy listeners lol
So how’s the country running now? EPSTEIN…
how’s the economy?EPSTEIN. Running at top speed
How is the crime EPSTEIN. Lowest crime statistics since 1900 and lowest murder rate, since then, which you will see below if you look it up
How is the crime in Washington DC now?EPSTEIN. Washington DC crime has almost disappeared. Thank you, Mr. Trump
How’s the murder rate in the US? EPSTEIN. Murder rate lowest in the last 125 years
How’s the quality of life? EPSTEIN. AOK except trying to get rid of the illegals who should be here in the first places
How are gas prices? EPSTEIN
Two dollars lower than Biden
How is inflation compared to Biden? EPSTEIN
Trumpet less than 3% Biden at nine
How are prescription drug prices? As low as anywhere in the world NOW. As Trump negotiated World pricing
EPSTEIN How are the 5 peace deals working That Trump created? EPSTEIN
How many illegals has Trump arrested or caused to go home?EPSTEIN
Not enough
how is that $13 trillion of additional investment into America by foreign and US investors going? EPSTEIN
Japan, just come finished its biggest steel plant right here in the United States of America instead of doing it in Else in the world investing up to $4 billion in that plant
how’s the stock market? EPSTEIN? All three indexes have hit record highs pretty much all year long. The Dow hit a record high 53 times.
How much money are the tariffs bringing in? EPSTEIN. Almost 200,000,000,000 and more coming in this year
How is IRAN doing since Trump destroyed their nuclear arsenal and their threats to the world? EPSTEIN.
See you should’ve asked this question yesterday rather than today because now we know how Gerardo is doing and how the world is celebrating as I posted earlier every single Muslim country has been supportive of what happened in Iran countries that are not happy. You’ll love it France and England. And you probably know why if you don’t ask me
How is trumps deal with NATO going to advise them to triple the amount they are depositing for the own protection against Russia? EPSTEIN
NATO is now seeing the light and is projected to deposit 5% of their GDP in order to protect themselves from Russian aggression because of Trump’s insistence
How is the big beautiful bill working….including less taxes for the most needy with no tax on tips no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security? EPSTEIN
What happened to that impending doom but all the little pundits predicted recession, depression, stock, market collapse, inflation, increase. ? EPSTEIN
lots more to come, but for right now I’ll just say. you have a nice day ..ya heyah
Oh, and if you would like some links to find out how things really are, I’d be more than happy to provide them, but I’m gonna have to warn in advance… you’re gonna hate everyone.
I unblocked you for a reason and I will reblock you for sure because you are a genuine nut case. Unless you buy my new improved edition of “Donald’s Vanity Tantrums.” It has about 20 more stories. It will be worth the $15.00 purchase. Are you ready to take the plunge and edify yourself?
Well, I started a nice reply to you to thank you for being yourself and how much pleasure you’ve given me knowing that there are people out there like you who are totally lost, but can be found if they choose to be do so..
It was very disappointing to me to see how many otherwise literate educated Advanced degreed people were so absolutely ignorant, and out of touch with life in the real world versus what they see and hear and refuse to see and hear because it doesn’t meet their approval nor their anticipation.
Hopefully, when you see my post, you will understand two things, the honesty and the veracity of it because you can go ahead and fact check it until kingdom come and it verifies and validate everything I’ve been saying about the people here who hate Trump so much that as I’ve said, if Biden had done many of the things that Trump has done and is doing, you would be standing on a chair, cheering your ass off. Have a good night, Bill.
No don’t flatter ourself. You are just a dumb cluck. So dumb that I actually convinced you to buy my book and you did. Now buy my new edition and I promise to never call you stupid again. Hurry up before I block you again. And too, you are not socially liberal as you described yourself. Anyone who submits to the crap that Trump is like you… Trump is the penultimate conman mafia wannabe. His motivation is exploitation for wealth accumulation and vengeance on anyone who refuses to kiss his ass. He has no morals as I’ve said in my book. Didn’t you read it?
Buy my new edition and all is forgiven. Honestly. I wouldn’t lie to you.
Question: Did you like youself on that screed you spoke? Be honest.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in Iran .
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority …So what do you think bill
How is the crime in Washington DC now?EPSTEIN. Washington DC crime has almost disappeared. Thank you, Mr. Trump
How’s the murder rate in the US? EPSTEIN. Murder rate lowest in the last 125 years
How’s the quality of life? EPSTEIN. AOK except trying to get rid of the illegals who should be here in the first places
How are gas prices? EPSTEIN
Two dollars lower than Biden
How is inflation compared to Biden? EPSTEIN
Trumpet less than 3% Biden at nine
How are prescription drug prices? As low as anywhere in the world NOW. As Trump negotiated World pricing
EPSTEIN How are the 5 peace deals working That Trump created? EPSTEIN
How many illegals has Trump arrested or caused to go home?EPSTEIN
Not enough
how is that $13 trillion of additional investment into America by foreign and US investors going? EPSTEIN
Japan, just come finished its biggest steel plant right here in the United States of America instead of doing it in Else in the world investing up to $4 billion in that plant
how’s the stock market? EPSTEIN? All three indexes have hit record highs pretty much all year long. The Dow hit a record high 53 times.
How much money are the tariffs bringing in? EPSTEIN. Almost 200,000,000,000 and more coming in this year
How is IRAN doing since Trump destroyed their nuclear arsenal and their threats to the world? EPSTEIN.
See you should’ve asked this question yesterday rather than today because now we know how Gerardo is doing and how the world is celebrating as I posted earlier every single Muslim country has been supportive of what happened in Iran countries that are not happy. You’ll love it France and England. And you probably know why if you don’t ask me
How is trumps deal with NATO going to advise them to triple the amount they are depositing for the own protection against Russia? EPSTEIN
NATO is now seeing the light and is projected to deposit 5% of their GDP in order to protect themselves from Russian aggression because of Trump’s insistence
How is the big beautiful bill working….including less taxes for the most needy with no tax on tips no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security? EPSTEIN
What happened to that impending doom but all the little pundits predicted recession, depression, stock, market collapse, inflation, increase. ? EPSTEIN
lots more to come, but for right now I’ll just say. you have a nice day ..ya heyah
Ricky, Our Favorite MAGA man...Dow is down another 350 points so far and Trump's average approval may drop below 38% this week. And check you facts. The GOP removed the "no tax on Soc Security" from the "Big Bull-Shit Bill" and No "Tax on Tips" applies to a tiny fraction of service workers who get tips. Idiot.
Bullet points of Trump’s wins .. this is the assertion as I read articles from various publications. 1. Closed the border in only 75 days when AOC and Mayorkas and Harris (aka the border czar) said that the NOY ONLY THAT THE BORDER WAS SECURE, but only way to do it was legislation/aka mass amnesty) which, of course would take years. It didn’t fall the public when 10 to 15,000 illegals cross the border every day while the people in the administration continue to tell the story of the border being secure And as well, the Democrats attempted to allow these folks to vote. Attempted in many local precincts, including 800,000 people/non-citizens in New York City given permission to vote and only ceased by the highest court in the state of New York. 2. Removing/deporting/arresting over 1,000,000 illegals that were brought in by Biden and the Democrats in order to get them to be able to vote. ( and there is proof of that) 3. The precision, annti- Iran nuclear strike. TACO pseudonym up in smoke. Using tension on the entire world, fearful of a nuclear Iran. While it’s proxies now remain quiet, on the Global stage 4. Three Trump assisted peace/cease fire deals. Iran/ Israel, Pakistan/ India. Somalia/ethiopia 5. The NATO increase in defense deal, including purchasing unique weaponry from the US to dissuade Russian aggression , well the leaders of NATO looked up to Trump and even called him, Daddy and thanked him for having pushed them to increase their funding to protect them against Russia, while the left and Legacy media called it bullying . 6. Despite economic specialists, liberal congress leadership, legacy media, boasting impending economic doom, rampant inflation (currently lowest in four years), global tariff and trade war nightmares, stock market crash, unemployment spikes, all unrealized thus far, and all wrong so far and now admitting they were wrong so far. 7. Doge.finding much fraud, waste, and abuse… further details in bullet point coming later. But all leading to the $9 billion recission bill. 8. THE OBBB… finding one of the only ways to assist the middle and lower income folks by eliminating tax on tips tax on Social Security and tax on overtime..for the time being… while increasing our defense budget, perhaps acquiring our own golden dome like Israel’s iron dome against foreign aggression… creating the permanent tense cuts of the first Trump administration, and including a large tax for the middle and working class. A $12.5 billion bill for modernization of our air traffic control system. Many incentives for small business 9. The $9 billion rescission bill eliminating the federal government from funding, left-wing networks, and eliminating other sources of waste, fraud and abuse. 4 men pleading guilty to $500 million fraud at USA ID and another find is $2.7 billion fraud against Medicare. That would’ve grown to almost 14,000,000,000, had it not been detected 10. Job growth, exceeding expectation and estimates. 11. Eliminating the Department of education and sending education back to the states. 12. Referring Rowe v Wade back to the states where the voters have a voice not just nine Supreme Court justices. 13. Hey Siri of favorable Supreme Court rulings, stopping local justices rampant attempts to stop legislation …as an example from nationwide injunctions. Deportation rulings, deportation rulings, defund USAID, and the Dept of Education, and a few more of a personal nature 14. Stock market Ascension. Despite persistent assertions by the left and other economic pundits, the NASDAQ hit an all-time high. While the S&P also hit an all-time high and had the longest upward trajectory in the last 20 years. Well, the Dow is also threatening to beat its all-time high, which was in December 2024 after Trump’s election. 15. A major unexpected occurrence in June having to do with the deficit for the first time in 20 years for the month there was a budget surplus of $27 billion. Personally, I don’t imagine that will continue despite the tremendous amount of tariff income. 16. Somewhere between 10 and $13 trillion of additional investment in the USA by foreign entities as well as American companies, expanding their businesses here i
Your genius president and his billionaire buddies are now in day 13 of the Iran War. The DOW is down another 600 points. It's getting painfully close to the value that Trump inherited from Sleep Joe. Add that to your propaganda list of Trump achievements plus the deaths including 180+ children in a girls school in Iran.
How many wars have gone on for only 13 days maybe the Falklands lol. This is a saving the planet war, and it’s gonna take as long as it takes until they have no prayer of owning enriched uranium.
By the way, do you know how fucking stupid you are you know you really understand how really stupid you are and every time you post to keep getting them do you know how many stocks are on the Dow? Do you think everyone bases their life on the Dow just shows me that you have maybe a couple of CDs in the bank of Uranus
The only point I agree with you on was the border. Biden was asleep for two years before he realized his numbered going down but by that time it was too late especially after Trump stopped the legislation.
One of the saddest revelations for my husband and me is the grief being experienced by really really decent humans here in our country. A helplessness never quite endured. The feeling of not being HEARD! We are the generation who understood not only what compassion meant (Roosevelt was President four times , all while suffering from polio), Eisenhower came away from a war convinced that a “military complex” was a danger to all. Both administrations worked to make this country a balanced experience for the citizens. The history is so important and VERY interesting. More so than the slobbering nauseating garbage that is spewing from this “so-called” phone.
What is the most important duty today??? To not give in to despair…. The despair that comes from not being heard.
HEARD….. ever heard the word Congress, Supreme Court, law firms, police departments, big business??????????? Because when the grifters stealing the American tax dollar for pianos and lobster and airplanes ( not public), get away with this mind boggling behavior this country will never never get our support again!
Yes. That has been obvious from the start. New worries too. Last night someone posted this scary piece of news. I had not heard about it, but quickly responded by signing the petitions. The person who shared it in one of my political chats said,
"This is one of the most dystopian business proposals (and that is really saying something in a world with Palantir) and one that I cannot believe would not require international approval considering it would destroy the entire night sky"
I don’t think we’ll see many big waves (like a major MAGA Congress member changing their opinions), however I think we can cause little ripples. I’m thinking staff members who hear the same thing over and over via voicemail, phone calls, letter after letter, email after email - maybe they’ll be a little more receptive each time they hear from us. Maybe they’ll talk more about our talking points to friends and family, maybeeee they’ll vote differently. As a collective, our volume matters. And, at the end of the day, if we just annoy and overwhelm some staffers working for people hurting the average American, I’m ok with that too 🙃
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what do you think Megan?
Yes, the guys in charge have no idea about what war is like in real life. To open their eyes a bit, all Cabinet members and all MAGA Congresspeople must submit to having all of their age-qualified offspring enrolled in the armed services serving in Iran or other war-torn areas of the world. NO EXCEPTIONS. Barron is at the top of the list.
Why Baron very interesting choice. I wonder why you chose him. Why don’t you ask all the liberals in Congress how many of them have served then you’ll get a shock compared to liberals to Republicans and see who served more
"If a charismatic political or religious extremist roused a dispossessed population behind another war, and if that leader got his hands on a nuclear weapon, he could destroy the world." Professor is talking about Trump and MAGA supporters of Trump.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what are your thoughts? Was that too vague?
My first round of emails from the contact me links had a lot bounce back saying I wasn't a constituent so it either didn't get sent or basically wouldn't be read. So I changed the way I sent messages. I use one of their own in state addresses (listed on my spreadsheet to help with this) on the address line because technically it doesn't say "my" address. I also don't want to misrepresent myself any more than that, so in my messages I typically put (at the bottom) that while I'm not a constituent, I am reaching out because (insert name) does represent me on the (insert committee that fits the topic my message is about).
Another thing I do is call after hours. I don't leave my name or address/zip code so my voice doesn't go towards a count, but the more they hear from us, the better.
I also send faxes using faxzero.com (5 free/day). I don't send a lot of letters, but when I do I put the same “while I’m not a constituent” blurb I do in my emails.
We are creating a world of rubble. In Gaza. In Lebanon. In the West Bank. In Iran. Reducing the world to rubble does not have any positive advantages. It only means that places where people could live, where students could learn, where the faithful could worship, and where the sick could be cared for no longer exist. What kind of history are we writing? What kind of legacy are we leaving? Have we lost all sense? Have we no shame?
Not to mention the environmental impact, the cost of reconstruction with resources this planet doesn't have... and the immeasurable damage to the health of the millions of people whose water and air are being poisoned. "Have we no shame" is right!
I still think that malignant sociopathic narcissism will be the end of humanity. Combine that with stupidity, and you have an especially deadly combination. And yes, J L, we do next to nothing to reduce it.
You're right, Phil. And worse: we select and celebrate _exactly_ those traits in our 'leaders', because, well, a CEO of course has to be strong man who can make unpopular decisions, right?
More fundamentally Procrustean conformity vs solidarity. Real patriotism, real compassion, is solidarity.
"solidarity(n.)
1829, "communion of interests and responsibilities, mutual responsibility between two or more persons, quality in a community of being perfectly united on some question," from French solidarité, "communion of interests and responsibilities, mutual responsibility," a coinage of the "Encyclopédie" (1765), from solidaire "interdependent, complete, entire," from solide (see solid (adj.))."
Narcissism is the ultimate root of all evil. We are all of necessity self-serving, but as a profoundly social species, we also evolved with a capacity for love, understanding, and a sense of justice, "the better angels of our nature". Narcissism is wired into human nature, but emotional maturity demands its integration into civilized behavior. We socially self destructive without that, and with the aid of our clever tool, capable of means to our own extinction. We are fools not to focus on the clear and present danger. Narcissism broadly poisons human happiness from marriages to international harmony.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. In my opinion, in stone age times, times narcissism wouldn't get a chance. I mean, in a small group of, say, 20-50 humans foraging and hunting around, if one Trump emerged, the rest would be so sick of him after a short time, they would kick him out. And being kicked out of the tribe meant certain death, as humans couldn't survive alone in the wild - meaning this Trump would have to sacrifice his life for his narcissism or change his ways, no other option there.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what do you think was that quote from the administration toovague
The Democratic representatives may have no idea what Trump’s end game is, but I do. It is the utter destruction of the wotld, no less than that. Just look at how adamant he is on destroying nature: selling National Parks, drlling for oil, bombing countries, blowing ever more carbon dioxide into the air… And why? Because it’s the ultimate act of an emotionally stunted malignant narcissist. THIS will get everybody’s attention, even his father’s. “Look what I did, daddy! I destroyed the world! Nobody ever did this before, I am the best, I am unique! Do you love me now?”
Perhaps the utter destruction is only a side effect of the compulsion to grind up the entire planet for zillionaires investment portfolios. The last one left alive Owns ALL!!
I have the best grandchildren. They work hard in school. My grandson takes care of his little brother and helps him with homework and plays basketball with him. They play board games and cards together.
My granddaughter enjoys making up educational games that are challenging and fun to play. She is a writer and a reader!
They care about the environment. My son-in-law is over a nature preserve.
My daughter and son-in-law are good parents. They have expectations for the children to clean their rooms and help with responsibilities at home. They expect them to do well in school and they participate in their school activities/events.
They participate/serve with their fellow church members each Sunday.
I want a decent world for these precious lives as do so many other parents and grandparents.
There are parents all over the world who want the same but wars of greed and hatred make it impossible. When one on this planet suffers, so do we each and all. Parents long for a hope and a future for their children. We ARE responsible for one another!
We need leaders who are more concerned about building up, concerned about the health and well being of others than whether we have enough "donuts" for ourselves!!!
Musk did not invent the Tesla, BTW. He used his money, and slander, to take it over, tho' I suspect he had a hand in designing the "unique" Cybertruck.
Over the last four years, in self-defense because of American timidity in confronting Russian aggression, Zelenskyy and his military have revolutionized the nature of war. America failed to notice. Iran and Russia did, and so, although later than they should have, has Europe.
America now has Don Jr. and Eric trying to corner the "cheap drone" market with their Powerus and XTEND deals, no doubt salivating over the potential profits from war profiteering.
Drone capabilities have been upgraded every couple of months. Pete Hegseth, in his "warrior ethos" dreams, wants boots on the ground and blood in the streets. Zelenskyy has been working under a "strategy for life" to destroy threats with the fewest possible casualties, both civilian and military.
Zelenskyy is driven by that concept because he recognizes he is fighting an existential threat to his nation.
Now Trump, Hegseth, and Bibi have provided Iran, another great "drone power," with an existential threat to their nation. In asymmetric warfare, the losers are the ones who bankrupt themselves first. We will run out of Patriots and Tomahawks long before Iran runs out of drones. And, I fear, they will have no compunction about using them to deploy dirty bombs against the "Great Satan," our pedophile- in-chief and child killer, his minions, and us.
Powerus, the military drone company that counts the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as “notable investors” has announced a bizarre merger with “golf course operator” Aureus Greenway Holdings to form one publicly traded company.
Meanwhile, Eric Trump and Donald Trump, jr. are investing in a $1.5 billion merger between Israeli drone maker XTEND and Florida-based JFB Construction Holdings (JFB.O). In addition to the Trump brothers’ involvement, JFB appointed Stefan Passantino to serve as a board member, according to a Feb. 13 securities filing. Passantino served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy counsel during Trump’s first term in the White House.
I started looking into Aureus and its IPO last February 2025. It was subsequently nearly delisted and then got an infusion of cash through sale of warrants. One investment firm listed as insiders on the IPO and the president of the company have Hong Kong business addresses. The auditor is in Tortuga in the British Virgin Islands… I checked out the website for Aureus and it all says “being updated” so no actual information or list of company officers.
What a pity that fool Trump has no time for them. He continues to support Russia's territorial claims to eastern Ukraine even though Russia is now helping Iran use its drones to more effectively hit US military targets. Indeed, Trump has refused to answer questions about Russia's involvement in the war with Iran and press secretary Karoline Leavitt says "it doesn't really matter".
Trump cannot be any more transparent about shifting his allegiance to Russia. There is new reporting about a deal in the works in Alaska set up by Don Jr.’s college buddy Gentry Beach with a nat gas company , that is connected to Putin.
This is a very interesting and enlightening interview about the Middle East and Iran with Alastair Crooke, former British diplomat, and founder and director of the Beirut-based Conflicts Forum. He was a ranking figure in both British intelligence (MI6) and European Union diplomacy. He shares his expertise in this 1hour video. https://youtu.be/YL8rXeNkXsQ?si=tsdadKXbqR-roa-O
The world was supposed to end on May 21, 2011 according to Profit Harold Camping, but it got postponed. Not to say that some numbskull with nuclear weapons couldn't blunder into it.
Hegseth is President Trump's little "lacky.". Hegseth is so proud to be given such awesome responsabilites by "big daddy".
This is a very frightening time for our country. A few real leaders are trying to fight so many battles and Trump's minions continue creating more distractions!
Honestly, I think Trump will die first because he is already rotting from the inside out. But Hegseth, Bondi, Noem and Lutnick will be held to account by impeachment, such as it is. My sincerest hope is that they are tried on criminal corruption charges as well.
I thought Donald Rumsfeld was a lousy Secretary of Defense, but Kegseth is even more inept. Kegseth was brought in to ensure the military’ loyalty to Trump over the Constitution.
I'm not deeply enough acquainted with American History but my guess would be that Hegseth is the most under-qualified, irresponsible Sec. of Defense in US history.
to say nothing of the rubble we are creating with climate change. Unbelievable fury hath Mother Earth this year with her massive winter snows/blizzards, tornados and floods. It is hard to fathom that people can't see reality. "It's a hoax" - really? If old prophecies are correct, we are in for some awful times ahead and the earth will heal itself if she can get rid of the humans...sorry - late night, busy day, but this is all pointing to the end of times. No, I wouldn't give up hope but it's getting harder to think about the split in reality. This political scene is mind boggling! Appreciate the repetition of history lessons though and always learn something from the past.
Warmest winter on record. Truly dismal snowpack in the west, especially in the Colorado river basin. We are about to start a huge heatwave in the west that will all but eliminate the snowpack.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what are your thoughts Mister climate change.
Biggest hoax to ever permeate liberal brains and there are many reasons why
"What kind of history are we writing? What kind of legacy are we leaving? Have we lost all sense? Have we no shame?"
I would add - Are we even paying attention? Do we even care?
I think almost all of us here are writing a history of resistance. As are many in official positions - especially those in the legal profession.
Then there are the Republican voters and their purity test enablers on the Leftish. Will enough of those realize their mistake? And will a sufficient number of non-voters realize theirs? 2026 will tell.
Republicans have worked towards this moment for decades. With Trump they have accelerated their destruction of all they've resented since the Union defeated the Confederacy and since the Democratic party became the champion of civil rights, equitable taxation, government regulation, and social services. What is unusual among authoritarian take-overs is that Republicans are willing to not only to pervert the institutions of government but shutter and destroy them. The difference between Trump's first term and second terms. For instance the Mike Johnson House just going home when Republicans don't get their way. The Roberts Supreme Court not even bothering to hear Oral Arguments or writing decisions fully laying out the reasoning and precedent of their decisions.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what are your thoughts Lynn did the administration have enough cause?
There’s no standard list of sociopath signs, but the signs and symptoms of ASPD include a persistent pattern of disregard for others. For example:
ignoring social norms and laws, breaking rules at school or work, overstepping social boundaries, stealing, stalking and harassing others, or destroying property
dishonesty and deceit, including using false identities and manipulating others for personal gain
difficulty controlling impulses and planning for the future, or acting without considering the consequences
aggressive or aggravated behavior, including frequent fights or physical conflict with others
disregard for personal safety, or the safety of others
difficulty managing responsibilities, including showing up at work, handling tasks, or paying rent and bills
little to no guilt or remorse, or a tendency to justify actions that negatively affect others
People with ASPD generally show little emotion or interest in the lives of others. They might:
come across as arrogant or superior, with firmly fixed opinions
use humor, intelligence, and charisma to manipulate
seem charming at first until their self-interest becomes clear
People with ASPD generally find it challenging to maintain friendships, relationships, and other mutually fulfilling connections. This difficulty may stem from traits, like:
low empathy and emotional intelligence
difficulty learning from mistakes
lack of concern for the safety of others
a tendency to intimidate and threaten in order to maintain control"
"We are creating a world of rubble..."Gaza, Lebanon...the West Bank...in Iran..."
Bombing, destroying homes, schools, hospitals....places of business....etc, does NOT build up nations....does NOT build up peace, but increases hate, increases poverty, destroys hope for families and children, destroys businesses, destroys opportunities for education!
Just because we are far from Iran or Gaza or other areas of great poverty due to wars we are aiding, does NOT mean we are not being harmed as a world and as a nation from these acts of greed and violence!!! Are our hearts and minds so cold and unaffected!!!
For many of these areas, clean water and basic food items are difficult to find. Mothers are watching their babies and children slowly starve to death...as the White House uses taxpayer dollars to stuff themselves with doughnuts!!!! as well as expensive food items that even some of us are doing without to save money to pay our ever increasing tax bills!
Even the great United States of America cannot survive and thrive with this lack of leadership and this waste of taxpayer dollars and contributing to wars and the destruction that always follows!!!
From the standpoint of Trump, Witkoff, and Kushner, the rubble is the first step towards new real estate deals. The people who stand to gain from this destruction we can count on one hand...
What do you know about Ukraine? Let me tell you what you think you know, but I’ll tell you what you what the facts are Barack Obama and his accompanying vagina. Let Putin run all over him and took over the entire peninsula of Crimea Joe Biden, who is half dead anyway allowed Putin to come over and take over the entire eastern seaboard of Ukraine any other questions
To answer your questions: a shameful legacy that generations in the future will wonder how could people do that to each other. And yes, and yes. Except it's not we, it's that orange guy in the front office. He has no sense, no shame, no decency, no empathy, no compassion, no conscience, no goodwill, no love of his fellow Homo sapiens. Only hate, and covetousness for personal wealth and power.
It's complicated isn't it? Bold political leaders and public movement fought back against the plutocracy and corruption of the "Gilded Age". Establishing a growing middle class took decades, but we traded it away to smarmy salesman Reagan and the middle class has been on the back foot ever since as monopoly and oligarchy re-established. That's the principal root of present evils, and while Bernie has long sounded the alarm, even Democrats have clung to the momentum of "Reaganomics" (aka government of by and for the people just sucks, and the richest are the ones most qualified to rule). Biden diverged from it more than most, and the public rejected him anyway, while they had loved saliently-forgetful early-stage Alzheimer's Reagan. It' easier to "go with the flow", but the "government of the people, by the people, for the people is being bought and sold from under us, and has been for more than four decades. Now it's all up for grabs. It's them and us, and theoretically were are all in this together.
Sunday, The Guardian posted an article by Eric Reinhart entitled: “Americans aren't facing a democratic collapse. They are living in its aftermath”. The world makes much more sense when viewed through this framing. Trump as the exquisitely chosen puppet to exploit the complete weakness of democratic institutions, the already compromised, dysfunctional, sold-out to greed institutions that we hoped and prayed could be reformed if we just won the next election. We are at the culmination of being completely hoodwinked since the day President Gerald Ford pardoned a man who should have been imprisoned for high crimes and misdemeanors, for treason. As the Canadian Prime Minister so accurately stated at Davos: It is time to Stop Pretending and Name Realities. https://www.theguardian.com/global/commentisfree/2026/mar/08/trump-democracy-oligarchy-policy
Democracy is not yet dead but it's enduring carpet bombing. I agree that Ford's pardon, said to have been well intentioned, set the stage for the Imperial Presidency, and Reagan and his patrons, took the ball and ran with it. The lesson taken from Nixon's disgrace was, if you are going to lie, lie BIGLY!
Riversong, democracy as we knew it is dead. Trump has destroyed it. Can we retrieve it as it was? PM Carney says that the world order has shifted, and the US can no longer be relied upon to lead in upholding democratic principles. Taking the US directly into war, without approval of the people (Congress), has already occured; one cannot undo a war. If you are contributing to a political cause, let me suggest this one: https://voteriders.org/ This is something we need to keep: the right to vote!
Point taken. The demise of empire is a messy business. I would say that the empire is dead and will not be resurrected. And still, the democracy can be saved if we don't give up. And yes! I've just started supporting Vote Riders as well. We need to be working proactively on all levels. Helping people overcome obstacles to voting with proper ID ,etc. is the real nitty gritty that can counter the attempts to keep people from voting.
What a thoughtful essay -- weaving in Eisenhower's famous warning about the "military-industrial complex" and its endless capacity to devour resources that might have gone to the hungry, the sick, the uneducated, to the rebuilding of infrastructure -- to a hundred other priorities that pay far greater benefits than simply blowing up things and killing people.
In one week, our own “special military operation” in Iran has cost Americans $6 billion. That’s more than DOUBLE the entire yearly budget requested for the National Park Service ($2.1 billion). Even that lesser amount only allow the NPS to chip away at the huge $33 billion in deferred maintenance our system of parks, monuments, seashores, and wild areas need to maintain the legacy of preservation another Republican, Teddy Roosevelt, bequeathed to us over a century ago.
We need to recognize that the Trump administration is not only morally corrupt but, arguably, the most ignorant and incompetent group of people to have ever run an important country (and I'm saying this as a professional historian). The contrast with Eisenhower is telling.
Look at the people who elected him...How did we get to this point? The conspiracy theories, the lies, the greed, the blind following of this supposed charismatic man who promised so much and ignorant and incompetent group of billionaires now leading us. Slowly but surely some are trying to get rid of them...
With the still-incomplete release of the Epstein files, it is clear that the conspiracy theorists were not entirely wrong. Trump and his clown car cabinet are ignorant and money and power-hungry, but the anti-democracy oligarchs who have been engineering the path that got us here have been patient, single-minded, and focused for decades.
Trump is a tool for the final destruction in their endgame.
"What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence? It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling sea coasts, the guns of our war steamers, or the strength our gallant and disciplined army? These are not our reliance against a resumption of tyranny in our fair land. All of those may be turned against our liberties, without making us weaker or stronger for the struggle. Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage and you are preparing your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises." -- Lincoln
Back in the 1950s, a cunning tyrant was unimaginable. One looked to a statesman to occupy and revere the White House. Its desecration makes me feel murderous.
Your point is well taken. Trump wants to spend on lavish monuments to himself, to pay homage to his self-perceived greatness. Teddy Roosevelt preserved natural monuments for the American people to experience together our greatness as a nation. A juxtaposition between the artificial and the real. We are losing the soul of our country.
Earlier today I wrote about the impact this illegal war will have on affordability. Notwithstanding the death, destruction, and suffering of innocent women, children, and families caught between the cruelty, chaos, and corrupt criminality of the Trump/Vance Administration. The fact that not even an illegal war, including war crimes committed by Trump/Hegseth are enough to cause the GOP to stop this Administration, this war belongs to all of them.
Of course the Trump Administration and the GOP members of Congress who are now complicit are not the ones who will be returning in caskets. It will be our sons and daughters, moms and dads, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives.
To your point, yesterday Senator Aunt Pittypat (R-SC), with no children of his own, bravely asked South Carolina's parents to "send their sons and daughters to the Middle East."
Lindsey Graham's lips move rhapsodically with oleaginous passion for a war he has no understanding of. His mind "races with the thought" of a new Middle East. You can practically smell him getting all moist and engorged at the thought of what his beloved Alpha is doing on our behalf. "God bless POTUS for planning and executing Operation Epic Fury" he swoons on social media. "This operation has been well-planned," he adds. "It will be violent, extensive and...successful...Cuba is next." (At least according to reports form an alternative exo-planet in a solar system yet to be discovered by the world's astronomers...)
News reports have surfaced that Lindsey is also the only non-member of Dr. Caligari's Cabinet of Horrors to don those $145 Oxford Florsheim shoes Hair Furor insists everyone wears, even going to far as to pick out their sizes for them. The others are afraid not to -- Lindsey can't wait to show yet another way he can kiss Trump's ginormous posterior.
Is it derangement — or just plain drunkenness — that gives someone like that the courage to post such embarrassing trash? If you look closely, you can see his eyes already assuming that same vacant gaze as his beloved President's. And you can practically see the self-loathing and despair that must lay underneath them.
"You know the thing about a shark. He’s got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya’, he doesn’t seem to be living until he bites ya’ and the black eyes roll over white…”
" Something in me died at Peleliu. Perhaps it was the childish innocence that accepted as faith the claim that Man was basically good. Possibly I lost faith that politicians in high places, who do not have to endure war's savagery, will ever stop blundering and sending others to endure it." Eugene B. Sledge from With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa
Gregg, my wife's Uncle Chuck gave me Sledge's book while I was his caretaker* as he was going through Hospice. We had some amazing chats during that time. I was just thinking I'd like to reread that book during my recovery
*Psychological caregiver. He had medical help and didn't need assistance with the "hard" parts of activities of daily living. It was such an honor that he gave me his trust to walk that path with him.
It was a great honor. I did that as best I could, with as much gentleness as I could. When he could still get out and about, we'd go for "country drives" around the county (we have 4600 square miles of county) and stop for a chocolate milkshake at some little out of the way place. We had all measures of conversation, ranging from my time patrolling the county or calling balls and strike in softball to his time living overseas in mostly Asian places (he worked for B of A in the 70's).
I still have two promises to keep to him: Scatter him and his dogs near the Solono River in the bay area, and some more up east of Bend, OR in the high desert.
Lady G wants the American public who have adult children serving in the military to sacrifice their children to this stupid and futile war. That is a sacrifice Trump, Kegseth and Lady G are quite willing to make, even as the Trump boys make money off their drone business.
I keep praying that the Democratic Party leadership will understand that the nature of this emergency is so extraordinary that they need to stop operating within the normal framework of “two party politics”. We are no longer in a two party, political environment. We are in a one party against a domestic terrorist organization environment! When will the Democratic Party start acting as if they truly understand what’s going on?
This isn't a matter of picking on anyone. We are at that critical juncture where we look around at the rubble and have to get honest about how we got here. It took the current two political parties to get us here. The Democrats? The Democrats have been playing meek and maybe for years. We missed too many opportunities for the past 10 years to stop him. Now here we are. We have to demand more from the Democratic Party. We better demand more or this fascist regime will only get dug in deeper.
Go to AIPAC Tracker. Look us various congress people and the gears click into place on so many votes they have done. For example, Schiff receives over $9 million from the most pro-Israel lobby in the world, goes on and on about no war but does nothing. Look at the Committees they serve on and the PACs donating to them. A lot of the weak and feckless labels assigned to Democratic make sense. Go to integrityindex.us. Learn about who our elected representatives really are. We need to make better and more informed choices on who we elect.
"We want an opposition Party that fights back. Fighting back against the regime does work… and we will remake this party to represent the people because it is currently full of too many people who are too weak. We’re not asking. We’re demanding.
Thanks for the link to integrityindex.us. The asset listing work is amazing. My Republican representative has $1 million in United Healthcare stock, a very useful fact to know.
I have used opensecrets for the donation and PAC info in previous election cycles. I think I will do a head-to-head comparison between them.
What I would really like to see is a site that tracks who is funding the attack ads against candidates. The problem is always tracking the money through many layers of "pooled" money PACs and charities that serve to anonymize the sources. The best I have been able to do is look at the organization listed on a mailer, but not to see an aggregate report for everyone on their hit list.
According to some on substack, Trump didn't win! He used all manor of Musk's sky systems to tweak the voting machines and votes. Some very interesting voting in Pennsylvania, but we'll never know because there was no follow up. And, evil won - again. Not that all democrats are loving and honest. It's a mixed bag all around, but finding peace is stepping away and enjoying nature and caring for others and supporting those that also care. I still can't get over the killing of 500,000 women and children (and fatherss) because USAID was shut down...
Don't overlook the part of Schumer and Jeffries in this capitulation. They're still mesmerized by Israel and AIPAC's money, and their resistance has not been full-throated.
Did you do the math? Di you go to AIPAC Tracker, integrityindex.us, their Committee Assignments or voting record?
Daniel this contempt prior to investigation helped get us in this mess.
Did you know the Democrats would not even publish their autopsy after the 2024 election? Know why? Because the GAZA issue helped defeat the Democrats. Why are the Democrats soft on the GAZA genocide? Check their AIPAC numbers.
You are willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just because someone takes a political contribution doesn't make them the enemy. The ONLY hope we have to get rid of MAGA are Democrats.
Also there's the antiosemitic issue. Tough to support suicide bombers and other assassins.
If it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck.. maybe it's a duck.
I don't care what the letter is after the name. I'm going to call out bullshit where I see it.
We deserve better than Chuck Schumer, Fetterman, Golden, King, Kaine, and all the other traitors who have voted with the GOP and helped keep Trump in power.
We deserve better than a bunch of politicians sitting on their hands saying "oh there is nothing we can do".. really? Cause when the GOP was the minority party they managed to stop almost all of Obama's and Biden's bills.
We deserve better than a bunch of politicians who have to check first with their lobbyists and corporate sponsors before they can condemn the murder of innocents.
I am a registered Democrat, but I am only too aware we need a thorough housecleaning and we need new people with new ideas and the spine to take on the Republicans’ dirty tricks. They need to stop trying to placate the oligarchs, and to tax them significantly.
Moorehead 'Mike' Kennedy was our senior most diplomat held hostage by Iran. His wife Louisa coordinated between the State Department and hostage families to keep the hostages in the public eye and seek their release. After the hostages were released, rather than castigating Iran, they advocated for diplomatic policy based on a better understanding of Iranian history and culture. He left the Foreign Service and founded the Cathedral Peace Institute at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York to focus on conflict resolution.
Many Iranian citizens have been courageously opposing the regime. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported 7,015 confirmed deaths as of February 2026, with over 11,700 additional cases still under review.
Higher-Range Estimates: Some international reports and medical sources suggest the true scale may be much higher, with estimates ranging from 20,000 to over 30,000 following a particularly brutal state crackdown in early January 2026.
Official Iranian Government Figures: The Iranian government has acknowledged approximately 3,117 deaths
The Mullahs who run Iran do not necesarily represent the majority. Persians constitute about 61% of the country and most of them are women. The Mullahs and thir proxies have been executing wars of extermination against their enemies since 1979.
Unfortuately the Trump administration is hostile to the ABA and tho ROLI, despitre its record. The American Bar Association (ABA) and its Rule of Law programs actively address the following issues in Iran:
Targeting of Lawyers: ABA ROLI and broader ABA leadership have repeatedly condemned the arrest and persecution of Iranian lawyers for fulfilling their professional duties, such as defending protesters.
Human Rights Violations: In August 2025, the ABA adopted a resolution calling for an end to human rights abuses in Iran, including the use of capital punishment for non-serious crimes, torture, and the persecution of minorities.
Lack of Due Process: Advocacy efforts highlight the denial of independent legal counsel in political cases and the use of judiciary-approved lawyer lists that undermine fair trial standards.
Solidarity Programs: The ABA hosts events such as the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer to raise awareness for Iranian legal professionals risking their lives for the rule of law.
Iran Human Rights
Contextual Entities
Iranian American Bar Association (IABA): While distinct from ABA ROLI, the IABA is a major U.S.-based organization that stands in solidarity with the Iranian people and protects the rights of Iranian-Americans.
Iranian Bar Association (IBA): This is the independent (though currently state-pressured) bar within Iran itself. Recent reports indicate the Iranian judiciary has significantly eroded its autonomy through new licensing and disciplinary controls
You'd think that before we had attackled last summer we would have supported these groups
I only wish there were included in such listings the existence of educators eager that schools have programs where, for upper-level youth learning English, students could do much in exchanges to see each other better as individuals in their varying cultural and other contexts.
We should probably have done something serious about the hostages being held longer than they might have been; that was treason and where we are today is a direct line from allowing that type of governing to become normal.
Even after Jimmy Carter had lost the election, in his final months as president, he had been working to get the hostages released up until the day of Reagan's inauguration. The Reagan campaign feared a late-October release of the hostages (an "October surprise") would give President Carter a last-minute boost in the polls. Reagan's team promised future arms deals to the Iranian regime in exchange for holding the 52 American hostages until just after Reagan's 1981 inauguration. And then what conspired over the course of Reagan's presidency but what came to known as the Iran-Contra affair...
ThankYou horhai for spelling out - so clearly and thoroughly - the Republicans' delaying the release of the hostages and providing them with weapons. For political gain.
Why is it dizzying how Donald stays so idiotically insane with his “messaging”?
Too many of us, it seems, still expect something, or some things, from a person whom we also know has never in his life had any moral center, any regard for other human beings, nor any care for any dogs or cats (except for how they may serve claims that Somalis, Haitians, or other black people are feasting on them).
That’s the great thing about being dictator. One can sputter on all day and never mean a word of it – just that the cameras always be on oneself.
One can also commit the worst travesties. Send ICE and CBP to terrorize ordinary American communities. Tear down the east wing of the White House. Bomb an Iranian girls’ school, killing 165. Rape underage girls and young women – 1200 of them – with one’s rich pals and their lifelong cover-up.
And – happy, happy – one has sycophant staff to make sure no one criticize. Not universities. Not elite law firms. Not mainstream media. Not billionaires and their hate-based social media.
Heather’s bunch? Medically unstaffed and foul food only concentration camps are now being built for our and related critical tens of thousands.
The astronomical daily spending for bombing Iran makes me furious!!!!!!
This will bankrupt the US and the only conclusion I can draw is it is intentional so DT can strip our country like Putin did after their economic crash!
Can our congress get their heads out of the sand and stop this?!!!!!!
The nature of warfare has changed over the last four years, thanks to the existential war in Ukraine. Now the loser will be determined by who will be bankrupted first. You are seeing the effects of "asymmetrical warfare," when the cost of taking out a weapon with a drone is 1/10 of the cost of the weapon itself, and it takes months to build a new Patriot missile and a day to build a drone.
Hegseth is setting us up for premature ejaculation, shooting the whole wad with no backup. This is a major disaster in the making.
Having no bid contracts determined by "lethality" tests of drones built by Eric and Don Jr.'s new foray into drone ventures is insanity. Technological innovations in drones occur on a time scale of months, but Trump and Hegseth refused Ukraine's offer to transfer tech as it developed. New factories are starting production in Europe that are building Ukrainian-designed drones in countries safe from attack, with Ukrainian military being sent to train allied troops. They are guaranteeing to take back older models and upgrade them or modify them for different uses as the technology evolves.
Below is a link to Zelenskyy’s speech last night to the Ukrainian people and his reasons for sending aid to the Gulf states to develop their drone capabilities. He emphasizes that help is mutual in alliances, and that Ukraine is a reliable partner. His speeches are getting noticeably shorter and more direct. He is clear about Russia’s intentions in the broadening of the war. He says more in 3 paragraphs than Trump and all his minions in the last 10 days of war.
"Now the loser will be determined by who will be bankrupted first."
The Soviet Union's economically disastrous invasion of Afghanistan contributed to the collapse of the USSR. Now of course, while putting an immense strain on the US, Trump's war is reaping oil profits for Russia, to sustain their attack on Ukraine.
To those who touted Trump's business acumen as qualification for the presidency, we always said that he would bankrupt the US as he did his business ventures.
$140k for 272 donut orders. That is roughly 400 donuts per order if you use Dunkin' Donuts prices. Or in total over 100,000 donuts. And that is to a department where the head honcho berated top officers that people were too fat.
On top of that, that expense is small in comparison.
He's embroiling us in foreign entanglements, while people suffer at home.
He's depleting our military resources, while Russia and China smile.
He's following the ACCELERATED national decline trajectory described by Paul Kennedy in "Rise and Fall of The Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000"
Since I am prone to conspiracy theories by connecting dots inaccurately or pre-maturely, take this comment with a grain of salt, s.v.p. I see one consistent thread through these erratic actions: 🤔
> on again / off again signals from Trump to the European allies about getting tougher with Putin;
> getting guttural about Greenland; and,
> the unilateral, one-man war against Iran. 😳
These actions provide camouflaged cover for Putrid to go right on decimating Ukraine by keeping the Europeans off-balance with mixed signals. 😢
Since fickleness no longer works, Trump may be dividing Europe's attention, first two ways between Ukraine and Greenland. And now three ways among Ukraine, Iran, and Greenland. 🤬
Trump has given himself an excuse to betray Ukraine by relaxing oil sanctions, thus adding to Russia's coffers. Frankly, Putrid may be on the ropes and Europe may be able kick him where the little red star does not shine, but she does not understand that possibility. 🛑
Obviously, Trump and his crass coterie would not attack Iran solely to distract Europe, but keeping Europe away from Ukraine and funding Russia is a bonus. Aiding Putrid's continuing atrocity may have influenced the timing. 🤢
It's happening now because people are finally starting to look into the money-laundering aspect of the Epstein Class scandal. I think the sex trafficking was the leverage to see that the money-laundering and corruption was not exposed. Typical Russian kompromat but on a gargantuan scale.
The fly in the ointment for Putin has been Ukraine and its resistance. He was assuming he would have Crimea 2.0 and take the rest of Ukraine, and threaten a compliant Europe. But it didn't work out as planned. Now he has a woken-up Europe, and he is trying to salvage what he can by defanging the US and splitting it off from the former allies. Trump delivered what Putin asked him for with the National Security Strategy report, which was Putin's wish list.
Sen. Whitehouse and Sen. Wyden are the best on this. Call Congress to pass Wyden's PETRA bill.
New Wyden Bill Would Force Treasury to Turn Over Epstein Files
Secretary Bessent Has Repeatedly Refused to Give Epstein Bank Records to Senate Investigators, Impeding Senator Wyden’s Follow-The-Money Investigation
Washington, D.C. – Following new revelationsabout Jeffrey Epstein’s deep and long-running relationship with J.P Morgan, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced the Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act (PETRA)
It is always about following the money, and the sums Epstein moved through the financial system were huge. Trump has always had "special relationships" with certain banks after his bankruptcies. Whitehouse is correct.
The Epstein scandal is a bigger challenge than Trump's excesses; the latter are obvious and we have a decent chance of taking our democracy back. If the powerful men at the center of the Epstein crimes are not held to account, the citizenry will be so demoralized that republican governance will be unsustainable.
Georgia *and *Lin, I worked in banking in N.Y.C. for years. In the late 1990s or early 2000s -- whenever Trump made his miracle comeback -- I assure you that I was far from alone in concluding that our rogue manatee out-of-control was laundering dirty money from Russia and Ukraine.
The Deutsche Bank loan shenanigans came to light in 2019. The real question is how the media coverage was suppressed enough for so many people in red states to ignore it. And that brings us back to how and why the Democratic party was allowed to wither in red states and is still happening.
DT is also adding to his coffers. This war may bankrupt the US so he can sell off the US like Putin did Russia after their economic collapse. Read Red Notice!
Side note: As evidence in this and others, one thing I love about reading the commentary on HCR's work is the beautiful use of language. Refreshing! Very unlike daily interactions where I currently live in FL.
And you are one I always read Ally, though almost always in a sub-thread started by me. (See my response to Signe explaining my vanity.) With your life experience, particularly in law enforcement, and your solid temperament, your comments are guidance whether I agree with them or not.
Likewise. I know we have some areas where we view things differently, and even in our “point/counter-point” exchanges they are always polite and informative.
True, Signe. These threads are always a morale booster-shot. Thanks to you et many al. While it is vain on my part, I usually respond to those who respond to me. I believe it is polite and I have little time these days.
Yesterday, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) was being interviewed after he, too, left that Senate Armed Services Committee briefing in a bumfuzzled rage about the Administration's total absence of planning, even an ability to explain why we're there. He explained that they literally *have no idea* why we're there, as evidenced by the daily shifting explanations that make no sense whatever. Trump had just said 'no, we're not there because of nuclear weapons' to a reporter's questions, implying....regime change? oil? Epstein? something else?
He told Nicolle Wallace he was overhearing Ted Cruz give another interview a few feet away, where he insisted the war was because Iran was getting ready to use nuclear weapons against us. 'I have half a mind to wander over there and interrupt him and tell him Trump just said that wasn't the reason,' he added.
No words to encapsulate such arrogant stupidity. We have gone all the way from General Petraeus asking Colin Powell "tell me how this ends" to Alfred E. Neumann's "what, me worry?"
The administration is treating war like a video game. We cannot restart the lives lost. War is devastating.
Be LOUD! 💔🤍💙
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Goodtrouble) to contact members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly.
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
Comments/reactions help keep this bumped ✊
One of our biggest hindrances at this point might be fatigue. I know Dr. Richardson mentions from time to time how tired she is. So, while we are loud and proactive in our particular areas of resistance to this regime, we also need to take breaks.
Spring is happening in some States or at least the easing of a harsh winter. Go outside. Look at daffodils. Buy a new shirt or dress. Whatever works for each of us to refuel we should do it.
There are more of us than them. And we will win.
Take Care Everyone.
Years ago I heard the term “compassion fatigue.” I thought it accurately describes at least part of what some of us might be feeling now. This is to be expected, what with Bannon’s “flood the zone” strategy of attempting to overwhelm us every hour it seems, with something new and usually harmful to the American people. I have lived with decades of chronic pain. I can’t march, but every day I call my reps. I sign petitions. I write out postcards for elections. I donate carefully to races I feel candidates have the best chance to win. I get on Zoom calls. I phone bank. I share and reshare information on social media.
But I also get outside. I enjoy the Los Angeles warmth and sun, I watch my favorite classic film, I play with my cats, I paint, I write, I listen to music. Do not let them defeat you. Engage. Rest. Enjoy. Start over. Thank you Heather and thank you to every person here fighting for humanity. ❤️
Yes, again. The fire changed everything for many of us who were actively facing and resisting any way we could. Jess Craven said she was going to be at a San Gabrial Vally Foothill Democatic Club meeting last Thursday evening. We are renting down in the valley and I went to say hi to her and finally meet new people who were actively facing our threats. It felt refreshing to be back. Our rebuild is out of my hands as we wait for permits and the builder starts building. Time will be my own again soon, I hope. ALTADENA STRONG!!
As someone who lost everything in the Lāhainā fire and is still navigating the long road of rebuilding, I feel this deeply. These disasters change our communities, but they also open our eyes to the larger systems and choices shaping our future. The conversations happening now go far beyond any one place. Standing in solidarity with everyone pushing for meaningful change. Lāhainā Strong. Altadena Strong.
Yes. It's hard, but persevere. And Teheran??? We have it earsy. So far.
AND Gaza??? They have been thru TWO YEARS of this war and no let up.
Absolutely. I am grateful everyday. And reflect on that too.
Thank you Ransom Rideout. Acknowledgements can be powerful tools.
Such bravery after such devastation, march on
I understand your pain Denise. I can’t march either. Two months ago I finally agreed to a total knee replacement. Now I can walk far enough, about 300', to find that my lower back says. "SIT! NOW!" All that is why I had the time, and need, to began editing my past thoughts and notes as a lifelong student of American history and Constitutional law and writing some new lines about "what they did, how and when they did it and what we must do to save our Republic, our Democracy -- the Rule of Law." Please read, share and discuss my "Memorandum to We the People." I promise the professional interpretation and effective presentation of my Memorandum by Mr. Dale Rowett of LexiGraphics.Pro alone is worth a visit to my page at UnitedWeAmend.org.
Mr. Killackey: I'm heading over there now to read and share with others. I am always impressed with the level of scholarship and contribution of information provided by the people on this substack. Thank you and keep up the physical therapy.....
I'm one week out from knee replacement #2. Recovery is a process, and I hope that you see the same recovery at 6 months that I did last year (and I hope that I do, too!).
Thanks for these links, and I look forward to reading your writings!
I cannot believe the difference medical science offers. I am heading for bilateral cochlear implants in May. All life is a struggle and if you don't keep fighting you will die. The current President and Supreme Court is a good example of what I am talking about. We need good knee joints to be able to kick their asses.
Exactly so. Excellent PT motivation for me!
Before winter set in I was out for my run (now only a mile) and I stumbled for the first time ever. I protected my head but got scabs on my knee and elbow and I landed on my hand and one finger was deeply gashed. Better my finger than my head, lol. The occasional run gives me stamina.
I had bilateral knee replacement surgery when I was 72 years old (now 85.) With those knees, I have no pain and have gone on to win a number of golf tournaments. No more tennis or badminton. Modern medicine is amazing. I hope that your results are as good as mine and even better.
Thank you for that story. I am sure Ally House will be well disciplined with therapy. She plays a Tuba in a marching band.
Hi Albert - as I say now, at 59, if it’s not one thing it’s another! Seriously, I hope you continue to improve with your knee. Backs just seem to have a mind of their own (haha). I’d love to read what you’ve written and will head on over there. Thank YOU for doing this - sometimes just reading other peoples’ work is a balm to the soul!
Thanks. My knee bends maybe 135 degrees and lays perfectly flat. The bending is more than I ever expected. I hope you find the Memorandum informative.
You are amazing. Chronic pain is exhausting and never takes a rest. So glad you have found a way. You also inspire…
Thanks. I don’t feel amazing. I’ve had pain for 32 years and as I have gotten older I feel more worn out. But somehow doing all I can, no matter how small, to fight these Fascists, has given me renewed purpose. Also, I’m extremely stubborn, determined and refuse to just roll over and give up. Some days it feels like progress, some days it feels helpless, but the point is, to just keep moving forward. They want us to give up and screw that. I don’t like being told what to do, especially by a bunch of psychopaths!
Looks like the aches and pains column, lol. I’ve had periodic sciatica all my life. Fortunately it only pops up once every 5 or 10 years but when it does, I panic. And now there are other ache and pains for this 72 year old. I’m told it gets worse. Dag who is gonna feed the cats. And one cat that I just took in and a litter. God.But they are so cute.how could I ever say no.
Sciatica is seriously sent by the Devil! 😂 I joke but really, it’s the worst. Oh a cat person! Hello! I have two cuties and they often keep me going! Wish I could have one more. After that it’s just too much work. Animals are the BEST. Never trust a man who doesn’t like animals - looking at YOU TRUMP!
Yes you are amazing says one stubborn critter to another. I had chronic pain for several months and was so exhausted. Can’t imagine years with such agony. And all the other stuff, sure hope the activities of many make a difference. Renewed purpose is what I’m working on. I welcome any help…
So sorry - no amount of chronic pain is ever really bearable - but now I feel I can direct my stubbornness toward these Fascists. Honestly the last ten years have focused me in a way nothing else has. And it helps so much being connected to so many others who feel the same way!
Its been 10 years of Trumps shit in our face at least twice daily. 10 years of a criminal and social deviant getting way with torts left and right, and shoving it all in our face. 10 years of constant grifting and ignoring court orders, 30,000 lies the 1st 4 years alone, a major insurrection with zero consequences, using our government and our tax dollars to enrich himself, his family, and his fellow Epstein clansmen, and all the while a sizable minority of our "fellow citizens" are loving it all. It is impossible to keep up ones anger at it all.
Robert, same thoughts occurred to me, it's been 10 years of this tabloid garbage. I think we'll get through this. Hopefully without creating nuclear no-go zones from some conflict. Almost fun to watch as the MAGA40% staring up at the gas signs for gas going higher and higher. But the killer is the cost of diesel which is directly reflected in the price you and I pay for EVERY good we buy. Those are costs we are stuck with.
Alex, one of the main difficulties is that our media "fell in love" with Baby Donnie, or at least the image that had always been put out for him. He has always been a jerk, but he was supposedly a rich great businessman who made "great deals." What he was, is an ignoramus with Daddy's money (essentially stolen from Daddy), and a masterful con artist who could get the easily-manipulated to do whatever he wanted and there was rarely accountability for anything he did, to the point of 6 bankruptcies. No one should ever be able to get away with that. One can't help but wonder what he gained through his long association with Jeffrey Epstein. It had to be plenty for Trump to even notice him. I heard that it is possible Trump helped to get the whole operation going and used his influence with banks and other entities to get the money for the projects. I don't know for sure that is what happened, but, would that surprise me, not on your life! These activities with no accountability just set him up to do to this nation what he has been doing to contractors, communities, and women all his life.
Agree Ruth. And for the "media" whose freight is paid for by advertisers it was a feeding frenzy. One truckload of crap after another. Stormy days and Stormy nights, "breaking news", and cleavage to grab those viewer-ratings. We're in the gutter. At least Fox got taken to task for mis-behavior, but it was under a billion.., chump change today for that crowd.
Yes, much of what I do each day here in Las Cruces, NM. Keep a balance and stay sane. Get outdoors each day, do some art work, walk the dog. Write letters, donate ... As Joyce says, "We're in this together."
Walk the dog, indeed. My 90lb 10.5 year old Labrador / Flat Coated retriever, Hennerey, wrecked his joints from years of extremely enthusiastic play. He can barely walk a block, but is otherwise healthy and very happy. I’m about to pull the trigger on a stroller / bike trailer for him, so we can get back into nature. He is the joy in my life.
It's harder to watch our animals get older & unable to do what they are used to doing - maybe more so than ourselves.
Bet he will like the stroller etc!
Thomas, we have a small guy with a terrier face who is about 15 and pulls my husband on the walk every am. He still indulges in zoomies from time to time. He is a joy to us too and often makes us laugh.
Denise, you are right about the deliberate intentions of those currently in power to overwhelm us with their cruelty, incompetence, attacks on nearly every aspect of life so we will not have the energy to fight them while they don't have to worry about anything. They have accumulated huge sums of money, much of it from our tax money, so don't really care that gas prices are rocketing, food prices are outrageous, and more people are finding themselves visiting food banks and avoiding getting medical care. Those like Bannon and the rest of Trump's toddler pool lie, deceive, and create havoc. It is hard to determine their goals except to cause havoc. They know Trump has dementia and that whatever he says will be parts ego wishes and the rest lies. That is not unlike most of the rest of his life except that now it is more disjointed and more people are dying, although a lot have died already and the toddler pool does not care; after all they are just fine. We do need to stop, get out into the air, nature, watch spring starting its glorious run. With that renewal, we will have more energy to deal with the utter depravity of a group of rich white men who have no positive moral compass among them. How anyone still supports Trump and his crazies is astounding to me since they have done nothing positive for anyone, just like their Republican predecessors for the past half-century. They are good at blaming, lying, insulting, denying and on and on. We must work together, join our energies to stop them!
Ruth, it is hard to understand, but they play to deep prejudices that some people have. I have seen posts, usually by males, who are absolutely exultant that we are destroying Iran. They love the violence.
Stinky Pete Kegshit is a despicable, evil adolescent cosplaying an adult male.
Two Univ. of Kansas professors conducted a study on those who voted for Trump in the 2016 election and published their findings in the Feb. 2018 edition of the peer-reviewed journal, "Critical Sociology." Their findings? Trump's voters voted for him because of his prejudices. They want Trump to crush the immigrants, women and gay rights' advocates, brown-skinned people, and more. Some think that Trump is anointed by God to replace our democratic form of government with a Christian theocracy, led by white people, of course.
This does not surprise me at all.
Michele, it seems that when men get power and money, they think it is because of their brilliance (it rarely is) and that they can do whatever they want with it, no matter who is harmed. And, they do not want any accountability, just kudos for the things they think went great for them. We need to find ways to curb male overzealousness because it so often turns out poorly. All the wars in the world in the past many millennia have been male led or inspired with a rare few exceptions and those women who were leaders in war, were nearly always taken down and humiliated or killed by men. Ugh!
I would say that alpha males have made the rest of the population miserable for millennia. I do not see any way to curb this.
But Michele.., where does it start. First grade? 2nd grade? The home? Our Country? Montessori schools? Corporal punishment? Are women a kinder, gentler lot? Maybe look for some other "males" to compare with. Maybe some who don't wear hats at the dinner table..., hahahhaaa but I hear ya Michele.., makes one wonder.
Not trying to blame all men here, just reporting the posts I have seen. I can think of some modern examples of monstrous women as I am sure you can as well. I think the attitude can start pretty early, probably at home. Have a friend who is substituting and she gave an account of third graders being horrible. I received some corporal punishment because I am old enough to have grown up when it was considered OK by most people. I do not take pleasure in watching innocent people bombed. I do confess to wishing certain people to bow out, but it is not something I would feel normally. I know several people who feel the same way, both genders, and they are bothered by it.
Corporal punishment is a monster. Recommending Pilates for all physical ills. The practice leads to an understanding of the body that no amount of physical therapy ever gave me. Started at 78, at almost 92, even with the interruption of Covid, still improving musculature.
Well said. They simply do not care because it will never affect them. When the Republicans simply rolled over for Trump and endorsed his Big Death Bill, it stunned me. I thought were they always sociopaths? Are they truly that scared of him? I suppose power is more important than their constituents’ lives. Whatever it is, I admit, I want to see every single one lose or get out. The numbers of R’s retiring is staggering. Yes, it’s infuriating they are retiring with cushy pensions and lifelong healthcare, but I still want them gone. I think if anything, we can see now how utterly compromised both sides of the aisle are - at least many Democrats - and how weak much of our Constitution is. If we ever make it out of this nightmare, major overhauls need to be made so this can never happen again.
Thanks, Denise.
You have all done well.
Indeed - I am inspired by everyone else fighting the good fight. It so helps to know you’re not alone!
Denise, but it works so much better when we are doing it together as on this thread where we can get support to continue the fight enmasse!
❤️
And as if war weren’t enough, Dr. Oz (the man behind the curtain) thinks another four million people are not entitled to health insurance. They should be cut off due to waste, fraud and abuse.
I wonder what these four million Americans did? What was their waste, fraud and abuse? The fact that they used medical services they didn’t “need” (waste!!)? The fact that their unreported income makes them unworthy of healthcare (fraud!!)?
Who identified these wasters, fraudsters and abusers? AI? Based on what criteria?
Perhaps I am lacking in imagination. I thought it was the insurers and the clinics that were responsible for billing for services not delivered, or prescribing more expensive services, or denying services while they keep the full government payments (I’m looking at you, Medicare (Dis)Advantage). But this administration never investigates the health oligarchs. No, they focus on cutting the services and eliminating eligibility.
We have to cut the eligibility of these greedy bastards. Make sure you are registered (well in advance) and VOTE. They will not stop unless we stop them.
I heard this. Unfortunately I can’t express my feelings about Oz or RFK Jr. or the Republicans taking away health care from millions of people the way I’d like or I’d probably have the Secret Service at my door. I find myself so enraged and I know that isn’t good for me mentally or physically. These people are true monsters though.
As a country, we do seem to have a heck of a lot of money (tax $$ I assume) so that we could have universal health care. Obama almost had it. Perhaps FFRF ought to be up front. Maybe "AI" will walk us thru some of our petty hang-ups `and convolutions-of-some-law or technicality stopping the show? Of course, now that we seem to be allowing churches (tax exempt!!) to participate in the political scene we need some leaders who understand what FFRF is all about.
Marge, I always find it interesting that someone who has had everything all his life wants to keep people from having something as basic as healthcare. I can't help but wonder which medical school graduated a man with no ability to empathize. I already know who nominated him to an important position he is neither qualified for nor deserving of and why; it's to destroy our democracy one cabinet post or agency position at a time or rather all of them at once.
Denise, I also have chronic pain; it’s a good day when I can roll over in bed without screaming. No more marching for me. But you inspire me with what you do to preserve our Republic. Thank you for your service.
I’m so sorry to hear this Marge. I did try to do a protest once last year but yikes that was a mistake. I feel guilty but I know I shouldn’t. I just try to do what I can although some days it seems especially overwhelming. I wish you low or no pain moments - as many as possible!
Denise, I just read yesterday a recommendation for getting outside in the light first thing in the am. OK, I confess I am drinking a cup of coffee at the moment and it windy and rainy outside, but I enjoy that. Yesterday, I started some more flowers in my greenhouse. We have allclassical portland on all day. I read a lot and play with the dog. Kudos for all that you do.
I had a dream last night that the drones were flying over like flocks of birds, they were all sizes. There was much fear. Suddenly a huge plane flew over and took them out, plastic falling out of the sky like rain. The people realized how cheaply they were made and Joy started to spread. I woke suddenly and thought “He’s (we all know who He is) dying”. Dreams are random and complicated but sometimes they come true… let it be so.
Thank you, Denise!
❤️
Yes, take care. No Kings Day is March 28, 2026. But, many, many effective actions can be taken now.
One issue, Heather is monitoring closely is ICE's planned custodial detentions & the development of prisons & on-going property acquisition of "facilities" in Colorado.
Yesterday, 3/10/26 , I subscribed to the FREE Colorado Times Recorder (CTR) daily newsletter.
Per Jason Salzman's CTR headline on 3/6/26: "After the Colorado Times Recorder Revealed Secret Detention Centers in Colorado, 31 CO lawmakers called on ICE for "immediate transparency".
Transparency then public action & direct legal response.
There have been anti-war protests occurring along with other protests every day. The media generally ignores protests unless really big. I am, frankly, pinning a lot of hope on the March 28 protest. I hope we wake more Americans up. The deliberate ignorance I see every day is galling and is a huge pall on what we are trying to do. Our biggest hindrance is the media. They continue to normalize this regime. This includes too many in the independent journalism group.
Amazing every day it seems like it’s politics as usual in the media when it’s a tornado, tsunami and hurricane all around us. How can so many keep on pretending for so long…
Hello JD... From HCR Today: "“I am most concerned about the threat to American lives, of potentially deploying our sons and daughters on the ground in Iran. We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran…and there is also, as disturbingly as anything else, the specter of active Russian aid to Iran, putting in danger American lives. Literally, Russia seems to be aiding our enemy, actively and intensively, with intelligence and perhaps with other means, and China, also, may be assisting Iran.”... ... In 2020 DJT shrugged off Reports of Putin putting Bounties on our Troops in Afghanistan.... In 2020, DJT also mismanaged COVID which cost the lives of over 1-Million Americans... DJT 2.0 seems to be DJT is inflicting maximum damage on the USA thru Malice & Incompetence....
Trump and Kegseth went into their unnecessary war with no planning or strategy. It was stupid, but entirely characteristic of how they do things. They have used up most of their missile supplies, and haven’t planned for more, and want to send American troops into what would be a bloodbath. The bombing is going to paradoxically increase the Iranian people’s support for their government, and the government in power in Iran is unlikely to be dislodged. Trump disdained his own intelligence group’s advice against bombing Iran, and immediately rushed in to go after Iran. Ordinary people will get even angrier as they see costs for food and energy rising, and they lose their jobs. Trump and Kegseth have never learned that just because we have the military capability to do something doesn’t make it wise for is to do it. In addition, Trump credits his “gut” with his decision to bomb Iran. His gut led him into all sorts of failed business ventures, now it’s leading him into unwise foreign and domestic policy ventures.
trump moves his mouth, vibrates his vocal chords, but all we get is incoherent noise together with macabre, nightmarish depictions of hell, followed often by low brow humor - all a perversion of the natural order of life......
Heather spoke of "our sons and daughters on the ground in Iran..." And this is true. It also is most important to think of all on the ground in a war zone as OUR sons and daughters. The Iranians too are "our sons and daughters." They are all our sons and daughters. Wherever they are, whatever color or ethnicity or religion or citizenship. They are all our sons and daughters.
Where is safe, we are taking on the evil and it is us
Last night I went to Maine's Democrat Candidate for Senate 44th town hall in Machias, ME. It was standing room only. Machias is in Washington County and it has traditionally been a Republican stronghold.
Graham Platner is your great-grandfather's politician. He goes door to door to talk with people. He has amassed 15,000 volunteers already and he claims that's not enough. He wants more. He wants people from the local communities to talk to their neighbors about his campaign.
He only mentioned his opponent's name once and Trump's name twice, so he's not going negative -- yet!
He's an oyster fisherman who makes $60,000 a year from fishing so he is truly a populist unlike Susan Collins who has gotten rich off of being a Senator.
Yep, I think he's great. I just donated to him yesterday. And I'm a long ways from Maine. But he gives me hope that we can take back the Senate. Keep your eyes on the prize - we must have a free and fair election next November.
You know who one of his biggest hindrances?--the Democratic Party elite. I saw a great interview with him on this. Just like with Mamdani the Schumers, Jeffries and elites in the Democratic Party do not like the up and coming progressive/younger people in the Party.
Most importantly he is a clean candidate. Here is his overview:
According to AIPAC Tracker his is one of their endorsed candidates. This means he is free and clear of PAC money-yay! I highly recommend we all start closely examining candidates. Eloquence and sincere promises are nice but if there is PAC money funding them, they will be beholden to their PAC owners.
A PAC money controlled Democratic Party helped get us in this mess. I am urging people to carefully examine what the incumbents are about and the candidates.
Go to:
AIPAC Tracker
integrityindex.us
Check what committees they are on.
Check how they have voted.
So many can because all they watch is the corporate media owned by oligarch. It's all propaganda.
Has become all, I’ve watched it happen
They are paid well.
Then you adad the circle of interpretive delirium caused by the terminal inability to trust the official, truthful version by so many Americans. The possibility of agreeing on even the most basic facts seems impossible.
Still scratching my head..
Spot-On Barbara Mullen.
I watched the skating in the Olympics for relaxation. Then the algorithm threw me into Scott Hamilton's skating. Remember him? I recommend watching him. His footwork is amazing and even more importantly his lightheartedness and joy are a balm.
I remember Scott ⛸️🎶
Barbara, there clearly are some who choose ignorance, possibly because “no one has come for them.” But there is another story for many: stress overload has overridden their prefrontal cortex, leaving them stuck in fight/flight/freeze.
During much of the last eleven years of my career I taught human service staff about the impact of stress on the health, cognition, and behavior of people experiencing homelessness. In the process, I taught staff to recognize that the impact of prolonged, serious and irremediable stresses in their own lives led to many of the same symptoms. When they recalled such a period of stress and took a brief quiz, they identified up to twenty stress overload symptoms they had experienced. And those symptoms were the same symptoms their homeless clients were suffering.
IMHO, this administration is intentionally inflicting stress overload on We The People. It suits their strategy. And it copies one of the techniques used by the Nazis against the Jews during WW2. By separating families, constantly changing the rules, inflicting random violence, repeatedly moving people from one ghetto or concentration camp to another, and pitting kapos against their own people, the Nazis reduced their ability to resist. Do we believe this administration is not familiar with this systematic technique for quashing dissent?
Okay, they are not yet full-on Nazis. But they are building the camps. And we are not yet sufficiently stressed to quit resisting. But people have widely different levels of resilience and have faced different intensities of stress. Many are in freeze/flight/fight already because they have personally hit the limits of their resilience. It can be subtle. It can look like willful ignorance or disregard. But these are the people who can, with support and information, take steps in the right direction. Tell them how to check their voter registration, or even assist them in doing so. Organize voter registration.
Minneapolis has been brilliant in supporting people in stress overload. Bring them groceries, have a White person drive them to school or work, recruit businesses to create safe spaces, allow school to be temporarily online for the most vulnerable, gather rent money for those who could not risk going to work…. Deal with the individuals’ stressors along with marching and phoning and writing and speaking at meetings. When people feel safe, they can then participate more fully.
Whew. Can you tell that this is a priority issue for me? LOL.
Thank you! This is so well explained. We need your expertise more than ever. You could speak at local political event organizers about this. Again. thank you. You really opened my eyes today.
I hope the No Kings message will include a No Wars message.
On March 28 I'll be rallying. I can't walk far so I'm bringing my camp stool. There are always people who can't march, so there are plenty of folks to be with. My sign will read, "No King, No WAR."
Thank you so much Margaret! And thank you for your great dedication to doing good despite the personal cost. (I have one of those stools too, which I forget to bring along. :)
One of my signs will be, "Impeach the TOFU King - TRUMP ONLY FUCKS UP"
I heard on MSNOW and CNN multiple people calling Trump the TACO king yesterday, so let's carry it a step further please.
Who in their right mind would want a tofu taco???
I’ve suffered through some decent ones. Not by my own choice!
😉
It's simple. Trump and his oligarch lords and ladies have the Devine Rights of Kings to all the world's wealth. So, get out of our way or get bombed, decapitated, imprisoned, deported and so forth. We are mighty. You are weak. You MUST learn to be happy to make personal sacrifices for our enrichment.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!
So true! RFK actually said that people just need to buy cheaper meat--you know, the kind full of fat and little protein, old and almost but not quite moldy, while they eat grandly and spend our money on their pleasures, including a president who golfs while bombs are dropping at his behest. If this were all a movie, it wouldn't be believable.
Yes Bryan, the concentration camps is what Dr Richardson calls them.
Heather focused on the issues (plural )on her 'Politics Chat" video yesterday, 3/10, about 10 hours ago.🙏
Check out Project Salt Box for a map of where these proposed, leased, and bought warehouses are! The sales of a few have been prevented because people KNEW about them!
Yes, MICHAEL WRISTON's Substack: https://projectsaltboxsubstack.com
Michael has an accurate "Big Picture" ICE plans & fills out the picture with useful data.
Good Work circa 2/12/26.
Tired as we may be, we cannot fall to our knees; think how exhausted the Patriots were, but fought on.
Persistence, resistance, opposition and momentum will come. Be loud
No one is talking about "falling on their knees". Breaks are healthy and help us keep going.
4 years of interminable hell from the dictator’s puppet master, and I don’t see the Ukrainians giving an inch.
Evil never rests but we must or change our strategy.. I read news, no watching him anymore. Glad others do but I can’t. HCR plods on as we must. As she says, pick up your torch and shine whatever light you can when you can.
Just the sound of Trump's voice pollutes the environment.
I can’t stand to hear his voice.
It is as evil as his visage
I never listen to him, read about him nor do I ever analyze him. Dr. Richardson in her record of these times must but I skip that part. I keep channeling my deep anger towards change. That is our revenge.
I can’t watch anymore. Don’t have CNN, MS NOW OR ANY other “cable” news channel. It saved me $84 a month and also my sanity. I can’t listen to the daily bs from this administration.
Absolutely. Sometimes we need to turn away from the news and indulge just a bit. Last night I went to my monthly book club meeting — a small group of wonderful like-minded women. I looked around the table as we talked about the current situation and saw tired, worried eyes and knew that mine were the same. We’re all GenX and know enough history to be deeply concerned, and we try to do our part, in between taking care of aging parents, illnesses, small businesses, careers, and families. But we agreed that supporting each other and building our community are a part of that too. We see so many forms of community breaking down. Third spaces are less abundant; people are more isolated. I am trying to be kinder in my day-to-day interactions because I feel like it all adds up in some small way.
I agree with all but the "buy a new shirt or dress", I say take that $50.00/$100.00 and send it to Ukraine.
Agree. If I had a 100 extra dollars I would not spend it on frivolous clothing.
YES.
Write a book. Worked for me.
Me too :)
The Beginning Comes after the End by Rebecca Solnit is a refreshing break from the madness of the news.
Never give up. Never surrender! Dr. Cox Richardson and many others show unequivocally that what you see in your lifetime will affect what you do if you are intelligent, caring, and humane. That was the case with Eisenhower and many Americans during WWII. If you were born wealthy and insulated by class, gender, and expectations of superiority, you will behave differently. You can easily see this in Trump, Thiel, Musk, and others in the so-called ‘upper classes’. Is it any surprise that the empathy so evinced by Eisenhower and others is depicted as weak and foolish by such men who receive empathy and complete deference from their fellows of all classes as a matter of course, but men who have never seen or felt the suffering of the average human or who revel in it as a sign of those men’s superiority and their will to do anything they feel like doing? Is there any surprise that the social and religious depictions of average white men as superior relative to anyone black, brown, or woman, all children, all animals, and all nature, have affected the way such men behave to those ‘outside’ groups? Now do we understand why a white doctor would use no anesthesia on his black woman experiments to understand human vesicovaginal fistula which would apply in practice only to well-off white women for whom anesthesia was de rigueur? This man’s subsequent generations are indeed influenced in their behaviors by such men. Can you say no equity, no DEI? You are what you see.
Google AI query: name the white doctor who used no anesthesia on black women to build modern gynecology
AI Overview
J. Marion Sims
is the 19th-century American physician known as the "father of modern gynecology" who performed experimental, unanesthetized surgeries on enslaved Black women, most notably named Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy. He developed surgical techniques for vesicovaginal fistula by operating on them repeatedly without anesthesia.
Thank you, Barbara. I take your advice very seriously -- everyday I engage in activities that totally distract me from trump's orgy of idiocy or as someone recently called it a "moronacracy." My mental and physical health will NEVER be compromised or reduced by his trantrums, threats or his pituitary dysfunctions.
Honestly Stephanie I resist the made-up names for what is happening. I think they distract from the reality of where we are. For example:
Fascists not Republicans
Regime not an Administration
Concentration Camp not a Detention Camp
These aren't exaggerations at all. The media likes to play pretend which is actually propaganda. A coup happened in America. We are living under a fascist regime with armed military killing, disappearing and unlawfully detaining people on American soil.
There are more of us than them. And we will.
NO KINGS MARCH 28
I will be there on March 28 like I've been in every previous protest. Yes we outnumber them: Among supreme court, Congress and President the score is 545 human beings out of over 300 million of us. How troubling that these few are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague the US!
Well. We ceded that power to them.
Barbara, and yes, we need to call what they are doing, "treason!" That is truly what it is!
This is such an important point Barbara. Thank you!
Barbara, your comment summarized what I just posted prior to reading any comments today. I'm only going as far as a like to Megan (BLESS HER!!) and reading your comment. I'm blaming the storms that raged through our area last night--poor sleep, it's overcast, and I swear today I can feel every single (bad word!) arthritic bone in my body.
I'm not going to read any more today. 😣
Trump tells us we are in a $2 billion per day war. The American people did not choose this. The Republicans in Congress chose this by their blind obedience to Trump, ignoring their constituents. Hundreds of thousands of Americans abroad have been abandoned, and military lives are being lost, because no one cared enough, or was smart enough, to plan for a real war, and not a machismo video game fantasy of “warfighter ethos”.
Meanwhile, the documented fraud, waste, and abuse that the Republicans claim they abhor is rampant at the Pentagon. $94 billion spent in one use-it-or-lose-it month on lobster, steak, and ice cream machines. Children in America are hungrier, fewer have adequate health care, and seniors are having to choose between paying for life-sustaining medicines and paying the electric bill. Just so billionaire AI data centers can be subsidized, and new yachts and villas can be bought with the profits.
All of this is being hidden under the cloak of “national security.” What secrets need to be kept? Iran knows what we are doing and what our intentions are. They are fighting back. Russia is giving them specific intelligence. The world sees what we are doing on video in real time. So do we, the American people.
The only secrets that the Trump administration needs to keep are the reasons for going to war NOW.
And we do know those reasons too, deep in our guts, that it is to distract from the crimes and corruption of the Epstein class.
It is time to take to the streets in the most massive peaceful protest the world has ever seen. We must repudiate the madness of the man who would be king and his corrupt regime. We must strike and shut the nation down because going on with our daily lives is complicity and tacit approval.
I DO NOT ASSENT. I WILL RESIST.
The expensive food purchases seem particularly obscene when you consider they claim poor people are more chiseling and grifting off taxpayer money, when the poor people they detest go without. This is what comes of placing evil con artists and their toadies in charge of government. We need a government whose members consider the common good rather than Trump, who wants to make money with the presidency.
The Heritage Foundation staffing initiative was guaranteed to weed out anyone with a sense of public integrity. Now that Trump has instituted a plan to weed out an entire layer of the civil service through new regulations and replace them with political appointees, the damage will go much deeper and take much longer to repair.
Trump’s new rule revives his old “Schedule F” concept under a new label, creating a special civil service category (now called “Schedule Policy/Career”) that makes tens of thousands of policy‑related career employees effectively at‑will and much easier to fire.
The new rule creates a new category called Schedule Policy/Career in the “excepted service,” modeled on the earlier Schedule F Trump tried to implement in 2020. It targets high‑level career roles that are “confidential, policy‑determining, policy‑making, or policy‑advocating,” i.e., people who design, shape, or publicly defend administration policy. It moves these positions out of the normal Title 5 civil service protections, making them at‑will, without the usual adverse‑action procedures or independent appeal rights to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
The OPM and the White House estimate roughly 50,000 federal positions could be reclassified into this new category, out of about 2.1 million federal employees. These are mostly first-line managers in policy and analysis groups.
THIS IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK. The final OPM rule is scheduled to take effect around March 8–9, 2026, after which agencies can begin proposing specific positions for conversion, with the process to be finalized by a forthcoming presidential executive order.
There is a whole cascade of adverse outcomes for civil service members.
Employees moved into Schedule Policy/Career lose standard civil service removal protections and traditional whistleblower channels; instead, complaints go to their own agency’s general counsel, which critics say undermines independent review. The OPM insists merit‑based hiring, veterans’ preference, and whistleblower protections are formally preserved, but unions and good‑government groups argue the rule opens the door to politicized purges and loyalty‑based hiring/firing at senior career levels.
In 2020, Trump created “Schedule F” by executive order to reclassify policy‑oriented career employees into an at‑will excepted‑service category, but it was never implemented and was revoked by President Biden in January 2021. The new rule is effectively a regulatory relaunch of that idea. It is meant to expand direct presidential control over parts of the career civil service by weakening job protections.
There is ongoing pushback and litigation. Federal employee unions and advocacy groups have already announced or filed lawsuits to block the rule, arguing it violates civil service statutes and is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. They warn that reclassified positions could be filled with ideological loyalists and that the threat of easy removal will chill dissent or independent legal/policy analysis within agencies.
But as we all know by now, when it comes to Trump, it is fire now, and let the Courts decide on the legal niceties far down the road.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/2/5/new-trump-administration-rule-makes-it-easier-to-fire-career-civil-servants
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/02/trump-admin-moves-finalize-return-schedule-f/411239/
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/06/nx-s1-5704171/trump-fire-federal-employees-schedule-f
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/06/nx-s1-5704171/trump-fire-federal-employees-schedule-f
Thanks, Georgia, for this in-depth examination of a stab to the heart of our democracy. This shows how strong the shadow tyranny has become since Eisenhower first warned us about it.
Another symptom is the dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by DOGE and Russell Vought. As E. Tammy Kim reports in this issue of The New Yorker:
"Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency had subjected federal agencies to a combination of insults, shakeups, and random firings. Some two hundred and thirteen thousand civil servants have been let go or pushed to resign. Few agencies were hit as hard as the C.F.P.B., whose mission is to protect consumers and to insure that the markets for financial products “are fair, transparent, and competitive.” Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, who had also been handed control of the C.F.P.B., essentially attempted to liquidate it. He seemed to regard it as an avatar of runaway liberal bureaucracy, a “woke” institution that targeted “disfavored industries and individuals.
...(C.F.P.B.) has recovered twenty-one billion dollars in direct relief for consumers and five billion dollars in civil penalties from a wide range of companies. Millions of Americans have come to it for help."
There is so much going on that is incredibly destructive to good government and public integrity, hidden by multiple layers of distraction. Everything that has been put into place to protect an individual’s rights, including the right to dissent within the government, is being eliminated.
more from The New Yorker article:
(Since Russell Vought’s stop work order) "The C.F.P.B. has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to employees who aren’t allowed to do their jobs. Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee estimate that the bureau’s idleness has cost consumers nearly twenty billion dollars."
I don’t think consumers will get money back they paid for Trump’s illegal tariffs, but the corporations might.
Once again, the absolute truth: under capitalism, Evil is the root of all money.
The dismissal of so many key federal workers and the decision to transfer so many FBI agents to immigration work may have left the US vulnerable to terrorist reprisals in response to these strikes.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/09/fbi-agents-reassigned-ice-immigration
FBI director, Kash Patel, has been keen to show that they have not been thrown off-guard by these re-assignments of agents and he posted this on Twitter/X:
https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2027811694244692294
Trump on the other hand, when asked about the possibility of Iran attacking the US mainland, said this week: “I guess ... We think about it all the time. We plan for it. But yeah, you know, we expect some things. Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.” This is a remarkably casual response indicative of the confused state the administration is in currently.
As the ChristoNazi threat to our species and our Mother Earth intensifies, three terminal horrors become ever more probable:
(1) -- That the former United States is not only a failed nation; it is also a doomed nation -- a nation that became terminal ill on 22 November 1963, and (boiling over with hate), literally voted itself to death on 5 November 2024;
(2) -- That the ChristoNazi regime is already scheming how it will justify its use of nukes against Iran as the final solution of the global economic crisis it inflicted on the world by its illegal war;
(3) -- That we stand literally on the brink of Ragnarøkkr, of Götterdämmerung -- that Trump is not just the incarnation of Hitler but the embodiment of Loki.
Quoth Völuspá: "Black become the sun's beams in the summers that follow, weathers all treacherous. Do you still seek to know? And what? Brothers will fight and kill each other, sisters' children will defile kinship. It is harsh in the world, whoredom rife —an axe age, a sword age —shields are riven— a wind age, a wolf age— before the world goes headlong. No man will have mercy on another." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar%C3%B6)
As death approached my oldest half-brother, a founding director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he said Trump will be the end of the world.
Ah, Georgia. I spent 30 years working for state and county governments. I’m retired now but I know exactly how this would affect civil service managers, analysts, supervisors - as I’ve been all of those. My colleagues and I believed in asking forgiveness rather than permission because we knew our leaders trusted and valued our expertise. They could have argued that rapidly rehousing people experiencing homelessness was not their priority, but they never once did. We were free to innovate, apply for federal funds, write and revise contracts with nonprofits and collect data on their outcomes— all of which were necessary to create a completely new, effective and efficient approach to homelessness (which Obama and VA have replicated in every state—although Trump is intent on replacing it with institutionalization).
My point is that a political, loyal, unqualified cadre of civil servants would never have even thought about creatively solving social problems (or any national problems), much less have the expertise to implement solutions. Consider what their destruction of civil service would portend for healthcare, environmental issues, national security, etc. You can already see it in action at the Cabinet level, where unqualified people are too lazy to even familiarize themselves with their departments before sending in the bulldozers.
It was an aside, but I kinda had to wonder what on earth warranted 272 orders of over $500 each on donuts. I wryly thought of the first episode of Pluribus.
They left out the purchase of a $98,000 Steinway & Sons piano. I also wonder why they needed to buy 272 orders of $500 worth of donuts!
I hope they choke on them.
I believe, Kathy, that piano was necessary prop for Kristi Noem.
She wanted it for one of the videos she had made of herself. You know, part of that $200,000,000-plus package of videos in which she was always the central figure.
In this case, her script called for herself and Corey Lewandowski to be pleasuring each other on top of the piano.
According to an X posting from Molly Jong-Fast, the Steinway piano was purchased for the Air Force Chief of Staff’s home. Molly Jong-Fast is fairly reputable, so I think she was able to get the inside scoop. She also detailed the huge expenses on lobster and crab legs, as well as the donuts.
Noem was likely bounced for her DHS commercials, which featured her and displeased Donald because he wasn’t given credit. Trump is too narcissistic to be left out of attention. Markwayne Mullin will be just as cruel and incompetent as Noem, but he might be smart enough to give Donald all the credit.
let's see elton top THAT!
The mind boggles!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7Z95oMuABHE
Kathy, thanks for the opener to my thought:
You echo what Eisenhower said. Isn’t it tragic that American ignorance couldn’t connect the dots after his “military-industrial complex” speech? (Many did, I know, but the far right at the time were determined to diminish him at every turn). The division was much alive then but it has become lethal.
🎯🎯🎯🎯
As beautifully reported in “JFK and the Unspeakable” by James Douglass, Kennedy was killed by the CIA for turning to peace in his backchannel relationships with Khrushchev and with Castro. In his American University speech 5 months before he was killed, he made this point:
“No nation in the history of battle ever suffered more than the Soviet Union suffered in the course of the Second World War. At least 20 million lost their lives. Countless millions of homes and farms were burned or sacked. A third of the nation's territory, including nearly two thirds of its industrial base, was turned into a wasteland--a loss equivalent to the devastation of this country east of Chicago.
Today, should total war ever break out again--no matter how--our two countries would become the primary targets. It is an ironic but accurate fact that the two strongest powers are the two in the most danger of devastation. All we have built, all we have worked for, would be destroyed in the first 24 hours. And even in the cold war, which brings burdens and dangers to so many nations, including this Nation's closest allies--our two countries bear the heaviest burdens. For we are both devoting massive sums of money to weapons that could be better devoted to combating ignorance, poverty, and disease. We are both caught up in a vicious and dangerous cycle in which suspicion on one side breeds suspicion on the other, and new weapons beget counterweapons.
In short, both the United States and its allies, and the Soviet Union and its allies, have a mutually deep interest in a just and genuine peace and in halting the arms race. Agreements to this end are in the interests of the Soviet Union as well as ours--and even the most hostile nations can be relied upon to accept and keep those treaty obligations, and only those treaty obligations, which are in their own interest.
So, let us not be blind to our differences--but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.”
Thank you for that appropriate reminder of what leadership looks like.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/john-cornyn-save-america-act-filibuster-trump-texas-senate-rcna262927
Of course, Cornyn flipped on the filibuster. He has caught the self-interest before country disease that afflicts almost all who remain in the Republican party.
Rep. Kevin Kiley flipping to independent but still caucusing with the Republicans is an interesting development, and somewhat hopeful, but his district was heavily affected by the California redistricting and he is running in the new district. So it is not clear if this is self-interest as the only strategy he has to get re-elected or if he is breaking on substantive issues. Below is how right-wing Newsmax is spinning it.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/why-california-reps-issa-kiley-made-surprise-moves-friday/ar-AA1XLcnw
The sum is many hundreds of Billions of Dollars in theft and waste. Georgia, last week you suggested in so many words that a list I posted outlining the inner-workings of the 15 Executive Departments could be worked into a Job description Senators must follow in Confirmation Hearings. I agree that this should be a Democratic campaign issue: "Unfit for Duty!" Especially after the ignominious Kristi Noem being exposed for blowing hundreds of millions of dollars on herself. I think people should copy the stuff below and mail it to their U.S. Senators. It will be continued in another post.
The leadership of the fifteen Executive Departments of the United States is too often unfit for duty. In 2025, President Trump nominated Kristi Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security and the Senate consented. The inner-workings of the Department involves Cybersecurity, law enforcement, border security, Counterterrorism and more. It is reasonable to expect that consenting to such a nomination our Senate would require a graduate education and work experience in at least one or more of those fields. Kristi Noem is a farmer and rancher from South Dakota which led to her becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and then governor. She has a B.A. in political science. One year later she was being impeached and criticized for her handling of the killings of two Americans by agents under her command and for her using more than $220 million in government funds on TV advertisements which focused primarily on her. She also used more than $300 million on three private luxury jets. President Trump removed her and on March 5, 2026, nominated Markwayne nominated Markwayne Mullin, a U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, to replace Noem. Mullin campaigned as "A rancher. A businessman. Not a politician!" He was a MMA fighter, and radio talk show host. He has a two-year college degree in Construction. Democrats must make this corrupt favoritism of “Unfit for Duty” Republicans a campaign issue. A few of the Departments are listed below followed by the types of inner workings of that Department, a description of a reasonable minimum level of knowledge and experience which a nominee must demonstrate as their fitness for duty. Under that is the current Department leader.
Department of State.
Type of Work: Diplomacy, Foreign policy, international law and relations.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in International Relations or International Law from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in these or related fields, or have worked as a Foreign Service Officer for the Department of State for five years or more, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of International Relations, or International Law for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of State, Marco Rubio B.A. in political science, J.D. Former U.S. Senator.
Department of the Treasury.
Type of Work: Economics and finance, accounting, taxation.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Economics, Accounting, or Taxation, from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in financial management, public finance, capital markets, economics, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Economics, Taxation, Accounting, five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent. B.A. in political science. Former Head of Soros Fund Management, London office.
Department of Defense.
Type of Work: Military science and strategy, engineering, logistics, intelligence.
Education and Experience Required: Have served full-time for ten years or more as an Officer in the United States military, or Post-graduate qualification in Military Science, and/or Warfare Tactics from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in a Defense Industry, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Military Science, and/or Warfare Tactics for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. B.A. in political science.
Department of Justice.
Type of Work: Criminal and civil law, law enforcement, criminology.
Education and Experience Required: Have served one term or more as Attorney General of a State, or Post-graduate qualification in Law from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have served as a full-time criminal court judge for five years or more, or have worked full-time as a criminal lawyer for ten years or more, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Law, Criminal Justice or Criminology for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Attorney General, Pam Bondi. BA in criminal justice. J.D. Florida attorney general (2011–2019)
Department of the Interior.
Type of Work: Natural resource management, environmental science.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Forestry, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, or Wildlife Biology from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Forestry, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, or Wildlife Biology or related fileds, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Forestry, Environmental Science, Natural Resources, or Wildlife Biology for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum. B.A. University Studies. MBA. Governor of North Dakota (2016–2024)
Department of Agriculture.
Type of Work: Agricultural science, forestry, food science.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Forestry, Agriculture, Agronomy, Animal Science, Horticulture, Plant Science, or a related field from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Forestry, Agriculture, Agronomy, Animal Science, Horticulture, Plant Science, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Forestry, Agriculture, Agronomy, Animal Science, Horticulture, Plant Science or related filed for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins. B.S. in agricultural development. J.D.
Department of Commerce.
Type of Work: Economics and statistics, trade policy, intellectual property law.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Economics, Statistics, International Trade Policy, or Intellectual Property Law from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Economics, Statistics, International Trade Policy, or Intellectual Property Law or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Economics, Statistics, International Trade Policy, or Intellectual Property Law for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick. B.A. in economics.
Department of Labor.
Type of Work: Labor relations, sociology, occupational safety, employment law,..
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Labor and Employment Relations, Sociology or Employment Law from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Labor and Employment Relations, Sociology or Employment Law or a related filed or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Labor and Employment Relations, Sociology or Employment Law for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer. B.A. in business administration. One term U.S. representative.
Department of Health and Human Services.
Type of Work: Public health, medicine, biomedical research.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Natural and Health Sciences from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Natural and Health Sciences or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Natural and Health Sciences for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. B.A. in American history and literature. J.D.
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Type of Work: Urban studies and planning, real estate, sociology.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Urban Planning, Geography, Sociology, or Public Policy from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Urban Planning, Geography, Sociology, or Public Policy or a related field or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Urban Planning, Geography, Sociology, or Public Policy for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Scott Turner. Full academic and athletic scholarship B.A. in speech communications. Played cornerback in the NFL.
Department of Transportation.
Type of Work: Civil engineering, logistics, urban planning, Air Traffic Control and safety,...
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Aeronautics or a related field from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Aeronautics or a related field, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Aeronautics or a related field for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Transportation, Sean P Duffy. B.A. in marketing. J.D., Lumberjack World Champion. Former U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.
Department of Energy.
Type of Work: Physics, chemistry, nuclear science, energy policy, and environmental science.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Physics, Chemistry, Nuclear Science, Energy Policy, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Genetic Engineering, Applied Molecular Biology, quantum computing or Artificial Intelligence from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Physics, Chemistry, Nuclear Science, Energy Policy, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Genetic Engineering, Applied Molecular Biology, quantum computing or Artificial Intelligence or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Physics, Chemistry, Nuclear Science, Energy Policy, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Genetic Engineering, Applied Molecular Biology, quantum computing or Artificial Intelligence for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright. B.A. in mechanical engineering. M.A. in electrical engineering at MIT and U.C. Berkeley.
Department of Education.
Type of Work: Pedagogy (theories of education), sociology, education policy, and statistics.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Education Sciences of Curriculum and Instruction from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Education Sciences of Curriculum and Instruction or a related field, or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Education Sciences of Curriculum and Instruction for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Education, Linda E. McMahon. B.A. in French. CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Department of Veteran Affairs.
Type of Work: Medicine, healthcare administration, psychology, public administration.
Education and Experience Required: Post-graduate qualification in Natural and Health Sciences from an Institution of Higher Education within the United States, plus have worked full-time for ten years or more in Natural and Health Sciences or a related field or have been a full-time tenured Professor of Natural and Health Sciences for five years or more at an Institution of Higher Education within the United States.
---Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Doug Collins. B.A. in political science and criminal law. Master of Divinity. J.D.
Copy this post and mail it First Class to both of your U.S. Senators.
How do I easily copy both posts and print them out?
Deborah, I've created a PDF from Albert's posts that might be easier to work with. You can download it here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hMJjXvuMsbXD7d0kslYDCWV_t_TOCLE-/view?usp=sharing
I hope Georgia edits it down. Yet I went back and forth about the way it presents as longer paragraphs for 1, 2, 3, .......15 Departments. Maybe that shows how Strong, how Civilized we have evolved become. And then look at the crap in charge it. Thanks Dale.
Thank you for the time and effort you put into this! It will take me some time to digest and provide a thoughtful response. I have been feeling like the jugglers and plate spinners on the old Ed Sullivan show—the ones that had the plates spinning on bendable wands that they had to keep jiggling to keep them going, and it got more and more hectic as they added more and more plates.I am mentally exhausted thinking about war, waste, monumentalism, the civil service, and the nature of drone warfare, and the evolution of the Epstein file, and it’s not even 7:00 am. The snow is finally gone with yesterday’s 80F day in NJ. I need some outdoor time, cleaning up all the winter damage, and looking for signs of spring.
You are most welcome. You have a good idea to make it into a campaign for Democrats to create a Senate rule for being Fit for Duty. Please edit into it all the constructive criticism it needs as I have no ego. For example, my block and paste, repeating the education words in each job description, must be cut way back. It was just lazy for me to block and paste it. Do what needs to be done in rewording, please. I saw Dale Rowett made it into a PDF. He was an outstanding help in the final edit and presentation of my Memorandum to We the People. Perhaps he can jump in also. If this were a PDF then it would be more easy for Democras to email it to their Senators and the press. Have fun. BTW, it appears only AG Bondi and Sec Chris Wright at Energy are the only ones who qualify. After that it goes way down hill.
Yes the plate spinners!
Albert, thanks for your work in putting this list together. This is illuminating. I wonder how the last couple of Democratic cabinets would look. Could this kind of thing be par for the course? That would ease my blood pressure after reading your post! But these guys are all such light-weights! From the Prez on down. Degrees aren’t everything, but some sense of seriousness would help.
The Departments are our legacy of how far we have evolved in 250 years. It is scary as hell to compare and contrast what should be the leaders and what we have. So correct you are about education. Two of the three smartest people I even met have no education above a couple of years in high school. George Washington had no education from a college. That is why the Constitution only requires a person to be born here 35 or more years ago to be President. We need to change that also and that is in the amendment language of my Memorandum. But still, I would not take my dog for a medical exam unless the vet had a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
These job descriptions are excellent. Even if the education of the current Secretary relates to the department they manage, their loyalty to the orange felon means they will set aside any knowledge they have.
But Pete Kegsbreath as Secretary of Defense and Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security? Kegsbreath, a second team weekend host on Fox. Mullin, a plumber as Secretary of Homeland Security. These people are in no way fit for the department they serve. I have an excellent plumber, but I would not ask him to perform a colonoscopy.
Albert, it appears that none of them meet the job requirements. Is that a fact?
AG Bondi and Sec Chris Wright at Energy are the only ones who qualify. Wright has cut back on climate change regs and promotes oil use to help the economy. Thus maybe there needs to be a rule that the nominee's head not be up their ass.
A machismo video game fantasy of “warfighter ethos” = Cosplay Conquistadors with live ammunition.
The worst of all is not seeing their victims, and by this I mean the schoolgirls and their teachers killed by our bomb strike as human beings.
War is mass murder no matter how you frame it. War is always cruel. As much as I hate it I cannot rule out violence as a last ditch effort at self defense. I think the Axis required a violent response, and yet the carnage on both sides was horrifying. There is no "good" murder, and the grounds for justified murder is narrow, with a lot of devil-in-the-details. There is no "good" capital punishment no matter how vile the perpetrator might be. It only reinforces the notion that elective homicide can be justified if one feels enough wronged. Mark Twain once wrote seriously droll piece about praying for victory in war while ignoring the real world horrifying consequences. To live with integrity is to acknowledge reality.
I can’t strike because i care for sick,old, and poor people for a living. But i do have a new NO KINGS! T shirt ready to deploy later this month.
Well said!!! And to continue to resist, we also need to take care of ourselves to maintain energy. I focus on my breath. (Thank you Walk for Peace for this assistance.) And, interesting to note how knowledge of US military presence known. How does Iran know where to send drones? If Russia providing them with info, how did Russia get info? Because tRump gave it to Russia via classified docs he brought to Mar-a-Lago. Traitor that he is. And Republicans doing everything behind closed doors.
The targeting for the drones comes from very high-resolution satellite imagery. I think what was most valuable at Mar-a-Lago were the details about the human assets embedded in foreign governments to provide intel on internal policy discussions and decisions, and who could be compromised. I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump traded that in exchange for kompromat that Putin had on him. Self-interest above all…
Would be great to know exactly what all those highly classified documents were about without divulging specifics. So much for transparency in this swamp of an administration.
Eventually when it hits enough “regular” people and their every day lives people will wake up and revolt. Sad that it is taking this long.
I do not want to file taxes Georgia. I am sick of following all the rules and having my contributions spent this way.
Martin Luther King Jr. saw civil disobedience as a moral duty to nonviolently break unjust laws in order to move society toward justice. Income taxes fund just and unjust programs. The social safety net programs will be the first impacted, not the last.
There is also injustice in who will be punished for breaking the law. You or I will get a letter that tells us about the fines you've accumulated and threatens to garnish your wages, because it requires no human effort to identify nonpayment on a simple return. Meanwhile, all the people with the expertise to go after the 1% with the complicated tax returns and dodges have been discarded.
I won’t give the current regime any kind of legal leverage over me because it could compromise my ability to protest and keep fighting. If I am unjustly and illegally arrested for exercising my rights of free speech and assembly, then I will keep fighting from jail and accept the punishment.
"Income taxes fund just and unjust programs. The social safety net programs will be the first impacted, not the last."
This is the argument I have used (with little success) against purity voters who won't vote for the less damaging of two candidates because of one or another flaw, and that something I could experienced with friends since I first could vote, though I too was infuriated by the stong-arming of the DNC of Hubert Humphrey as nominee, though he had not even competed in the primaries. But the alternative was Nixon.
The thing is the extended impact allowing a greater threat to win has on ALL of society, and potentially the future beyond. And when our vote is careless, either due to insufficient forward thinking, or just not bothering, it is typically those with the least power and the frankly shittiest deal, that suffer most; excluded minorities, women, children, the poor, the disabled, the elderly. Many who waste their vote will expect to be personally impacted not so much.
If we really believe in government of the people, by the people, for the people, then the vote is a share both of choice and personal accountability. We have limited personal impact on how everything turns out, but the better homework we do, the more outcomes are likely to trend in our favor. I recall many years ago when a famous golfer (whose name I have lost) was told he was lucky, he replied "The more I practice, the luckier I get".
Ranked-choice instant-runoff voting addresses that issue. The independent is my first choice, the Democrat is my second choice because we differ on one major make-or-break issue for me, but the Democrat is certainly better than the Republican. The Republican is my third choice; I don’t rank the libertarian because he is inconceivably bad to me.
The Libertarian receives the fewest votes and is dropped in the first round, with most of his votes going to the Republican. The Independent receives the fewest votes in the second round, and my vote goes to the Democrat, as do most of the others whose top choice was the Independent. On the third round, the Dems plus most of the Independents beat the Republicans plus most of the Libertarian vote.
The issue that was most important to me contributed to blocking the worst evils: the Republican and the Libertarian. A message gets sent to the Democrat that he/she won because of support from Independents, so he/she had better come to policy decisions that include the Independents' input, or they may not get re-elected. You can see how the flow of votes moved through the rounds of voting, so issue-oriented small parties can have an impact.
And best of all, the single-issue lobbyists and PACs are disempowered because, as long as we have free and fair elections, it is the vote tally that counts. Unfortunately, in today’s America, the caveat is required.
I'm not sure of your two choices in your para one here, Georgia.
There you place "no one cared enough, or was smart enough, to plan for a real war" against the "machismo video game fantasy of 'warfighter ethos.'"
A 3rd option might have been diplomatic. Though this was never an option, given that the U.S. since overthrowing Iran's freely, democratically elected Mosaddegh in 1953 has never had sufficient adults to attend to the nuances and compromises which respecting other cultures entails.
The U.S. instead from 1953 to 1979 had only appeasing its WASP fossil fuel elites who put their own profits over anything else, which obligated the U.S. to sponsor SAVAK, the Shah's bloodthirsty secret police -- trained in torture, armed, and financed by the U.S. -- no different than Donald's current regime of ICE and CBP gone amuck in American cities as ever did the Shah's SAVAK all those years earlier.
The intensity of the retaliatory strikes has signaled that Iran was more prepared for the war than many in the Trump administration had anticipated, U.S. military officials say.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/11/world/middleeast/iran-us-military-bases-strikes-map.html
Iran was prepared and now it is clear their motivation is even greater. A report from Cyprus states that the new leader Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the strike which killed his father. Also his own wife, his son and many more of his family.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/11/mojtaba-khamenei-was-hurt-in-strike-that-killed-his-father-irans-cyprus-ambassador-confirms?
They have justifiably deep grudges against the U.S., Carol.
Ever since not just 47 years ago, but especially since 1953, when the U.S. CIA enacted a coup against the freely and democratically elected Mosaddegh -- and then not only installed the cruel Shah, but also funded, armed, and trained his savage secret police, the SAVAK, in torture, disappearances, and mind-beggaring other cruelties.
All to float to the top of the world all those we'd later know as Donald's and Putin's Epstein class.
Yes, Phil, the UK and the US saw to it that Mossadegh would be ousted for daring to nationalize Iran’s oil industry. Something I never learned in school.
Diplomacy has never been an option with Trump because diplomacy is about the interests of countries and Trump is only about self-interest. He wants to reduce everything to deals to enrich himself.
In paragraph one, I was trying to contrast the reality of current nature of war and the fantasy of Hegseth’s war games.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/us/politics/how-trump-miscalculated-iran-response.html
The "Use it or lose it" strategy is not new in the world of defense budgeting & programming. In my old Navy world, I would budget & program for ship maintenance & modernization. Some projects came in on-time, on budget, some didn't. Some got pushed into the next fiscal year due to operations. So I'm guilty of using some of that funding for frivolous things too, like replacing worn out shipyard maintenance equipment, extra training for Sailors & civilian trades workers, infrastructure modernizations. I never thought of lobster dinners & pianos for my troopers. I guess I lousy Captain.
I think the list of how the money was spent indicates there was never a bona fide budget. Hegseth just scrawled down some numbers, and the Republicans in Congress approved them without checking whether they made sense. I don’t think there was a list of things that wouldn’t make the deadline; they didn’t order anything, and then they had to scramble to order stuff with no lead time. So they went grocery shopping.
The expensive piano for a residence is different. Maybe it was for Pam Bondi, who apparently has moved to a military base for better protection. If so, I guess Bondi has less expensive tastes than Noem, with her expensive airborne boudoir and shower.
We will win.
There is more talk about bringing back the draft, which is not going to sit well with Gen-Z.
We need a list of all of the kids and grandkids (male and female 18-26 year olds) of the Senators and Congresscritters of both parties as well as those of the Cabinet and other high ranking administration officials. Then expose them pulically and interview them to see what they think of Trump's War in Iran. Ask them if they are willing to go to Iran to fight the Iranians?
Sounds like the Vietnam mess, run to Canada, enroll in college, burn your draft card, hold congress accountable ha ha, that worked!
Why do we elect these unqualified people? The population is manipulated beyond our wildest imagination.
Never mind, let's watch tictoc, buy something in plastic and order DoorDash. Oh one more thing fertilize your grass and smash as many caterpillars that you can find.
I was lucky. I missed the draft by one year in 1973. I was required to carry my selective service card with me for 8 years "just in case" they brought it back.
So many of my friends and family weren't so lucky.
G L, I remember years ago, Michael Moore, bringing this topic up asking senators on the street. Are you willing to send your kids to Iraq? Nobody would respond to him.
Donald Trump has delusions of grandeur well beyond that of a King, Supreme Leader, or Dictator. He believes he is God. And not just any one religion’s God, he thinks he is The King of Kings, The God of Gods, The Supreme Being. The leader of the world.
His ego is so great, his personal delusions and deceptions so perfected, that he need not bother with humility, goodness or compassion a prerequisite of any other of humanity's Gods.
Trump teaches hate, not love, because he hates everything he sees, including himself.
His lessons are steal from your friends, swindle your elders and hate your neighbor. He covets your daughters, and sends your sons off to die in one of his wars. Trump scorches, pollutes and tries to usurp every corner of the earth.
His goal is not mere accumulation of all wealth, his goal is to be worshiped and envied in perpetuity above Jesus, or God. True saviors never ask for demand or expect such.
He demands your unearned loyalty and constant admiration under all circumstance. He needs immortal recognition vastly beyond his personal achievements, demanding the awards of others for tasks he cannot accomplish.
Ironically, Trump DOES realize he is not only mortal, but he has reached the end of his cognizant runway as do all mortals.
He actually knows he is an epicenter of distain and disrespect worldwide. He treats humanity with the same hate and disrespect he gets back from humanity. He lies to himself and his staff lies to him, reinforcing his delusions. Trump expects us all to believe his lies, because he believes them.
Trump has been played all his life by the Epstein’s, and Putin's of this world. They control Trump by catering to his numerous weaknesses and documenting his off leash actions.Then they threaten exposure to Epstein and Putin’s files that Trump's delicate ego is afraid of.
SCOTUS mistakenly gave Trump immunity, but God has not granted Tump immortality. Upon his demise or incarceration, history will set his record straight.
Let us hope America survives Trump.
Everyone must never forget, Republicans chose Trump as president. Republicans wholeheartedly support Trump while ignoring his deep ties to Epstein.
Epstein on the brain will get you nowhere be happy don’t be the person that’s lying in their hospital bed almost dying and your last words are epstein and nothing has changed between now and when that happens
One more thought - you know in a way I see what you mean…it’s like they WERE Republicans - and so many loathed Trump…but they seemed to morph into these monstrous MAGA creatures - I have studied cults and they still baffle me.
While I agree to a certain extent, I’m 59 years old and grew up with Reagan (trickle down spawn of Satan though he was haha) as my first “Republican.”Even with what I considered some of their faults, those men - Reagan, George H.W. Bush, even dips** George W. Bush - were IMHO more old school Republicans. I agreed with some things, disagreed with others…but they never had this insane MAGA cult.
You mean like Larry Summers like Bill Gates like Bill Clinton like Prince Andrew. People like you, SCOT, who ignore reality because we have the system here called justice in America. Just like one of those George Floyd idiots that cost $2 billion of damage until you waited for the trial. Injured 1000 policeman, close down cities broke down police precinct, injured hundreds of people and caused undo chaos in this country because people like you don’t like American justice. And maybe you should pay attention to Bill Clinton who said Donald Trump never indicated anything to mediate any involvement with Jeff Epstein. In fact, if you knew the fact Donald Trump through epstein off his property and 05 reported him for bad behavior in 06 and actually was a witness for a defendant against epstein in a trial.ooooops
The other day I saw a picture of a black minister laying his hands on Trump and blessing him. I almost threw up.
I think he was the only black minister in that room. Thousands of black and brown people, if they saw that picture, share your revulsion.
Joan and GJ, I was repulsed by all of them. I am not sure which god they were calling upon.
The real God was holding his nose and weeping at the rubble of a little girls' school.
https://youtu.be/kcysQmPQvbs?si=tOKwTh67Z-sDuxXa
I laughed
It's simple. Trump and his oligarch lords and ladies have the Devine Rights of Kings to all the world's wealth. So, get out of our way or get bombed, decapitated, imprisoned, deported and so forth. We are mighty. You are weak. You MUST learn to be happy to make personal sacrifices for our enrichment.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!
No one’s paying attention to you. And there’s a good reason why
Charming, Paul, your expectation that "history will set his record straight."
Charming, I say, as clearly you imagine some America where history matters in its schools, and among references from those on its media platforms. I imagine an America like this, too -- and one where its schools also center humanities and the arts of humane essay writing.
Do you think any of the currently dominant standardized testers will concede any of their power and unquestioned dominance to the America you and I entertain as possible?
This is the post I’ve been promising. You feel the promise that tells you what a hypocrite. The Democrats really are and I’ve said it for years if Trump does something, it’s bad no matter what it is if Biden did the exact same thing you’d be cheering and unfortunately, for you, the answer is coming.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority …
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what are your thoughts?
Let’s hope the world survives Trump.
If the world had a choice they’d , elect him another eight years
Are you from the planet your anus or are you further out with the ex planet Pluto?
Trump is doing nothing but spreading democracy all over the world, which apparently you don’t like. If you go to did any of their job at all, Biden would be in prison right now, along with Obama for setting two planes full cash for Iran to build more nuclear devices and weapons.
Why don’t you focus on policies instead of your heat if Joe Biden were producing the policies of Donald Trump is doing you’d be standing on a chair with a flag in your hand, yelling, and screaming and applauding.
Hey Buddy,
Biden didn't launch mindless foreign wars for his own benefit and he didn't kill kill 180 school girls with a single mistargeted missile strike. Trump's crimes are not the "fog of war" but the "fog of a corrupted brain". Soon, he and our "warlord of lethality", Heir Hegseth, will have killed many thousands of civilians in Iran. Unlike you MAGA cult loonies, we don't "wave flags" to celebrate murder.
And you keep coming like manna from heaven years ago a man by the name of Harry Truman dropped a couple of bombs and killed a quarter to a half 1 million people to end a war and you’re talking about 180 school girls which it wasn’t that many and they’re still having to determine how exactly that happened not to mention that there was a statistic I sent to a number of people this morning with all the crimes committed by all the illegals here Wtfu
When you answer my question, I will respond until then you are flotsam and jetsam to me. But have a nice Do you know what I have found? By the way liberals don’t give a shit about results especially when it’s a republican. All they care about is process which means nothing. The only thing that means anything is results just like in a baseball game things go up things go down hits happen runs happen errors happen people get hit with baseballs. All kinds of stuff happens but at the bottom of the ninth thinning when the third out is made that’s when the judgment comes you have a winner and you have a loser. So WTFU, you don’t exist to me until I get an answer to my questions
Rick,
Stick your head up your MAGA butt and post your insane and mistaken "facts" onto FOX news or whatever MAGA propaganda site you like.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what do you think there are Merrill?
Paul. You said it all. I hope we not only survive but can witness his downfall into the he’ll he has created for himself and his offspring
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority …
What is wrong with you people what the hell is wrong with you? If you take Trump’s name out of almost everything that Trump has done and included Biden‘s name instead replace Trump’s name with Biden you’d be cheering in the streets. But America haters here can’t stand the truth
Nothing says “healthy constitutional republic” quite like senators leaving a classified war briefing furious, confused, and apparently still shopping for the actual plan. According to the March 10 report, lawmakers came out warning that they had more questions than answers about the cost of the war, the danger to American troops, and the risk of escalation. Which is reassuring. If you’re going to drift toward a wider conflict with Iran, it’s nice to know nobody involved can explain it in a way fit for public consumption.
Senator Richard Blumenthal’s alarm was not subtle. He said the public deserves answers about the cost, the threat to American lives, and the possibility that this war of choice could widen, potentially with Russian assistance to Iran in the background. Senator Chris Murphy added that the administration appears to have no goal beyond continued bombing and no plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. That is not so much a strategy as a very expensive temper tantrum with missiles.
And because modern governance is apparently a prestige television reboot of imperial decline, Senator Jacky Rosen complained that everything is being kept inside classified briefings, making it harder for elected officials to talk honestly with the people they represent. Congress is constitutionally supposed to matter in questions of war, but in practice it seems to have been recast as a focus group that gets ushered into a secure room, handed half a narrative, and sent back out to smile politely.
Meanwhile, the war is reportedly costing about $1 billion a day. America, as always, is too broke for ordinary people right up until it’s time to set money on fire overseas and call the flames leadership.
Sen. Rosen’s comment touches on a very important issue, specifically the abuse of our classified information system. This is not anything new, I’ve seen it for years when working with big defense contractors who would make their business development meetings of all things “classified,” not because they were protecting critical national security information, but because they were shielding themselves from transparency. It’s the same game here. The human bullshit dispenser Leavitt called this administration the “most transparent in history” in an utter act of reverse projection a few months ago. Anyone with an ounce of capability for discernment and critical thinking can see this regime does nothing but lie, prevaricate, and hide the truth. The information discussed yesterday is not sensitive “need to know” information, it’s basic facts about the war that are unfavorable to the regime’s position and therefore their classification is an abuse of power.
Let us not forget that theses wars were begun to reduce exposure to the Jeffery Epstein pedophile files. Wars and invasions to distract us but it won’t work.
Here’s a special analysis of the issues and everybody else here and I’m going to display it all day long today…I’m here. I’m just gonna give you an overview and then the rest of the day I’m gonna give it a detail.
And by the way, as I said to you for a long time now, and I will continue to say it and watch while you sit here in pain, waiting for nothing to happen, which is exactly what’s going to happen nothing. Matter who is in power three years from now or 50 years from now. Every single piece of Nervin sent you when your body is hate Trump.
Guess you didn’t listen when Bill Clinton said Donald Trump has never said anything to me about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein nor do I think I have any reason to believe that Trump was involved! Bet you that’s not how your media put it but go listen to his words exactly. This last part is just for you and your happy listeners lol
So how’s the country running now? EPSTEIN…
how’s the economy?EPSTEIN. Running at top speed
How is the crime EPSTEIN. Lowest crime statistics since 1900 and lowest murder rate, since then, which you will see below if you look it up
https://x.com/chicago1ray/status/1956162669800521925?s=43
How is the crime in Washington DC now?EPSTEIN. Washington DC crime has almost disappeared. Thank you, Mr. Trump
How’s the murder rate in the US? EPSTEIN. Murder rate lowest in the last 125 years
How’s the quality of life? EPSTEIN. AOK except trying to get rid of the illegals who should be here in the first places
How are gas prices? EPSTEIN
Two dollars lower than Biden
How is inflation compared to Biden? EPSTEIN
Trumpet less than 3% Biden at nine
How are prescription drug prices? As low as anywhere in the world NOW. As Trump negotiated World pricing
EPSTEIN How are the 5 peace deals working That Trump created? EPSTEIN
How many illegals has Trump arrested or caused to go home?EPSTEIN
Not enough
how is that $13 trillion of additional investment into America by foreign and US investors going? EPSTEIN
Japan, just come finished its biggest steel plant right here in the United States of America instead of doing it in Else in the world investing up to $4 billion in that plant
how’s the stock market? EPSTEIN? All three indexes have hit record highs pretty much all year long. The Dow hit a record high 53 times.
How much money are the tariffs bringing in? EPSTEIN. Almost 200,000,000,000 and more coming in this year
How is IRAN doing since Trump destroyed their nuclear arsenal and their threats to the world? EPSTEIN.
See you should’ve asked this question yesterday rather than today because now we know how Gerardo is doing and how the world is celebrating as I posted earlier every single Muslim country has been supportive of what happened in Iran countries that are not happy. You’ll love it France and England. And you probably know why if you don’t ask me
How is trumps deal with NATO going to advise them to triple the amount they are depositing for the own protection against Russia? EPSTEIN
NATO is now seeing the light and is projected to deposit 5% of their GDP in order to protect themselves from Russian aggression because of Trump’s insistence
How is the big beautiful bill working….including less taxes for the most needy with no tax on tips no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security? EPSTEIN
What happened to that impending doom but all the little pundits predicted recession, depression, stock, market collapse, inflation, increase. ? EPSTEIN
lots more to come, but for right now I’ll just say. you have a nice day ..ya heyah
Oh, and if you would like some links to find out how things really are, I’d be more than happy to provide them, but I’m gonna have to warn in advance… you’re gonna hate everyone.
Sent from my iPad
I unblocked you for a reason and I will reblock you for sure because you are a genuine nut case. Unless you buy my new improved edition of “Donald’s Vanity Tantrums.” It has about 20 more stories. It will be worth the $15.00 purchase. Are you ready to take the plunge and edify yourself?
Well, I started a nice reply to you to thank you for being yourself and how much pleasure you’ve given me knowing that there are people out there like you who are totally lost, but can be found if they choose to be do so..
It was very disappointing to me to see how many otherwise literate educated Advanced degreed people were so absolutely ignorant, and out of touch with life in the real world versus what they see and hear and refuse to see and hear because it doesn’t meet their approval nor their anticipation.
Hopefully, when you see my post, you will understand two things, the honesty and the veracity of it because you can go ahead and fact check it until kingdom come and it verifies and validate everything I’ve been saying about the people here who hate Trump so much that as I’ve said, if Biden had done many of the things that Trump has done and is doing, you would be standing on a chair, cheering your ass off. Have a good night, Bill.
No don’t flatter ourself. You are just a dumb cluck. So dumb that I actually convinced you to buy my book and you did. Now buy my new edition and I promise to never call you stupid again. Hurry up before I block you again. And too, you are not socially liberal as you described yourself. Anyone who submits to the crap that Trump is like you… Trump is the penultimate conman mafia wannabe. His motivation is exploitation for wealth accumulation and vengeance on anyone who refuses to kiss his ass. He has no morals as I’ve said in my book. Didn’t you read it?
Buy my new edition and all is forgiven. Honestly. I wouldn’t lie to you.
Question: Did you like youself on that screed you spoke? Be honest.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in Iran .
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority …So what do you think bill
So how’s the country running now? EPSTEIN…
how’s the economy?EPSTEIN. Running at top speed
How is the crime EPSTEIN. Lowest crime statistics since 1900 and lowest murder rate, since then, which you will see below if you look it up
https://x.com/chicago1ray/status/1956162669800521925?s=43
How is the crime in Washington DC now?EPSTEIN. Washington DC crime has almost disappeared. Thank you, Mr. Trump
How’s the murder rate in the US? EPSTEIN. Murder rate lowest in the last 125 years
How’s the quality of life? EPSTEIN. AOK except trying to get rid of the illegals who should be here in the first places
How are gas prices? EPSTEIN
Two dollars lower than Biden
How is inflation compared to Biden? EPSTEIN
Trumpet less than 3% Biden at nine
How are prescription drug prices? As low as anywhere in the world NOW. As Trump negotiated World pricing
EPSTEIN How are the 5 peace deals working That Trump created? EPSTEIN
How many illegals has Trump arrested or caused to go home?EPSTEIN
Not enough
how is that $13 trillion of additional investment into America by foreign and US investors going? EPSTEIN
Japan, just come finished its biggest steel plant right here in the United States of America instead of doing it in Else in the world investing up to $4 billion in that plant
how’s the stock market? EPSTEIN? All three indexes have hit record highs pretty much all year long. The Dow hit a record high 53 times.
How much money are the tariffs bringing in? EPSTEIN. Almost 200,000,000,000 and more coming in this year
How is IRAN doing since Trump destroyed their nuclear arsenal and their threats to the world? EPSTEIN.
See you should’ve asked this question yesterday rather than today because now we know how Gerardo is doing and how the world is celebrating as I posted earlier every single Muslim country has been supportive of what happened in Iran countries that are not happy. You’ll love it France and England. And you probably know why if you don’t ask me
How is trumps deal with NATO going to advise them to triple the amount they are depositing for the own protection against Russia? EPSTEIN
NATO is now seeing the light and is projected to deposit 5% of their GDP in order to protect themselves from Russian aggression because of Trump’s insistence
How is the big beautiful bill working….including less taxes for the most needy with no tax on tips no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security? EPSTEIN
What happened to that impending doom but all the little pundits predicted recession, depression, stock, market collapse, inflation, increase. ? EPSTEIN
lots more to come, but for right now I’ll just say. you have a nice day ..ya heyah
Ricky, Our Favorite MAGA man...Dow is down another 350 points so far and Trump's average approval may drop below 38% this week. And check you facts. The GOP removed the "no tax on Soc Security" from the "Big Bull-Shit Bill" and No "Tax on Tips" applies to a tiny fraction of service workers who get tips. Idiot.
Bullet points of Trump’s wins .. this is the assertion as I read articles from various publications. 1. Closed the border in only 75 days when AOC and Mayorkas and Harris (aka the border czar) said that the NOY ONLY THAT THE BORDER WAS SECURE, but only way to do it was legislation/aka mass amnesty) which, of course would take years. It didn’t fall the public when 10 to 15,000 illegals cross the border every day while the people in the administration continue to tell the story of the border being secure And as well, the Democrats attempted to allow these folks to vote. Attempted in many local precincts, including 800,000 people/non-citizens in New York City given permission to vote and only ceased by the highest court in the state of New York. 2. Removing/deporting/arresting over 1,000,000 illegals that were brought in by Biden and the Democrats in order to get them to be able to vote. ( and there is proof of that) 3. The precision, annti- Iran nuclear strike. TACO pseudonym up in smoke. Using tension on the entire world, fearful of a nuclear Iran. While it’s proxies now remain quiet, on the Global stage 4. Three Trump assisted peace/cease fire deals. Iran/ Israel, Pakistan/ India. Somalia/ethiopia 5. The NATO increase in defense deal, including purchasing unique weaponry from the US to dissuade Russian aggression , well the leaders of NATO looked up to Trump and even called him, Daddy and thanked him for having pushed them to increase their funding to protect them against Russia, while the left and Legacy media called it bullying . 6. Despite economic specialists, liberal congress leadership, legacy media, boasting impending economic doom, rampant inflation (currently lowest in four years), global tariff and trade war nightmares, stock market crash, unemployment spikes, all unrealized thus far, and all wrong so far and now admitting they were wrong so far. 7. Doge.finding much fraud, waste, and abuse… further details in bullet point coming later. But all leading to the $9 billion recission bill. 8. THE OBBB… finding one of the only ways to assist the middle and lower income folks by eliminating tax on tips tax on Social Security and tax on overtime..for the time being… while increasing our defense budget, perhaps acquiring our own golden dome like Israel’s iron dome against foreign aggression… creating the permanent tense cuts of the first Trump administration, and including a large tax for the middle and working class. A $12.5 billion bill for modernization of our air traffic control system. Many incentives for small business 9. The $9 billion rescission bill eliminating the federal government from funding, left-wing networks, and eliminating other sources of waste, fraud and abuse. 4 men pleading guilty to $500 million fraud at USA ID and another find is $2.7 billion fraud against Medicare. That would’ve grown to almost 14,000,000,000, had it not been detected 10. Job growth, exceeding expectation and estimates. 11. Eliminating the Department of education and sending education back to the states. 12. Referring Rowe v Wade back to the states where the voters have a voice not just nine Supreme Court justices. 13. Hey Siri of favorable Supreme Court rulings, stopping local justices rampant attempts to stop legislation …as an example from nationwide injunctions. Deportation rulings, deportation rulings, defund USAID, and the Dept of Education, and a few more of a personal nature 14. Stock market Ascension. Despite persistent assertions by the left and other economic pundits, the NASDAQ hit an all-time high. While the S&P also hit an all-time high and had the longest upward trajectory in the last 20 years. Well, the Dow is also threatening to beat its all-time high, which was in December 2024 after Trump’s election. 15. A major unexpected occurrence in June having to do with the deficit for the first time in 20 years for the month there was a budget surplus of $27 billion. Personally, I don’t imagine that will continue despite the tremendous amount of tariff income. 16. Somewhere between 10 and $13 trillion of additional investment in the USA by foreign entities as well as American companies, expanding their businesses here i
Rick,
Your genius president and his billionaire buddies are now in day 13 of the Iran War. The DOW is down another 600 points. It's getting painfully close to the value that Trump inherited from Sleep Joe. Add that to your propaganda list of Trump achievements plus the deaths including 180+ children in a girls school in Iran.
How many wars have gone on for only 13 days maybe the Falklands lol. This is a saving the planet war, and it’s gonna take as long as it takes until they have no prayer of owning enriched uranium.
By the way, do you know how fucking stupid you are you know you really understand how really stupid you are and every time you post to keep getting them do you know how many stocks are on the Dow? Do you think everyone bases their life on the Dow just shows me that you have maybe a couple of CDs in the bank of Uranus
Do you know what the word ignore means?
The only point I agree with you on was the border. Biden was asleep for two years before he realized his numbered going down but by that time it was too late especially after Trump stopped the legislation.
One of the saddest revelations for my husband and me is the grief being experienced by really really decent humans here in our country. A helplessness never quite endured. The feeling of not being HEARD! We are the generation who understood not only what compassion meant (Roosevelt was President four times , all while suffering from polio), Eisenhower came away from a war convinced that a “military complex” was a danger to all. Both administrations worked to make this country a balanced experience for the citizens. The history is so important and VERY interesting. More so than the slobbering nauseating garbage that is spewing from this “so-called” phone.
What is the most important duty today??? To not give in to despair…. The despair that comes from not being heard.
HEARD….. ever heard the word Congress, Supreme Court, law firms, police departments, big business??????????? Because when the grifters stealing the American tax dollar for pianos and lobster and airplanes ( not public), get away with this mind boggling behavior this country will never never get our support again!
Yes. That has been obvious from the start. New worries too. Last night someone posted this scary piece of news. I had not heard about it, but quickly responded by signing the petitions. The person who shared it in one of my political chats said,
"This is one of the most dystopian business proposals (and that is really saying something in a world with Palantir) and one that I cannot believe would not require international approval considering it would destroy the entire night sky"
The FCC comment period is closed but there are two open letters to sign here: https://darksky.org/news/two-satellite-proposals-threaten-the-night-sky-the-window-to-act-is-now/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVjPavlDSFw/
Please consider signing these. Can you imagine life with perpetual light, and no way to get up there to shut it off?
Calling on Congress is like screaming at a dead body to wake up.
If this newsletter was intended to terrify it has exceeded expectation....
I don’t think we’ll see many big waves (like a major MAGA Congress member changing their opinions), however I think we can cause little ripples. I’m thinking staff members who hear the same thing over and over via voicemail, phone calls, letter after letter, email after email - maybe they’ll be a little more receptive each time they hear from us. Maybe they’ll talk more about our talking points to friends and family, maybeeee they’ll vote differently. As a collective, our volume matters. And, at the end of the day, if we just annoy and overwhelm some staffers working for people hurting the average American, I’m ok with that too 🙃
Thank you, Megan.
Thank you Megan!
This is of extreme importance! Thank you Megan.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what do you think Megan?
Yes, the guys in charge have no idea about what war is like in real life. To open their eyes a bit, all Cabinet members and all MAGA Congresspeople must submit to having all of their age-qualified offspring enrolled in the armed services serving in Iran or other war-torn areas of the world. NO EXCEPTIONS. Barron is at the top of the list.
Why Baron very interesting choice. I wonder why you chose him. Why don’t you ask all the liberals in Congress how many of them have served then you’ll get a shock compared to liberals to Republicans and see who served more
"If a charismatic political or religious extremist roused a dispossessed population behind another war, and if that leader got his hands on a nuclear weapon, he could destroy the world." Professor is talking about Trump and MAGA supporters of Trump.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what are your thoughts? Was that too vague?
Many of the senators from other states won't accept emails from non-constituents.
You’re right. But I work around that.
My first round of emails from the contact me links had a lot bounce back saying I wasn't a constituent so it either didn't get sent or basically wouldn't be read. So I changed the way I sent messages. I use one of their own in state addresses (listed on my spreadsheet to help with this) on the address line because technically it doesn't say "my" address. I also don't want to misrepresent myself any more than that, so in my messages I typically put (at the bottom) that while I'm not a constituent, I am reaching out because (insert name) does represent me on the (insert committee that fits the topic my message is about).
Another thing I do is call after hours. I don't leave my name or address/zip code so my voice doesn't go towards a count, but the more they hear from us, the better.
I also send faxes using faxzero.com (5 free/day). I don't send a lot of letters, but when I do I put the same “while I’m not a constituent” blurb I do in my emails.
We are creating a world of rubble. In Gaza. In Lebanon. In the West Bank. In Iran. Reducing the world to rubble does not have any positive advantages. It only means that places where people could live, where students could learn, where the faithful could worship, and where the sick could be cared for no longer exist. What kind of history are we writing? What kind of legacy are we leaving? Have we lost all sense? Have we no shame?
Not to mention the environmental impact, the cost of reconstruction with resources this planet doesn't have... and the immeasurable damage to the health of the millions of people whose water and air are being poisoned. "Have we no shame" is right!
Extreme sociopathy has no shame. We do too little to reduce it.
I still think that malignant sociopathic narcissism will be the end of humanity. Combine that with stupidity, and you have an especially deadly combination. And yes, J L, we do next to nothing to reduce it.
"Next to nothing to reduce it," Dutch Mike?
Worse than that. We up the regularity of the humanly empty standardized tests.
You're right, Phil. And worse: we select and celebrate _exactly_ those traits in our 'leaders', because, well, a CEO of course has to be strong man who can make unpopular decisions, right?
More fundamentally Procrustean conformity vs solidarity. Real patriotism, real compassion, is solidarity.
"solidarity(n.)
1829, "communion of interests and responsibilities, mutual responsibility between two or more persons, quality in a community of being perfectly united on some question," from French solidarité, "communion of interests and responsibilities, mutual responsibility," a coinage of the "Encyclopédie" (1765), from solidaire "interdependent, complete, entire," from solide (see solid (adj.))."
https://www.etymonline.com/word/solidarity
It is not (as some suggest ) the opposite of diverse individual choices, it enables them.
Narcissism is the ultimate root of all evil. We are all of necessity self-serving, but as a profoundly social species, we also evolved with a capacity for love, understanding, and a sense of justice, "the better angels of our nature". Narcissism is wired into human nature, but emotional maturity demands its integration into civilized behavior. We socially self destructive without that, and with the aid of our clever tool, capable of means to our own extinction. We are fools not to focus on the clear and present danger. Narcissism broadly poisons human happiness from marriages to international harmony.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. In my opinion, in stone age times, times narcissism wouldn't get a chance. I mean, in a small group of, say, 20-50 humans foraging and hunting around, if one Trump emerged, the rest would be so sick of him after a short time, they would kick him out. And being kicked out of the tribe meant certain death, as humans couldn't survive alone in the wild - meaning this Trump would have to sacrifice his life for his narcissism or change his ways, no other option there.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what do you think was that quote from the administration toovague
Global heating will rise if concrete is used to rebuild it all. It gives off carbon dioxide as it hardens.
Shame is for “suckers and losers.”
The Democratic representatives may have no idea what Trump’s end game is, but I do. It is the utter destruction of the wotld, no less than that. Just look at how adamant he is on destroying nature: selling National Parks, drlling for oil, bombing countries, blowing ever more carbon dioxide into the air… And why? Because it’s the ultimate act of an emotionally stunted malignant narcissist. THIS will get everybody’s attention, even his father’s. “Look what I did, daddy! I destroyed the world! Nobody ever did this before, I am the best, I am unique! Do you love me now?”
Perhaps the utter destruction is only a side effect of the compulsion to grind up the entire planet for zillionaires investment portfolios. The last one left alive Owns ALL!!
J L Graham,
I have the best grandchildren. They work hard in school. My grandson takes care of his little brother and helps him with homework and plays basketball with him. They play board games and cards together.
My granddaughter enjoys making up educational games that are challenging and fun to play. She is a writer and a reader!
They care about the environment. My son-in-law is over a nature preserve.
My daughter and son-in-law are good parents. They have expectations for the children to clean their rooms and help with responsibilities at home. They expect them to do well in school and they participate in their school activities/events.
They participate/serve with their fellow church members each Sunday.
I want a decent world for these precious lives as do so many other parents and grandparents.
There are parents all over the world who want the same but wars of greed and hatred make it impossible. When one on this planet suffers, so do we each and all. Parents long for a hope and a future for their children. We ARE responsible for one another!
We need leaders who are more concerned about building up, concerned about the health and well being of others than whether we have enough "donuts" for ourselves!!!
That's exactly Elon Musk's thinking. Reductionism to the extreme...
He personifies the quintessential domestic violence abuser except on a national scale….
He sure does.
The quintessential bully. That's what all of this is about.
Musk did not invent the Tesla, BTW. He used his money, and slander, to take it over, tho' I suspect he had a hand in designing the "unique" Cybertruck.
Monsters have no guilt.
Over the last four years, in self-defense because of American timidity in confronting Russian aggression, Zelenskyy and his military have revolutionized the nature of war. America failed to notice. Iran and Russia did, and so, although later than they should have, has Europe.
America now has Don Jr. and Eric trying to corner the "cheap drone" market with their Powerus and XTEND deals, no doubt salivating over the potential profits from war profiteering.
Drone capabilities have been upgraded every couple of months. Pete Hegseth, in his "warrior ethos" dreams, wants boots on the ground and blood in the streets. Zelenskyy has been working under a "strategy for life" to destroy threats with the fewest possible casualties, both civilian and military.
Zelenskyy is driven by that concept because he recognizes he is fighting an existential threat to his nation.
Now Trump, Hegseth, and Bibi have provided Iran, another great "drone power," with an existential threat to their nation. In asymmetric warfare, the losers are the ones who bankrupt themselves first. We will run out of Patriots and Tomahawks long before Iran runs out of drones. And, I fear, they will have no compunction about using them to deploy dirty bombs against the "Great Satan," our pedophile- in-chief and child killer, his minions, and us.
Powerus, the military drone company that counts the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as “notable investors” has announced a bizarre merger with “golf course operator” Aureus Greenway Holdings to form one publicly traded company.
Meanwhile, Eric Trump and Donald Trump, jr. are investing in a $1.5 billion merger between Israeli drone maker XTEND and Florida-based JFB Construction Holdings (JFB.O). In addition to the Trump brothers’ involvement, JFB appointed Stefan Passantino to serve as a board member, according to a Feb. 13 securities filing. Passantino served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy counsel during Trump’s first term in the White House.
I started looking into Aureus and its IPO last February 2025. It was subsequently nearly delisted and then got an infusion of cash through sale of warrants. One investment firm listed as insiders on the IPO and the president of the company have Hong Kong business addresses. The auditor is in Tortuga in the British Virgin Islands… I checked out the website for Aureus and it all says “being updated” so no actual information or list of company officers.
Very Sketch…
Ukraine has developed interceptor drones.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/03/05/novel-interceptor-drones-bend-air-defense-economics-in-ukraines-favor/
What a pity that fool Trump has no time for them. He continues to support Russia's territorial claims to eastern Ukraine even though Russia is now helping Iran use its drones to more effectively hit US military targets. Indeed, Trump has refused to answer questions about Russia's involvement in the war with Iran and press secretary Karoline Leavitt says "it doesn't really matter".
Trump cannot be any more transparent about shifting his allegiance to Russia. There is new reporting about a deal in the works in Alaska set up by Don Jr.’s college buddy Gentry Beach with a nat gas company , that is connected to Putin.
https://substack.com/inbox/post/190626
This is a very interesting and enlightening interview about the Middle East and Iran with Alastair Crooke, former British diplomat, and founder and director of the Beirut-based Conflicts Forum. He was a ranking figure in both British intelligence (MI6) and European Union diplomacy. He shares his expertise in this 1hour video. https://youtu.be/YL8rXeNkXsQ?si=tsdadKXbqR-roa-O
Thanks for the link!
Betsy: What's the estimated date for the Rapture? They'll all be more visible if there's only rubble.
The world was supposed to end on May 21, 2011 according to Profit Harold Camping, but it got postponed. Not to say that some numbskull with nuclear weapons couldn't blunder into it.
Not nukes. Dirty bombs delivered to your doorstep by drones. No need for further uranium enrichment.
Hegseth is fighting the last generation's war, stuck in a decade-old video game. We are all going to pay.
Georgia Fisanick,
Hegseth is President Trump's little "lacky.". Hegseth is so proud to be given such awesome responsabilites by "big daddy".
This is a very frightening time for our country. A few real leaders are trying to fight so many battles and Trump's minions continue creating more distractions!
Will Trump ever be held accountable?!
Honestly, I think Trump will die first because he is already rotting from the inside out. But Hegseth, Bondi, Noem and Lutnick will be held to account by impeachment, such as it is. My sincerest hope is that they are tried on criminal corruption charges as well.
And I hope Jack Smith is the special counsel to do this.
I thought Donald Rumsfeld was a lousy Secretary of Defense, but Kegseth is even more inept. Kegseth was brought in to ensure the military’ loyalty to Trump over the Constitution.
I'm not deeply enough acquainted with American History but my guess would be that Hegseth is the most under-qualified, irresponsible Sec. of Defense in US history.
Rumsfeld helped invading Iraq, where people were,permitted to loot the museums but the oil ministry was protected.
William Miller predicted the end of the world in 1844. His followers eventually formed the Seventh Day Adventist church.
to say nothing of the rubble we are creating with climate change. Unbelievable fury hath Mother Earth this year with her massive winter snows/blizzards, tornados and floods. It is hard to fathom that people can't see reality. "It's a hoax" - really? If old prophecies are correct, we are in for some awful times ahead and the earth will heal itself if she can get rid of the humans...sorry - late night, busy day, but this is all pointing to the end of times. No, I wouldn't give up hope but it's getting harder to think about the split in reality. This political scene is mind boggling! Appreciate the repetition of history lessons though and always learn something from the past.
I live at 8000’ feet in Colorado.
It’s March.
I have green grass in my yard.
This is most certainly not normal.
Historically our worst fire year was 2020.
Our current snowpack is 60% of 2020.
This, too, is not normal.
Our snowpack is at less than 20%. Similar weather to 2020, when fall gave us devastating fires.
Fruit trees are blooming way ahead of schedule.
Warmest winter on record. Truly dismal snowpack in the west, especially in the Colorado river basin. We are about to start a huge heatwave in the west that will all but eliminate the snowpack.
We are in serious trouble.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what are your thoughts Mister climate change.
Biggest hoax to ever permeate liberal brains and there are many reasons why
Here in central FL it is supposed to be 90 degrees today. March 11. Not at all normal. I can only imagine what it will be like in July.
You know, Debbie you should do some research about climate change before you post about it.
"What kind of history are we writing? What kind of legacy are we leaving? Have we lost all sense? Have we no shame?"
I would add - Are we even paying attention? Do we even care?
I think almost all of us here are writing a history of resistance. As are many in official positions - especially those in the legal profession.
Then there are the Republican voters and their purity test enablers on the Leftish. Will enough of those realize their mistake? And will a sufficient number of non-voters realize theirs? 2026 will tell.
Republicans have worked towards this moment for decades. With Trump they have accelerated their destruction of all they've resented since the Union defeated the Confederacy and since the Democratic party became the champion of civil rights, equitable taxation, government regulation, and social services. What is unusual among authoritarian take-overs is that Republicans are willing to not only to pervert the institutions of government but shutter and destroy them. The difference between Trump's first term and second terms. For instance the Mike Johnson House just going home when Republicans don't get their way. The Roberts Supreme Court not even bothering to hear Oral Arguments or writing decisions fully laying out the reasoning and precedent of their decisions.
Well, and I’m gonna copy and paste this over and over again so that everybody gets a chance to enjoy it.
You may have gotten a piece of this already because somebody came by and pulled a prank on me and hit post before I was done
About three or four nights ago, Bill Maher completely flipped the script on Adam Schiff a.k.a. Mr. Russia hoax KOMPROMAT lol, when they were discussing the use of force or military action in a run.
Adam Schiff insisted that Donald Trump needed to get congressional approval and use the war powers act before going to war with Iran. The interview went like this
So Bill Maher says this to Adam Schiff The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that it was in the best interest of national security.
so what do you all think about that because Bill Maher then asked Adam Schiff whether he thought that was too vague to be a reason to give the president that authority … so what are your thoughts Lynn did the administration have enough cause?
Many of us have shame, but the ones in charge of the government don’t have any sense of shame or even morality.
I'm beginning to see a pattern here:
"What are the signs of sociopathy?
There’s no standard list of sociopath signs, but the signs and symptoms of ASPD include a persistent pattern of disregard for others. For example:
ignoring social norms and laws, breaking rules at school or work, overstepping social boundaries, stealing, stalking and harassing others, or destroying property
dishonesty and deceit, including using false identities and manipulating others for personal gain
difficulty controlling impulses and planning for the future, or acting without considering the consequences
aggressive or aggravated behavior, including frequent fights or physical conflict with others
disregard for personal safety, or the safety of others
difficulty managing responsibilities, including showing up at work, handling tasks, or paying rent and bills
little to no guilt or remorse, or a tendency to justify actions that negatively affect others
People with ASPD generally show little emotion or interest in the lives of others. They might:
come across as arrogant or superior, with firmly fixed opinions
use humor, intelligence, and charisma to manipulate
seem charming at first until their self-interest becomes clear
People with ASPD generally find it challenging to maintain friendships, relationships, and other mutually fulfilling connections. This difficulty may stem from traits, like:
low empathy and emotional intelligence
difficulty learning from mistakes
lack of concern for the safety of others
a tendency to intimidate and threaten in order to maintain control"
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/sociopath#signs
Betsy Smith,
"We are creating a world of rubble..."Gaza, Lebanon...the West Bank...in Iran..."
Bombing, destroying homes, schools, hospitals....places of business....etc, does NOT build up nations....does NOT build up peace, but increases hate, increases poverty, destroys hope for families and children, destroys businesses, destroys opportunities for education!
Just because we are far from Iran or Gaza or other areas of great poverty due to wars we are aiding, does NOT mean we are not being harmed as a world and as a nation from these acts of greed and violence!!! Are our hearts and minds so cold and unaffected!!!
For many of these areas, clean water and basic food items are difficult to find. Mothers are watching their babies and children slowly starve to death...as the White House uses taxpayer dollars to stuff themselves with doughnuts!!!! as well as expensive food items that even some of us are doing without to save money to pay our ever increasing tax bills!
Even the great United States of America cannot survive and thrive with this lack of leadership and this waste of taxpayer dollars and contributing to wars and the destruction that always follows!!!
We didn’t create Gaza nor Lebanon and Gaza decided to elect Hamas as their leader, and their government the rest of this is history
From the standpoint of Trump, Witkoff, and Kushner, the rubble is the first step towards new real estate deals. The people who stand to gain from this destruction we can count on one hand...
And Ukraine. Thank you for words of clarity and wisdom
What do you know about Ukraine? Let me tell you what you think you know, but I’ll tell you what you what the facts are Barack Obama and his accompanying vagina. Let Putin run all over him and took over the entire peninsula of Crimea Joe Biden, who is half dead anyway allowed Putin to come over and take over the entire eastern seaboard of Ukraine any other questions
To answer your questions: a shameful legacy that generations in the future will wonder how could people do that to each other. And yes, and yes. Except it's not we, it's that orange guy in the front office. He has no sense, no shame, no decency, no empathy, no compassion, no conscience, no goodwill, no love of his fellow Homo sapiens. Only hate, and covetousness for personal wealth and power.
Bernie always reminds us that it's not "them;" it's "us." To what extent are we all culpable for the crimes of this regime?
It's complicated isn't it? Bold political leaders and public movement fought back against the plutocracy and corruption of the "Gilded Age". Establishing a growing middle class took decades, but we traded it away to smarmy salesman Reagan and the middle class has been on the back foot ever since as monopoly and oligarchy re-established. That's the principal root of present evils, and while Bernie has long sounded the alarm, even Democrats have clung to the momentum of "Reaganomics" (aka government of by and for the people just sucks, and the richest are the ones most qualified to rule). Biden diverged from it more than most, and the public rejected him anyway, while they had loved saliently-forgetful early-stage Alzheimer's Reagan. It' easier to "go with the flow", but the "government of the people, by the people, for the people is being bought and sold from under us, and has been for more than four decades. Now it's all up for grabs. It's them and us, and theoretically were are all in this together.
Perhaps when we realize that we __are__ all in this together, we won't need to distinguish any longer between them and us.
"A house divided against itself, cannot stand." (Quoting Mark 3:25).
I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.
I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided.
It will become all one thing or all the other.
Sunday, The Guardian posted an article by Eric Reinhart entitled: “Americans aren't facing a democratic collapse. They are living in its aftermath”. The world makes much more sense when viewed through this framing. Trump as the exquisitely chosen puppet to exploit the complete weakness of democratic institutions, the already compromised, dysfunctional, sold-out to greed institutions that we hoped and prayed could be reformed if we just won the next election. We are at the culmination of being completely hoodwinked since the day President Gerald Ford pardoned a man who should have been imprisoned for high crimes and misdemeanors, for treason. As the Canadian Prime Minister so accurately stated at Davos: It is time to Stop Pretending and Name Realities. https://www.theguardian.com/global/commentisfree/2026/mar/08/trump-democracy-oligarchy-policy
Democracy is not yet dead but it's enduring carpet bombing. I agree that Ford's pardon, said to have been well intentioned, set the stage for the Imperial Presidency, and Reagan and his patrons, took the ball and ran with it. The lesson taken from Nixon's disgrace was, if you are going to lie, lie BIGLY!
I fear you are right, our democracy has been destroyed
"I fear you are right, our democracy has been destroyed."
Not has been. Is being.
Your comment is an example of giving up in advance.
HAS BEEN.
It has been destroyed. Period.
Whether or not we can save it? Who knows. But continuing to pretend that this is just politics as 'normal' is just crap.
No one is 'giving up'. But keeping your head in the sand helps no one.
No, the discourse you see here is proof that we are still fighting. All the opposition, an upcoming election. Don’t quit so easily.
Mike- Our democracy has not been destroyed because the people are fighting back. When you declare defeat, you serve the regime.
Never give up. And please don’t discourage others from staying in the fight. Rest when you need to, and then jump back in. We need you with us.
Riversong, democracy as we knew it is dead. Trump has destroyed it. Can we retrieve it as it was? PM Carney says that the world order has shifted, and the US can no longer be relied upon to lead in upholding democratic principles. Taking the US directly into war, without approval of the people (Congress), has already occured; one cannot undo a war. If you are contributing to a political cause, let me suggest this one: https://voteriders.org/ This is something we need to keep: the right to vote!
Point taken. The demise of empire is a messy business. I would say that the empire is dead and will not be resurrected. And still, the democracy can be saved if we don't give up. And yes! I've just started supporting Vote Riders as well. We need to be working proactively on all levels. Helping people overcome obstacles to voting with proper ID ,etc. is the real nitty gritty that can counter the attempts to keep people from voting.
I subscribe to the Carney quote.
I’m afraid PM Carney is correct.
What a thoughtful essay -- weaving in Eisenhower's famous warning about the "military-industrial complex" and its endless capacity to devour resources that might have gone to the hungry, the sick, the uneducated, to the rebuilding of infrastructure -- to a hundred other priorities that pay far greater benefits than simply blowing up things and killing people.
In one week, our own “special military operation” in Iran has cost Americans $6 billion. That’s more than DOUBLE the entire yearly budget requested for the National Park Service ($2.1 billion). Even that lesser amount only allow the NPS to chip away at the huge $33 billion in deferred maintenance our system of parks, monuments, seashores, and wild areas need to maintain the legacy of preservation another Republican, Teddy Roosevelt, bequeathed to us over a century ago.
We need to recognize that the Trump administration is not only morally corrupt but, arguably, the most ignorant and incompetent group of people to have ever run an important country (and I'm saying this as a professional historian). The contrast with Eisenhower is telling.
Look at the people who elected him...How did we get to this point? The conspiracy theories, the lies, the greed, the blind following of this supposed charismatic man who promised so much and ignorant and incompetent group of billionaires now leading us. Slowly but surely some are trying to get rid of them...
With the still-incomplete release of the Epstein files, it is clear that the conspiracy theorists were not entirely wrong. Trump and his clown car cabinet are ignorant and money and power-hungry, but the anti-democracy oligarchs who have been engineering the path that got us here have been patient, single-minded, and focused for decades.
Trump is a tool for the final destruction in their endgame.
"What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence? It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling sea coasts, the guns of our war steamers, or the strength our gallant and disciplined army? These are not our reliance against a resumption of tyranny in our fair land. All of those may be turned against our liberties, without making us weaker or stronger for the struggle. Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage and you are preparing your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises." -- Lincoln
Wish those 166 words of Lincoln were half as well known as the 272 words of the Gettysburg Address, we had to learn and recite back in the 1950s .
Back in the 1950s, a cunning tyrant was unimaginable. One looked to a statesman to occupy and revere the White House. Its desecration makes me feel murderous.
Your point is well taken. Trump wants to spend on lavish monuments to himself, to pay homage to his self-perceived greatness. Teddy Roosevelt preserved natural monuments for the American people to experience together our greatness as a nation. A juxtaposition between the artificial and the real. We are losing the soul of our country.
Thank you Professor Richardson.
Earlier today I wrote about the impact this illegal war will have on affordability. Notwithstanding the death, destruction, and suffering of innocent women, children, and families caught between the cruelty, chaos, and corrupt criminality of the Trump/Vance Administration. The fact that not even an illegal war, including war crimes committed by Trump/Hegseth are enough to cause the GOP to stop this Administration, this war belongs to all of them.
Of course the Trump Administration and the GOP members of Congress who are now complicit are not the ones who will be returning in caskets. It will be our sons and daughters, moms and dads, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives.
https://bomdia.substack.com/p/sorry-youve-exceeded-your-credit?r=1p3r9&utm_medium=ios
To your point, yesterday Senator Aunt Pittypat (R-SC), with no children of his own, bravely asked South Carolina's parents to "send their sons and daughters to the Middle East."
Lindsey Graham's lips move rhapsodically with oleaginous passion for a war he has no understanding of. His mind "races with the thought" of a new Middle East. You can practically smell him getting all moist and engorged at the thought of what his beloved Alpha is doing on our behalf. "God bless POTUS for planning and executing Operation Epic Fury" he swoons on social media. "This operation has been well-planned," he adds. "It will be violent, extensive and...successful...Cuba is next." (At least according to reports form an alternative exo-planet in a solar system yet to be discovered by the world's astronomers...)
News reports have surfaced that Lindsey is also the only non-member of Dr. Caligari's Cabinet of Horrors to don those $145 Oxford Florsheim shoes Hair Furor insists everyone wears, even going to far as to pick out their sizes for them. The others are afraid not to -- Lindsey can't wait to show yet another way he can kiss Trump's ginormous posterior.
Is it derangement — or just plain drunkenness — that gives someone like that the courage to post such embarrassing trash? If you look closely, you can see his eyes already assuming that same vacant gaze as his beloved President's. And you can practically see the self-loathing and despair that must lay underneath them.
"You know the thing about a shark. He’s got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya’, he doesn’t seem to be living until he bites ya’ and the black eyes roll over white…”
Robert Shaw, delivering one of his best lines. Thanks for that.
That man needs to go back under the rock he came out of.
" Something in me died at Peleliu. Perhaps it was the childish innocence that accepted as faith the claim that Man was basically good. Possibly I lost faith that politicians in high places, who do not have to endure war's savagery, will ever stop blundering and sending others to endure it." Eugene B. Sledge from With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa
Gregg, my wife's Uncle Chuck gave me Sledge's book while I was his caretaker* as he was going through Hospice. We had some amazing chats during that time. I was just thinking I'd like to reread that book during my recovery
*Psychological caregiver. He had medical help and didn't need assistance with the "hard" parts of activities of daily living. It was such an honor that he gave me his trust to walk that path with him.
That is, indeed, a high honor Ally. I have no doubt you fulfilled that trust in the highest of manner and care!
It was a great honor. I did that as best I could, with as much gentleness as I could. When he could still get out and about, we'd go for "country drives" around the county (we have 4600 square miles of county) and stop for a chocolate milkshake at some little out of the way place. We had all measures of conversation, ranging from my time patrolling the county or calling balls and strike in softball to his time living overseas in mostly Asian places (he worked for B of A in the 70's).
I still have two promises to keep to him: Scatter him and his dogs near the Solono River in the bay area, and some more up east of Bend, OR in the high desert.
Come on mothers throughout the land, send your kids off to bomb Iran...
One, two, three; what are we fighin' for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, my next stop is in Iran!
Six, seven, eight, open up those pearly gates;
Ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopie, we're all gonna die!
As fresh and new in 2026 as it was in 1969.
Thank you, Country Joe McDonald.
https://youtu.be/eRl6-bHlz-4
I was too young for Woodstock (11). I got the album in 1972 and wore this side out.
We’re going to need a bigger boat. 🤓
Lady G wants the American public who have adult children serving in the military to sacrifice their children to this stupid and futile war. That is a sacrifice Trump, Kegseth and Lady G are quite willing to make, even as the Trump boys make money off their drone business.
I keep praying that the Democratic Party leadership will understand that the nature of this emergency is so extraordinary that they need to stop operating within the normal framework of “two party politics”. We are no longer in a two party, political environment. We are in a one party against a domestic terrorist organization environment! When will the Democratic Party start acting as if they truly understand what’s going on?
We are a minority party. PICK ON REPUBLICANS.
This isn't a matter of picking on anyone. We are at that critical juncture where we look around at the rubble and have to get honest about how we got here. It took the current two political parties to get us here. The Democrats? The Democrats have been playing meek and maybe for years. We missed too many opportunities for the past 10 years to stop him. Now here we are. We have to demand more from the Democratic Party. We better demand more or this fascist regime will only get dug in deeper.
Go to AIPAC Tracker. Look us various congress people and the gears click into place on so many votes they have done. For example, Schiff receives over $9 million from the most pro-Israel lobby in the world, goes on and on about no war but does nothing. Look at the Committees they serve on and the PACs donating to them. A lot of the weak and feckless labels assigned to Democratic make sense. Go to integrityindex.us. Learn about who our elected representatives really are. We need to make better and more informed choices on who we elect.
"We want an opposition Party that fights back. Fighting back against the regime does work… and we will remake this party to represent the people because it is currently full of too many people who are too weak. We’re not asking. We’re demanding.
Indivisible Las Vegas"
Thanks for the link to integrityindex.us. The asset listing work is amazing. My Republican representative has $1 million in United Healthcare stock, a very useful fact to know.
I have used opensecrets for the donation and PAC info in previous election cycles. I think I will do a head-to-head comparison between them.
What I would really like to see is a site that tracks who is funding the attack ads against candidates. The problem is always tracking the money through many layers of "pooled" money PACs and charities that serve to anonymize the sources. The best I have been able to do is look at the organization listed on a mailer, but not to see an aggregate report for everyone on their hit list.
According to the up and coming younger more progressive Democratic candidates they get a lot of headwind from-----------wait for it---
the Democratic Party. Graham Platner talks about it. Mamdani experienced it. So draw your own conclusions.
Thank you, Barbara, for this detailed and supportive comment. Israel’s influence over the Democrats is very destructive
According to some on substack, Trump didn't win! He used all manor of Musk's sky systems to tweak the voting machines and votes. Some very interesting voting in Pennsylvania, but we'll never know because there was no follow up. And, evil won - again. Not that all democrats are loving and honest. It's a mixed bag all around, but finding peace is stepping away and enjoying nature and caring for others and supporting those that also care. I still can't get over the killing of 500,000 women and children (and fatherss) because USAID was shut down...
Study systems thinking. Then you’ll think like I do… and know EVERYONE contributes to the outcome, whether negative or positive!
Don't overlook the part of Schumer and Jeffries in this capitulation. They're still mesmerized by Israel and AIPAC's money, and their resistance has not been full-throated.
THAT'S BULLSHIT.
Our best bet is Epstein. Check the playing field.
Did you do the math? Di you go to AIPAC Tracker, integrityindex.us, their Committee Assignments or voting record?
Daniel this contempt prior to investigation helped get us in this mess.
Did you know the Democrats would not even publish their autopsy after the 2024 election? Know why? Because the GAZA issue helped defeat the Democrats. Why are the Democrats soft on the GAZA genocide? Check their AIPAC numbers.
You are willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just because someone takes a political contribution doesn't make them the enemy. The ONLY hope we have to get rid of MAGA are Democrats.
Also there's the antiosemitic issue. Tough to support suicide bombers and other assassins.
Math. Count the house votes on the resolution.
So much Blue MAGA here.
If it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck.. maybe it's a duck.
I don't care what the letter is after the name. I'm going to call out bullshit where I see it.
We deserve better than Chuck Schumer, Fetterman, Golden, King, Kaine, and all the other traitors who have voted with the GOP and helped keep Trump in power.
We deserve better than a bunch of politicians sitting on their hands saying "oh there is nothing we can do".. really? Cause when the GOP was the minority party they managed to stop almost all of Obama's and Biden's bills.
We deserve better than a bunch of politicians who have to check first with their lobbyists and corporate sponsors before they can condemn the murder of innocents.
I'll pick on whomever I want.
Pick on them ALL!
I am a registered Democrat, but I am only too aware we need a thorough housecleaning and we need new people with new ideas and the spine to take on the Republicans’ dirty tricks. They need to stop trying to placate the oligarchs, and to tax them significantly.
The leaders are emerging. The hour is late.
who?
Bring back Eisenhower era corporate tax rates. Corporate profits were taxed at rates up to 52% or higher whereas today it is a 21% flat rate.
21%? Check Tesla. 0% paid in taxes.
Yes. Like the Trump family, Musk's fortune has been built on government contracts. And like them, a pool of tax dollars he doesn't contribute to.
And like the Trumps, the cost of enriching Elon Musk must factor in his malign actions.
Geez I remember when we thought $20k wrenches were waste, fraud and abuse.
Yes. Good times, good times....
One definition of “war” is that it represents failed diplomacy.
Have we been told why talks failed right before our possibly unprovoked aggression?
It is painful to watch so many lives destroyed. Civilians are being both directly and indirectly affected.
We supported a tyrant, the Shah, with his secret police. Trump only wants to start our history with Iran in 1979.
Moorehead 'Mike' Kennedy was our senior most diplomat held hostage by Iran. His wife Louisa coordinated between the State Department and hostage families to keep the hostages in the public eye and seek their release. After the hostages were released, rather than castigating Iran, they advocated for diplomatic policy based on a better understanding of Iranian history and culture. He left the Foreign Service and founded the Cathedral Peace Institute at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York to focus on conflict resolution.
Many Iranian citizens have been courageously opposing the regime. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported 7,015 confirmed deaths as of February 2026, with over 11,700 additional cases still under review.
Higher-Range Estimates: Some international reports and medical sources suggest the true scale may be much higher, with estimates ranging from 20,000 to over 30,000 following a particularly brutal state crackdown in early January 2026.
Official Iranian Government Figures: The Iranian government has acknowledged approximately 3,117 deaths
The Mullahs who run Iran do not necesarily represent the majority. Persians constitute about 61% of the country and most of them are women. The Mullahs and thir proxies have been executing wars of extermination against their enemies since 1979.
Unfortuately the Trump administration is hostile to the ABA and tho ROLI, despitre its record. The American Bar Association (ABA) and its Rule of Law programs actively address the following issues in Iran:
Targeting of Lawyers: ABA ROLI and broader ABA leadership have repeatedly condemned the arrest and persecution of Iranian lawyers for fulfilling their professional duties, such as defending protesters.
Human Rights Violations: In August 2025, the ABA adopted a resolution calling for an end to human rights abuses in Iran, including the use of capital punishment for non-serious crimes, torture, and the persecution of minorities.
Lack of Due Process: Advocacy efforts highlight the denial of independent legal counsel in political cases and the use of judiciary-approved lawyer lists that undermine fair trial standards.
Solidarity Programs: The ABA hosts events such as the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer to raise awareness for Iranian legal professionals risking their lives for the rule of law.
Iran Human Rights
Contextual Entities
Iranian American Bar Association (IABA): While distinct from ABA ROLI, the IABA is a major U.S.-based organization that stands in solidarity with the Iranian people and protects the rights of Iranian-Americans.
Iranian Bar Association (IBA): This is the independent (though currently state-pressured) bar within Iran itself. Recent reports indicate the Iranian judiciary has significantly eroded its autonomy through new licensing and disciplinary controls
You'd think that before we had attackled last summer we would have supported these groups
You'd think that, wouldn't you?
Thank you, Daniel, for your good details here.
I only wish there were included in such listings the existence of educators eager that schools have programs where, for upper-level youth learning English, students could do much in exchanges to see each other better as individuals in their varying cultural and other contexts.
We should probably have done something serious about the hostages being held longer than they might have been; that was treason and where we are today is a direct line from allowing that type of governing to become normal.
Even after Jimmy Carter had lost the election, in his final months as president, he had been working to get the hostages released up until the day of Reagan's inauguration. The Reagan campaign feared a late-October release of the hostages (an "October surprise") would give President Carter a last-minute boost in the polls. Reagan's team promised future arms deals to the Iranian regime in exchange for holding the 52 American hostages until just after Reagan's 1981 inauguration. And then what conspired over the course of Reagan's presidency but what came to known as the Iran-Contra affair...
ThankYou horhai for spelling out - so clearly and thoroughly - the Republicans' delaying the release of the hostages and providing them with weapons. For political gain.
Apparently there was a proposal from Iran shortly before the bombing, but Kushner and his sidekick weren’t interested.
Why is it dizzying how Donald stays so idiotically insane with his “messaging”?
Too many of us, it seems, still expect something, or some things, from a person whom we also know has never in his life had any moral center, any regard for other human beings, nor any care for any dogs or cats (except for how they may serve claims that Somalis, Haitians, or other black people are feasting on them).
That’s the great thing about being dictator. One can sputter on all day and never mean a word of it – just that the cameras always be on oneself.
One can also commit the worst travesties. Send ICE and CBP to terrorize ordinary American communities. Tear down the east wing of the White House. Bomb an Iranian girls’ school, killing 165. Rape underage girls and young women – 1200 of them – with one’s rich pals and their lifelong cover-up.
And – happy, happy – one has sycophant staff to make sure no one criticize. Not universities. Not elite law firms. Not mainstream media. Not billionaires and their hate-based social media.
Heather’s bunch? Medically unstaffed and foul food only concentration camps are now being built for our and related critical tens of thousands.
Trump sounds idiotically insane because he is insane and much worse.
His frontotemporal dementia is getting worse, and intensifying his malignant narcissism and sociopathy.
The astronomical daily spending for bombing Iran makes me furious!!!!!!
This will bankrupt the US and the only conclusion I can draw is it is intentional so DT can strip our country like Putin did after their economic crash!
Can our congress get their heads out of the sand and stop this?!!!!!!
The intentional destruction of our country is happening before our eyes!!!!
The nature of warfare has changed over the last four years, thanks to the existential war in Ukraine. Now the loser will be determined by who will be bankrupted first. You are seeing the effects of "asymmetrical warfare," when the cost of taking out a weapon with a drone is 1/10 of the cost of the weapon itself, and it takes months to build a new Patriot missile and a day to build a drone.
Hegseth is setting us up for premature ejaculation, shooting the whole wad with no backup. This is a major disaster in the making.
Having no bid contracts determined by "lethality" tests of drones built by Eric and Don Jr.'s new foray into drone ventures is insanity. Technological innovations in drones occur on a time scale of months, but Trump and Hegseth refused Ukraine's offer to transfer tech as it developed. New factories are starting production in Europe that are building Ukrainian-designed drones in countries safe from attack, with Ukrainian military being sent to train allied troops. They are guaranteeing to take back older models and upgrade them or modify them for different uses as the technology evolves.
Below is a link to Zelenskyy’s speech last night to the Ukrainian people and his reasons for sending aid to the Gulf states to develop their drone capabilities. He emphasizes that help is mutual in alliances, and that Ukraine is a reliable partner. His speeches are getting noticeably shorter and more direct. He is clear about Russia’s intentions in the broadening of the war. He says more in 3 paragraphs than Trump and all his minions in the last 10 days of war.
https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/zaraz-nasha-komanda-na-shlyahu-v-region-zatoki-de-nashi-hlop-103317
"Now the loser will be determined by who will be bankrupted first."
The Soviet Union's economically disastrous invasion of Afghanistan contributed to the collapse of the USSR. Now of course, while putting an immense strain on the US, Trump's war is reaping oil profits for Russia, to sustain their attack on Ukraine.
To those who touted Trump's business acumen as qualification for the presidency, we always said that he would bankrupt the US as he did his business ventures.
Moreover, Trump and Kegseth haven’t paid attention to the depletion of our missiles supply.
$140k for 272 donut orders. That is roughly 400 donuts per order if you use Dunkin' Donuts prices. Or in total over 100,000 donuts. And that is to a department where the head honcho berated top officers that people were too fat.
On top of that, that expense is small in comparison.
You forgot about the ice cream machines...
No. I just started with the least ridiculous. Bringing donuts to work. It’s still ridiculous.
He's bankrupted businesses and now is bankrupting the USA. One more hopeless military adventure. As one of those who served in Vietnam I look with despair at this madness. And I fear Johan is right: https://johanuniverseends.substack.com/p/the-cascade-how-four-independent?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
He's embroiling us in foreign entanglements, while people suffer at home.
He's depleting our military resources, while Russia and China smile.
He's following the ACCELERATED national decline trajectory described by Paul Kennedy in "Rise and Fall of The Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000"
Exactly.
As Donald’s niece Mary Trump has noted, Donald thinks the Treasury is his personal piggy bank, and he’s been acting like it.
Early on Trump and Musk were talking of a trip to Fort Knox to take inventory. Probably literally.
Trump says he’s going to Fort Knox to inspect gold reserves
.https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5156669-trump-fort-knox-gold/.
President Trump on Fort Knox: "If the gold isn't there, we're going to b...
.https://youtu.be/laap8MFPVdI?si=OX6-rN8ZAtDEYkla.
Just as America's resources are his playthings. Why don't they stop him? Who are they, and why?
The GOP won’t stop him as he’s spineless, and the Democrats can’t decide what to do and are in the minority.
Best article yet. What we are engaged in "is saving human kind."
Since I am prone to conspiracy theories by connecting dots inaccurately or pre-maturely, take this comment with a grain of salt, s.v.p. I see one consistent thread through these erratic actions: 🤔
> on again / off again signals from Trump to the European allies about getting tougher with Putin;
> getting guttural about Greenland; and,
> the unilateral, one-man war against Iran. 😳
These actions provide camouflaged cover for Putrid to go right on decimating Ukraine by keeping the Europeans off-balance with mixed signals. 😢
Since fickleness no longer works, Trump may be dividing Europe's attention, first two ways between Ukraine and Greenland. And now three ways among Ukraine, Iran, and Greenland. 🤬
Trump has given himself an excuse to betray Ukraine by relaxing oil sanctions, thus adding to Russia's coffers. Frankly, Putrid may be on the ropes and Europe may be able kick him where the little red star does not shine, but she does not understand that possibility. 🛑
Obviously, Trump and his crass coterie would not attack Iran solely to distract Europe, but keeping Europe away from Ukraine and funding Russia is a bonus. Aiding Putrid's continuing atrocity may have influenced the timing. 🤢
It's happening now because people are finally starting to look into the money-laundering aspect of the Epstein Class scandal. I think the sex trafficking was the leverage to see that the money-laundering and corruption was not exposed. Typical Russian kompromat but on a gargantuan scale.
The fly in the ointment for Putin has been Ukraine and its resistance. He was assuming he would have Crimea 2.0 and take the rest of Ukraine, and threaten a compliant Europe. But it didn't work out as planned. Now he has a woken-up Europe, and he is trying to salvage what he can by defanging the US and splitting it off from the former allies. Trump delivered what Putin asked him for with the National Security Strategy report, which was Putin's wish list.
You have likely heard Sheldon Whitehouse speak recently on senate floor. “If trump were working for Putin would he be doing anything different?”
The obvious answer is no.
Senators Whitehouse and Angus King are my two faves in the upper chamber.
Yes! This!
Follow the money.
Sen. Whitehouse and Sen. Wyden are the best on this. Call Congress to pass Wyden's PETRA bill.
New Wyden Bill Would Force Treasury to Turn Over Epstein Files
Secretary Bessent Has Repeatedly Refused to Give Epstein Bank Records to Senate Investigators, Impeding Senator Wyden’s Follow-The-Money Investigation
Washington, D.C. – Following new revelationsabout Jeffrey Epstein’s deep and long-running relationship with J.P Morgan, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced the Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act (PETRA)
.https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/new-wyden-bill-would-force-treasury-to-turn-over-epstein-files.
As Trump Downplays Epstein, Wyden Unveils Details of Treasury’s Undisclosed Epstein File | The United States Senate Committee on Finance
.https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/as-trump-downplays-epstein-wyden-unveils-details-of-treasurys-undisclosed-epstein-file.
Subject: Trump/Russia, Trump/Epstein, Epstein/Russia - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
.https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/speeches/trump-russia-trump-epstein-epstein-russia/.
It is always about following the money, and the sums Epstein moved through the financial system were huge. Trump has always had "special relationships" with certain banks after his bankruptcies. Whitehouse is correct.
Lin, This! Thank you!
The Epstein scandal is a bigger challenge than Trump's excesses; the latter are obvious and we have a decent chance of taking our democracy back. If the powerful men at the center of the Epstein crimes are not held to account, the citizenry will be so demoralized that republican governance will be unsustainable.
Georgia *and *Lin, I worked in banking in N.Y.C. for years. In the late 1990s or early 2000s -- whenever Trump made his miracle comeback -- I assure you that I was far from alone in concluding that our rogue manatee out-of-control was laundering dirty money from Russia and Ukraine.
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-deutsche-bank-donald-trump
The Deutsche Bank loan shenanigans came to light in 2019. The real question is how the media coverage was suppressed enough for so many people in red states to ignore it. And that brings us back to how and why the Democratic party was allowed to wither in red states and is still happening.
Will check it out. EDIT P.S., was Justice Kennedy's son a Deutsche banker for Trump?
DT is also adding to his coffers. This war may bankrupt the US so he can sell off the US like Putin did Russia after their economic collapse. Read Red Notice!
T is for treason
Trump makes President Nixon look like a boy scout and President Clinton look like an eagle scout.
I wonder if the system has to collapse, with all of the suffering that will bring, so *we can re-build it,
Side note: As evidence in this and others, one thing I love about reading the commentary on HCR's work is the beautiful use of language. Refreshing! Very unlike daily interactions where I currently live in FL.
Excellent assessment. I love (most of) the dialogue here and the interactions with other Readers.
And you are one I always read Ally, though almost always in a sub-thread started by me. (See my response to Signe explaining my vanity.) With your life experience, particularly in law enforcement, and your solid temperament, your comments are guidance whether I agree with them or not.
Likewise. I know we have some areas where we view things differently, and even in our “point/counter-point” exchanges they are always polite and informative.
You are a civilizing influence.
Thank you! It is not my default mode...
True, Signe. These threads are always a morale booster-shot. Thanks to you et many al. While it is vain on my part, I usually respond to those who respond to me. I believe it is polite and I have little time these days.
Yesterday, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) was being interviewed after he, too, left that Senate Armed Services Committee briefing in a bumfuzzled rage about the Administration's total absence of planning, even an ability to explain why we're there. He explained that they literally *have no idea* why we're there, as evidenced by the daily shifting explanations that make no sense whatever. Trump had just said 'no, we're not there because of nuclear weapons' to a reporter's questions, implying....regime change? oil? Epstein? something else?
He told Nicolle Wallace he was overhearing Ted Cruz give another interview a few feet away, where he insisted the war was because Iran was getting ready to use nuclear weapons against us. 'I have half a mind to wander over there and interrupt him and tell him Trump just said that wasn't the reason,' he added.
No words to encapsulate such arrogant stupidity. We have gone all the way from General Petraeus asking Colin Powell "tell me how this ends" to Alfred E. Neumann's "what, me worry?"