Somehow there’s always money for war 😢 As a teacher, it breaks my heart knowing billions and billions are going to war when it could instead make such a big difference in the lives of our kids.
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.
But Trump says, "Any time I want [the war] to end, it will end,”. He said Covid-19 was ending soon this time of year six years ago. Remember those days?
In Chapter 11, of the 1959, James Bond novel, “Goldfinger,” Ian Fleming wrote, “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.” The following facts evince a design by President Trump (Trump) of doing three things no other President has ever done, politicizing a virus, politicizing the United States Postal Service (USPS), and politicizing in-person vs. mail-in ballots. It began in the first week of February, 2020, one year prior to Trump’s final act of inciting his January 6, 2021, insurrection (J6). Trump laid its foundation with that tripartite depraved strategy (Strategy) in response to being briefed about Covid-19’s lethality and when acting it out over the next eleven months Trump proved himself to be an enemy of the United States.
Trump politicized Covid-19. Trump’s first impeachment trial was closing the first week February, 2020 and he had little to no hope of wining re-election. His Strategy was his game plan upon losing the election as he believed it to assure two extremely different ballot tallies; in-person vs. mail-in. Trump needed his base supporters (Base) to fearlessly vote in-person and to not trust mail-in ballots. Hence he ruthlessly played his Base conditioning a mindset in defiance of science to simply use a N95 mask for personal protection from the deadly virus for the need of survival by adaptation to changes in the environment. Trump lied that the virus will soon go away; ridiculed and mocked people using respirator mask (mask) while not using one himself. He attacked the science of Covid-19, and the scientists by holding crowded rallies and White House gatherings without requiring mask. Trump flipped wearing a mask, a matter of personal survival, into not wearing a mask as a matter of personal liberty. He often repeated, “It will just go away, like a miracle.” When Trump left office over 400,000 Americans had died from Covid-19; equal to American military deaths in World War II.
Trump politicized the USPS. Trump believed if he slowed mail delivery he would then be able to argue he had a higher number of in-person votes. Covid-19 posed a major threat to the economy, but in February, 2020, Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury (Mnuchin) was more focused on finding a new postmaster general, the person responsible for directing the day-to-day operations of the USPS. Mnuchin met with the two Republican members of the four member Postal Service’s board of governors. These people needed to appoint a new postmaster general. Louis DeJoy (DeJoy) who donated $1.2 million each to Trump's 2020, campaign and to the Republican Party since 2016, was soon appointed as the new post master general. DeJoy immediately took measures to slow mail delivery by: 1, banning overtime pay; 2, stopping extra trips to deliver mail, and; 3, ordering more than 600 high-speed mail sorting machines to be dismantled and the parts totally removed from postal facilities.
Trump politicized in-person vs. mail-in ballots, the final step of his Strategy. He not only played his Base to believe Covid-19 was not spreading and/or as deadly as reported and therefore to vote in-person but he also sought they not trust mail-in ballots. He performed a never-ending dog and pony show against mail-in ballots as being a “scam,” “a terrible thing,” and lying about there is a “Tremendous potential for voter fraud,” thereby doubling down on no matter how dangerous being in crowds may evolve to be on election day he expected his base to vote in-person. Thereafter Trump and his lawyers deceitfully lied that he won by a landslide but for having it stolen by fraudulent mail-in ballots (Big Lie). Trump sham validated his Big Lie by filing dozens of frivolous lawsuits captivating his Base by seeking to disenfranchise tens of millions of mail-in ballot voters with an empty promise of winning in court means winning the election. Trump’s lawsuits were rejected in every court allowing him to further enrage his Base by blaming the courts. That ignited stage three of his Depraved Strategy. Trump used dozens of Tweets to summon his angry Base to the White House on January 6, 2021, when Congress was in full session certifying America’s election results. Trump performed a live tirade on stage to further incite his Base to insurrection against the United States.
Trump was limited by the Twenty-second Amendment to only one more term, thus being who and what he is his Base was expendable to him as long as they voted for him in-person despite possibly becoming infected with Covid-19. In that first week of February 2020 as Trump devised his Strategy, Representative Adam Schiff (Schiff), in his closing argument at Trump’s impeachment trial asked, "What are the odds if left in office that he will continue trying to cheat? I will tell you: 100 percent." The sum of Trump’s almost simultaneously politicizing the pandemic, the USPS and methods of voting, all things never to be politicized and his doing so immediately in response to learning of the pandemic bare an undeniable conspicuous interrelatedness therein and proves Schiff correct in real time. Now he claims the war he started will end soon. Just like six years ago when over 400,000 Americans died because he failed to lead he again has no clue what he has done. He again could not care less how many people die because he has an Antisocial Personality Disorder with a pervasive, long-term pattern of disregarding and violating the rights, feelings, and safety of others. Please read and share my Memorandum to We the People at UnitedWeAmend.org
Albert, I was just discussing with my Indivisible Group, as we were working on making an ad for our No Kings Demo, that none of us wanted to spend our time like this. I had not thought my retirement would be about doing political work, but about traveling and enjoying life, making art, writing etc.... Now we all find that Donald Trump has forced different plans on us, and we are in it until we get our Democracy back from these villians.
Linda I retired and thought the same as you. I’m now on my way to El Paso to help some of my fellow Minnesotans get home after being wrongly relocated to an ICE camp there. It is exhausting all of the wrongs that are happening all at the same time.
Joe, I live in El Paso, and hate what ICE has done here with Camp East Montana. I applaud you for helping your fellow Minnesotans to get home. Just so you know, El Paso would never choose to treat people the way ICE does. We are a lot like Minnesota.
Minnesota Strong! Doing what Minnesotans always do - protect each other, stand up for their values and show the rest of the country how to resist peacefully. You all are an inspiration when we need one badly.
Linda, the next NO KING'S protest is coming up on the 28th. Violence has been very rare up until now at protests against the administration and I am confident the protesters will remain non-violent. But what can we do to protect ourselves during the protests from rogue far-right fascists or will that be necessary?
I love your caution in seeking (from Linda, good choice) advice.
Your (and others' here) appreciation for the possibilities of certain realities so stands in contrast with Donald's buffoonery of his impulse-only-driven fantasyland, staffed always only by incompetent, unqualified sycophants.
It's excellent. The June 14 protest I was one of the monitors and had to talk a few folks down who were triggered by the trumpanzees driving by. The training is so helpful.
I am in red Douglas county Colorado, the place that elected Lauren Boebert, and have been on the streets every time. The first the police department suggested we not and that they "could not"protect us bc the annual city fair (that had devolved from a family thing to a drunken two day country music and meth fest) was that June 14 weekend. Nearly 800 people showed up anyway,
The second one, a bunch of coal rolling pickemup trucks were assembling at the Koffee Kkkabin which flies trump and Israeli flags , although the trump flag came down a few weeks ago. It was just across the street, and as I parked and got my unicorn suit out if the car, the police were across the street, I assume they oursuaded the trucks to go home.
I think there's always a risk. There are the ppl who flip you off, stare stonily ahead. And there may be sick ones who drive into a group.
There were several monitors and one police officer at the last NO KINGS rally I attended. The estimated attendance was around 2000 people, so not one of the major rallies. I did talk to the monitors and they said they dissuaded some people from attending which was a good thing IMO.
I live among coal rollers, on a major thoroughfare in Sonoma County CA. Every morning @ 4:30, I cram silicone earplugs in to mostly block out the noise of the brodozers commuting. Not to mention the black soot everywhere. Not annoying at all, and lovely air quality! /s
I remember in high school visiting a friend in California and we were going to drive to the beach one day and had sunscreen on. We rode in traffic on a motorcycle and it took us hours to get to the beach. When I got there our skin was totally black from all the soot. It was freaky. That was probably coating our lungs too. Not great for an asthmatic like me.
I am not retired yet - I have a few more years - but I am constantly hounded by that feeling that I didn’t sign up for this. And it at times makes me resentful. Let me be clear: I unequivocally hate this president. He is the worst human on the planet, the embodiment of all seven deadly sins. When he is gone, the world will be a lighter place. But I am not so blinded by hatred to give him the pretext for widespread direct violence on the people of our nation that he desperately wants.
But beyond that I also lament what has happened to all of us, even those of us on the “good guys” side. I consider myself a progressive Democrat. I want bold progressive policies, not milquetoast centrist non-solutions. But I also cannot abide those on the far left who say moronic things like there is no point in voting, or that Kamala Harris would be doing the same thing (genocide) if she were president today. You can’t argue with them either, because their arrogance is insufferable.
The bottom line for me is this. If you want a more progressive, just, compassionate country, the only choice politically is to join the Democratic Party, roll up your sleeves and do the work of building that vision. And yes, it’s a big tent, which means not everyone will agree with you, and (gasp) you are going to lose some battles along the way. As infuriating as those can be in the moment, the answer is not to take your ball and go home. It’s to learn, revise and get back to work. That’s true as well in the very present moment where our democracy faces an existential threat. We cannot afford to lose and think that people will magically “see the light” amidst the rubble. To think otherwise is intellectually lazy.
Chris, I agree with you. Donald has had 80 years to do something – anything – that would make the world a better place. He has done nothing. He has actually built a lot less than he claims. In those few instances, he destroyed something better to make way for his tacky, ostentatious projects. Aside from that, all of his actions have resulted in nothing but destruction.
Worst of all, he has destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives. We have a pretty good estimate of the number of lives taken by his mismanaging the novel coronavirus, but we still don't know how many young girls' lives were ravaged by his wanton sexual predation.
Donald Trump's life is worth nothing. If it ended this moment, there would be no loss. In fact, civilization would immediately improve.
That's exactly why no violence should be done on his account. Not in support of him and not against him. He's not worth it.
Dale, you and I are most definitely on the same page. I refer to this president as a “destructionist” because he can only destroy, not create, anything meaningful to a civilized society. He lacks the empathy and vision to be a creator, but destroying things is easy. And it’s a short step from that to hoard what is left after the destruction, to pocket those “gains” and/or dole them out to those who do his bidding. The day he leaves this life will be gift to us all. And I have a bottle of very expensive champagne in the fridge awaiting that moment.
Dale, he is destruction on steroids which is why I call him death star. It is somewhat amazing to me that one person could be so destructive, but he has plenty of help from his minions. He has made sure that all the shit has risen to the surface. I have my single malt neat ready when he departs this earth. I have friends who have their favored beverage ready as well.
Michelle, mine will be Bombay Sapphire and tonic. I keep replacing the lime in my fridge, so I'll have a fresh one for that celebrated day. As a backup I have a bottle of Rocktown Brandon's Gin that I actually helped bottle.
The Right has played a long, slow, dedicated game over decades to arrive at this moment. It was their goal all along. Now Dems have to be equally focused and single-minded to unravel their mess! It ain’t gonna happen quickly. Breaking things is easy; fixing them, not so much.
Kathryn I agree 100%. Like it or not, they did the hard work of changing their party. They brought in large masses of people who wanted change and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Their vision of course is repulsive, but their theory of change was successful. Ours meanwhile, seems be either do nothing but say “Trump bad” while not fundamentally addressing the root causes of inequality and injustice (centrists), or pitching a fit because a candidate doesn’t toe the line on a pet issue (leftists). I am so frustrated with both.
Chris I pretty much agree with what you are saying here. However, I did decide I wanted to live where I would have a little less struggle to have the type of life I wanted and moved to Germany. It is not as simple as that, but I had some things that I absolutely did not want to be dealing with in retirement, and one of them is not being covered by health care that pays for the things I need. Right now I am having to fix a problem for my mom caused by medicare. Luckily she is doing okay physically because until I get her insurance straightened out she will have to pay for her doctor visits out of pocket, and they don't even do that. They don't take cash or checks or credit cards. They also did not know how much the services were. It is absolutely crazy.
That’s fair, everyone has to make their own decision about where to live. You will never hear me criticize someone’s individual decision on that. I’m a dual national as well and could very well choose to emigrate. For now, I’m staying here and doing what I can.
Linda: Not to mention the daily emotional toll. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night furious and worried, together with a profound dissatisfaction with contemporary existence. Is trump training the current military to be violent and cruel and to terrorize the world?
I think he is terrifying a lot of them who may die because of his whims, and for what? To enrich his family. It is crazy and horrid. Meanwhile, those who murdered those girls are going to have to live with that. Trump is not, because he is in denial that it happened.
Linda, you speak for a lot of us. I just wanted to travel the world (and not be embarrassed to be an American traveler),enjoy my wonderful grandchildren (who do NOT deserve to inherit this mess) and volunteer for non-profits that give me joy.
Mary Ann, we are in many ways being the "salt of the earth." And, while I am grandmother age with a child who is 21, I not only want to protect this earth for her and her generation but for their children and their children's children. We are the salt of the earth and recognize that our life's work is helping to be a steward of this country and this earth. We are the salt of the earth.
Ugh Loren that is so disgusting! I don't think women will stand for it. We will get our rights and our democracy back AND our joy when this regime falls and fall it will. There are too many good people fighting it every day. Glad to hear from you Loren!
Linda, speaking of Indivisible, I was so proud of our group here in Tulsa County a couple of days ago. A small group lined up all of them dressed in black and evenly spaced out (like the old Burma Shave signs) each quietly holding up a sign stating clearly what fascism is and how to recognize it. The one local channel who actually covered the event was so impressed by them, they gave them extensive coverage, unlike in the past.
Linda, through frustration yesterday I said really loud to a friend "I just want him out of my head! It has been more than 10 years he has been living in my head rent free!"
The upside to this political nightmare during retirement is meeting so many wonderful retirees who share my values and are doing what they can to help save our Democracy. In all my years of planning and saving up for retirement, I never imagined that politics could expand my social circle this much during retirement, or that a postcard writing group could become a valuable source of home health care for ailing members, or that protesting could be a way to become a weekend drummer.
Agreed. I keep thinking that I might be depressed, maybe I should I see a doctor. But I’m NOT clinically depressed, the problem is living under this regime. Waking up every morning to it. Not having an actionable solution to solve it - I’m in the camp that they are going to do everything they can to decimate the midterm elections. Then what???? I read an article today that millions are putting their lives on hold because of health care, I feel like I’m putting everything on hold till Trump is gone.
Psychologist Lisa Damour has been pointing out that youth have been worrying about worrying, and that has led to increased anxiety. With all emotions we should see if they are legitimate in response to our circumstances. Being depressed is a natural reaction to having your government taken over by fascists and fearing that everything you need to take care of yourself is in danger.
I have been discussing this with friends, we need to have regular pick me ups in our lives. Tonight because I went to the demo, my husband and I missed going to our Quiz night, but we will watch a movie instead. Some nights we might watch something more dark, but I have to be aware of when I need something lighter. A comedy or dramedy, or mystery that is more humorous than violent or creepy.
I know so many people who are depressed by this. I have to admit, moving to Europe which I was supposed to be living in half time, but is more like my new life, has helped a lot. Some of it is the sense of agency it gave me to do this, because it was many years in the planning and a huge undertaking, but that is that. A change might be needed in your life. Join a group. Try something new that you wanted to do but somehow never got around to doing. Plan daily things that make you feel good. If it does not help.
Protests such as No Kings Day DO NOTHING. Remember the millions across the world that marched against the iraq war? STRIKES AND BOYCOTTS! Why don't the no king's day organizers - who are rather well-organized and connected - organize boycotts and strikes? Protests uplift n affirm those already in the choir!
protests attract more people- people find safety in groups, commiseration, purpose. This all has an effect. Targeted boycotts and strikes are good and similar- sparking awareness.. AWARENESS and MOBILIZATION is what is important-- and while we have it-- this adds to the mandate to vote.. and an informed electorate. Let a thousand flowers bloom.. stop naysaying the efforts of others. Marching against the Iraq war WAS effective-- can you imagine a world where this went on unnoticed, no response, people complacent? It would have been and will be much much worse. We must gather and change what is happening. There is nothing wrong and everything right about uplifting those in the choir- which keeps getting larger.
There was a movement against the war in Iraq triggered by a rejection of a WH invite by First Lady Laura Bush . Poets Against the War became a website and then an anthology. I had some work on the site. Also the parents of Auggie Schroeder a soldier who was killed in the war came and spoke. It was a very moving experience and took a lot of guts to speak out from that perspective. RIP Auggie and now all the others as well.
I hear lots of talk about a “national strike” but there is no real plan of action to make one happen. For this to work, it has to happen at scale to have impact. And for it to have scale there needs to be a unified plan, a when, where, how, and what endgame. Without those things, people are not going to risk losing their paychecks. Right now a national strike remains a fantasy.
Richard, these No Kings Day protests do a lot of things.
1) They let people know they are not alone. It is not like chatting in Substack, you are out there with people will to get out there. It is building enormous community.
2) People who have not done anything political before often start with attending a rally, and then they go on to do other things. A rally is a good place to recruit people for actions.
3) The judges in the courts who are standing up to the administration get a visual sense that people who are out there, appreciate the risks they take to enforce the law. The lawyers who are taking on the cases against this fascist government see that they have people standing up and speaking out and they are not alone. We are standing up, just as they stand up for us. If they are standing up to the administration and see no evidence that anyone cares, because all other action is hidden, they may lose heart. We are providing the people standing up to the administration on the front lines with heart.
4) It is an opportunity to inform people. We do not just gather we sing songs, give speeches, speak truth to power. People can see who the leaders are, which organizations are supporting the demonstrations. They learn more about what is going on.
5) It is important for the politicians to see who is standing up against the administration. If you are running for office in Wisconsin and you see a million people marching in the city of Milwaukee, you are going to worry about what your message is. Another person who may have a more populist message might be encouraged to run for office.
6) Trump is watching. He is knowing that he is not doing well, even though the people around him try to keep the news from him. All of the media stations underreport the numbers, but the word gets out. We see that the first NK had 5 mil, the second had 7 mil, and now we need to get even more out for this one, because it gives the sense of the movement growing because it is.
8) You get the media out and get to focus them on the issues that you care about. All may not report it the way you would like, but someone will.
I am going to be going to businesses on Saturday to get them to put our posters and fliers in their windows and on bulletin boards. It is a chance to let them know what is going on.
I was just at an anti war rally here in my city in Germany. In English people made a chain in the front that said, "STOP THE WAR IN IRAN" each person held a large letter in red and black to make this message. This was a message that a photographer there got. Granted there were around 100 people. I found out about it at 10 minutes before it started and got there about 10 minutes into it, and stayed the 40 minutes that it lasted. There was a speaker system, 4-5 people gave speeches, and nearby there was a group of Palestinians with a table and flags, and on the other side of the square there were people with Israeli flags and a table and they were singing. People here are used to throwing together a demonstration in a moments notice. There are small groups doing this in the US too. People are learning to be visible about their beliefs and it gives heart.
Also, at the same time we do economic actions. I am working on an Economic Resistance group in Indivisible Abroad planning boycotts. We will be announcing this action at our rally, so it is a good place to spread the information. We are putting together fliers with QR codes on our tech boycotts, with explanations of each thing, and we will be talking about it at the rally. It is a good place to get people fired up to go spread the word and to make the changes.
We are advised to announce a next meeting of our Indivisible groups at the rally and inform people of when and where that will be. So, an action like that is a great way to recruit people to do other actions as well.
Also, in Germany, we have no way of knowing where the Americans are, to get them to sign up to vote. We will have a table with information about voting with fliers, and QR codes for Vote From Abroad. This is a good way to draw them out, and then get them involved and registered to vote. That is an important piece of a rally is getting people to register to vote and plan on voting.
To me, it brings together many people who may have different views and priorities but help make a more universal "Opposition coalition or caucus," sort of like like the new majority in the 34th Congress elected in 1854 (in opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act that sought to destroy the (bad) bargain in balancing the number of slave and free states made in the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
In the 33rd Congress the House had members from 5 parties. The approximate 2/3rds majority were nominally Democrats (D), back when they supported or tolerated slavery, Independent Democrat (ID), Free Soil (FS), Whig (W), and Independent Party (I).
In the 34th Congress the House had nearly reversed the slavery tolerant Democrats to slightly over 1/3rd (at 82/233), verses a coalition or Opposition Caucus of nearly 2/3rds made up of 100 members designated by (O), and 51 American, a.k.a Know Nothings (designated by A).
There were no designated Whigs (W) in the beginning of the34th Congress, to me, because the elections that year began as early as August 4 (barely 2 months after the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30,1854). They hadn't sorted out what the new party alliances would be (the only Republican in the House was replacing a deceased member near the end of the term). In those years senators were still appointed by states legislators (after they were seated), and only 1/3 were were up for appointment, so about 2/3rds remained as Whigs (the big business party of the day).
I don't want to, but unless enough Americans are willing to file a class action suit against the government for taxation without representation, I don't want them putting a lien on my home, pension, social security, etc... If As it is, I am living abroad and have to pay taxes in both countries, so that sucks.
Absolutely. Michigan schools lost $440M clawed back from the federal government, while Hegseth orders king crab and lobster flown in! We have a MI Kids petition for November's election (if we have one) for a state tax on our top 1% earners to get back some of the lost federal money for our schools.
Bloomberg said yesterday that when oil prices reach over $83 a barrel, the benefits of the OBBBA to the 99% wash or go away. So yeah, it is going to get worse. As the professor points out -- 60 cents a gallon more already for gasoline.
I read that the group of nations who have oil reserves have released them to keep the oil prices from reaching $200 a barrel which the new Ayatollah has promised by the end of the week. The problem with this is that if the Iran war lasts longer than the strategic reserves, there are no more reserves after that and then Iran can really control the price of oil.
My recommendation is that everyone who is still using fossil fuels in their home, make a plan of how to get off of them even if it is a 10 year plan. When we decided to make our home here in Germany fossil fuel free, every workman told us we would not see our money back for 20 years. First of all I don't believe that, and secondly I don't care, because our daughter can reap the benefits. In the meantime, we can be free of the fossil fuel devils.
This is what every human should think about to be a survivalist...figure out how to live on very little and do everything yourselves.
I was very low budget being shotgun married at 18 to a 17 year old. I lived damn close to a middle class life style making all the clothes, meals from scratch, 2nd hand or free furniture. Books! I traveled for 5-7 months in warm climates with a carry on.
It should give one pride to live well on very little. Conserve. Never waste!
This is the future for all us billions of non-billionaires.
The corruption is so extreme and awful that I am flabbergasted by each new thing I learn. How the Trump sons invested in drone companies, and bet something like 50 million on the war starting by Saturday in the predictions market, knowing full well ahead of time that it would. I try to make myself not get too immune to how awful it is even though they are blatant about so much of their grifting. May they all be punished for treason in the end.
Yep you are right. Along time friend who is a poor MAGA when asked if she had gotten vaccinated screamed at me no and that her sweet Baby Jesus would save her. So I wrote a song to her - naturally. Now she likes the song.
In 2023, at the end of the pandemic, the hospitals were full of Trumpers. Many refused the Covid vaccine and still demanded Hydroxychloroquine which the FDA ended emergency use of in 2020. That crap Trump pushed in 2020 showed it led to serious heart problems in some people. This is a cult! Now he is back, people are dying again and he is still lying about it, oh yeah, it will just end like magic. He has no power to end this. He has no clue how world wars begin. All he knows is he loves himself and only he can start and end everything. Organize. Organize. Organize. Agitate. Agitate. Agitate.
You are absolutely right on point Albert. He honestly believes because he started this he can end it at any time. He knows nothing about war and or conflict and is out of touch with reality thinking Iran would turn to him for suggestions for a new leader. Why would any country do that? Now he can't remember in reference to the girl's school that was hit? I am deeply concerned about the safety of America.
And you should be concerned about the safety of America. Anyone can purchase an AR-15 pretty much anywhere in the US. They don't need to bring them over the borders because they're already here. Heaven forbid that a terrorist cell dresses up like ICE and opens fire on a large gathering of people.
The feckless FBI has fired dozens of their best agents in Trump's retribution tour. The ICE agents continue to terrorize American cities snatching American citizens out of their homes without due process.
Trump, Miller, Kegsbreath, Bondi, Homan and many others have set up a perfect storm. If you see something that seems weird say something.
Why would a terrorist cell need to "dress up like ICE" to use weapons of war on American citizens when they can just put on their work clothes and badges and just do it? ICE has killed more people in the US than any other terrorist group not named Al Qaeda.
As long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed the war ain't over.
There are several reasons the tankers won't travel through the Strait, but one of the major ones is fear. The Iranians only have to threaten to put in mines, or send drones, or bomb oil loading operations and the tankers won't go through.
It amazes me that so many people think that restarting oil production is a matter of turning on a spigot. Currently, production is at a standstill as storage capacity is full. So the wells sit idle, the refineries sit idle, the loading operations and the tankers sit idle. And we're talking about 20% of the world's oil.
And this doesn't take into account that Ukraine has idled 20% or more of Russia's production including, storage, pipelines, loading operations and refineries.
So far Trump's gaslighting has kept oil under $100 a barrel. What happens when the jig is up?
Trump is the TOFU king. He will continue to stumble around in the dark making mistake after mistake. Now is the time for us to pile on because if the New York Times, WAPO, CBS News and CNN all start reporting the truth about how badly Trump has fucked up then FOX News, Newsmax and OAN will look even more ridiculous defending him.
Keep in mind this was all done because of the Epstein files and the need for the administration to cover it up.
Demand your Congresscritters and Senators have town hall meetings to justify their actions. If the Congressional candidates refuse to meet with their constituents call them out for what they are --- cowards.
My Congresscritters (I like that name) are Jaimie Raskin, Chris van Hollen, and Angela Alsobrooks. These critters are extremely busy doing the right thing so I am reluctant to bother them with stuff they already know what to do. I'm very proud to be one of their constituents. But I do get your point. (And Rep. Raskin had a town hall not that long ago, in spite of the hours he puts in trying to save America.) I did send them all a thank you note once.
Karen, I am also blessed that my "critters" (Wyden, Merkley, and Hoyle) are already doing the right things. I hit them about once a week to say "thanks" via Megan's spread sheet. When I see a news piece about a "critter" that isn't mine but is on a committee, I send them a thanks as well.
Meantime, Mr. Killackey, we have our so-called media, like Chris Cameron of the New York Times to note that “[t]he president sometimes exaggerates or is imprecise when giving figures.”
With the NYT lying nearly as much as 'him', and the 1984-style 'news' from Fox, this cult will only end as the members slowly cease to exist.
Pains me to say, I wish it wouldn't be so 'slowly'!
Well, we know that trump's propaganda is a necessary evil for social control, consisting of justifiable lies and exaggerations. There is no longer any collective reality.
When political power blends with religion, it corrupts the true core of that religion bends its followers to the will of the organization rather than the will of God. Great spirit of love that should rule the world. We have two governments at war now actually 3. I did not say peoples. our government just in the realm of Christian nationalism the Iranian government in malignant aggressive Islam .
Unfortunate our leader really is a believer only in money and power and false gods. And for that millions of people will have to suffer. I pray that some greater sense of responsibility to this world in some way emerges from the mess at that the Trumpian idolatry created with his legions of yes men and woman that drool over power at any cost
My gut tells me that we are in Deja vu all over again with oil embargo. No embargo this time but 20% hold up will eventually force oil up to $200 a barrel. And this will demolish the economy. I think it’s a good time to get out of the stock markets. There is a bad omen.
It's way more than 20% Bill when you consider that Ukraine has taken out 15-30% of Russia's production and destroyed several ports where the oil tankers are loaded. Not to mention Venezuela production is questionable.
There may be a silver lining of sorts -- offshore wind will be restarted and brought online, EV and Hybrid car sales should increase as well as solar farms.
Battery storage is also increasing in the US and elsewhere.
Trump may turn out to be the accidental climate change President.
I get that same feeling when I read this: "It is unclear what victory looks like for the U.S. The administration has offered a range of justifications for its war without suggesting what an endgame looks like."
Spurious justifications? No endgame? Sounds very much like the beginning of another "quagmire." [Vietnam, for you youngsters] Are the ghosts of Kissinger, McNamara, Westmoreland, etc. running Epic Fury, fast becoming Epic FUBAR?
Venezuela was just too easy for Trump and Kegsbreath, plus the do-nothing Republicans in the House and Senate allowed him to totally get buy with the illegal war.
I'm sure Putin told him to go ahead and attack Iran because Iran will be an easy win for him just like Venezuela was.
Trump certainly surrounds himself with a bunch of morons and sycophants.
I just downloaded the document from that link. I suggest everyone else do as well. 59 pages so only skimmed and will read it later, but amendment starts on p 38 I think in case anyone quickly wants to jump.
Jan 21: "We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China."
Jan 30: "We think we have it very much under control."
Feb 02: "We pretty much shut it down, coming from China."
Feb 14: “We have a very small number of people in the country, right now, with it. It’s like around 12… Some are fully recovered already. So we’re in very good shape.”
Feb 25: "People are getting better, they're all getting better."
Feb 26: "And the 15 in a couple of days is gonna be down to close to zero."
Feb 28: "Coronavirus. This is the new hoax... You'll be fine."
Feb 28: “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear”
Mar 02: "They're going to have vaccines very soon."
Mar 03: "Not only the vaccines, but the therapies. Therapies is sort of another word for cure."
Mar 04: "We're talking about very small numbers in the United States."
Mar 06: “I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault… I like the numbers where they are.”
Mar 06: “Anybody right now, and yesterday, anybody that needs a test gets a test. They’re there. And the tests are beautiful…. the tests are all perfect…”
Mar 07: “It came out of China, and we heard about it. And made a good move: We closed it down. We stopped it.”
Mar 08: “We have a perfectly coordinated and fine tuned plan at the White House.”
Mar 10: "It's really working out, and a lot of good things are gonna happen. Just stay calm. It will go away."
Mar 12: "It's gonna go away."
Mar 16: “I’d rate it a 10. I think we’ve done a great job.”
Mar 17: "This is a pandemic. I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic."
Mar 25: “We’re the ones that gave the great response, and we’re the ones that kept China out of here. And if I didn’t do it, you’d have thousands and thousands of people died — who would’ve died — that are now living and happy.”
OMG. Each quote must be embossed into a mountain of mixed Bull, Horse, Chicken and Bat Manure, mostly Bat. That would serve as a perfect tribute to him.
My Facebook feed is good about reminding me about this period of time. Within the past few days I have had posts that were about both cancelling our symphonic band winter concert (2020) and having symphonic band start up again (2022).
Don't forget his Russia alignment-now paying Putin by raising oil prices and easing sanctions. Trump is more like Putin while Zelensky is more like George Washington. Europe is now being to Ukraine like France was for America in our fight for liberation.
You do get the sense that Trump spent much more time developing and implementing a strategy to have his base attack the Capitol and reinstall him as President after his loss in 2020 than he did in attacking Iran. Hmm.
Like the bumper sticker said: "It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need, and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber." (Or something like that.)
Yup, true then, true now and true in the future. You’d think in a world with the resources to feed, clothe and house everyone (can you imagine?) that humanity would make better choices!
My suggestion for the most urgent issue of the day that requires your action is John Thune's idea to bring the SAVE America voter-suppression bill to the Senate floor for debate. He is doing this not just to appease Trump by letting him know that he is doing his best to execute Trump's instructions; Thune is claiming it will give Republicans a chance to "let off steam."
This is really about giving Republicans an opportunity to use procedural moves to get around the filibuster. They could use the same moves that only require a 51-vote majority, including JD Vance, to do it. It is the method that was used to require only a simple majority to approve nominations to SCOTUS.
You can read my analysis in the links below, along with an explainer from Brookings about the many workarounds to the filibuster, written back when it was discussed during Biden's term and not used.
Write to your Senators TODAY. Call. Write on their social media accounts where others can see your concerns. It is not clear when Thune may try this.
There is no democracy without free and fair elections. Trump told his supporters they would never have to vote again. Isn't it about time we learned to take him at his word?
Then post on their social media accounts where what you write can be seen by others. I set up separate accounts so I can close them easily if I get nasty pushback and trolls. I always am sure to say I am a constituent.
I cancelled Twitter after Musk trashed it. I think high-profile ppl still use that primarily. I know my rep’s on FB, but you can’t post on his acct. I don’t think the senators are, but I’ll check Bluesky and Threads.
Oh I do, and I did. After all, no matter how futile it feels, that’s what I’ve got. Btw, all are up for reelection this year; one is running for governor (at age 74) and the goober rep who actually doesn’t like his constituents wants her senate job.
One piece of very good news about the SAVE Act came yesterday when John Fetterman (don't get me started on that disappointing character) announced that he 'finally got around' to reading the SAVE Act and will be changing his vote to NO because of the potential for great harm to his constituents, his country and himself. I suspect his constituents piled on and thus, the potential harm to himself. This turn of events makes the passage much less likely.
I kept getting fundraising emails from him and finally hit unsubscribe and it asked me why and I said he was a republican in sheep’s clothing and a phony. Maybe others did too.
Is there no limit to how many times a bill can be quashed before it becomes dead in the water. I'm disgusted that this is even still an issue. They're just trying to wear us down physically and mentally as we try to stay on top of all the most critical issues of the day.
The Rules Committees in the House and Senate decide what bills can come to the floor and how they can be debated. The majority party in each chamber has rules that determine how many majority and minority members are on the Committees and how they are selected. In the House, there are 9 majority members and 4 minority members on the committee, despite the chamber’s narrow majority. Republicans do whatever the Speaker tells them to do. Since Mike Johnson obeys Trump, a bill can come up for a vote multiple times.
The imbalance on the Senate Rules Committee is less pronounced, and the limits on debate, such as the filibuster and unanimous consent, differ, but the majority party still has the power to determine the legislative agenda.
The Constitution gives the legislative branch the power to determine how it conducts its business. The House votes on approving new Rules proposed by the majority Party at the beginning of each new Congress every two years by simple majority. The Senate maintains standing rules that change relatively rarely but can be changed at any time by a simple majority vote.
Millions of U.S. voters live outside U.S. They are not necessarily in the military. From what I have read about the SAVE Act, it does not include their mail-in votes, only military. At the post office in Montreal, where I now live, I had to mail some forms to IRS for 2026 US tax filing. I was asked if I had completed a customs declaration online, a new procedure in existence for about 2 months now. I was instructed by postal clerk to download the Zonos app and complete customs form. It cost $36 Cdn to mail with a tracking no. So, when my husband & I vote, hopefully we can still do it by fax for Lee County, Florida (our last U.S. residence). Sadly, the U.S. Post Office ain't what it used to be...
Was the Zonos app a Canadian or a US government app? Why are you being asked to pay a customs declaration for paperwork or is it like paying for certified mail in the US?
Megan, thanks for posting the spreadsheet each day. This Good Trouble spreadsheet is also shared in Indivisible Abroad and Democrats Abroad chat groups, and often in emails from the leadership. We are also working on getting out the vote, something else that needs to happen and we are working on getting as many people in the countries we live in to join our No Kings Marches, as well as actions beyond that Day. After the No Kings Rallies, there is going to be an action on May 1, trying to approximate a Day of General Strike like in Minneapolis.
For Iran it has become a holy war, for the US it is about making Trump and his family and friends wealthy. He does not care about the suffering that he is causing Americans, and he does not care about the Iranian people either. In fact, he seems to not know what is going on, and the people in charge of this war machine are in a Christian Nationalist holy quest too. So, our country, having allowed Christian Nationalists at the helm in our military, is fighting a religious war. Where will it end.
We have uncorked a deadly genie. The hatred in the Middle East towards the US will only increase 100-fold. Sooner or later they will exact their revenge.
A while back I asked a new friend from Afghanistan why his Country hated us so much. Here is what he told me. You invaded our Country killing our people. How would you feel if we did that to America?
Agreed. Reminding how we upended the Iranians democratically elected leader in 1957 to get their oil. Some people remember longer than last week, which seems to be our political memory reach.
I'll be at my third "No Kings" rally in my third city. Eugene last June, Redmond last October (with my sister while we were on vacation), and Medford this March (we celebrate "birthday weekend with my nieces and me with my in-laws).
I'll be in my third as well. In fact, in the first one I was in Chicago, then for the second one I helped organize it in Bremen, now I am the lead organizer for our rally being held by a group I officially started in January 2026. Our first official act is this rally. I would like to form a collective of Indivisble groups in Germany the way that California has. They say every time they send any letter to their government, they let them know how many people they represent.
"Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please," - Niccolò Machiavelli Florentine Histories (Book III, Chapter 2), written between 1521 and 1525.
“The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period.” He added that the war against Iran will end “soon” because there’s “practically nothing left to target.” “Little this and that... Any time I want it to end, it will end,” -Donold Trump, nearing the ides of March 2026
On the intersection of asymmetrical drone and sea mine warfare. An analysis of the Trump Hegseth use of the US military, and Iranian tactics. It gets technical. (And as they 'planned' our war, Hegseth decommissioned our minesweepers and pulled them out of Bahrain. They are in ... Philadelphia.)
US-IRAN WARCAST - DAY 12- w/ Malcolm Nance & Jacob Kaarsbo
"Trump pulled mine-sweepers from the Middle East and they’re sitting in Philadelphia as the Iran War rages.
Photographs released by the Pentagon on Jan. 21 show the Seaway Hawk carrying the four decommissioned minesweepers while being escorted by the Littoral Combat Ship U.S.S. Canberra — one of a troubled class of vessel which the Navy is pressing into service as a replacement for the minesweepers."
Malcolm Nance with Elie Mystal: American Violence and the Trump Insurgency
"They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency." Drawing on evidence-based research and his work as counterterrorism intelligence expert, Nance paints a stark picture of a shift in our politics during the Trump years — revealing a new hostility toward democratic norms and an appetite for violence and even dictatorship among millions of Americans
A career US Navy terrorism intelligence collector, code breaker, and interrogator with wide-ranging field and combat experience in the Middle East, South West Asia, and Africa, Drawing on his experience as a thirty year veteran of the US intelligence community’s program on combating terrorism, he’s been a Middle East policy advisor to the US and international governments on special operations, homeland security, and intelligence.
Washington has apparently rebranded war as a customer satisfaction exercise. The president says the Iran war is “going great,” which in modern official English seems to mean oil is spiking, ships are burning, U.S. troops are wounded, the Pentagon’s numbers keep changing, and nobody can explain what victory is supposed to look like when the confetti cannon finally goes off.
This is the genius of the age: turn catastrophe into branding. Don’t call it a quagmire, call it momentum. Don’t call it panic over the Strait of Hormuz; call it strong leadership with a pricing adjustment at the pump. Don’t call it a horrifying military error involving children; call it an opinion pending further review, preferably after the news cycle has moved on.
The whole spectacle has the spiritual depth of a casino ad and the strategic clarity of a man assembling patio furniture with a flamethrower. Every answer is swagger, every contradiction is shrugged off, every consequence is treated like an inconvenience generated by insufficient patriotism. Meanwhile, the costs, human, moral,and financial, keep arriving right on schedule.
What makes this moment so grotesque is not only the violence, but the sales pitch. War is being marketed as performance art by people who mistake bravado for competence and think accountability is for other people. That is not strength. It is decay with a flag draped over it.
That is right Michael! Let us get the lifelong teens off the videogame they are playing called Make War on Iran, and shut them down forever. They are done playing at being adults. Let us find some real adults to run our country.
Slogan. "Tired of teeny bopper video game and social media addicts running your country? Well, you can easily get shut them down, Elect Adults!"
I so agree Megan - think of all the good those billions of dollars could have done for children, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. This is madness. Total madness.
Calling Representatives and Senators seems to be a futile but still necessary action for American citizens to continue, but I fear the only recourse for this country are two things...One, protect our elections from trumps interference and show up in mass numbers to change the majority in Congress and stop this treasonous regime, or Two, remove the regime by force and jail them for the coup they are conducting in real time.
Let's go with protecting elections and electing a Democratic majority. Use voting as a joint exercise in taking power and then use lawful means to restore democratic priorities and institutions.
"... protect our elections from trumps interference."
See how it's being done. Democracy Docket | Marc Elias
"...show up in mass numbers to change the majority in Congress..."
Vote Blue No Matter Who
Big Tent = Blue Wave
Get Out The Vote Is Now
Not sure what you mean by "or Two, remove the regime by force." Please spell "force" out.
Violently removing the Trump regime is not a serious option. It is ethically wrong, strategically irrational, and logistically impossible. For instance, if you (whoever that is) overturn the government by force rather than by elections, then you will not have functional government institutions, such as jails. You will have chaos, bloodshed, and eventually most likely martial law.
This is what has helped get us in the mess we are in. Do you really believe Schumer and Jeffries have done well by us? Do you really believe the Democratic Party has done a good job over the past 10 years in combatting this nightmare we are in? The answer is a resounding no. These bought and sold Democrats are complicit in the is war, this regime. They have drug their feet on every issue.
Our only hope for change is for new and blue candidates. They are right here right now. Did you know Schumer and Jeffries tried to kill Mamdani's campaign? Did you know the Democratic Party power elite directly attack the campaigns of up and coming BLUE progressive candidates? What is happening here is a group of entrenched, bought white elites fighting to stay in power. And it is us the voters who are paying the price.
This is what has helped get us in the mess we are in."
The mess we are in is that Republicans win elections - with the help of Leftish purity testers. Your rhetoric helped elect Trump, twice. ThankYou. Many Republicans held their nose, voted for Trump, and won the Supreme Court. Many potential Democratic voters would not vote for Clinton or Harris, and helped elect Trump. Twice. Some people never learn. Right wingers voted GOP no matter who, became the base, and took over the party. There is a lesson here. Winning means supporting candidates I do not fully agree with - like Clinton and Harris -because Republicans are the worst choice.
I have volunteered and voted for Democratic candidates across the spectrum - from Bernie Sanders (in primaries) to Jared Golden (in general elections.) Yes. Clintonian neoliberalism corrupts the party. Yes, the Democratic leadership is part of the problem. Yes, Status Quo Schumer has meddled in Democratic races to prevent party reform. I know this first hand. I went home to NYC and campaigned for Zohran Mamdani. Home here in Maine, I've been campaigning for Graham Platner for US Senate.
It is a pleasure to have serious contenders I can fully support.
By all empirical evidence the era of old white men rule is in an American ascendancy. In part because of hide-bound Leftish wing ideology and rhetoric.
I support generational change. And yes any gerontocracy is counter productive. Ruth Bader Ginsburg made as disastrous a miscalculation as did Joe Biden. But the disaster was that they contributed to putting Republicans in power.
I'll take any of the 'old white men' on the Congressional Progressive Caucus over any of the young people of color in the Republican majority.
Thank you for this valuable resource, Megan!🏆💙 please remind people that turnout for their state primary means good choices for midterms. The usual 20% turnout is not acceptable in a democracy. King Bone Spurs and his lawless ilk must be removed asap. Scaredy cat repubs in Congress do not believe in democracy, rule of law, or the Constitution enough to grow a spine.
Years ago when my now 43 year old son was in kindergarten, I found a poster that said, “What if the Air Force had to hold a bake sale to build a bomber.” So many PTA type groups hold fundraisers to pay for things teachers and schools need.
War at any time in any way affects children. I have been looking into clarion calls from the past and today focused on children. In the Gilded Age and always children viewed as chattel and labor.
The rise of the voices of Jane Addams, Florence Kelly, Mother Jones, Mother Cabrini, Dr Alice Hamilton, Mary Richmond, and Edna Jane Hunter among many others was supported by the work of Jacob Riis.
The only way I know of him was because of a visit to the Library of Congress where they had an exhibit of his photography. He was an immigrant and shocked at the state of children in NYC and other places. Many age four and many disabled because of their work both in mills, factories, and mines.
His work helped. So good to know. I am listing books about him and books he wrote himself. Apologies in advance for any misspellings.Also note well Michael Harrington in his The OtherAmerica and Matthew Desmond did and many others like Eve Ewing are doing the same type of work. It’s not that it isn’t done it’s all been siloed.
Your spreadsheet also says people can protest with signs outside offices. That's more effective than people know. You can also protest with signs anywhere, on any street corner, in any public area, in big cities and small towns. Take an hour in the spring weather to stand out in the sunshine and alert people to what this regime is doing.
As a child of a teacher and a meteorologist, who has teachers on both sides of her martial family, I share your heartbreak. My Mom had a poster that said "What a difference it would be if the schools could have money, and the Air Force had to have a bake sale to buy more bombs."
Or that Trump was just giving his "opinion" about something as blatantly false as it was Iran that bombed that school. Fine, my "opinion" is that I ran a marathon last week. In reality, I walked around the block, but I guess what I say becomes fact?
It's what we get when the cult leader personally picks out $145 wingtip Oxford Florsheims for his closest scalawags and wormtongues who then don them for fear not doing so will send the boss into a fit of rage. In addition to Little Lindsey, our Little Secretary of State waddles around in his. The comical photos show a baby clunking about in daddy's big shoes....All done, of course, to humiliate the wearer and remind him where his place is.
These are not the people coming to save us from him, to put it mildly.
ICTT, I don't think those enormous clodhoppers Donald sent to Liddle Marco were the result of misjudged shoe size. They were a message. They were Donald reminding Rubio that he is small and insignificant.
I remember & still thought that Florsheim shoes were top quality shoes for men. I didn't realize that all the macho men of today had to have designer footwear. At least Hitler had his sycophants in the SS wear uniforms designed by Hugo Boss, yes, that Hugo Boss!
Return, as with many respected brands of the past, such as Black & Decker, Kenmore, Craftsman, Magnavox and Electrolux, for example, Florsheim is just a brand that can be applied to a product made by any manufacturer willing to pay the licensing fee, no different from the Trump brand.
Some licensors make an effort to protect the value of the brand they own by limiting the products and manufacturers they will license, but the brands mentioned above will slap their brands on anything. Florsheim shoes aren't what they used to be. $145 is a lot more than those shoes are actually worth. So typical of Donald.
Thank you for the info, that is really interesting. Makes perfect sense. Not being into fashion it didn't dawn on me that clothing makers do the same thing that manufacturers do, take the cheapest bid to create their product & rely on past performance & reputation to sell the product. Case in point for me is Sears paint & tools, my Dad swore by those two Sears products, his tools never rusted & never broke. What passes as Sears tools is a far cry from what they used to be as is the case with shoes I guess.
Ah yes, I forgot "Weatherbeater." (I used to work for Sears.) That brand of paint is also still available, but the products are made by anonymous coatings producers who package their products in a variety of store-branded or licensed cans. Weatherbeater happens to be marketed by Mr. Brands, LLC, a company that specializes in distributing a wide range of products bearing famous brands made by unknown manufacturers, many in China. https://www.mrbrands.com
I didn’t know any of that, thanks. In any case, even designer shoes have to fit or you look like I did when playing dress up as a kid with my mom’s high heels.
That's true of so many "brands" today, often major ostensibly competing brands mow all own by the same supermassive corporation. I have bought more than one product with a major brand name that was respected years ago and it proved to be junk. One such product was from Honeywell (IIRC) but was poor quality. I read on the 'Net that someone managed (a feat these days) who told him that Honeywell just rents out the brand and customers had to take up disputes with some fly-by-night company that allegedly ignores inquires. This is the "let customers eat cake" economy pushed by Reagan. Some huge portion of major US companies that were independent pre-Reagan have collapsed into the event horizon of supermassive "black hole" conglomerates.
JL, yes, Honeywell is another empty brand that's liable to appear on anything other than thermostats. I confess that although I remember a lot about Reagan, I don't remember much about his economic policies, except that he benefitted from the momentum generated by Lewis Powell.
My understanding of the stripping of respected brands has less to do with conglomerates and more to do with venture (vulture) capitalists who may or may not form large corporations. Vulture capitalists get their hooks into respected companies that have become cash-strapped for any number or reasons: irrelevance, failure to update manufacturing methods or product features, etc. The vulture takes control of the company, then cut costs and corners and/or plunges the company even deeper in debt. When the company is no longer viable, the vulture sells off the company's assets at a profit until the only remaining asset of value is the company's brand. The vulture sells that, too. There are corporations that don't make anything or own anything but a bunch of brands. Their entire business consists of entertaining licensing proposals.
Gretchen Morgenson wrote a really interesting (and enraging) book about vulture capitalists and their destructive effects on our real economy.
Unfortunately would peel it back a little farther as an “example of what we get as a leader” when an estimated 89 million Americans, or about 36% of the country’s voting-eligible population, did not vote in the 2024 general election..
Someday people may understand the concept of you get what you bake..
This voting issue and the excuses such as “both parties are the same” make me more upset than Trump does. The arrogance with which people decide to withdraw participation astounds me and is truly frightening. I am always working on how I can converse or listen to them and remain engaged and civil. It’s the hardest part of the voter outreach work for me. I do think there are plenty of lazy or under-informed voters who are an easier group to encourage than those who think leaving the Dems or claiming that they’re all the same are. I have to hope some of you are inherently better at that than I seem to be!
There are a group of us volunteering to engage the younger ones registering to vote through Vote411 https://www.vote411.org/ as well as going to college campuses. Find it so bizarre that so many women are not as attuned to know that it wasn’t until 1974 that women gained the right to obtain credit cards, loans, and mortgages in their own names. As one young woman recently blurted out “WTF that’s only 50 years ago!” in the room as we were explaining the importance of voting, not just as Americans but as women. Knowledge has always been powerful.. just as much as Voting
Well, thank you SO much for doing this work. I am sure it will influence at the very least, a small portion of them to vote and over time( if we have more time) others will remember your efforts and words as they encounter obstacles. And yes..I am astounded that more young women didn;t come out in force for the 2024 election. I'm getting old....:)
Yes TJ! It was 1976 I went into the local bank everyday during my lunch break to persuade the manager to loan me about 3k to buy the MG I had picked out. It took me weeks to get the job done!
I think public outreach fails to stress that voting is indispensable to a functioning republic, else tyranny. Every non-vote dilutes the impact of the public's will, and those who thirst for domineering power are always present to take advantage of it, as should now be painfully clear. If it is a government of, by, and for the people, then we as citizens are assigned a share of responsibility for "liberty and justice for ALL (my emphasis). There are many days other than election day to attempt to identify the wisest issues and the best candidate, and defeat the obstacles that are typically in the way; and that need should not be neglected. Voting day demands a selection.
I was a Sanders alternate delegate and a Warren supporter in 2020. I was not especially pleased by the eventual nominees, but but voted for Clinton and Biden on the basis of concluding that the patent best path to the public good lay with the Democrat, not (for heaven's sake) Trump. My vote is not so much a declaration of personal preference as it is a judgement about which available choice is most likely to preserve/expand that liberty and justice thing I spoke of.
One of the things our next Dem Congress needs to implement is required voting, as in Australia. All MUST vote, with fines issued for non-excused absence. It's sad that something like this is needed, but we have to have the people involved, or we will end up with another one of these clown shows, or worse! And not just on the Federal level; here in northeast Ohio, we're lucky to get 40% participation in local elections, and it's much lower for all the 'special elections' we see.
Maureen, while I agree with you in principle, such a test has a slight whiff of past – and present – methods of vote suppression, such as poll taxes.
What really needs to happen is a strong emphasis on teaching civics in our schools. The testing takes place in the classroom, as it should.
This is a subject that should be mandated for all schools, public, private and parochial, by a federal department of education, which is currently on the chopping block.
I get that completely. I am just so tired of the “low information voters” who blindly follow this madman because they don’t know any better. You are absolutely right that we should strengthen our education system. Maybe a compromise would be a civics test before getting a driver’s license! That might motivate teenagers to pay more attention in school.
TJ points out that 89 million American voters did not bother to vote in 2024. We are now witnessing the destructive results of so many individuals who don’t think, don’t know, and just don’t care.
You're banging my drum!! Not all of the percentage of voting eligible population simply "chose" not to vote. Some could not register, some were tossed off voter registration rolls, some were rendered unable by limited polling hours, polling places, transportation difficulties, or having no way to leave their jobs during voting period.
I think there are still plenty of "DILLIGAF" non-voters (do I look like I give a F") but suppression was also at work.
They all learn dutifully to be numb, blind to human realities, empty of any humanities themselves. The tests teach that the masses may never ask questions, just keep blacking-in the A)-B)-C)-D) as if, in the world of our elites, all acceptable Qs have just one correct answer only -- and the elites know it.
i'm really tired of people saying that people didn't vote when it couldn't be more obvious that the election was manipulated in a number of ways...beginning with Musk who, when his money and voting machines were no longer necessary and he had set up DOGE, all but disappeared...and i would imagine it was more than just Musk that helped falsify the cornerstone of democracy...the vote...
i tried to vote. got the validation for my registration. never got a ballot...i wish there was a way to know how many people this happened to...
what makes me angry is that saying that many didn't vote is the same as saying that they were ok with Trump winning a second term. as if THAT many Americans are stupid. or masochists. who didn't know that, as bad as Trump's first term was, this one wouldn't be worse?
Hi Isaac, I am so appalled that this happened to you and by no means am I referring to people who were duly disenfranchised by poor administration by a Board of Election or the postal service or disinformation. My reference to to those I meet who won't vote because they feel its a statement and has some sort of power to change things for the better or get someone's attention. Your situation is unforgivable. I hope you don't give up. Your vote sure does matter to all of us.
i have said that i don't believe in voting, for a number of reasons, since i was fairly young...around 50 yrs ago.
i don't live in america...but i wanted to do what i could to make sure Trump wouldn't be re-elected...
from what i saw, my lack of faith in the legitimacy of the vote was confirmed. and not even close to only what happened to me, as i said above...
i have no intention of voting again. i don't vote where i live, in the NL, because i don't need anything to change...and just leave it to those who do want changes...
i just hope you folks are able to vote at all come November. regardless of what i believe...if not just for the satisfaction of believing that you did what you could...
one of the things i like about a number of people that comment is their 'extra curricular work' to help channel people to politicians and orgs that might actually help get rid of the present regime...unfortunately, imo, that includes a lot of the democrats...corrupt is corrupt...just like i'm sure many people on 'both sides of the line' don't care about who gets implicated in the Epstein files...
i left that country over 25 yrs ago because i didn't want my taxes to go to what they were, mostly, being spent on...
and because i knew too much of its true history and momentum...
a lot of the resentment and hatred has been there for way over 100 yrs... it's embedded in the body of America, imo...
but there's a lot of, what i'd consider, good people there...
i came here to support the raising of children in a relatively safe and healthy environment. i had a good life in America, but that wasn't enough for me...
i don't, at all, regret my decision...esp when i ride or walk around and see the 20/20+ yr olds that i helped raise with the tax money i contributed...
what part of 'manipulated' and 'falsified' don't you understand, Ricardo? i was talking about 'non maga', as far as who didn't vote, if that wasn't clear.
41% support for the scumbag president doesn't have anything to do with your's personal and many other people's personal stories about being frustrated and blocked while trying to vote. They are real people not just numbers, I know, I talk to them everyday.
And that a civilized society is a process, not a steady state. Like the human body, it cannot be sustained without ongoing revision and renewal. Work. I like to refer to the Constitution as a recipe for something we forage, mix up and bake together. Without that, a recipe does nothing for you.
and you're laying that at THAT moron's feet? when Cheney was his vice president? i wonder how much Halliburton made from that war AND for the cleanup of the Twin Towers?
Yeah, Halliburton got plenty of no-bid contracts, as did Eric Prince's Blackwater. Big boys playing with real live soldier boys! Only these boys & girls don't magically reappear when you refresh the screen or start a new game or pull out a new package of those green plastic soldiers. (That's a sure fire sign that I'm old. I don't even know if they have those any more. And if they do, maybe they're in camouflage not green!)
"Toy soldiers"* still exist, only now they come in both OD (olive drab) or Tan (desert) colors. Camo is too costly to achieve in a 99 cent** toy.
* "toy" seems like an oxymoron when referring to soldiers.
** I remember a bag costing a quarter when I was a kid.
As an aside, I remember watching Desert Storm, and noting how quickly the BDU (battle dress uniform aka basic daily uglies) went from the 'Nam jungle patterns to the first few iterations of the desert camo. Then, digital camo became in vogue, and I remember thinking that the Navy's version was pretty cool (all shades of blue/black). The new patters/colors are now machine designed to match the environment.
Some weeks after 9/11, I flew to Anaheim California, and HWB had soldiers with assault posted around the airport, dressed in camo uniforms to blend with potted palms.
to my eyes, it's pretty much always been thinly disguised nobles(aka oligarchs) and serfs... which, again, is what i DO like about this administration...is how much clearer that should be to many people now...
It's weird how we encourage our children to fantasize with princes and princesses, who, after all, were privileged by birth rather than demonstrated merit, and be they relatively civic minded or damned tyrants, lived in outrageous luxury at the expense of the serfs.
" They are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world. You will find that all the arguments in favor of king-craft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden. That is their argument, and this argument of the Judge is the same old serpent that says you work and I eat, you toil and I will enjoy the fruits of it." -- Lincoln
Odd that PBS watching liberals seem fascinated by various aspects of royalty, fiction and non-fiction. My daughter claimed the King Charles has never tied his own shoes, and Charles is more of a cultural touchstone than an old-school absolute monarch.
it's programming, of course...same as with religions...the reason the two didn't get along at a certain point, of course, is because they were competitors...i'm laughing as i type this...
i was never much for history when i was younger...i just felt like politics and such was 'their game'...i guess i just didn't fall for the glitz...even as a kid i loved Robin Hood...
and i very much enjoyed reading the teaching of Jesus...for the same reason/s...
helping the needy raises the quality of all humanity...done consistently and globally. it's so easy to see...and impossible to accomplish...even though we only need so much...
too many of us(including myself, at various times in my life) don't process pain/frustration/rejection well...which has lead to the dark side of 'the human condition'.
i'm still laughing...thinking how the alpha monkey evolved into Kings...great cartoon...
i know this was a bit all over the place, J L...sorry about that...sometimes i just let the momentum carry me...thanks for the patience...
As you point out Putin is another puppet master, who sits pretty waiting for the world to buy his oil while the straights of Hormuz are blocked, at a price. Who do you think is gaining from this war, certainly not ordinary Americans.
all 3. like we said...follow the money...of, by and for the rich people...that's who most wars have been fought for. back to kings and serfs...
who does the govt really work for? ask lobbyists(this isn't directed, of course, at you, J L). Oz wasn't the only land with men behind the curtain/s...
no administration that i remember has ever exposed this as well...that 'big, beautiful bill'. sorry...laughing again...wow. and now all this war spending? one of the only reasons i can think of that i might like to be around in 20 yrs is to see how 'history' will spin all of what's happening now...
Such as Rubio - scuffling around in Trump's favorite shoes that are clearly way too big for him. If Rubio is not going to tell Trump the simple truth that "the shoes don't fit" he's surely not going to tell him the truth that the war was an insane thing to so.
Over time, it has been apparent to me that the genius “ lawmakers” in the right wing are not capable of thinking through any action to any kind of logical conclusion. Trump’s determination to sow chaos is deliberate, but his followers in the Senate and House just dumbly follow without any conscious thought about where all this is inevitably leading.
Those idiotic “lawmakers” are the ones who should bear the anger of the public and the consequences of their actions.
Since the Powell Memo and before, the plutocratic right has shown considerable method in their madness that is dominating government at the present. Their long term quest for Absolute Power is bearing bitter fruit. As for the future of humanity, they just "don't care, do you?"
The thing is.. we just watched Putin do this same freaking thing. He thought he would collapse Ukraine and have his people in charge within a couple of days...
that was 4 years ago.
How stupid is Trump that he could watch the mess his buddy got into and still fall into the same trap?
Hegseth and Trump purged the Pentagon of any of the top brass who would tell them that the very nature of modern warfare has changed. Ukraine was responsible because it faced an existential threat from Russia. The US bears some responsibility because it was timid in its response as an ally and let Russia take Crimea, and then failed to re-arm Ukraine when Russia came back 4 years ago to get the rest, but so far has failed. Ukraine had to innovate to survive.
We are now in a new age of "asymmetric warfare" where bigger is not better. Iran saw itself as facing the same kind of existential threat as Ukraine, but earlier. That is why it was the original developer of the Shaheds. Long-range Shaheds delivering radioactive dirty payloads are coming as the new weapons of mass destruction. They don't require "weapons-grade enriched uranium. " Any old material from spent fuel rods from civilian reactors will do to contaminate facilities and infrastructure.
The weapons being brought to the fight have changed, but another weapon is at work: the cost differential of destruction. A few million dollars' worth of sub-sea drones have disabled a Russian missile-launching nuclear-powered sub at hundreds of times the cost. How many such drones would it take to disable an aircraft carrier? They now come in swarms that communicate with each other.
The cost for clean-up after a few drone-delivered dirty bombs hit a major city would be enormous.
We are seeing the effects on a grand scale with Trump's war. The Iranians have effectively blockaded the Straits of Hormuz with mines. Any efforts to clear the mines will leave those vessels subject to drone attacks.
This war will go on for a long time, and the US will be devastated by the costs to our economy, as Iran is effectively controlling the oil that the world's economy still depends on. And how very different the situation would be if we were running on clean energy. But Trump got that wrong too.
If people thought that Al Qaeda and bin Laden were dangerous, we had better get ready for some potential truly dangerous attacks right here. With MarkWayne Mullen in a learning curve at Homeland Security and Pete Hegseth in a narcissistic oblivion.
You are right. I forgot all about MarkWayne in the flood of news. And don't forget the Putin fan girl Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence!
Putin is getting so much out of this. Sanctions are being lifted on his oil, so he will stave off bankruptcy. US weapons that would have gone to Ukraine through the PURL initiative are being redirected to fight the war with Iran, and the European rupture with Trump has gotten worse.
The only downside for Putin is Zelenskyy has generated a new revenue stream for Ukraine. He is starting to sell drone tech to the Arab nations that is being manufactured in countries outside of Ukraine.
Yes, Putin has instructed his orange puppet well. “Hey Trumpy, want to distract attention away from the Epstein files? I have an idea. And you’d better seriously consider it. Remember, I fixed the US elections for you. And I still have this compromat on you, remember. Good luck!”
Hello Dutch Mike... Don't forget Netanyahu's Role... Ehmud Barak is mentioned in the Epstein Files, and not in a good way.... Apparently Barak visited Zorro Ranch...
Les Parnes, the guy who helped tRump, convince the public that Biden's son was taking bribes is now doing a mea culpa, and is now running for congress. However, his knowledge of what Russia, Netanyahu and tRump are up to would be hard to match.
Lev Parnes has balls to be running as a Democrat in FL-27 in Miami. He appears regularly on Dean Blundell's substack videos touting his insider "in the know" creds, so you can decide for yourself how genuine he is. He talks about many unnamed sources.
What do you all make of the, they’re going to invade Canada “ idea? I keep thinking that we’ve almost stretched our military too far and spent our munitions, it’s perfect timing for, say Russia, to make a move on a weakened US.
That isn't happening. The European Parliament just gave Canada special partner status to integrate its economy with the EU. Basically, all of the allies are turning their backs on Trump's America, with the exception of Hungary and Slovakia, the Pro-Putin members of the EU. We are not considered to be a reliable partner, so they are doing deals to become independent of us. Case in point, Ukraine is manufacturing its own Flamingo long-range cruise missiles (1,800 miles).
Trump is now claiming that Jared Kushner was influential in his decision to authorise the pre-emptive strikes on Iran in yet another explanation for why he attacked Iran during negotiations. His press secretary had earlier explained that the president had had a 'feeling, based on fact' that Iran was going to attack US bases and assets in the region, although no 'fact' was cited.
Also interesting that Trump let slip that the initial estimate for the war's duration was 6 weeks. So 42 days at roughly $1.5 billion per day is $63 billion.
It also looks like the costs of corruption are asymmetric. Jared's $100 million balloons to $63 billion cost to the US at 630:1.
I am being unfair. I didn't add in Witkoff's payoff yet when calculating the corruption asymmetry ratio.
Oops, unfair again. I didn't add in the costs to rebuild Iran and the damage to Lebanon, and the US military bases that were hit, and in Saudi and.....
And then there is the incalculable cost of the lives lost, American and Iranian, due to Kushner's corruption and perfidy.
And all this just to distract attention from the Trump-Epstein files… The scope of it is mind-boggling. A swindling, grfiting pedosexual starts the third world war just to keep himself out of jail. That’s the bottom line. And the Rethuglicans stand by, watching, and just let him do it.
Yes. Putin is playing him masterfully, or else Trump is his willing accomplice. The list of instructions seems to be-
a) Bribe, bully, threaten and coerce anyone who gets to be inconvenient, and avoid legal jeopardy at all costs.
b) Destroy the remnants of the constitution within this single term, salt the fields domestically with bogus judges and show trials.
c) Ensure that the world despises America from now on, for as long as any of us or any of our children will live.
d) Weaken and permanently corrupt any remaining part of the government that serves the people - kneecap the idea of the consent of the governed.
We see this all openly, despite lacking any sort of functioning media. Republicans are wholly committed to the project. They don't care.
We watch, hoping and waiting for some find of Find Out moment. It never comes. Has the government shutdown made a bit of difference?
Something more decisive has to happen. Otherwise we're just waiting for the big attack on our soil, which needs to happen soon in order for him to declare martial law and cancel elections. I wish it were different!
Completely agree with you. Don't forget that all this was already planned by the Heritag Foundation 50 years ago! Key words: Powell Memorandum. And yes, the Orange Goblin King will do it: he _will_ cancel the elections, in one way or another. He will simply make something up to use as an excuse. The elections that put him in power were the last elections held in the US. Everybody who thinks otherwise is naive: he even promised it in his campaign! I, too, wish it were different, but history has taught us that every dictator who is afraid of losing power will grab that power by force. And Trump is no different.
The crappy actor who played a leader better than chump on his best day. W too for that matter. America has really survived some poor excuses for competent humans. This one is a prize winner though. If Nobel gives a prize for TWOAT (The Worst of all Time)
Yeah, Reagan sure started the tradition of cosplaying a president. But I don't know if there is a Nobel prize for the world leader who started the most conflicts internationally... Sure hope not.
Nixon called for US energy independence. His choice was nuclear, but we have alternatives. That said, at this point nuclear may be less dangerous than fossil.
Solar is turning out to have mammoth added benefits when coupled with farming. Growing crops outdoors under solar panels increases yields because the panels provide shade, reduce temperature extremes, and increase soil water retention, reducing the need to irrigate. It is even being used to grow orchard crops with trees under raised solar canopies.
Setting up agribusinesses in outdated skyscrapers in inner cities creates jobs, reduces transportation energy use, and addresses urban food deserts. You also don't have the costs of tearing down and rebuilding. Rooftop solar installations and battery storage on surrounding buildings can meet power needs, and the light panels in the grow units can be tuned to the optimal color spectrum for each crop, minimizing the energy required from the grid.
Trump's corruption and willingness to do whatever any lobbying group wants as long as they pay his price is destroying our and the world's future. It is showing up in the war with Iran, with the attacks on water desalination plants and how they could force the evacuations of some of those beautiful new Saudi and Emirati planned urban meccas. It is not just about fossil fuels. There are going to be mass migrations over water and food scarcity. The tech to address the food and water crises is already here.
The US could be the world leader in this. But with Trump, we are the laggards.
The world is changing in so many ways, and Trump is plotting a course back into the past. We will continue to have an immigration problem, only in reverse. Our best and brightest will leave for countries with more freedoms and opportunities.
Thanks for bringing this up, Georgia. Another factor is that the 10 huge nuclear plants being authorized (Westinghouse AP1000'S) are still using a version of the light-water design (Chernobyl, Fukushima, etc.) which has been surpassed by the new, inherently safe design where water is replaced with liquid sodium coolant, which melts at around 1,616 °F (880 °C) and is transparent to neutrons. The sodium circulates around the fuel at near-atmospheric pressure, eliminating the need for the massive high-pressure containment vessels required in traditional light-water reactors... which can be inoperative in a power outage or earthquake. Liquid sodium can circulate naturally through the system even if pump power is lost, providing passive cooling. If the reactor core temperature rises, the fuel expands, automatically reducing the nuclear reaction rate. Hence the name: inherently safe.
The old school power players don't want to go through the bother of re-engineering. The only two Westinghouse AP1000's built in the country so far cost around $35 billion total to install, more than double their original cost estimate.
Wow! Technology evolves, but instead of trying to remain at the forefront or lead, we ignore advances to save money and avoid short-run profit losses, while exposing ourselves to higher risk over the long run.
And there’s another issue. "On May 27, 2025, President Trump issued executive orders that violated the Atomic Energy Act, and effectively terminated the independence of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)’s and its ability to protect the public health and safety in the operation of commercial nuclear facilities. The orders also rejected settled science on the public health impacts of radiation, putting the safety of workers and the American people at risk."
You can go to the White House website, look under executive orders, and see them listed chronologically. I think you can search by keyword.
I stopped looking after a few months. I did not find anything that would benefit the average person. Maybe someone should catalog them by which industries benefited, make a giant pie chart, and then list the contributors and the amounts they donated to Trump and his personal projects.
Hello Georgia... "The US bears some responsibility because it was timid in its response as an ally and let Russia take Crimea, and then failed to re-arm Ukraine'.... There is more to the Story... There are Reasons the Ukrainians fought better in 2022, then they did in 2014....
Yes, it is a long and winding tale, and goes back to the Budapest Memorandum in 1994 when Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons for security guarantees and the long process of rooting out the Russian style government corruption in Ukraine, which is still ongoing.
All of that history influenced the debate at the start of the current war in 2022.
Hello Georgia... If you monitor the OS-INT Community, USA Spec-OPs trained the Ukrainians to Fight Better & Smarter, that is why the Ukrainians fought better in 2022.... Because of 'Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention', they lead in Small Low Cost Drones... The USAF likes High-Cost, High-Capability Platforms like 'Predators', and 'Reapers'....
“ Necessity is the mother of invention” was one of my Mom’s favorite aphorisms.
I only got interested in arms technology in 2022 with the Ukraine war because it hit close to home with my ethnic background. But I have a strong science /technology background as well. The tech and politics interests showed up in college.
One of the things that appears novel about Ukraine’s tech contracts is that they guarantee that new purchases under the contract will always get the latest technology, and they will take back previous-generation units and upgrade or repurpose them. “Waste not, want not.” They are using that as a selling point to lock in long-term commitments for orders. Kind of like upgrading your iPhone. When you decide you want more capabilities, and you turn your old phone in.
It will be interesting to see how the big US defense contractors respond. then there are Don and Eric =s endeavors.
Hello Georgia... Where did you go to School?.... You were a Chem Major?... Mark Milley, and Eric Schmidt, had a joint article in 'Foreign Affairs' in September/October 2024 that discussed the Speeded-Up Ukrainian Cycle... The USA emphasis has been on Big, Expensive, Platforms, with Process-Process-Process that entail long time lines... Exception being the Spec-Ops Community which Emphasizes Preparation & Speed... From my Military Endeavors, I prefer Excellent People with Enough Technology, over Ultimate Raw Technology...
I say Elmo should drop his pants on the price of Tesla. $10,000 (or some such cost) for a new one. After Trump screwed him on the EV tax credits, treated him like a cuck, unceremoniously kicked his ass out of the W.H., now with an opportunity to shine his reputation, will he? No. He’s just a dumbass.
I just feel with the price of oil rising to unimaginable heights (who among us didn’t know that was straight up for sure going to happen?) a cheap EV is a good budget option for everyone who needs a car. Obviously all of do not, but it would go a long way in easing the horrendous budget choices we’re going to have to make for the next 10 billion years.
The model Y in 2023 was the most sold car ( not counting trucks) and with the 7500$ rebates and some state rebates was just over 30,000k. If only big oil didn’t kill electric again for the 3rd? Time.
Criminal Donald isn't just in today's world of hurt as Heather reports.
He's in an even worse world of history. And as Heather has intimated, the worst may involve Russia.
Russia. Russian girls. Jeffrey Epstein and his New Mexico ranch. And our criminal Donald long involved with Jeffrey and the worst of Russian oligarchs.
Donald is busy pushing the Iran hysteria so we look away from the girls, pal Jeffrey’s crimes, and Donald’s and Jeffrey’s Russian pals. He’d much rather we see bad Iranians.
Those Iranians may have been bad since their Islamic revolution of 1979. But – amazing history again – they have justifiably deep grudges against the U.S., 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. Same CIA then not only installed the savagely cruel Shah, but also funded, armed, and trained his secret police, the SAVAK for more than two decades of torture, disappearances, and mind-beggaring other cruelties.
So much nasty history as the U.S. did so much to float to the top of the world so many interlinked and allied criminals and murderers – all those elites we'd later see emerge as Donald's and Putin's Epstein class, though for decades hidden and covered up.
Seems like when the US has fought for human rights, it comes up smelling like a rose. When we fight for corporate advantage, things seem to go sideways. I have long wondered what international politics today might look like had the CIA kept it hands off Iran? If Carter's and even Nixon's environmental concerns had become an ongoing national priority. If most of our energy production was home-grown and decentralized from control by mega-corporations? I was still a kid in middle school when a spookily prescient warning about climate change was issued. What if we had responded wisely all those years ago?
Choice disappeared when the far-right foundations grew up to enact all the parts ("schemes," Sheldon Whitehouse calls them) of the Powell memo:
1) killing of humanities in American schools;
2) offshoring of U.S. working-class jobs;
3) growth of the wealth gap to fortify the rich;
4) assaults on the regulatory agencies that protected ordinary Americans;
5) billionaires' uses of social media algorithms to sow hatreds and divisiveness;
6) alliances among U.S. billionaires and world dictators (Epstein/Trump elites).
There are other components subsumed under these six (all deserving elucidation) but the key is we became blinded, narcotized, impotent. An etiology Orwell explained in "Politics and the English Language."
And it’s not like we haven’t been here before, as Professor Heather has pointed out. The Robber Barons of oil, trains, etc. tried (and succeeded for a while) to own the government before. We can beat them again.
The odds, however, have changed -- since the U.S. equivalents of the former enslavers and the gilded age industrialists now have ties also to the Russian oligarchs, the Middle East fossil fuel tyrants, and all the other authoritarian, nationalist, and religiously mad murderers around the world.
And our schools, long now victims of savage, organized attacks and reduced funding.
One of my most vivid early childhood memories was being in kindergarten in 1955 in NYC and learning how to hide under my desk and face away from the windows in case there was a nuclear bomb. Lots of fear-mongering back then was driving foreign policy.
Only mine in 1955 was second grade, and in Dearborn, Michigan.
It was a new school -- Dearborn at the time rich in new schools, new parks-&-rec facilities, public swimming pools, and winter ice skating rinks. All the fathers of my friends had fought in WWII. All came from the ethnic neighborhoods in nearby Detroit -- so many different enclaves there, so many bakeries, foreign language newspapers. All these men (and women) worked on the line in good union jobs, some in management, or as teachers, nurses, firefighters.
When I was a boy, I didn't know about the fear-mongering. I did know I could always go to West Dearborn's Carnegie-endowed colonial style public library, from where by age nine I checked out and read all the volumes in the Landmark young hero series of American history (positive, positive, positive).
Mine was in the early 60’s in East Detroit, Michigan. A neighborhood hood full of dads (mostly first or second generation immigrants) who were auto workers who couldn’t understand why my parents were putting each other through school to become teachers.
I saw a post where you said you went to U of Michigan. I, and all members of my family, went to Wayne State, though my undergrad was at Eastern Michigan and I lived in Ann Arbor. I live in Maryland now and was a Fed (NIH, USAID, HRSA, & FDA) until I got DOGED last year. I’m still looking for a job, things are tight.
I think I was in Kindergarten in 1953 in Cleveland, Ohio. Air Raid Drills are one of my few vivid memories of that year. I doubt that the crouch positions were likely to have done us much good, even on the periphery of such a blast. The thinking that mandated such behavior was never clear to me. Fire drills made more sense.
My father was born, grew up in -- did I mention this before, J L? -- in Cleveland.
St. Margaret's parish, East 125th -- all Hungarian. The Catholic parish just to the west included Slovaks, too -- and most very Hungarian ("The Music Box") Joe Eszterhas.
And I, a present-day Clevelander. Actually, a Lake County-er, east of the city. Born 1955; the dive-under-the-desk drills were ending in my elementary years. Great coming-of-age years during the anti-Nam late 60's times. Some great anti-war concerts held at Edgewater Park! Very Woodstock-ish - at least, what I can remember of them!
I've known this Iran War was begun as a distraction from Epstein, but suddenly today I'm realizing I think it's also a planned distraction from FOTUS trying to get the Repubs to pass the SAVE Act...for the third time. I'm hoping upon hope that his plan, in either case, proves to be a failure.
Kermit Roosevelt, the man who lit the fuse of this pile of explosives, the CIA agent in charge of the "coup" that replaced Moseddegh with the Shah... was a grandson of Teddy Roosevelt!
Two years earlier, Kermit had started the pro-Arab group, the American Friends of the Middle East. And the next year helped pull off the coup in Egypt that put the CIA lackey, Nasser in place. Then, in 1953, Kermit lit the fuse on all our Middle-East misery for the next 70 years.
On top of that $11 billion in just a week, the Department of Defense spent $40 billion in just five days at the end of the last fiscal year in September on contracts and grants. Millions for lobster tail, ice cream machines, grand pianos, rib-eye steaks, frou-frou, frangipani, caviar and what-not.
If you do this just to avoid sending a check back to the Treasury at the end of September -- on top of gutting all our foreign assistance programs that over years have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of children, fought disease, provided humanitarian relief, strengthened new democracies, defended human rights and furthered goodwill, trust and partnerships -- you don't have a budget problem.
And on top of that, this was just prior to the federal government shutdown which began on October 1, 2025. Congress failed to pass funding bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, which lasted 43 days—the longest in U.S. history. It impacted roughly 750,000 federal employees, created significant backlogs, and resulted in roughly $7 billion to $11 billion in economic losses.
Over 40 million SNAP recipients and other federal beneficiaries faced uncertainty. Federal employees weren't paid or furloughed, people that never needed it before were in food lines or in need of food assistance. SNAP benefits were delayed or reduced, all while Kegsbreath ordered an exorbitant amount of surf and turf, like he's some gourmand running a 5 star restaurant not the war is peace department. And Pete wouldn't even let them eat cake...
More proof that this war has been waged as a major distraction...to Epstein, to paying back the tariffs, to trying to get the SAVE Act passed, etc. Every day it's something new.
I think it's worse than that. The distractions are the icing on the on the cake (and it's a shit icing -- doesn't taste good and is already melting). The cake is about waging war to cement America's place in the new postwar world order where there are NO institutions, NO allies, NO United Nations, no Europe, just three supposedly big powers (America, Russia, China) -- though Russia isn't a great power at all -- to dominate everything....just because they can (or so they believe), unconstrained by any rules in the international order whatever.
Yes that kind of euphemistic phrasing just won't do anymore...the wording was very irritating because the figures are not imprecise, they're intentionally misleading...Trump constantly exaggerates, not just sometimes.
During his first term alone, fact-checkers at The Washington Post documented a total of 30,573 false or misleading claims made by Donald Trump from January 2017 to January 2021.
He averaged approximately 21 false or misleading claims per day over his four years in office.
We're only just over a year into Donold's second term and I'm not sure if anyone is even keeping track (or if the Washington Post still has fact checkers) anymore, but he lies like a rug. His hateful, vile mouth opens and the lies just pour out...
Not for long. It's just been revealed that in 2019, Trump's DOJ stopped the New Mexico government investigating murder allegations against Epstein and Maxwell. Frank Figliuzzi (former FBI agent) was discussing it today. The Epstein files are going nowhere. Frank has a Substack.
Yes, any major results in ceasing child sex trafficking seem impossible and justice for the victims seems highly unlikely. Nevertheless, it is important to keep trying.
Why is there always money for war but not enough to assure everyone has good medical care and enough food? This has become a rhetorical question. Shame on every politician who voted against food and medical care for children and those in need, and who now do nothing to stop funding this insanity.
I get three points from this blog. First, we've become Israel's proxy while they destroy southern Lebanon. Second, there is no plan or strategy or even an end point for Trump's war. Just a series of delusional comments by the Don and "bad ass" comments by Major Pete. The war ends when Iran decides to end it. Finally, and this is the most obvious. Regardless of what the Administration claims this will not end well for the world but especially for us. Thank-you Donald for making our 250th birthday so memorable. Bill
Actually he didn’t. Epstein is still red hot with NM state now investigating the ranch where reportedly there are two foreign girls buried who were strangled. Turns out an investigation was started by the state in 2019 but Bill Barr closed it down. Well now it is up and active again. More and more keeps coming out. And with Bondi having to testify under oath things may fall apart there.
Trump, Hegseth, and other administration officials are very obviously covering up errors and miscalculations. Never admit a mistake or apologize - even after killing scores of little girls.
That is not my country. I am more embarrassed than proud of our leadership.
Believe it or not, I am in California visiting in Southern California, and I heard that on a comment section in one of our very good columnists. So I asked Claude, who first said no way, and then I said but the FBI reported that, which they did, and then it did more detailed explanation. After initially saying I was wrong, with that new information it did some further research. Then Claude said, you’re right to be concerned the FBI was worried that there could be a boat offshore of California that had fairly long range drone capabilities. But that it was not an imminent threat. Well we see how clever the department of defenses these days with Hegseth, and they’ve eliminated, which Claude pointed out, the actual intelligence capability from the defense department. So basically we’re on our own, folks!
The FBI has alerted Governor Newsome and police departments here in California. Sounds like b.s. and false flag rumblings from this fascist traitorous regime...
Because it's closer? Even California is around 14,000 miles from Iran but the reports are that the US coastguard had spotted an unidentified vessel somewhere off the west coast and that this prompted the FBI alert. Iran is not believed to have drones that could be launched from Iran into the United States (no one has!).
Remember, this is the K$H FBI, the one with no experienced people and only incompetent Trumpers involved. Don't believe anything someone says is coming from that collection of clucks.
Malcolm Nance, an intelligence expert, says you're wrong. He has reported that Iran is a generation ahead of us in drone technology. He has a video tonight on droppingne technology if you're interested.
Black Man Spy - Malcolm Nance is going live on Mar 12 at 6:00 AM PDT: “US-Iran Warcast- Day 13 - Live w/ Malcolm Nance & jacoob Karsrlsbo”
I remember the even/odd license plate scheme and limits on how much gas you could buy at one time. Mark my words, that's coming back soon. I also remember how the unemployment numbers jumped and inflation spiked upwards.
I am reposting this comment because while the news media is distracted by Trump’s Iran catastrophe several other very important things are happening. One of the most important according to voting rights lawyer Marc Elias is the SAVE Act recently passed by the House which is designed to suppress voting by eligible voters. The House passed the “Save Act”, then gave a mendacious press conference and sent it to the Senate where it is blocked for now. If you know MAGA Republicans there are few things you can discuss with them. When politicians speak, you have to ask whether they are telling you the facts or “alternative facts”? Are they telling the truth or are they lying? Judging from what they have said in the past, are they trustworthy? So let’s see. These US Congressional and Executive Branch Republican politicians were elected on the promises to:
1. Lower the cost of food, healthcare, housing (new house cost by 1/2), energy (electricity by 50% and gasoline), curb inflation and lower the cost of living.
2. End the Russia-Ukraine war immediately (day one) and no new wars or military excursions.
3. Release the complete Epstein files and expose all the pedophiles.
4. Drain “the swamp” in Washington, DC of corruption and fraud.
5. Pardon the January 6th insurrectionists.
6. Cap all credit card interest rates at 10%.
7. Etc..
Have they done anything to fulfill these promises? They have majority control of all three branches of the government:
(1) You can judge for yourself if you are experiencing any of these benefits.
(2) Russia-Ukraine are still at war with no end in sight, and there have been military actions in Venezuela, Nigeria and Iran with threats to Cuba and Greenland. (If you are Christian see Mark 5 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”).
(3) Only a small part of the Epstein files have been released and they are so heavily redacted and jumbled that it is difficult if not impossible to identify the majority of the perpetrators. Some FBI 302 forms have shown accusations of sexual molestation by Trump of 14 year old girls whose testimony was considered credible enough to be used to convict Ghislaine Maxwell in her trial. Another Trump victim was considered credible enough to be given a monetary settlement by the Epstein estate. Trump’s name reportedly appears in the released files more than 38,000 times. For Christian comparison the name of Jesus appears in the Bible about 1,000 times and the name God about 4,300.
(4) Based on reports from nonpartisan watchdog groups and analysis of official actions, the level of corruption during the Trump Administration has been widely described as unprecedented in modern American history. It is characterized by a “rampant” “pay-to-play” system, using the presidency for personal financial gain, and a high volume of conflicts of interest. - American Bar Association. A whistleblower has testified that an ex-DOGE employee told him he downloaded and took the Social Security Administration’s complete database of the private, personal information on all US citizens to a new job at a private company (Washington Post, 3/10/2026, “Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE member says he took Social Security data to a new job”).
(5) More than 33 of the individuals pardoned have since been rearrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes. The charges range from felony offenses, including child sexual assault, rape, kidnapping and domestic violence, to illegal possession of weapons. I thought we were spending billions of dollars on Homeland Security to kick these types of individuals out of our country not release them into the general population.
(6) Nothing but talk so far on this because the elected officials in the House won’t write up a bill and vote on it. So can you trust these people with your right to vote? What is in the SAVE bill passed by the House?:
“This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship.
Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship.
Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources.
Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters.
The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.
The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.”
But is there any credible evidence of noncitizen voting in our elections? The studies of this have found no evidence: (“How widespread is election fraud in the United States? Not very | Brookings”. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-widespread-is-election-fraud-in-the-united-states-not-very/ And “The Myth of Voter Fraud | Brennan Center for Justice”. https://www.brennancenter.org/topics/voting-elections/vote-suppression/myth-voter-fraud ). After the 2020 election, 64 cases challenging the election results were brought by Trump’s lawyers but they lost all of them. So with so many other issues confronting the country, why is the House of Representatives wasting its time on a nonissue? Is it because they want to make it more difficult for citizens to vote so that they have a better chance to win by rigging the election? A recent Maryland study estimated that 21 million or more eligible voters currently do not have easy access to documents proving citizenship. (https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/9-things-to-know-about-the-proposed-save-america-act ) Why do they use illegal subpoenas (It requires valid evidence that there was a crime committed to get a valid subpoena and there is none. This case was litigated by Trump’s lawyers in 2020 and they lost 64 cases.) to steal ballots from the 2020 election in Fulton county Georgia, a predominantly Blue district? Will they use the data to purge Democratic voters from the state voting roles making it harder for them to vote with the SAVE Act restrictions in effect? One of the Republican House members at the press conference ludicrously accused MN Gov. Walsh of fraud for refusing to give US attorney general Pam Bondi Minnesota voter data in exchange for her (transactional) offer to call off ICE attacks on Minnesota residents in exchange for the data. So be aware of the mendacity and uniform self interest of these people and don’t let them steal your inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and your democracy. NoKings rally, Saturday, 3/28/26. NoKings.org. indivisible.org
Somehow there’s always money for war 😢 As a teacher, it breaks my heart knowing billions and billions are going to war when it could instead make such a big difference in the lives of our kids.
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 ✊
But Trump says, "Any time I want [the war] to end, it will end,”. He said Covid-19 was ending soon this time of year six years ago. Remember those days?
In Chapter 11, of the 1959, James Bond novel, “Goldfinger,” Ian Fleming wrote, “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.” The following facts evince a design by President Trump (Trump) of doing three things no other President has ever done, politicizing a virus, politicizing the United States Postal Service (USPS), and politicizing in-person vs. mail-in ballots. It began in the first week of February, 2020, one year prior to Trump’s final act of inciting his January 6, 2021, insurrection (J6). Trump laid its foundation with that tripartite depraved strategy (Strategy) in response to being briefed about Covid-19’s lethality and when acting it out over the next eleven months Trump proved himself to be an enemy of the United States.
Trump politicized Covid-19. Trump’s first impeachment trial was closing the first week February, 2020 and he had little to no hope of wining re-election. His Strategy was his game plan upon losing the election as he believed it to assure two extremely different ballot tallies; in-person vs. mail-in. Trump needed his base supporters (Base) to fearlessly vote in-person and to not trust mail-in ballots. Hence he ruthlessly played his Base conditioning a mindset in defiance of science to simply use a N95 mask for personal protection from the deadly virus for the need of survival by adaptation to changes in the environment. Trump lied that the virus will soon go away; ridiculed and mocked people using respirator mask (mask) while not using one himself. He attacked the science of Covid-19, and the scientists by holding crowded rallies and White House gatherings without requiring mask. Trump flipped wearing a mask, a matter of personal survival, into not wearing a mask as a matter of personal liberty. He often repeated, “It will just go away, like a miracle.” When Trump left office over 400,000 Americans had died from Covid-19; equal to American military deaths in World War II.
Trump politicized the USPS. Trump believed if he slowed mail delivery he would then be able to argue he had a higher number of in-person votes. Covid-19 posed a major threat to the economy, but in February, 2020, Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury (Mnuchin) was more focused on finding a new postmaster general, the person responsible for directing the day-to-day operations of the USPS. Mnuchin met with the two Republican members of the four member Postal Service’s board of governors. These people needed to appoint a new postmaster general. Louis DeJoy (DeJoy) who donated $1.2 million each to Trump's 2020, campaign and to the Republican Party since 2016, was soon appointed as the new post master general. DeJoy immediately took measures to slow mail delivery by: 1, banning overtime pay; 2, stopping extra trips to deliver mail, and; 3, ordering more than 600 high-speed mail sorting machines to be dismantled and the parts totally removed from postal facilities.
Trump politicized in-person vs. mail-in ballots, the final step of his Strategy. He not only played his Base to believe Covid-19 was not spreading and/or as deadly as reported and therefore to vote in-person but he also sought they not trust mail-in ballots. He performed a never-ending dog and pony show against mail-in ballots as being a “scam,” “a terrible thing,” and lying about there is a “Tremendous potential for voter fraud,” thereby doubling down on no matter how dangerous being in crowds may evolve to be on election day he expected his base to vote in-person. Thereafter Trump and his lawyers deceitfully lied that he won by a landslide but for having it stolen by fraudulent mail-in ballots (Big Lie). Trump sham validated his Big Lie by filing dozens of frivolous lawsuits captivating his Base by seeking to disenfranchise tens of millions of mail-in ballot voters with an empty promise of winning in court means winning the election. Trump’s lawsuits were rejected in every court allowing him to further enrage his Base by blaming the courts. That ignited stage three of his Depraved Strategy. Trump used dozens of Tweets to summon his angry Base to the White House on January 6, 2021, when Congress was in full session certifying America’s election results. Trump performed a live tirade on stage to further incite his Base to insurrection against the United States.
Trump was limited by the Twenty-second Amendment to only one more term, thus being who and what he is his Base was expendable to him as long as they voted for him in-person despite possibly becoming infected with Covid-19. In that first week of February 2020 as Trump devised his Strategy, Representative Adam Schiff (Schiff), in his closing argument at Trump’s impeachment trial asked, "What are the odds if left in office that he will continue trying to cheat? I will tell you: 100 percent." The sum of Trump’s almost simultaneously politicizing the pandemic, the USPS and methods of voting, all things never to be politicized and his doing so immediately in response to learning of the pandemic bare an undeniable conspicuous interrelatedness therein and proves Schiff correct in real time. Now he claims the war he started will end soon. Just like six years ago when over 400,000 Americans died because he failed to lead he again has no clue what he has done. He again could not care less how many people die because he has an Antisocial Personality Disorder with a pervasive, long-term pattern of disregarding and violating the rights, feelings, and safety of others. Please read and share my Memorandum to We the People at UnitedWeAmend.org
Albert, I was just discussing with my Indivisible Group, as we were working on making an ad for our No Kings Demo, that none of us wanted to spend our time like this. I had not thought my retirement would be about doing political work, but about traveling and enjoying life, making art, writing etc.... Now we all find that Donald Trump has forced different plans on us, and we are in it until we get our Democracy back from these villians.
Linda I retired and thought the same as you. I’m now on my way to El Paso to help some of my fellow Minnesotans get home after being wrongly relocated to an ICE camp there. It is exhausting all of the wrongs that are happening all at the same time.
Thank you for doing this. Minnesotans keep stepping up.
Joe, I live in El Paso, and hate what ICE has done here with Camp East Montana. I applaud you for helping your fellow Minnesotans to get home. Just so you know, El Paso would never choose to treat people the way ICE does. We are a lot like Minnesota.
Hi Susan. Good to hear that El Paso has the same kind (and interesting!) people I fondly remember from my trips there with my dad on business.
Thank you Joe for that incredible act of kindness! 🙏. I am a fellow Minnesotan, but won't be back until April and would love to get involved!
Jane St Louis Park is very active and involved these days.
Minnesota Strong! Doing what Minnesotans always do - protect each other, stand up for their values and show the rest of the country how to resist peacefully. You all are an inspiration when we need one badly.
Keep up the good work Joe! It is important!
Solidarity!✌🏾
Thank you❣️.
Linda, the next NO KING'S protest is coming up on the 28th. Violence has been very rare up until now at protests against the administration and I am confident the protesters will remain non-violent. But what can we do to protect ourselves during the protests from rogue far-right fascists or will that be necessary?
I suggest signing up for Indivisible Deescalation training. All rallies have to have safety monitors. They need to have training.
Here is a safety video that works with our CET zone.
https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/916479/?emci=c6869b48-ae1c-f111-9a48-000d3a14b640&emdi=1b0d424e-b31c-f111-9a48-000d3a14b640&ceid=2699382
Here you can find trainings that might better suit your time zone. GJ.
https://www.nokings.org/trainings
Thank you Linda. Several million protesters in the US and millions more worldwide, safety first!
I love your caution in seeking (from Linda, good choice) advice.
Your (and others' here) appreciation for the possibilities of certain realities so stands in contrast with Donald's buffoonery of his impulse-only-driven fantasyland, staffed always only by incompetent, unqualified sycophants.
GJ, In Soldarity!✌🏾Good luck to all of us on our protest rallies around the world.
It's excellent. The June 14 protest I was one of the monitors and had to talk a few folks down who were triggered by the trumpanzees driving by. The training is so helpful.
At rallies I've attended, we were warned of the MAGA Cyber Truck parade approaching, and we all turned our backs.
That is great Jen. I think that the training is helpful even if you are not a monitor, because it helps you to think about how it works.
This is a great training!! I highly recommend for all!!
So far so good.
I am in red Douglas county Colorado, the place that elected Lauren Boebert, and have been on the streets every time. The first the police department suggested we not and that they "could not"protect us bc the annual city fair (that had devolved from a family thing to a drunken two day country music and meth fest) was that June 14 weekend. Nearly 800 people showed up anyway,
The second one, a bunch of coal rolling pickemup trucks were assembling at the Koffee Kkkabin which flies trump and Israeli flags , although the trump flag came down a few weeks ago. It was just across the street, and as I parked and got my unicorn suit out if the car, the police were across the street, I assume they oursuaded the trucks to go home.
I think there's always a risk. There are the ppl who flip you off, stare stonily ahead. And there may be sick ones who drive into a group.
So?
There were several monitors and one police officer at the last NO KINGS rally I attended. The estimated attendance was around 2000 people, so not one of the major rallies. I did talk to the monitors and they said they dissuaded some people from attending which was a good thing IMO.
I live among coal rollers, on a major thoroughfare in Sonoma County CA. Every morning @ 4:30, I cram silicone earplugs in to mostly block out the noise of the brodozers commuting. Not to mention the black soot everywhere. Not annoying at all, and lovely air quality! /s
Okay. I’ll bite. WHAT is a coal roller?
I remember in high school visiting a friend in California and we were going to drive to the beach one day and had sunscreen on. We rode in traffic on a motorcycle and it took us hours to get to the beach. When I got there our skin was totally black from all the soot. It was freaky. That was probably coating our lungs too. Not great for an asthmatic like me.
I’m old. I’m willing to risk my life for democracy. I’ll be protesting proudly and loudly in the streets on 3/28 no matter what!
I am not retired yet - I have a few more years - but I am constantly hounded by that feeling that I didn’t sign up for this. And it at times makes me resentful. Let me be clear: I unequivocally hate this president. He is the worst human on the planet, the embodiment of all seven deadly sins. When he is gone, the world will be a lighter place. But I am not so blinded by hatred to give him the pretext for widespread direct violence on the people of our nation that he desperately wants.
But beyond that I also lament what has happened to all of us, even those of us on the “good guys” side. I consider myself a progressive Democrat. I want bold progressive policies, not milquetoast centrist non-solutions. But I also cannot abide those on the far left who say moronic things like there is no point in voting, or that Kamala Harris would be doing the same thing (genocide) if she were president today. You can’t argue with them either, because their arrogance is insufferable.
The bottom line for me is this. If you want a more progressive, just, compassionate country, the only choice politically is to join the Democratic Party, roll up your sleeves and do the work of building that vision. And yes, it’s a big tent, which means not everyone will agree with you, and (gasp) you are going to lose some battles along the way. As infuriating as those can be in the moment, the answer is not to take your ball and go home. It’s to learn, revise and get back to work. That’s true as well in the very present moment where our democracy faces an existential threat. We cannot afford to lose and think that people will magically “see the light” amidst the rubble. To think otherwise is intellectually lazy.
Chris, I agree with you. Donald has had 80 years to do something – anything – that would make the world a better place. He has done nothing. He has actually built a lot less than he claims. In those few instances, he destroyed something better to make way for his tacky, ostentatious projects. Aside from that, all of his actions have resulted in nothing but destruction.
Worst of all, he has destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives. We have a pretty good estimate of the number of lives taken by his mismanaging the novel coronavirus, but we still don't know how many young girls' lives were ravaged by his wanton sexual predation.
Donald Trump's life is worth nothing. If it ended this moment, there would be no loss. In fact, civilization would immediately improve.
That's exactly why no violence should be done on his account. Not in support of him and not against him. He's not worth it.
Dale, you and I are most definitely on the same page. I refer to this president as a “destructionist” because he can only destroy, not create, anything meaningful to a civilized society. He lacks the empathy and vision to be a creator, but destroying things is easy. And it’s a short step from that to hoard what is left after the destruction, to pocket those “gains” and/or dole them out to those who do his bidding. The day he leaves this life will be gift to us all. And I have a bottle of very expensive champagne in the fridge awaiting that moment.
Dale, he is destruction on steroids which is why I call him death star. It is somewhat amazing to me that one person could be so destructive, but he has plenty of help from his minions. He has made sure that all the shit has risen to the surface. I have my single malt neat ready when he departs this earth. I have friends who have their favored beverage ready as well.
Michelle, mine will be Bombay Sapphire and tonic. I keep replacing the lime in my fridge, so I'll have a fresh one for that celebrated day. As a backup I have a bottle of Rocktown Brandon's Gin that I actually helped bottle.
https://www.rocktowndistillery.com/spirit/brandons-gin/
Millions of lives Dale. Millions!
Great comment - thanks for passing along your wisdom.
The Right has played a long, slow, dedicated game over decades to arrive at this moment. It was their goal all along. Now Dems have to be equally focused and single-minded to unravel their mess! It ain’t gonna happen quickly. Breaking things is easy; fixing them, not so much.
Kathryn I agree 100%. Like it or not, they did the hard work of changing their party. They brought in large masses of people who wanted change and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Their vision of course is repulsive, but their theory of change was successful. Ours meanwhile, seems be either do nothing but say “Trump bad” while not fundamentally addressing the root causes of inequality and injustice (centrists), or pitching a fit because a candidate doesn’t toe the line on a pet issue (leftists). I am so frustrated with both.
Chris I pretty much agree with what you are saying here. However, I did decide I wanted to live where I would have a little less struggle to have the type of life I wanted and moved to Germany. It is not as simple as that, but I had some things that I absolutely did not want to be dealing with in retirement, and one of them is not being covered by health care that pays for the things I need. Right now I am having to fix a problem for my mom caused by medicare. Luckily she is doing okay physically because until I get her insurance straightened out she will have to pay for her doctor visits out of pocket, and they don't even do that. They don't take cash or checks or credit cards. They also did not know how much the services were. It is absolutely crazy.
That’s fair, everyone has to make their own decision about where to live. You will never hear me criticize someone’s individual decision on that. I’m a dual national as well and could very well choose to emigrate. For now, I’m staying here and doing what I can.
Sure. We each live where we feel fits us best. I am doing what I can from abroad. Today that will mean problem solving with tech.
Want to end the war? Say the magic word. EPSTEIN!
Daniel, We must make sure that the Epstein Files continues to be investigated and the people in them brought to justice.
Linda: Not to mention the daily emotional toll. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night furious and worried, together with a profound dissatisfaction with contemporary existence. Is trump training the current military to be violent and cruel and to terrorize the world?
Me too Stephanie, It was 3am and I was still tossing around in bed.
Yesterday was up at 02:20, unable to sleep any longer.
Same thing just north of you in Orono, Maine.
I think he is terrifying a lot of them who may die because of his whims, and for what? To enrich his family. It is crazy and horrid. Meanwhile, those who murdered those girls are going to have to live with that. Trump is not, because he is in denial that it happened.
Linda, you speak for a lot of us. I just wanted to travel the world (and not be embarrassed to be an American traveler),enjoy my wonderful grandchildren (who do NOT deserve to inherit this mess) and volunteer for non-profits that give me joy.
Turns out Donald Trump had different plans for US all.
His only real plan is “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET RICH, RICHER THAN EVER BEFORE!!!”. Making the rest of us suffer is just icing on the cake.
Paul Krugman documents the capitalist cancer from which both ChristoNazism and the Trump Regime metastasized: https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-billionaires-war?publication_id=277517&post_id=190710154&isFreemail=true&r=cb67r&triedRedirect=true
And wielding power…Trump LOVES making others grovel at his feet and beg for his favors. He gets off in that!
Mary Ann, we are in many ways being the "salt of the earth." And, while I am grandmother age with a child who is 21, I not only want to protect this earth for her and her generation but for their children and their children's children. We are the salt of the earth and recognize that our life's work is helping to be a steward of this country and this earth. We are the salt of the earth.
You're right Linda. I never expected to become an activist at my age. trump has robbed us of many things and that includes our joy.
And Pedo-felonTrump and his criminal regime intend to rob us of so much more:
https://andrawatkins.substack.com/p/you-want-a-divorce-because-of-that
Ugh Loren that is so disgusting! I don't think women will stand for it. We will get our rights and our democracy back AND our joy when this regime falls and fall it will. There are too many good people fighting it every day. Glad to hear from you Loren!
Not just disgusting but infuriating; I post in the hope it will prompt still more of us, males included, to effective activism. RISE UP ANGRY!
Linda, speaking of Indivisible, I was so proud of our group here in Tulsa County a couple of days ago. A small group lined up all of them dressed in black and evenly spaced out (like the old Burma Shave signs) each quietly holding up a sign stating clearly what fascism is and how to recognize it. The one local channel who actually covered the event was so impressed by them, they gave them extensive coverage, unlike in the past.
Linda, through frustration yesterday I said really loud to a friend "I just want him out of my head! It has been more than 10 years he has been living in my head rent free!"
The upside to this political nightmare during retirement is meeting so many wonderful retirees who share my values and are doing what they can to help save our Democracy. In all my years of planning and saving up for retirement, I never imagined that politics could expand my social circle this much during retirement, or that a postcard writing group could become a valuable source of home health care for ailing members, or that protesting could be a way to become a weekend drummer.
Agreed. I keep thinking that I might be depressed, maybe I should I see a doctor. But I’m NOT clinically depressed, the problem is living under this regime. Waking up every morning to it. Not having an actionable solution to solve it - I’m in the camp that they are going to do everything they can to decimate the midterm elections. Then what???? I read an article today that millions are putting their lives on hold because of health care, I feel like I’m putting everything on hold till Trump is gone.
Psychologist Lisa Damour has been pointing out that youth have been worrying about worrying, and that has led to increased anxiety. With all emotions we should see if they are legitimate in response to our circumstances. Being depressed is a natural reaction to having your government taken over by fascists and fearing that everything you need to take care of yourself is in danger.
I have been discussing this with friends, we need to have regular pick me ups in our lives. Tonight because I went to the demo, my husband and I missed going to our Quiz night, but we will watch a movie instead. Some nights we might watch something more dark, but I have to be aware of when I need something lighter. A comedy or dramedy, or mystery that is more humorous than violent or creepy.
I know so many people who are depressed by this. I have to admit, moving to Europe which I was supposed to be living in half time, but is more like my new life, has helped a lot. Some of it is the sense of agency it gave me to do this, because it was many years in the planning and a huge undertaking, but that is that. A change might be needed in your life. Join a group. Try something new that you wanted to do but somehow never got around to doing. Plan daily things that make you feel good. If it does not help.
Protests such as No Kings Day DO NOTHING. Remember the millions across the world that marched against the iraq war? STRIKES AND BOYCOTTS! Why don't the no king's day organizers - who are rather well-organized and connected - organize boycotts and strikes? Protests uplift n affirm those already in the choir!
protests attract more people- people find safety in groups, commiseration, purpose. This all has an effect. Targeted boycotts and strikes are good and similar- sparking awareness.. AWARENESS and MOBILIZATION is what is important-- and while we have it-- this adds to the mandate to vote.. and an informed electorate. Let a thousand flowers bloom.. stop naysaying the efforts of others. Marching against the Iraq war WAS effective-- can you imagine a world where this went on unnoticed, no response, people complacent? It would have been and will be much much worse. We must gather and change what is happening. There is nothing wrong and everything right about uplifting those in the choir- which keeps getting larger.
There was a movement against the war in Iraq triggered by a rejection of a WH invite by First Lady Laura Bush . Poets Against the War became a website and then an anthology. I had some work on the site. Also the parents of Auggie Schroeder a soldier who was killed in the war came and spoke. It was a very moving experience and took a lot of guts to speak out from that perspective. RIP Auggie and now all the others as well.
The October No Kings protest was followed about a week later by overwhelming Democratic victories in the November 2025 elections.
Indivisible founder Ezra Levin and Simon Rosenberg discussed the connection between these two ProDemocracy events recently:
https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/indivisibles-ezra-levin-on-no-kings
I support these protests. I'm just saying BDS is the only way to stop zIsrael and TheracistrapistRUMP!
I hear lots of talk about a “national strike” but there is no real plan of action to make one happen. For this to work, it has to happen at scale to have impact. And for it to have scale there needs to be a unified plan, a when, where, how, and what endgame. Without those things, people are not going to risk losing their paychecks. Right now a national strike remains a fantasy.
Richard, these No Kings Day protests do a lot of things.
1) They let people know they are not alone. It is not like chatting in Substack, you are out there with people will to get out there. It is building enormous community.
2) People who have not done anything political before often start with attending a rally, and then they go on to do other things. A rally is a good place to recruit people for actions.
3) The judges in the courts who are standing up to the administration get a visual sense that people who are out there, appreciate the risks they take to enforce the law. The lawyers who are taking on the cases against this fascist government see that they have people standing up and speaking out and they are not alone. We are standing up, just as they stand up for us. If they are standing up to the administration and see no evidence that anyone cares, because all other action is hidden, they may lose heart. We are providing the people standing up to the administration on the front lines with heart.
4) It is an opportunity to inform people. We do not just gather we sing songs, give speeches, speak truth to power. People can see who the leaders are, which organizations are supporting the demonstrations. They learn more about what is going on.
5) It is important for the politicians to see who is standing up against the administration. If you are running for office in Wisconsin and you see a million people marching in the city of Milwaukee, you are going to worry about what your message is. Another person who may have a more populist message might be encouraged to run for office.
6) Trump is watching. He is knowing that he is not doing well, even though the people around him try to keep the news from him. All of the media stations underreport the numbers, but the word gets out. We see that the first NK had 5 mil, the second had 7 mil, and now we need to get even more out for this one, because it gives the sense of the movement growing because it is.
8) You get the media out and get to focus them on the issues that you care about. All may not report it the way you would like, but someone will.
I am going to be going to businesses on Saturday to get them to put our posters and fliers in their windows and on bulletin boards. It is a chance to let them know what is going on.
I was just at an anti war rally here in my city in Germany. In English people made a chain in the front that said, "STOP THE WAR IN IRAN" each person held a large letter in red and black to make this message. This was a message that a photographer there got. Granted there were around 100 people. I found out about it at 10 minutes before it started and got there about 10 minutes into it, and stayed the 40 minutes that it lasted. There was a speaker system, 4-5 people gave speeches, and nearby there was a group of Palestinians with a table and flags, and on the other side of the square there were people with Israeli flags and a table and they were singing. People here are used to throwing together a demonstration in a moments notice. There are small groups doing this in the US too. People are learning to be visible about their beliefs and it gives heart.
Also, at the same time we do economic actions. I am working on an Economic Resistance group in Indivisible Abroad planning boycotts. We will be announcing this action at our rally, so it is a good place to spread the information. We are putting together fliers with QR codes on our tech boycotts, with explanations of each thing, and we will be talking about it at the rally. It is a good place to get people fired up to go spread the word and to make the changes.
We are advised to announce a next meeting of our Indivisible groups at the rally and inform people of when and where that will be. So, an action like that is a great way to recruit people to do other actions as well.
Also, in Germany, we have no way of knowing where the Americans are, to get them to sign up to vote. We will have a table with information about voting with fliers, and QR codes for Vote From Abroad. This is a good way to draw them out, and then get them involved and registered to vote. That is an important piece of a rally is getting people to register to vote and plan on voting.
To me, it brings together many people who may have different views and priorities but help make a more universal "Opposition coalition or caucus," sort of like like the new majority in the 34th Congress elected in 1854 (in opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act that sought to destroy the (bad) bargain in balancing the number of slave and free states made in the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
In the 33rd Congress the House had members from 5 parties. The approximate 2/3rds majority were nominally Democrats (D), back when they supported or tolerated slavery, Independent Democrat (ID), Free Soil (FS), Whig (W), and Independent Party (I).
In the 34th Congress the House had nearly reversed the slavery tolerant Democrats to slightly over 1/3rd (at 82/233), verses a coalition or Opposition Caucus of nearly 2/3rds made up of 100 members designated by (O), and 51 American, a.k.a Know Nothings (designated by A).
There were no designated Whigs (W) in the beginning of the34th Congress, to me, because the elections that year began as early as August 4 (barely 2 months after the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30,1854). They hadn't sorted out what the new party alliances would be (the only Republican in the House was replacing a deceased member near the end of the term). In those years senators were still appointed by states legislators (after they were seated), and only 1/3 were were up for appointment, so about 2/3rds remained as Whigs (the big business party of the day).
There is an interesting take on the act at https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Kansas_Nebraska_Act.htm
Why are we continuing to give tax money to a corrupt government? I am bewildered.
I don't want to, but unless enough Americans are willing to file a class action suit against the government for taxation without representation, I don't want them putting a lien on my home, pension, social security, etc... If As it is, I am living abroad and have to pay taxes in both countries, so that sucks.
Thank you for your service.
Ha ha yes travel, see the world, enjoy culture and art, just don't let on you are an American from that part of America called the US.
Me, too, Linda!! Me, too!!
Absolutely. Michigan schools lost $440M clawed back from the federal government, while Hegseth orders king crab and lobster flown in! We have a MI Kids petition for November's election (if we have one) for a state tax on our top 1% earners to get back some of the lost federal money for our schools.
Bloomberg said yesterday that when oil prices reach over $83 a barrel, the benefits of the OBBBA to the 99% wash or go away. So yeah, it is going to get worse. As the professor points out -- 60 cents a gallon more already for gasoline.
At least the tariff's are in limbo. /s
I read that the group of nations who have oil reserves have released them to keep the oil prices from reaching $200 a barrel which the new Ayatollah has promised by the end of the week. The problem with this is that if the Iran war lasts longer than the strategic reserves, there are no more reserves after that and then Iran can really control the price of oil.
My recommendation is that everyone who is still using fossil fuels in their home, make a plan of how to get off of them even if it is a 10 year plan. When we decided to make our home here in Germany fossil fuel free, every workman told us we would not see our money back for 20 years. First of all I don't believe that, and secondly I don't care, because our daughter can reap the benefits. In the meantime, we can be free of the fossil fuel devils.
This is what every human should think about to be a survivalist...figure out how to live on very little and do everything yourselves.
I was very low budget being shotgun married at 18 to a 17 year old. I lived damn close to a middle class life style making all the clothes, meals from scratch, 2nd hand or free furniture. Books! I traveled for 5-7 months in warm climates with a carry on.
It should give one pride to live well on very little. Conserve. Never waste!
This is the future for all us billions of non-billionaires.
Wisdom Judith. True Wisdom!
There’s been no mention of the really expensive alcohol that pairs either those fancy foods….
Well, that is a story for another investigative journalist to reveal.
The corruption is so extreme and awful that I am flabbergasted by each new thing I learn. How the Trump sons invested in drone companies, and bet something like 50 million on the war starting by Saturday in the predictions market, knowing full well ahead of time that it would. I try to make myself not get too immune to how awful it is even though they are blatant about so much of their grifting. May they all be punished for treason in the end.
Yep you are right. Along time friend who is a poor MAGA when asked if she had gotten vaccinated screamed at me no and that her sweet Baby Jesus would save her. So I wrote a song to her - naturally. Now she likes the song.
In 2023, at the end of the pandemic, the hospitals were full of Trumpers. Many refused the Covid vaccine and still demanded Hydroxychloroquine which the FDA ended emergency use of in 2020. That crap Trump pushed in 2020 showed it led to serious heart problems in some people. This is a cult! Now he is back, people are dying again and he is still lying about it, oh yeah, it will just end like magic. He has no power to end this. He has no clue how world wars begin. All he knows is he loves himself and only he can start and end everything. Organize. Organize. Organize. Agitate. Agitate. Agitate.
You are absolutely right on point Albert. He honestly believes because he started this he can end it at any time. He knows nothing about war and or conflict and is out of touch with reality thinking Iran would turn to him for suggestions for a new leader. Why would any country do that? Now he can't remember in reference to the girl's school that was hit? I am deeply concerned about the safety of America.
And you should be concerned about the safety of America. Anyone can purchase an AR-15 pretty much anywhere in the US. They don't need to bring them over the borders because they're already here. Heaven forbid that a terrorist cell dresses up like ICE and opens fire on a large gathering of people.
The feckless FBI has fired dozens of their best agents in Trump's retribution tour. The ICE agents continue to terrorize American cities snatching American citizens out of their homes without due process.
Trump, Miller, Kegsbreath, Bondi, Homan and many others have set up a perfect storm. If you see something that seems weird say something.
Why would a terrorist cell need to "dress up like ICE" to use weapons of war on American citizens when they can just put on their work clothes and badges and just do it? ICE has killed more people in the US than any other terrorist group not named Al Qaeda.
"If you see something that seems weird say something."
OK, how about -
"DONALD TRUMP"?
Well, he CAN end it anytime!
He just has to say "It's ended! I won!" - and then go back into the White House and slam the door.
And for him, that will be that.
Still makes his face up. Still fluffs his hair.
Still gets to scream at cheering crowds.
Still gets to fill his face with burgers and coke.
And his bullet proof cars run on Government paid gas.
So - "What war?"
As long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed the war ain't over.
There are several reasons the tankers won't travel through the Strait, but one of the major ones is fear. The Iranians only have to threaten to put in mines, or send drones, or bomb oil loading operations and the tankers won't go through.
It amazes me that so many people think that restarting oil production is a matter of turning on a spigot. Currently, production is at a standstill as storage capacity is full. So the wells sit idle, the refineries sit idle, the loading operations and the tankers sit idle. And we're talking about 20% of the world's oil.
And this doesn't take into account that Ukraine has idled 20% or more of Russia's production including, storage, pipelines, loading operations and refineries.
So far Trump's gaslighting has kept oil under $100 a barrel. What happens when the jig is up?
Trump is the TOFU king. He will continue to stumble around in the dark making mistake after mistake. Now is the time for us to pile on because if the New York Times, WAPO, CBS News and CNN all start reporting the truth about how badly Trump has fucked up then FOX News, Newsmax and OAN will look even more ridiculous defending him.
Keep in mind this was all done because of the Epstein files and the need for the administration to cover it up.
Demand your Congresscritters and Senators have town hall meetings to justify their actions. If the Congressional candidates refuse to meet with their constituents call them out for what they are --- cowards.
My Congresscritters (I like that name) are Jaimie Raskin, Chris van Hollen, and Angela Alsobrooks. These critters are extremely busy doing the right thing so I am reluctant to bother them with stuff they already know what to do. I'm very proud to be one of their constituents. But I do get your point. (And Rep. Raskin had a town hall not that long ago, in spite of the hours he puts in trying to save America.) I did send them all a thank you note once.
Karen, I am also blessed that my "critters" (Wyden, Merkley, and Hoyle) are already doing the right things. I hit them about once a week to say "thanks" via Megan's spread sheet. When I see a news piece about a "critter" that isn't mine but is on a committee, I send them a thanks as well.
Meantime, Mr. Killackey, we have our so-called media, like Chris Cameron of the New York Times to note that “[t]he president sometimes exaggerates or is imprecise when giving figures.”
With the NYT lying nearly as much as 'him', and the 1984-style 'news' from Fox, this cult will only end as the members slowly cease to exist.
Pains me to say, I wish it wouldn't be so 'slowly'!
No kidding Daniel! Say it! He is a freaking liar!
Well, we know that trump's propaganda is a necessary evil for social control, consisting of justifiable lies and exaggerations. There is no longer any collective reality.
A Congress, once again, enabled him.
Don't forget the Supreme Court.
When political power blends with religion, it corrupts the true core of that religion bends its followers to the will of the organization rather than the will of God. Great spirit of love that should rule the world. We have two governments at war now actually 3. I did not say peoples. our government just in the realm of Christian nationalism the Iranian government in malignant aggressive Islam .
Unfortunate our leader really is a believer only in money and power and false gods. And for that millions of people will have to suffer. I pray that some greater sense of responsibility to this world in some way emerges from the mess at that the Trumpian idolatry created with his legions of yes men and woman that drool over power at any cost
My gut tells me that we are in Deja vu all over again with oil embargo. No embargo this time but 20% hold up will eventually force oil up to $200 a barrel. And this will demolish the economy. I think it’s a good time to get out of the stock markets. There is a bad omen.
It's way more than 20% Bill when you consider that Ukraine has taken out 15-30% of Russia's production and destroyed several ports where the oil tankers are loaded. Not to mention Venezuela production is questionable.
There may be a silver lining of sorts -- offshore wind will be restarted and brought online, EV and Hybrid car sales should increase as well as solar farms.
Battery storage is also increasing in the US and elsewhere.
Trump may turn out to be the accidental climate change President.
I get that same feeling when I read this: "It is unclear what victory looks like for the U.S. The administration has offered a range of justifications for its war without suggesting what an endgame looks like."
Spurious justifications? No endgame? Sounds very much like the beginning of another "quagmire." [Vietnam, for you youngsters] Are the ghosts of Kissinger, McNamara, Westmoreland, etc. running Epic Fury, fast becoming Epic FUBAR?
Venezuela was just too easy for Trump and Kegsbreath, plus the do-nothing Republicans in the House and Senate allowed him to totally get buy with the illegal war.
I'm sure Putin told him to go ahead and attack Iran because Iran will be an easy win for him just like Venezuela was.
Trump certainly surrounds himself with a bunch of morons and sycophants.
She'll sing it as she slowly succumbs to a disease that is totally preventable. What a fool.
It was her brother who I was a longtime friend and Benny had warned me about Veronica a long time ago.
I just downloaded the document from that link. I suggest everyone else do as well. 59 pages so only skimmed and will read it later, but amendment starts on p 38 I think in case anyone quickly wants to jump.
Wish I had more time, but I barely keep up with the Substacks I currently subscribe to 😔
That isn’t a substack
A GOLDEN OLDIE
Jan 21: "We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China."
Jan 30: "We think we have it very much under control."
Feb 02: "We pretty much shut it down, coming from China."
Feb 14: “We have a very small number of people in the country, right now, with it. It’s like around 12… Some are fully recovered already. So we’re in very good shape.”
Feb 25: "People are getting better, they're all getting better."
Feb 26: "And the 15 in a couple of days is gonna be down to close to zero."
Feb 28: "Coronavirus. This is the new hoax... You'll be fine."
Feb 28: “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear”
Mar 02: "They're going to have vaccines very soon."
Mar 03: "Not only the vaccines, but the therapies. Therapies is sort of another word for cure."
Mar 04: "We're talking about very small numbers in the United States."
Mar 06: “I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault… I like the numbers where they are.”
Mar 06: “Anybody right now, and yesterday, anybody that needs a test gets a test. They’re there. And the tests are beautiful…. the tests are all perfect…”
Mar 07: “It came out of China, and we heard about it. And made a good move: We closed it down. We stopped it.”
Mar 08: “We have a perfectly coordinated and fine tuned plan at the White House.”
Mar 10: "It's really working out, and a lot of good things are gonna happen. Just stay calm. It will go away."
Mar 12: "It's gonna go away."
Mar 16: “I’d rate it a 10. I think we’ve done a great job.”
Mar 17: "This is a pandemic. I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic."
Mar 25: “We’re the ones that gave the great response, and we’re the ones that kept China out of here. And if I didn’t do it, you’d have thousands and thousands of people died — who would’ve died — that are now living and happy.”
Mar 13: "No, I don't take responsibility at all."
Beautiful, Christine!
OMG. Each quote must be embossed into a mountain of mixed Bull, Horse, Chicken and Bat Manure, mostly Bat. That would serve as a perfect tribute to him.
Mar 12: "The muslims are the ones who target civilians."
"Those oil tankers should just grow balls and drive through the Strait of Hormuz ".
My Facebook feed is good about reminding me about this period of time. Within the past few days I have had posts that were about both cancelling our symphonic band winter concert (2020) and having symphonic band start up again (2022).
Wow!!!
You are so correct. So correct.
1. his history of lying shows he is a pathological liar.
2. he has no soul, therefore no compassion
3. he lives only because of the duty of honor of the doctors at Walter Reed. Had he not been there, covid might have taken him out.
4, he evidently read Mein Kompf very carefully
He s now the most hated person alive. He is the worst criminal in American history. I cannot believe he still lives.
Ricky Woody, The doctors should be ashamed...they should DO HARM.
Everyone should read Mein Kompf
Don't forget his Russia alignment-now paying Putin by raising oil prices and easing sanctions. Trump is more like Putin while Zelensky is more like George Washington. Europe is now being to Ukraine like France was for America in our fight for liberation.
You do get the sense that Trump spent much more time developing and implementing a strategy to have his base attack the Capitol and reinstall him as President after his loss in 2020 than he did in attacking Iran. Hmm.
Trump ruins everything.
And to think, Joe Biden lost against this piece of work? Yes, me blame Grandpa Joe again. And again. And again.
No, Kamala Harris lost to it.
America lost to it. The sick white male privilege voters who either voted for it or stayed home. They took that hope away form us and our posterity.
Like the bumper sticker said: "It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need, and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber." (Or something like that.)
JustAnAverageDude I first read that statement during the Vietnam war.
Yup, true then, true now and true in the future. You’d think in a world with the resources to feed, clothe and house everyone (can you imagine?) that humanity would make better choices!
Humanity as a whole might, but the leaders and rich overrule that.
My Mom had that poster in her classroom.
My suggestion for the most urgent issue of the day that requires your action is John Thune's idea to bring the SAVE America voter-suppression bill to the Senate floor for debate. He is doing this not just to appease Trump by letting him know that he is doing his best to execute Trump's instructions; Thune is claiming it will give Republicans a chance to "let off steam."
https://www.axios.com/2026/03/11/save-act-talking-filibuster-senate-thune-republicans
This is really about giving Republicans an opportunity to use procedural moves to get around the filibuster. They could use the same moves that only require a 51-vote majority, including JD Vance, to do it. It is the method that was used to require only a simple majority to approve nominations to SCOTUS.
You can read my analysis in the links below, along with an explainer from Brookings about the many workarounds to the filibuster, written back when it was discussed during Biden's term and not used.
Write to your Senators TODAY. Call. Write on their social media accounts where others can see your concerns. It is not clear when Thune may try this.
There is no democracy without free and fair elections. Trump told his supporters they would never have to vote again. Isn't it about time we learned to take him at his word?
https://substack.com/@georgiafisanick/note/c-226641647?r=dvhmb&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web
https://georgiafisanick.substack.com/p/how-long-will-the-filibuster-survive
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-is-the-senate-filibuster-and-what-would-it-take-to-eliminate-it/
Georgia, I am living abroad and the last thing we want is for this bill to see the light of day.
I will call my senators, but I already know they don’t care what I think. They are trump bootlickers from the jump.
Then post on their social media accounts where what you write can be seen by others. I set up separate accounts so I can close them easily if I get nasty pushback and trolls. I always am sure to say I am a constituent.
Just a thought.
I cancelled Twitter after Musk trashed it. I think high-profile ppl still use that primarily. I know my rep’s on FB, but you can’t post on his acct. I don’t think the senators are, but I’ll check Bluesky and Threads.
May I send my sympathies as I have two who will vote against.
Mine are too….i get by in Florida
Please call anyway
Oh I do, and I did. After all, no matter how futile it feels, that’s what I’ve got. Btw, all are up for reelection this year; one is running for governor (at age 74) and the goober rep who actually doesn’t like his constituents wants her senate job.
One piece of very good news about the SAVE Act came yesterday when John Fetterman (don't get me started on that disappointing character) announced that he 'finally got around' to reading the SAVE Act and will be changing his vote to NO because of the potential for great harm to his constituents, his country and himself. I suspect his constituents piled on and thus, the potential harm to himself. This turn of events makes the passage much less likely.
Don’t count on him for anything, he left the building a long time ago. 🤬
I kept getting fundraising emails from him and finally hit unsubscribe and it asked me why and I said he was a republican in sheep’s clothing and a phony. Maybe others did too.
What happened to him? He used to be one of my favs. He went off the rails.
Is there no limit to how many times a bill can be quashed before it becomes dead in the water. I'm disgusted that this is even still an issue. They're just trying to wear us down physically and mentally as we try to stay on top of all the most critical issues of the day.
The Rules Committees in the House and Senate decide what bills can come to the floor and how they can be debated. The majority party in each chamber has rules that determine how many majority and minority members are on the Committees and how they are selected. In the House, there are 9 majority members and 4 minority members on the committee, despite the chamber’s narrow majority. Republicans do whatever the Speaker tells them to do. Since Mike Johnson obeys Trump, a bill can come up for a vote multiple times.
The imbalance on the Senate Rules Committee is less pronounced, and the limits on debate, such as the filibuster and unanimous consent, differ, but the majority party still has the power to determine the legislative agenda.
The Constitution gives the legislative branch the power to determine how it conducts its business. The House votes on approving new Rules proposed by the majority Party at the beginning of each new Congress every two years by simple majority. The Senate maintains standing rules that change relatively rarely but can be changed at any time by a simple majority vote.
Millions of U.S. voters live outside U.S. They are not necessarily in the military. From what I have read about the SAVE Act, it does not include their mail-in votes, only military. At the post office in Montreal, where I now live, I had to mail some forms to IRS for 2026 US tax filing. I was asked if I had completed a customs declaration online, a new procedure in existence for about 2 months now. I was instructed by postal clerk to download the Zonos app and complete customs form. It cost $36 Cdn to mail with a tracking no. So, when my husband & I vote, hopefully we can still do it by fax for Lee County, Florida (our last U.S. residence). Sadly, the U.S. Post Office ain't what it used to be...
Was the Zonos app a Canadian or a US government app? Why are you being asked to pay a customs declaration for paperwork or is it like paying for certified mail in the US?
Megan, thanks for posting the spreadsheet each day. This Good Trouble spreadsheet is also shared in Indivisible Abroad and Democrats Abroad chat groups, and often in emails from the leadership. We are also working on getting out the vote, something else that needs to happen and we are working on getting as many people in the countries we live in to join our No Kings Marches, as well as actions beyond that Day. After the No Kings Rallies, there is going to be an action on May 1, trying to approximate a Day of General Strike like in Minneapolis.
For Iran it has become a holy war, for the US it is about making Trump and his family and friends wealthy. He does not care about the suffering that he is causing Americans, and he does not care about the Iranian people either. In fact, he seems to not know what is going on, and the people in charge of this war machine are in a Christian Nationalist holy quest too. So, our country, having allowed Christian Nationalists at the helm in our military, is fighting a religious war. Where will it end.
We have uncorked a deadly genie. The hatred in the Middle East towards the US will only increase 100-fold. Sooner or later they will exact their revenge.
Unfortunately so true. The hate will bring a disaster sooner or later.
A while back I asked a new friend from Afghanistan why his Country hated us so much. Here is what he told me. You invaded our Country killing our people. How would you feel if we did that to America?
Agreed. Reminding how we upended the Iranians democratically elected leader in 1957 to get their oil. Some people remember longer than last week, which seems to be our political memory reach.
I'll be at my third "No Kings" rally in my third city. Eugene last June, Redmond last October (with my sister while we were on vacation), and Medford this March (we celebrate "birthday weekend with my nieces and me with my in-laws).
I'll be in my third as well. In fact, in the first one I was in Chicago, then for the second one I helped organize it in Bremen, now I am the lead organizer for our rally being held by a group I officially started in January 2026. Our first official act is this rally. I would like to form a collective of Indivisble groups in Germany the way that California has. They say every time they send any letter to their government, they let them know how many people they represent.
"Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please," - Niccolò Machiavelli Florentine Histories (Book III, Chapter 2), written between 1521 and 1525.
“The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period.” He added that the war against Iran will end “soon” because there’s “practically nothing left to target.” “Little this and that... Any time I want it to end, it will end,” -Donold Trump, nearing the ides of March 2026
On the intersection of asymmetrical drone and sea mine warfare. An analysis of the Trump Hegseth use of the US military, and Iranian tactics. It gets technical. (And as they 'planned' our war, Hegseth decommissioned our minesweepers and pulled them out of Bahrain. They are in ... Philadelphia.)
US-IRAN WARCAST - DAY 12- w/ Malcolm Nance & Jacob Kaarsbo
.https://malcolmnance.substack.com/p/us-iran-warcast-day-12-w-malcolm.
Black Man Spy - Malcolm Nance
Straight up discussion with military strategist Steve Schmidt & Navy pilot Ken Harbaugh
https://substack.com/@malcolmnance/note/c-226575375
Black Man Spy - Malcolm Nance | Substack
.https://malcolmnance.substack.com/profile/posts.
Jacob Kaarsbo | Substack
.https://jacobkaarsbo.substack.com/.
"Trump pulled mine-sweepers from the Middle East and they’re sitting in Philadelphia as the Iran War rages.
Photographs released by the Pentagon on Jan. 21 show the Seaway Hawk carrying the four decommissioned minesweepers while being escorted by the Littoral Combat Ship U.S.S. Canberra — one of a troubled class of vessel which the Navy is pressing into service as a replacement for the minesweepers."
.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/iran-strait-of-hormuz-minesweepers-b2936416.html.
Malcolm Nance with Elie Mystal: American Violence and the Trump Insurgency
"They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency." Drawing on evidence-based research and his work as counterterrorism intelligence expert, Nance paints a stark picture of a shift in our politics during the Trump years — revealing a new hostility toward democratic norms and an appetite for violence and even dictatorship among millions of Americans
.https://youtu.be/da0tgBryZ5E?si=sh25OsTTy-jq-U-k.
Malcolm Nance | International Spy Museum
A career US Navy terrorism intelligence collector, code breaker, and interrogator with wide-ranging field and combat experience in the Middle East, South West Asia, and Africa, Drawing on his experience as a thirty year veteran of the US intelligence community’s program on combating terrorism, he’s been a Middle East policy advisor to the US and international governments on special operations, homeland security, and intelligence.
.https://www.spymuseum.org/host-an-event/spy-speaker-series/malcolm-nance/.
You should hear Malcolm Nance and Jacob Kaarsbo discussing it each day. It does not sound like it is almost over.
Washington has apparently rebranded war as a customer satisfaction exercise. The president says the Iran war is “going great,” which in modern official English seems to mean oil is spiking, ships are burning, U.S. troops are wounded, the Pentagon’s numbers keep changing, and nobody can explain what victory is supposed to look like when the confetti cannon finally goes off.
This is the genius of the age: turn catastrophe into branding. Don’t call it a quagmire, call it momentum. Don’t call it panic over the Strait of Hormuz; call it strong leadership with a pricing adjustment at the pump. Don’t call it a horrifying military error involving children; call it an opinion pending further review, preferably after the news cycle has moved on.
The whole spectacle has the spiritual depth of a casino ad and the strategic clarity of a man assembling patio furniture with a flamethrower. Every answer is swagger, every contradiction is shrugged off, every consequence is treated like an inconvenience generated by insufficient patriotism. Meanwhile, the costs, human, moral,and financial, keep arriving right on schedule.
What makes this moment so grotesque is not only the violence, but the sales pitch. War is being marketed as performance art by people who mistake bravado for competence and think accountability is for other people. That is not strength. It is decay with a flag draped over it.
That is right Michael! Let us get the lifelong teens off the videogame they are playing called Make War on Iran, and shut them down forever. They are done playing at being adults. Let us find some real adults to run our country.
Slogan. "Tired of teeny bopper video game and social media addicts running your country? Well, you can easily get shut them down, Elect Adults!"
I so agree Megan - think of all the good those billions of dollars could have done for children, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. This is madness. Total madness.
Megan, you are back at it as a warrior for change! Thank you for your hard work!
Calling Representatives and Senators seems to be a futile but still necessary action for American citizens to continue, but I fear the only recourse for this country are two things...One, protect our elections from trumps interference and show up in mass numbers to change the majority in Congress and stop this treasonous regime, or Two, remove the regime by force and jail them for the coup they are conducting in real time.
Let's go with protecting elections and electing a Democratic majority. Use voting as a joint exercise in taking power and then use lawful means to restore democratic priorities and institutions.
"... protect our elections from trumps interference."
See how it's being done. Democracy Docket | Marc Elias
.https://www.democracydocket.com/.
"...show up in mass numbers to change the majority in Congress..."
Vote Blue No Matter Who
Big Tent = Blue Wave
Get Out The Vote Is Now
Not sure what you mean by "or Two, remove the regime by force." Please spell "force" out.
Violently removing the Trump regime is not a serious option. It is ethically wrong, strategically irrational, and logistically impossible. For instance, if you (whoever that is) overturn the government by force rather than by elections, then you will not have functional government institutions, such as jails. You will have chaos, bloodshed, and eventually most likely martial law.
"Vote Blue No Matter Who"
This is what has helped get us in the mess we are in. Do you really believe Schumer and Jeffries have done well by us? Do you really believe the Democratic Party has done a good job over the past 10 years in combatting this nightmare we are in? The answer is a resounding no. These bought and sold Democrats are complicit in the is war, this regime. They have drug their feet on every issue.
Our only hope for change is for new and blue candidates. They are right here right now. Did you know Schumer and Jeffries tried to kill Mamdani's campaign? Did you know the Democratic Party power elite directly attack the campaigns of up and coming BLUE progressive candidates? What is happening here is a group of entrenched, bought white elites fighting to stay in power. And it is us the voters who are paying the price.
Go to AIPA Tracker and Integrityindex.us.
See Schiff up to his ears in$9 million in AIPAC money. Look them all up.
See the vast amounts of stocks these people have.
Now go look at their Committee Assignments.
We need a change in the Democratic Party. Support new and blue candidates.
""Vote Blue No Matter Who"
This is what has helped get us in the mess we are in."
The mess we are in is that Republicans win elections - with the help of Leftish purity testers. Your rhetoric helped elect Trump, twice. ThankYou. Many Republicans held their nose, voted for Trump, and won the Supreme Court. Many potential Democratic voters would not vote for Clinton or Harris, and helped elect Trump. Twice. Some people never learn. Right wingers voted GOP no matter who, became the base, and took over the party. There is a lesson here. Winning means supporting candidates I do not fully agree with - like Clinton and Harris -because Republicans are the worst choice.
I have volunteered and voted for Democratic candidates across the spectrum - from Bernie Sanders (in primaries) to Jared Golden (in general elections.) Yes. Clintonian neoliberalism corrupts the party. Yes, the Democratic leadership is part of the problem. Yes, Status Quo Schumer has meddled in Democratic races to prevent party reform. I know this first hand. I went home to NYC and campaigned for Zohran Mamdani. Home here in Maine, I've been campaigning for Graham Platner for US Senate.
It is a pleasure to have serious contenders I can fully support.
But I will still Vote Blue No Matter Who.
The era of old white men rule is over. Stop attacking people who disagree with you. That is old school and unnecessary.
"The era of old white men rule is over."
By all empirical evidence the era of old white men rule is in an American ascendancy. In part because of hide-bound Leftish wing ideology and rhetoric.
I support generational change. And yes any gerontocracy is counter productive. Ruth Bader Ginsburg made as disastrous a miscalculation as did Joe Biden. But the disaster was that they contributed to putting Republicans in power.
I'll take any of the 'old white men' on the Congressional Progressive Caucus over any of the young people of color in the Republican majority.
Celeste, see my reply to Chris Johnston regarding "removal by force." Donald's worthless life doesn't justify the cost of violence.
😢
Thank you for this valuable resource, Megan!🏆💙 please remind people that turnout for their state primary means good choices for midterms. The usual 20% turnout is not acceptable in a democracy. King Bone Spurs and his lawless ilk must be removed asap. Scaredy cat repubs in Congress do not believe in democracy, rule of law, or the Constitution enough to grow a spine.
Years ago when my now 43 year old son was in kindergarten, I found a poster that said, “What if the Air Force had to hold a bake sale to build a bomber.” So many PTA type groups hold fundraisers to pay for things teachers and schools need.
Thank you!
War at any time in any way affects children. I have been looking into clarion calls from the past and today focused on children. In the Gilded Age and always children viewed as chattel and labor.
The rise of the voices of Jane Addams, Florence Kelly, Mother Jones, Mother Cabrini, Dr Alice Hamilton, Mary Richmond, and Edna Jane Hunter among many others was supported by the work of Jacob Riis.
The only way I know of him was because of a visit to the Library of Congress where they had an exhibit of his photography. He was an immigrant and shocked at the state of children in NYC and other places. Many age four and many disabled because of their work both in mills, factories, and mines.
His work helped. So good to know. I am listing books about him and books he wrote himself. Apologies in advance for any misspellings.Also note well Michael Harrington in his The OtherAmerica and Matthew Desmond did and many others like Eve Ewing are doing the same type of work. It’s not that it isn’t done it’s all been siloed.
The Other Half
Tom Buk- Swenty
Exposing Hidden Worlds
Michael Buyar
RediscoveringJacob Riis
Bonnie Yochulson and Daniel Czeton
His own books
How The Other Half Lives
The Battle with the Slum
The children of the Poor
Your spreadsheet also says people can protest with signs outside offices. That's more effective than people know. You can also protest with signs anywhere, on any street corner, in any public area, in big cities and small towns. Take an hour in the spring weather to stand out in the sunshine and alert people to what this regime is doing.
As a child of a teacher and a meteorologist, who has teachers on both sides of her martial family, I share your heartbreak. My Mom had a poster that said "What a difference it would be if the schools could have money, and the Air Force had to have a bake sale to buy more bombs."
I think I have seen that poster too. It is a great poster because it speaks TRUTH!
The attack on Iran is an example of what we get when the leader surrounds himself with sycophants who only tell him what he wanted to hear…
And when the leader is an incompetent, illiterate, halfwitted moron.
“[t]he president sometimes exaggerates or is imprecise when giving figures.”
I can’t even laugh at what would normally be quite amusing.
Your statement is SO spot on TC.
Or that Trump was just giving his "opinion" about something as blatantly false as it was Iran that bombed that school. Fine, my "opinion" is that I ran a marathon last week. In reality, I walked around the block, but I guess what I say becomes fact?
AND Commander In Chief.
It's what we get when the cult leader personally picks out $145 wingtip Oxford Florsheims for his closest scalawags and wormtongues who then don them for fear not doing so will send the boss into a fit of rage. In addition to Little Lindsey, our Little Secretary of State waddles around in his. The comical photos show a baby clunking about in daddy's big shoes....All done, of course, to humiliate the wearer and remind him where his place is.
These are not the people coming to save us from him, to put it mildly.
So right -- if they can't say the shoes don't fit they sure don't have the balls or the integrity to say the war is madness.
ICTT, I don't think those enormous clodhoppers Donald sent to Liddle Marco were the result of misjudged shoe size. They were a message. They were Donald reminding Rubio that he is small and insignificant.
I think that’s exactly what I said….
Trump needs much more to do than inspect the shoes his sycophants are wearing.
He has his priorities.
I remember when i was a kid, my mom took us to Florsheim shoe store located in Roseville Michigan.
I remember & still thought that Florsheim shoes were top quality shoes for men. I didn't realize that all the macho men of today had to have designer footwear. At least Hitler had his sycophants in the SS wear uniforms designed by Hugo Boss, yes, that Hugo Boss!
Return, as with many respected brands of the past, such as Black & Decker, Kenmore, Craftsman, Magnavox and Electrolux, for example, Florsheim is just a brand that can be applied to a product made by any manufacturer willing to pay the licensing fee, no different from the Trump brand.
Some licensors make an effort to protect the value of the brand they own by limiting the products and manufacturers they will license, but the brands mentioned above will slap their brands on anything. Florsheim shoes aren't what they used to be. $145 is a lot more than those shoes are actually worth. So typical of Donald.
Thank you for the info, that is really interesting. Makes perfect sense. Not being into fashion it didn't dawn on me that clothing makers do the same thing that manufacturers do, take the cheapest bid to create their product & rely on past performance & reputation to sell the product. Case in point for me is Sears paint & tools, my Dad swore by those two Sears products, his tools never rusted & never broke. What passes as Sears tools is a far cry from what they used to be as is the case with shoes I guess.
Ah yes, I forgot "Weatherbeater." (I used to work for Sears.) That brand of paint is also still available, but the products are made by anonymous coatings producers who package their products in a variety of store-branded or licensed cans. Weatherbeater happens to be marketed by Mr. Brands, LLC, a company that specializes in distributing a wide range of products bearing famous brands made by unknown manufacturers, many in China. https://www.mrbrands.com
I didn’t know any of that, thanks. In any case, even designer shoes have to fit or you look like I did when playing dress up as a kid with my mom’s high heels.
That's true of so many "brands" today, often major ostensibly competing brands mow all own by the same supermassive corporation. I have bought more than one product with a major brand name that was respected years ago and it proved to be junk. One such product was from Honeywell (IIRC) but was poor quality. I read on the 'Net that someone managed (a feat these days) who told him that Honeywell just rents out the brand and customers had to take up disputes with some fly-by-night company that allegedly ignores inquires. This is the "let customers eat cake" economy pushed by Reagan. Some huge portion of major US companies that were independent pre-Reagan have collapsed into the event horizon of supermassive "black hole" conglomerates.
JL, yes, Honeywell is another empty brand that's liable to appear on anything other than thermostats. I confess that although I remember a lot about Reagan, I don't remember much about his economic policies, except that he benefitted from the momentum generated by Lewis Powell.
My understanding of the stripping of respected brands has less to do with conglomerates and more to do with venture (vulture) capitalists who may or may not form large corporations. Vulture capitalists get their hooks into respected companies that have become cash-strapped for any number or reasons: irrelevance, failure to update manufacturing methods or product features, etc. The vulture takes control of the company, then cut costs and corners and/or plunges the company even deeper in debt. When the company is no longer viable, the vulture sells off the company's assets at a profit until the only remaining asset of value is the company's brand. The vulture sells that, too. There are corporations that don't make anything or own anything but a bunch of brands. Their entire business consists of entertaining licensing proposals.
Gretchen Morgenson wrote a really interesting (and enraging) book about vulture capitalists and their destructive effects on our real economy.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/these-are-the-plunderers-how-private-equity-runs-and-wrecks-america-gretchen-morgenson/7952d71c0745d32f?ean=9781982191290&next=t&
The company is suing the government over tariff money, after SCOTUS struck the tariffs down. Bet Trump doesn’t know that!
This is such an interesting fork in the road!! Thanks all!
Unfortunately would peel it back a little farther as an “example of what we get as a leader” when an estimated 89 million Americans, or about 36% of the country’s voting-eligible population, did not vote in the 2024 general election..
Someday people may understand the concept of you get what you bake..
This voting issue and the excuses such as “both parties are the same” make me more upset than Trump does. The arrogance with which people decide to withdraw participation astounds me and is truly frightening. I am always working on how I can converse or listen to them and remain engaged and civil. It’s the hardest part of the voter outreach work for me. I do think there are plenty of lazy or under-informed voters who are an easier group to encourage than those who think leaving the Dems or claiming that they’re all the same are. I have to hope some of you are inherently better at that than I seem to be!
There are a group of us volunteering to engage the younger ones registering to vote through Vote411 https://www.vote411.org/ as well as going to college campuses. Find it so bizarre that so many women are not as attuned to know that it wasn’t until 1974 that women gained the right to obtain credit cards, loans, and mortgages in their own names. As one young woman recently blurted out “WTF that’s only 50 years ago!” in the room as we were explaining the importance of voting, not just as Americans but as women. Knowledge has always been powerful.. just as much as Voting
Well, thank you SO much for doing this work. I am sure it will influence at the very least, a small portion of them to vote and over time( if we have more time) others will remember your efforts and words as they encounter obstacles. And yes..I am astounded that more young women didn;t come out in force for the 2024 election. I'm getting old....:)
Yes TJ! It was 1976 I went into the local bank everyday during my lunch break to persuade the manager to loan me about 3k to buy the MG I had picked out. It took me weeks to get the job done!
My father was born just before women were allowed to vote in federal elections. In the scheme of things, not that long ago.
Hate sells!!!! “both parties are the same”. = stupid. Both parties are not perfect - dah. One sells hate and one sells policies.
Far from perfect, but one actually gives a #$%& about the American People and the other toadies for malignantly narcissitic Plutocrats.
I think public outreach fails to stress that voting is indispensable to a functioning republic, else tyranny. Every non-vote dilutes the impact of the public's will, and those who thirst for domineering power are always present to take advantage of it, as should now be painfully clear. If it is a government of, by, and for the people, then we as citizens are assigned a share of responsibility for "liberty and justice for ALL (my emphasis). There are many days other than election day to attempt to identify the wisest issues and the best candidate, and defeat the obstacles that are typically in the way; and that need should not be neglected. Voting day demands a selection.
I was a Sanders alternate delegate and a Warren supporter in 2020. I was not especially pleased by the eventual nominees, but but voted for Clinton and Biden on the basis of concluding that the patent best path to the public good lay with the Democrat, not (for heaven's sake) Trump. My vote is not so much a declaration of personal preference as it is a judgement about which available choice is most likely to preserve/expand that liberty and justice thing I spoke of.
One of the things our next Dem Congress needs to implement is required voting, as in Australia. All MUST vote, with fines issued for non-excused absence. It's sad that something like this is needed, but we have to have the people involved, or we will end up with another one of these clown shows, or worse! And not just on the Federal level; here in northeast Ohio, we're lucky to get 40% participation in local elections, and it's much lower for all the 'special elections' we see.
If we implement mandatory voting, a basic civics test should come first.
Maureen, while I agree with you in principle, such a test has a slight whiff of past – and present – methods of vote suppression, such as poll taxes.
What really needs to happen is a strong emphasis on teaching civics in our schools. The testing takes place in the classroom, as it should.
This is a subject that should be mandated for all schools, public, private and parochial, by a federal department of education, which is currently on the chopping block.
I get that completely. I am just so tired of the “low information voters” who blindly follow this madman because they don’t know any better. You are absolutely right that we should strengthen our education system. Maybe a compromise would be a civics test before getting a driver’s license! That might motivate teenagers to pay more attention in school.
That's a stellar idea! It would be more beneficial than motor voter registration.
Sadly, most, and especially those under 60, would not fare well on said test.
TJ points out that 89 million American voters did not bother to vote in 2024. We are now witnessing the destructive results of so many individuals who don’t think, don’t know, and just don’t care.
I am thinking some of that figure was due to voter suppression too.
You're banging my drum!! Not all of the percentage of voting eligible population simply "chose" not to vote. Some could not register, some were tossed off voter registration rolls, some were rendered unable by limited polling hours, polling places, transportation difficulties, or having no way to leave their jobs during voting period.
I think there are still plenty of "DILLIGAF" non-voters (do I look like I give a F") but suppression was also at work.
Their kids all take the standardized tests, Ed.
They all learn dutifully to be numb, blind to human realities, empty of any humanities themselves. The tests teach that the masses may never ask questions, just keep blacking-in the A)-B)-C)-D) as if, in the world of our elites, all acceptable Qs have just one correct answer only -- and the elites know it.
i'm really tired of people saying that people didn't vote when it couldn't be more obvious that the election was manipulated in a number of ways...beginning with Musk who, when his money and voting machines were no longer necessary and he had set up DOGE, all but disappeared...and i would imagine it was more than just Musk that helped falsify the cornerstone of democracy...the vote...
i tried to vote. got the validation for my registration. never got a ballot...i wish there was a way to know how many people this happened to...
what makes me angry is that saying that many didn't vote is the same as saying that they were ok with Trump winning a second term. as if THAT many Americans are stupid. or masochists. who didn't know that, as bad as Trump's first term was, this one wouldn't be worse?
Hi Isaac, I am so appalled that this happened to you and by no means am I referring to people who were duly disenfranchised by poor administration by a Board of Election or the postal service or disinformation. My reference to to those I meet who won't vote because they feel its a statement and has some sort of power to change things for the better or get someone's attention. Your situation is unforgivable. I hope you don't give up. Your vote sure does matter to all of us.
i appreciate what you've said.
i have said that i don't believe in voting, for a number of reasons, since i was fairly young...around 50 yrs ago.
i don't live in america...but i wanted to do what i could to make sure Trump wouldn't be re-elected...
from what i saw, my lack of faith in the legitimacy of the vote was confirmed. and not even close to only what happened to me, as i said above...
i have no intention of voting again. i don't vote where i live, in the NL, because i don't need anything to change...and just leave it to those who do want changes...
i just hope you folks are able to vote at all come November. regardless of what i believe...if not just for the satisfaction of believing that you did what you could...
one of the things i like about a number of people that comment is their 'extra curricular work' to help channel people to politicians and orgs that might actually help get rid of the present regime...unfortunately, imo, that includes a lot of the democrats...corrupt is corrupt...just like i'm sure many people on 'both sides of the line' don't care about who gets implicated in the Epstein files...
i left that country over 25 yrs ago because i didn't want my taxes to go to what they were, mostly, being spent on...
and because i knew too much of its true history and momentum...
a lot of the resentment and hatred has been there for way over 100 yrs... it's embedded in the body of America, imo...
but there's a lot of, what i'd consider, good people there...
i came here to support the raising of children in a relatively safe and healthy environment. i had a good life in America, but that wasn't enough for me...
i don't, at all, regret my decision...esp when i ride or walk around and see the 20/20+ yr olds that i helped raise with the tax money i contributed...
thanks again for your words....
Yes Isaac, there are THAT many Americans that are stupid. What 41% support for the scumbag do you think means in numbers of people. Do the math.
what part of 'manipulated' and 'falsified' don't you understand, Ricardo? i was talking about 'non maga', as far as who didn't vote, if that wasn't clear.
41% support for the scumbag president doesn't have anything to do with your's personal and many other people's personal stories about being frustrated and blocked while trying to vote. They are real people not just numbers, I know, I talk to them everyday.
oh. ok.
And that a civilized society is a process, not a steady state. Like the human body, it cannot be sustained without ongoing revision and renewal. Work. I like to refer to the Constitution as a recipe for something we forage, mix up and bake together. Without that, a recipe does nothing for you.
As was Bush ll 's war in Iraq. Republicans are big on shoot first and ask questions later.
Ready!
Fire!
Aim!
It’s the republican way…their ONLY way
So simple, and so very correct!
`No, no!' said the Queen. `Sentence first--verdict afterwards.'
`Stuff and nonsense!' said Alice loudly. `The idea of having the sentence first!'
and you're laying that at THAT moron's feet? when Cheney was his vice president? i wonder how much Halliburton made from that war AND for the cleanup of the Twin Towers?
Yeah, Halliburton got plenty of no-bid contracts, as did Eric Prince's Blackwater. Big boys playing with real live soldier boys! Only these boys & girls don't magically reappear when you refresh the screen or start a new game or pull out a new package of those green plastic soldiers. (That's a sure fire sign that I'm old. I don't even know if they have those any more. And if they do, maybe they're in camouflage not green!)
"Toy soldiers"* still exist, only now they come in both OD (olive drab) or Tan (desert) colors. Camo is too costly to achieve in a 99 cent** toy.
* "toy" seems like an oxymoron when referring to soldiers.
** I remember a bag costing a quarter when I was a kid.
As an aside, I remember watching Desert Storm, and noting how quickly the BDU (battle dress uniform aka basic daily uglies) went from the 'Nam jungle patterns to the first few iterations of the desert camo. Then, digital camo became in vogue, and I remember thinking that the Navy's version was pretty cool (all shades of blue/black). The new patters/colors are now machine designed to match the environment.
That is really interesting. Thank you for the toy soldier history!!!
My favorite toy soldiers are the one we saw in Toy Story the movie!
My cousins had plastic, molded, cowboy figures that saw a lot of action.
Same!!
Some weeks after 9/11, I flew to Anaheim California, and HWB had soldiers with assault posted around the airport, dressed in camo uniforms to blend with potted palms.
That’s…interesting.
to my eyes, it's pretty much always been thinly disguised nobles(aka oligarchs) and serfs... which, again, is what i DO like about this administration...is how much clearer that should be to many people now...
It's weird how we encourage our children to fantasize with princes and princesses, who, after all, were privileged by birth rather than demonstrated merit, and be they relatively civic minded or damned tyrants, lived in outrageous luxury at the expense of the serfs.
" They are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world. You will find that all the arguments in favor of king-craft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden. That is their argument, and this argument of the Judge is the same old serpent that says you work and I eat, you toil and I will enjoy the fruits of it." -- Lincoln
Odd that PBS watching liberals seem fascinated by various aspects of royalty, fiction and non-fiction. My daughter claimed the King Charles has never tied his own shoes, and Charles is more of a cultural touchstone than an old-school absolute monarch.
nice stuff, J L...
it's programming, of course...same as with religions...the reason the two didn't get along at a certain point, of course, is because they were competitors...i'm laughing as i type this...
i was never much for history when i was younger...i just felt like politics and such was 'their game'...i guess i just didn't fall for the glitz...even as a kid i loved Robin Hood...
and i very much enjoyed reading the teaching of Jesus...for the same reason/s...
helping the needy raises the quality of all humanity...done consistently and globally. it's so easy to see...and impossible to accomplish...even though we only need so much...
too many of us(including myself, at various times in my life) don't process pain/frustration/rejection well...which has lead to the dark side of 'the human condition'.
i'm still laughing...thinking how the alpha monkey evolved into Kings...great cartoon...
i know this was a bit all over the place, J L...sorry about that...sometimes i just let the momentum carry me...thanks for the patience...
There’s a great Farside cartoon about that saying …. “What’s the average rain fall in Bolivia?”
Hello Jan... Don't Forget The Role Of The Evil Puppet-Master Netanyahu...
And Putin.
As you point out Putin is another puppet master, who sits pretty waiting for the world to buy his oil while the straights of Hormuz are blocked, at a price. Who do you think is gaining from this war, certainly not ordinary Americans.
good, sylvia...follow the money.
Always, if people are involved. Also ponder who gains and who loses (or dies) when our (ostensibly "our") government acts in our name.
Answer first my questions three
Ere democracy it be
1 Is it OF the people?
2 Is it BY the people (or their faithfully serving fiduciary agents) ?
3 Is it FOR the people?
all 3. like we said...follow the money...of, by and for the rich people...that's who most wars have been fought for. back to kings and serfs...
who does the govt really work for? ask lobbyists(this isn't directed, of course, at you, J L). Oz wasn't the only land with men behind the curtain/s...
no administration that i remember has ever exposed this as well...that 'big, beautiful bill'. sorry...laughing again...wow. and now all this war spending? one of the only reasons i can think of that i might like to be around in 20 yrs is to see how 'history' will spin all of what's happening now...
Mention his name, and I see his smirk.
Euwe!
Such as Rubio - scuffling around in Trump's favorite shoes that are clearly way too big for him. If Rubio is not going to tell Trump the simple truth that "the shoes don't fit" he's surely not going to tell him the truth that the war was an insane thing to so.
Give a child unrestrained power and this is what you get — a country and a world turned upside down by one deranged man surrounded by sychophants.
Over time, it has been apparent to me that the genius “ lawmakers” in the right wing are not capable of thinking through any action to any kind of logical conclusion. Trump’s determination to sow chaos is deliberate, but his followers in the Senate and House just dumbly follow without any conscious thought about where all this is inevitably leading.
Those idiotic “lawmakers” are the ones who should bear the anger of the public and the consequences of their actions.
Since the Powell Memo and before, the plutocratic right has shown considerable method in their madness that is dominating government at the present. Their long term quest for Absolute Power is bearing bitter fruit. As for the future of humanity, they just "don't care, do you?"
The thing is.. we just watched Putin do this same freaking thing. He thought he would collapse Ukraine and have his people in charge within a couple of days...
that was 4 years ago.
How stupid is Trump that he could watch the mess his buddy got into and still fall into the same trap?
Ah, but this time, Iran will be "a cakewalk". What could possibly go wrong when we've got "shock and awe"?
Fame and fortune is (often) a madness. It will lead you far away from home.
Hegseth and Trump purged the Pentagon of any of the top brass who would tell them that the very nature of modern warfare has changed. Ukraine was responsible because it faced an existential threat from Russia. The US bears some responsibility because it was timid in its response as an ally and let Russia take Crimea, and then failed to re-arm Ukraine when Russia came back 4 years ago to get the rest, but so far has failed. Ukraine had to innovate to survive.
We are now in a new age of "asymmetric warfare" where bigger is not better. Iran saw itself as facing the same kind of existential threat as Ukraine, but earlier. That is why it was the original developer of the Shaheds. Long-range Shaheds delivering radioactive dirty payloads are coming as the new weapons of mass destruction. They don't require "weapons-grade enriched uranium. " Any old material from spent fuel rods from civilian reactors will do to contaminate facilities and infrastructure.
The weapons being brought to the fight have changed, but another weapon is at work: the cost differential of destruction. A few million dollars' worth of sub-sea drones have disabled a Russian missile-launching nuclear-powered sub at hundreds of times the cost. How many such drones would it take to disable an aircraft carrier? They now come in swarms that communicate with each other.
The cost for clean-up after a few drone-delivered dirty bombs hit a major city would be enormous.
We are seeing the effects on a grand scale with Trump's war. The Iranians have effectively blockaded the Straits of Hormuz with mines. Any efforts to clear the mines will leave those vessels subject to drone attacks.
This war will go on for a long time, and the US will be devastated by the costs to our economy, as Iran is effectively controlling the oil that the world's economy still depends on. And how very different the situation would be if we were running on clean energy. But Trump got that wrong too.
If people thought that Al Qaeda and bin Laden were dangerous, we had better get ready for some potential truly dangerous attacks right here. With MarkWayne Mullen in a learning curve at Homeland Security and Pete Hegseth in a narcissistic oblivion.
You are right. I forgot all about MarkWayne in the flood of news. And don't forget the Putin fan girl Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence!
Putin is getting so much out of this. Sanctions are being lifted on his oil, so he will stave off bankruptcy. US weapons that would have gone to Ukraine through the PURL initiative are being redirected to fight the war with Iran, and the European rupture with Trump has gotten worse.
The only downside for Putin is Zelenskyy has generated a new revenue stream for Ukraine. He is starting to sell drone tech to the Arab nations that is being manufactured in countries outside of Ukraine.
Yes, Putin has instructed his orange puppet well. “Hey Trumpy, want to distract attention away from the Epstein files? I have an idea. And you’d better seriously consider it. Remember, I fixed the US elections for you. And I still have this compromat on you, remember. Good luck!”
Hello Dutch Mike... Don't forget Netanyahu's Role... Ehmud Barak is mentioned in the Epstein Files, and not in a good way.... Apparently Barak visited Zorro Ranch...
though Barak is doing good work in exposing the devastation that Netenyahu is causing in Gaza and the West Bank.
Les Parnes, the guy who helped tRump, convince the public that Biden's son was taking bribes is now doing a mea culpa, and is now running for congress. However, his knowledge of what Russia, Netanyahu and tRump are up to would be hard to match.
Lev Parnes has balls to be running as a Democrat in FL-27 in Miami. He appears regularly on Dean Blundell's substack videos touting his insider "in the know" creds, so you can decide for yourself how genuine he is. He talks about many unnamed sources.
Something, something, leopards, something, something, never, something, something, spots.
Grifters gotta grift.
What do you all make of the, they’re going to invade Canada “ idea? I keep thinking that we’ve almost stretched our military too far and spent our munitions, it’s perfect timing for, say Russia, to make a move on a weakened US.
That isn't happening. The European Parliament just gave Canada special partner status to integrate its economy with the EU. Basically, all of the allies are turning their backs on Trump's America, with the exception of Hungary and Slovakia, the Pro-Putin members of the EU. We are not considered to be a reliable partner, so they are doing deals to become independent of us. Case in point, Ukraine is manufacturing its own Flamingo long-range cruise missiles (1,800 miles).
Trump has destroyed our credibility in 14 months.
The war will end when Putin says it will.
Trump is now claiming that Jared Kushner was influential in his decision to authorise the pre-emptive strikes on Iran in yet another explanation for why he attacked Iran during negotiations. His press secretary had earlier explained that the president had had a 'feeling, based on fact' that Iran was going to attack US bases and assets in the region, although no 'fact' was cited.
https://popular.info/p/update-trump-says-kushner-helped?hide_intro_popup=true
Also interesting that Trump let slip that the initial estimate for the war's duration was 6 weeks. So 42 days at roughly $1.5 billion per day is $63 billion.
It also looks like the costs of corruption are asymmetric. Jared's $100 million balloons to $63 billion cost to the US at 630:1.
I am being unfair. I didn't add in Witkoff's payoff yet when calculating the corruption asymmetry ratio.
Oops, unfair again. I didn't add in the costs to rebuild Iran and the damage to Lebanon, and the US military bases that were hit, and in Saudi and.....
And then there is the incalculable cost of the lives lost, American and Iranian, due to Kushner's corruption and perfidy.
Republicans will be Republicans.
IMO, Corporatist Fascist (Nazis) will be R.I.N.O.s.
The fool Donald (with chain sawing Elon) got rid of all the true experts in government.
The fact that the Epstein coverup was getting attention.
Meanwhile, New Mexico is looking into the original hub of Epstein's evil.
I cannot fathom that the property has just sat there without any sort of investigation whatsoever. Unconscionable.
And all this just to distract attention from the Trump-Epstein files… The scope of it is mind-boggling. A swindling, grfiting pedosexual starts the third world war just to keep himself out of jail. That’s the bottom line. And the Rethuglicans stand by, watching, and just let him do it.
Yes. Putin is playing him masterfully, or else Trump is his willing accomplice. The list of instructions seems to be-
a) Bribe, bully, threaten and coerce anyone who gets to be inconvenient, and avoid legal jeopardy at all costs.
b) Destroy the remnants of the constitution within this single term, salt the fields domestically with bogus judges and show trials.
c) Ensure that the world despises America from now on, for as long as any of us or any of our children will live.
d) Weaken and permanently corrupt any remaining part of the government that serves the people - kneecap the idea of the consent of the governed.
We see this all openly, despite lacking any sort of functioning media. Republicans are wholly committed to the project. They don't care.
We watch, hoping and waiting for some find of Find Out moment. It never comes. Has the government shutdown made a bit of difference?
Something more decisive has to happen. Otherwise we're just waiting for the big attack on our soil, which needs to happen soon in order for him to declare martial law and cancel elections. I wish it were different!
Completely agree with you. Don't forget that all this was already planned by the Heritag Foundation 50 years ago! Key words: Powell Memorandum. And yes, the Orange Goblin King will do it: he _will_ cancel the elections, in one way or another. He will simply make something up to use as an excuse. The elections that put him in power were the last elections held in the US. Everybody who thinks otherwise is naive: he even promised it in his campaign! I, too, wish it were different, but history has taught us that every dictator who is afraid of losing power will grab that power by force. And Trump is no different.
I’ve been thinking we’re vulnerable to an attack on us soil, directly or terroirs
Have since 2000, W was the practice
And Reagan started it.
The crappy actor who played a leader better than chump on his best day. W too for that matter. America has really survived some poor excuses for competent humans. This one is a prize winner though. If Nobel gives a prize for TWOAT (The Worst of all Time)
Yeah, Reagan sure started the tradition of cosplaying a president. But I don't know if there is a Nobel prize for the world leader who started the most conflicts internationally... Sure hope not.
He truly has earned “the worst of all times” moniker. And I thought W would hold that title forever..
Nixon called for US energy independence. His choice was nuclear, but we have alternatives. That said, at this point nuclear may be less dangerous than fossil.
Solar is turning out to have mammoth added benefits when coupled with farming. Growing crops outdoors under solar panels increases yields because the panels provide shade, reduce temperature extremes, and increase soil water retention, reducing the need to irrigate. It is even being used to grow orchard crops with trees under raised solar canopies.
Setting up agribusinesses in outdated skyscrapers in inner cities creates jobs, reduces transportation energy use, and addresses urban food deserts. You also don't have the costs of tearing down and rebuilding. Rooftop solar installations and battery storage on surrounding buildings can meet power needs, and the light panels in the grow units can be tuned to the optimal color spectrum for each crop, minimizing the energy required from the grid.
Trump's corruption and willingness to do whatever any lobbying group wants as long as they pay his price is destroying our and the world's future. It is showing up in the war with Iran, with the attacks on water desalination plants and how they could force the evacuations of some of those beautiful new Saudi and Emirati planned urban meccas. It is not just about fossil fuels. There are going to be mass migrations over water and food scarcity. The tech to address the food and water crises is already here.
The US could be the world leader in this. But with Trump, we are the laggards.
The world is changing in so many ways, and Trump is plotting a course back into the past. We will continue to have an immigration problem, only in reverse. Our best and brightest will leave for countries with more freedoms and opportunities.
Thanks for bringing this up, Georgia. Another factor is that the 10 huge nuclear plants being authorized (Westinghouse AP1000'S) are still using a version of the light-water design (Chernobyl, Fukushima, etc.) which has been surpassed by the new, inherently safe design where water is replaced with liquid sodium coolant, which melts at around 1,616 °F (880 °C) and is transparent to neutrons. The sodium circulates around the fuel at near-atmospheric pressure, eliminating the need for the massive high-pressure containment vessels required in traditional light-water reactors... which can be inoperative in a power outage or earthquake. Liquid sodium can circulate naturally through the system even if pump power is lost, providing passive cooling. If the reactor core temperature rises, the fuel expands, automatically reducing the nuclear reaction rate. Hence the name: inherently safe.
The old school power players don't want to go through the bother of re-engineering. The only two Westinghouse AP1000's built in the country so far cost around $35 billion total to install, more than double their original cost estimate.
https://newatlas.com/energy/natrium-nuclear-plant-construction-green-light/
Wow! Technology evolves, but instead of trying to remain at the forefront or lead, we ignore advances to save money and avoid short-run profit losses, while exposing ourselves to higher risk over the long run.
And there’s another issue. "On May 27, 2025, President Trump issued executive orders that violated the Atomic Energy Act, and effectively terminated the independence of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)’s and its ability to protect the public health and safety in the operation of commercial nuclear facilities. The orders also rejected settled science on the public health impacts of radiation, putting the safety of workers and the American people at risk."
https://www.nirs.org/new-executive-orders-undercut-nuclear-regulatory-commission-authority-to-protect-public-safety-security/
You can go to the White House website, look under executive orders, and see them listed chronologically. I think you can search by keyword.
I stopped looking after a few months. I did not find anything that would benefit the average person. Maybe someone should catalog them by which industries benefited, make a giant pie chart, and then list the contributors and the amounts they donated to Trump and his personal projects.
YES!
And I hear they make them smaller, safer, and better now.
Malcolm Nance reported that we are miles behind Iran in drone technology. Sabotage is likely to invade the west coast.
Not invented here syndrome coupled with Trump’s jealousy of the respect Zelenskyy has gotten from world leaders is a heady mocktail indeed.
I am in NYC. For the first time in years I am leary of taking the subway, fearing an attack.
Laurie the fear is real. Please take care of yourself.
Hello Georgia... "The US bears some responsibility because it was timid in its response as an ally and let Russia take Crimea, and then failed to re-arm Ukraine'.... There is more to the Story... There are Reasons the Ukrainians fought better in 2022, then they did in 2014....
Yes, it is a long and winding tale, and goes back to the Budapest Memorandum in 1994 when Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons for security guarantees and the long process of rooting out the Russian style government corruption in Ukraine, which is still ongoing.
All of that history influenced the debate at the start of the current war in 2022.
Hello Georgia... If you monitor the OS-INT Community, USA Spec-OPs trained the Ukrainians to Fight Better & Smarter, that is why the Ukrainians fought better in 2022.... Because of 'Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention', they lead in Small Low Cost Drones... The USAF likes High-Cost, High-Capability Platforms like 'Predators', and 'Reapers'....
“ Necessity is the mother of invention” was one of my Mom’s favorite aphorisms.
I only got interested in arms technology in 2022 with the Ukraine war because it hit close to home with my ethnic background. But I have a strong science /technology background as well. The tech and politics interests showed up in college.
One of the things that appears novel about Ukraine’s tech contracts is that they guarantee that new purchases under the contract will always get the latest technology, and they will take back previous-generation units and upgrade or repurpose them. “Waste not, want not.” They are using that as a selling point to lock in long-term commitments for orders. Kind of like upgrading your iPhone. When you decide you want more capabilities, and you turn your old phone in.
It will be interesting to see how the big US defense contractors respond. then there are Don and Eric =s endeavors.
Hello Georgia... Where did you go to School?.... You were a Chem Major?... Mark Milley, and Eric Schmidt, had a joint article in 'Foreign Affairs' in September/October 2024 that discussed the Speeded-Up Ukrainian Cycle... The USA emphasis has been on Big, Expensive, Platforms, with Process-Process-Process that entail long time lines... Exception being the Spec-Ops Community which Emphasizes Preparation & Speed... From my Military Endeavors, I prefer Excellent People with Enough Technology, over Ultimate Raw Technology...
I say Elmo should drop his pants on the price of Tesla. $10,000 (or some such cost) for a new one. After Trump screwed him on the EV tax credits, treated him like a cuck, unceremoniously kicked his ass out of the W.H., now with an opportunity to shine his reputation, will he? No. He’s just a dumbass.
I just feel with the price of oil rising to unimaginable heights (who among us didn’t know that was straight up for sure going to happen?) a cheap EV is a good budget option for everyone who needs a car. Obviously all of do not, but it would go a long way in easing the horrendous budget choices we’re going to have to make for the next 10 billion years.
The model Y in 2023 was the most sold car ( not counting trucks) and with the 7500$ rebates and some state rebates was just over 30,000k. If only big oil didn’t kill electric again for the 3rd? Time.
Criminal Donald isn't just in today's world of hurt as Heather reports.
He's in an even worse world of history. And as Heather has intimated, the worst may involve Russia.
Russia. Russian girls. Jeffrey Epstein and his New Mexico ranch. And our criminal Donald long involved with Jeffrey and the worst of Russian oligarchs.
Donald is busy pushing the Iran hysteria so we look away from the girls, pal Jeffrey’s crimes, and Donald’s and Jeffrey’s Russian pals. He’d much rather we see bad Iranians.
Those Iranians may have been bad since their Islamic revolution of 1979. But – amazing history again – they have justifiably deep grudges against the U.S., 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. Same CIA then not only installed the savagely cruel Shah, but also funded, armed, and trained his secret police, the SAVAK for more than two decades of torture, disappearances, and mind-beggaring other cruelties.
So much nasty history as the U.S. did so much to float to the top of the world so many interlinked and allied criminals and murderers – all those elites we'd later see emerge as Donald's and Putin's Epstein class, though for decades hidden and covered up.
Seems like when the US has fought for human rights, it comes up smelling like a rose. When we fight for corporate advantage, things seem to go sideways. I have long wondered what international politics today might look like had the CIA kept it hands off Iran? If Carter's and even Nixon's environmental concerns had become an ongoing national priority. If most of our energy production was home-grown and decentralized from control by mega-corporations? I was still a kid in middle school when a spookily prescient warning about climate change was issued. What if we had responded wisely all those years ago?
Most well-spoken, J L.
Trouble is, we never had a choice.
Choice disappeared when the far-right foundations grew up to enact all the parts ("schemes," Sheldon Whitehouse calls them) of the Powell memo:
1) killing of humanities in American schools;
2) offshoring of U.S. working-class jobs;
3) growth of the wealth gap to fortify the rich;
4) assaults on the regulatory agencies that protected ordinary Americans;
5) billionaires' uses of social media algorithms to sow hatreds and divisiveness;
6) alliances among U.S. billionaires and world dictators (Epstein/Trump elites).
There are other components subsumed under these six (all deserving elucidation) but the key is we became blinded, narcotized, impotent. An etiology Orwell explained in "Politics and the English Language."
And it’s not like we haven’t been here before, as Professor Heather has pointed out. The Robber Barons of oil, trains, etc. tried (and succeeded for a while) to own the government before. We can beat them again.
Thank you, Karen.
The odds, however, have changed -- since the U.S. equivalents of the former enslavers and the gilded age industrialists now have ties also to the Russian oligarchs, the Middle East fossil fuel tyrants, and all the other authoritarian, nationalist, and religiously mad murderers around the world.
And our schools, long now victims of savage, organized attacks and reduced funding.
True, but now there’s more of us and fewer of them. A few work strikes here and there, boycotting their goods, we can take’em Phil.
So true -- what a list -- and it's been so horrifically effective.
One of my most vivid early childhood memories was being in kindergarten in 1955 in NYC and learning how to hide under my desk and face away from the windows in case there was a nuclear bomb. Lots of fear-mongering back then was driving foreign policy.
Ditto for me, Georgia.
Only mine in 1955 was second grade, and in Dearborn, Michigan.
It was a new school -- Dearborn at the time rich in new schools, new parks-&-rec facilities, public swimming pools, and winter ice skating rinks. All the fathers of my friends had fought in WWII. All came from the ethnic neighborhoods in nearby Detroit -- so many different enclaves there, so many bakeries, foreign language newspapers. All these men (and women) worked on the line in good union jobs, some in management, or as teachers, nurses, firefighters.
When I was a boy, I didn't know about the fear-mongering. I did know I could always go to West Dearborn's Carnegie-endowed colonial style public library, from where by age nine I checked out and read all the volumes in the Landmark young hero series of American history (positive, positive, positive).
Mine was in the early 60’s in East Detroit, Michigan. A neighborhood hood full of dads (mostly first or second generation immigrants) who were auto workers who couldn’t understand why my parents were putting each other through school to become teachers.
Looks like we have a lot of Michiganders in this group!
The Landmark series set me off on my lifelong quest to know real people’s stories…thanks for sharing your passion for learning, Phil!
Hey Phil… you’re a west-sider. 🙂
Yes, Karen.
But I married a girl, years later, from a small German/Polish farming community seven miles n.e. of Mt. Pleasant, in flat, flat, flat central Mich.
Her mother had grown up in east Detroit -- and the grandfather still lived in and immensely enjoyed his mostly Polish community.
I saw a post where you said you went to U of Michigan. I, and all members of my family, went to Wayne State, though my undergrad was at Eastern Michigan and I lived in Ann Arbor. I live in Maryland now and was a Fed (NIH, USAID, HRSA, & FDA) until I got DOGED last year. I’m still looking for a job, things are tight.
Yes, that environment sounds familiar.
I think I was in Kindergarten in 1953 in Cleveland, Ohio. Air Raid Drills are one of my few vivid memories of that year. I doubt that the crouch positions were likely to have done us much good, even on the periphery of such a blast. The thinking that mandated such behavior was never clear to me. Fire drills made more sense.
My father was born, grew up in -- did I mention this before, J L? -- in Cleveland.
St. Margaret's parish, East 125th -- all Hungarian. The Catholic parish just to the west included Slovaks, too -- and most very Hungarian ("The Music Box") Joe Eszterhas.
And I, a present-day Clevelander. Actually, a Lake County-er, east of the city. Born 1955; the dive-under-the-desk drills were ending in my elementary years. Great coming-of-age years during the anti-Nam late 60's times. Some great anti-war concerts held at Edgewater Park! Very Woodstock-ish - at least, what I can remember of them!
I did the same - but in Michigan.
I've known this Iran War was begun as a distraction from Epstein, but suddenly today I'm realizing I think it's also a planned distraction from FOTUS trying to get the Repubs to pass the SAVE Act...for the third time. I'm hoping upon hope that his plan, in either case, proves to be a failure.
Kermit Roosevelt, the man who lit the fuse of this pile of explosives, the CIA agent in charge of the "coup" that replaced Moseddegh with the Shah... was a grandson of Teddy Roosevelt!
Two years earlier, Kermit had started the pro-Arab group, the American Friends of the Middle East. And the next year helped pull off the coup in Egypt that put the CIA lackey, Nasser in place. Then, in 1953, Kermit lit the fuse on all our Middle-East misery for the next 70 years.
This war is a nightmare.
Our White House is a nightmare
Trump voters are a nightmare.
⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️
⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️
⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️
On top of that $11 billion in just a week, the Department of Defense spent $40 billion in just five days at the end of the last fiscal year in September on contracts and grants. Millions for lobster tail, ice cream machines, grand pianos, rib-eye steaks, frou-frou, frangipani, caviar and what-not.
If you do this just to avoid sending a check back to the Treasury at the end of September -- on top of gutting all our foreign assistance programs that over years have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of children, fought disease, provided humanitarian relief, strengthened new democracies, defended human rights and furthered goodwill, trust and partnerships -- you don't have a budget problem.
You have a VALUES problem.
And on top of that, this was just prior to the federal government shutdown which began on October 1, 2025. Congress failed to pass funding bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, which lasted 43 days—the longest in U.S. history. It impacted roughly 750,000 federal employees, created significant backlogs, and resulted in roughly $7 billion to $11 billion in economic losses.
Over 40 million SNAP recipients and other federal beneficiaries faced uncertainty. Federal employees weren't paid or furloughed, people that never needed it before were in food lines or in need of food assistance. SNAP benefits were delayed or reduced, all while Kegsbreath ordered an exorbitant amount of surf and turf, like he's some gourmand running a 5 star restaurant not the war is peace department. And Pete wouldn't even let them eat cake...
More proof that this war has been waged as a major distraction...to Epstein, to paying back the tariffs, to trying to get the SAVE Act passed, etc. Every day it's something new.
I think it's worse than that. The distractions are the icing on the on the cake (and it's a shit icing -- doesn't taste good and is already melting). The cake is about waging war to cement America's place in the new postwar world order where there are NO institutions, NO allies, NO United Nations, no Europe, just three supposedly big powers (America, Russia, China) -- though Russia isn't a great power at all -- to dominate everything....just because they can (or so they believe), unconstrained by any rules in the international order whatever.
“[t]he president sometimes exaggerates or is imprecise when giving figures.” Or...as truth speakers would say, Trump lies his Tangerine behind off
If it wasn't a lie, it wouldn't be Trump. Of course you can say pretty much the same about the whole damned modern Republican Party.
Yes that kind of euphemistic phrasing just won't do anymore...the wording was very irritating because the figures are not imprecise, they're intentionally misleading...Trump constantly exaggerates, not just sometimes.
During his first term alone, fact-checkers at The Washington Post documented a total of 30,573 false or misleading claims made by Donald Trump from January 2017 to January 2021.
He averaged approximately 21 false or misleading claims per day over his four years in office.
We're only just over a year into Donold's second term and I'm not sure if anyone is even keeping track (or if the Washington Post still has fact checkers) anymore, but he lies like a rug. His hateful, vile mouth opens and the lies just pour out...
The neutering of the Times and the WaPo is disgusting - they write as if they are walking on eggshells.
The environmental impact , along with the rest ! 😥
Of course tRump considers the war a success. It has knocked the Epstein files off the front page, no?
Not for long. It's just been revealed that in 2019, Trump's DOJ stopped the New Mexico government investigating murder allegations against Epstein and Maxwell. Frank Figliuzzi (former FBI agent) was discussing it today. The Epstein files are going nowhere. Frank has a Substack.
and by "going nowhere" you mean that they will not disappear from public discourse, not that they will produce no results, political or social....
Yes, any major results in ceasing child sex trafficking seem impossible and justice for the victims seems highly unlikely. Nevertheless, it is important to keep trying.
Why is there always money for war but not enough to assure everyone has good medical care and enough food? This has become a rhetorical question. Shame on every politician who voted against food and medical care for children and those in need, and who now do nothing to stop funding this insanity.
I get three points from this blog. First, we've become Israel's proxy while they destroy southern Lebanon. Second, there is no plan or strategy or even an end point for Trump's war. Just a series of delusional comments by the Don and "bad ass" comments by Major Pete. The war ends when Iran decides to end it. Finally, and this is the most obvious. Regardless of what the Administration claims this will not end well for the world but especially for us. Thank-you Donald for making our 250th birthday so memorable. Bill
Well, he certainly managed to distract everyone from the Trump-Epstein files.
Actually he didn’t. Epstein is still red hot with NM state now investigating the ranch where reportedly there are two foreign girls buried who were strangled. Turns out an investigation was started by the state in 2019 but Bill Barr closed it down. Well now it is up and active again. More and more keeps coming out. And with Bondi having to testify under oath things may fall apart there.
Glad to hear it. Keep it front and center.
Not me. Not "Alisa Writes" and "Sarah Kendzior's Newsletter."
Not everyone. Remember too, there’s way more of us than him.
Nope...that's his epitaph...
Trump, Hegseth, and other administration officials are very obviously covering up errors and miscalculations. Never admit a mistake or apologize - even after killing scores of little girls.
That is not my country. I am more embarrassed than proud of our leadership.
I’ve read that Iran may attack California with drones. But why California with a large population of Iranians? Why not Cheeto trump’s home base?
Believe it or not, I am in California visiting in Southern California, and I heard that on a comment section in one of our very good columnists. So I asked Claude, who first said no way, and then I said but the FBI reported that, which they did, and then it did more detailed explanation. After initially saying I was wrong, with that new information it did some further research. Then Claude said, you’re right to be concerned the FBI was worried that there could be a boat offshore of California that had fairly long range drone capabilities. But that it was not an imminent threat. Well we see how clever the department of defenses these days with Hegseth, and they’ve eliminated, which Claude pointed out, the actual intelligence capability from the defense department. So basically we’re on our own, folks!
I heard this as well, but where are these rumors coming from?
The FBI has alerted Governor Newsome and police departments here in California. Sounds like b.s. and false flag rumblings from this fascist traitorous regime...
Yes Mar a lago is a much better target and karmically deserved for the East Wing alone.
Because it's closer? Even California is around 14,000 miles from Iran but the reports are that the US coastguard had spotted an unidentified vessel somewhere off the west coast and that this prompted the FBI alert. Iran is not believed to have drones that could be launched from Iran into the United States (no one has!).
Remember, this is the K$H FBI, the one with no experienced people and only incompetent Trumpers involved. Don't believe anything someone says is coming from that collection of clucks.
They all think they are starring in their very own video games.
Malcolm Nance, an intelligence expert, says you're wrong. He has reported that Iran is a generation ahead of us in drone technology. He has a video tonight on droppingne technology if you're interested.
Black Man Spy - Malcolm Nance is going live on Mar 12 at 6:00 AM PDT: “US-Iran Warcast- Day 13 - Live w/ Malcolm Nance & jacoob Karsrlsbo”
Because the Iranians in California left Iran for a good reason, they weren’t welcome there and risked death if they didn’t leave.
The cracks are widening. Nightmare screening lines and spiking inflation. Next up gas lines? Buckle up it gets bumpy from here.
I remember the even/odd license plate scheme and limits on how much gas you could buy at one time. Mark my words, that's coming back soon. I also remember how the unemployment numbers jumped and inflation spiked upwards.
I am reposting this comment because while the news media is distracted by Trump’s Iran catastrophe several other very important things are happening. One of the most important according to voting rights lawyer Marc Elias is the SAVE Act recently passed by the House which is designed to suppress voting by eligible voters. The House passed the “Save Act”, then gave a mendacious press conference and sent it to the Senate where it is blocked for now. If you know MAGA Republicans there are few things you can discuss with them. When politicians speak, you have to ask whether they are telling you the facts or “alternative facts”? Are they telling the truth or are they lying? Judging from what they have said in the past, are they trustworthy? So let’s see. These US Congressional and Executive Branch Republican politicians were elected on the promises to:
1. Lower the cost of food, healthcare, housing (new house cost by 1/2), energy (electricity by 50% and gasoline), curb inflation and lower the cost of living.
2. End the Russia-Ukraine war immediately (day one) and no new wars or military excursions.
3. Release the complete Epstein files and expose all the pedophiles.
4. Drain “the swamp” in Washington, DC of corruption and fraud.
5. Pardon the January 6th insurrectionists.
6. Cap all credit card interest rates at 10%.
7. Etc..
Have they done anything to fulfill these promises? They have majority control of all three branches of the government:
(1) You can judge for yourself if you are experiencing any of these benefits.
(2) Russia-Ukraine are still at war with no end in sight, and there have been military actions in Venezuela, Nigeria and Iran with threats to Cuba and Greenland. (If you are Christian see Mark 5 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”).
(3) Only a small part of the Epstein files have been released and they are so heavily redacted and jumbled that it is difficult if not impossible to identify the majority of the perpetrators. Some FBI 302 forms have shown accusations of sexual molestation by Trump of 14 year old girls whose testimony was considered credible enough to be used to convict Ghislaine Maxwell in her trial. Another Trump victim was considered credible enough to be given a monetary settlement by the Epstein estate. Trump’s name reportedly appears in the released files more than 38,000 times. For Christian comparison the name of Jesus appears in the Bible about 1,000 times and the name God about 4,300.
(4) Based on reports from nonpartisan watchdog groups and analysis of official actions, the level of corruption during the Trump Administration has been widely described as unprecedented in modern American history. It is characterized by a “rampant” “pay-to-play” system, using the presidency for personal financial gain, and a high volume of conflicts of interest. - American Bar Association. A whistleblower has testified that an ex-DOGE employee told him he downloaded and took the Social Security Administration’s complete database of the private, personal information on all US citizens to a new job at a private company (Washington Post, 3/10/2026, “Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE member says he took Social Security data to a new job”).
(5) More than 33 of the individuals pardoned have since been rearrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes. The charges range from felony offenses, including child sexual assault, rape, kidnapping and domestic violence, to illegal possession of weapons. I thought we were spending billions of dollars on Homeland Security to kick these types of individuals out of our country not release them into the general population.
(6) Nothing but talk so far on this because the elected officials in the House won’t write up a bill and vote on it. So can you trust these people with your right to vote? What is in the SAVE bill passed by the House?:
“This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship.
Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship.
Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources.
Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters.
The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.
The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.”
(H.R.22 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): SAVE Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/22 ).
But is there any credible evidence of noncitizen voting in our elections? The studies of this have found no evidence: (“How widespread is election fraud in the United States? Not very | Brookings”. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-widespread-is-election-fraud-in-the-united-states-not-very/ And “The Myth of Voter Fraud | Brennan Center for Justice”. https://www.brennancenter.org/topics/voting-elections/vote-suppression/myth-voter-fraud ). After the 2020 election, 64 cases challenging the election results were brought by Trump’s lawyers but they lost all of them. So with so many other issues confronting the country, why is the House of Representatives wasting its time on a nonissue? Is it because they want to make it more difficult for citizens to vote so that they have a better chance to win by rigging the election? A recent Maryland study estimated that 21 million or more eligible voters currently do not have easy access to documents proving citizenship. (https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/9-things-to-know-about-the-proposed-save-america-act ) Why do they use illegal subpoenas (It requires valid evidence that there was a crime committed to get a valid subpoena and there is none. This case was litigated by Trump’s lawyers in 2020 and they lost 64 cases.) to steal ballots from the 2020 election in Fulton county Georgia, a predominantly Blue district? Will they use the data to purge Democratic voters from the state voting roles making it harder for them to vote with the SAVE Act restrictions in effect? One of the Republican House members at the press conference ludicrously accused MN Gov. Walsh of fraud for refusing to give US attorney general Pam Bondi Minnesota voter data in exchange for her (transactional) offer to call off ICE attacks on Minnesota residents in exchange for the data. So be aware of the mendacity and uniform self interest of these people and don’t let them steal your inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and your democracy. NoKings rally, Saturday, 3/28/26. NoKings.org. indivisible.org
Thank you for this review. I’m getting behind in trying to live my life these days. 🙂