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.
Good Noem’s out but.... The inner works of the Department of Homeland Security involves cybersecurity, law enforcement, border security, counterterrorism and more. Kristi Noem has no such knowledge or work experience. The reason it took Trump over a year to figure that out is because he has no knowledge about the Office he holds. Now Trump will nominate Markwayne Mullin to be our Homeland Security Secretary. On a wrestling scholarship Mullin began classes at Missouri Valley College but dropped. In 2010, he completed a two-year Associate degree in Construction. Three years later he became a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma. He campaigned as an outsider with the slogan of being "A rancher. A businessman. Not a politician!" He did not mention he was a MMA fighter, and radio talk show host. Local folks knew that and Trump likes celebrities. Feel any safer? Also, did he fire her only because it would divide the news feed over the release of the TrumpStein Pedo Files a few hours later?
Our security and the future of our Republic calls for us to modernize the Executive Branch. We must repeal the single Executive who is only required to be over 35 years old and natural born. We need multiple informed and experienced Executives with each vested with a diversified allotment of the Departments of the U.S. and other powers of the Executive branch. Keeping all our Departments (the essence of what We the People have become in 250 years) in the hands of a single Executive is like keeping all our eggs in a single basket. It creates a reckless pendulum swing back and forth of frequent & untried changes in laws and politics every time a different President is elected every four to eight years. Our security requires that only informed and experienced persons be able to hold Office.
When George Washington became President there were four executive Departments: State, Treasury, War, and Attorney General (Justice). Today there are fifteen modern and very powerful executive Departments and each requiring special knowledge. These include the United States Departments of:
State (Diplomacy, Foreign policy, international law and relations),
Treasury (Economics and finance, accounting, taxation,...),
Defense (Military science and strategy, engineering, logistics, intelligence,...). The U.S. military alone has six official branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard.
Justice (Criminal and civil law, law enforcement, criminology,...),
Health and Human Services (Public health, medicine, biomedical research,...),
Housing and Urban Development (Urban studies and planning, real estate, sociology,...),
Transportation (Civil engineering, logistics, urban planning, Air Traffic Control and safety,...),
Energy (Physics, chemistry, nuclear science, energy policy, and environmental science),
Education (Pedagogy (theories of education), sociology, education policy, and statistics),
Veterans Affairs (Medicine, healthcare administration, psychology, public administration,...)
We must Unite to elect only qualified persons to protect us but we must also Amend our Constitution. We must address much more than only the repeal of “Citizens United” and gerrymandering. I discuss all of this in my “Memorandum to We the People.” BTW, the professional interpretation and effective presentation by Mr. Dale T. Rowett of LexiGraphics.Pro alone is worth a visit to my Memorandum posted at UnitedWeAmend.org.
Another 'only the best people' stellar Trump appointee. I will say this for the high school graduate from Oklahoma. He apparently doesn't need cheek implants and hair extensions to appear in public. Beyond that...uh....
One less R senator for a very brief moment. Oklahoma got rid of special elections in '21 (I think), so there will be another R appointed by the R governor to complete the MM's term. That person can't run for the seat in Nov, so we'll see who the Ds and Rs can field to run for the seat.
Another nominee to his cabinet, who is superficial, with no passion, no professional distinction, but vanity. We are continually, kinda marching to our downfall, and the best thing would be if the "emperor" would disappear suddenly, at least for the time being.
Stephanie, that's right! At the time of the two ICE murders in Minneapolis, Kristi Noem came under angry attack from public outrage. Trump defended her, saying what a wonderful job she was doing. She followed with a statement that she was doing exactly what Trump asked her to do. Of course, she was. Trump requires that kind of loyalty and obedience from all his appointees.
I fully agree that she should be held accountable for her crimes. But getting her removed from DHS will only result in Trump's appointing another like her. The same goes for Pete Hegseth, whose removal has been demanded for his war crimes - currently the bombing of an Iranian girls’ school in Iran that killed more than 160 people—mostly young children. He does exactly what Trump wants, and will be replaced by another just like him if he is removed.
The point is that the only effective solution is for the public to focus attention on the real problem. They need to get the Republicans in Congress to stop being accomplices to these crimes and remove from the White House the one man who is orchestrating them.
Who knew Trump could make such a mess of things with his appointees and elimination of competent FTEs (Full Time Equivalent), people and the approximate 2 contractors for every FTE?
"...This essay takes stock of personnel changes during the first six months of Trump 2.0. So far, the evidence suggests that changes to capacity, expertise, and political responsiveness may be more significant than reductions in the size of government..."
The differences are staggering when you consider the Clinton cuts still let us tame the debt, even gave us an annual surplus at the end before the next administration took on responses to 9/11 without raising taxes, and claiming one of the wars would pay for itself.
A bit more from the essay:
"...The president’s fiscal year 2026 (FY2026) budget request provides some insight into the administration’s workforce goals. This document requests the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) that the administration hopes to have in each agency for the upcoming fiscal year. Comparing the number of requested FTEs with those each agency had under the Biden administration in FY2024 reveals a plan to reduce the size of the federal workforce by 5.8 percent—from 2.27 million to 2.14 million workers. As shown in figure 1, this decrease is surprisingly small relative to both the overall size of the executive branch and the considerable public attention these efforts attracted. It is also small relative to other presidents’ efforts—for example, President Clinton shrank the workforce by nearly 20 percent as a part of his National Performance Review (NPR).4 Of course, Trump 2.0 has time to catch up with the NPR, but the clock is ticking..."
As soon as El Dumpo went after virtually every Inspector General across the Board you could smell the coming disaster a mile away. "Changes to expertise" indeed.
I didn't like the dismissal of the Inspector Generals in early 2025, particularly with no explanation that the law required. But I guess DHS has an IG again since it was that report debunking the contract that Sen. Tillis was talking about at the hearing.
Yuh know Jim.., every circus that comes to town is preceded by a ton of sensationalism, and ends when the fat lady sings. Right now, we're watching the parade of the elephants. Are we having fun yet? By the way, anybody run across that folder with the 46 thousand "documents"?
And, no Mixed Martial Arts (MMM) Department. Stop Mullin & continue to withhold DHS funding. FULL STOP.
**********************************
Friday, 3/6, morning on 'Way Too Early' the lucid new Author, JASMINE ULLOA was interviewed by Anchor, Ali Vitali. Jasmine covers everything 'immigration' for the NYT.
I just ordered Jasmine Ulloa's deep dive new book:
"EL PASO: Five Families & 100 years of Blood, Migration, Race & Memory".
Oklahoma law lets Governor Kevin Stitt appoint a temporary replacement who must be an Oklahoma voter, a Republican (Mullin’s party) for at least five years, and cannot run in the upcoming election for the seat. Mullin was/is? running for re-election to the Senate in 2026. Filings for the primary are due April 1-3. The primary for the election is June 16, 2026.
Crucially, Oklamhoma law says that:
When a U.S. Senate vacancy or irrevocable resignation occurs, Oklahoma law directs that it “shall be filled” as provided in Title 51, and that the governor calls a special election, but with key timing rules in Title 26, §12‑101(C).
Title 26, §12‑101(C)(1)–(2) says the special primary, runoff, and general are held concurrently with the next regularly scheduled statewide primary, runoff, and general elections.
Crucially, §12‑101(C)(3) adds that “if the vacant office is already scheduled to be filled for a full term at the next available regularly scheduled election, then no special election shall be called” and the winner of that regular election is deemed also elected to fill the vacancy.
Practically, that means: Stitt must appoint a placeholder within 30 days of the vacancy, that appointee serves until after the November election is certified, and the person who wins the regularly scheduled election then takes over the remainder/new term without a separate special election.
Stitt has publicly said he will pick a “strong, small government conservative voice” to support President Trump and “protect Oklahomans’ way of life,” but has not named a person. Stitt (53) is term-limited, and his term ends in January 2027, so he could be interested in running for Mullin's Senate seat in November.
Apparently, Mullin has not yet said yes to the nomination, and the Senate would have to confirm him.
The next election for an Oklahoma Senator after 2026 will be in 2028. The current holder of that seat is Republican James Lankford.
I think most states deal with Senate resignations the same way, in that the Governor appoints a replacement until the next election. In Colorado, we have the lovely prospect of our current Democratic Senator, Michael Bennet, being elected Governor in November 2025, then naming his successor in the Senate who will serve for 2 years until the 2028 election. You can bet that aspiring Dems will be careful in taking sides before the June 30 primary for Governor. I don't know whether it would play out the same way in Minnesota, where Sen. Klobuchar is running for Governor.
The Nuremberg Trials were conducted by France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Who will bring the United States of America to trial for the bombing of Iran and the deaths the United States Navy caused by the torpedo of an unarmed Iranian ship? Or the Venezuelan boats or any other atrocities America is known to have committed? If it happens, how much will America pay in resources and prestige for our chosen leaders' depravity? Who will hold this regime responsible for the domestic terror forced on our citizens?
The answer is no one. Democrats can talk, but will they act?
We may be nearing a time when a collaboration of nations, as in the Nuremberg trials, will come together for 2.0. There are definitely international rumblings against DJT that are getting a tad louder and more frequent.
I think when the next trials take place, Spain will step into the position once held by the US. France is a given, as is England, and the USSR spot will go to either Norway or Germany.
Mary, Ds have to be in power, otherwise they are basically hamstrung as we have seen. Senator Wyden has been for a long time trying to follow the Epstein money, but currently is getting no help from the Treasury Secretary. And as noted by Nancy below there is international pushback.
Makes no difference who is "the Head" of DHS. They just need to carry the party line in some way or another that let's Trump be Trump. Noem has not been "fired"..., she's done a great job. She's got a new job.., and it's a "great job" too. Question is, will she get to use that 737? That's the only problem I see. That, and three more years.
Thanks for reading my mind, Georgia. Later last night I happened to watch the 1983 movie Casino. I do not recall ever having watched it before - I'm not a movie/actor buff. Kinda serves to remind one that "darkness" exists. Being able to look back and find some humor in it might be tough while chained in some detention facility in possession of no 'means' whatsoever. Sorry. We're on an uncertain voyage.
And...is anyone in Washington keeping track of the billion a day it takes to operate the Iran War, the billions that must be paid out for failed tariffs, the cost overruns of ICE, let alone Trump's grifting?
tRump is suing the DOJ (?) for the $$ he spent on his own defense. Just wait until We the People sue him and his estate for our $$$ he spent without Congressional approval while in office, together with the expense for re-building the East Wing of Our House!
Evidently not. Or the republicans would be screaming about the deficit, which in reality, they really don't care about unless the Democrats are spending $$ on infrastructure, health care.....you know stuff that keeps society fit, healthy, sound, repaired, safe......
With Bush II handing out massive tax breaks to billionaire while declaring two wars Dick Cheney famously claimed that "deficits don't matter". Modern Republicans just let the bills pile up until a Democrat comes into office, and THEN they cry blue murder about the deficit. It's worked for them for decades and allowed them to erode much of the public-serving spending that was initiated pre-Reagan. Just prior to Trumps election I saw some polls that claimed that a majority of the public thought the one area in which Republicans out-performed Democrats was in stewardship of the economy. This post the "Great Recession". This despite the post-Reagan shrinkage of the middle class. A clear majority now oppose the policies of Trump, but even at that it is a wonder that ANYONE except the zillionaries remain in his corner. What seems to be missing is a hunger for corroborating evidence. Back in the Jurassic Era, when I went to college, the opening lecture talked about how Aristotle believed that women had fewer teeth than men. Evidently he never bothered to count; yet counting counts. A lot.
JL-Great quote-if we dig deeper to understand the root causes of our nation’s dilemmas and challenges, then maybe we can move forward to solve our nation’s problems and capitalize on our opportunities to manifest “liberty and justice for all”.
Really appreciate the quotes you bring to bear, J L.
;)
I think the ROOT here is/was the moral rot that comes from enshrining a 'national virtue' of chasing consolidation of wealth and power, particularly the FAST & EASY routes to such power, and the corruption that attends obscene power. Capitalism is a great market tool if you can control it. But it has a natural tendency and capacity to control the regulators. The effect is that poorly regulated capitalism, ie, most capitalism over time, eats its children (ie, the desired offspring of fair markets: optimal pricing, optimal distribution, maximal competition for best product at lowest price). Unregulated capitalism strangles these in the crib as soon as it can.
All that remains of the 'invisible hand' of one's 'fair market' youth, is the absolute corruption of unfettered power (to paraphrase Lord Acton).
But the biggest issue isn't that fair markets have been captured and destroyed by monopoly, price-fixing, vertical integration, etc., but that the resulting power towers of consolidated wealth that we call billionaires and multi-national corporations, are both: 1) corrupt themselves, and 2) corrupting of all levels of what once was democratic governance. "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." (familiar?)
To enshrine unfettered capitalism in the name of strategic economic governance is to make a deal with the devil of our most libertine appetites.
We knew this well before the release of the Epstein files, if we are honest. My bother tells the story of his 3 year old: "Honey, 5 scoops of ice cream is TOO MUCH." Daughter: "But Daddy, I WANT too much!" Our NY/Russian-mob-like plutocratic oligarchy is the result of losing sight of our founders vision for fair sharing and mutual respect of universal rights.
Do your best to vote in Nov.; and to vote for democracy, against the Epstein class.
Exactly. "Government" is not "the problem", monopoly is. Free enterprise is not the problem, monopoly is. Throughout recorded history, abuse of power has been the bane of aggregated human experience, from genocide to "The Intolerable Acts". Politics is the process by which we determine whose will prevails, and that process occurs with and among families as well as within and among nations. Between two individuals. Between races. Any way you want to cut it. The process can be amiable, transactional, or coercive, or some blend. It's the one-way, coercive that sucks; from a mugger in an alley to aggressive war, and as Woodie Guthrie sang, some will rob you with a six-gun, some with a fountain pen. Three species of power are material (money), political, and violence, and the more corrupt the society, they more they blend together.
Lincoln said "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." The fact that Lincoln said it does not make it true, but if you think in terms of distribution of power, justice is inclusive, not exclusive, and so is love worthy of the name. Liberty is experienced individually and environmentally, and as racism clearly demonstrates; there is such a thing as a tyranny of the majority; and thus the need for the maintenance of *universal* individual rights. It's not impossible to move in that direction, but enough of us have to be motivated enough to create and maintain those conditions *together*.
Foundational solidarity enables and nurtures responsible diversity, and unique, individual paths to happiness. E Pluribus Unum.
"The word "solidarity" originates from the Latin word "solidus," meaning "solid" or "firm." It entered the English language in the early 19th century from the French word "solidarité."...
Solidarity refers to a sense of unity, support, and mutual responsibility among members of a group or community. It implies a strong bond, shared values, and a willingness to work together for common goals."
I wish to apply to be a Nuremberg prosecutor in 2.0. While I have no direct experience prosecuting skunks, rats and other vermin, I will promise to carry out my duties to oil up the guillotine and prepare for Miss Noam, a bed of Peruvian Lilies for her head to roll on to after the guillotine blade removes said head from body.
I support you Bill as long as her punishment is life imprisonment on the Pine Ridge Reservation to be guarded by Native Americans. She'll likely be treated much better than the Native Americans she incarcerated in Minneapolis, but maybe not.
Penny, good idea. Where she would be standing elbow to elbow with hundreds of other women, eating foul, insect-infested food, toilets overflowing with urine and s...it, no showers or daily baths, no mirrors or grooming tools with which she could coiff her lovely cascading curls.
Bill Katz, one of the most offensive and provocative words that Trump used was referring to the opposition as “vermin.” If you act like him, you become more like him. Factual words in her case work just as well. Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment to me. I do like the idea of putting the Lakota of Pine Ridge on guard for her.
Megan, Mullin is dishonoring the Native peoples he claims to come from by taking over a department that has been illegally locking up and abusing the Original people of the land of the United States. Perhaps he will prevent that, but I doubt it. Also, will he use his plumbing skills to fix the plumbing in the ICE detention centers? I think not!
I wrote a piece on how Trump and his acolytes use "Doublethink" and "Duckspeak" from Orwell's book "1984". Noem is a "Duckspeaker" using "Doublethink" in trying to throw Trump under the bus over the outrageous ad campaign. Trump, the master "Doublethinker threw her right back under the bus and made sure it rolled over her.
Markwayne or Kristi, is more of the same. However, will Markwayne's nomination has yet to be approved. The Rubberstamper Republicans will, let us hope the DINKy Dems do not.
No, but he will no doubt shoot himself in the foot once he/we know how incompetent he is, even though he believes he has been marked out by Providence to initiate projects he thinks will be ordained by his holy leader.
That we know of is correct. What we do know is that he is the guy who wanted to get into a wrestling match with the teamster leader, but supposedly they are getting along now.
If you’re referring to Albert’s comment, I read it all but I was already up too late so I kept my comment short (I’m now awake with my sick 3 year old). I didn’t see a need to reply to every part of his response but rather acknowledge the last paragraph to make sure others saw it, as well as have a short response to the first about Noem’s replacement.
If you’re referring to Professor Richardson’s letter, yes I read it on Facebook before she posted it on Substack. I am quick to comment on Substack because I know it’s coming after seeing it on Facebook. I stayed up a little extra waiting for it to be posted here.
However I’m not sure why you’re asking about what I read.
Megan, hope the little one is soon on the mend, and that you can get caught up on rest this weekend. THANK YOU for always posting your excellent chart!
Thank you! She’s still getting over the flu she first got back on February 18th! It’s taking so long to get over. Daytime symptoms is just a runny nose, but at night the sore throat and congestion really bothers her ❤️🩹
Sorry. Didn’t intend to comment on your reading, just some snark in the length of the essay you responded to. Hope your child recovers quickly. Tough times but you seem to be up to the challenge. Good for you.
Which reminds me... "The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30-second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance." — Carl Sagan, "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark."
"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning." (Mark Twain) and some "right on" distillations have widely forked lighting, while Trump and his ilk spread their obfuscatory darkness.
While I don't wonder, I also don't think he would remember them if he did. Was just on the phone with my mom who has dementia. She said someone she knows, but she does not know who, gave her a magazine on Alzheimers so that is how she believes she must have it. I said you have "vascular dementia and maybe that is Alzheimers, but the doctor did not use that word." I am wondering who would give my mother a mag on Alzheimers, when she cannot read any more. I am wondering if Trump can remember things that do not directly involve him getting money out of it.
I think you are correct. I am so sorry about what your mother is dealing with. I understand from my own family experiences. Trump has many mental and physical problems. I doubt he can remember anything. It is most evident once he is off script.
I wish the Democrats used your list of qualifications for cabinet appointees in selecting members of a shadow cabinet to transparently craft a party platform ahead of the midterms. Let's put some of your ideas into practice NOW.
Time is getting so short, I am hoping Obama and Pelosi will start inviting experts, wonks and young Democratic stars to sleepovers to workshop the platform. Obama and Pelosi provide snacks, beer and pizza and break up any fist fights. The cabinet assigns public-facing opportunites to each of the stars/experts in teams like AOC and Bernie did in roadshows to discuss the platform ahead of the midterms.
I like that idea and yes, NOW. One way to reach many swing voters is fear. That is why they sometimes vote Republican. I will work on a compare and contrast of who we now have in the so-called "Cabinet" and the full list of what is involved in the operation of the 15 U.S. Departments. Imagine Trump starting a major war without Congress declaring it, then changing his Homeland Security Secretary a week later because of incompetence and his replacement also failing to meet the job description any more than RFK, Jr. is a doctor. Animals and clowns everywhere and nothing to laugh about.
The AOC/Bernie barnstorming was hugely successful at energizing their supporters and messaging. That has to be replicated for every department in the cabinet. Get the best Dem politician running in the midterms on National Security (Vindman?) and pair him with a barnburner wonk (Malinowski?).
Albert—research which candidates should get invited to the sleepovers to represent each department and which experts they should be paired with. We have to get this party started! Ideally, this should be well underway before the primaries.
The list of qualifications can be built out as we go along. and more can get added to the team. There are tools to do this; we just have to use them and then lobby our senators and Governors to get to Pelosi and Obama and make it happen. The idea is to then focus on the people with the power to persuade Pelosi and Obama to do it. I bet we could persuade a lot of Heather’s followers to support the idea and write to those influencers.
Query for Perplexity pro:
democrats up for election in 2026 with expertise in National Security
I so hope and wish I will be still alive to see it happen. The blatant corruption, ineptness and immorality of this administration MUST be exposed to all Americans.
Below is my restack of today's post from Robert Reich. Write your own version and use it on restacks of other "thought leaders" in the Democratic party.
So Robert, here’s a challenge to you from a 75-year old.
I wish you would organize Democrats by helping to create a shadow cabinet to transparently craft a party platform ahead of the midterms. Let's put some of your ideas into practice NOW.
Time is getting so short, I am hoping Obama and Pelosi will start inviting experts, wonks, and young Democratic stars to “sleepovers” to workshop the platform. Obama and Pelosi provide snacks, beer, and pizza, and break up any fist fights. Pelosi and Obama aren’t there to tell the shadow cabinet the answers; they are there to ask the right questions to unleash creativity.
There wouldn’t necessarily be a single best answer, but the electorate is smart enough to understand what is possible, the pros and cons of various approaches, and the trade-offs that will have to be made to wind up with programs that match fiscal realities. The Republicans’ fiscal irresponsibility is going to create enormous and changing constraints going into the midterms.
The goal is to construct a big tent that addresses the issues most important to the most voters.
The shadow cabinet as a whole would assign public-facing opportunities to each of the stars/experts, styled on what AOC and Bernie did in their 2024 roadshows, to discuss the platform ahead of the midterms.
This would have a far greater impact than your current efforts to educate people who are already fans. It would allow the Democratic Party to educate the ENTIRE American electorate.
You have the contacts to make this happen. Ideally, it should have been started the day after Trump was elected. Many writers on Substack have supported this idea. Between you and Heather Cox Richardson, you have millions of subscribers who could support this effort.
Please, put that ever-sharp and youthful brain of yours to work in an effort like this. America needs you. Take up the challenge!!!
Hey everyone, the New Democrats to challenge the incumbent old school/go along dems come from “leaders we deserve “, David Hogg. They are motivated to make a difference!
In his Hopium Chronicles writing, Rosenberg argues that House and Senate Democratic ranking members “MUST start acting like a Shadow Cabinet and take on daily communications – not just legislative – responsibilities,” citing the need for a unified, visible opposition structure.hopiumchronicles+1
In more recent discussions with Stuart Stevens and others, he has pushed for Democratic leaders to create a loose governing council with governors and attorneys general to coordinate national messaging, which is conceptually similar to a shadow cabinet model.https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/meeting-the-moment-a-new-discussion
There are two prongs to this fight. One is reform, as you are suggesting. The other is rousing the people. I think Democrats have always had good ideas. Republicans have done better lately with rousing the people, using fear and prejudice and painting Democrats as evil. We’ve rolled our eyes at their antics and offered our “better ideas” and here we are. In some states we can’t win a legislative seat for love or money, even though voting Republican is literally killing them (West Virginia for example) By not fighting back and doing our own version of “people rousing” we have allowed this to happen! Time to change it all.
Agree 100%--Lots of ideas from Dems, but they are all kind of one-off, and Dems' messaging is so bad we are letting Republicans define what our positions are for us. Right now, there is so little messaging, its crickets. It is all reactive to Iran, and the Epstein Files, and Kristi Noem, that DHS funding and healthcare are submerged in the flood.
The shadow cabinet is a direct lift from the UK where the parties out of power have their own solutions and spokespersons at the ready for every debate. It works there, but now with the media landscape so compromised by all the mergers and the obeisance to Trump we are relying on new media, and that does not reach everyone.
Rousing the people is probably the most important. Getting involved in local Democrat groups is vital. Waiting until general elections is foolish. There are many primary races, from school board to Federal offices, in which the democrats don’t even run a candidate. And then we sigh when repubs just walk into office.
It’s not too late to assemble a shadow cabinet and produce a platform! If anyone knows how to get through the 20-foot high mined fence around the DNC, let me know. I’ve sent letters but they just disappear into the quicksand.
I’ve given up with them. I post on Robert Reich’s substack and restack with a note there. He subscribes to me. I will call my senators, Booker and Kim and suggest it.
If 1% of Heather’s followers did that it would be 30,000 likes for Reich and calls to Senators. The would have the clout to get through to Pelosi and Obama.
I loved the idea of that shadow cabinet when it was first proposed. I felt it could have made a real difference. I was so disappointed in the Dems when it never happened.
It seems to me that a certain momentum carried over some of the autocratic features of kingship to our innovative office of chief executive, not the least of which is the power of pardon. Some process of pardon seems reasonable to correct injustices imposed by an arguable flaw in our legal system, especially with the benefit of hindsight. To leave that decision to the whim of a single person seems very much at odds with "a government of laws" and reasonably equal justice, as those who may merit a pardon can be arbitrarily ignored while others for which no ethical case can be sustained are released from accountability corruptly with no redress. I am aware of no significant presidential power that, from a practical standpoint, simply must be independent of other's consent. Certainly the current Republican Party has been keen to demonstrate corrupt unaccountable governmental can become.
The pardon power has always concerned me as a power above the law. In Section 5, of the model amendment in my Memorandum I attempt to address it. That section rewrites every mention of President and vice President in the Constitution to create seven Executives. The Attorney General is one of the seven, all of which are elected by We the Citizens of the United States in a national election. As for the pardon power, "Being a Government of laws, and not of persons, the Attorney General shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for convictions of Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment, but no Reprieve or Pardon can be granted unless new evidence supports a reasonable belief if it had been presented at trial the jury would not have convicted, and there shall be no preemptive Reprieve or Pardons." UnitedWeAmend.org
I get why some lawbreakers are granted immunity as an incentive to testify, but preemptive pardon, such as was applied to Nixon never made any kind of sense to me. I was surprised (when it was applied to Nixon) that it was even considered legal. It certainly contributed a precedent for treating presidents as in some sense unanswerable to law, which has metastasized over time.
Albert, I'm up reading much earlier than normal. Early appointments today. I'm just taking a moment here to (again, I believe) THANK YOU for pulling out your credit card to become a paid subscriber such that you can post comments. YOU, sir, add so much to the daily Letter, and I appreciate you.
SOmewhere (maybe someone reading can help with this) I saw a report that the real issue wasn't the blanket but a small bag. I somehow came up with the assumption that the contents of said bag might required a power source, if you follow my drift. That allegation disappeared really quick, so who knows.
As you said Miselle, so who knows. In any case, this American Marie Antoinette was supposed to be responsible for whatever she was carrying. Spoiled baby.
Albert, I wish that we had a Dept of History, as perhaps it would help whatever POTUS we have understand why many pieces of legislation were put into place--and I'd nominate HCR for the job!
The Smithsonian Institution has sort of been our keeper of history. Kind of a mix of historical artifacts and cultural anthropology. Now J.D. Vance is attacking it to re-write history.
The US government has traditionally invested robustly in advancing a number of useful sciences. Even Nixon believed in supporting some evidence-based research as well as spreading lies. With Reagan, we began to pull back, and Trump has tried to block anything he and fellow plutocrats do not directly benefit from and control.
I agree with you about "effective presentation by Mr. Dale T. Rowett of LexiGraphics.Pro alone is worth a visit to my Memorandum posted at UnitedWeAmend.org. It's time-consuming and user-friendly. I'm old, but I work and am reminded of my diluted attention when it comes to deepening into details of what to do next, like with Ther Constitution. For years, I've been digesting concepts about the destructive phases of society's transformation -- the personal willingness to face change voluntarily before it happens to us (as it now is). These are catalytic times, and I agree that there is a need to revise, see with fresh eyes, update personal and collective world views, hold lawlessness accountable, and face the regenerative challenges. I applaud your investment of time, Albert R. Killackey, Esq. I hope for effective absorption by a broad public sooner rather than later. A challenge artists/creators face is whether what's been created will be received.
I don't know much about this guy so am grateful for the information. I've seen a couple of his interviews on CNN and frankly he comes across as a bit thick, so I guess he will fit in fine in this administration if he's confirmed.
This sounds so sane and intelligent. No sane company hires unqualified people to fill important roles in their company, unless they really dont care if they are to be successful. We typically do not advance school kids if they haven’t grasped the knowledge to do so. There is a hiring process for a reason. Just ask any successful company. Gnome may have embezzled taxpayer money and we no longer have an AG that works for “We the People”. We need to hire one that works for us, not for the nitwit in office (no matter who that nitwit is). WTF
What you are suggesting sounds a great deal like a twenty-first century version of Plato’s Republic.
The problem with it is that for all your talk of We the People. you’ve largely cut us out of your equation. Since you clearly mistrust We the People to do so, whom do you suggest should be deciding who is qualified to run for office? Some select committee? Funny, that was the original intent of the Electoral College, that late-night jury rig that has now become a partisan weapon.
The core problem here is that far too many of us simply don’t understand that we are both the inheritors of and the participants in the most extraordinary, the most crucial, the riskiest, and the most complex ongoing experiment in human society and government ever attempted. No one who really did understand that would ever have voted for Donald Trump (not to mention a few other past presidents)
The fact is that the more ‘safeguards’ one puts in place to prevent autocratic demagogues like Trump from being elected, the further from democracy we get.
It’s all a bit like our endless struggle over the Free Speech clause in the First Amendment. Curtailing it in any way is a very slippery slope.
There certainly are elements of the Constitution that no longer ‘fit’ the modern world. We should be surprised if the first governmental blueprint of its kind in human history, created in a very different world than the one we now inhabit would still suffice. But at the core of what the Framesrs intended is still the essential element of any democracy - We the People.
In the end, the Framers challenged us to see if together, and for all our diversity of opinion, We the People could find just enough of the courage, the honesty, the compassion, the understanding, the tolerance, the humility the humor, the wisdom, the hope, and the sheer common sense to rule ourselves from the bottom up with as much justice and equity as is humanly possible.
If we cannot, then all the constitution and legal guardrails we could invent would not save us. Some other form of government would be necessary.
Please read my Memorandum before claiming a I have "largely cut us out of [my] equation." Most of my post above is a quote from my Memorandum which ends with a five section model amendment. We the People control the States we live in. No amendment becomes part of the Constitution unless three-fourths of the states (currently 38 out of 50 states) ratify it. That is what a Republic is all about. Thus if we decide to diversify the Executive Branch into Seven Executives who are each required to prove their being fit within the Amendment's terms for leading a particular section before their name goes on the ballot, then no more needs to be asked. UnitedWeAmend.org.
"Our security requires that only informed and experienced persons be able to hold Office.”
I repeat my central question. Who decides who are the ‘informed and experienced persons”? ‘We the People’ do control the states we live in, but that guarantees nothing.
I know all about the amendment process., thank you. I taught American history for over 40 years.
OK, well, I don't know how else to explain it. If the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and the amendment list the requirements of "who are the ‘informed and experienced persons", then it is the Constitution which made the decision. If that does not help then go back and read the instructions. Go to the Memorandum and find out what it says.
Tne Constitution says nothing about who are 'the informed and experienced persons’. It only mandates age and habitation requirements. You yourself noted that there should be something besides an age requirement. What would that be, and who ought to decide it?
Moreover, he only had to deal with white land owning adult males being "WE the People." Please promote my Memorandum. It involves a much needed conversation the "We the People" of 2026 must have.
My Thanks. My post above is only one page from mu 59 page Memorandum. Please download it and share it. You can also download a Red, White and Blue rally size poster of UnitedWEAmend.org.
Amending the constitution is a two-edged sword, as discussed ad nauseam previously. Charles Koch has a plan.
Speaking of plans, chump is following Vlad’s plan is he not. He will rule the Western hemisphere while Vlad gets his slice out of the rest. China may have plans of its own. Netanyahu and MBS are biding as well. Chump is signaling that he is focusing on our territory but he wants a say in how the rest is divvied up. Gotta be some transactions there. Money still = power and vice versa
I respectfully disagree that amending the constitution is a two-edged sword. As Jefferson wrote, “...laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind ... we might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.” IOW, there comes a time when either the sword is at our neck. "Join, or Die" is a political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin. I use the word Unite.
IMO, it is crystal clear Trump is following Putin's orders to destroy our country. Putin is the world's leading corporatist fascist. Also, Trump wants more than just the West. Now he wants to hand select the next leader of Iran the same way he wants to select the next Republican candidate for Texas Senator. IMO, Trump and Putin are facing hate from the world's most powerful people. Every country will all lose as Wall St. falls and fuel cost rise. Everything transported will go up in price. They are both marked men. Yet it is also clear that J.D. Vance may be worst, as well as Mike Johnson. That makes them all targets. Their mouths have created the most unstable time in our Republic as our entire so-called leadership could fall at any moment. I cannot imagine having the jackass Cabinet left sitting until a new President somehow makes a stand. I cannot find the diplomatic words for how, with hat in hand, our next President says to the world, "Shit happened."
Take heart all. The end is coming to Domestic Terrorist #1. Donald J Trump.
In the world of public opinion, Trump is a total, loser. BIGLY. Everything he does is unpopular.
His approval ratings have been dropping since his real agenda started to roll out last spring. His public approval ratings dropped from +50%
In January 2025 into the mid 40% range by early Spring. Then, this winter, with the outrageous, fascist murders in Minneapolis his approval ratings dropped to +/- 39%.
He has shed support across all groups except one. His strong support from the "bro" investor class who hang onto the performance of US equity markets as proof of Trump's genius.
Now, the war against Iran and the growing quagmire of his tariff regime are tanking US markets. Biden handed Trump a healthy US economy in Jan. 2025 with the Dow recovering from 28,000 in 2020 to 44,000 in 2025. As I write this post, the Dow is rapidly heading down to 47,000, the 5th day in a row of significant drops. It seems every 1000 point drop in the Dow will cost Trump .2-.4% in approval ratings.
When he achieves a Dow collapse below 40,000 his approval rating will hit 35%-36%.
This is utter rebuke for the leader of the GOP.
Remember the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Toto goes behind the Wizard's curtain and it's just a grumpy old guy running a scam?
With regard to dividing the news feed, I have to say that there are some newscasters who are able to cover Iran, Noem and the Epstein files in the same program. trump may see himself as all powerful, but nothing he does will make the Epstein files go away.
True the demand to release the TrumpStein Pedo Files will never go away until they are released in full but for the names of the children who were raped. My point was dividing the news among three stories when news about a 13 year old girl claiming Trump raped her really belongs front and center smells like something rotten is under the house. Perhaps a "SPECIAL REPORT" is required here.
Given Trump's ability to reduce our Mother Earth to a lifeless barren, his malevolence has no precedent in our planetary history. His moral imbecility -- his sociopathy -- is clearly without limit, which defines his Evil as genuinely absolute and infinite, a magnitude of depravity for which there are no words in any language. Two Liberation-Theology Christians I know, each PhD'd, each a retired college professor, regard him as the Anti-Christ, the bringer of apocalypse, a real-world manifestation each formerly viewed as entirely metaphorical. From what I read online, many of their Liberal Christian colleagues -- that is, humanitarian-minded Christians who correctly interpret the Bible as more metaphor than fact -- have come to the same conclusion. And I – with the consciousness of word-meanings necessitated by a near lifetime of professional writing -- cannot overlook the decidedly eerie appropriateness of Trump’s name; as a verb, one of its definitions is “to impose unfairly,” and its synonyms include “defeat,” “conquer,” “crush” and “trounce.” But Fate is not without her sense of humor, for as a noun, one of its British meanings is “fart,” and its verb-form is “fart,” "farting" and “farted.” Therefore it might pejoratively be said that when President Donald J. Fart befouls the atmosphere with his threatening diatribes, he is indeed farting – that is, expressing the vile, karma-comedic truth of his name...(may its apocalyptic toxins all be exorcised by the healing energies of our planetary motherland). (See https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trump#Synonyms , https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump and https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/trump )
Excellent post. I hope to live long enough to see him go like a fart in the wind. Still, I know his stench will linger on as a part of the Roberts Six. Many among us say climate change is the existential threat of our time, a risk high enough to potentially cause our extinction. However, consider The Attack on us by the Court and its decision creating Corporate Personhood, and "Citizens United" claiming money is the protected speech of Super PACs and Dark Money of non-profit groups to influence elections and law making. Consider recent decisions on gerrymandering neutralizing votes. Combine that with the fact that to address the catastrophic threat of Climate Change we need the control of our elections, and it becomes clear that the Roberts Six is the existential threat of our time. Unless we repeal all their brain farts by Amendment they will cause our extinction.
Thank you, Mr. Killackey. Apropos the Robber's Court (typo intentional), what do you, as a lawyer, think of the possibility of impeaching the Seditious Six and perhaps even finding grounds to prosecute them?
In my Memorandum I discuss the case of Trump vs. the USA. There the Roberts Six actually lied beyond any lie is law ever. They actually base that lie on the Republican form of government which our Constitution is based upon, that we are a government of law and not of men. They argue that is what makes a President exempt from the law. IMPO, yes, they all should be impeached and then indicted, convicted and put behind bars from breach of the public trust. Good God. An eight grade student in the US should be able to see the lie they wrote. Plus they did it to stall the prosecution of the felon.
I like what you write. That which bugs me lately is this "god delusion" that has gripped many generally reasonable people.
Throughout human history it is the world's major religions that have produced the greatest causes of humanity's suffering.
Though god, the devil, heaven or hell (waiting in the dentist's office) have no place in my world view, I appear to be in the minority.
As usual these religions base their absurdities on man-made texts that assert theirs is the one true god--because we say so. You don't like it? That's a good enough reason to persecute you (which usually includes theft, slavery, and murder).
Don't get me started on these faux christians. I'm inclined to agree with Nietzsche when he commented that the last christian died on the cross.
So please, when you write, try to leave out references to "the books," their imaginary gods, and what they claim is telling them what to do.
Last time I checked, hearing voices can get one committed.
But wait, my bad, these state-sponsored maniacs that are causing all this suffering and destruction don't believe their bullshit--they just want us to believe it.
I cancelled my god subscription in 4th grade when i finally figured out that the nuns and priests were selling a fraudulent product--and i quit the cult of catholicism.
Thank you for the compliment, Michael. Personally, I am an agnostic, albeit admittedly with appreciation for the beliefs of my pre-Christian ancestry, which is mostly Celtic, albeit maternally seasoned with 1/16th or 1/32nd First Nations genes, proven so by my shovel teeth, by its geography probably Mohawk. I am a direct descendant of the Blisses a daughter of whom was Mary Blisse, who in 1675 beat a witchcraft rap in Boston. I am also outspokenly hostile to patriarchy and patriarchal religion; I recognize that the historical arc based on cooperation (and therefore "bending toward justice") that enabled our species’ survival during our first approximately 204,000 years ended – probably forever – with the violent imposition of patriarchy about 6,000 or 7,000 years ago. But not only did that arc end; it was vindictively reversed; the technological progress that had previously benefited our entire species suddenly, under patriarchy, became weaponized for sole purpose of perpetuating the male supremacist tyranny that is patriarchy's quintessential purpose. Thus the notion that history arcs toward "justice" was transformed from pre-patriarchal truth to what under patriarchy -- a social organization pimped by talking snakes, fiery wheels in the sky and allegedly divine apparitions announced by thunder, smoke and fire; the cultural equivalent of smallpox-contaminated blankets – is our species' greatest, most-atrocity-protecting all-time deception. Thus too the definitive history of Christianity since Constantine began the process of making it Rome's state religion: ever-intensifying ecogenocidal warfare against women, nonbelievers and our Mother Earth herself, a perpetual inclination to holocaust always camouflaged as divine love, with its tyrannical thermonuclear omnipotence purposefully culminating in the Trump Regime. (Credit Robert Graves with having rediscovered the banned "Gospel of the Egyptians" and therefore the [real] Jesus, whose prime assertion is, "I am come to destroy the works of the female." See Graves' "King Jesus": various publishers and copyright dates c. 1946-2021; note that most libraries and bookstores are too rationally terrified of arson to publicly stock it, so you'll likely have to go to BookFinder for a copy.) That said, when writing about threats to our existence, to omit writing about "the books" (by which I assume you mean the Bible), is like writing about Hitler and omitting Mein Kampf. Or Ayn Rand's fictionalizations thereof, which since the advent of the socioeconomic Nazism disguised as neoliberalism are mandatory reading in most USian high schools.
When the phrase "ignorance is bliss" was coined, it wasn't thee they (he, she, it) had in mind.
As I said, I like what you write. Now I have an idea why: You read Robert Graves. Though I can't match the clarity and detail of your genetic-ethnic background, I can relate how I got interested in the writings of "old Gravy," and his pal, another warrior-poet, Siegfried Sassoon.
I first read Goodbye to All That when I returned from Vietnam, a little banged up, but still in one piece (1st Bn 5th Marines, Quang Nam Province '69-70). His folks thought him dead; mine thought I lost a leg.
Luckily neither was true. Ancient history. Before I knew better.
I've read The White Goddess and King Jesus (have both in hardback), his collected poems and his collaboration with Raphael Patai on Hebrew Myths. I never tire of reading his Greek Myths (vols 1-2, Penguin).
What a guy: scholar, poet, warrior--and ladies man. Martin Seymour-Smith's biography is excellent. From whence came my introduction to Laura Riding's poetry.
[I've run out of room...agnostics vs atheists is on hold for a later date. Substack is hard for me to navigate. I seem to lack this gene. I think I can find you on your profile page, and an easier way to communicate.]
Cheers, Loren, while we await The Second Coming ;- )
Apparently the presidency now comes with a new feature called “Global Manager Mode.”
In the latest episode of Diplomacy by Vibes, the President reportedly decided that Iran should stop wasting time choosing its own leader because, obviously, that is something he needs to handle personally. Elections, sovereignty, constitutional processes, all very quaint. But why let nations run themselves when you can run them like a reality show casting call?
Meanwhile, over in Israel, he reportedly demanded that President Isaac Herzog pardon Benjamin Netanyahu immediately so that Netanyahu can focus on a war with Iran. Nothing says respect for democratic institutions like calling a foreign president and asking him to hurry up and override his own legal system.
But the real masterpiece of reasoning came from the White House explanation for bombing Iran. Apparently, it was based on a “feeling based on fact.”
This is an exciting development in foreign policy. For centuries, governments wasted time on intelligence reports, diplomatic channels, and strategic planning. Turns out the real key to international security is gut instinct, possibly while scrolling cable news.
And if you are worried about any of this, relax. According to the President, people are loving what is happening.
Which is great, because nothing reassures the world quite like a nuclear age strongman running global diplomacy on vibes, cable news, and the geopolitical equivalent of “trust me, bro.”
The only words missing before Karoline Spokesbarbie babbled out that "feeling based on fact" was its preamble -- "eeny-beany, chili-beanie, the spirits are about to speak...! 🫎
It is a gift to see the humorous in the calamity that this person is; I hesitate to give him the presidential title; he has besmirched it so frequently in the course of his inhabiting the People's House,even when he is NOT all there! Thanks and I love th epart on his 'global management' style. He will surely have reason to REGRET it big time one day soon!
Just called Sen Tillis in neighboring NC thanking him for his fiery discourse directed at Queen Kristi. He wasn’t the only one who contributed to her downfall but he was the best.
Yes! I’ve been sharing it too. I’m taking a road trip soon and planning to mail letters in each state, to Reps as I go. (So they have local postmarks.) This resource comes in VERY handy!
Little by little, the Trimp show is starting to unravel. His instability and the incompetence of his flunkies is taking a toll. It's worth all our time to write or call your Congress-critters and insist that Noem's crimes be remembered and that she be held accountable along with all the other DHS goons. Bringing in a new stooge like Markwayne is a weak attempt to diffuse blame for the crimes they all committed under Stephen Miller.
Guilty Donald won't stop "flooding the zone" but we mustn't allow even his new and illegal war to distract us from resisting at every turn and zeroing in on bringing the Epstein files into the light. The more extravagant every new distraction of his is, it's only further proof that he's desperate to keep that under wraps.
In fact, I'm calling Jamie Raskin's office today and rather than complain - as I often do - I'm going to congratulate him on his brilliant (he's always brilliant) performance at the Noem hearing.
As a Marylander I applaud your doing that; when any of our members of Congress do something well remember that praise from us, is one way to reinforce the positive efforts of the people fighting for us! <3
Please write Jamie Raskin and share with him my Memorandum. Ask him to please read the model amendment language as it is the rampart we need. My Thanks, UnitedWeAmend.org.
I wrote a piece on how Trump and his acolytes use "Doublethink" and "Duckspeak" from Orwell's book. Noem is a "Duckspeaker" using "Doublethink" in trying to throw Trump under the bus over the outrageous ad campaign. Trump, the master Doublethinker threw her right back under the bus and made sure it rolled over her.
Noem is not really out. I read last night trump just made her head of his new department Shield of Americas or something like that. trump wants to meet with the leaders of 11 Latin countries to banned together to stop the flow of drugs. It made no sense to me. I am more concerned about Iran's retaliation towards the US.
True, she’s still collecting a paycheck. But her high-profile cabinet position is no longer hers and the flying bedroom with a bar for Corey and her is gone.
As a student of Latin America - that made up position is subject to little Marco and the State Department. To my knowledge she knows none of the other three languages of Latin America - Spanish, French, Portuguese and the decidedly macho attitudes of most of those countries politics will dismiss her as a lightweight. He is a fool to think she can make any contribution there and I doubt Rubio will be kind to her either.. Besides she has some major court room appearances in Minnesota I believe????
Thanks for providing the website! I've lost it in my bookmarks but have it again now. Perhaps the roar we hear is not from the war but from citizens who have (finally) had enough!!
As HCR pointed out, the approval of trump’s ballroom was delayed as “the more than 35,000 comments the commission received, more than 97% were opposed to Trump’s plans for the ballroom.” Keep on contacting officials!
What's your secret to being sane through everything you investigate? I'm exhausted just reading about it, and experiencing it as a US citizen. Thank you for keeping us informed! I have learned more about history than I ever learned years ago in school and college! You are appreciated.
My apologies for speaking for the Professor, but she has an incredible group of Americans that she communicates with including some of you who comment here.
A friend of mine's sister ran into the Professor at a coffee shop in San Francisco. They ended up sitting down together and talked about anything and everything for over an hour. When you're willing to make one time friends and have an amazing group of friends and family, I suspect it helps in keeping your sanity.
It’s about history as a lived experience. More than compiling dates, places, and numbers; these are just waypoints along a narrative arc that branches across generations and touches every life in unappreciated ways.
Trump insisted that “[p]eople are loving what’s happening.” The only people loving what’s happening are Trump‘s insane cabinet and this insane American Congress. Congress has forgotten what they were elected to do, represent their constituents, who are not loving any of this. Trump’s administration is bringing global chaos and, possibly, Armageddon. Yet they don’t seem to realize this. They’re all in the happy Trump boat. They are all cognitively dysfunctional. Is dementia contagious? Maybe we should ask RFK Jr. In any case this madness has got to stop. Impeachment is the only solution.
Astonishing to watch Republicans telling Trump with their rubber-stamp war power votes: 'please do abuse us, slap us, tell us we don't matter, kick us in the face, we love it, do it again.' Harry Truman once railed at a "do nothing" Republican Congress, but this one is a collaborator GOP Congress, headed by wimps and accomplices, terrified, doxxed and beaten into submission. The future will not be kind to these people.
I think stupid also plays a big part in their obsequiousness (there’s a 10 dollar word for this morning). The future will not be kind, as you say, but most of them are too stupid to realize that this shitshow was unsustainable. They were too stupid to figure out that if they had all stuck together in opposing the absolute worst of what came our way exactly a year ago, he would have huffed and puffed but he couldn’t have primaried them all out of office. They were too stupid to understand that a coke-sniffing heroin shooter/dealer had no business running HHS or that a blow-dried bullshitting alcoholic with a lousy resume had no business running the DoD, and by confirming these and other dirtbags they were sealing their own fates. Well, at least the puppy and goat killer is gone. Speaking of stupid, we’ve been blessed to have her replaced with a yokel with two first names. Markwayne is all we need to know about this guy.
And that he began to unhook his belt in a senate hearing until the chair stopped him. He was ready to fight a witness he didn’t like right there. Guess he misses his MMA days.
I, too, “think stupid also plays a big part in their obsequiousness.” When they can’t find an intelligent and subservient criminal for the post, they go with stupid. They see clumsy illogical analingus as easy-going ego-stroking and as representative of the behavior they demand from those of us who stand in upright opposition to theocratic racist psychopaths.
I remember being on several boards for different professional and charitable organizations and watching smart people’s brains turn to mush and their hearts turn to stone and a functioning backbone could not be constructed from the lot, sadly myself included.
I sincerely believe that they are hanging on for the money and the future retirement benefits if they make it to 3 terms in the HOUSE as did MTG! That ENTITLES them to a basic retirement benefit at age 62! And the amounts accrue the longer they are there. Remember that not everyone who has served in the CONGRESS is going to get some cushy board membership. Or teaching position!
And let’s not forget the insider trading information that they all get and take advantage of. In fact, let’s do more than simply not forget. Let’s start jumping up and down and making a lot of noise about this travesty of justice.
The Orange Goblin King and his goblin cabinet are the wrecking ball that the Silicon Valley tech bro billionaires -and Putin- want. They need him to destroy America democracy, and, if possible, the entire western cilization. The plan: as soon as there are no laws anymore, the richest people can do as they wish, and they will automatically rule the world - by force.
Georgia, we often mention "the Epstein class" here, but many of us may think that's more of a creative phrase than an actual group. The more I read, the more I'm convinced that there actually is an unofficial fraternity operating in the shadows. I hate that such a conclusion makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist.
When I did research for one of my rare Substack posts, I ended up down a rabbit hole, uncovering a network that leads to many of the most influential operations in U.S. culture and the world. I didn't mention all my findings in my article because they weren't relevant to the topic at hand, which I'll link at the end of this comment.
For example, PayPal is the default payment portal for virtually every form of e-commerce. Without it, e-commerce would virtually come to a screeching halt, minor competitors notwithstanding. Few people know that Thiel co-founded PayPal. Everyone knows Mark Zuckerberg (along with a few friends) created Facebook, but few people know that Zuck didn't have the money to make it a global force. Peter Thiel was the money behind Facebook.
When you start pulling the threads, you discover that there is, indeed, a fraternal web, and Jeffrey Epstein appears to be at the center of the web.
Incidentally, my conclusion about JD Vance is that he's a nobody and a do-nothing who attached himself to some guys who "had it going on," including Peter Thiel. Vance's rise to celebrity is strictly due to his association with real power. He and Holy Mike Johnson are two peas from the same pod.
Agreed about Vance. Thiel and Musk and some others are part of an Afrikanners club—they intervened with Trump to get white South Africans refugee status while Trump basically canceled refugee status for all other countries.
The drug lord/president that allowed Thiel to set up Prospera was the one Trump pardoned. I don't think most people realize how closely aligned Vance and Thiel are, and how involved Trump is, although he isn't interested in the ideology. Thiel and Vance are. I think it is more likely Thiel brokered the graft to get his drug lord buddy freed.
That was so he could have a compound and separate school for his kids and to house workers for the SpaceX launch site, and not have people sue SPaceX for the debris and pollution.
Maria Hinojosa on Latino USA did the same earlier this week in a story where she interviewed Jean Guerrero. The story was headlined about borderlands and immigration policy, but a lot of it was connecting those dots.
The US House of Representatives on Thursday voted down a Democratic-backed measure to halt hostilities with Iran, as Republicans cleared the way for Donald Trump to continue the conflict that has drawn in countries across the Middle East, but criticized as having unclear goals.
By a vote of 212-219, the House voted to reject a war powers resolution proposed by Thomas Massie, a Republican representative, and Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative, which would have forced the US to withdraw from the conflict until Congress authorized military action. The vote was largely along party lines, with two Republicans breaking with their party to support the resolution, and four Democrats voting against it.
The Republicans' fealty to Trump is unprecedented. It is frightening in the context of how Trump decided to start the war, according to this deep dive from the NYTimes.
"In the same meeting, Mr. Trump’s top military adviser, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, told the president that a war could lead to significant American casualties. Days later, Mr. Trump told the public that his military adviser had been far more reassuring. He wrote on Truth Social that General Caine had said that any military action against Iran would be “something easily won.”
Other administration officials were similarly misleading in private sessions with lawmakers. During a Feb. 24 meeting with the so-called Gang of Eight — the leaders of the House and Senate and heads of the intelligence committees — Secretary of State Marco Rubio made no mention that the Trump administration was considering regime change, according to people familiar with his comments."
"On Feb. 18, on an unseasonably warm day in Washington, Mr. Vance; Mr. Rubio; John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director; and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, gathered with Mr. Trump in the Situation Room to discuss military planning.
During the meeting, General Caine discussed an array of options, among them that U.S. forces could carry out a limited strike as a way to push Iran in the negotiations, or a larger campaign with the goal of toppling the government. The latter option in particular, he said, carried high risk of American casualties, could destabilize the region and significantly deplete stocks of American munitions.
General Caine underscored that all of the options under consideration would be much more difficult than the successful capture of Mr. Maduro of Venezuela, an operation that the president viewed as a sign of potential U.S. success in Iran."
The key takeaway here is that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs told Trump the truth, Trump lied to the press about what Caine said as justification for going to war, and CAINE DID NOT RESIGN.
We have someone who is showing absolute fealty to Trump in charge of our military.
And none in the regime thought about what would happen to the Straits of Hormuz, the supply of urea for fertilizer for US farmers, and all the other foreseeable harms that would result in world inflation and starvation. There haven’t been adults in the room since Jan 20, 2025.
Unintended consequences are not the Republican parties strong suit.
Yesterday, one of the Montana US Senators broke a retired Marine's arm for protesting and the other Senator, bowed out of his 2026 reelection 8 minutes before the deadline, so the Democrats couldn't have Tester or any other Democrat file. They are all a bunch of white trash cheaters.
Because they assumed Daines was running again and they thought he would be a shoe-in. But he dropped out with 8 minutes to go (I think it was 8 minutes) so another Republican could be the candidate. This left the Dems with no viable candidate, like Tester.
That Rubio had no plans for evacuation of American citizens as part of the STATE Department means the people who would have created/maintained such a plan are no longer there, more than likely fired long ago. More than likely part of the contractual agreements usually maintained JUST IN CASE but deleted by the DOJE group. More proof that this REGIME does not value the lives of Americans who serve sometimes in the most dismal of places. Yet another reason to hang RUBIO out to dry as well.
He didn’t resign because they pulled him out of retirement, where his life trajectory would have never made him Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and he’s well aware of how many general officers have been removed from service, their dream jobs. There are always people who are not quite the best in any organization, he was one of them before his retirement which was why he retired. He’s a general officer, a high honor anyway you look at it, political resurrection must have been very tempting.
Interesting background story. So are you implying that his fealty to Trump is solid out of gratitude, or that, because he came out of retirement, that it should be easier to be honorable and walk away, or that he is trying to stay around to be the last adult in the room?
It could be any or a combination of those reasons Georgia, he lacked the requisite number of stars to be Chairman, he was retired where the chance of getting more stars was zero, he wouldn’t have gotten as far as he did if he was a man without honor, our general officers are first and foremost men of honor who understand the meaning of truth. On second thought when I think about Flynn that assessment goes out the window. It makes perfect sense to me that he would have given an honest assessment of the costs and risks of the Iranian war.
These democrats must no longer be supported. Add them to the list of those that support republicans. Now they are making us war criminals and accessories to murder.
“According to vote reporting, four Democrats voted “No” (i.e., against the resolution):
Great to see the research on AIPAC funding in the link!
Do they have large military bases in their districts? There may be other reasons influencing their decision.
My concern is that Democrats keep doing purity tests on single issues. Republicans clearly do not give a shit as long as you wear a red hat. There has to be a middle ground.
We have to be looking at who represents the most people on the issues that are most important to their constituents.
Ideally, that would be done with rank-choice immediate run-off voting in primaries.
There were 13 Democratic candidates in a special election primary in the NJ-11 district where AIPAC targeted a candidate. There was no run-off or ranked choice. The winner had 29.33% of the vote. The AIPAC targeted runner-up had 27.57% of the vote.
I don't think that primary tells anybody much of anything other than there were a lot of egos in play with vanity candidacies. The system is broken.
I agree -- while I am staunchly liberal on "culture war" issues -- that is not where the Democrats attention and messaging should be focused for November -- groceries; gas; lives lost; measles spreading, pollutants returning to air and water, etc -- issues that affect everyone.
Exactly. And what is doable for the American people is going to be more constrained by the fiscal irresponsibility of the Republicans with their many military adventures and now war. We will have to rebuild stockpiles built over many years while creating new stockpiles fit for new asymmetric drone warfare. It is almost as if Trump is purposefully depleting the defense stockpiles, making us increasingly vulnerable…
But… if Democrats Israel First policy has them supporting an illegal war with Iran that costs upwards of one billion$$$ every day, and further explodes deficit and debt, then no point pretending to care about cost of gas and groceries.
I don't think all Democrats are Israel First by any means. What about all of those Progressives who demonstrated against the crimes against humanity in Gaza? What about the candidate AIPAC sandbagged in the NJ-11 special election?
This is the problem with single issue purity tests of any kind, and the need to provide background and context regarding the issues, and most of all what tradeoffs will have to be decided in Congress. If Dems win the midterms decisively, enough to override Trump vetoes, then the rich will have to be taxed, social programs bolstered, but defense arsenals will also have to be rebuilt as a deterrent to China attacking Taiwan, and reasearch at NIH and the CDC refunded and FDA inspectors hired and trained, and....
Repairing the damage is going to be a huge job and probably take a decade.
I think I spoke without nuance -- of course equal rights are the bedrock of everything. I agree with you completely. But the GOP was able to spin our messaging into making the Dems sound extreme (they are good at this) - which we are not. But we will not be able to return and insure equal rights to all if we can't elect a Democratic House and Senate - so I am thinking strategically regarding campaign messaging. Not for a minute did I mean to suggest or infer that equal rights are not important.
Thanks, Georgia, for nuancing this a bit. While I personally think we are in such desperate straits with the Trump regime that Dems should try to vote as a block at all times, it’s worth trying to find out why some disagreed. From this article in the Hill it seems some were supporting an alternative War Powers act, at least one is strongly pro-Israel, and some are in Republican-leaning districts. It’s important to keep in mind we need the Dems to keep the seats. Still, some may need to go and a better Dem found.
And I agree. Ranked choice/Instant run-off would go a LONG way towards fixing it.
At the same time however, I object to the concept that equal rights is a 'purity test'.
It's one of the literal building blocks of our country. And I'm tired of being told that the 'only way' to 'save' America is to throw black women and LGBTQ+ people under the bus.
If that's the only way to save it.. .then let it die.
Everyone is always bitching about the 'purity tests'. Equal rights shouldn't be considered a purity test.
But apparently I'm being unreasonable for expecting democrats to have certain base level values. I should be willing to put those aside in order to Win.
This is what the GOP does. So this is what we should do to win. Just throw out everything and everyone who doesn't goose step to the party theme.
aka Blue MAGA.
"Vote blue no matter who".
I won't.
If they can't manage to agree to basic human rights for all then I'm not voting for them no matter who they are running against.
I would LIKE better schools.
I would LIKE better healthcare
I would LIKE better public transportation
I would LIKE real policies to combat homelessness
But I INSIST on equal rights for all. And that include the thousands of black women who have been fired due to 'anti-DEI'. That includes LGBTQ+ housing, education, employment and healthcare rights. That includes immigrants from anywhere, with or without documentation. I'm sure there are more but you get the point.
I have been told, not by you, but in this forum that my ideals will cost us the election therefore they should be shelved until 'later'.
We've literally been told that my entire life. I'm 60+ years old. I don't have many elections left. I'm done being told to wait.
If the dems expect people to vote for their candidates.. then put up some candidates people want to vote for. Don't expect us to continue to vote for people who are willing to throw us under the bus for political capital.
Politics is always complicated, and the bottom line for members of the House is what is specifically most important to their local constituents. That sometimes requires a vote that is not the party line.
Purity tests and absolutes don’t work in House races. It is a somewhat different story in the Senate where there is always a broader mix of priorities.
Ranked choice, instant runoff primaries have lots of advantages because it lets voters order candiates in how closely they are aligned to their most important issues. It forces candidates to pitch across the whole spectrum of issues and you get back the weighted results and can track by the differnt rounds and how the votes split what issues were likely the big deciders. You can see the vote flow and you know the stands the candidates took on the issues. You can follow up with focus groups and exit polls to verify the vote redistributions.
Every voter’s opinion has weight in the final decision and it opens up the big tent and devalues machine politics (a big thing still in NJ).
Rep.Jared Golden, who currently hold the 2nd District seat in Maine, is not running for reelection in November. Be careful what you wish for! Our former Republican Governor, Paul Lepage is now running for that seat. Lepage served 2 terms as Governor of Maine, and basically was Donald Trump before Trump! Mean & insulting. We all thought we were finally rid of him when he moved to Florida.
The Democrats running for that seat in the Maine District 2 primary, including Matt Dunlap & Joe Baldacci are both very good candidates.
Golden has always been a GOP wearing a DEM suit. That's the only way he got elected because the GOP wouldn't give him the time of day because "it wasn't his turn" and he lives in a red district.
AND
He's already quit. He's not running again. He was being heavily primaried and he has a wife and young children. Once the voters turned to death threats against his family, he 'noped out'. I expect we will see him again at some point in the future. Not sure what party he will run as but he's actually not that bad at his job. I just don't agree with his politics. And I expect his career would have looked a lot different under a GW Bush administration rather than a Trump one.
Bibi is not happy. The current president of Israel has not allowed Bibi’s pardon to glide through as Pres Trump has raged and thinks he can order Pres Isaac Herzog to ‘“make happen”.
Our president thinks international relations work one way and one way only….”Do as Trump says and always follow Trump’s lead and grift.”
Agree 100%. Trump is being blatant about his personal corruption.
But our former allies see it and are starting to refuse to deal with him, and therefore us. There are going to be huge consequences.
Spain is not allowing the US to use their airbases to support the US/Israel/Iran War. Trump threatened to stop all trade with Spain. Spain is part of the EU trade agreement. The EU is taking action--walking away from the initial tariff extortions, and constructing new trading blocks that exclude us.
The lesson has been learned. The US defense industry is going to be decimated as Europe turns to SAFE and boosting its own defense industries. We will see it first with Europe doing joint manufacturing deals with Ukraine for massive drone production. The US is years behind understanding that the nature of warfare has changed and is now asking Ukraine for help.
It seems one possible positive outcome of this illegitmate war is that other countries --both in the Middle East and in Europe-- are beginning to experience the economic and human costs of being in league with a malicious ninny and his cabinet of ne'er-do-wells, or even tolerating such. As the pain mounts, so will the distance.
Love Heather's opening lines -- Donald seems to think he can dictate to other countries.
Then the details, paragraphs of details on chaos and corruption -- the fools he's had working for him.
And penultimately: "Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker recorded a video saying: 'Hey, Kristi Noem, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Here’s your legacy: corruption and chaos. Parents and children tear-gassed. Moms and nurses, U.S. citizens getting shot in the face. Now that you’re gone, don’t think you get to just walk away. I guarantee you, you will still be held accountable.'”
Still, for all the tragedy, the murders, the ICE & CBP terrorism, I detect also in Heather's tone a sense of humor at the idiocy that pervades all these thugs and incompetents -- as if we're going to emerge from all this.
Yes Phil, I have to say that I really did laugh out loud when I read Heather describing Donold's autopen obsession as a way to try to slime Biden.
"Trump had been so invested in his attacks on Biden over his quite ordinary use of an autopen that he replaced a White House picture of Biden with one of an autopen, so the prosecutors’ shelving that investigation has to sting."
It's almost hilarious that Trump actually put a picture of an autopen up as Biden's portrait, SNL couldn't even come up with something so ridiculous and wacky. Such a petty, juvenile act that is beyond pathetic while the autopen seems to have blown up in his face, may it happen in even more slapstick way for Donold.
Mary Trump predicted that the orange ding-dong would go off the deep end a long time ago, but 77 million of our fellow Americans decided they’d rather have an ignorant thug in the White House than someone who would try to govern within the bounds of the Constitution. The Republican elites have been using racism to get the votes 70% of uneducated white voters, but they finally lost control of their dupes, and the dupes put a man after their own heart in charge. The whole world will now suffer from the crimes against humanity that the majority of white US voters commited by voting for a crass thug.
So it is, Rex. 77 Million Americans willingly condemned American democracy and the entire rule-based order. And why? Racism and misogyny. There’s nothing more to it.
The 77 million felt they were being cheated somehow by the government and Trump told them that “only Trump” could be their savior. Many MAGA still believe him and do not see him as a dictator.
I also blame Joe Rogan and the other podcasters who convinced the Gen-Zers and Gen-Xers to vote for Trump and not ,la. And now that it's too late, several of the "bros" realize that Trump is cray-cray.
In TX, FL, AZ, NV, CA and a few others that is the 59 million Spanish speakers. Most of us have no idea what vile lies are being told to these people. Many of them are too afraid to vote now, which isn't helpful to either party. And then there is the black vote. There isn't a former Confederate state that the Dems shouldn't take if the black voters get out and vote. Just ask Stacey Abrams.
And then there are the stupid poor people that believed that Trump would lift them out of their poverty.
Appreciate the stats, GL. Be nice to have the number who watch Fox, crossed by the number who don't understand basic 'news' level english, to better stratify outreach and communications.
Dutch Mike, I've liked your comment, but every time I read an election post-mortem that reduces the Democrats' loss to one or two issues, I know it's not a comprehensive analysis.
The fact is that the 2024 results came from a perfect storm of factors. When one compares the 2020 votes for Biden vs. the 2024 votes for Harris, it is reasonable to assume that racism and misogyny were factors. But there were so many more, each of which could have been "the Thing" that tipped the election in the wrong direction. Foreign interference, domestic interference, vote suppression, dark money, gerrymandering, and the list goes on.
All those issues and more fed into the One Thing that distorts our elections and neutralizes millions of votes: The Electoral College. Without the EC in place, presidential candidates would have to campaign in every state, not just the "swing states." Presidents would be elected by all the voters, not a few thousand.
That is true, Dale, especially about the electoral college. And of course, social media played a big role, especially Putin's political technology helped Trump a lot. That was the deal: I will hand you the US elections; you give me Ukraine and get the US out of NATO. But: Putin's 'campaigning' for Trump on social media still largely relied on the same two levers: racism and misogyny... As Heather said: the Confederacy is still very much alive.
Dale, did you mean, "Without the EC, candidates would have more motivation to campaign everywhere proportionately?"
OW, understand and agree with thrust of your several important points, most particularly the need to understand election choices as multi-factorial, with, in close elections, the possibility that a dozen or more 'single' factors, if moved for you or against, might have swing the entire result. And also, sometimes it may be non-productive to think in terms of "getting the ___ vote" by focused messaging.
AND lastly, that dem special interests will have NO representation if they don't realize that in a democracy people need to form a consensus and be tolerant and yes, that ugly political word, 'compromise' their 'demands' in order to get more of what they want (or, in the case of T, less of what they DON'T).
Mark, good catch! That wasn't a typo or grammo; I guess it was a wordo. I've corrected the mistake, although the shelf-life of this conversation has expired.
The rest of your response, I think, refers to Democrats' penchant for purity tests. Last time I traded vehicles, I moved from Jeep with all the bells and whistles to Mazda with all the bells and whistles. In doing so, I got a significant increase in value for the money, not to mention that I withheld my money from a Republican-funding company and gave it to a company that stays out of politics. Unfortunately, my Mazda has remote liftgate operation, but no foot-activation. Sometimes I miss that convenience. But I don't find that missing feature to be grounds for not buying a Mazda, when the vehicle is so safe, tech-loaded and reliable overall. But if I were a typical Democrat, I would say, "Nope! Not gonna buy another Mazda cuz I can't use my foot to open the liftgate."
I suspect most all your readers correctly understood your good point about the EC, and yes my nitpick was past the ‘best by’ hour.😏 But also just wanted to connect. Appreciated the raising of these important more technical and quantitative issues.
Greed is the primary motivator for the obscenely wealthy, but for the rest, I think it’s mostly a matter of preserving systemic advantages. Related to greed in a way, but on a very small scale… enough to eke out enough to pay the rent and, more importantly, maintain a dominant position in the social and political hierarchy.
Couldn’t agree more although I know very well off people who have money to burn and want more. Also some I thought had money are just over their heads in debt. The hierarchy is well maintained, regardless
Me too, but I was thinking of people with average incomes. Certainly not immune to greed but not expecting their R vote to pay off the way it does for the obscenely wealthy. However, there are of plenty of innumerate and/or irrational people who don’t want to tax the rich because they truly believe they’re gonna win the Powerball jackpot next week.
There's misinformed self interest, and the misinformed, as well.
That's why there's hope.
That's also why we need to keep talking to our neighbors, instead of ranting about them to this screen. (Or, in between ranting about them....).
WE MUST FORM A MAJORITY COALITION. Which means a diverse, not ideologically pure, coalition.
This means we not only need to learn to get along with each other, but with 'them' again. We used to know how to do this. We can do it again. And we'll benefit.
I appreciate your optimism but fear that racism and misogyny have overwhelming influence with Trump voters compared to economic stats, whether they are employment figures or the price of eggs.
Scandal-ridden Tony Gonzales (TX-23) is retiring. So far a record 36 Republican Congressional representatives have decided not to seek reelection. And I believe many more will follow.
A surge in voidoids and scalawags all suddenly needing to spend more precious time with their families...And now we have an open Montana Senate seat, thanks to whatever nonsense the GOP just hatched there.
I personally like the term "kumquats" but have been excoriated by those who feel I needlessly disparage fruit. As far as I know, nobody eats voidoids for breakfast...
I'm quite fond of citrus so I don't think kumquats is the right term for those vile congress critters that are fleeing the crime scenes and Trumpian regime radioactivity.
My God, they BETTER seize the opportunity. If they don’t who can possibly still have any faith? Independents or a third party will need to quickly rise up.
Not true. I agree that Jared Golden can be frustrating, and, yes, he has cast votes with Republicans. But let’s be fair: Golden caucuses with Democrats and far more of his votes have been cast with his Democratic colleagues.
To paint Jared Golden as a retiring Republican is simply not true.
Really? You do realize that he's Susan Collin's protege right?
Literally worked for her. He is a democrat only because that worked for him to get elected.
We can argue all day about his individual votes. But at the end of the day he plays the same game Susan does. Voting for or against things based not upon what is right but what is politically expedient and what they can get away with.
He has supported Trump's military actions. He has supported Trump's tariffs. He has supported Trump's budgets...
and he has consistently supported ICE.
I won't be sad to see him go. No matter what letter is behind his name.
He's a literal 'DINO'. He's a GOP from a GOP district. But the state GOP wouldn't support him. "Not his time" or "too young"... whatever. Some kind of old white man bullshit. So he switched sides and the Dems didn't whine because he's pretty solid on body autonomy and they had no one that was willing to put an effort into that district.
I don't think any of us were really expecting Trump 2.0 not even Golden. I don't for a second think that Golden is MAGA. But he is conservative and literally a DINO.
Thanks for this. Sad to say I expected the worst but they keep shocking me with the money support from “the smartest people in the room.” They have left no evil rock unturned. And Putin is collecting on his investment…
Yes I love Senator Wyden too, and for saying what a lot of us have been thinking and saying also. The Trumpian regime is still wracking up the criminal indictments with their arrogant corruption, lawlessness and cruelty but there is going to have to be another Nuremburg tribunal, or several, to get to the bottom of this madness and destruction of the world order and civilized conduct among nations.
Before the international consensus against Trump takes his to a Nuremberg trial, I would hope they would go after China for crimes against the Uighurs and against Iran for gunning down thousands of protestors, and for Russia for crimes against Ukrainians.
A whirlwind of incompetence, malice, arrogance, ignorance and stupidity seems to be fusing together, gaining speed and virulence. Most of us probably sense a true shattering moment approaching that will shake us to our cores (if we're not there already). We can barely keep up with events, yet it is vital we do so. Staying razor-focused on upcoming elections remains critical. Our temptation is to substitute pure outrage for strategy, to indulge in screeds without an accompanying game plan for how we eventually get out of this.
Yesterday, Adam Kinzinger wrote that while we have momentum, we haven't yet figured out a platform, and they still have the money -- the secret sauce that provides for more momentum, without which momentum often dies on the vine. Two days ago, James Talarico won the Texas Democratic primary in no small part because of his 'no-voter-left-behind' outreach to a re-organized Democratic base in the state (thank you Beto O'Rourke), to currently homeless Republicans, Independents and Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024. Being 8th generation Texan ("we were here when it was still Mexico" in his words) didn't hurt either. Espousing a real Christianity with appeal in a conservative state, he broke through some important stalemates. In his constant words, the struggle before us isn't about left versus right, but top versus bottom.
Some voices at the national level parallel this -- Pete Buttigieg and a few others spring to mind. Fusing message with strong candidates AND money is key to continuing momentum. On top of individual candidates -- and despite the many missteps of the Democratic Senatorial and Congressional Committees -- we have to give to both. More power to us as we move closer to November.
I remember when Beto O'Rourke challenged Ted Cruz to debate him in Spanish. He declined, because unlike Beto (and Talarico), the Canadian-born Ted Cruz does not speak Spanish well.
Remember the scene in The Great Dictator when Chaplin played Hitler and was tossing the globe around as his personal toy, until things started going wrong. Narcissistic rage occurs when the narcissist feels betrayed by those presumed to be under prior devotional control. That rage also extends to whatever or whomever the narcissist cannot control. Trump is such an infantile narcissist, as was Hitler. And as President, Trump too is extremely dangerous and needs to be removed from office before it is too late.
The only reason she was fired of course. She made the boss look bad. But she'll be remembered for the way she treated Americans with the same love as she showed her dogs and goats...As well as for those batshit loony-tunes eyes straight out of a 1950s sci-fi movie about demonic possession.
Millions of our furry four-legged family friends from both the canine and feline persuasions, as well as goats, bunnies, guinea pigs, cockatoos, baby otters, parrots and all of Pooh's friends at Pooh Corner still rejoice today.
“My daughter asked me “ where does poo come from?” I was a little uncomfortable but gave her an honest explanation. She looked a little perplexed and stared at me in stunned silence for a few seconds and asked “And Tigger?”
Ellen, me’thinks you’re too kind:-) As in poker can I up you to psychopath? One of the significant signs is killing- torturing animals.
However. I have some really good news. A very young, politically active Democrat 20 something (under 25 yr old) man here in Falmouth, MA is running for State Representative vs
When I first heard him speak, I got those wonderful goose bumps that reminded me of the ones from hearing Barack Obama for the first time deliver a nominating speech at a Democratic Convention.
“Now, our situation is more ominous than ever. Because they come from a pathological drive for destruction, Donald Trump’s moves are growing more and more dangerous, egregious, and unconstitutional. He is so dangerously manipulable, I long warned that he would become a “tool” for brutal dictators. No doubt well aware of Trump’s serious mental problems (their psychiatrists are assuredly being actively consulted about him, unlike ours), Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel finally had an American president they could successfully maneuver into starting a new kind of World War III.
How could our institutions and our socio-politico-economic ways of life allow this to happen, to continue, and to keep expanding? What does this say about our Congress, our Courts, our media, and about both of our corrupted political parties? We would not have a “Donald Trump” in the first place if our nation had been healthy. Now that Donald Trump has ripped off the masks of an imperialist, militaristic, and often war-criminal nation, we can no longer continue to make excuses. We either rescue our country before it falls into ruin, or go down with the ship.”
It will only happened WE the People take the power. Millions of people standing on corners with street signs doesn't hurt those in power. Trump could use his executive orders to outlaw peaceful protest. He will declare it a national security issue.
The only way to get full attention of those in power is for ordinary people, our Essential Workers, to decide that they're sick and tired of the Trump administration.
On a specific day or week they will call in sick and stay home to protest. This will essentially shut down the schools, the airports, and stop the delivery of mail. Our economy and government will come to a screeching halt. Trump will be blamed for this, and his administration will crumble and fail.
This will take great sacrifice by the American people. Dictators don't give up their control on the next election. It took World War II to get rid of Hitler.
A Call in Sick - Stay at Home protest is a much better choice than that.
If people think that compliance with the tax laws is too lax, we should take personal responsibility and pay our own lawful amount of federal income taxes. And work for others to pay their legal amounts (the amount the tax laws say they should pay) too. The IRS should have the reasonable resources it needs for tax compliance.
Thank you Dr. Richadson for this LFAA and your podcasts. They provide valuable information for people to get grounded in among all the madness. It helps to point the way for our activism.
NO KINGS MARCH 28 now has 2,200 registered sites for this day of protests.
Find your local chapter for this day and register. It greatly helps in planning.
I was watching Al Jazera last night as a break from our “talking heads” media. Most of the coverage was about the war. I was sicken once again at the terror and terrible loss of life as a result of Congress’ failure to reign in a clearly demented President, and a Supreme Court that has given him immunity. Americans need to watch Al Jazera, BBC and other international news sources to see what is actually happening to real people. In this unnecessary war we are laying the groundwork for the next round of terrorists who will hate us. I
Just as W/Dickie almost single-handedly created Isis, chump is creating more of the same. We should have owned up to our disasters instead of blaming Obama for everything, even his wardrobe.
I'm waiting for the moment a confused, sleepless, raging old man covered in purple blotches suddenly wanders into the White House briefing room clad only in his Depends, hugging a flagpole or something. You can see it all in those wandering, disassociated, chaemelon-like eyes --- black eyes, lifeless eyes, like a doll's eyes. Something like it surely approaches.
Waiting with baited breath for Karoline Spokesbarbie to 'splain that one when it does.
Trump's megalomania is at an all time high. He not only thinks he can rule in the USA, but can dictate who will rule in other countries... an emperor of the world. Also, I have just read that he now is demanding unconditional surrender from Iran. Iran ???? He is insane, of course.
True, Mark Shields. The succession statute list is terrifying. Can House Democrats and a handful of Republicans manage to impeach Vance and replace Johnson as Speaker? And then hold hearings on Signalgate to convince all those traitors to spend more time with their families? Plus we need an equivalent of the Pentagon Papers to get a release of all the Epstein files. And then maybe we can begin to restore democracy, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the world stature of the US.
Getting rid of Noem is a start. She was incompetent, corrupt and cruel. Moving from Kristi to Markwayne is like a take from Dumb and Dumber. But DHS and the ICE apparatus is still a rogue force with $150 billion to mobilize for Trump’s agenda. You can’t ever sleep on this threat. The only guardrails on this president are the ones that our voices manage to lift up.
He threw her under a speeding bus....by text message (and not even to her). But also announced her new position as Chief Birthday Cake Taster or something -- a bribe to get her to keep her mouth shut -- for no other reason.
Mob boss all the way with this one. It never varies. They never learn.
For the record, the current version of being sent to the broom closet is Noem’s appointment as “special envoy for The Shield of the Americas”. If she wasn’t so fucking shameless, she’d resign from the public trough and go back to South Dakota to kill some more pets.
Assuming you’re referring to her boyfriend Lewandowski. Something tells me that guy is not going to put up with chatting with Latin American bureaucrats all day instead of the powerfully destructive shit that he’s been able to do tethered to the gnome.
Glad Noem’s out, but keep up the pressure!
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 ✊
Good Noem’s out but.... The inner works of the Department of Homeland Security involves cybersecurity, law enforcement, border security, counterterrorism and more. Kristi Noem has no such knowledge or work experience. The reason it took Trump over a year to figure that out is because he has no knowledge about the Office he holds. Now Trump will nominate Markwayne Mullin to be our Homeland Security Secretary. On a wrestling scholarship Mullin began classes at Missouri Valley College but dropped. In 2010, he completed a two-year Associate degree in Construction. Three years later he became a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma. He campaigned as an outsider with the slogan of being "A rancher. A businessman. Not a politician!" He did not mention he was a MMA fighter, and radio talk show host. Local folks knew that and Trump likes celebrities. Feel any safer? Also, did he fire her only because it would divide the news feed over the release of the TrumpStein Pedo Files a few hours later?
Our security and the future of our Republic calls for us to modernize the Executive Branch. We must repeal the single Executive who is only required to be over 35 years old and natural born. We need multiple informed and experienced Executives with each vested with a diversified allotment of the Departments of the U.S. and other powers of the Executive branch. Keeping all our Departments (the essence of what We the People have become in 250 years) in the hands of a single Executive is like keeping all our eggs in a single basket. It creates a reckless pendulum swing back and forth of frequent & untried changes in laws and politics every time a different President is elected every four to eight years. Our security requires that only informed and experienced persons be able to hold Office.
When George Washington became President there were four executive Departments: State, Treasury, War, and Attorney General (Justice). Today there are fifteen modern and very powerful executive Departments and each requiring special knowledge. These include the United States Departments of:
State (Diplomacy, Foreign policy, international law and relations),
Treasury (Economics and finance, accounting, taxation,...),
Defense (Military science and strategy, engineering, logistics, intelligence,...). The U.S. military alone has six official branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard.
Justice (Criminal and civil law, law enforcement, criminology,...),
Interior (Natural resource management, environmental science,...),
Agriculture (Agricultural science, forestry, food science,...),
Commerce (Economics and statistics, trade policy, intellectual property law,..),
Labor (Labor relations, sociology, occupational safety, employment law,..),
Health and Human Services (Public health, medicine, biomedical research,...),
Housing and Urban Development (Urban studies and planning, real estate, sociology,...),
Transportation (Civil engineering, logistics, urban planning, Air Traffic Control and safety,...),
Energy (Physics, chemistry, nuclear science, energy policy, and environmental science),
Education (Pedagogy (theories of education), sociology, education policy, and statistics),
Veterans Affairs (Medicine, healthcare administration, psychology, public administration,...)
We must Unite to elect only qualified persons to protect us but we must also Amend our Constitution. We must address much more than only the repeal of “Citizens United” and gerrymandering. I discuss all of this in my “Memorandum to We the People.” BTW, the professional interpretation and effective presentation by Mr. Dale T. Rowett of LexiGraphics.Pro alone is worth a visit to my Memorandum posted at UnitedWeAmend.org.
I very much agree with your last paragraph.
I also know that Mullin won’t be any better. We need to keep speaking up for major change, not just replacement leadership who’ll do the same thing
Another 'only the best people' stellar Trump appointee. I will say this for the high school graduate from Oklahoma. He apparently doesn't need cheek implants and hair extensions to appear in public. Beyond that...uh....
One less R Senator in the Senate. And he must be confirmed. Another rubber stamp?
One less R senator for a very brief moment. Oklahoma got rid of special elections in '21 (I think), so there will be another R appointed by the R governor to complete the MM's term. That person can't run for the seat in Nov, so we'll see who the Ds and Rs can field to run for the seat.
Another nominee to his cabinet, who is superficial, with no passion, no professional distinction, but vanity. We are continually, kinda marching to our downfall, and the best thing would be if the "emperor" would disappear suddenly, at least for the time being.
Stephanie, that's right! At the time of the two ICE murders in Minneapolis, Kristi Noem came under angry attack from public outrage. Trump defended her, saying what a wonderful job she was doing. She followed with a statement that she was doing exactly what Trump asked her to do. Of course, she was. Trump requires that kind of loyalty and obedience from all his appointees.
I fully agree that she should be held accountable for her crimes. But getting her removed from DHS will only result in Trump's appointing another like her. The same goes for Pete Hegseth, whose removal has been demanded for his war crimes - currently the bombing of an Iranian girls’ school in Iran that killed more than 160 people—mostly young children. He does exactly what Trump wants, and will be replaced by another just like him if he is removed.
The point is that the only effective solution is for the public to focus attention on the real problem. They need to get the Republicans in Congress to stop being accomplices to these crimes and remove from the White House the one man who is orchestrating them.
I wonder if he can vote for his own confirmation?
Susan, according to PBS last evening the Senate rules allow him to vote for himself.
I heard on one of the news reports about it yesterday, can’t remember which, that yes, he can.
Jen Rubin in her post this morning described him as "widely regarded as a dim bulb."
Who knew Trump could make such a mess of things with his appointees and elimination of competent FTEs (Full Time Equivalent), people and the approximate 2 contractors for every FTE?
Some clues come from the Conference on the American Presidency 2025, Essay by Rachel Potter dated Sep 10, 2025 at https://millercenter.org/conference-on-the-presidency-2025/essays/trump-20-and-administrative-state-personnel-driven-revolution
"...This essay takes stock of personnel changes during the first six months of Trump 2.0. So far, the evidence suggests that changes to capacity, expertise, and political responsiveness may be more significant than reductions in the size of government..."
See Robert Reich's non-catastrophic cuts to the Labor Department for contrast as described at https://robertreich.substack.com/p/musks-rubbish
The differences are staggering when you consider the Clinton cuts still let us tame the debt, even gave us an annual surplus at the end before the next administration took on responses to 9/11 without raising taxes, and claiming one of the wars would pay for itself.
A bit more from the essay:
"...The president’s fiscal year 2026 (FY2026) budget request provides some insight into the administration’s workforce goals. This document requests the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) that the administration hopes to have in each agency for the upcoming fiscal year. Comparing the number of requested FTEs with those each agency had under the Biden administration in FY2024 reveals a plan to reduce the size of the federal workforce by 5.8 percent—from 2.27 million to 2.14 million workers. As shown in figure 1, this decrease is surprisingly small relative to both the overall size of the executive branch and the considerable public attention these efforts attracted. It is also small relative to other presidents’ efforts—for example, President Clinton shrank the workforce by nearly 20 percent as a part of his National Performance Review (NPR).4 Of course, Trump 2.0 has time to catch up with the NPR, but the clock is ticking..."
As soon as El Dumpo went after virtually every Inspector General across the Board you could smell the coming disaster a mile away. "Changes to expertise" indeed.
I didn't like the dismissal of the Inspector Generals in early 2025, particularly with no explanation that the law required. But I guess DHS has an IG again since it was that report debunking the contract that Sen. Tillis was talking about at the hearing.
I should add that it seems Clinton kept (and appointed) far more of the best while trump fired the best, pardoned and appointed the worst imaginable.
It was pretty clear to me when he came up with the phony Dept. of Gov't Efficiency that things were going to get messy.
Yuh know Jim.., every circus that comes to town is preceded by a ton of sensationalism, and ends when the fat lady sings. Right now, we're watching the parade of the elephants. Are we having fun yet? By the way, anybody run across that folder with the 46 thousand "documents"?
Do you mean the TrumpStein Pedo File folder? No. Haven't seen it.
This morning, Trump told Barak Ravid and Zachary Basu of Axios’
‘in a call with Israel’s Channel 12 this morning’
‘In a conversation today with Dasha Burns of Politico’
‘Today Trump told Steve Holland and Ted Hesson of Reuters’
trump spends all day on the phone with the media. 3-5-26
It's, he will offer to fight anyone who opposes him. I read he called Rand Paul a snake. Not a fan of Rand, but I hope he goes after this guy.
And, no Mixed Martial Arts (MMM) Department. Stop Mullin & continue to withhold DHS funding. FULL STOP.
**********************************
Friday, 3/6, morning on 'Way Too Early' the lucid new Author, JASMINE ULLOA was interviewed by Anchor, Ali Vitali. Jasmine covers everything 'immigration' for the NYT.
I just ordered Jasmine Ulloa's deep dive new book:
"EL PASO: Five Families & 100 years of Blood, Migration, Race & Memory".
Jasmine was born in El Paso.
Oklahoma law lets Governor Kevin Stitt appoint a temporary replacement who must be an Oklahoma voter, a Republican (Mullin’s party) for at least five years, and cannot run in the upcoming election for the seat. Mullin was/is? running for re-election to the Senate in 2026. Filings for the primary are due April 1-3. The primary for the election is June 16, 2026.
Crucially, Oklamhoma law says that:
When a U.S. Senate vacancy or irrevocable resignation occurs, Oklahoma law directs that it “shall be filled” as provided in Title 51, and that the governor calls a special election, but with key timing rules in Title 26, §12‑101(C).
Title 26, §12‑101(C)(1)–(2) says the special primary, runoff, and general are held concurrently with the next regularly scheduled statewide primary, runoff, and general elections.
Crucially, §12‑101(C)(3) adds that “if the vacant office is already scheduled to be filled for a full term at the next available regularly scheduled election, then no special election shall be called” and the winner of that regular election is deemed also elected to fill the vacancy.
Practically, that means: Stitt must appoint a placeholder within 30 days of the vacancy, that appointee serves until after the November election is certified, and the person who wins the regularly scheduled election then takes over the remainder/new term without a separate special election.
Stitt has publicly said he will pick a “strong, small government conservative voice” to support President Trump and “protect Oklahomans’ way of life,” but has not named a person. Stitt (53) is term-limited, and his term ends in January 2027, so he could be interested in running for Mullin's Senate seat in November.
Apparently, Mullin has not yet said yes to the nomination, and the Senate would have to confirm him.
The next election for an Oklahoma Senator after 2026 will be in 2028. The current holder of that seat is Republican James Lankford.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5769909-markwayne-mullin-oklahoma-senate-vacancy/
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gubernatorial-appointee-would-become-oklahomas-next-us-senator-until-voters-can-decide
This is helpful in understanding how it works in Oklahoma. We'll be stuck with another R.
I think most states deal with Senate resignations the same way, in that the Governor appoints a replacement until the next election. In Colorado, we have the lovely prospect of our current Democratic Senator, Michael Bennet, being elected Governor in November 2025, then naming his successor in the Senate who will serve for 2 years until the 2028 election. You can bet that aspiring Dems will be careful in taking sides before the June 30 primary for Governor. I don't know whether it would play out the same way in Minnesota, where Sen. Klobuchar is running for Governor.
Is Mullen allowed to vote for his own confirmation?
Also, I think he would be a fool to give up his Senate seat and join the trump clown car. I don't think Nuremberg 2.0 is a joke.
The Nuremberg Trials were conducted by France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Who will bring the United States of America to trial for the bombing of Iran and the deaths the United States Navy caused by the torpedo of an unarmed Iranian ship? Or the Venezuelan boats or any other atrocities America is known to have committed? If it happens, how much will America pay in resources and prestige for our chosen leaders' depravity? Who will hold this regime responsible for the domestic terror forced on our citizens?
The answer is no one. Democrats can talk, but will they act?
We may be nearing a time when a collaboration of nations, as in the Nuremberg trials, will come together for 2.0. There are definitely international rumblings against DJT that are getting a tad louder and more frequent.
I think when the next trials take place, Spain will step into the position once held by the US. France is a given, as is England, and the USSR spot will go to either Norway or Germany.
Mary, Ds have to be in power, otherwise they are basically hamstrung as we have seen. Senator Wyden has been for a long time trying to follow the Epstein money, but currently is getting no help from the Treasury Secretary. And as noted by Nancy below there is international pushback.
I'm chuckling in anticipation. Seriously.
Christine, Senator Wyden is one of my Senators and no, he was not joking.
Makes no difference who is "the Head" of DHS. They just need to carry the party line in some way or another that let's Trump be Trump. Noem has not been "fired"..., she's done a great job. She's got a new job.., and it's a "great job" too. Question is, will she get to use that 737? That's the only problem I see. That, and three more years.
A little dark humor to end the day.
Thanks for reading my mind, Georgia. Later last night I happened to watch the 1983 movie Casino. I do not recall ever having watched it before - I'm not a movie/actor buff. Kinda serves to remind one that "darkness" exists. Being able to look back and find some humor in it might be tough while chained in some detention facility in possession of no 'means' whatsoever. Sorry. We're on an uncertain voyage.
“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” - Thoreau
And...is anyone in Washington keeping track of the billion a day it takes to operate the Iran War, the billions that must be paid out for failed tariffs, the cost overruns of ICE, let alone Trump's grifting?
tRump is suing the DOJ (?) for the $$ he spent on his own defense. Just wait until We the People sue him and his estate for our $$$ he spent without Congressional approval while in office, together with the expense for re-building the East Wing of Our House!
Evidently not. Or the republicans would be screaming about the deficit, which in reality, they really don't care about unless the Democrats are spending $$ on infrastructure, health care.....you know stuff that keeps society fit, healthy, sound, repaired, safe......
So sad but true. Your thoughts here should be adopted and pronounced over and over by the Dems who are running for office.
Well said, Stephanie!
With Bush II handing out massive tax breaks to billionaire while declaring two wars Dick Cheney famously claimed that "deficits don't matter". Modern Republicans just let the bills pile up until a Democrat comes into office, and THEN they cry blue murder about the deficit. It's worked for them for decades and allowed them to erode much of the public-serving spending that was initiated pre-Reagan. Just prior to Trumps election I saw some polls that claimed that a majority of the public thought the one area in which Republicans out-performed Democrats was in stewardship of the economy. This post the "Great Recession". This despite the post-Reagan shrinkage of the middle class. A clear majority now oppose the policies of Trump, but even at that it is a wonder that ANYONE except the zillionaries remain in his corner. What seems to be missing is a hunger for corroborating evidence. Back in the Jurassic Era, when I went to college, the opening lecture talked about how Aristotle believed that women had fewer teeth than men. Evidently he never bothered to count; yet counting counts. A lot.
JL-Great quote-if we dig deeper to understand the root causes of our nation’s dilemmas and challenges, then maybe we can move forward to solve our nation’s problems and capitalize on our opportunities to manifest “liberty and justice for all”.
The roots go deep and they are plentiful.
Really appreciate the quotes you bring to bear, J L.
;)
I think the ROOT here is/was the moral rot that comes from enshrining a 'national virtue' of chasing consolidation of wealth and power, particularly the FAST & EASY routes to such power, and the corruption that attends obscene power. Capitalism is a great market tool if you can control it. But it has a natural tendency and capacity to control the regulators. The effect is that poorly regulated capitalism, ie, most capitalism over time, eats its children (ie, the desired offspring of fair markets: optimal pricing, optimal distribution, maximal competition for best product at lowest price). Unregulated capitalism strangles these in the crib as soon as it can.
All that remains of the 'invisible hand' of one's 'fair market' youth, is the absolute corruption of unfettered power (to paraphrase Lord Acton).
But the biggest issue isn't that fair markets have been captured and destroyed by monopoly, price-fixing, vertical integration, etc., but that the resulting power towers of consolidated wealth that we call billionaires and multi-national corporations, are both: 1) corrupt themselves, and 2) corrupting of all levels of what once was democratic governance. "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." (familiar?)
To enshrine unfettered capitalism in the name of strategic economic governance is to make a deal with the devil of our most libertine appetites.
We knew this well before the release of the Epstein files, if we are honest. My bother tells the story of his 3 year old: "Honey, 5 scoops of ice cream is TOO MUCH." Daughter: "But Daddy, I WANT too much!" Our NY/Russian-mob-like plutocratic oligarchy is the result of losing sight of our founders vision for fair sharing and mutual respect of universal rights.
Do your best to vote in Nov.; and to vote for democracy, against the Epstein class.
Exactly. "Government" is not "the problem", monopoly is. Free enterprise is not the problem, monopoly is. Throughout recorded history, abuse of power has been the bane of aggregated human experience, from genocide to "The Intolerable Acts". Politics is the process by which we determine whose will prevails, and that process occurs with and among families as well as within and among nations. Between two individuals. Between races. Any way you want to cut it. The process can be amiable, transactional, or coercive, or some blend. It's the one-way, coercive that sucks; from a mugger in an alley to aggressive war, and as Woodie Guthrie sang, some will rob you with a six-gun, some with a fountain pen. Three species of power are material (money), political, and violence, and the more corrupt the society, they more they blend together.
Lincoln said "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." The fact that Lincoln said it does not make it true, but if you think in terms of distribution of power, justice is inclusive, not exclusive, and so is love worthy of the name. Liberty is experienced individually and environmentally, and as racism clearly demonstrates; there is such a thing as a tyranny of the majority; and thus the need for the maintenance of *universal* individual rights. It's not impossible to move in that direction, but enough of us have to be motivated enough to create and maintain those conditions *together*.
Foundational solidarity enables and nurtures responsible diversity, and unique, individual paths to happiness. E Pluribus Unum.
"The word "solidarity" originates from the Latin word "solidus," meaning "solid" or "firm." It entered the English language in the early 19th century from the French word "solidarité."...
Solidarity refers to a sense of unity, support, and mutual responsibility among members of a group or community. It implies a strong bond, shared values, and a willingness to work together for common goals."
https://etymologyworld.com/item/solidarity
Whewww!
the soul of wit ;)
workin' on it.
I wish to apply to be a Nuremberg prosecutor in 2.0. While I have no direct experience prosecuting skunks, rats and other vermin, I will promise to carry out my duties to oil up the guillotine and prepare for Miss Noam, a bed of Peruvian Lilies for her head to roll on to after the guillotine blade removes said head from body.
I support you Bill as long as her punishment is life imprisonment on the Pine Ridge Reservation to be guarded by Native Americans. She'll likely be treated much better than the Native Americans she incarcerated in Minneapolis, but maybe not.
I'd send her to El Salvador. There is a prison waiting for her.
I wouldn't waste the money on a plane ride to El Salvador. I'd put her in one of the 6 x 6 cells with 20 men and no mirror in Texas.
Penny, good idea. Where she would be standing elbow to elbow with hundreds of other women, eating foul, insect-infested food, toilets overflowing with urine and s...it, no showers or daily baths, no mirrors or grooming tools with which she could coiff her lovely cascading curls.
Bill Katz, one of the most offensive and provocative words that Trump used was referring to the opposition as “vermin.” If you act like him, you become more like him. Factual words in her case work just as well. Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment to me. I do like the idea of putting the Lakota of Pine Ridge on guard for her.
Ok.
We would all make good judges because we have standards.
You go, Madam deFarge!
Megan, Mullin is dishonoring the Native peoples he claims to come from by taking over a department that has been illegally locking up and abusing the Original people of the land of the United States. Perhaps he will prevent that, but I doubt it. Also, will he use his plumbing skills to fix the plumbing in the ICE detention centers? I think not!
I wrote a piece on how Trump and his acolytes use "Doublethink" and "Duckspeak" from Orwell's book "1984". Noem is a "Duckspeaker" using "Doublethink" in trying to throw Trump under the bus over the outrageous ad campaign. Trump, the master "Doublethinker threw her right back under the bus and made sure it rolled over her.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/the-language-of-the-fascist-regime?r=f0qfn
Markwayne or Kristi, is more of the same. However, will Markwayne's nomination has yet to be approved. The Rubberstamper Republicans will, let us hope the DINKy Dems do not.
At least, Markwayne didn't shoot his dog or his goat. That we know of.
No, but he will no doubt shoot himself in the foot once he/we know how incompetent he is, even though he believes he has been marked out by Providence to initiate projects he thinks will be ordained by his holy leader.
I can say with almost certainly that he does at least have some respect for animals.
Why Janet? What do you know?
That we know of is correct. What we do know is that he is the guy who wanted to get into a wrestling match with the teamster leader, but supposedly they are getting along now.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5770671-teamsters-president-praises-mullin/
What we also know for certain sure is that no replacement Trump picks will be any improvement on the original.
Did you read all five dozen paragraphs or just skip to the end?
If you’re referring to Albert’s comment, I read it all but I was already up too late so I kept my comment short (I’m now awake with my sick 3 year old). I didn’t see a need to reply to every part of his response but rather acknowledge the last paragraph to make sure others saw it, as well as have a short response to the first about Noem’s replacement.
If you’re referring to Professor Richardson’s letter, yes I read it on Facebook before she posted it on Substack. I am quick to comment on Substack because I know it’s coming after seeing it on Facebook. I stayed up a little extra waiting for it to be posted here.
However I’m not sure why you’re asking about what I read.
Megan, hope the little one is soon on the mend, and that you can get caught up on rest this weekend. THANK YOU for always posting your excellent chart!
Thank you! She’s still getting over the flu she first got back on February 18th! It’s taking so long to get over. Daytime symptoms is just a runny nose, but at night the sore throat and congestion really bothers her ❤️🩹
Sorry. Didn’t intend to comment on your reading, just some snark in the length of the essay you responded to. Hope your child recovers quickly. Tough times but you seem to be up to the challenge. Good for you.
I am not sure either. Freedom of choice.
I wonder whether Trump ever read the names of the 15 U.S.Departments.
I'm sure you got the hint -- brevity is the true soul of wit, as they say.
Which reminds me... "The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30-second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance." — Carl Sagan, "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark."
"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning." (Mark Twain) and some "right on" distillations have widely forked lighting, while Trump and his ilk spread their obfuscatory darkness.
Ge easy there "It's come"..., go easy. It's too easy to sum up the current mess into one or two words ending with an exclamation point.
The real question is: Does he read?
While I don't wonder, I also don't think he would remember them if he did. Was just on the phone with my mom who has dementia. She said someone she knows, but she does not know who, gave her a magazine on Alzheimers so that is how she believes she must have it. I said you have "vascular dementia and maybe that is Alzheimers, but the doctor did not use that word." I am wondering who would give my mother a mag on Alzheimers, when she cannot read any more. I am wondering if Trump can remember things that do not directly involve him getting money out of it.
I think you are correct. I am so sorry about what your mother is dealing with. I understand from my own family experiences. Trump has many mental and physical problems. I doubt he can remember anything. It is most evident once he is off script.
I'm sure he did because I've seen the comic book version they likely read to him.
I think Mullin is pretty dumb so that may be helpful.
Mullin will strut around, bully & yell. Another sideshow.
I wish the Democrats used your list of qualifications for cabinet appointees in selecting members of a shadow cabinet to transparently craft a party platform ahead of the midterms. Let's put some of your ideas into practice NOW.
Time is getting so short, I am hoping Obama and Pelosi will start inviting experts, wonks and young Democratic stars to sleepovers to workshop the platform. Obama and Pelosi provide snacks, beer and pizza and break up any fist fights. The cabinet assigns public-facing opportunites to each of the stars/experts in teams like AOC and Bernie did in roadshows to discuss the platform ahead of the midterms.
I like that idea and yes, NOW. One way to reach many swing voters is fear. That is why they sometimes vote Republican. I will work on a compare and contrast of who we now have in the so-called "Cabinet" and the full list of what is involved in the operation of the 15 U.S. Departments. Imagine Trump starting a major war without Congress declaring it, then changing his Homeland Security Secretary a week later because of incompetence and his replacement also failing to meet the job description any more than RFK, Jr. is a doctor. Animals and clowns everywhere and nothing to laugh about.
The AOC/Bernie barnstorming was hugely successful at energizing their supporters and messaging. That has to be replicated for every department in the cabinet. Get the best Dem politician running in the midterms on National Security (Vindman?) and pair him with a barnburner wonk (Malinowski?).
Albert—research which candidates should get invited to the sleepovers to represent each department and which experts they should be paired with. We have to get this party started! Ideally, this should be well underway before the primaries.
The list of qualifications can be built out as we go along. and more can get added to the team. There are tools to do this; we just have to use them and then lobby our senators and Governors to get to Pelosi and Obama and make it happen. The idea is to then focus on the people with the power to persuade Pelosi and Obama to do it. I bet we could persuade a lot of Heather’s followers to support the idea and write to those influencers.
Query for Perplexity pro:
democrats up for election in 2026 with expertise in National Security
Answer:
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/democrats-up-for-election-in-2-yczcwaMqT7W4UQC.QSXlyg
Query for Perplexity pro:
Democratic experts in national security including politicians who are not running for election in 2026
Answer:
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/democratic-experts-in-national-dt.Q3w4JR32lIo3ywBlHyQ
I loved “See you at Nuremberg 2.0.”
I so hope and wish I will be still alive to see it happen. The blatant corruption, ineptness and immorality of this administration MUST be exposed to all Americans.
That was exactly my thought as well: I hope I live long enough to see it. It would be nice to see Justice done, for a change.
Below is my restack of today's post from Robert Reich. Write your own version and use it on restacks of other "thought leaders" in the Democratic party.
***************************************************************************
Robert Reich doesn’t want to be made to feel old.
So Robert, here’s a challenge to you from a 75-year old.
I wish you would organize Democrats by helping to create a shadow cabinet to transparently craft a party platform ahead of the midterms. Let's put some of your ideas into practice NOW.
Time is getting so short, I am hoping Obama and Pelosi will start inviting experts, wonks, and young Democratic stars to “sleepovers” to workshop the platform. Obama and Pelosi provide snacks, beer, and pizza, and break up any fist fights. Pelosi and Obama aren’t there to tell the shadow cabinet the answers; they are there to ask the right questions to unleash creativity.
There wouldn’t necessarily be a single best answer, but the electorate is smart enough to understand what is possible, the pros and cons of various approaches, and the trade-offs that will have to be made to wind up with programs that match fiscal realities. The Republicans’ fiscal irresponsibility is going to create enormous and changing constraints going into the midterms.
The goal is to construct a big tent that addresses the issues most important to the most voters.
The shadow cabinet as a whole would assign public-facing opportunities to each of the stars/experts, styled on what AOC and Bernie did in their 2024 roadshows, to discuss the platform ahead of the midterms.
This would have a far greater impact than your current efforts to educate people who are already fans. It would allow the Democratic Party to educate the ENTIRE American electorate.
You have the contacts to make this happen. Ideally, it should have been started the day after Trump was elected. Many writers on Substack have supported this idea. Between you and Heather Cox Richardson, you have millions of subscribers who could support this effort.
Please, put that ever-sharp and youthful brain of yours to work in an effort like this. America needs you. Take up the challenge!!!
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/dont-ask-me-if-ive-retired/comments
Hey everyone, the New Democrats to challenge the incumbent old school/go along dems come from “leaders we deserve “, David Hogg. They are motivated to make a difference!
Links please
Simon Rosenberg of Hopium Chronicles might also be someone to connect with about this, as I think he could get in contact with Pelosi and Obama?
In his Hopium Chronicles writing, Rosenberg argues that House and Senate Democratic ranking members “MUST start acting like a Shadow Cabinet and take on daily communications – not just legislative – responsibilities,” citing the need for a unified, visible opposition structure.hopiumchronicles+1
In more recent discussions with Stuart Stevens and others, he has pushed for Democratic leaders to create a loose governing council with governors and attorneys general to coordinate national messaging, which is conceptually similar to a shadow cabinet model.https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/meeting-the-moment-a-new-discussion
The consequences of what we collectively do with our right to vote can be (and has proved to be) a literal matter of life and death.
💯
There are two prongs to this fight. One is reform, as you are suggesting. The other is rousing the people. I think Democrats have always had good ideas. Republicans have done better lately with rousing the people, using fear and prejudice and painting Democrats as evil. We’ve rolled our eyes at their antics and offered our “better ideas” and here we are. In some states we can’t win a legislative seat for love or money, even though voting Republican is literally killing them (West Virginia for example) By not fighting back and doing our own version of “people rousing” we have allowed this to happen! Time to change it all.
Agree 100%--Lots of ideas from Dems, but they are all kind of one-off, and Dems' messaging is so bad we are letting Republicans define what our positions are for us. Right now, there is so little messaging, its crickets. It is all reactive to Iran, and the Epstein Files, and Kristi Noem, that DHS funding and healthcare are submerged in the flood.
The shadow cabinet is a direct lift from the UK where the parties out of power have their own solutions and spokespersons at the ready for every debate. It works there, but now with the media landscape so compromised by all the mergers and the obeisance to Trump we are relying on new media, and that does not reach everyone.
Rousing the people is probably the most important. Getting involved in local Democrat groups is vital. Waiting until general elections is foolish. There are many primary races, from school board to Federal offices, in which the democrats don’t even run a candidate. And then we sigh when repubs just walk into office.
It’s not too late to assemble a shadow cabinet and produce a platform! If anyone knows how to get through the 20-foot high mined fence around the DNC, let me know. I’ve sent letters but they just disappear into the quicksand.
I’ve given up with them. I post on Robert Reich’s substack and restack with a note there. He subscribes to me. I will call my senators, Booker and Kim and suggest it.
If 1% of Heather’s followers did that it would be 30,000 likes for Reich and calls to Senators. The would have the clout to get through to Pelosi and Obama.
I loved the idea of that shadow cabinet when it was first proposed. I felt it could have made a real difference. I was so disappointed in the Dems when it never happened.
Georgia rules
Yes. This. It is an utter mystery to me why Democrats refuse to do this.
It seems to me that a certain momentum carried over some of the autocratic features of kingship to our innovative office of chief executive, not the least of which is the power of pardon. Some process of pardon seems reasonable to correct injustices imposed by an arguable flaw in our legal system, especially with the benefit of hindsight. To leave that decision to the whim of a single person seems very much at odds with "a government of laws" and reasonably equal justice, as those who may merit a pardon can be arbitrarily ignored while others for which no ethical case can be sustained are released from accountability corruptly with no redress. I am aware of no significant presidential power that, from a practical standpoint, simply must be independent of other's consent. Certainly the current Republican Party has been keen to demonstrate corrupt unaccountable governmental can become.
The pardon power has always concerned me as a power above the law. In Section 5, of the model amendment in my Memorandum I attempt to address it. That section rewrites every mention of President and vice President in the Constitution to create seven Executives. The Attorney General is one of the seven, all of which are elected by We the Citizens of the United States in a national election. As for the pardon power, "Being a Government of laws, and not of persons, the Attorney General shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for convictions of Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment, but no Reprieve or Pardon can be granted unless new evidence supports a reasonable belief if it had been presented at trial the jury would not have convicted, and there shall be no preemptive Reprieve or Pardons." UnitedWeAmend.org
I get why some lawbreakers are granted immunity as an incentive to testify, but preemptive pardon, such as was applied to Nixon never made any kind of sense to me. I was surprised (when it was applied to Nixon) that it was even considered legal. It certainly contributed a precedent for treating presidents as in some sense unanswerable to law, which has metastasized over time.
Albert, I'm up reading much earlier than normal. Early appointments today. I'm just taking a moment here to (again, I believe) THANK YOU for pulling out your credit card to become a paid subscriber such that you can post comments. YOU, sir, add so much to the daily Letter, and I appreciate you.
My Thanks. Please promote my Memorandum to your family and friends.
Ditto on the appreciation!! Small grammatical correction: the “their” at the end should be “there”.
Thank you so much. I have a small list of there typos which will need to be fixed in the Memorandum.
And why is trump-dump thinking he can pardon leaders of other countries? No pardons! No accountability? No job!!!!! Impeach. Are we nuts?🥜
The powers of the SPACEFORCE Galactic Emperor know no limits!
Poor Kristi Noem.... hope she doesn't leave her blanket behind this time....it might stink.
SOmewhere (maybe someone reading can help with this) I saw a report that the real issue wasn't the blanket but a small bag. I somehow came up with the assumption that the contents of said bag might required a power source, if you follow my drift. That allegation disappeared really quick, so who knows.
Hers and Cory's white powder supply.
Ah! Didn't think that!! Could be!
Put both together. She didn't get that luxury bedroom for nothin'!
As you said Miselle, so who knows. In any case, this American Marie Antoinette was supposed to be responsible for whatever she was carrying. Spoiled baby.
I hope she disappears into total obscurity.
I hope she is deported back to South Dakota with no posibilidades of parole or chances to visit other States. Thanks for your reply
Albert, I wish that we had a Dept of History, as perhaps it would help whatever POTUS we have understand why many pieces of legislation were put into place--and I'd nominate HCR for the job!
The Smithsonian Institution has sort of been our keeper of history. Kind of a mix of historical artifacts and cultural anthropology. Now J.D. Vance is attacking it to re-write history.
The US government has traditionally invested robustly in advancing a number of useful sciences. Even Nixon believed in supporting some evidence-based research as well as spreading lies. With Reagan, we began to pull back, and Trump has tried to block anything he and fellow plutocrats do not directly benefit from and control.
I agree with you about "effective presentation by Mr. Dale T. Rowett of LexiGraphics.Pro alone is worth a visit to my Memorandum posted at UnitedWeAmend.org. It's time-consuming and user-friendly. I'm old, but I work and am reminded of my diluted attention when it comes to deepening into details of what to do next, like with Ther Constitution. For years, I've been digesting concepts about the destructive phases of society's transformation -- the personal willingness to face change voluntarily before it happens to us (as it now is). These are catalytic times, and I agree that there is a need to revise, see with fresh eyes, update personal and collective world views, hold lawlessness accountable, and face the regenerative challenges. I applaud your investment of time, Albert R. Killackey, Esq. I hope for effective absorption by a broad public sooner rather than later. A challenge artists/creators face is whether what's been created will be received.
My sincere Thanks. Please download, and share the Memorandum with family and friends.
I don't know much about this guy so am grateful for the information. I've seen a couple of his interviews on CNN and frankly he comes across as a bit thick, so I guess he will fit in fine in this administration if he's confirmed.
"A bit thick"
Understatement of the year. . .
If Mr Mullet walked down the street carrying two short planks, no-one would see him.
This sounds so sane and intelligent. No sane company hires unqualified people to fill important roles in their company, unless they really dont care if they are to be successful. We typically do not advance school kids if they haven’t grasped the knowledge to do so. There is a hiring process for a reason. Just ask any successful company. Gnome may have embezzled taxpayer money and we no longer have an AG that works for “We the People”. We need to hire one that works for us, not for the nitwit in office (no matter who that nitwit is). WTF
What you are suggesting sounds a great deal like a twenty-first century version of Plato’s Republic.
The problem with it is that for all your talk of We the People. you’ve largely cut us out of your equation. Since you clearly mistrust We the People to do so, whom do you suggest should be deciding who is qualified to run for office? Some select committee? Funny, that was the original intent of the Electoral College, that late-night jury rig that has now become a partisan weapon.
The core problem here is that far too many of us simply don’t understand that we are both the inheritors of and the participants in the most extraordinary, the most crucial, the riskiest, and the most complex ongoing experiment in human society and government ever attempted. No one who really did understand that would ever have voted for Donald Trump (not to mention a few other past presidents)
The fact is that the more ‘safeguards’ one puts in place to prevent autocratic demagogues like Trump from being elected, the further from democracy we get.
It’s all a bit like our endless struggle over the Free Speech clause in the First Amendment. Curtailing it in any way is a very slippery slope.
There certainly are elements of the Constitution that no longer ‘fit’ the modern world. We should be surprised if the first governmental blueprint of its kind in human history, created in a very different world than the one we now inhabit would still suffice. But at the core of what the Framesrs intended is still the essential element of any democracy - We the People.
In the end, the Framers challenged us to see if together, and for all our diversity of opinion, We the People could find just enough of the courage, the honesty, the compassion, the understanding, the tolerance, the humility the humor, the wisdom, the hope, and the sheer common sense to rule ourselves from the bottom up with as much justice and equity as is humanly possible.
If we cannot, then all the constitution and legal guardrails we could invent would not save us. Some other form of government would be necessary.
Please read my Memorandum before claiming a I have "largely cut us out of [my] equation." Most of my post above is a quote from my Memorandum which ends with a five section model amendment. We the People control the States we live in. No amendment becomes part of the Constitution unless three-fourths of the states (currently 38 out of 50 states) ratify it. That is what a Republic is all about. Thus if we decide to diversify the Executive Branch into Seven Executives who are each required to prove their being fit within the Amendment's terms for leading a particular section before their name goes on the ballot, then no more needs to be asked. UnitedWeAmend.org.
"Our security requires that only informed and experienced persons be able to hold Office.”
I repeat my central question. Who decides who are the ‘informed and experienced persons”? ‘We the People’ do control the states we live in, but that guarantees nothing.
I know all about the amendment process., thank you. I taught American history for over 40 years.
OK, well, I don't know how else to explain it. If the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and the amendment list the requirements of "who are the ‘informed and experienced persons", then it is the Constitution which made the decision. If that does not help then go back and read the instructions. Go to the Memorandum and find out what it says.
Tne Constitution says nothing about who are 'the informed and experienced persons’. It only mandates age and habitation requirements. You yourself noted that there should be something besides an age requirement. What would that be, and who ought to decide it?
When Washington was president there were 13 states, all located on one coast with a common heritage of being Frontier Colonies.
Things changed.
Moreover, he only had to deal with white land owning adult males being "WE the People." Please promote my Memorandum. It involves a much needed conversation the "We the People" of 2026 must have.
Wow. So thoroughly thought out and expressed.
My Thanks. My post above is only one page from mu 59 page Memorandum. Please download it and share it. You can also download a Red, White and Blue rally size poster of UnitedWEAmend.org.
Maybe Congress will do their job and not allow him to take the position, he is insanely unqualified!
Amending the constitution is a two-edged sword, as discussed ad nauseam previously. Charles Koch has a plan.
Speaking of plans, chump is following Vlad’s plan is he not. He will rule the Western hemisphere while Vlad gets his slice out of the rest. China may have plans of its own. Netanyahu and MBS are biding as well. Chump is signaling that he is focusing on our territory but he wants a say in how the rest is divvied up. Gotta be some transactions there. Money still = power and vice versa
I respectfully disagree that amending the constitution is a two-edged sword. As Jefferson wrote, “...laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind ... we might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.” IOW, there comes a time when either the sword is at our neck. "Join, or Die" is a political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin. I use the word Unite.
IMO, it is crystal clear Trump is following Putin's orders to destroy our country. Putin is the world's leading corporatist fascist. Also, Trump wants more than just the West. Now he wants to hand select the next leader of Iran the same way he wants to select the next Republican candidate for Texas Senator. IMO, Trump and Putin are facing hate from the world's most powerful people. Every country will all lose as Wall St. falls and fuel cost rise. Everything transported will go up in price. They are both marked men. Yet it is also clear that J.D. Vance may be worst, as well as Mike Johnson. That makes them all targets. Their mouths have created the most unstable time in our Republic as our entire so-called leadership could fall at any moment. I cannot imagine having the jackass Cabinet left sitting until a new President somehow makes a stand. I cannot find the diplomatic words for how, with hat in hand, our next President says to the world, "Shit happened."
Excellent suggestion!
Take heart all. The end is coming to Domestic Terrorist #1. Donald J Trump.
In the world of public opinion, Trump is a total, loser. BIGLY. Everything he does is unpopular.
His approval ratings have been dropping since his real agenda started to roll out last spring. His public approval ratings dropped from +50%
In January 2025 into the mid 40% range by early Spring. Then, this winter, with the outrageous, fascist murders in Minneapolis his approval ratings dropped to +/- 39%.
He has shed support across all groups except one. His strong support from the "bro" investor class who hang onto the performance of US equity markets as proof of Trump's genius.
Now, the war against Iran and the growing quagmire of his tariff regime are tanking US markets. Biden handed Trump a healthy US economy in Jan. 2025 with the Dow recovering from 28,000 in 2020 to 44,000 in 2025. As I write this post, the Dow is rapidly heading down to 47,000, the 5th day in a row of significant drops. It seems every 1000 point drop in the Dow will cost Trump .2-.4% in approval ratings.
When he achieves a Dow collapse below 40,000 his approval rating will hit 35%-36%.
This is utter rebuke for the leader of the GOP.
Remember the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Toto goes behind the Wizard's curtain and it's just a grumpy old guy running a scam?
We're about to see this in real life.
With regard to dividing the news feed, I have to say that there are some newscasters who are able to cover Iran, Noem and the Epstein files in the same program. trump may see himself as all powerful, but nothing he does will make the Epstein files go away.
True the demand to release the TrumpStein Pedo Files will never go away until they are released in full but for the names of the children who were raped. My point was dividing the news among three stories when news about a 13 year old girl claiming Trump raped her really belongs front and center smells like something rotten is under the house. Perhaps a "SPECIAL REPORT" is required here.
Actual Google link if you’re prefer is: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk
^ I put the shortened one to not bog down my initial comment
Given Trump's ability to reduce our Mother Earth to a lifeless barren, his malevolence has no precedent in our planetary history. His moral imbecility -- his sociopathy -- is clearly without limit, which defines his Evil as genuinely absolute and infinite, a magnitude of depravity for which there are no words in any language. Two Liberation-Theology Christians I know, each PhD'd, each a retired college professor, regard him as the Anti-Christ, the bringer of apocalypse, a real-world manifestation each formerly viewed as entirely metaphorical. From what I read online, many of their Liberal Christian colleagues -- that is, humanitarian-minded Christians who correctly interpret the Bible as more metaphor than fact -- have come to the same conclusion. And I – with the consciousness of word-meanings necessitated by a near lifetime of professional writing -- cannot overlook the decidedly eerie appropriateness of Trump’s name; as a verb, one of its definitions is “to impose unfairly,” and its synonyms include “defeat,” “conquer,” “crush” and “trounce.” But Fate is not without her sense of humor, for as a noun, one of its British meanings is “fart,” and its verb-form is “fart,” "farting" and “farted.” Therefore it might pejoratively be said that when President Donald J. Fart befouls the atmosphere with his threatening diatribes, he is indeed farting – that is, expressing the vile, karma-comedic truth of his name...(may its apocalyptic toxins all be exorcised by the healing energies of our planetary motherland). (See https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trump#Synonyms , https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump and https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/trump )
Excellent post. I hope to live long enough to see him go like a fart in the wind. Still, I know his stench will linger on as a part of the Roberts Six. Many among us say climate change is the existential threat of our time, a risk high enough to potentially cause our extinction. However, consider The Attack on us by the Court and its decision creating Corporate Personhood, and "Citizens United" claiming money is the protected speech of Super PACs and Dark Money of non-profit groups to influence elections and law making. Consider recent decisions on gerrymandering neutralizing votes. Combine that with the fact that to address the catastrophic threat of Climate Change we need the control of our elections, and it becomes clear that the Roberts Six is the existential threat of our time. Unless we repeal all their brain farts by Amendment they will cause our extinction.
You reminded me of a phrase an Irish colleague once told me: dying meant being "farted into the wind eternal." How appropriate.
Thank you. Appropriate indeed (with immediate reaction from my 80-percent-Celtic genes.)
Thank you, Mr. Killackey. Apropos the Robber's Court (typo intentional), what do you, as a lawyer, think of the possibility of impeaching the Seditious Six and perhaps even finding grounds to prosecute them?
In my Memorandum I discuss the case of Trump vs. the USA. There the Roberts Six actually lied beyond any lie is law ever. They actually base that lie on the Republican form of government which our Constitution is based upon, that we are a government of law and not of men. They argue that is what makes a President exempt from the law. IMPO, yes, they all should be impeached and then indicted, convicted and put behind bars from breach of the public trust. Good God. An eight grade student in the US should be able to see the lie they wrote. Plus they did it to stall the prosecution of the felon.
So glad you elaborated beautifully the significance of one's name Loren!
Thank you.
I can't recall if it was his father or grandfather, but his actual surname is "Drump" if I recall correctly.
And yes, he does have a lot of Anti-Christ about him., imho.
A good day to you, Loren! I'm a bit uneasy as it seems like a lot of (bad word!) goes down on Friday nights.
Actually Drumpf, which they thought was too German. (No shit.)
Thank you MLM. I was going to add a "h" to the end but it didn't look correct.
And an unending succession of good days -- and good nights -- to you, Miselle.
Loren,
I like what you write. That which bugs me lately is this "god delusion" that has gripped many generally reasonable people.
Throughout human history it is the world's major religions that have produced the greatest causes of humanity's suffering.
Though god, the devil, heaven or hell (waiting in the dentist's office) have no place in my world view, I appear to be in the minority.
As usual these religions base their absurdities on man-made texts that assert theirs is the one true god--because we say so. You don't like it? That's a good enough reason to persecute you (which usually includes theft, slavery, and murder).
Don't get me started on these faux christians. I'm inclined to agree with Nietzsche when he commented that the last christian died on the cross.
So please, when you write, try to leave out references to "the books," their imaginary gods, and what they claim is telling them what to do.
Last time I checked, hearing voices can get one committed.
But wait, my bad, these state-sponsored maniacs that are causing all this suffering and destruction don't believe their bullshit--they just want us to believe it.
I cancelled my god subscription in 4th grade when i finally figured out that the nuns and priests were selling a fraudulent product--and i quit the cult of catholicism.
I'm waiting for everyone else to catch up.
Thank you for the compliment, Michael. Personally, I am an agnostic, albeit admittedly with appreciation for the beliefs of my pre-Christian ancestry, which is mostly Celtic, albeit maternally seasoned with 1/16th or 1/32nd First Nations genes, proven so by my shovel teeth, by its geography probably Mohawk. I am a direct descendant of the Blisses a daughter of whom was Mary Blisse, who in 1675 beat a witchcraft rap in Boston. I am also outspokenly hostile to patriarchy and patriarchal religion; I recognize that the historical arc based on cooperation (and therefore "bending toward justice") that enabled our species’ survival during our first approximately 204,000 years ended – probably forever – with the violent imposition of patriarchy about 6,000 or 7,000 years ago. But not only did that arc end; it was vindictively reversed; the technological progress that had previously benefited our entire species suddenly, under patriarchy, became weaponized for sole purpose of perpetuating the male supremacist tyranny that is patriarchy's quintessential purpose. Thus the notion that history arcs toward "justice" was transformed from pre-patriarchal truth to what under patriarchy -- a social organization pimped by talking snakes, fiery wheels in the sky and allegedly divine apparitions announced by thunder, smoke and fire; the cultural equivalent of smallpox-contaminated blankets – is our species' greatest, most-atrocity-protecting all-time deception. Thus too the definitive history of Christianity since Constantine began the process of making it Rome's state religion: ever-intensifying ecogenocidal warfare against women, nonbelievers and our Mother Earth herself, a perpetual inclination to holocaust always camouflaged as divine love, with its tyrannical thermonuclear omnipotence purposefully culminating in the Trump Regime. (Credit Robert Graves with having rediscovered the banned "Gospel of the Egyptians" and therefore the [real] Jesus, whose prime assertion is, "I am come to destroy the works of the female." See Graves' "King Jesus": various publishers and copyright dates c. 1946-2021; note that most libraries and bookstores are too rationally terrified of arson to publicly stock it, so you'll likely have to go to BookFinder for a copy.) That said, when writing about threats to our existence, to omit writing about "the books" (by which I assume you mean the Bible), is like writing about Hitler and omitting Mein Kampf. Or Ayn Rand's fictionalizations thereof, which since the advent of the socioeconomic Nazism disguised as neoliberalism are mandatory reading in most USian high schools.
Loren,
When the phrase "ignorance is bliss" was coined, it wasn't thee they (he, she, it) had in mind.
As I said, I like what you write. Now I have an idea why: You read Robert Graves. Though I can't match the clarity and detail of your genetic-ethnic background, I can relate how I got interested in the writings of "old Gravy," and his pal, another warrior-poet, Siegfried Sassoon.
I first read Goodbye to All That when I returned from Vietnam, a little banged up, but still in one piece (1st Bn 5th Marines, Quang Nam Province '69-70). His folks thought him dead; mine thought I lost a leg.
Luckily neither was true. Ancient history. Before I knew better.
I've read The White Goddess and King Jesus (have both in hardback), his collected poems and his collaboration with Raphael Patai on Hebrew Myths. I never tire of reading his Greek Myths (vols 1-2, Penguin).
What a guy: scholar, poet, warrior--and ladies man. Martin Seymour-Smith's biography is excellent. From whence came my introduction to Laura Riding's poetry.
[I've run out of room...agnostics vs atheists is on hold for a later date. Substack is hard for me to navigate. I seem to lack this gene. I think I can find you on your profile page, and an easier way to communicate.]
Cheers, Loren, while we await The Second Coming ;- )
Brilliant!
Thank you.
Apparently the presidency now comes with a new feature called “Global Manager Mode.”
In the latest episode of Diplomacy by Vibes, the President reportedly decided that Iran should stop wasting time choosing its own leader because, obviously, that is something he needs to handle personally. Elections, sovereignty, constitutional processes, all very quaint. But why let nations run themselves when you can run them like a reality show casting call?
Meanwhile, over in Israel, he reportedly demanded that President Isaac Herzog pardon Benjamin Netanyahu immediately so that Netanyahu can focus on a war with Iran. Nothing says respect for democratic institutions like calling a foreign president and asking him to hurry up and override his own legal system.
But the real masterpiece of reasoning came from the White House explanation for bombing Iran. Apparently, it was based on a “feeling based on fact.”
This is an exciting development in foreign policy. For centuries, governments wasted time on intelligence reports, diplomatic channels, and strategic planning. Turns out the real key to international security is gut instinct, possibly while scrolling cable news.
And if you are worried about any of this, relax. According to the President, people are loving what is happening.
Which is great, because nothing reassures the world quite like a nuclear age strongman running global diplomacy on vibes, cable news, and the geopolitical equivalent of “trust me, bro.”
The only words missing before Karoline Spokesbarbie babbled out that "feeling based on fact" was its preamble -- "eeny-beany, chili-beanie, the spirits are about to speak...! 🫎
Hahahahahaha!
It is a gift to see the humorous in the calamity that this person is; I hesitate to give him the presidential title; he has besmirched it so frequently in the course of his inhabiting the People's House,even when he is NOT all there! Thanks and I love th epart on his 'global management' style. He will surely have reason to REGRET it big time one day soon!
We all do so dearly hope so ….
Great writing! Keep it up. Love your style.
So well said.
Thanks for providing this resource!
You’re welcome! I try to share it all over! Thank YOU for being aware and active right now ✊
Just called Sen Tillis in neighboring NC thanking him for his fiery discourse directed at Queen Kristi. He wasn’t the only one who contributed to her downfall but he was the best.
Yes! I’ve been sharing it too. I’m taking a road trip soon and planning to mail letters in each state, to Reps as I go. (So they have local postmarks.) This resource comes in VERY handy!
Little by little, the Trimp show is starting to unravel. His instability and the incompetence of his flunkies is taking a toll. It's worth all our time to write or call your Congress-critters and insist that Noem's crimes be remembered and that she be held accountable along with all the other DHS goons. Bringing in a new stooge like Markwayne is a weak attempt to diffuse blame for the crimes they all committed under Stephen Miller.
Guilty Donald won't stop "flooding the zone" but we mustn't allow even his new and illegal war to distract us from resisting at every turn and zeroing in on bringing the Epstein files into the light. The more extravagant every new distraction of his is, it's only further proof that he's desperate to keep that under wraps.
In fact, I'm calling Jamie Raskin's office today and rather than complain - as I often do - I'm going to congratulate him on his brilliant (he's always brilliant) performance at the Noem hearing.
As a Marylander I applaud your doing that; when any of our members of Congress do something well remember that praise from us, is one way to reinforce the positive efforts of the people fighting for us! <3
Please write Jamie Raskin and share with him my Memorandum. Ask him to please read the model amendment language as it is the rampart we need. My Thanks, UnitedWeAmend.org.
Thank You, Megan.
I wrote a piece on how Trump and his acolytes use "Doublethink" and "Duckspeak" from Orwell's book. Noem is a "Duckspeaker" using "Doublethink" in trying to throw Trump under the bus over the outrageous ad campaign. Trump, the master Doublethinker threw her right back under the bus and made sure it rolled over her.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/the-language-of-the-fascist-regime?r=f0qfn
Megan, thanks for posting the spreadsheet often. It comes in handy. Hope your little one is better soon.
Noem is not really out. I read last night trump just made her head of his new department Shield of Americas or something like that. trump wants to meet with the leaders of 11 Latin countries to banned together to stop the flow of drugs. It made no sense to me. I am more concerned about Iran's retaliation towards the US.
Well, he couldn't make her Ambassador to Greece - that's for Jr's cast-offs.
True, she’s still collecting a paycheck. But her high-profile cabinet position is no longer hers and the flying bedroom with a bar for Corey and her is gone.
So much for waste, fraud and abuse............let's just create another position with no responsibilities nor accountability.
Out of the role she’s been in, and cast aside with this made up role that sounds like it’s out of the Avengers 🤣
As a student of Latin America - that made up position is subject to little Marco and the State Department. To my knowledge she knows none of the other three languages of Latin America - Spanish, French, Portuguese and the decidedly macho attitudes of most of those countries politics will dismiss her as a lightweight. He is a fool to think she can make any contribution there and I doubt Rubio will be kind to her either.. Besides she has some major court room appearances in Minnesota I believe????
Did congress take oath to support anti American wars to help indicted leader of foreign country get a pardon?
Thanks for providing the website! I've lost it in my bookmarks but have it again now. Perhaps the roar we hear is not from the war but from citizens who have (finally) had enough!!
Make noise!
As HCR pointed out, the approval of trump’s ballroom was delayed as “the more than 35,000 comments the commission received, more than 97% were opposed to Trump’s plans for the ballroom.” Keep on contacting officials!
I appreciate the information!
Thank you Megan!
What's your secret to being sane through everything you investigate? I'm exhausted just reading about it, and experiencing it as a US citizen. Thank you for keeping us informed! I have learned more about history than I ever learned years ago in school and college! You are appreciated.
My apologies for speaking for the Professor, but she has an incredible group of Americans that she communicates with including some of you who comment here.
A friend of mine's sister ran into the Professor at a coffee shop in San Francisco. They ended up sitting down together and talked about anything and everything for over an hour. When you're willing to make one time friends and have an amazing group of friends and family, I suspect it helps in keeping your sanity.
Me too!!! And to think we have more history now than when I was in high school lol that was a very long time ago!
True dat. I never knew how much I loved learning history! I can't learn enough.
Totally agree! I sucked at history in HS and college, and now because of reading Heather, I love it!
It’s about history as a lived experience. More than compiling dates, places, and numbers; these are just waypoints along a narrative arc that branches across generations and touches every life in unappreciated ways.
Trump insisted that “[p]eople are loving what’s happening.” The only people loving what’s happening are Trump‘s insane cabinet and this insane American Congress. Congress has forgotten what they were elected to do, represent their constituents, who are not loving any of this. Trump’s administration is bringing global chaos and, possibly, Armageddon. Yet they don’t seem to realize this. They’re all in the happy Trump boat. They are all cognitively dysfunctional. Is dementia contagious? Maybe we should ask RFK Jr. In any case this madness has got to stop. Impeachment is the only solution.
Astonishing to watch Republicans telling Trump with their rubber-stamp war power votes: 'please do abuse us, slap us, tell us we don't matter, kick us in the face, we love it, do it again.' Harry Truman once railed at a "do nothing" Republican Congress, but this one is a collaborator GOP Congress, headed by wimps and accomplices, terrified, doxxed and beaten into submission. The future will not be kind to these people.
I think stupid also plays a big part in their obsequiousness (there’s a 10 dollar word for this morning). The future will not be kind, as you say, but most of them are too stupid to realize that this shitshow was unsustainable. They were too stupid to figure out that if they had all stuck together in opposing the absolute worst of what came our way exactly a year ago, he would have huffed and puffed but he couldn’t have primaried them all out of office. They were too stupid to understand that a coke-sniffing heroin shooter/dealer had no business running HHS or that a blow-dried bullshitting alcoholic with a lousy resume had no business running the DoD, and by confirming these and other dirtbags they were sealing their own fates. Well, at least the puppy and goat killer is gone. Speaking of stupid, we’ve been blessed to have her replaced with a yokel with two first names. Markwayne is all we need to know about this guy.
Yes. John-Boy he's not.
I am thinking more Uriah Heep than not.
And that he began to unhook his belt in a senate hearing until the chair stopped him. He was ready to fight a witness he didn’t like right there. Guess he misses his MMA days.
I, too, “think stupid also plays a big part in their obsequiousness.” When they can’t find an intelligent and subservient criminal for the post, they go with stupid. They see clumsy illogical analingus as easy-going ego-stroking and as representative of the behavior they demand from those of us who stand in upright opposition to theocratic racist psychopaths.
Not a single spine was detected in Republican Congress…
If it wasn't for Tillis and Cleghorn Kennedy, Noem would still be Secretary.
Several weeks ago Trump said something to the affect, "Kristi is doing a great job and so is Corey," like they are co-running the department.
Why isn't the MSM all over the fact that Trump is cray-cray AND unfit for office?
Trump owns the MSM.
Thank God for substacks.
Yep!
dollars
I remember being on several boards for different professional and charitable organizations and watching smart people’s brains turn to mush and their hearts turn to stone and a functioning backbone could not be constructed from the lot, sadly myself included.
And it is our duty ICTT to make the present "not kind to these people" either.
May Noem's trial last past 2028 so she can languish in jail for many years without being pardoned for her lawless anti-American behavior!
Please translate ICTT. I can’t find a fitting definition.
I sincerely believe that they are hanging on for the money and the future retirement benefits if they make it to 3 terms in the HOUSE as did MTG! That ENTITLES them to a basic retirement benefit at age 62! And the amounts accrue the longer they are there. Remember that not everyone who has served in the CONGRESS is going to get some cushy board membership. Or teaching position!
And let’s not forget the insider trading information that they all get and take advantage of. In fact, let’s do more than simply not forget. Let’s start jumping up and down and making a lot of noise about this travesty of justice.
From your lips to God’s ear.
The Orange Goblin King and his goblin cabinet are the wrecking ball that the Silicon Valley tech bro billionaires -and Putin- want. They need him to destroy America democracy, and, if possible, the entire western cilization. The plan: as soon as there are no laws anymore, the richest people can do as they wish, and they will automatically rule the world - by force.
Check out Thiel's idea of what comes next with Prospera.
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/peter-thiel-s-futuristic-prosp-PUcTmkM7S7WG_0Z2JqJwKQ
Theil and his ilk want to usher in the new feudal system.
As serfs, we can already be monitored by the very device at our fingertips.
What strange hell does the craven oligarchy have in the master plan?
Slave breeding programs?
Optimized serf?
Electronic implants?
Georgia, we often mention "the Epstein class" here, but many of us may think that's more of a creative phrase than an actual group. The more I read, the more I'm convinced that there actually is an unofficial fraternity operating in the shadows. I hate that such a conclusion makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist.
When I did research for one of my rare Substack posts, I ended up down a rabbit hole, uncovering a network that leads to many of the most influential operations in U.S. culture and the world. I didn't mention all my findings in my article because they weren't relevant to the topic at hand, which I'll link at the end of this comment.
For example, PayPal is the default payment portal for virtually every form of e-commerce. Without it, e-commerce would virtually come to a screeching halt, minor competitors notwithstanding. Few people know that Thiel co-founded PayPal. Everyone knows Mark Zuckerberg (along with a few friends) created Facebook, but few people know that Zuck didn't have the money to make it a global force. Peter Thiel was the money behind Facebook.
When you start pulling the threads, you discover that there is, indeed, a fraternal web, and Jeffrey Epstein appears to be at the center of the web.
Incidentally, my conclusion about JD Vance is that he's a nobody and a do-nothing who attached himself to some guys who "had it going on," including Peter Thiel. Vance's rise to celebrity is strictly due to his association with real power. He and Holy Mike Johnson are two peas from the same pod.
https://lexigraphicspro.substack.com/p/my-website-is-on-facebook
Agreed about Vance. Thiel and Musk and some others are part of an Afrikanners club—they intervened with Trump to get white South Africans refugee status while Trump basically canceled refugee status for all other countries.
Thanks for the link, Georgia-although the info turned my stomach!
The drug lord/president that allowed Thiel to set up Prospera was the one Trump pardoned. I don't think most people realize how closely aligned Vance and Thiel are, and how involved Trump is, although he isn't interested in the ideology. Thiel and Vance are. I think it is more likely Thiel brokered the graft to get his drug lord buddy freed.
Georgia-Thanks for connecting the dots between the Honduras pardon and Thiel’s adventures.
I remember reading something about Musk trying something similar (establishing an autonomous city) in Texas.
I think I remember hearing of a group of gazillionaires in northern CA trying to buy land to create an autonomous city. Ha! Just looked it up. Solano County in the heart of the Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/north-bay/new-calfiornia-forever-city-map/3425858/
That was so he could have a compound and separate school for his kids and to house workers for the SpaceX launch site, and not have people sue SPaceX for the debris and pollution.
Maria Hinojosa on Latino USA did the same earlier this week in a story where she interviewed Jean Guerrero. The story was headlined about borderlands and immigration policy, but a lot of it was connecting those dots.
I wonder if this is what they want to develop in northern California. There is a large area of land being bought up by the oligarchs.
You know them better than most of us. Globlins is too kind a word
US House rejects war powers resolution to end Trump’s hostilities with Iran
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/05/us-house-war-powers-resolution-vote?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
The US House of Representatives on Thursday voted down a Democratic-backed measure to halt hostilities with Iran, as Republicans cleared the way for Donald Trump to continue the conflict that has drawn in countries across the Middle East, but criticized as having unclear goals.
By a vote of 212-219, the House voted to reject a war powers resolution proposed by Thomas Massie, a Republican representative, and Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative, which would have forced the US to withdraw from the conflict until Congress authorized military action. The vote was largely along party lines, with two Republicans breaking with their party to support the resolution, and four Democrats voting against it.
The Republicans' fealty to Trump is unprecedented. It is frightening in the context of how Trump decided to start the war, according to this deep dive from the NYTimes.
"In the same meeting, Mr. Trump’s top military adviser, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, told the president that a war could lead to significant American casualties. Days later, Mr. Trump told the public that his military adviser had been far more reassuring. He wrote on Truth Social that General Caine had said that any military action against Iran would be “something easily won.”
Other administration officials were similarly misleading in private sessions with lawmakers. During a Feb. 24 meeting with the so-called Gang of Eight — the leaders of the House and Senate and heads of the intelligence committees — Secretary of State Marco Rubio made no mention that the Trump administration was considering regime change, according to people familiar with his comments."
"On Feb. 18, on an unseasonably warm day in Washington, Mr. Vance; Mr. Rubio; John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director; and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, gathered with Mr. Trump in the Situation Room to discuss military planning.
During the meeting, General Caine discussed an array of options, among them that U.S. forces could carry out a limited strike as a way to push Iran in the negotiations, or a larger campaign with the goal of toppling the government. The latter option in particular, he said, carried high risk of American casualties, could destabilize the region and significantly deplete stocks of American munitions.
General Caine underscored that all of the options under consideration would be much more difficult than the successful capture of Mr. Maduro of Venezuela, an operation that the president viewed as a sign of potential U.S. success in Iran."
The key takeaway here is that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs told Trump the truth, Trump lied to the press about what Caine said as justification for going to war, and CAINE DID NOT RESIGN.
We have someone who is showing absolute fealty to Trump in charge of our military.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/us/politics/trump-war-iran-israel.html
And none in the regime thought about what would happen to the Straits of Hormuz, the supply of urea for fertilizer for US farmers, and all the other foreseeable harms that would result in world inflation and starvation. There haven’t been adults in the room since Jan 20, 2025.
Unintended consequences are not the Republican parties strong suit.
Yesterday, one of the Montana US Senators broke a retired Marine's arm for protesting and the other Senator, bowed out of his 2026 reelection 8 minutes before the deadline, so the Democrats couldn't have Tester or any other Democrat file. They are all a bunch of white trash cheaters.
Can you explain more about this? Why didn't the Dems field a candidate?
Because they assumed Daines was running again and they thought he would be a shoe-in. But he dropped out with 8 minutes to go (I think it was 8 minutes) so another Republican could be the candidate. This left the Dems with no viable candidate, like Tester.
Montana Dems can put forward a write in candidate. A long shot for sure, but possible.
RJM-Don’t forget about Americans stranded in the Middle East. No consideration for their safety and well being.
That Rubio had no plans for evacuation of American citizens as part of the STATE Department means the people who would have created/maintained such a plan are no longer there, more than likely fired long ago. More than likely part of the contractual agreements usually maintained JUST IN CASE but deleted by the DOJE group. More proof that this REGIME does not value the lives of Americans who serve sometimes in the most dismal of places. Yet another reason to hang RUBIO out to dry as well.
I understand someone in the same meeting told Trump he would “show strength” if he started bombing Iran. Of course that was all he heard.
He didn’t resign because they pulled him out of retirement, where his life trajectory would have never made him Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and he’s well aware of how many general officers have been removed from service, their dream jobs. There are always people who are not quite the best in any organization, he was one of them before his retirement which was why he retired. He’s a general officer, a high honor anyway you look at it, political resurrection must have been very tempting.
Interesting background story. So are you implying that his fealty to Trump is solid out of gratitude, or that, because he came out of retirement, that it should be easier to be honorable and walk away, or that he is trying to stay around to be the last adult in the room?
It could be any or a combination of those reasons Georgia, he lacked the requisite number of stars to be Chairman, he was retired where the chance of getting more stars was zero, he wouldn’t have gotten as far as he did if he was a man without honor, our general officers are first and foremost men of honor who understand the meaning of truth. On second thought when I think about Flynn that assessment goes out the window. It makes perfect sense to me that he would have given an honest assessment of the costs and risks of the Iranian war.
These democrats must no longer be supported. Add them to the list of those that support republicans. Now they are making us war criminals and accessories to murder.
“According to vote reporting, four Democrats voted “No” (i.e., against the resolution):
• Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
• Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME)
• Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH)
• Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA) “
https://chatgpt.com/s/t_69aa60b7579481918a89f452212f812d
Great to see the research on AIPAC funding in the link!
Do they have large military bases in their districts? There may be other reasons influencing their decision.
My concern is that Democrats keep doing purity tests on single issues. Republicans clearly do not give a shit as long as you wear a red hat. There has to be a middle ground.
We have to be looking at who represents the most people on the issues that are most important to their constituents.
Ideally, that would be done with rank-choice immediate run-off voting in primaries.
There were 13 Democratic candidates in a special election primary in the NJ-11 district where AIPAC targeted a candidate. There was no run-off or ranked choice. The winner had 29.33% of the vote. The AIPAC targeted runner-up had 27.57% of the vote.
I don't think that primary tells anybody much of anything other than there were a lot of egos in play with vanity candidacies. The system is broken.
I agree -- while I am staunchly liberal on "culture war" issues -- that is not where the Democrats attention and messaging should be focused for November -- groceries; gas; lives lost; measles spreading, pollutants returning to air and water, etc -- issues that affect everyone.
Exactly. And what is doable for the American people is going to be more constrained by the fiscal irresponsibility of the Republicans with their many military adventures and now war. We will have to rebuild stockpiles built over many years while creating new stockpiles fit for new asymmetric drone warfare. It is almost as if Trump is purposefully depleting the defense stockpiles, making us increasingly vulnerable…
But… if Democrats Israel First policy has them supporting an illegal war with Iran that costs upwards of one billion$$$ every day, and further explodes deficit and debt, then no point pretending to care about cost of gas and groceries.
I think that could be part of the messaging too -- the war is costing us in al sorts of ways -- costing the world in all sorts of terrible ways.
I don't think all Democrats are Israel First by any means. What about all of those Progressives who demonstrated against the crimes against humanity in Gaza? What about the candidate AIPAC sandbagged in the NJ-11 special election?
This is the problem with single issue purity tests of any kind, and the need to provide background and context regarding the issues, and most of all what tradeoffs will have to be decided in Congress. If Dems win the midterms decisively, enough to override Trump vetoes, then the rich will have to be taxed, social programs bolstered, but defense arsenals will also have to be rebuilt as a deterrent to China attacking Taiwan, and reasearch at NIH and the CDC refunded and FDA inspectors hired and trained, and....
Repairing the damage is going to be a huge job and probably take a decade.
Equal rights affects everyone.
If you can't start with that.. then what good is any of the rest of it?
I think I spoke without nuance -- of course equal rights are the bedrock of everything. I agree with you completely. But the GOP was able to spin our messaging into making the Dems sound extreme (they are good at this) - which we are not. But we will not be able to return and insure equal rights to all if we can't elect a Democratic House and Senate - so I am thinking strategically regarding campaign messaging. Not for a minute did I mean to suggest or infer that equal rights are not important.
Thanks, Georgia, for nuancing this a bit. While I personally think we are in such desperate straits with the Trump regime that Dems should try to vote as a block at all times, it’s worth trying to find out why some disagreed. From this article in the Hill it seems some were supporting an alternative War Powers act, at least one is strongly pro-Israel, and some are in Republican-leaning districts. It’s important to keep in mind we need the Dems to keep the seats. Still, some may need to go and a better Dem found.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5770273-democrats-oppose-war-powers-resolution-iran/amp/
Indeed some may need to go, but there are ways to change the system to make the process more open and fairer.
The system is absolutely broken.
And I agree. Ranked choice/Instant run-off would go a LONG way towards fixing it.
At the same time however, I object to the concept that equal rights is a 'purity test'.
It's one of the literal building blocks of our country. And I'm tired of being told that the 'only way' to 'save' America is to throw black women and LGBTQ+ people under the bus.
If that's the only way to save it.. .then let it die.
not sure what your "equal rights" comment is attaching to. Can you explain? I didn't intend that at all.
Everyone is always bitching about the 'purity tests'. Equal rights shouldn't be considered a purity test.
But apparently I'm being unreasonable for expecting democrats to have certain base level values. I should be willing to put those aside in order to Win.
This is what the GOP does. So this is what we should do to win. Just throw out everything and everyone who doesn't goose step to the party theme.
aka Blue MAGA.
"Vote blue no matter who".
I won't.
If they can't manage to agree to basic human rights for all then I'm not voting for them no matter who they are running against.
I would LIKE better schools.
I would LIKE better healthcare
I would LIKE better public transportation
I would LIKE real policies to combat homelessness
But I INSIST on equal rights for all. And that include the thousands of black women who have been fired due to 'anti-DEI'. That includes LGBTQ+ housing, education, employment and healthcare rights. That includes immigrants from anywhere, with or without documentation. I'm sure there are more but you get the point.
I have been told, not by you, but in this forum that my ideals will cost us the election therefore they should be shelved until 'later'.
We've literally been told that my entire life. I'm 60+ years old. I don't have many elections left. I'm done being told to wait.
If the dems expect people to vote for their candidates.. then put up some candidates people want to vote for. Don't expect us to continue to vote for people who are willing to throw us under the bus for political capital.
Very interesting but complicated. Here is ChatGPT’s summary for Cuellar. The full result is interesting.
“Summary:
Cuellar’s district contains one of the largest military complexes in the U.S. (JBSA) and a significant military workforce.”
https://chatgpt.com/s/t_69aab96b15c48191bb57e92f45631281
Politics is always complicated, and the bottom line for members of the House is what is specifically most important to their local constituents. That sometimes requires a vote that is not the party line.
Purity tests and absolutes don’t work in House races. It is a somewhat different story in the Senate where there is always a broader mix of priorities.
Ranked choice, instant runoff primaries have lots of advantages because it lets voters order candiates in how closely they are aligned to their most important issues. It forces candidates to pitch across the whole spectrum of issues and you get back the weighted results and can track by the differnt rounds and how the votes split what issues were likely the big deciders. You can see the vote flow and you know the stands the candidates took on the issues. You can follow up with focus groups and exit polls to verify the vote redistributions.
Every voter’s opinion has weight in the final decision and it opens up the big tent and devalues machine politics (a big thing still in NJ).
I pretty much agree with that except for war. Can never support anyone that is in favor of war and making us war criminals and accessories to murder.
Yes, RCV.
Rep.Jared Golden, who currently hold the 2nd District seat in Maine, is not running for reelection in November. Be careful what you wish for! Our former Republican Governor, Paul Lepage is now running for that seat. Lepage served 2 terms as Governor of Maine, and basically was Donald Trump before Trump! Mean & insulting. We all thought we were finally rid of him when he moved to Florida.
The Democrats running for that seat in the Maine District 2 primary, including Matt Dunlap & Joe Baldacci are both very good candidates.
Anyone but Paul Lepage.
Jordan Wood is my favorite so far.
Golden has always been a GOP wearing a DEM suit. That's the only way he got elected because the GOP wouldn't give him the time of day because "it wasn't his turn" and he lives in a red district.
AND
He's already quit. He's not running again. He was being heavily primaried and he has a wife and young children. Once the voters turned to death threats against his family, he 'noped out'. I expect we will see him again at some point in the future. Not sure what party he will run as but he's actually not that bad at his job. I just don't agree with his politics. And I expect his career would have looked a lot different under a GW Bush administration rather than a Trump one.
That's an interesting back story...Was he partof the Problem Solvers Caucus?
No idea as I'm not familiar with that. But he worked for Susan Collins before he struck out on his own.
100% agree
And in the Senate
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/104
We could start by arresting Steven Miller. Removal is an essential beginning.
Bibi is also happy.
Bibi is not happy. The current president of Israel has not allowed Bibi’s pardon to glide through as Pres Trump has raged and thinks he can order Pres Isaac Herzog to ‘“make happen”.
Our president thinks international relations work one way and one way only….”Do as Trump says and always follow Trump’s lead and grift.”
Not so. Bibi is not happy.
Salud.
🗽
So is Vlad although behind the scenes at the moment
“I have to be involved “. TRANSLATION: They have to grease my palm.
Agree 100%. Trump is being blatant about his personal corruption.
But our former allies see it and are starting to refuse to deal with him, and therefore us. There are going to be huge consequences.
Spain is not allowing the US to use their airbases to support the US/Israel/Iran War. Trump threatened to stop all trade with Spain. Spain is part of the EU trade agreement. The EU is taking action--walking away from the initial tariff extortions, and constructing new trading blocks that exclude us.
The lesson has been learned. The US defense industry is going to be decimated as Europe turns to SAFE and boosting its own defense industries. We will see it first with Europe doing joint manufacturing deals with Ukraine for massive drone production. The US is years behind understanding that the nature of warfare has changed and is now asking Ukraine for help.
It seems one possible positive outcome of this illegitmate war is that other countries --both in the Middle East and in Europe-- are beginning to experience the economic and human costs of being in league with a malicious ninny and his cabinet of ne'er-do-wells, or even tolerating such. As the pain mounts, so will the distance.
Trump, go fund yourself!
You know you can spell check your post, and even edit it later on, right?
And you do know what a double entendre is, right?
Exactly. Every time he says “make a deal” it’s his code for what will he get out of it, “pay me”.
Trump, go fund yourself!
It has to be just the right toady.
Love Heather's opening lines -- Donald seems to think he can dictate to other countries.
Then the details, paragraphs of details on chaos and corruption -- the fools he's had working for him.
And penultimately: "Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker recorded a video saying: 'Hey, Kristi Noem, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Here’s your legacy: corruption and chaos. Parents and children tear-gassed. Moms and nurses, U.S. citizens getting shot in the face. Now that you’re gone, don’t think you get to just walk away. I guarantee you, you will still be held accountable.'”
Still, for all the tragedy, the murders, the ICE & CBP terrorism, I detect also in Heather's tone a sense of humor at the idiocy that pervades all these thugs and incompetents -- as if we're going to emerge from all this.
Yes Phil, I have to say that I really did laugh out loud when I read Heather describing Donold's autopen obsession as a way to try to slime Biden.
"Trump had been so invested in his attacks on Biden over his quite ordinary use of an autopen that he replaced a White House picture of Biden with one of an autopen, so the prosecutors’ shelving that investigation has to sting."
It's almost hilarious that Trump actually put a picture of an autopen up as Biden's portrait, SNL couldn't even come up with something so ridiculous and wacky. Such a petty, juvenile act that is beyond pathetic while the autopen seems to have blown up in his face, may it happen in even more slapstick way for Donold.
His juvenile antics would be slapped down at a jr. high where I worked
Mary Trump predicted that the orange ding-dong would go off the deep end a long time ago, but 77 million of our fellow Americans decided they’d rather have an ignorant thug in the White House than someone who would try to govern within the bounds of the Constitution. The Republican elites have been using racism to get the votes 70% of uneducated white voters, but they finally lost control of their dupes, and the dupes put a man after their own heart in charge. The whole world will now suffer from the crimes against humanity that the majority of white US voters commited by voting for a crass thug.
So it is, Rex. 77 Million Americans willingly condemned American democracy and the entire rule-based order. And why? Racism and misogyny. There’s nothing more to it.
The 77 million felt they were being cheated somehow by the government and Trump told them that “only Trump” could be their savior. Many MAGA still believe him and do not see him as a dictator.
I also blame Joe Rogan and the other podcasters who convinced the Gen-Zers and Gen-Xers to vote for Trump and not ,la. And now that it's too late, several of the "bros" realize that Trump is cray-cray.
then some of them will come back.
So we LET THEM come back.
Encourage them.
(Maybe even let's Don't call them names, since we want their vote? Even if they ARE a basketful of deplorables? Oopsy.)
I'd rather preserve democracy than rehearse my verbal vengeance - and actually believe you would too.
But. The election is about the marginal 5-10%, not the 77M.
Focus, please. ;)
In TX, FL, AZ, NV, CA and a few others that is the 59 million Spanish speakers. Most of us have no idea what vile lies are being told to these people. Many of them are too afraid to vote now, which isn't helpful to either party. And then there is the black vote. There isn't a former Confederate state that the Dems shouldn't take if the black voters get out and vote. Just ask Stacey Abrams.
And then there are the stupid poor people that believed that Trump would lift them out of their poverty.
Affordability is the key to all of these groups.
Appreciate the stats, GL. Be nice to have the number who watch Fox, crossed by the number who don't understand basic 'news' level english, to better stratify outreach and communications.
Dutch Mike, I've liked your comment, but every time I read an election post-mortem that reduces the Democrats' loss to one or two issues, I know it's not a comprehensive analysis.
The fact is that the 2024 results came from a perfect storm of factors. When one compares the 2020 votes for Biden vs. the 2024 votes for Harris, it is reasonable to assume that racism and misogyny were factors. But there were so many more, each of which could have been "the Thing" that tipped the election in the wrong direction. Foreign interference, domestic interference, vote suppression, dark money, gerrymandering, and the list goes on.
All those issues and more fed into the One Thing that distorts our elections and neutralizes millions of votes: The Electoral College. Without the EC in place, presidential candidates would have to campaign in every state, not just the "swing states." Presidents would be elected by all the voters, not a few thousand.
That is true, Dale, especially about the electoral college. And of course, social media played a big role, especially Putin's political technology helped Trump a lot. That was the deal: I will hand you the US elections; you give me Ukraine and get the US out of NATO. But: Putin's 'campaigning' for Trump on social media still largely relied on the same two levers: racism and misogyny... As Heather said: the Confederacy is still very much alive.
Dale, did you mean, "Without the EC, candidates would have more motivation to campaign everywhere proportionately?"
OW, understand and agree with thrust of your several important points, most particularly the need to understand election choices as multi-factorial, with, in close elections, the possibility that a dozen or more 'single' factors, if moved for you or against, might have swing the entire result. And also, sometimes it may be non-productive to think in terms of "getting the ___ vote" by focused messaging.
AND lastly, that dem special interests will have NO representation if they don't realize that in a democracy people need to form a consensus and be tolerant and yes, that ugly political word, 'compromise' their 'demands' in order to get more of what they want (or, in the case of T, less of what they DON'T).
Mark, good catch! That wasn't a typo or grammo; I guess it was a wordo. I've corrected the mistake, although the shelf-life of this conversation has expired.
The rest of your response, I think, refers to Democrats' penchant for purity tests. Last time I traded vehicles, I moved from Jeep with all the bells and whistles to Mazda with all the bells and whistles. In doing so, I got a significant increase in value for the money, not to mention that I withheld my money from a Republican-funding company and gave it to a company that stays out of politics. Unfortunately, my Mazda has remote liftgate operation, but no foot-activation. Sometimes I miss that convenience. But I don't find that missing feature to be grounds for not buying a Mazda, when the vehicle is so safe, tech-loaded and reliable overall. But if I were a typical Democrat, I would say, "Nope! Not gonna buy another Mazda cuz I can't use my foot to open the liftgate."
I suspect most all your readers correctly understood your good point about the EC, and yes my nitpick was past the ‘best by’ hour.😏 But also just wanted to connect. Appreciated the raising of these important more technical and quantitative issues.
Racism and misogyny explains so much, deep dives not necessary. Greed is the icing on the hate cake
Greed is the primary motivator for the obscenely wealthy, but for the rest, I think it’s mostly a matter of preserving systemic advantages. Related to greed in a way, but on a very small scale… enough to eke out enough to pay the rent and, more importantly, maintain a dominant position in the social and political hierarchy.
Couldn’t agree more although I know very well off people who have money to burn and want more. Also some I thought had money are just over their heads in debt. The hierarchy is well maintained, regardless
Me too, but I was thinking of people with average incomes. Certainly not immune to greed but not expecting their R vote to pay off the way it does for the obscenely wealthy. However, there are of plenty of innumerate and/or irrational people who don’t want to tax the rich because they truly believe they’re gonna win the Powerball jackpot next week.
And imbeciles
Rex, well put.
There's misinformed self interest, and the misinformed, as well.
That's why there's hope.
That's also why we need to keep talking to our neighbors, instead of ranting about them to this screen. (Or, in between ranting about them....).
WE MUST FORM A MAJORITY COALITION. Which means a diverse, not ideologically pure, coalition.
This means we not only need to learn to get along with each other, but with 'them' again. We used to know how to do this. We can do it again. And we'll benefit.
Racism sells
Today's UNEMPLOYMENT news should straighten out those who followed him along. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/06/business/jobs-report-economy
I appreciate your optimism but fear that racism and misogyny have overwhelming influence with Trump voters compared to economic stats, whether they are employment figures or the price of eggs.
≈90 million didn't vote at all
And now we all have a (drunk) uncle in the White House.
Scandal-ridden Tony Gonzales (TX-23) is retiring. So far a record 36 Republican Congressional representatives have decided not to seek reelection. And I believe many more will follow.
A surge in voidoids and scalawags all suddenly needing to spend more precious time with their families...And now we have an open Montana Senate seat, thanks to whatever nonsense the GOP just hatched there.
Thank you for expanding my vocabulary! I have added voidoid to the list.
I personally like the term "kumquats" but have been excoriated by those who feel I needlessly disparage fruit. As far as I know, nobody eats voidoids for breakfast...
I add my thanks too:
voided" (not voidoid) means having a section removed or, in heraldry, depicted with the center cut out.
It also means having taken a dump....
I'm quite fond of citrus so I don't think kumquats is the right term for those vile congress critters that are fleeing the crime scenes and Trumpian regime radioactivity.
RUTABAGAS - as in their roots are begging to be paid to do wrong
Will the Dems notice the opportunities
My God, they BETTER seize the opportunity. If they don’t who can possibly still have any faith? Independents or a third party will need to quickly rise up.
Maybe independents will take over, too bad Bernie is my age.
37 if you count Jared Golden out of northern Maine. He's technically a dem but has always voted GOP.
Not true. I agree that Jared Golden can be frustrating, and, yes, he has cast votes with Republicans. But let’s be fair: Golden caucuses with Democrats and far more of his votes have been cast with his Democratic colleagues.
To paint Jared Golden as a retiring Republican is simply not true.
Really? You do realize that he's Susan Collin's protege right?
Literally worked for her. He is a democrat only because that worked for him to get elected.
We can argue all day about his individual votes. But at the end of the day he plays the same game Susan does. Voting for or against things based not upon what is right but what is politically expedient and what they can get away with.
He has supported Trump's military actions. He has supported Trump's tariffs. He has supported Trump's budgets...
and he has consistently supported ICE.
I won't be sad to see him go. No matter what letter is behind his name.
Are you sure he hasn't just voted his conscience and what he thought was best for his country and district, over his party's line?
I'm going to assume that you haven't actually read anything I've written today.
I have said several times that he is a Republican and a DINO. Literally. That was how he got elected.
So I absolutely believe that he voted 'his conscience' and not what his voters wanted.
Damn DINO, or traitor
He's a literal 'DINO'. He's a GOP from a GOP district. But the state GOP wouldn't support him. "Not his time" or "too young"... whatever. Some kind of old white man bullshit. So he switched sides and the Dems didn't whine because he's pretty solid on body autonomy and they had no one that was willing to put an effort into that district.
I don't think any of us were really expecting Trump 2.0 not even Golden. I don't for a second think that Golden is MAGA. But he is conservative and literally a DINO.
Thanks for this. Sad to say I expected the worst but they keep shocking me with the money support from “the smartest people in the room.” They have left no evil rock unturned. And Putin is collecting on his investment…
and AIPAC.. they hit the jackpot..
Yep, Netanyahu is orgasmic, and Gaza is still a wasteland
Wow, MAGAs losing member like the morning after in a traitors episode❌
One down. The whole rest of that fascist regime to go. I LOVE Senator Wyden: “See you at Nuremberg 2.0.”
Wyden is the equivalent of the bookkeeper who took down Al Capone!
Yes! I love that!
Yes I love Senator Wyden too, and for saying what a lot of us have been thinking and saying also. The Trumpian regime is still wracking up the criminal indictments with their arrogant corruption, lawlessness and cruelty but there is going to have to be another Nuremburg tribunal, or several, to get to the bottom of this madness and destruction of the world order and civilized conduct among nations.
The 4 main charges at the Nuremburg trials were:
1. Conspiracy to commit the other 3 charges
2. Crimes against peace (planning/waging war)
3. War crimes
4. Crimes against humanity
I completely agree. Thanks for listing those charges - so relevant.
Before the international consensus against Trump takes his to a Nuremberg trial, I would hope they would go after China for crimes against the Uighurs and against Iran for gunning down thousands of protestors, and for Russia for crimes against Ukrainians.
A whirlwind of incompetence, malice, arrogance, ignorance and stupidity seems to be fusing together, gaining speed and virulence. Most of us probably sense a true shattering moment approaching that will shake us to our cores (if we're not there already). We can barely keep up with events, yet it is vital we do so. Staying razor-focused on upcoming elections remains critical. Our temptation is to substitute pure outrage for strategy, to indulge in screeds without an accompanying game plan for how we eventually get out of this.
Yesterday, Adam Kinzinger wrote that while we have momentum, we haven't yet figured out a platform, and they still have the money -- the secret sauce that provides for more momentum, without which momentum often dies on the vine. Two days ago, James Talarico won the Texas Democratic primary in no small part because of his 'no-voter-left-behind' outreach to a re-organized Democratic base in the state (thank you Beto O'Rourke), to currently homeless Republicans, Independents and Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024. Being 8th generation Texan ("we were here when it was still Mexico" in his words) didn't hurt either. Espousing a real Christianity with appeal in a conservative state, he broke through some important stalemates. In his constant words, the struggle before us isn't about left versus right, but top versus bottom.
Some voices at the national level parallel this -- Pete Buttigieg and a few others spring to mind. Fusing message with strong candidates AND money is key to continuing momentum. On top of individual candidates -- and despite the many missteps of the Democratic Senatorial and Congressional Committees -- we have to give to both. More power to us as we move closer to November.
And don't forget, Talarico speaks Spanish as well. Not a small thing.
Yes, that, too. So does Beto. Cruz just babbles baby Pig Latin.
So he can order dinner on his weatherly vacations to Mexico
I remember when Beto O'Rourke challenged Ted Cruz to debate him in Spanish. He declined, because unlike Beto (and Talarico), the Canadian-born Ted Cruz does not speak Spanish well.
YE$!! Here is the link to Pete Buttigieg's organization!
Our Story - Win the Era https://share.google/9oZKj5MoUIupjWGCV
Pete Buttigieg is seeding common political sense across our country!
Paxton is touting the Save fiasco to get chump’s attention. These vipers are dedicated. Must be fear of entitlement being snatched away
Or, briefer, US vs the Epstein class.
Remember the scene in The Great Dictator when Chaplin played Hitler and was tossing the globe around as his personal toy, until things started going wrong. Narcissistic rage occurs when the narcissist feels betrayed by those presumed to be under prior devotional control. That rage also extends to whatever or whomever the narcissist cannot control. Trump is such an infantile narcissist, as was Hitler. And as President, Trump too is extremely dangerous and needs to be removed from office before it is too late.
In mafia land, never try to steal more than the boss. And in Trumpworld, never never try to get more publicity than Trump.
The only reason she was fired of course. She made the boss look bad. But she'll be remembered for the way she treated Americans with the same love as she showed her dogs and goats...As well as for those batshit loony-tunes eyes straight out of a 1950s sci-fi movie about demonic possession.
Millions of our furry four-legged family friends from both the canine and feline persuasions, as well as goats, bunnies, guinea pigs, cockatoos, baby otters, parrots and all of Pooh's friends at Pooh Corner still rejoice today.
From Jay Kuo’s Saturday funnies.
“My daughter asked me “ where does poo come from?” I was a little uncomfortable but gave her an honest explanation. She looked a little perplexed and stared at me in stunned silence for a few seconds and asked “And Tigger?”
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😂😂🙏
My favorite Saturday read. Love Jay
I always appreciate having a laugh! They’re few and far between.
Thanks for this! ;)
Noem is a sociopath. There's no other explanation for her abominable behavior.
Ellen, me’thinks you’re too kind:-) As in poker can I up you to psychopath? One of the significant signs is killing- torturing animals.
However. I have some really good news. A very young, politically active Democrat 20 something (under 25 yr old) man here in Falmouth, MA is running for State Representative vs
a tired old Republican, David Viera.
https://www.capenews.net/falmouth/news/richardson-pulls-papers-sets-sights-on-vieiras-seat/article_a5bb44b4-68b4-4516-8e75-f476e5299de6.html
When I first heard him speak, I got those wonderful goose bumps that reminded me of the ones from hearing Barack Obama for the first time deliver a nominating speech at a Democratic Convention.
That's great. As for my "diagnosis," you may be right. I'm not a mental health professional. :)
Me neither, but like my smart standard poodle, I can now ‘smell them’
Penis envy
Hey JD, didn't that theory pass away in the 60's?
Nah, never went away in some quarters. Noam has a bad case
Eeyore is having an extra helping of thistles!
“Now, our situation is more ominous than ever. Because they come from a pathological drive for destruction, Donald Trump’s moves are growing more and more dangerous, egregious, and unconstitutional. He is so dangerously manipulable, I long warned that he would become a “tool” for brutal dictators. No doubt well aware of Trump’s serious mental problems (their psychiatrists are assuredly being actively consulted about him, unlike ours), Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel finally had an American president they could successfully maneuver into starting a new kind of World War III.
How could our institutions and our socio-politico-economic ways of life allow this to happen, to continue, and to keep expanding? What does this say about our Congress, our Courts, our media, and about both of our corrupted political parties? We would not have a “Donald Trump” in the first place if our nation had been healthy. Now that Donald Trump has ripped off the masks of an imperialist, militaristic, and often war-criminal nation, we can no longer continue to make excuses. We either rescue our country before it falls into ruin, or go down with the ship.”
https://bandyxlee.substack.com/p/how-now-to-stop-donald-trump?r=1lmb6&utm_medium=ios
Elizabeth Warren on the Iran War, following a classified briefing: https://www.facebook.com/reel/908019101835521
Thank you. Just listened. Hurray for the good ones.
It will only happened WE the People take the power. Millions of people standing on corners with street signs doesn't hurt those in power. Trump could use his executive orders to outlaw peaceful protest. He will declare it a national security issue.
The only way to get full attention of those in power is for ordinary people, our Essential Workers, to decide that they're sick and tired of the Trump administration.
On a specific day or week they will call in sick and stay home to protest. This will essentially shut down the schools, the airports, and stop the delivery of mail. Our economy and government will come to a screeching halt. Trump will be blamed for this, and his administration will crumble and fail.
This will take great sacrifice by the American people. Dictators don't give up their control on the next election. It took World War II to get rid of Hitler.
A Call in Sick - Stay at Home protest is a much better choice than that.
Pay no federal income taxes is a stronger protest.
If people think that compliance with the tax laws is too lax, we should take personal responsibility and pay our own lawful amount of federal income taxes. And work for others to pay their legal amounts (the amount the tax laws say they should pay) too. The IRS should have the reasonable resources it needs for tax compliance.
Thank you Dr. Richadson for this LFAA and your podcasts. They provide valuable information for people to get grounded in among all the madness. It helps to point the way for our activism.
NO KINGS MARCH 28 now has 2,200 registered sites for this day of protests.
Find your local chapter for this day and register. It greatly helps in planning.
https://www.nokings.org/#:~:text=FIND%20AN%20EVENT%20NEAR%20YOU
I was watching Al Jazera last night as a break from our “talking heads” media. Most of the coverage was about the war. I was sicken once again at the terror and terrible loss of life as a result of Congress’ failure to reign in a clearly demented President, and a Supreme Court that has given him immunity. Americans need to watch Al Jazera, BBC and other international news sources to see what is actually happening to real people. In this unnecessary war we are laying the groundwork for the next round of terrorists who will hate us. I
Just as W/Dickie almost single-handedly created Isis, chump is creating more of the same. We should have owned up to our disasters instead of blaming Obama for everything, even his wardrobe.
Increasingly certain T will be escorted out of WH well before midterms.
Not sure if this will be good for the country; considering those in the wings.
I'm waiting for the moment a confused, sleepless, raging old man covered in purple blotches suddenly wanders into the White House briefing room clad only in his Depends, hugging a flagpole or something. You can see it all in those wandering, disassociated, chaemelon-like eyes --- black eyes, lifeless eyes, like a doll's eyes. Something like it surely approaches.
Waiting with baited breath for Karoline Spokesbarbie to 'splain that one when it does.
Trump's megalomania is at an all time high. He not only thinks he can rule in the USA, but can dictate who will rule in other countries... an emperor of the world. Also, I have just read that he now is demanding unconditional surrender from Iran. Iran ???? He is insane, of course.
Lies help
True, Mark Shields. The succession statute list is terrifying. Can House Democrats and a handful of Republicans manage to impeach Vance and replace Johnson as Speaker? And then hold hearings on Signalgate to convince all those traitors to spend more time with their families? Plus we need an equivalent of the Pentagon Papers to get a release of all the Epstein files. And then maybe we can begin to restore democracy, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the world stature of the US.
We just need 9 Congressional Republicans to do a switcheroo on MAGA Mike.
Think we need to understand the leverage T has used, and use commensurate fire-power, if the majority of the country is to recover steerage.
Getting rid of Noem is a start. She was incompetent, corrupt and cruel. Moving from Kristi to Markwayne is like a take from Dumb and Dumber. But DHS and the ICE apparatus is still a rogue force with $150 billion to mobilize for Trump’s agenda. You can’t ever sleep on this threat. The only guardrails on this president are the ones that our voices manage to lift up.
He threw her under a speeding bus....by text message (and not even to her). But also announced her new position as Chief Birthday Cake Taster or something -- a bribe to get her to keep her mouth shut -- for no other reason.
Mob boss all the way with this one. It never varies. They never learn.
For the record, the current version of being sent to the broom closet is Noem’s appointment as “special envoy for The Shield of the Americas”. If she wasn’t so fucking shameless, she’d resign from the public trough and go back to South Dakota to kill some more pets.
She doesn't DARE go back to S Dakota. They're waiting for her!
Chief Birthday cake taster hahahahaha
She will take her toy and continue her path, unless chump gets jealous and invites her for tea
Assuming you’re referring to her boyfriend Lewandowski. Something tells me that guy is not going to put up with chatting with Latin American bureaucrats all day instead of the powerfully destructive shit that he’s been able to do tethered to the gnome.
Where else could he get such special attention and accommodations