Watch Your Back
Posted: February 15, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Congress, Democracy, Gordie Howe Bridge, MAGA, REAL ID, Save Act, The Epstein Class, The Epstein Files, United States Constitution, Voting Rights Leave a comment
Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota showing the likenesses of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. 16 February is Presidents Day in the United States, a federal holiday.
We continue to see the attacks on democracy continue under the Trump administration as enabled by his fellow members of the “Epstein Class.” As more of the Epstein files are released and studied, it becomes increasingly clear that there is a class of people in the world who are rich, powerful, and seemingly untouchable that look out for each other. We have yet to fully discover all that is within the millions of documents that compile the files, but it is already clear that it was a giant world-wide web of corruption and child sex trafficking. Other countries are taking the revelations seriously — politicians and members of royal families in the U.K., Norway, France, Slovakia, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ireland have been forced to resign from important posts and/or are being investigated in their home countries for crimes — but in the U.S. the president and his cabinet are telling us to “move on.” Meanwhile, the survivors are traumatized over and over by the callous treatment they are receiving from their own government.
One case of how the Epstein Class operates — whether or not these people were involved in the sex trafficking, of which so far there is no proof — can be found in the curious case of the bridge that wouldn’t open. Canada built the Gordie Howe Bridge over the Detroit River to connect Detroit Michigan with Windsor Ontario. The bridge was built by Canada and is jointly owned and operated by Canada and Michigan. When opened, it will greatly improve traffic between Canada and Michigan, in particular, aiding in car manufacturing as parts, and partially completed vehicles, pass back and forth between the countries as they are partially built in each country. The current bridge, the Ambassador Bridge, is the busiest bridge anywhere along the U.S.-Canada border. It happens to be owned by Manuel Mouron, a billionaire that accrues tremendous income from the tolls charged to crossover. The new bridge would significantly cut into his revenue. The new bridge is complete, save for some engineering tests, and was set to open “soon.” Mouron called his good friend Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and complained about the Gordie Howe Bridge (earlier Mouron unsuccessfully tried to prevent it from being built) and asked for help. Lutnick (yes, the same Howard Lutnick that blatantly lied about his relationship to Epstein which continued even after Epstein’s conviction on sex charges) called the president. Last week Trump announced that he “would not allow” the bridge to open until Canada paid us everything they owe. Whatever that is. And it will not open until “Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.” It is uncertain when it will open. However, this is a clear and uncomplicated, if small, example of how the Epstein Class operates.
In order to keep the Epstein Class in power (the belief that a handful of rich, powerful white men should have control over the rest of us) the MAGA Party passed the SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) in the House of Representatives. It now goes to the Senate where Democrats promise to filibuster it to keep it from becoming law. MAGA propaganda insists that the Act is required in order to ensure the integrity of the voting process by requiring voters to prove that they are indeed, U.S. citizens. Sounds logical on its surface, does it not? As with most such distractions, the devil is in the details. First and foremost, they are trying to solve a problem that does not exist. We already have laws that prevent non-citizens from voting and that punish people that vote illegally. This red herring of illegal voting throwing elections has been trotted out numerous times over the decades. Every study conducted on the issue, even by advocates of the new law, find miniscule amounts of illegal voting. For example, a study of the 2016 election across 42 jurisdictions found that of 23.5 million votes cast, only 30 were suspected — not proven — to be illegal, or about 0.0001 percent. No election has been decided by an illegal voter.
Under the SAVE Act, the primary way that the status of a legal voter is established is through presenting a passport or an original notarized birth certificate. The burden is on the voter to establish their eligibility rather than on the government to use existing data bases to establish their eligibility. Current statistics show that less than half of Americans own a valid passport. Should you want to get one, besides all the paperwork and pictures required, it will take 6-13 weeks to be processed, depending on seasonal volume, which does not include mailing time to and from the State Department. It will cost you: for a first time passport it is 165 dollars; to renew an existing passport it is 135 dollars; to get an official photo from the Post Office you will need 15 dollars.
Many people do not have an original birth certificate. They may have a copy, but if it is not the original it is not acceptable. Also, think about this. Married couples who have taken their spouse’s last name as their own would have to get new documentation because the name on the voter registration and the certification must match exactly. Other categories of citizens with perfectly reasonable circumstances to have a different or new name than that on a birth certificate would be disqualified.
Due to the need to verify one’s citizenship when voting, mail-in voting or drop boxes are prohibited. Allegedly, there are exceptions for active duty military and some categories of disabled Americans, but they still need to prove their citizenship and how that will be accomplished is unclear.
The new law would disenfranchise an estimated 20-25 million voters. Kansas instituted a similar law. An estimated 0.002 percent of registered voters were non-citizens. After the law was passed, 12 percent of voters were prevented from registering or about 31,000 U.S. citizens could not vote.
If the MAGA leaders were serious about proving that only U.S. citizens are voting, they would institute a phased approach where states can issue proof of citizenship through driver’s licenses or a national identity card that is free or only a nominal cost. One might ask about the REAL ID program which all of us were required to get as part of our drivers license or state ID card. Sorry folks, only five states — Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington — provide the opportunity (for an additional cost) to have your license indicate that you are a citizen. Idaho is working to include it. The rest of the United States and the District of Columbia do not currently comply with the proposed SAVE Act requirements. Here is the catch. Some states already require proof of your identity to vote. But those do not prove your citizenship. The real kicker is that under the law, we would all have to prove our citizenship to register to vote. Not just at the polling place. There are other provisions in the bill that would make individual states’ actions more complicated to carry out elections.
Remember that Trump wants to “nationalize” elections. Even as the Constitution gives that power to the states. The SAVE Act is part of a multi-pronged effort to impact the 2026 elections and to declare them invalid if he does not like the results. He is resurrecting his claims that the 2020 elections were rigged and stolen. Besides this being a personal thorn in his side, he is trying to create the conditions for another coup attempt following the mid-term elections.
Like so much with Trump and the MAGA crowd, logic plays no role in their arguments. I have always wondered how an outside source could alter ballots so that only Trump’s name was switched with President Biden’s on the same ballots where Republican and MAGA candidates won handily? Nor can I follow the logic as to why, if we are deporting hundreds of thousands of undocumented people and if the border is “100 percent secure” as he so often claims, where are all these people coming from that are storming across the border to vote? And if all elections are rigged, how did he win in 2024? (Unless he is doing his usual projection and he rigged the election. Elon Musk claims he won the election for Trump. How? Just asking.)
Trump’s daily (hourly?) outbursts and Truth Social posts are outrageous. By design. He and his cohorts are desensitizing us and trying to distract and deflect and cover-up what is actually going on. The Epstein Class thinks it is in control and they intend to stay in control. So far no one in his administration, close advisers or influencers have been held accountable for their actions. I have no idea who may or may not have been involved in the abuse of little girls. I do know that they all ran in the same circles and socialized, conducted business and used their influence to help their friends, even after Epstein was first convicted.
They have each others back. We need to have the backs of our own families, friends and communities.
Party Like It Is 1880!
Posted: December 23, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, Gunboat Diplomacy, Kleptocracy, MAGA, Monroe Doctrine, NATO, Russia, The Epstein Files, Venezuela, Western Hemisphere Leave a comment
The new sign defacing the memorial to President John F. Kennedy on December 19, 2025. (Getty Images)
After eleven months of the Trump administration, I am exhausted by the antics, crass behavior, crude language and the methodical destruction of our democracy and cultural foundations. Perhaps you are equally exhausted. However, after a breather to enjoy the holidays and the company of friends and family, we will need to get back to pointing out that nothing this regime does is “normal.” It is not “just politics.” It is a systematic assault on the United States in an attempt to change our fundamental way of life and to establish a kleptocracy that enriches Trump and his buddies and that keeps the rest of us down while they accumulate billions. (Even Doctor Evil from the Austin Powers movies — “one billion dollars” — would be an underachiever and not in their league.) It is said that Trump’s frame of reference is the 80’s. I would suggest that it is the 1880’s. Robber barons? Check. Close down immigration? Check. Discriminate against minorities? Check. Build big, slow outdated battleships? Check. Lesson the power of women in politics, society, and business? Check. Restore gunboat diplomacy? Check. Create banana republics in Latin America? Working on it. Consolidate power in the hands of a few white Christian men? Almost there. Like the old saying goes, history rarely repeats itself but a lot of times it rhymes.
After nearly a year of their relentless pursuit of crazy, I am noticing a pattern. It appears to me that the Project 2025 authors and advocates (Miller, Vought, Vance to name a few) are working to attain their goals while keeping grandpa with the addled brain busy with inane “branding” exercises where Trump runs around doing landscaping and tearing down public buildings and defacing monuments (the newly renamed Trump Institute of Peace is another example). No one is actually governing. While Trump sleeps through Cabinet meetings, they go about developing their individual pet projects and then do them in any manner they see fit. Legality, morality or ethical behavior play no role in the pursuit of their goals. If Trump likes to rename organizations, agencies and monuments then he should rename the Department of Justice (DOJ) the Department of Retribution and Bribe Collecting (DORBC). If you pay, you walk away — no matter the scope of your crimes. If you criticize Trump you may be prosecuted for accidentally checking the wrong box on a form. The Department of Defense (DOD) could be renamed The Department of Toys for the Regime’s Enjoyment (DOTRE). There is no coherent policy coming from Trump as he is focused only on destroying his perceived enemies, adding billions of dollars to his personal accounts and pretending to be powerful. All of his advisors are world class liars. It is no longer about Democrats and Republicans or even MAGA, in my view we should focus only on morality versus immorality. Everything is justified by claiming that it is a national security threat whether it is approved and effective wind farms along the East Coast or tariffs or blowing up small boats in the Caribbean. Everything, legal or not, is justified under the rubric of national security. They clearly believe that there will be no accountability and no one can stop them. They may be incompetent, but they clearly have a plan. Cruelty is the path to achieving their goals. When one steps back and looks at the big picture it is clear that Trump is mostly a figurehead while the boys in the back of the room pursue their agenda. There is a reason as to why they do what they do, no matter how random it may seem in the moment.
Examples abound. The new National Security Strategy is nearly incoherent and undoes eighty years of a working world order. In addition to enumerating why Trump is the best president ever and all the other recent presidencies were horrible, it lays out The Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. In other words, according to Trump, we own the Western Hemisphere. All hail! We will do what we want and destroy anyone or anything that gets in our way. It calls for the redeployment of military assets to the hemisphere and away from other regions. It also essentially claims that natural resources in the region should go to the United States through our American companies in order to strengthen our position in the region. The desire for regime change in Venezuela makes sense in that context. Venezuela has the biggest known oil reserves in the world. Trump wants to make the fossil fuel barons happy so that they will keep giving him millions in “contributions.” He will keep repeating that Venezuela “stole” “our” oil and land (they did not — they nationalized the oil industry in the 1970’s and paid the oil companies nearly a billion dollars a piece in compensation). If we are going to be the hegemonic power in the Western Hemisphere then his noise about Greenland and Canada makes sense. It is our American destiny, not the rantings of a man that is clearly declining in physical and mental health. (Did you see his prime time address to the nation last week? I watched — a waste of 18 minutes I won’t get back as there was no new news there — and was worried for the man. He is not well.) Borders are arbitrary, in their telling of history, therefore they can be redrawn or even ignored. Denmark, NATO and the European Union, not to mention the Greenlanders, are taking his comments seriously. Putin is loving it. Imagine if Trump takes Greenland by force. That is a NATO country attacking another NATO country — not only the end of NATO but a green light to Russia to take what it wants in Europe. (So long Baltic states.)
And then, there are the Epstein files. Exhibit number 27 that the Trump regime easily disregards any law that they do not want to follow. The law required DOJ to turn over all of the files last Friday. It specifies the way it should be done, exactly what needs to be turned over and other specific details. All ignored. The Attorney General of the United States is purposely breaking a law passed by a nearly unanimous vote in Congress (one Representative voted no) and signed into law by the President of the United States. They do not care. It also indicates to me that something really bad must be in there. Way too much effort to obscure, hide and cover-up for there to be nothing in them. Even Trump’s body language whenever he is asked about the situation shows his fear of what may be in the files. (My own theory is that he knew about the sex trafficking even if he did not personally get involved. In my opinion, his real fear is that his and Epstein’s money laundering operation in Florida and elsewhere in the 1990’s and early 2000’s will be exposed. Real estate deals broke up their friendship. The Russian’s know. A lot of it was for their oligarchs.)
The most disgusting part of the entire Epstein situation is that nobody in the administration — not Trump, not the Attorney General, not the Vice President — has expressed any sympathy or explanation or concern about the hundreds, perhaps thousands of survivors, most of whom were young girls when they were trafficked. Not a word. Trump only cares about Trump. I am still surprised that millions of people, some of whom work for him, believe that he cares about them. All loyalty and concern goes only one way.
As a retired naval officer I must make at least a short comment on Trump’s announcement yesterday that he was, personally, because he is an expert on aesthetics, designing and building the Trump class of “battleships.” There is so much wrong about the whole thing that I do not want to waste your time. I see it as another scheme to keep grandpa occupied and to make him feel like the king that he wants to be. It is yet another branding exercise — the one thing that he knows how to do. That particular ship will never be built. I will leave it at that.
Please take a moment to think about the 15,000 Americans in uniform in the Caribbean Sea that are Trump’s pawns as he and Hegseth pretend to act like they know what they are doing. Those folks will be spending the holidays away from their friends and families on an ill-defined mission to achieve unknown objectives.
Take time to enjoy the holidays be it Chanukah, Christmas or in your own spiritual way, Take some time to contemplate and enjoy the wonderful things that still exist in this world. Best wishes to all for a joyful season!
Democracy In Shambles
Posted: October 21, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Congress, Demolition of the White House, Donald Trump, Government Shutdown, history, MAGA, No Kings Day, Trump, United States Constitution, White House Leave a comment
Photo from Getty Images showing the demolition of the East Wing of the White House.
Donald J. Trump — convicted felon, adjudicated sex offender and world class liar — symbolically showed us what he thinks of we, the people, of the United States. The demolition of the White House has begun so that he can build a monument to himself. Back in July, Trump said about the construction of a new ballroom that the White House itself would not be changed because the ballroom will “be near it but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.” Yet another lie. The addition was never approved by the National Capital Planning Commission which approves changes to federal buildings, construction and the National Mall. The chairman happens to be Will Scharf who also happens to be the White House Staff Secretary and a close adviser to the president. The ballroom will be 90,000 square feet, which will dwarf the existing White House which totals only about 50,000 square feet. This is on the heels of destroying the Rose Garden so that he could put in a Mar-a-Lago style patio which he calls the “Rose Garden Club.” Somehow, I don’t think I can afford to join that club.
However, if that is not enough to show his disdain for the “The People’s House” — he seems to forget that he is merely a tenant, not the owner — check out his AI generated meme reacting to the “No Kings” rallies held in about 2,500 cities and towns with an estimated attendance of over seven million citizens of all ages, social backgrounds, religions, representing the diversity of our great nation.
This is an outtake of the video (and yes the oxygen mask is supposed to go over one’s nose as well as mouth) so as to not have to insult you with the moronic, unamusing, disrespectful, scatalogical contents of the meme. Let’s just say the aircraft has a payload that he drops on a major city and shows inhabitants of that city getting covered in poo. Apparently we have a president with the sensibilities of a ten year old.
The president. Of the United States. Don’t you feel proud?
Taken together, it shows his total disregard for our country. He is happy to spend his time sending out social media posts rather than working on re-opening the government. You know, to actually govern. His puppet-filling-space as the Speaker of the House still refuses to even talk to a Democrat about finding a solution to help the American people. Thanks to his leadership, the members of the House of Representatives have only worked 20 days since the Fourth of July. That’s quite the extended paid vacation. Yes, even though hard working TSA agents and others are working with no payday in sight, the members of the House and Senate still get paid during the shutdown. Apparently, the contents of the Epstein files must be so bad, that the president and his MAGA crowd would rather have hard working people go broke than re-open the government and risk a vote on releasing the files.
Trump pardoned nearly 2,000 rioters that attacked our national legislature with the purpose of keeping him in power while seriously injuring 140 law enforcement officers and yet he claims the mantle of being a law and order president. Therefore, it is imperative that he federalize the National Guard to go after old people in lawn chairs and folks in frog blow up costumes because they are a real threat to America.
On a positive note I met many new, kind, helpful and joyous people while attending a peaceful “No Kings Rally” in a small town that is the county seat for a heavily red, pro-Trump county in our state. It was refreshing and a quiet boost and underlined that the majority of Americans — regardless of past political associations — have tired of the antics of this administration. The Trump regime knows that it is deeply unpopular which is why they continue to lash out. They have a losing agenda. We need to turn the outpouring from over the weekend into actual political action. We have a way to go, but I cannot remember a feeling so widespread in our country that serves to unite us to protect our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
You Might Be A Terrorist In Trump’s America
Posted: October 14, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Antifa, Discharge Petition, Domestic Terrorism, Donald Trump, Government Shutdown, history, MAGA, No Kings Day, Project 2025, The Epstein Files, Trump 2 CommentsAnd all I ever hear about is Aunt Tifa. The president, the people in Congress, all the Republicans are constantly talking about Aunt Tifa. What has she done? Why is she always in the news? I don’t get it.
The word is Antifa.
Oh. Never mind.
— With apologies to Gilda Radner as the character Emily Litella on Saturday Night Live
The late Gilda Radner was one of the best actors on the original Saturday Night Live (SNL). She captured her characters brilliantly and always made me laugh. Unfortunately, the current administration’s fixation on Antifa is no laughing matter. Antifa is short for anti-fascist. In the broadest strokes, anyone that opposes fascism is a part of Antifa. It has no organizational structure, no organized funding, no designated leaders or a chain of command. It is more of an idea. There are people who simply do not want to see authoritarianism replace our Republic. Yet, Trump and his administration and MAGA followers in Congress have come to use the phrase as a substitute for anyone that disagrees with Trump’s policies and actions. They equate it to domestic terrorism. They must be really afraid of the people that elected them.
National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7) Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence, signed by Trump on 25 September 2025, provides the cover for the federal government to investigate, surveil, or apprehend anyone that they deem as being “Antifa” — or in other words, anyone against Trump’s view of the country’s future.
Citing the murder of Charlie Kirk and other violent acts against MAGA supporters — but not the murders of Democrat politicians or supporters — the president directs that a Joint Terrorist Task Force (JTTF) be formed, bringing in elements from all of the relevant federal agencies, in order to stop political violence as he defines it. Trump thinks, or at least asserts, that there is an organized effort to oppose him through violence. As the NSPM says:
“This political violence is not a series of isolated incidents and does not emerge organically. Instead, it is a culmination of sophisticated, organized campaigns of targeted intimidation, radicalization, threats, and violence designed to silence opposing speech, limit political activity, change or direct policy outcomes, and prevent the functioning of a democratic society. A new law enforcement strategy that investigates all participants in these criminal and terroristic conspiracies — including the organized structures, networks, entities, organizations, funding sources, and predicate actions behind them — is required.“
Under the terms of NSPM-7, which directly mentions Antifa, the definition of “terroristic activities” is described as the following:
“This “anti-fascist” lie has become the organizing rallying cry used by domestic terrorists to wage a violent assault against democratic institutions, constitutional rights, and fundamental American liberties. Common threads animating this violent conduct include anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the United States Government; extremism on migration, race, and gender; and hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality.“
Apparently, dissent is no longer protected by the First Amendment. Under the guidelines, any individual, journalist, non-government organization (NGO) or any entity that opposes the MAGA and Project 2025 agenda is Antifa and therefore a suspected terrorist. Dissent is now considered an indicator of pre-terrorist behavior and you could be subject to surveillance or even arrested. Welcome to the America of Trump’s dreams.
Words have meaning and impact which is why they constantly talk about Democrats as the “radical left,” “terrorists,” “the enemy within,” “Marxist, communists and fascists,” and so on. Dehumanize opponents and harden the citizenry until they are numb to his hateful rhetoric. Then bring in the troops to remove all of your perceived enemies. Straight from the Autocrat 101 text book.
No Kings Day is on Saturday 18 October. Back in June, millions of Americans in small towns and big cities came out to peacefully demonstrate their opposition to the Trump regime. The same thing is expected this week. But if you listen to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson it is as an attempt to keep the government shut down (more on the shutdown later). Here are his unhinged views of the gatherings as expressed on Fox News last week:
“We’re so angry about it. I’m a very patient guy, but I have had it with these people. They’re playing games with real people’s lives. The theory we have right now: They have a ‘Hate America’ rally that’s scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It’s all the pro-Hamas wing and the antifa people, they’re all coming out. Some of the House Democrats are selling T-shirts for the event. It’s being told to us that they won’t be able to reopen the government until after that rally, ’cuz they can’t face their rabid base. This is serious business hurting real people.… I’m beyond words.”
There are other even more vicious lies about the peaceful rally from administration and MAGA members of Congress. They must really fear the majority of Americans who disapprove of the MAGA, MAHA and Trump policies and actions (I am never sure that Trump actually has policies. He just does whatever pops into his mind at the time. He recently declared that Joe Biden was the president on 6 January 2021. Is that a big lie or his biggest lie? Or is he simply delusional?)
It is interesting to me that they oppose peaceful national rallies against the United States having a king and demanding due process under the law, respect for our fellow citizens, and opposing authoritarianism. As I recall from grade school, this nation was founded on the desire to no longer bend a knee to a king. And while I am at it, what is wrong with Antifa as a concept? There were anti-fascists in the Weimar Republic in Germany in the 1930s. Indeed, we fought an entire world war that was anti-fascist.
Meanwhile the government shutdown continues. There are no plans to bring the House back from a prolonged vacation and no plan to work with Democrats to solve the health care issues. Only stone walling and whining about the Democrats as the enemy. Apparently Speaker Johnson fears the completion of a “Discharge Petition.” Without getting too far down into the rules of the House of Representatives, this is a path for a Representative to bring legislation to the floor without having to go through “regular order” and without the approval of the Speaker and other leaders in the House. It takes a majority of Representatives to literally sign their name to the petition and very rarely succeeds. In this session, that means 218 Representatives need to sign. They have 217 including both Democrats and Republicans. The 218th vote is waiting in the wings. Representative Adelita Grijalva (D- AZ) was elected in a special election weeks ago, but the Speaker claims that because the government is shut down, he cannot swear her into her new job. The petition is to bring legislation to the House floor to vote on releasing the Epstein files. Trump and the MAGA leadership desperately do not want that to happen. (One might wonder why if they are not covering something up?) Thus he will not swear her in. It is unclear how long this can go on, but having the government shut is a convenient excuse. Not to mention that the longer it is closed, the more that Trump and his Project 2025 henchmen Russel Vought and Stephen Miller can expand their power and take ever more extreme actions.
They are trying to press their agenda regardless of its unpopularity. Do not be intimidated. Do not be afraid. Stay peaceful. They are trying to scare anyone that opposes them. They do not understand peaceful protest. They want to rule by fear — physical threats, threats to people’s livelihoods, threats to their families.
I hope to see you on Saturday.
Trump Hates Me (And Maybe You Too)
Posted: July 7, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2026 Elections, Democracy, Department of Homeland Security, Donald Trump, Immigration, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), MAGA, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Political Violence, Salute to America Rally, Tik Tok, United States Constitution Leave a comment“But I hate them, too. You know that? I really do, I hate them. I cannot stand them because I really believe they hate our country, you want to know the truth.”
— Trump referring to Democrats at a “Salute to America” rally on 3 July 2025
I am still trying to figure out how I morphed from being a moderate, maybe slightly left of center on social issues, into a “lunatic” and a “radical left Democrat.” I don’t feel any different today than I did, say, a year ago. Maybe I am just not self aware. Or maybe the President of the United States does not care about half of the citizens of those same United States. Or worse. Perhaps he is radicalizing his followers into committing acts of political violence so that he can promote his own autocratic agenda.
Whether or not you believe this is “just Trump being Trump,” his increasingly violent language has consequences. He calls undocumented immigrants “scum” and “animals” and “people with bad genes” among many other, even worse, characterizations of other human beings. There is a long historical record of how words used to vilify “others” eventually always leads to violence. Increasingly, it is apparent that Trump has an agenda to depict our country as under attack from “within” by people that, as he says, “hate our country.” Apparently, eventually or tomorrow, I am one of those people. Imagine my surprise! He is only six months into his term. He has three and a half more years to continue to implement his autocratic plan. Am I fear mongering? I don’t think so — and I am certainly not doing it on purpose — but to me, the evidence is there.
Trump has figured out that all he has to do is demand that something happen and refuse to back off when dealing with our institutions. His cabinet, in my opinion, is filled primarily with sycophants that are too busy designing photo ops to impress the boss, rather than running their departments. There is no pushback. Other institutions seem to take the same approach, impress Trump by giving him what he wants and hopefully he will back off — which of course no bully ever does if they keep “winning.” Whether it is the party formerly known as the Republican Party, Congress, the Supreme Court, institutions of higher learning, corporations, tech bros, or countless other groups, they cave. If the guardrails are still there, they are hanging on by one slightly rusty bolt. Perhaps some state governors and legislatures continue to do the right thing and to follow the law, but it isn’t clear to me how long they can keep it up. When the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) goes to California for a photo op with the National Guard and combat Marines protecting Los Angeles from a non-existent threat, there are already warning signs. When she declares “We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country” as she did on 12 June 2025, there is an imminent threat to our democracy. Like them or not, the governor of a state and the mayor of a city are duly elected representatives of their constituents. The DHS cannot implement a coup d’etat just because they disagree with an elected official’s legal policies.
Mass deportations are underway. When will they stop? Who knows, but given the pace of things and impotence of the Congress and the willingness of the Supreme Court to do Trump’s bidding, I expect them to continue to expand. When due process is not enforced, and apparently it isn’t really being enforced except in a few publicized cases, and masked men without identification can whisk anyone away off the streets with no restraints, we are already living in a police state. What is to stop it from expanding to others that merely disagree with this administration? When the president declares that he hates half of the country, what he is really saying is “fall in line or else.” I worry about the “or else” for the citizens of our great country.
With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Trump has a para-military force (ICE) that is bigger than the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Agency, Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service combined. Add to that the use of the military in the form of federalized National Guard troops and combat Marines in Los Angeles. But why stop there? The Trump administration is deploying 200 Marines to Florida to “help” ICE and has approved plans for deploying up to 700 Marines in Florida, Texas and Louisiana. Think about that. They are gradually increasing the numbers and locations of combat Marines throughout the United States. I seriously doubt that that will be the end of it. Coming soon to a city near you! The U.S. Marines! We should be so thankful. Believe me when I tell you that the Marine Corps absolutely does not want to do this. It impedes their readiness and training for, you know, their actual duties (the Marines are an expeditionary force to, as they like to say, “kick open the door” for the other services in foreign combat — hopefully they will not soon be kicking open my door), not too mention it uses Department of Defense (DOD) money that could be better spent elsewhere and takes those Marines away from their families, when they already have precious little time to spend with them to begin with.
I do not have a good feeling about the 2026 elections when the president declares that Democrats are unpatriotic and hate their country, with increasing numbers of troops deployed around the country, with a Department of Justice (DOJ) that is Trump’s personal law firm, and other warning signs. Trump continually debases our country and rants about how dangerous it is. What assurances do we have that the 2028 election won’t include Trump? Here is my “canary in the coal mine” concern about upcoming elections. Neither Trump nor his MAGA supporters in Congress seem to care about the political damage the OBBBA and other policies are causing. In what might be considered normal elections, the “Republican” party would be likely to take heavy election losses turning Congress over to the Democrats. They seem totally unconcerned about that — especially Trump. Why?
As Trump and his cronies continue to dismantle the federal government, from the National Security Council to our health care institutions, to environmental agencies, to education agencies, to just about anything you can name, Trump and his fiercest loyalists are consolidating power under the Executive branch. He likes to say that he loves Article II (of the Constitution) because I have “the right to do whatever I want as president.” Constitutional experts would disagree, but let’s look at the evidence. The Supreme Court says the president is immune and only they can rule on whether what he does is Constitutional or not. His Project 2025 minders continually tell him that he is the ultimate decision maker on almost everything. Truthfully, who has stopped him?
Here is the kicker. The following is a peek into the future for us and the current mind set of this administration.
Remember Tik Tok? The scourge of the youth of America? The one that was banned by a bipartisan vote in Congress, signed into law by the president and upheld in a 9-0 decision by the Supreme Court? Trump continues to ignore the law. He continues to give Tik Tok extensions for its sale, even as he campaigned that it was a tool of the Chinese Communist Party to spy on Americans. Stay with me, yes, who cares about Tik Tok, but here is where it gets scary.
Attorney General Pam “Whatever You Say Boss Barbie” Bondi declared that the president can decide which laws to enforce and further more, she declared that the companies carrying Tik Tok can continue to do so “without incurring any legal liability” and that DOJ was “irrevocably relinquishing” any legal claims against them for their actions.
How did she decide this? Quite simple actually. She declared that shutting down Tik Tok would impinge upon Trump’s “constitutional duties” because the law interfered with his “unique constitutional responsibility for the national security of the United States, the conduct of foreign policy, and other vital executive functions.” Hmm. If they will do this because Trump thinks Tik Tok helped him win the 2024 election, imagine what lawless lengths they will go to to do what they want, much less to interfere with any future elections.
I am sorry to be so negative. I see what is happening (and more) and worry greatly about the future of our democracy for our kids and grandkids. I see too many comments that “it can’t happen here.” It is already happening here and increasingly Trump and his loyalists are more and more brazen about it. I remember back in the fall when a voter focus group was asked if they were worried that we would lose our democracy under a Trump presidency. They all said “no.” Why? Because as long as we can vote we will have a democracy, they declared. To that I can only ask if they mean like in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), or like Russia, or like the People’s Republic of China (Communist China) or numerous other countries where the people vote, but they definitely do not have a democracy?
No one pays attention until they are impacted. By then it is too late.
The Kremlin Rules!
Posted: March 1, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Diplomacy, Donald Trump, International Relations, Louis XIV, MAGA, Project 2025, putin, Russia, Trump, Ukraine, Ukrainne, United States Constitution, Vladimir Putin Leave a commentYesterday, 28 February 2025, was a day where you, me, historians, diplomats, and anyone else that cares about the role of the United States in international diplomacy will talk about as “before 28 February and after 28 February.” We now know that the convicted felon in the White House who tried to stage a coup to keep himself in power is totally, 100 percent behind Russia’s Vladimir Putin and against our long standing allies around the world. Trump’s and Vance’s ignorant display in the Oval Office yesterday reflected the essence of this administration — embarrassing, repugnant, vengeful, hypocritical, and extremely dangerous.
Trump invited President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to the White House yesterday. Ostensibly, the reason for the meeting was to discuss the possibility of Ukraine giving the U.S. access to the rare earth minerals believed to be in Ukrainian territory. (No one is exactly sure what or where those valuable minerals actually are as there are almost no mines actively recovering them and the existence of such minerals is based on a decades old map done by surveyors from the Soviet Union.) Instead, President Zelenskyy walked into an apparent ambush by Trump and his MAGA henchman J.D. Vance where they berated and harassed Mr. Zelenskyy while spreading lies and disinformation about the actual situation in Ukraine. (If you have not yet seen it, watch it here. The body language is as important as what is actually said. Or read about it here.) Note that J.D. Vance started the harangue. J.D. is usually not allowed to attend such meetings between Trump and foreign dignitaries (Trump doesn’t want to share the spotlight), which further indicates that he was part of some plan along with Trump to stick it to the Ukrainian. To his credit, Mr. Zelenskyy did not take the bait, stayed calm, and did not yell back at Trump. He did, however, resolutely stick to his position and to try and explain the dire situation that he and his nation are in because of Russian aggression. What really seemed to enrage Trump was when Mr. Zelenskyy tried to explain that no deal with Russia was worth anything without concrete security guarantees. Further, he warned Trump that if he made an unsecured deal with Putin, eventually the U.S. would be in danger. Trump tripped off the line and starting ranting about Hunter Biden, the Russia “hoax” that Putin suffered through, and countless other grievances that had nothing to do with the alleged negotiations at hand. In the end, Trump sounded exactly like a mafia Don threatening retribution on a business that refused to give him a cut. The point was to bully Mr. Zelenskyy in a dual attack in order to get him to concede to a deal to stop the war that would be exclusively favorable to Russia. Mr. Zelenskyy refused. The meeting ended with Trump ordering the press out of the office and saying, “This is going to be great television.”
What does this attack on Mr. Zelenskyy mean? Why would Trump take Russia’s side in the dispute since they are the clear aggressor and the war could end in one day by withdrawing the Russian and North Korean troops? Let’s take a look.
There is a difference between what things are and what things mean. This was a crude and very undiplomatic shouting match aimed at bullying one of our allies in front of the cameras. What it means is that the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner to our NATO allies and our friends around the world. It means that Trump supports the dictator Putin over the leader of a democracy suffering at the hands of an unprovoked aggressor. It means that Trump and Putin will probably work out some kind of “peace” deal without Ukraine having a say. It means that Russia will be encouraged to continue its quest to reestablish the Russian empire. It means that the U.S. is meaningfully less secure.
This is the biggest diplomatic change since the arrival of the United States on the world stage at the start of the Twentieth Century. We are now aligned with Russia who is aligned with China, Iran and North Korea. Countless leaders throughout the free world from Belgium to New Zealand lined up in support of Mr. Zelenskyy and his stance to defend Ukraine.
Where was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, known as an avid anti-Russian hawk? Slumped in a chair next to Vance looking very much like he wished he could disappear. Where was National Security Adviser Mike Waltz who as a Congressman was another anti-Russia, pro-Ukraine supporter? Missing in action. After the dust settled many, many of the MAGA crowd (there are no longer members of the Republican Party in Congress) chose to blame the melt down on Mr. Zelenskyy. They focused on the fact that he did not a wear a suit and tie (he goes everywhere in modified military gear to remind everyone his country is at war) and therefore he was disrespectful and argumentative. (Musk wore a ball cap and t-shirt to a Cabinet meeting in the White House earlier this week, but apparently he can do whatever he wants to do.)
Mr. Rubio and Mr. Waltz should resign. It is clear that they have no influence over Trump or American policy. But of course, they will not. They have been totally coopted. American foreign policy is no longer based on American values and strength. It is now based on the ignorant whims of one man who thinks he is a world player. Instead, he is getting played.
Why is Trump trying to destroy our role in the world by aligning with Putin? I have given this a lot of thought. Trump’s apologists come up with a myriad of reasons as to why he disparages our closest allies and cheers our enemies. He is a businessman. He knows the art of the deal. He is trying to get the EU to step up. It is part of “America First.” Blah, blah blah.
Of course, I am not on the inside so I do not know what takes place behind closed doors but here is what I think. There are only two conceivable scenarios at this point as to why Trump is turning our country over to Putin. The first is that he is actually an agent for Putin. He is trying to destroy our country from within (via Musk and his DOGE bros running amok) and without (throwing our allies under the bus). The Russians cannot believe their great fortune in his returning to the presidency. They are getting a great return on their investment. Can I prove this? Of course not. But there have been rumors since the 1980s that Trump was compromised and groomed to at least be sympathetic to Russia. Given his intellectual and psychological vulnerabilities, and his weakness for flattery, this is not too far fetched. Several uncorroborated reports have had at least four separate former KGB agents at different times reveal that there was a KGB operation, run by the then Czechoslovakian intelligence service, to groom him as a Russian supporter. It is known that many of his real estate deals were with Russian oligarchs buying properties at inflated prices. His first campaign manager Paul Manafort had known ties to Russian oligarchs and intelligence agents. All that said, this to me is the least likely of the options.
It is more likely that he has some simplistic medieval grand view where rich and powerful kings rule the world and their subjects show absolute fealty to him and carry out his every whim. He needs only confer with his fellow “kings” in Russia and China to decide how they will divide the world. Thus we do not need a federal civil service, the king and his lords will run the country. He does not need allies because he consorts with his fellow kings. Rich and powerful men know what is best. What is good for the king is good for the state. “L’etat, c’est moi” — “I am the state” — as King Louis XIV of France is said to have told the French parliament in 1655. In other words, he is an absolute monarch with complete power and not subject to Constitutional limitations. While some of you may think that I am stretching the analogy, and I doubt that Trump knows who Louis XIV was and wouldn’t care anyway, he is approaching his presidency as if he is the absolute ruler. As the absolute ruler he only needs to confer with other absolute rulers.
Whether or not he succeeds with this approach to governing, we will find out. What I am arguing is that this is his mind set and thus he acts in the ways that he does. As I have written in this space countless times, autocrats always tell you what they are going to do. They don’t always succeed, but they are going to try. Trump is telling us exactly what he wants to do and unlike in his first term, he has people around him that are willing to do it.
This is dangerous for many reasons, of course. In this particular case, and what President Zelenskyy was trying to tell Trump, is that he can not trust Putin. Once America repudiates our allies and removes itself from participation with our allies in NATO and elsewhere, Putin and Xi Jinping of China will work together to bring us to our knees. This is one of the things that infuriated Trump during the meeting. Mr. Zelenskyy told Trump that the U.S now “has a nice ocean” to protect us against Russia so we don’t “feel” Russian pressure or threats, but that “you will feel it in the future.” Trump exploded and said “don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.” Completely missing the point, but then he is not that sharp and he is intellectually uncurious. Flattery gets you everything with Trump. He is an easy mark for Putin and Xi who have been in this game for a long time.
The idea of the world being divided into “kingdoms” fits nicely with the Project 2025 playbook being implemented throughout the government as I write. Trump’s world view, Musk’s world view and that of the Project 2025 folks is that rich, powerful men became that way — became “kings” of their domains — because they are smarter and more ruthless and more capable than the rest of us. Therefore it is only logical that they should be in charge. This view is manifesting itself in the foreign policy arena with Ukraine as the example. Ukraine is relatively weak, especially compared to Russia, therefore they should submit and give Russia whatever they want in order to bring “peace” and “save lives.” Of course the Butcher of Bucha will only torture, rape and murder the good citizens of Ukraine should Putin take over.
Remember the day that it all changed. Even if Trump’s plans are thwarted, it will take a generation of hard work before our allies will ever trust us again.
Anticipatory Obedience
Posted: January 16, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Autocrats, Conformity, Congress, Democracy, MAGA, news, Oligarchs, Politics, Presidential Inauguration, United States Constitution 1 Comment“The first term everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”
— The President-elect at Mar-a-Lago in December 2024.
Yale professor Timothy Snyder in his 2017 book On Tyranny focused on the United States’ turn towards authoritarianism and tyranny in the context of American politics. Among other issues, he addressed a key factor in authoritarian efforts to take control that he calls “anticipatory obedience.” In essence, it means that individuals and institutions change their behavior in an attempt to conform to what they think the repressive regime will want, conformity that comes without any effort on the authoritarian’s part to demand it. It is a key factor in cementing an autocrat’s rule as well as informing the regime as to what they can get away with. As a result, in many cases the incoming regimes accrue more power more quickly than they thought possible. Many scholars point to current events in Hungary under Victor Orban as illustrative of how to turn a modern democracy into an autocracy. Victor Orban, not coincidentally, is the shining star of the MAGA movement and a personal hero to our next president.
There is a fine line between political reality, lobbying for one’s preferred policies and practicing anticipatory obedience. With any new administration organizations and individuals work to influence the new policies sure to come with the changes in the power dynamic. For example, in the modern era inauguration funds are raised by the party of choice to make a grand event of the days leading to and on the day that power is transferred. It is not unusual for political parties to sell exclusive access or V.I.P. tickets to big donors. This year, the incoming administration has run out of tickets to give out and is still raking in huge donations. According to the New York Times, by early January the current inauguration committee raised over 170 million dollars and is still collecting large donations, despite the fact that there are no V.I.P. tickets still available. That compares to a total of 107 million dollars in 2017. By some calculations the President-elect’s allies since Election Day have raised roughly 250 million dollars for the inauguration, to help promote his policies and to fill his coffers. There are no limits on the amount of any contribution and even although access is now closed to many events, some contributors are still writing one and two million dollar checks. Some of the most famous of the tech-bros have contributed millions in their company names. It is not happening because they really like the guy. Many of those same individuals were attacked during the campaign including threats to throw Mark Zuckerberg of Meta (formerly face book) in jail. He donated a million dollars to the inauguration. Was that enough? Apparently not as Mr. Zuckerberg also did away with fact checking face book posts, moved staff out of “blue” California to “red” Texas and took other measures to ensure that he would be on the good side of the incoming president. All without being asked.
Other examples of anticipatory obedience include the decisions by the billionaire owners of The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times to ignore decades of precedent and to not endorse any candidate for president after they conferred at Mar-a-Lago with the MAGA candidate. (Both papers are said to have endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris ready to go when they were pulled.) As a result, both newspapers lost senior staff members and lots of subscribers, but they pleased a budding autocrat without being asked.
This week we are seeing numerous examples of anticipatory obedience in Congress. Republican (are there any left?) Senators are about to confirm several totally unqualified candidates to the incoming Cabinet because the Dear Leader wants them. He wants them because they will show absolute fealty to him and not to the Constitution. Does anyone really believe that, for example, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) really, truly believes that Pete Hegseth will be an effective Secretary of Defense? Of course not. Most of her colleagues do not think so either but they are afraid of what the MAGA president might do to them politically or even personally. In the process they are giving up one of their most important duties under the Constitution, the duty to provide advice and consent to a president’s Cabinet nominees. While it may be argued that incoming presidents should have the people in the Cabinet that share the same policy views, it is also necessary to entrust our nation to people with a solid understanding and devotion to the Constitution and that are competent in their ability to run their department.
The Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (MAGA – LA) yesterday fired the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Representative Mike Turner (R – OH). The reason according to many sources (but not according to the Speaker who gave a really lame excuse that it was time for someone else to have a chance) is that a decree came down from Mar-a-Lago to get rid of him. Why? Representative Turner was too bi-partisan and would not always toe the dictated party line. By all accounts, Mr. Turner was a solid Chairman who took his duties seriously and understood the importance of overseeing the intelligence community in a bi-partisan manner. National security is a serious business. An ill thought out policy on education could hurt our country but it is recoverable. A national security mistake could end our existence. Apparently, there will be no serious oversight in the near future.
Other examples abound, and the inauguration is not until Monday 20 January.
I for one, believe that our democracy and the institutions that protect it will be sorely tested in the coming months and years. It is hard to figure out what individual citizens can do to actively protect our republic. Professor Snyder looks at the lessons taught through history — autocrats and dictators whether fascists or communists — and finds the common threads that cause people to allow themselves to be subjugated. In my mind, anticipatory obedience is akin to the old saying “go along to get along.” Expediency and self-preservation take priority over doing what is right. The Silicon Valley tech-bros are the budding oligarchs of the United States. They are hitching their wagons to the incoming president for a reason — they are sure that he will create the conditions to allow them to wield power unobstructed. Elon Musk already thinks he is the leader of our government. He is dabbling in politics in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, using his billions and his own platform “X” to influence millions of followers to support far right wing agendas in Europe. Surely he expects the MAGA crowd to push our country hard right. President Biden warned us last night in his farewell speech that “today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that really threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedom” and he warned of a “tech-industrial complex” of unchecked power over our lives.
Don’t make it easy. As professor Snyder writes, “do not obey in advance.”
Exhaustion Is The Point
Posted: November 13, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Autocracy, Donald Trump, Election 2024, MAGA, news, Politics, Tribunals, Trump, U.S Military, United States Constitution 1 CommentAfter last week’s election results, I thought it appropriate to take a step back, breath in some fresh air, and enjoy the upcoming holidays. After all, the President-elect won’t take office until next year. Plenty of time to worry about our future next year and to make the most of this time of year with family and friends. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of reading a newspaper — a real newspaper, one that is not part of the propaganda arm of the MAGA party. To my dismay, Trump is already putting into place his plans to make himself the Dear Leader.
Most troubling — and a clear signal of his intent — Trump is insisting that he be allowed to appoint cabinet officers, federal judges and other high-ranking officials without Senate confirmation. This is what is meant by a “recess appointment” and it is a clear attempt at busting through any remaining guardrails right out of the gate. Under Article II Section 2 of the Constitution, the Senate is tasked with providing “advice and consent” on foreign treaties and the appointment of “Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States” not otherwise provided for in the Constitution. To be sure, other presidents have tried to make recess appointments, especially when the Senate is not responsive to their intended appointments, and Article II Section 2, Clause 3 does give a president the power to fill government vacancies on a temporary basis if the Senate is not in session. In recent practice, the Senate theoretically stays in session even when the majority of Senators are absent in order to prevent recess appointments. I am concerned that the upcoming Senate leadership will abdicate their responsibilities as a co-equal branch of government and allow Trump free reign to appoint anyone he wants, whether qualified or not.
Trump’s intent is troubling on two levels. First, he is telling the MAGA majority in the Senate (and as of today, the House) that they must rubber stamp everything that he does. Second, it signals that he may make some appointments that are a step too far even for his MAGA controlled majority. (The recent announcement of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News anchor, as Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) may be the first test of the Senate’s loyalty to Trump.)
Additionally, it appears that Trump is attempting to circumvent the Constitution by creating government departments and “czars” that under the law can only be created and funded by Congress. Here again, given that the MAGA party controls the Congress, he may be contemplating actions that even his most ardent supporters find too extreme. Here is the type of thing to expect. Trump intends to create the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and give cabinet level authority to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to run it. In fact, the DOGE would be more like a commission or outside advisory board that makes recommendations to the White House and the Congress, the branch of government that would have to pass the laws needed to implement the recommendations. (Musk and his cronies are giggling over the acronym DOGE because that is a nod to Musk’s cryptocurrency of choice, dogecoin, the value of which is up 150% since Musk started touting the creation of DOGE. The oligarchs are in charge.) The DOGE charter is to reshape the federal government, significantly decrease the size of the federal work force by eliminating the “deep state” and abolish “unnecessary” government departments.
More good news. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that a draft Executive Order floated to Trump would create a tribunal to review the status of all military three and four star admirals and generals. As SECDEF Hegseth would support that effort. It is advertised as firing all of the “woke” officers in the military. What it really means is that Trump and his MAGA supporters in government would expect the military to do whatever — I repeat, whatever — Trump wants. In other words, he expects the military to be loyal to him and not to their oath to support and defend the Constitution. In his first term Trump was continually furious at many of the senior leaders in the Pentagon because they would not do his unconstitutional bidding. He means to fix that little quirk of nearly 250 years of loyalty to the Constitution rather than to one man. In fact, in Trump’s opinion because military members believe in something larger than themselves and even die for it, they are “suckers and losers.” Given that, according to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) the president is immune for any actions he takes in his “core” powers, of which Commander-in-Chief is one, he can pretty much do whatever (that word again) he wants as long as he finds people with no morals, or ethics or regard for our institutions. And he has, and will, find many of them.
(Before I could publish this, Trump announced that Matt Gaetz of Florida, under investigation for allegedly having sex parties with underaged girls, is his nominee for Attorney General. Get ready for the purges.)
I am already exhausted by the idea of Trump as president, which is part of the plan. Fear and exhaustion are the tools of autocrats and dictators to keep the population in check and to weed out resistance. Democrats and moderate Republicans are caught in a trap. They believe in the Constitution and our traditions and norms and try to follow the law. MAGA folks do not. So President Biden invites Trump to the White House and promises a smooth and peaceful transition of power to the President-elect, while Trump refused to do either and fomented an attempted coup. The MAGA people expect their opponents to do the right thing so that they can take advantage of it. (I’m still wondering why those ten million illegal immigrants that each voted six times weren’t enough to give Vice President Harris the win. Maybe the Jewish space lasers malfunctioned.)
The pundits, experts and analysts have come up with a list of all the reasons that Vice President Harris lost to the MAGA crowd. Spare me. I blame the weak kneed Republicans that caved to a convicted felon, found liable for sexual assault, who fomented a coup, sold national security secrets, covered up hush money payments to a porn star and still believes that famous men have a right to grab women in the crotch. And those are just the highlights. Trump should never have been a candidate in 2016 and given all that we know after 6 January 2021 he should now be a golf caddy at a minimum security prison rather than president. The Republicans had every chance to put an end to his political career but were too afraid to stop him. History will show that Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) did more to destroy our country than any other single person because he had a desire for power greater than his own moral, ethical and professional misgivings. Shame is a word without relevance in today’s MAGA party.
There are some bright spots to give me hope. On the state level Democrats did surprisingly well even in red states. As a nation we did away with the Articles of Confederation because they were too unwieldly and divisive. Maybe a move back in that direction is in order. I always have and always will believe that your rights and quality of life under a government should not depend on your zip code but in today’s environment I hope that reasonable state governors and legislatures step up and assert themselves to protect their citizens from what is about to happen in Washington D.C. Those states will beacons of light keeping the principles of our democracy alive during a dark period of our history.
The People Have Spoken
Posted: November 6, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2024 Election, Autocracy, Donald Trump, MAGA, news, Politics, Project 2025, Trump, United States 2 CommentsYesterday the American people chose a new president for the next four years. I have been disappointed by election results in the past, but I have never feared for the future of our democracy like I do now with the election of Donald J. Trump and his mini-me J.D. Vance. I have always been optimistic about people in general and my fellow Americans in particular. That optimism has been shattered. I continue to believe (hope?) that when given a chance, individual Americans will do the right thing for a fellow human being. In the collective, however, my faith in Americans is gone. Apparently, given the results of the vote for president, the majority of Americans only care about looking out for themselves and “getting even” as aggrieved individuals and not about the greater good. Contrary to my previous opinions, as a nation, the majority of us prefer a racist, misogynistic, anti-semitic, egomaniac for president who given his resume could not get a security clearance, enlist in the military, or get hired by any self-respecting corporation. But the American people decided that he should have control of the nuclear launch codes.
There will be much hand-wringing, finger pointing and superficial analysis as to how we ended up here. I’ll let the Monday morning quarterbacks figure all of that out. My first blush opinion is one of two answers. Either the country was not ready for a woman of color as president (indicated by the fact that even in the reddest of states, 9 out of 10 of them had a majority vote to protect women’s reproductive rights and even where a Republican candidate won a Senatorial race they underperformed compared to Trump), or the majority of us wanted an autocrat for president. The truth probably is more complicated than that but the results remain the same. Our country wanted an unstable, mentally ill person as president. There is an old saying that we get the government we deserve. The people have spoken, and here we are. Many of his voters dismissed his most draconian, anti-American proposals as “jokes” or “exaggerations” or believe that the guardrails will keep him from his most dangerous actions. Personally, I think that those folks fooled themselves in order to justify their vote.
As I write, the MAGA party has control of the Senate and a good chance to keep the House of Representatives. If the MAGA party wins the House, there will be no guardrails keeping us on track, given that the Supreme Court has already said that a president is immune from prosecution. A president can only be impeached, which we all know will never happen with a MAGA controlled Congress. Scary.
The sky is not falling today. Or tomorrow. But I fear that a year from now we will be living in an America that none of us can imagine. I hope I am wrong.
My real worry is not that Trump will in fact carry out his “promises made, promises kept” pledge (so many of those promises are blatantly anti-American), but rather I am worried about the people around him who clearly have an agenda. I am not sure Trump even knows how our government works, but Vance and the Project 2025 gang absolutely do. They will meet their goals under Vance before Trump even shows up in the Oval Office about noon for a Big Mac and Diet Coke. Trump will be a willing vessel for anything that benefits him and he will not care much about anything else. Can you say “kleptocracy”? The zealots under Vance with their Project 2025 playbook are chomping at the bit to reshape our democracy to their vision. Robert Kennedy and Elon Musk as cabinet officials? Trump says “yes” and that they can do whatever they want. What could go wrong?
I am profoundly concerned, but I have not given up hope. There are millions of people that feel as I do and I do not think that we will go quietly into the night. It just is not clear to me right now as to the path forward in the darkness. But dawn always follows night.
Tom
Into The Fray 
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