O Canada!

Posted: August 27, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another ridiculous Truth Social post by our embittered president. He cannot control himself and acts like a spoiled two year old whenever he does not get what he wants. He is both embarrassing and dangerous.

On Thursday, Trump took his silly spat with Canada — silly, but costly — to another level by signing an Executive Order (EO) “officially” changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. Really — this is all the President of the United States has on his “to do” list? One would think that he might be focused on ending the war of choice against Iran, or helping to improve the economy or focusing on the fact that people are dying from the measles or a hundred other actions to actually help everyday Americans.

So typically Trumpian. This what the party formerly known as the Republican Party has become. Today, it is merely a rubber stamp for every inane idea he has in the moment. Can’t beat the Iranians? Attack Canada with twenty billion dollars in tariffs. Tariffs that Americans will pay. Not interested in Ukraine? Attack South Korea by cancelling critical national security exercises and praising North Korea’s ruthless dictator — a dictator that is supplying artillery shells and ten thousand troops to fight with the Russians against Ukraine. Not interested in NATO? Then praise Vladimir Putin — the same guy that is supplying Iran with drones and intelligence and targeting information to attack U.S. military forces.

His mad method of running our country is to attack, bully, extort, and vilify our (increasingly fewer) friends while praising, aiding and abetting our enemies. He denigrates our allies and praises our enemies. Not one sentient world leader trusts him or the United States to do the right thing. They have figured out that there is a new world order, and to much of the world, that order does not include the United States of America. They must and will plan without us into the future. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week in describing the negotiations with the U.S.,

“We have been pragmatic, patient, and persistent. We have pursued every opportunity to reach an agreement that protects Canadian workers and their families, that strengthens our economy, and that respects Canadian sovereignty. We have been under no illusions. We recognized from the start that America has changed. Early last year, I observed that the decades-long process of steadily increasing integration between our economies was over. Our government understood, before many, that America would transform all its commercial relationships. That it would put a series of tariffs on its closest allies and use economic integration as a weapon. That its signature was written in pencil.“

Our signature is written in pencil. In other words, as a partner, we are erratic, untrustworthy, unreliable, inconsistent and irresponsible. The U.S. has lost the very things that have served us so well in the post-World War II era.

It is no surprise to learn that Canada is reciprocating by placing twenty billion dollars of tariffs on U.S. goods. It will be painful for both countries economically, not to mention the impact on our longest and most trusted friendship and alliance. If the Canadians really want to make an impact, consider that Canada supplies 99% of our natural gas imports, 85% of our electricity imports, and 60% of crude oil imports. Those crude oil imports go to refineries in the American Midwest that were specifically built to refine Canadian crude and cannot be used as currently configured to refine oil from other sources. Several northern states get their electricity directly from Canada. Oh, by the way. Ever hear of the Welland Canal? That is the twenty-seven mile long canal that connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie to bypass the Niagara River (Niagara Falls). It runs through Ontario, Canada. Close that to U.S. ships and trade on the Great Lakes comes to a crashing halt. They could really make us hurt. So far, they have not. But one cannot really blame them if Trump continues to antagonize them that they will up the ante.

There was already an agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico (called the USMCA in the U.S. and CUSMA in Canada) that Trump in his first term called “the largest, most significant, modern, and balanced trade agreement in history.” It replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). What happened to the USMCA? I would suggest the Epstein Files, the Iran fiasco, affordability, and the looming blue tsunami of the upcoming mid-term elections. He needed a distraction so why not pick on our best friend?

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is facilitating Trump’s worst instincts. Chief Justice John Roberts lifted a stay on the construction of the East Wing at the White House. He ruled that construction can continue while the case to stop construction works its way through the system (lower courts had stopped it). While only a “technical” ruling, no time frame was given for the case to be heard by the entire Court. It could be days, it could be months, meaning Trump will get his ballroom. Remember that he claims it is a national security requirement. This week the Washington Post revealed, thanks to former White House officials, that a secret (well, it was until the article was published) complex already exists under the White House. Started after the terrorist attacks on 11 September, it was completed during the Obama administration. It is built for continuity of government purposes, has months of food and water and can withstand a nuclear blast. But Trump will get his ballroom.

On another “technicality” the Supreme Court issued an “emergency” 6-3 decision in Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, ET AL v California, ET AL involving the United States Postal Service (USPS) and mail-in voting. Trump signed an E.O. that designated the USPS as the administrative body for determining who could vote by mail and who could not. In essence, the states must submit lists of eligible voters, which will be compared to a list put together by the federal government (Trump’s agents) and the USPS will only mail ballots to approved voters. If states fail to submit their voter lists (which the law suit claims is protected under the Constitution) then no mail-in ballots at all will be delivered by the Post Office in that state. There are other provisions such as prosecuting election officials if even one ineligible person votes and other elements designed to suppress the vote and give Trump officials the opportunity to decide who votes and who does not. It is blatantly un-Constitutional even to this non-attorney. We are supposed to be calm because experts point out that this is merely a procedural technicality and of course the Supreme Court will rule against it. In sum, the Court claims that the states’ sued too early. Supposedly they cannot claim damage until actually damaged — which seems like a huge Catch-22 and makes no sense at all to me. Forgotten in the discussions is that some states, such as North Carolina, begin distributing ballots in early September. Time is of the essence if we are to avoid chaos and uncertainty — but of course that is the point of all of this. Trump will use every tool in the box to disrupt the elections. Recall that the Supreme Court found his use of tariffs un-Constitutional and yet that did not stop him from imposing them anyway, just under a different statute. Back to court again and so on and so forth.

I do not think that the courts can move fast enough to react to (much less prevent) the tremendous mischief he will pursue that is intended to disrupt the election. The bigger the chaos and disruption, the greater voters will become confused and perhaps not vote and the bigger the confusion the more likely Trump and his minions are to declare the election invalid. For example, Fulton County (Atlanta) in Georgia returns Senator Jon Ossof to his seat, but the federal government declares that fraud or some other crime was committed, confiscates the ballots and voting machines, and without those votes, Ossof’s opponent wins. We are only limited by our imaginations, but I would focus on “blue” cities in “red” states to watch for the shenanigans.

It seems that most of Trump’s energy — the little that he seems to have — is focused on his vanity projects and turning against his perceived enemies. If Trump cannot have it, he will destroy it. Be it tariffs or monuments. He is still trying to put his name on the Kennedy Center and now, in court in front of a magistrate, the Department of Justice (DOJ) argued that if Trump’s name is not on the building, then it will be torn down and there will be a new use of the space. The aircraft carrier USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) currently under construction may not come to be. Credible sources report that the first aircraft carrier named for a black Sailor and the first Enlisted Sailor so honored should be renamed after Trump — according to Trump. “Dorie” Miller was a hero during the attack on Pearl Harbor, winning the Navy Cross — the first black man to achieve it — who was later killed in action in 1943. Trump got five deferments during the Viet Nam War for bone spurs. The same guy that, according to the New York Times analysis of the Epstein Files so far, has his name or Mar-a-Lago or other associations mentioned over 38,000 times. No wonder the DOJ is working overtime to cover it up.

We are in big trouble. The America we knew and the world respected is gone. When this nightmare is over, and one way or another it will be at some point, we cannot go back to the way it was. The way it was is what got us to someone like Trump. We and the world can never be sure that there will not be another Trump if we do not put in place the actual checks and balances and laws that we thought would protect us. They did not.

While all of this was going on we lost a truly kind person. Dolly Parton died after a short bout with cancer. Whatever you thought of her as a performer, she knew who she was, stayed true to herself, was a prolific philanthropist and by all accounts a truly kind person. Kindness is in short supply these days, and we just lost a little more of it with her passing.

“It’s Good To Be The King!”

Posted: August 16, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Despite a court order, a tarp still covers the name above the entrance to The John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts that once sported Donald Trump’s name. This week the Center’s Board, consisting mostly of members appointed by Trump, voted to put Trump’s name back on the center. Under the main sign, a new sign will be added that reads “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” In addition, and contrary to the court order, the Board voted to close the Center for two years for renovations. Probably to allow Trump to cover everything in more gold plating from Home Depot. This is part of a pattern where Trump and his administration work hard to circumvent the law.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

In his increasingly bizarre behavior, Trump proves daily that he has no moral center, lies about everything, and acts like a spoiled toddler. He wants what he wants when he wants it and throws a hissy fit if he doesn’t get it. The problem is, that he is the most powerful man in the country, if not the world, and he can bring the weight of the entire U.S. government down on the head of anyone that defies him. He is cunning. Not too smart, but cunning. Like an animal stalking its prey, he is relentless and inventive in finding new ways to get what he wants. It is clearly evident that our laws are inadequate to stop a president from doing whatever pops into his head. We know now what can happen when a president has no moral compass or ethical core, but does have an over riding interest in increasing his own power and wealth. Those around Trump are using him to implement their vision of the “American Way” which is founded in the driving belief that only white wealthy Christian men are the rightful heirs to the country. Everyone else is there to serve their purposes.

Some recent events are almost comical in their banality and pettiness. Yet, they are also a direct threat to our foundational beliefs. It is just not that he is laser focused on his various vanity projects. These escapades also indicate a full-on assault bypassing the courts and the Congress. There are multiple examples that lead me to believe that Trump and his cohorts are working hard to establish his right, not just desire, to do whatever he wants.

Only a few weeks after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Trump v Barbara, Trump issued an Executive Order (E.O.) attempting to restrict the rights of those born in the U.S. Even though the court was clear that the original intent of the amendment included everyone born here, with some very specific exceptions that primarily include foreign nationals in the U.S. with diplomatic immunity. Trump’s E.O. tries to squeeze as much out of the terms of the original amendment that states it applies to everyone “subject to the jurisdiction” of the federal government by expanding the number of groups he claims are not under federal control. More troubling, Trump and his main hit man Stephen Miller espoused — again!– their belief that the amendment only applies to children born to formerly enslaved people. The Supreme Court specifically debunked that belief, and yet here we are. Back to the courts, I suppose.

In March of this year, Trump signed another of his ubiquitous E.O.s, this time impacting voting rights. He had a previous attempt in 2025 that was stopped by the courts. His latest effort would essentially take from the states and Congress the Constitution’s provision that only they can set the rules for voting. Among other things, he is trying to attack mail-in voting by directing the United States Postal Service (USPS) to not deliver mail-in ballots to anyone not on an approved list provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and mandates that the states must use the approved lists to determine which citizens are eligible to vote. The DHS list of “citizens” is notoriously inaccurate (it has been for years) and it ignores the fact that such a list could be easily manipulated by agents of the Trump regime. It is clearly an end-run around previous rulings blocking Trump from dictating election rules in his previous E.O. and to circumvent the provisions of the Constitution. So far district and appeals courts have blocked this E.O. but Trump is now appealing directly to the Supreme Court on an “emergency” basis through the Shadow Docket. (The Shadow Docket is supposed to be reserved for real national emergencies, stays of imminent executions and the like, not manufactured emergencies as Trump so often tries to declare. Under the Shadow Docket there are no oral arguments, often no written arguments or signed opinions, and it can be difficult to understand the legal arguments for their decisions. Another end-run.)

Trump is also going to the Supreme Court based on a declared “national security emergency” to overturn lower court and appeals court stays to stop the construction of Trump’s nearly one billion dollar ball room. Such an attempt is yet another insult to our laws and the role of Congress. The opinion from the bench about the the case clearly delineates that Congress has the right and responsibility to approve and oversee construction projects at the White House beyond routine maintenance. (This is the same ball room that would cost no taxpayer money. Ha Ha.) Trump asserts that the National Historic Trust, the organization bringing the suit, is “TREASONOUS” (sic) and that he is entitled to do what he wants with The People’s House because, well, because he’s the president and as such, he can do whatever he wants.

One more example of his ignoring the law is the ongoing saga of the Lincoln Reflecting Pool. Charges of vandalism and other felonies were dropped after the government charged four innocent bystanders of destroying the Reflecting Pool. The prosecutor in the case said that there was no evidence of their involvement and that, indeed, it was shoddy workmanship that led to the problems. Trump went ballistic. We have now learned that the Attorney General for the District of Colombia is convening a Special Grand Jury to investigate a case. Special Grand Juries are rarely used. However, they can investigate a potential crime and issue a report, even if they find there is insufficient evidence to prove that a crime was committed. It is a perfect tool to go after anyone Trump wants to see suffer at the hands of the government. While it is currently unknown as to the reason for it, it could well be to assuage Trump’s ire over no one being taken to trial for damaging his special vanity project. Time will tell, but it is yet another example that Trump and those that feed his every desire, will look for any loop hole or quirk in the law to make someone’s or some group’s lives miserable and costly. Trump looks at E.O.s and other declarations as is if they are imperial declarations from the throne that shall not be challenged. Thankfully for our democracy, there are still people and organizations that are willing to defend our rights. Most of the time, those that challenge Trump win their cases. Unfortunately, sometimes that does not seem to matter as we have seen over the last year and a half that he will gladly ignore Congress or any court ruling that goes against him. His track record of noncompliance spans key executive actions involving immigration, federal spending, mass layoffs, agency rollbacks and more.

Beyond his toddler grievances and belief that he should get whatever he wants, there is a bigger reason for such actions. It would be easy to focus merely on the pettiness and petulance and silliness of it all. Unfortunately, whether it is Trump or his closest advisors, there is a reason for all of it. They are laying the groundwork for their authoritarian plans. There are so many of these instances that we can become inured to their significance. They go further each time in an attempt to make it seem routine, even as they work to undermine and neutralize the other branches of government. Their vision of the Unitary Executive is really about authoritarianism. Personally, I think that they are on the path to interfering with the elections in order to solidify their grip on the reins of power. I do not predict how, but it will happen. They already tried in 2020. Whether it will be voter suppression, seizing ballot boxes, declaring elections delayed due to a national emergency, or simply declaring the election void if they do not win, I think we are only limited by our imagination. ICE is fast becoming a large private para-military force on the streets ready to do his bidding. Trump in 2028 anyone? Trump “jokes” about it more and more often. Unfortunately, he may be one of those people that has no funny bone. I have never heard him be, well, actually funny. I would speculate that all of his jokes are really trial balloons. Categorize the reaction, say it over and over until people stop paying attention, declare that no one objects, and then do it.

Two more things to watch. The Treasury Department will no longer enforce the law. Specifically, the Corporate Transparency Act which passed on a large bi-partisan basis in 2021 (thanks to then Senator Marco Rubio) designed to rein in the use of shell companies to hide drug money, money laundering, and other corrupt or illegal financial transactions. Corruption can now conduct business as usual. I am sure that Trump, Inc. was sad to hear about it. But they were probably happy to hear that World Liberty Trust — a company integral to the Trump family windfall profits from cryptocurrency — was granted bank status by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) this week. With approval of bank status, World Liberty can issue stablecoins, a cryptocurrency backed by secure investments such as U.S. Treasury bonds and can be traded for U.S. dollars. Let’s see — no more monitoring of shell companies, their own bank, unaccounted for donations from private investors, unaccounted for Venezuelan oil money and on and on and on. “It’s good to be the king!” as Mel Brooks memorably said in the movie The History of the World, Part I. How brazen can they get?

By nature, I am an optimist. I do not want to dwell in the depths of the implications of Trump’s actions. However, I am also not naive. Something is going to happen, I just do not know what. I hope I am wrong. I am also surprised (disappointed?) at how many people do not realize or believe that he is systematically trying to take away our rights and traditions.

The next six months will reveal a lot about our future as a country.

All Men Are Created Equal — Aren’t They?

Posted: July 4, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota depicting Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. Trump gave a speech there on 3 July 2026 that laid out a playbook for his autocratic regime to remain in place for “one hundred years.” More on that below. Despite Trump’s desire to be added to the memorial, park officials explain that geologically, it is not possible. (Picture courtesy of the National Park Service)

This weekend we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence and we mark it as the founding of the United States of America. I hope that you were able to celebrate in your own way given that much of the eastern part of the country was suffering from temperatures in triple digits. I went to an early morning neighborhood parade of mostly young kids on their decorated bicycles. It was fun. I also enjoyed watching the Sail4th 250 parade of tall ships and the military aircraft flyover of the New York City harbor. Despite the heat it looked like participants and spectators alike thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings. It was a celebration in the fullest meaning of the word. I sensed joy, unity, pride and fun.

Sail4th 250 was a distinct contrast to the Trump arranged Freedom 250 that hijacked the national mall and celebrated Trump. Using Park Service money — money dearly needed to maintain and run our national parks — and money from the Congressionally approved non-partisan America250 celebration, Trump turned the event into an unpleasant, disagreeable, poorly attended disappointment. Congressional Democrats are investigating the entire operation, but as they put the story together, it appears that Trump entities and cronies may have received a lot of taxpayer money for a poorly executed public embarrassment.

The United States of America is founded on an idea. We should take seriously the words of the Preamble that read, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.” Our nation is not based on a common religion, or ethnicity or allegiance to one person. We know that the Founding Fathers meant that “all men” were white men that owned property. However, those words have driven our country forward, sometimes with agonizing events and grinding slow speed, but forward to an ever inclusive society. As Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude, Jr explains in his most recent book America, USA: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, our “storybook” history of our search for “a more perfect Union” has a major contradiction. We cannot be both a beacon of freedom to all the world and a white nationalist country run by rich white males.

Trump cannot or will not accept the fundamental ideals upon which our nation rests. In his Mount Rushmore speech he laid out a totally different vision of America. Our Founding Fathers, whatever their flaws, and there were many, were patriots. The people Trump reveres are nationalists. Patriotism and nationalism are not the same thing.

This is not a new position for Trump. In a wide ranging interview on Wolf Blitzer’s CNN show Late Edition in March 2004 Trump said, “But the phrase that ‘all men are created equal’ is a wonderful phrase, but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. All men are not created equal. Some are born with a genius and some are born without. Now, you need that. If you don’t have that, you can forget it.” (In the same interview he also claimed “And it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans. Now, it shouldn’t be that way. But if you go back, I mean it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats.”)

Before the speech, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt promised that Trump would describe what it means to be an American. Instead, Trump announced that he was going to “exile” Americans that did not agree with his vision of America. He used the playbook of Authoritarianism 101. Roughly the first third of the speech was the usual politician’s speech on a national occasion, although he can never leave out his grievances and personal victimhood, Then he starts to build the case. He defines who belongs in America. He reflects on the divine power of God and the blessings bestowed on our country by God above all others. He emphasizes western European heritage without mentioning the contributions to our country from citizens from Africa or Latin America. He uses the words “breed,” “character” and “culture” countless times and always in the context of those that belong in America and have the right qualities as opposed to all of those that are in our country that do not.

Then he really got down to business. Using the same fear tactic that every fascist leader from around the globe has used since the beginning of the twentieth century, he went after “the communists.” Let him tell you in his own words:

“Yet, as we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack. A generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism, there is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success. These are not mere political disagreements like differences over taxes or regulations. Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or even 9-11. We’re not going to let this happen to us. Believe me, we’re not letting it happen. Because communism is the enemy of free people everywhere, everywhere in the world. Never works. It’s the enemy of the Constitution. Above all, it’s the enemy of July 4th, 1776. It is the enemy indeed.“

Who are these godless communists you may ask? Over the last few weeks, Trump has been building the case that the Democrat Party is really the Communist Party. Accordingly, Trump must think that roughly half of America’s citizens are communists and are a threat to our nation. Or more specifically according to Trump, “The Communist Party is made up of illegal immigrants, criminals, and everybody that doesn’t want to work. Communism is a loser. It always was, and it is right now. It’s a big loser. Look at the people that are promoting it.“

The solution? “We’re not going to let them take too long or too much of our time as they play their games and send them into exile. We will send them quickly away…” His vision of America on the eve of our 250th birthday — round up those that do not go along with the MAGA philosophy of a white male Christian nationalist country.

But just to make sure, Trump is going to arrange for his supporters to win every election for the next one hundred years. He declared, “We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms if we are foolish, stupid, and unwise. But if we terminate the filibuster as we should do and immediately vote for the Save America Act, then we will not lose an election for 100 years. We do that. We’re not going to lose an election for 100 years.” If you can’t win it, rig it.

I fear for our country. This man, a convicted felon and adjudicated sexual abuser (the Supreme Court would not hear his appeal) who already tried to steal an election is not going to let a little thing like the will of the people get in his way. He will do whatever it takes. I am not putting my hope in the judicial system either. While district and appellate courts have been firm in stopping the wildest notions of the Trump regime, the Supreme Court seems ready to continue to give him as much power as he wants. Their decisions over the last two weeks confirms that in my mind. I take no solace in the fact that they voted 6-3 (!!! and if you look closely it was really 5-4) that the Constitution is constitutional. The idea that a president, through an Executive Order no less, can undo a key component of the Fourteenth Amendment and four of the Justices essentially agree with that is not very calming. (The case was Trump v Barbara and involved birthright citizenship, one of the key foundational ideals of our country. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.“)

Trump made over two billion dollars in profit in his first year in office. His cronies are also getting unbelievably rich. Elon Musk cut aid to dying people around the world through DOGE and he is now a trillionaire. Trump does not plan to go anywhere and those around him as advisers and friends don’t want him to go anywhere either. We are in for some tough times over the coming year.

At the same time our country has been through tough times before. I still have the belief that more and more people are going to catch on to what is happening to our country and they will not settle for it. Not everyone, but enough.

Happy birthday America!