Trump: We will have the largest deportation in history!
Trump voters: That’s what we want! Mass deportation!
Musk: But I need foreign workers in my businesses.
Ramaswamy: Me, too! Americans are too stupid to work at my company.
Trump: That’s great, guys! We’ll keep the H1-B visas so you can hire cheap labor and drive down wages for American workers at the same time. Win-win!
The United States has real enemies, countries that actively seek to do us harm through unfair trade policies, currency devaluation, hacking, cyber attacks, military strategy, etc.
The US also has allies, stable trading partners who support our interests protect us by fostering good relations and sharing vital intelligence.
On the surface, it would seem that Donald Trump doesn’t understand this. He treats enemies like allies and vice versa.
When I saw the news about his intention to put 25 percent tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, our peaceful allies and our two biggest trading partners, I realized something.
A bully feels insignificant in the absence of conflict. Bullies instigate and intimidate because they thrive on drama. If everything is calm and running smoothly, the bully feels ignored.
Over the next four years, expect a daily deluge of outrageous actions and statements. The bully wants to be seen. He wants to feel important. He feasts off of your attention, especially negative attention.
The best thing we can do is to ignore the outrageous behavior. Refuse to take the bait. Focus on what’s important, adapt to unavoidable changes, and get on with our lives. Drown out the noise with success and good feelings.
The worst thing that we can do is to internalize the stress. The bully wants us to feel shocked and threatened, just as a barking dog wants us to be fearful about getting too close to its territory. Refuse to play the game. Think, “That darned dog is barking again. Oh, well. What can we do to make the most of the day?”
Trump 2.0 is going to be like the play in the Mel Brooks film ‘The Producers’, scripted by zealots, funded by the gullible, designed to be awful, and most profitable when it fails.
What’s Coming Next
With full control of the government, the newly elected regime will waste no time implementing their authoritarian policies. They will not be subtle.
Expect a shock and awe campaign of legislation and executive actions designed to overwhelm the courts, break the bureaucracy, and deflate the hopes of their opposition, i.e. supporters of democracy.
We’ll see things that have never happened within our country’s borders, abuses of power on a grand scale. It will be difficult to watch, much less respond to, but the goal of the authoritarians is to discourage dissent by breaking the spirit of the opposition.
These are the times when we will need to find strength in each other, in our passions, and in the values that we hold dear, the values upon which this country was founded.
The founding fathers knew that the most dangerous threats to democracy would come from within, up to and including an imperial presidency. We are about to witness what they feared most.
We have to stay strong and speak out against the hideous forces that are about to be unleashed by a government controlled by self-serving, unprincipled people.
The authoritarians will do what they want to do. They will take what they want to plunder. But we don’t have to make it easy by looking the other way. Legal action, states’ rights, shared information, and public outrage will be important tools in the fight to save our nation from the worst authoritarian impulses.
I refuse to worry about a future over which I have no control. I’m focused on today.
My goals haven’t changed.
My to do list hasn’t changed.
The weather report hasn’t changed.
The things I enjoy doing haven’t changed.
The people I care about haven’t changed.
I’m dedicating my time and energy to what’s most important.
As the 2024 election drew near, it reminded me of the one twenty years prior. George W. Bush was doing outrageous things that went against the norms of American foreign policy and ultimately were counterproductive for national and global security. The American people re-elected him anyway.
Four years later, the country elected Barack Obama. Perhaps there’s a lesson in there somewhere.
One final note to supporters of the new administration: please let me know when housing and grocery prices start going down. I’ll be eager to see how well your candidate’s economic plans are working.
Stay focused, my friends. Life is short.
Who would you rather hang out with for an evening?
Dan Quayle
Al Gore
Dick Cheney
Joe Biden
Mike Pence
Kamala Harris
Those are the last six Vice Presidents of the United States.
Does anyone stand out? Be honest.
Do you love the women in your life? Would you do anything to protect them? Well, there is one very important thing that you can do. Vote for Kamala Harris.
Trump’s policies are killing women. Women who wanted children. Women who wanted to expand their families but experienced serious medical complications.
One day, someone you know will have a miscarriage or an unviable pregnancy. They’ll be in pain, bleeding, desperate. Doctors will want to help, but they won’t be allowed to. Draconian anti-abortion laws will expose them to criminal liability if they take any action to save the woman’s life.
And so this woman that you know, or that one of your friends knows, will not receive the care that she desperately needs.
Picture yourself standing beside her bed, holding her hand as she shakes and cries and wonders whether she’ll live to take care of her family.
Picture yourself at a cemetery watching her casket being lowered into a hole as her children, her husband, and her parents break down in unspeakable grief.
You have the power to save her life. Will you do it? Or will you elect politicians who will let her die?
Authoritarians rely on three groups of people to give them power - the True Believers, the Disbelievers, and the Low-Information Voter.
The Low-Information Voter can be persuaded to vote for something that sounds good on the surface.
The Disbeliever refuses to accept that the authoritarian will act on their worst impulses. They assume that the tough talk is rhetoric to get votes. Surely, those things couldn’t happen; they’re too outrageous. And since the authoritarian promises to be good for business and the economy, why not give him a try?
The final group, the True Believers, want the authoritarian to take bold action. They want him to punish critics and expel undesirables. They believe that such action will be helpful to society and to their own fortunes.
What the True Believers fail to realize is that those powers can and will be used against them when the leader no longer finds them useful or sufficiently dedicated.
Leaders with unchecked power have a history of turning on even their most ardent supporters. Think of what happened to Yevgeny Prigozhin in Russia when Putin no longer needed him. Recall what happened to Mike Pence and Michael Cohen despite years of loyalty to Donald Trump. No one is safe from the retribution of an authoritarian leader.
If you think that Trump will lower prices and protect American jobs, why is he selling a $60 Bible that’s printed in China? Are you ready for $15 Trump gasoline and $20 Trump eggs? He’s not going to stop until every product you buy puts money in his pocket.
Imagine that you’re in the market for a new car.
You’ve narrowed it down to two models, a Ford that costs $35,000 and a BMW that costs $40,000. You’re weighing whether it’s better to save $5k by going with the Ford, or to spend a bit more to get the extra features and prestige of the BMW.
Donald Trump wins re-election and immediately puts a 20 percent tariff on all foreign-made goods. The BMW now costs $48,000 due to an $8,000 dollar tariff.
That may be a deal breaker. If the BMW is now out of your price range, you’ll buy the Ford.
On the other hand, if you really want a BMW, you might be willing to pay more to get it, even after the price hike.
But here’s the important point. BMW is not going to pay the extra $8,000. The German government is not going to pay the extra $8,000. The European Union is not going to pay the extra 8k.
YOU are you going to pay it! That 8 grand comes out of YOUR wallet.
It’s not magic money that suddenly appears to help our country. It’s a tax that the government has imposed on YOU, the American consumer.
Consider also retaliation. Europe may fight back by putting a 20 percent tariff on American goods. That means fewer sales, which could lead to layoffs and economic hardship in the US.
Tariffs are a bad idea, a terrible idea, a horrible idea. Tariffs punish consumers and harm the economy.
Vote wisely.
Locked in a cage
Of my own making
The stress that I have piled upon myself
A warehouse
Of aggressive expectations
Feeling all the more tense
And urgent
As I sense
That time is running short
I have the key
To unlock the door
To free myself
But have I the awareness
To use it?
A migrant didn’t go on a shooting rampage in a Georgia school. An American citizen did.
A migrant didn’t give that kid access to an AR-15. An American did.
Migrants didn’t let the assault weapons ban expire. Americans did.
Migrants didn’t smuggle that weapon across the border. An American store sold it.
Migrants didn’t pass laws that let nearly anyone buy a gun. Americans did that.
Migrants didn’t lobby against red flag laws. Americans did.
Foreign politicians didn’t take campaign contributions from the gun lobby. American politicians did.
Migrant crime? How about we focus our attention on something real, like Americans killing each other in mass casualty events? Because that happens every damned day.
Before I die
I want to be your lover
To celebrate for real
What we feel
For each other
To kiss your warm skin
As I hold you
Night and day
And treasure
The miracle of love
Before our moment
Slips away
MAGA blames Biden for inflation while simultaneously praising authoritarian leaders. Let’s compare inflation rates.
USA (Biden): 3 percent
Russia (Putin): 9 percent
Hungary (Orbán): 16 percent
Egypt (Sisi): 27 percent
Venezuela (Maduro): 50 percent (down from 2,000,000 percent in 2018. That’s not a typo.)
Turkey (Erdogan): 71 percent
Argentina (Millei): 272 percent
Trump calls Harris “Laughing Kamala.” What does he call is wife, “Scowling Melania?”
We should be grateful that the Vice President is a warm, genuine, and joyful person, unlike the bitter emotional train wrecks of trump world.
J.D. Vance thinks that if you’re poor, it’s your fault. You should have done what he did to succeed.
1. Find a billionaire who will give you multiple cushy jobs where you don’t do any real work.
2. Write a book that trashes your hometown community.
3. Have your billionaire friend bankroll your Senate campaign, the most expensive in history.
4. Suck up to the guy you once called “America’s” H**ler” until he gives you a big opportunity.
Record heat and destructive storms brought to you by the fossil fuel industry. Fossil fuels - You’re going to die anyway; why not make us rich in the process?
I went for a short run this evening. The heat was manageable, but the air quality is awful. I could feel the particulate matter collecting in my mouth. It was like inhaling soot.
You know your country is in trouble when corrupt courts start making up rules to protect the mob boss from criminal liability, and the mob boss is running for president.
American Pop Music by the Decade
1920s: We’re having a great time!
1930s: We remember good times.
1940s: We love our country.
1950s: I’m dreaming of a woman.
1960s: I have a woman.
1970s: I want to dance with all of the women.
1980s: I want to dance with my girlfriends.
1990s: My woman is depressed.
2000s: I am a powerful woman.
2010s: I want to date women.
2020s: I’m a horny woman.
Notice what you DIDN’T see today.
- You didn’t see Democrats claiming that the Department of Justice is “weaponized.”
- You didn’t see Democrats claiming that the Hunter Biden trial was “rigged.”
- You didn’t see Democratic politicians dressing up like President Biden, giving speeches in front of the courthouse threatening to defund the FBI.
- You didn’t see Democrats threatening to prosecute Republicans as retribution.
- You didn’t see Democrats claiming that the judge was “corrupt.”
- You didn’t see Democrats threatening witnesses or jurors.
- In fact, you saw a juror being interviewed on television, because he wasn’t afraid that an angry mob was going to do him harm.
- You saw Democrats respecting the rule of law.
- You saw Democrats accepting the decision of a jury.
You saw Democrats honoring the rule of law in stark contrast to the MAGA mob.
Some people believe that Democrats are demons and that Donald Trump is their savior. That’s exactly the kind of thing that a demon would trick someone into believing.
“Psst! Hey, listen! I’m the GOOD one here! Those people who want you to have healthcare and child care and a living wage, they’re EVIL! Elect me, and I’ll vanquish them! Bwah-ha-ha-ha-haah!”
At his political rallies, Donald Trump refers to immigrants as animals. “People tell me not to say that, but I do,” he boasts proudly while beaming his signature condescending smirk, “because that’s what they are.”
By extension, Trump considers the six immigrants who died while patching potholes on Baltimore’s Key Bridge to be animals. Six hard-working men who signed up for the night shift to improve our roadways. Six fathers and husbands and brothers who worked a cold, dangerous job in hopes of making a better future for their families.
The only animal in this story is named Donald Trump.
Katie Britt shared a horrific story of abuse and blamed it on Joe Biden’s border policies.
The facts tell a different story.
- The events happened between 2004 and 2008 when GW Bush was president.
- The abuse happened in Mexico. US border policy was not a factor.
- The woman was not abused by migrants.
- The woman was not abused by drug cartels.
Here is a transcript of how Britt recounted the story. I’ll let you judge whether it’s misleading.
“I traveled to the Del Rio sector of Texas, where I spoke to a woman who shared her story with me. She had been sex trafficked by the cartels starting at age 12. [Details redacted.] We wouldn’t be okay with this happening in a third-world country. This is the United States of America, and it’s past time we start acting like it. President Biden’s border policy is a disgrace.”
If you, or anyone that you know and love, would like to use birth control or IVF now or anytime in the future, PLEASE register to vote and vote for Democrats. Republicans are working hard every day to take away women’s rights, and they have a well-established track record.
Dobbs was only the beginning. Republicans will ban birth control nationwide. They will ban IVF nationwide. They will ban abortion nationwide, even for people whose lives are in peril due to medical complications. Even for victims of rape. They are determined to relegate women to second class citizenship, and they simply do not care how much suffering results from their callous and misinformed policies.
The supreme court didn’t put their thumb on the scale for Trump. They threw out the scale and replaced it with a Trump 2024 poster.
Immigrants aren’t trying to ban access to birth control and fertility treatments. Republicans are doing that. Immigrant families had their children taken away by force … by Republicans.
Immigrants didn’t make it difficult to get health insurance. Republicans did. Immigrants cleaned your insurance company’s office building.
Immigrants didn’t take away your reproductive freedom. Republicans did that. Immigrants harvested your lunch.
First, they attacked Voting Rights. Governors in southern states then removed millions of people from voter rolls tipping elections in their favor.
Next, they attacked Reproductive Freedom. Now, women in states with restrictive laws are being killed or sterilized when doctors and hospitals refuse to treat their miscarriages.
Next, they led a massive campaign of discrimination against the LGBTQ community. Now, children are being bullied not only by their classmates but also by their state governments.
Next, they attacked IVF. Ask women in Alabama who are trying to start families how that’s working out.
They’re not finished. They have told us what they are going to do next.
- Ban contraception.
- Ban recreational sex.
- End marriage equality.
- Ban the shipment of reproductive medicines across state lines.
- Ban travel across state lines to receive healthcare.
Believe it or not, it will get worse from there. They won’t stop until we are living in a country that looks more like 1789 than 2024.
Be clear. This is the danger that the Republican party represents. It has been taken over by anti-democratic freedom-hating zealots who are determined to enforce their will on the American public.
Put an end to the madness. Vote for Democrats up and down that ballot in every election.
The Republican party in its current form cannot be trusted with authority. They have demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that they will use their power to do inflict harm and misery on the majority of US citizens.
Hunter was falsely accused.
Joe took no money.
The FBI informant is a liar.
The accusations came from Russian intelligence operatives.
Right wing media spread the Russian disinformation vigorously.
Republicans in congress put on a circus based on Russian propaganda.
And because one of my Right-wing friends is likely the mention it, no, the Ukrainian prosecutor was NOT investigating the Bidens. He was fired because he REFUSED to investigate corruption.
If congress wants to have an investigation, let’s focus on those who are spreading lies.
Hunter should consider suing Fox, Jordan, and Comer for $10 billion.
Orchestra Rehearsal
Q: What did the bassoonist, who upon arriving late for rehearsal, hand to the conductor?
A: A grace note.
Q: What did the flirtatious trumpeter give to the attractive new clarinetist?
A: A pickup note.
Q: What did the orchestra manager leave with the boxes of donuts she brought to rehearsal?
A: A whole note.
Q: What do the ladies in the orchestra wear when they’re playing in the key of F Minor?
A: Flats.
Q: What sent the score librarian the hospital?
A: A staff infection.
Q: How did the conductor know that the oboe player was dealing with unresolved issues?
A: She looked diminished.
Q: Why was the tenor disappointed after his date with the rakish soprano?
A: She was augmented.
Q: How did rivals in the viola section settle their argument quickly?
A: It was minor.
Q: Why are there rarely any arguments in the trombone section?
A: They let things slide.
Q: Why did the percussionist break things off with the harp player?
A: Too many strings.
Q: Why was the conductor’s contract extension delayed?
A: It was missing a key signature.
Q: What did the tuba player express in his poetry?
A: Deep thoughts.
Q: Where did the globe-trotting pianist go on vacation?
A: The Ivory Coast
Q: What was the lonely flautist seeking when she invited the guest composer for drinks?
A: A score with stimulating movements.
Q: What instrument inspired envy in the horny French hornist?
A: The cello.
He was poisoned, jailed, and sent to Russia’s harshest prison, all for offering a choice in leadership to a country that has been ruled by a totalitarian for decades. His untimely and tragic end shines a revealing spotlight on those who praise the current Russian president or do his bidding by refusing to send aid to Ukraine.
Rest in peace, Alexey Navalny
There are two kinds of people, those who fix the problem and those who fix the blame. Republicans in the House of Representatives had a chance to pass legislation that would address the crisis at the southern border. They declined and instead opted to let the problem fester while wasting time impeaching the Secretary of Homeland Security, a cynical political stunt that passed by a one-vote margin. The Secretary was instrumental in authoring the proposed legislation, making it difficult to argue that he had neglected his responsibilities. I trust that the Senate will swiftly relegate this absurdist farce to the outhouse of history.
How many times has the Right complained about the border, about migrants and caravans, about immigrants bringing in crime and drugs and taking away jobs and freeloading on taxpayer dollars? They talk about it constantly. They call it an invasion. Clearly, they perceive it as a threat. So why, when they had a chance to make the first substantial changes in immigration policy in decades, a bill that gave the Left virtually nothing, no path for DACA citizenship, for instance, did the Right suddenly say, “Oh, just kidding, we really didn’t want to do anything. We just wanted to play games for four months while collecting benefits and salaries at the taxpayers‘ expense. We’re not voting for any border bills this year, even though we demanded one in order to get aid to Ukraine.” I feel sorry for the people of Ukraine who live with mortal danger every day. I feel sorry for the Border Patrol who are struggling to face a huge problem with inadequate resources. And I feel sorry for Senator James Lankford, who negotiated this deal in good faith only to be thrown under the bus by his own party.
13 Things That A Dictator Can Do
1. Seize your property or your business
2. Confiscate your savings
3. End social programs and keep collected funds for himself
4. Ban unions and force companies to pay lower wages
5. Ban the minimum wage
6. Levy taxes on fuel and food that would fund his own enrichment
7. Confiscate firearms
8. Force citizens into military service
9. Restrict your ability to travel
10. Suspend elections
11. Remain in power indefinitely
12. Use the military to intimidate, coerce, and eliminate citizens
13. Imprison anyone who complains about any of the above
A dictator can do anything they want to, no matter how outrageous. They have complete and unchallengeable power. There is no way to overthrow a dictator without violence.
If a candidate for public office talks about exercising authoritarian control, take it seriously. Think about the kind of country you want to live in and how invasive and oppressive a malevolent government could be.
I dream of the fantastic
Like biodegradable plastic
And underwear elastic
That never stretches out
I dream of the incredible
Like healthful food that’s edible
Or sunscreen that’s so spreadable
You’ll never miss a spot
I dream of the impossible
The outlandish and implausible
The unlikely, the improbable
The confounding and unfathomable
I dream each day of the absurd
Of soaring music yet unheard
And I’ll continue undeterred
To chase these dreams through deed and word
Three years ago, American democracy withstood a direct attack by a violent mob. The mob was enraged by lies and inflammatory rhetoric from its leader. Vastly outnumbered, brave police officers fought the mob valiantly while evacuating officials. Many were gravely injured.
Some discombobulation
With a measure of frustration
Is the price we pay
Along the way
For effective education
It’s better to embarrass yourself by asking a question than crashing the plane or sinking a submarine.
