Category Archives: Military

Imagine The Worst Thing That Can Happen To Our Country.

Posted on by

Whatever scenario you come up with, the Felon-in-Chief will do worse. Since taking office, his actions have exceeded every worst-case scenario Democrats and even his own voters could have imagined.

For example, he didn’t just nominate a cabinet of staunch conservatives; he nominated unqualified and wholly incompetent extremists. He didn’t just pardon the January 6 insurrectionists that invaded the Capitol, he pardoned those who brutally beat cops.

He’s not just deporting immigrants who are violent criminals as he promised, he’s trying to deport law-abiding immigrants and lawful residents including essential workers, parents, children with cancer, educators, students, refugees, even US citizens.

He’s not just lining his pockets by peddling influence to international leaders, he’s lining the pockets of his entire crime family and his billionaire friends.

He’s not just reshaping the government; he randomly fired tens of thousands of nonpartisan federal workers so he could replace them with MAGA loyalists. He’s not only discriminating against minorities by banning DEI programs in the federal government, but he’s also punishing universities and corporations that fail to follow his lead. He not only purged black and female leadership from our military, he’s all but erased the civil rights movement and LGBTQ rights movement from history.

He’s not just calling news reporters and the media “enemies of the people,” he’s suing networks for reporting the truth and threatening to take away their broadcast licenses.

He didn’t just alienate our closest allies. He’s sucked up to some of our worst adversaries and dictators. He didn’t just invoke tariffs to protect American industries; he invoked tariffs on all goods entering the U.S. resulting in higher prices and increased inflation. And he’s not only pushing a bill to cut taxes on billionaires and multinational corporations, but he’s also raising taxes on workers and taking healthcare access away from millions of ordinary Americans.

His DOJ isn’t just investigating those who worked on his own criminal investigations, it’s now arresting political opponents and charging them with crimes. His DHS isn’t just sending the heavily armed ICEstapo into communities to arrest innocent workers, the Felon has unnecessarily sent National Guard troops and Marines into Los Angeles to incite protesters in hopes he can invoke the Insurrection Act. And according to his executive order, it’s obvious that he plans to send the military into any city he considers worthy of his ire.

He ordered a $40 million Soviet-style military parade to celebrate his birthday. That’s bad enough, but don’t be surprised if he orders the troops and tanks to stay in Washington to take over the city and threaten Congress. (He did, after all, direct his supporters to overturn the 2020 election and hang his disobedient VP.) He didn’t just have the DOGE bros collect personal data on every living American, he’ll likely use them to electronically rig upcoming elections.

And these are but a few examples. What’s the worst you can imagine? Almost certainly, it won’t be as bad as the eventual reality.

The Oppressed Have Become The Oppressors.

Posted on by

In an attempt to put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into perspective, it should be noted that it all began with the Balfour Declaration of 1917 when the UK agreed to create a home for Jews who were being persecuted in Europe. Of course, Jews had historical links to the land in British-controlled Palestine, but it had been occupied by Palestinians for centuries.

The British intended for the land and the city of Jerusalem to be shared, and the rights of Palestinians protected. But Israel declared independence in 1948 and was recognized by the UN. That led to war with the five surrounding Arab nations and the displacement of roughly 750,000 Palestinians. Then in 1967, Israel captured more territory following a pre-emptive war with Egypt, Syria and Jordan leading to Israeli control of more than a million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. As years passed, violence from both sides continued with Israel tightening its control of Palestinians in Gaza and clearing Palestinians from large tracts of the West Bank.

The growing Palestinian frustration and anger eventually led to the horrific events of October 7, 2023. As a result, Israel was certainly justified in attacking Hamas militants in Gaza. But the response has been vastly disproportionate and indiscriminate. Instead of an initial ground campaign to root out and kill or capture the militants, Israel chose to execute a massive bombing campaign followed by a large-scale invasion that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Gazans.

Indeed, given the brutality of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, the conflict can no longer be called a war. It now meets the very definition of ethnic cleansing.

Here are the numbers:

  • More than 52,000 Palestinians – mostly civilians – have been killed
  • More than 50,000 children have been killed or wounded
  • More than 1.9 million of the 2.1 million Gazans are displaced
  • At least 45 percent of the housing in Gaza has been destroyed
  • 75 percent of Gaza farmland has been destroyed
  • By January of this year, almost 7,000 Palestinians were being held on administrative detention (a practice that began long before October 7) without charges and without trials
  • Since 2023, conditions for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons have so declined that at least 70 prisoners have died
  • US trauma teams have reported seeing dozens of Palestinian children as young as 2 who were shot in the head or torso by Israeli snipers
  • 408 aid workers have been killed, including 280 from UNRWA
  • 176 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces
  • 374 medical personnel have been killed as a result of Israeli strikes
  • Hospitals and clinics have been damaged or destroyed by 1,644 Israeli strikes
  • The entire population of Gaza is facing food insecurity due to Israeli blockades
  • 250,000 Palestinians are currently facing starvation, and that number is expected to double
  • 71,000 children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition
  • 14,100 children under the age of five suffer severe malnutrition and death
  • Approximately 18,400 pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to need malnutrition treatment to prevent irreversible and life-threatening health problems for both mothers and babies
  • At least 31 Palestinians were reportedly shot and killed by IDF soldiers at a recently opened food distribution site and hundreds more were wounded

Despite its nearly complete devastation of Gaza, no end of the conflict is in sight. Israel has announced plans to seize Gaza and stay for an unspecified time. And until very recently, Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid to Gaza, with some Israeli officials laughingly saying, “it will end Palestinian obesity.”

At the same time, Israeli settlers have increased attacks on Palestinians on the West Bank and the Israeli government approved 22 new settlements with the explanation that it will permanently end any possibility of a Palestinian state.

Yet the Trump administration continues to supply weapons to Israel despite its obvious war crimes. It has even shown a willingness to violate our constitutional right of free speech for even speaking out about the plight of Palestinians claiming that any expression of such sentiments constitutes antisemitism. But there is a vast difference between telling the truth about a violent and repressive government and engaging in hate speech against those who follow one of the world’s largest and oldest religions.

100 Days Of Criminality, Cons, Constitutional Crises And Chaos.

Posted on by

As the second Trump regime concludes its first 100 days, let’s review the many lowlights:

To begin, there’s the takeover of the FBI, DOJ, and the State Department by Trump loyalists. There were pardons of more than fifteen hundred insurrectionists and violent criminals. The unjustified and illegal dismissal of entire government agencies and tens of thousands of federal workers. The careless and cruel deportation and imprisonment of immigrants and even US citizens without due process. The humiliation and thuggish intimidation of others by ICE brownshirts.

Of course, there’s the incompetent leadership of the Pentagon, the NSA and HHS. The complete abdication of the constitutional power given to Congress. The stonewalling of judicial rulings and verbal assaults on the judiciary. The ongoing attacks on all but the most compliant of news gathering organizations. The assaults on free speech. The many vengeful acts against political rivals. The partisan attacks on K-12 education, universities, students, corporations, law firms, medical research, the VA, Medicaid, public broadcasting, the Voice of America, endangered wildlife, national parks, national forests, clean air and clean water.

There are the economy-killing tariffs that have created an international trade war. The alienation of traditional allies and the embrace of war-criminal-led governments. The dismissal of inspectors general and other watchdogs to enable blatant and unconstitutional grift, including insider trading, the awarding of questionable government contracts, the Trump meme coin, and the hundreds of millions spent on weekend golf retreats, the Super Bowl, NASCAR, UFC, etc. – events where the felon-in-chief can bask in the public spotlight.

And now, with the destruction of our federal government nearly complete, the end will likely be marked by a military parade in celebration of our dear leader’s birthday. If that happens as planned, we may as well tear down the Statue of Liberty and set fire to every copy of the Constitution. At that point, we’ll have become a nuclear-armed superpower with a banana republic-style leadership and faint hopes of ever restoring democracy.

The Growing List Of Trump Victims.

Posted on by

Members of Trump’s MAGA cult have long wanted to reshape our government and punish the “Libs”. But they have gotten much more than they bargained for. Under the guise of making America great again and improving government efficiency, the actions of Donald J. Trump and his billionaire friends have already victimized millions of Americans and untold numbers of others around the globe. And there appears to be no end in sight. Indeed, it seems that Trump won’t stop until the US mirrors Putin’s Russia.

Following is a partial list of the victims so far:

  1. The Constitution – In a blatant attempt to consolidate power in the executive branch under his direction, Trump has ignored or violated many of the Constitution’s provisions. He has usurped Congress’s power of the purse by blocking funding. He has illegally fired federal employees without cause. In his first term, he violently dispersed peaceful demonstrations. He has tried to violate free speech. And he has signed an executive order abolishing the 14th Amendment.
  2. Truth – Trump told more than 30,000 documented lies during his first term in office and the number has only accelerated since.
  3. Justice – By pardoning roughly 1,500 of the January 6 insurrectionists while investigating and firing all those within the FBI and DOJ who had anything to do with bringing charges against him, Trump has shown that he is willing to weaponize the justice system on his behalf.
  4. People of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and the disabled – By abolishing DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), Trump has eliminated programs intended to prevent discrimination in the federal workplace, in corporations and in universities.
  5. Federal employees and their families – Elon Musk and his DOGE bros have illegally and unconstitutionally fired hundreds of thousands of civil servants, disproportionately military veterans, without severance.
  6. US federal government – Trump and Musk have created chaos throughout the government. They have illegally usurped the powers of Congress by gutting agencies and firing hundreds of thousands of employees without justification or cause. In doing so, they have compromised essential government services, including
  7. Refugees –With the stroke of a Sharpie, Trump has revoked temporary protective status for Haitians, Venezuelans, Ukrainians and others who escaped political violence and war in their countries.
  8. Undocumented workers and their families – Trump has ordered ICE to detain and deport all undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. Unfortunately, many innocent hardworking people, including US military veterans, have been swept up in raids that appear based on racial profiling. And though it’s a civil, not a criminal offense to be in this country illegally, it appears that many will be sent to prisons, including Guantanamo.
  9. Farmers, food processing companies, & small businesses – As ICE continues sweeps at workplaces and schools, most undocumented workers and their children are now afraid to leave their homes. This has been so disruptive to the employers that many now claim they are vulnerable to bankruptcy. Additionally, the block on USAID foreign aid contracts represents the potential loss of billions in income for US farmers. And Trump’s tariffs will result in further losses as China raises tariffs on the import of most US agricultural products.
  10. US military – Trump and his lapdog, Pete Hegseth, decapitated the leadership of the military with the intent of replacing members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with loyalists regardless of inexperience.
  11. US intelligence services – It could be argued that in the Trump administration there is no intelligence. Yet Director of National Intelligence, conspiracy theorist and Russian apologist Tulsi Gabbard has fired more than 100 senior staffers and numerous CIA officers for violating Trump’s ban on DEI.
  12. Veterans – Not only has DOGE illegally fired thousands of military veterans throughout the federal government. It has gutted the Veteran’s Administration through a hiring freeze and mass layoffs.
  13. Americans’ health – Trump has illegally blocked funding for the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization. This comes at a time when those organizations are needed to deal with an Ebola outbreak, Avian Flu and the very real threat of another pandemic. It even compromises the ability to select the appropriate vaccine for the next flu season.
  14. Women – Trump’s previous term resulted in compromising women’s freedom to control their own bodies with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This term is likely to result in further loss of women’s rights – not only the right to abortion, the right to contraception, even the right to vote. Indeed, there is a bill before Congress that would block millions of women from voting because they took the last name of those they married.
  15. Wildlife and the environment – Trump has already unleashed an all-out attack on the environment. Not only did he again withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords and end programs that attempt to mitigate the worst impact of climate change. He has ordered the expansion of production of fossil fuels, including in environmentally sensitive areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. He also wants to eliminate most regulations on the fossil fuel industry. And there are plans to weaken the protection of endangered species.
  16. National Park visitors – DOGE has fired more than 1,000 rangers who clean and maintain parks in addition to educating visitors and providing for their safety. This will result in long lines, reduced hours and even the closing of some parks.
  17. Disaster victims – We have already seen cuts to FEMA staff and Trump has made it clear that disaster relief from floods, tornados, hurricanes and wildfires should be the responsibility of the states. And given his past actions and statements, it is likely that he will politicize federal aid, prioritizing red states over blue.
  18. Consumers – Despite promising to eliminate inflation and cut prices on day one, Trump has made it clear that he no longer cares about those issues. Instead, he has exacerbated the problems by starting a trade war with Canada, China, Mexico and others. And, contrary to Trump’s rhetoric, the cost of the tariffs will be paid by importers and passed along to consumers.
  19. Shareholders – Trump’s announced tariffs have already led to a large downturn in the stock markets which affects everyone with a 401(k). And, as the tariffs take full effect, the downturn is likely to turn into a market crash which will only benefit the billionaires and hedge fund managers.
  20. Emerging nations – With the gutting USAID, many of those living in emerging nations will suffer from food deprivation and epidemics.
  21. Ukraine – Following the Oval Office ambush of Zelenskyy for refusing to sign an agreement that would have given away half of Ukraine’s nation’s resources, Trump has illegally “paused” military aid for the defense of Ukraine. The only person that benefits is Putin.
  22. Palestinians – By stating that the US will take over Gaza, Trump has encouraged Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and potentially further destabilized the Middle East.
  23. Tibetans – Trump has illegally blocked congressionally approved funding for the Tibetan government in exile – another case of revictimizing victims.
  24. NATO and longtime allies – Trump’s long running distaste for NATO and his unwarranted attack on Zelenskyy and Ukraine has understandably shaken the bond between the US, the UK and Europe. Our allies are now discussing ways they can stave off potential attacks by Russia without US help.
  25. You – Without proper oversight, Musk and his DOGEbags have been illegally filing through the data files of Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and the IRS. That means they now have personal data for virtually every American citizen – where you live, where you work, how much you make, what is the status of your health, even your investment and bank accounts. What will they do with that information? For all we know, they could provide it to Putin or some other foe to drain our resources.

And this is just the start. Keeping in mind that it only took Hitler and his Nazis 53 days to completely dismantle a constitutional democracy, imagine how much damage this administration can do in four years.

Complex Problems: Part 3 – The National Debt

Posted on by

According to the National Debt Clock, our national debt is currently $36 trillion and counting. That’s because the government is currently spending more than $1.6 trillion than it receives from federal taxes. This is despite the fact that the annual deficit is currently $1 trillion less than when President Biden took office.

Of course, there are many who will say that the way to reduce the debt is to simply cut spending. Others will say that we need to raise taxes to increase revenue. But it’s not that simple. To understand why, you need to look at how we got here.

Since the end of World War II, we have endured two banking crises and 13 recessions. Many of those events resulted in the necessity of corporate bailouts, tax cuts, and increased spending to induce economic recovery. During that time, we have also fought in four costly wars, not including the estimated $26 trillion in today’s dollars spent on defense during the Cold War. More recently, the failed response to the Covid Pandemic resulted in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and the $1.2 trillion Inflation Recovery Act, which were necessary to stave off a second Great Depression and lower runaway inflation. Without those expenditures, we would have seen unemployment and inflation continue to skyrocket with many millions of Americans in soup lines and/or begging in the streets.

The point is, in a civilized society, there are certain events and economic conditions that require government to outspend its revenue.

Not the least of these are the climate-related disasters that annually cost billions of dollars to help victims and rebuild infrastructure. The National Centers for Environmental Information estimate that over the last five years those costs have totaled $764.9 billion! Do we turn our backs on the Americans ravaged by wildfires, droughts, hailstorms, tornados and hurricane victims to avoid budget deficits? Of course not.

And there are still more issues that have contributed to our debt, including self-inflicted problems such as trade wars, battles over the debt ceiling, and political shutdowns of the government which have cost many billions of dollars.

Taking all of this into consideration, you can see why, in modern times, our government has experienced a budget surplus only once. That was accomplished by the Clinton administration.

Now, you may say that I have overlooked one of the largest contributors to our annual deficits – the rising costs of “entitlements.” Certainly, it is true that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments comprise about 61 percent of the annual federal budget. But before you call for cutbacks to these programs, consider this: In reality, these programs should be entirely separate from the federal budget. That’s because the retired workers who benefit from them have paid for them over a lifetime of work through FICA (the Federal Insurance Contributions Act).

That’s right, these programs are not “entitlements” at all. They are, in fact, insurance – nonprofit retirement insurance for which you pay premiums that are deducted from your paycheck.

Since the founding of the programs, the premiums collected have gone into a trust fund where the money is invested in federal securities. And because these programs are insurance, they should be treated like all other forms of insurance by following the principles of actuarial tables, which match premiums to expenditures. (When the costs of your casualty and accident auto insurance go up, so do your premiums.) Unfortunately, Congress has refused to consistently and equitably raise premiums, which has placed the programs in some degree of jeopardy.

That leads us to the politics of deficits and debt.

Since the Citizens United v FEC decision of 2010, political campaigns are funded in large part by billionaires, lobbying groups, and large corporations. Of course, these groups all expect a return on their investments. For example, despite the impact on our climate caused by the burning of fossil fuels, the fossil fuel industry received more than $1 trillion in subsidies in 2023. Many others have similarly cashed in. And all of these paybacks contribute to the deficit.

Further, politicians love to promise tax cuts even when they know those tax cuts will lead to larger deficits. Perhaps that’s why the highest federal income tax rate has been cut from 91 percent in 1950 to 40.8 percent today. Indeed, we have seen at least five major tax cuts since WWII. And since many of those same politicians like to campaign on a platform of fear – fear of immigrants, fear of other religions, fear of terrorism, and fear of other nations – they routinely vote to increase our defense budget.

The requested Pentagon budget for 2025 is nearly $850 billion dollars. That’s more than the next nine countries combined! And, if you separate Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid from the annual budget as is justified, it represents roughly 34 percent of the remaining (discretionary) budget. Add another $103.2 billion for Homeland Security, plus $303.8 billion for Veterans Affairs, and you’ll see that we’re spending an incredible amount for defense and the consequences of war – an annual total of more than $1.2 trillion that is nearly equal to our deficit.

And that doesn’t even include the $21 trillion in previous spending that the Pentagon couldn’t account for in a recent audit.

So, where do you cut? How do you raise more revenue? If you’re serious about reducing the debt, you absolutely have to do both. But if you do too much of either, you risk damaging the economy which will further add to the debt.

The planned tax cuts, inflation-inducing tariffs, and mass deportations of undocumented workers certainly isn’t the answer.

Kakistocracy Returns.

Posted on by

And this time, it’s a real sh*storm!

Kakistocracy, of course, is defined as a government run by the least acceptable and least competent officials. How else could you describe a government led by a thuggish narcissistic sociopath and administered by his unhinged and unqualified sycophants?

Think that assessment too harsh?

Not when an unqualified Fox News host is nominated to lead the world’s most powerful military. Not when a brain worm-infected anti-vaxxer is put in charge of the nation’s health services. Not when a Putin-loving conspiracy theorist is nominated as the nation’s top intelligence officer. And especially not when a former congressman who is the subject of a House investigation and credibly accused of illegal drug use and trafficking underage women for sex is nominated to lead the justice department.

In the words of Trump’s former attorney, Ty Cobb, that is “a f**k you to America.”
Indeed, the election of Trump is clearly a f**k you to our constitution, democracy and decency.

Trump has used a combination of lies, hateful rhetoric, and threats of violence to so enrage his followers against his political opponents, recent immigrants, transsexuals, and other minorities that they’re willing to destroy everything good that our nation has stood for.

For these insurrectionists, nothing is sacred.

After previously attacking police and defacing the halls of democracy on January 6th, they now seem ready to abandon our most hallowed principles and institutions, including the rule of law that our nation was founded upon.

In addition, they seem intent on ending all efforts to mitigate the climate crisis and abandoning relationships with our long-standing allies. They talk of rewriting our constitution; of consolidating power in the executive branch; of mass deportations; of eliminating protections for the LGBTQ community and other minorities; of deregulating large corporations and lowering their taxes; of imposing tariffs that will put our economy at risk; of privatizing our schools; of banning abortion and contraception; of banning books and history; of diminishing the power of labor unions; of eliminating the Federal Reserve; and of replacing the U.S. dollar with crypto currency.

Given their control of the Oval Office, the Senate, the House and SCOTUS, they now have the power to burn it all down. And they won’t stop there. I believe the goal is to bring the entire world to its knees with orders to kiss the ring of Trump and his fellow autocrats.

Instead, they can kiss my ass!

America’s Mein Kampf.

Posted on by

For as long as I can remember, Republicans have talked about freedom. The words liberty and freedom are splattered all over their websites and on their paraphernalia – from hats and t-shirts to flags and bumper stickers. They talk about making America great again as if it isn’t already great – the world’s economic and military leader and the leader for human rights.

Yet The Heritage Foundation and many former Trump officials have created a plan to strip away many of our freedoms should Trump be returned to office this November. Under Project 2025, the operating manual for a second Trump administration, they would politicize almost the entirety of the federal government by replacing up to 50,000 government workers with Trump loyalists.

And that’s only the beginning. Under Project 2025, Trump and his sycophants plan to burn the Constitution and limit or eliminate many of the freedoms you take for granted. Here are some of the freedoms at risk:

1 – Freedom to control your body. Trump’s Supreme Court appointees have already overturned Roe v. Wade. As a result, women’s reproductive rights are banned in numerous states. A new Trump administration plans to make the ban nationwide. They would also invoke the Comstock Act to prevent access to mifepristone through the mail. It’s also highly likely that Republicans would block IVF.

2 – Freedom of privacy. Project 2025 calls for increased surveillance of pregnant women to ensure that every state reports exactly how many abortions take place within its borders, at what gestational age of the fetus, for what reason, the woman’s state of residence, and by what method. It should also ensure that statistics are separated by category: spontaneous miscarriage; treatments that incidentally result in the death of a fetus (such as chemotherapy); stillbirths; and induced abortion.”

3 – Freedom of movement. In several states, Republicans have already tried to criminalize interstate movement by pregnant women seeking abortions in states where they remain legal. Under a nationwide ban by a Trump administration, it’s likely they would prosecute the women and anyone who aids them in their travel.

4 – Freedom to contraception. In a further attempt to relegate women to baby factories, Project 2025 argues against contraception and falsely claims that birth control is detrimental to fertility. It would allow employers and insurance companies to deny coverage of birth control pills based on religious grounds.

5 – Freedom to healthcare access. Trump and his allies tried to eliminate the Affordable Care Act in his previous administration. They will undoubtedly try to do it again.

6 – Freedom to clean air and water. In its decision to overturn the 40-year-old precedent of Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, SCOTUS has already undermined the power of federal agencies, such as the EPA. Project 2025 intends to take it further by freeing business from many regulations so they can pollute at will. It would also strip all federal funds intended to mitigate climate change.

7 – Freedom to an education. Project 2025 calls for reducing funding for low-income students, the privatization of schools and the elimination of the Department of Education. It will also block federal financial aid for American college students if their state permits certain immigrant groups, including Dreamers with legal status, to access in-state tuition.

8 – Freedom to eat. Project 2025 calls for reducing the number of recipients of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and reimpose work requirements, which have proven to be ineffective.

9 – Freedom to love who you want. Project 2025 would roll back anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ population, prioritize straight marriages over gay marriages, and promote conversion therapy.

10 – Freedom of the press. A second Trump administration would not only escalate attacks on news media. According to Project 2025, NPR and PBS would be defunded, thus limiting access to reliable unbiased news. In addition, it would further destroy the journalistic independence of Voice of America.

11 – Freedom to live in the U.S. Trump has long wanted to deport undocumented immigrants. If given a second term in office, he would terminate the legal status of some 500,000 Dreamers. He has also outlined plans to use the military to round up 15 to 20 million immigrants, place them in internment camps and deport them to their countries of origin.

12 – Freedom to fair pay and benefits. Project 2025 calls for an end to overtime pay, the gutting of labor union protections, and cutting unemployment insurance. At the same time, it would increase child labor.

13 – Freedom to vote. For decades, Republicans have tried to restrict the voting rights of those who are least likely to vote for them. To that end, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act. Republicans have used intimidation and a variety of voter suppression tactics against people of color. They have leveled death threats against election officials. And Project 2025 would further fuel the assault on election officials by withholding federal support for their work and threatening to use the DOJ and other agencies to further politicize the administration of elections.

14 – Freedom of religion. Much of Trump’s support has come from white Christian Nationalists. So, it should come as no surprise that Project 2025 is a Christian Nationalist initiative that ignores the Constitution’s separation clause to establish Christian “values” throughout the government. It proposes criminalizing pornography, funding religious schools with taxpayer funds, and replacing social welfare services by diverting federal funds to churches and religious organizations.

If Trump once again occupies the Oval Office, America will not be great. It will be unrecognizable.

The Greatest Challenges Of The 21st Century.

Posted on by

Through the rest of this century, the world is facing a number of seemingly insurmountable problems – problems for which there appear to be no easy answers. Some so complex and so threatening that they could doom humanity for all eternity. Yet, even for those challenges, there are answers if we are willing to acknowledge the problems and make the changes so urgently required.

Here they are in ascending order of difficulty:

Rise of Authoritarianism – The solution for this one is exceedingly simple: Vote! Vote only for those politicians who are committed to democracy. Fight tyranny at every turn. No politician who embraces discrimination of any kind belongs in office.

Corporate Consolidation – The phenomenon of too-big-to-fail banks and multinational corporations has led to a wide variety of problems for humanity. These include a lack of competition leading to inflation, the elimination of pension funds for workers, the growing disparity of income between CEOs and workers, the exporting of jobs in the search for ever cheaper and more compliant labor…the list is long.

Fortunately, the solution is also simple. Indeed, Congress gave us a seldom-used tool to break up these industrial cabals and growing monopolies: The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. It’s time our government used it.

Wealth Disparity – Globally, the richest 10% of the global population currently take home 52% of the income. Those in the poorest half of the global population earn just 8%.

In the U.S., the wealthiest one percent of Americans hold more than 32 percent of the nation’s wealth. The top 10 percent hold 77 percent of the wealth, while the bottom 50 percent of households hold just one percent of the wealth. And 7.5 percent of the population has a negative net worth – meaning they are in debt.

By race, white households hold more than 86 percent of the wealth while black and Latino households hold less than 3 percent of the wealth.

And, until the election of President Biden the problem has only gotten worse, a result of the vicious economic policy called Trickle-Down Theory that was embraced by Ronald Reagan and every Republican president since. The subsequent wealth gap has led to growing poverty and food insecurity, unfair tax policies, a government that is bought and paid for by wealthy individuals and corporations, and a loss of tax revenue that has led to a growing national debt.

Yet there is some glimmer of hope for those at the bottom of the wealth scale. According to the Federal Reserve, the average wealth of the bottom half of Americans has increased by 80 percent since 2019, perhaps as a result of President Biden’s policies. (Of course, wealth growth is statistically much more profound if you have very little wealth to begin with.)

The solutions to wealth disparity also seem relatively simple: Enact a wealth tax and impose strict limits on donations to political campaigns. That could give all Americans a chance at the equal representation our Founders intended.

Gun Violence – The U.S. suffers approximately 20,000 violent gun deaths each year (not including suicides) and more than 35,000 gun injuries. Thanks to the NRA, other so-called gun rights groups, and gun manufacturers, police have to assume that every person they encounter is armed. Our schools and many public buildings have become virtual fortresses in an attempt to prevent mass shootings. And, from the age of 5, children are taught to live in fear of active shooters. No other developed nation in the world experiences these problems. But our gun manufacturers are trying to change that by exporting guns to criminal gangs worldwide.

It doesn’t have to be this way!

The solution is to follow Australia’s lead by banning and collecting guns, especially semi-automatics. Instead, as exemplified by the recent Supreme Court decision overturning the ban on bump stocks, the U.S. is headed in the opposite direction.

Climate Crisis – The U.S. has long led the world in the amount of fossil fuels burned per capita. And now we are the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas. For more than 50 years, scientists have been warning us that, by incinerating fossil fuels, we are in danger of incinerating our planet. Unwilling to believe them, we have protected our fossil fuel industry and refused to modify our unsustainable lifestyle.

Sure, we have made some limited progress by recycling, better insulating our homes, producing more energy efficient appliances, and expanding the use of renewable fuels. But those measures are far too little, too late.

We led the world in establishing an extravagant, disposable culture. Now we need to lead the world to live within our planet’s means. Change is possible. But we must hurry. As you can see by the ever-increasing, ever more violent storms and other climate-related disasters, time is running out, and quickly.

Mass Migration – In recent years, migrants have flooded the borders of the United States and other highly developed nations. As a result of wars, violent gangs, autocratic rulers, and natural disasters such as drought, storms, and flooding, millions of people are faced with the choice of either migrating or dying.

Think immigrants are ruining your country? Then demand that our politicians do something to improve circumstances in their home countries. And be willing to open your hearts as well as your pocketbooks to help.

Mass Extinctions – In Earth’s history, there have been 5 mass extinctions defined as the loss of 75 percent of all species within a relatively short period of time. Scientists tell us that we are about to experience a sixth mass extinction as the result of human activities such as deforestation, unsustainable food production, pollution, encroachment of habitat, and the burning of fossil fuels.

Currently, extinction of species is occurring 1,000 to 10,000 times more rapidly than the natural rate. Why should we care?

First, we are living in an ecosystem. The life of one species depends on the life of others. Second, the world will become a much less interesting and livable place without some of the most vulnerable species. And third, we’re one of the species that could go extinct!

You already know the ways to mitigate the sixth mass extinction: Stop wasting resources, limit the use of fossil fuels, limit travel, stop polluting, and quickly transition to a mostly plant-based diet.

We have been the problem. Now we must become the solution.

Artificial Intelligence – AI could be the answer to many of our problems. Or, it could add to them. It simply depends on how we use it.

Used properly, AI can help us eradicate diseases, streamline research, create solutions for complex problems, perform the most dangerous and boring jobs, and help us to objectively solve conflicts.

AI-driven vehicles could make our roads safer and more orderly. AI could make logistics more efficient and more predictable. The possibilities are endless.

But there’s a much darker side to AI.

AI is already creating deepfakes – fake videos and images of people saying and doing things they never intended or even imagined. Women have been victimized by fake images of them nude or engaging in sex acts. Even worse, deepfakes of political candidates and leaders could have profound consequences.

AI could eliminate millions of jobs making humans essentially obsolete.

Not surprisingly, AI has been embraced by the military to replace humans in battle. Future armies, navies and air forces could be dominated by AI-controlled robots making real-time decisions of life and death. Once that happens, will we become the predominate targets?

One AI researcher believes so. He estimates there’s a 99.9% chance that AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) will lead to human extinction within the next 100 years claiming that no AGI model he has seen has been safe. And though other AI researchers are less certain that AGI will lead to our extinction, they are not particularly reassuring.

A Final Word: As daunting as some of these challenges seem, to some degree, they all can be addressed with one simple action: Vote! We must climb out of our media silos, ignore the misinformation and disinformation peddled by the moneyed interests, educate ourselves, and vote for the politicians who are willing to acknowledge the scope of the challenges and attack them in earnest.

How Much Vengeance Is Enough?

Posted on by

Out of an abundance of guilt following the Holocaust of WWII, Great Britain and much of the world decided to create a permanent homeland for Jews called Israel. In doing so, they displaced thousands of Palestinians.

What has happened over the ensuing years and generations is, to say the least, complicated.

Indeed, since its creation, Israel has been under attack by Palestinians seeking to reclaim their land and Arab nations who resented their new neighbors. Through it all, Israel seems to have adopted a strategy of disproportionate retaliation for the attacks. For each Israeli killed, many more Palestinians have died.

The current Israeli-Hamas war is no exception.

Following the horrific terrorist attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israeli citizens, Israel has so far killed more than 18,000 Palestinians in densely populated Gaza. And the Israeli government says it has no plans to stop.

Perhaps such a toll could be justified if the vast majority of the casualties were militants and terrorists. But, according to studies by two Israeli publications, 61 percent of the Palestinian casualties are civilians! The deaths in Gaza have also included 63 journalists and more than 100 UNRWA aid workers.

And, it seems, that’s only the beginning.

The Israeli government says it intends to continue its operations in Gaza for a month or more despite UN warnings that many of Gaza’s remaining population are in immediate danger of dying from starvation and disease.

And what will the war accomplish? Likely nothing. Certainly, the bombings will reduce the number of Hamas militants, and it will destroy most of their tunnels. But many of the surviving Gazans, having seen their families slaughtered, will become future terrorists who will themselves seek revenge.

Such a predictable outcome points to the extreme futility of the situation.

Until the world comes up with a permanent solution for the estimated 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, including reparations and self-government, they and the Israelis will be stuck in a continuing cycle of bloodshed that neither side can truly win.

Further, both sides and their supporters need to be reminded that one set of war crimes does not justify another.

America First? Hardly! More Like Me First.

Posted on by

Trump followers would have you believe that their movement is determined to Make America Great Again. To rewind the clock and return America to the mythical, utopian state of their ancestors. A state in which everyone looked like them, worshiped like them, and thought like them. A state that welcomed immigrants to the Great Melting Pot but only if they were white and their origins were in Europe. A state in which Americans were free to say and do whatever they wanted without regard to the feelings of others.

But it should be obvious that the movement is less about what the nation’s Framers envisioned and more about selfishness, authoritarianism, celebrity, racism, and fraudulent religious beliefs.

As evidenced by those who attacked our Capitol on January 6, 2021, at the heart of the movement are bullies and aspiring bullies of the Millennial and Gen X generations. These are people who spent their formative years surrounded by the material excesses of capitalism and being told that they were special. Many never learned to genuinely compete for anything. Instead, they were given participation trophies for just showing up.

They are the first generations to grow up playing computer games, surfing the Internet, and posting as trolls on social media. Indeed, that’s where they get most, if not all, of their information. Rather than trust journalists, scientists, experts, and government officials, they place their trust in YouTube videos, Instagram, anonymous Facebook groups, Internet influencers, and rightwing media hosts – evidence and facts be damned.

They grew up watching “reality” TV where they learned admire power, cunning, and vanity. As a consequence, they are inordinately impressed by wealth and celebrity, expecting that one day they, too, will live the lifestyle of the rich and famous. They populate mega-churches where they worship the almighty dollar being told that, if they only pray enough, all of their dreams will be fulfilled.

Unfortunately, for many, their expectations tend to be far greater than their work ethic.

Having failed to achieve their grandiose goals, they have immersed themselves in a sea of grievances directed at those they believe have denied them their due. They are certain their lives would be better if not for immigrants and people of color cutting in front of them to claim the degrees, jobs, positions, and stature they have long considered their birthright.

Asked to participate in three ill-conceived and unwinnable wars, some volunteered and came home even more damaged than before – angry, belligerent, and racist. So, when a narcissistic, lying “reality” TV star and conman came along telling them that he would Make America Great Again by ridding the nation of immigrants and returning their birthright, they happily embraced him. Not just as a celebrity and politician, but as a god – a reincarnation of Jesus himself.

And it’s not only the quest for material things that drives these MAGAts. They are utterly obsessed with personal freedom.

They spend thousands on weaponry, ammunition, and body armor to prepare for the coming “storm” as foretold by the mysterious and fictitious Q. They walk around with a Bible in one hand and a copy of the Constitution in the other having read neither. They falsely believe that the Constitution guarantees them the right to do as they please without regard for the rights or the safety of others. They are contemptuous of education, science, and expertise. They support law enforcement as a means of controlling others. But when police try to hold them accountable for their own lawlessness, they consider it an unconstitutional intrusion by big government and the “Deep State.”

Many hate Boomers, the generation of their parents, who they feel reaped the rewards of the American Dream while leaving them to struggle on their own. And they have a particular dislike of their political enemies as evidenced by their chants of “lock them up” and their threats to exercise their Second Amendment rights. On social media, they circulate falsehoods and preposterous stories that portray their “oppressors” – Democrats and “the libs” – as the embodiment of evil. They convince themselves that their opponents are cannibals and child sex traffickers who drink the blood of their innocent victims, that the 2020 election was stolen, and their hero is still the legitimate president of the United States.

Given their autocratic and anti-American beliefs, there can be no giving in to their view of America. There can be no compromise. We cannot permit these people to destroy our democracy and everything our ancestors fought and died for. Indeed, in the coming months, we may be forced to fight for democracy again. When Trump and his crime family are inevitably found guilty of their many felonious and treasonous acts, their supporters may once again turn violent as they did on January 6, 2021. We must be prepared for that likelihood.

But overcoming their violence will not alone end the threat. The only way for that to happen is for those of us who believe in democracy to vote. To soundly, and repeatedly, defeat Trump and his entire slate of Republican fascists at the ballot box.