I thank you for reminding us all that no one should normalize this behavior!! How sick ! I wonder how many of his supporters find anything wrong with all this? I associate with many who voted for him, but really choose not to ask if they STILL support him. Anyway , it's not over , so let's keep watching and writing about his rediculous actions daily.
If he is so rich now, let him pay for his own golf trips. When one golf weekend is around $3.5M and the average government worker's YEARLY salary is $67,000 +/- , 52 people/families had to lose their livelihood to cover this one weekend trip. You would think the "abuse" of these workers would bring attention to their situation. How about banks that may hold their mortgages? How about their car notes? Losing their healthcare while defunding and raiding Medicare would leave them at risk. Firing all these workers doing what they were hired to do to fund his weekend of fun without a thought to their lives is disgusting.
What can an ordinary American like me do to combat the despicable and downright illegal actions of this president? Especially when the Supreme Court has given him exceptional powers?
History will not be kind to those who normalize theft wrapped in a flag.
We were told democracy would die in darkness, but it turns out it’s more likely to suffocate under golf carts and gold trim — while being live-streamed.
What’s unfolding isn’t just corruption, it’s a theology of entitlement. A gospel of grift. And every ribbon-cutting, every pardoned predator, every Bible sold under his brand is another communion wafer in this unholy sacrament.
We’re not just witnessing kleptocracy. We’re funding it.
Thank you, Dan, for naming it while others still avert their gaze.
Truth be told, it is the complete takeover of Congress and the SJC that is far more concerning than any impulsive statement from the Executive branch. Those statements would just engender eye-rolls and head shakes, were it not for the shocking support of the other two branches, which were supposed to be the checks and balances. We mere citizens are just left to blow in the wind. And with new discussions happening about ending limits of presidential terms, we can't even look with hope toward otherwise scheduled elections. If this were another country, we'd be looking toward America for relief. No one is going to step in and help us.
Him and his cronies? Certainly not the hapless corrupt democrats. Personally i know the problems and issues. I read The PNAC in 1998. No even listened. Ive been at this since H Bush said New World Order in 1985.
A deep reading on how we got here from the set-up in FL 2000 election “hanging chads” to the corruption behind ALL the electronic voting systems (every company owned by a member of The Heritage Foundation). Read this:
We are at the mercy of a criminal, rapist, traitorous, con-man who stole the 2024 election and no one is doing a damn thing about it. It's time for the governors of blue states to join forces and demand a hand recount.
I had a dream that Melania is working undercover and the "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" jacket was a reminder to all of us to face ourselves in the mirror of that statement.
He opens his mouth and I cringe…since day 1…the adjectives swirl in my brain, the search restarts, selection proceeds, each selection is quickly discarded as inadequate to be replaced by a bevy of further choices. The nouns are as tattered and worn as they are numerous. But it’s the verbs that fall into two distinct categories. Am I looking at the hedonistic narcissist’s classic traits, or does it more closely resemble the two year old’s easily classified worldview of me, me, me, and now, now, now? Briefly distracted by what makes up the human condition and how situational ethics tend to be, I snap back to attention and do the mental equivalent of a dog emerging from water with one clear thought: the President of the United States is elected to an office, with the understanding that an oath is sworn…to uphold, execute, protect, preserve, defend…the Constitution of the United States of America. Wait! What? Unlike 1.0, he actually is a convicted felon this go round!?!? As a parent I did not expect my two year old to act like anything other than two-years into the process of cerebral cortex development for a human. As a citizen, tax payer, and voter I expect and demand a hellofalot more! And if, as citizens, the expectations for this office no longer include decency to go along with upholding a sworn oath, do we not have remedy for that?
It can’t not be illegal for taxpayers to pay for rooms for secret service and all the other others that make money for the person taking the trip.
I thank you for reminding us all that no one should normalize this behavior!! How sick ! I wonder how many of his supporters find anything wrong with all this? I associate with many who voted for him, but really choose not to ask if they STILL support him. Anyway , it's not over , so let's keep watching and writing about his rediculous actions daily.
FINALLY !
Seven European leaders fly into Washington today,
To stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Zelensky.
Like some ragged phalanx of half-mad gladiators,
walking into Caesar’s coliseum.
A thin ray of light in the terminal darkness of American politics.
A momentary reprieve from the grotesque carnival barkers who’ve hijacked our democracy.
Trump is always good for a sound bite,
But not so good at one-on-one negotiations.
The last summit was a damn freak show.
JD Vance is creeping around like the second-worst SOB alive.
Second only to the orange ghoul himself,
he drools treason in public while the cameras roll.
A disgrace of historic proportions, like Caligula wearing an Ohio State hoodie.
But now,
Now there’s a fight brewing.
Newsom is sharpening his knives on the West Coast.
The Euro-cabal is descending on the capital.
And the whole sick circus is about to combust under the bright lights of OUR House.
And make no mistake,
NOW is the time.
Not after the midterms,
not after another news cycle of bread and circuses.
NOW.
They want us docile.
They want us crawling, ring-kissing,
belly-up like whipped dogs at the feet of fanatics and fascists.
Well, they can kiss my American butt.
I will not surrender my future—or yours—to grifters and goons.
We should listen to Macron, that odd bird from Paris.
Flapping his arms like a freaked-out prophet in a burning village.
“If we are weak with Russia today,
we are preparing the conflicts of tomorrow.”
The French know a thing or two about bad endings, guillotines, and collaborators.
But you don’t need to speak French to smell what’s cooking.
Putin doesn’t want peace.
Trump doesn’t want peace.
Netanyahu doesn’t want peace.
None of them want peace.
They want submission.
They want blood, fire, and loyalty oaths,
signed in the ashes of Gaza and the mud of Donbas.
And the GOP?
OMG, they're no longer being subtle.
Constitutional crime after constitutional crime.
Jackhammering and chiseling at the very foundations of the Republic,
while his base is making itself irrelevant.
Those drunk on MAGA koolaid.
Those slobbering fans cheer them on like it’s pro wrestling.
Their numbers are shrinking as disapproval increases.
Putin, Netanyahu, and Trump
The unholy trinity of war crimes and constitutional arson.
I tell you this straight: they will be held accountable.
I have no doubt. But only if we stop rolling over
like docile cattle waiting for the bolt gun.
This is no country for old men.
We’ve seen this dam movie before.
If you appease Hitler, he kills six million.
History repeats itself, initially as tragedy.
Then, like a bad Netflix reboot.
And now Israel’s war machine continues to crush Gaza into rubble.
Day six of high-explosive therapy,
A million souls herded south like cattle toward the sea.
How could this be for the greater good?
History is unavoidable and sounding alarms.
Pounding on the door, demanding to know.
Will we sit back again? Will we let it happen again?
Wake the hell up, America.
The future is being stolen in broad daylight,
And the thieves aren’t even wearing masks anymore.
Can't respect a man? Who cheats at golf after he brags about winning the club tournament
If he is so rich now, let him pay for his own golf trips. When one golf weekend is around $3.5M and the average government worker's YEARLY salary is $67,000 +/- , 52 people/families had to lose their livelihood to cover this one weekend trip. You would think the "abuse" of these workers would bring attention to their situation. How about banks that may hold their mortgages? How about their car notes? Losing their healthcare while defunding and raiding Medicare would leave them at risk. Firing all these workers doing what they were hired to do to fund his weekend of fun without a thought to their lives is disgusting.
What can an ordinary American like me do to combat the despicable and downright illegal actions of this president? Especially when the Supreme Court has given him exceptional powers?
"Con men are always cowards." - Old Navajo Saying
Welcome to the Trumpconomy
The Trumpconomy slides backwards down the golden hills of history, like a diesel slipping off the rails.
Burning treaties like coal,
and slamming on tariffs like brakes,
on a freight train full of Costco cases and Japanese stereos,
while some hustling suit in a red tie hoots like a drunken oil baron.
"Victory!" he shouts, without checking the price tags on Walmart jeans.
We had it.
A world—flawed, sure, but flowin' like a Grateful Dead jam,
open trade, borderless goods, tariffs so small they could walk under a dime.
Markets swaying in uneasy harmony to the American band.
We wrote the sheet music after the war,
taught the world how to dance to democracy
Not perfect, but better than bombs.
Now?
We've got this guy who treats our allies like cheaters.
They are being treated like deadbeats who skipped out on the tab.
He sprays tariffs like a child playing with a hose.
Hitting Europe, Japan, Korea— all our old dinner guests,
He says "America First," but he's preaching "America Alone."
Tariffs used to be barely a toe stub.
Now they're a break.
1.35% to the EU. 1.47% from the EU.
He's jacked it up.
Trumpeted it like a win.
Called it justice, called it strength,
But it's a bad trip of red-white-and-blue grift.
Tariffs are taxes.
So who pays?
Not the boardroom philosophers.
Not the fat cats with seats on the jet.
No— it's the lunch-pail crowd.
The Walmart moms.
The Costco cart-pushers are paying the price hike on socks, TVs, and school shoes.
Why 10% on countries with a trade surplus?
Why is there a 15% rate for those with a trade deficit?
Why 35% on Canada—our oldest friend?
Because Brazil lost its dictator, Trump's friend, they get 50%.
This isn't a strategy.
This hasn't been well thought out.
Our manufacturers need Canada's steel and aluminum.
They're our #1 provider.
Why punish them?
Why pissoff the people who have stood by us through wars and winters?
This is not economic nationalism.
This is economic narcolepsy, snoozing through the screams of the service sector.
80% of our jobs and exports now are ideas,
code, dreams, Netflix queues, and vacation apps.
We're exporting ideas and imagination.
And Trump's out here waging war over washing machines?
If and when the factories are built,
they will come back slowly and be automated.
It will take years and huge capital investments.
The blue collars?
Will be worn by robots.
He says, "I opened their markets."
Nah, you shook down your friends.
Flexed like a mob boss in the back of a bar.
Collapsed the American security umbrella into a blackjack.
You didn't lead—you extorted.
What a deal.
Now other countries get our products cheap,
And we pay more for theirs.
The world's unraveling in slow motion.
Companies are gaming the system like corner hustlers,
shipping goods twice to dodge taxes (I mean tariffs),
whispering sweet nothings to D.C. lobbyists,
burning hours in back rooms where the real tariffs are favors,
and loopholes, and loopholes in loopholes,
wink-wink exemptions.
This isn't capitalism.
It's isolationism.
And isolationism makes us weak.
Makes our industries flabby.
This is state-sponsored grift in a God Bless America costume.
This is the return of kings and czars and commissars
tuning markets like deaf men tuning pianos with hammers.
For 80 years, we moved toward the light,
toward peace, open trade, and shared fate.
We sold blue jeans to Russia and CDs to China,
and they bought into the beat of modernity.
But now?
We're breaking up the band.
Ripping up the music.
Drawing with markers on the blueprints.
The Trumpconomy doesn't build. It bludgeons.
It doesn't flow; it fractures.
It doesn't lead. It lurches, drunk on nostalgia for a world that never was.
And somewhere, a kid in the Midwest looks at a price tag that used to say $12.99 and now says $18.49.
And what's that difference?
That's the true cost of a man with a megaphone who believes trade is war and war makes good TV.
So listen up:
Nobody wins a trade war. No one benefits when we tax the poor to. please the rich
And no one survives long in a world where cooperation is weakness and domination is divine.
The Trumpconomy ain't freedom. It's a fever.
And the only cure is to wake up.
History will not be kind to those who normalize theft wrapped in a flag.
We were told democracy would die in darkness, but it turns out it’s more likely to suffocate under golf carts and gold trim — while being live-streamed.
What’s unfolding isn’t just corruption, it’s a theology of entitlement. A gospel of grift. And every ribbon-cutting, every pardoned predator, every Bible sold under his brand is another communion wafer in this unholy sacrament.
We’re not just witnessing kleptocracy. We’re funding it.
Thank you, Dan, for naming it while others still avert their gaze.
Truth be told, it is the complete takeover of Congress and the SJC that is far more concerning than any impulsive statement from the Executive branch. Those statements would just engender eye-rolls and head shakes, were it not for the shocking support of the other two branches, which were supposed to be the checks and balances. We mere citizens are just left to blow in the wind. And with new discussions happening about ending limits of presidential terms, we can't even look with hope toward otherwise scheduled elections. If this were another country, we'd be looking toward America for relief. No one is going to step in and help us.
Who's going to stop
Him and his cronies? Certainly not the hapless corrupt democrats. Personally i know the problems and issues. I read The PNAC in 1998. No even listened. Ive been at this since H Bush said New World Order in 1985.
I don't hold put much hope
A deep reading on how we got here from the set-up in FL 2000 election “hanging chads” to the corruption behind ALL the electronic voting systems (every company owned by a member of The Heritage Foundation). Read this:
https://substack.com/@thiswillhold/note/p-169607570?r=9q803&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
We are at the mercy of a criminal, rapist, traitorous, con-man who stole the 2024 election and no one is doing a damn thing about it. It's time for the governors of blue states to join forces and demand a hand recount.
I had a dream that Melania is working undercover and the "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" jacket was a reminder to all of us to face ourselves in the mirror of that statement.
He opens his mouth and I cringe…since day 1…the adjectives swirl in my brain, the search restarts, selection proceeds, each selection is quickly discarded as inadequate to be replaced by a bevy of further choices. The nouns are as tattered and worn as they are numerous. But it’s the verbs that fall into two distinct categories. Am I looking at the hedonistic narcissist’s classic traits, or does it more closely resemble the two year old’s easily classified worldview of me, me, me, and now, now, now? Briefly distracted by what makes up the human condition and how situational ethics tend to be, I snap back to attention and do the mental equivalent of a dog emerging from water with one clear thought: the President of the United States is elected to an office, with the understanding that an oath is sworn…to uphold, execute, protect, preserve, defend…the Constitution of the United States of America. Wait! What? Unlike 1.0, he actually is a convicted felon this go round!?!? As a parent I did not expect my two year old to act like anything other than two-years into the process of cerebral cortex development for a human. As a citizen, tax payer, and voter I expect and demand a hellofalot more! And if, as citizens, the expectations for this office no longer include decency to go along with upholding a sworn oath, do we not have remedy for that?
I never cheat at golf! That's just awful!