Tag Archives: trump

March 10, 2026 · 9:17 am

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Life is but a Game

“War is Not a F*ucking Video Game,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois, Posted on her official X account, March 6, 2026

The sun rose as usual on that 28^th day of February, 2026, the first day of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. And like every morning, 165+ girls woke up and likely ate a breakfast of flatbread with butter, cheese, jam or honey. If it was chilly out, a bowl of lentil soup might have been in order. And always tea. They would have dawned their headscarf, put on their long tunic and pants, and headed off to the Shajareh Tayyebeh girl’s elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, southern Iran. Most were between the ages of seven and twelve years old.

They would not come home.

Three missiles were dropped on the school and, as of this writing, many news outlets have concluded that the U. S. was likely responsible. Yes, of course, it was an accident but, so far, no country has assumed responsibility. And it’s not likely we will. “We’re investigating,” continues to be the only official response. After all, such an untidy blip in the messaging would certainly not play well with the Trump administration’s use of video game campaigning and other memes to sell the war. If you’re not on X, TikTok or Instagram, you may be missing the hype. For a good summary of the strategy, see Reuters, March 7, 2026, “SpongeBob, Iron Man and the Call of Duty: Inside the US Meme War Against Iran.”

Yes, SpongeBob.

Sadly, I can imagine the optimal projected result of such a campaign might be an increased number of young men, a core target audience, wearing ball caps backwards, sitting in front of screens, sounding something like: “Hey, man! It’s wild! ‘Operation Epic Fury!’ I mean, how f*ckin cool is that? And check out the latest ‘Call of Duty’ kill score. That’s the numerical value we’re earning eliminating enemies. Hey, wana good laugh? Check out SpongeBob!”

Any imagined image of the 165+ little girls killed is quickly replaced with footage from such films as “Braveheart,” “Top Gun,” “Iron Man” and “Gladiator.” Any thought of the last sounds of screeching children is quickly drowned out by the pounding beat of rapper Childish Bambino’s song “Bonfire.” In Trump’s universe, we’re expected to merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily roll along where life, and war, is but a game.

So, I pause here and offer a moment of care to the memory of all those girls who lost their lives that day and to all who grieve for them. It can be so tempting, especially when it comes to self-accountability, to distance ourselves with quaint colloquialisms such as “collateral damage,” or the “spoils of war.” So easy to forget that these were bouncy, chatty, some clumsy some graceful, beautiful young beings who will never grow up to be women. In addition, the Guardian has reported that over 700 Iranian civilians have now lost their lives. Make no mistake. These deaths are on us and more will follow.

Tragically, this is what happens when we have a Commander and Chief who’s never commanded anyone except for those willing to play in his virtual game universe where children don’t scream and bodies don’t bleed. The only qualification is being willing to applaud every talking point, and show complete and unquestionable loyalty to him, regardless of the human, national or international cost. Those who do, have conveniently forgotten that when it was his time to serve, he hid. Their would-be-hero, now dreaming of the Medal of Honor, ran.

Sen. Duckworth was one of the first to call this out in 2018. In the January 21, 2018, CNN article by Caroline Kenny, she refers to Trump as “Cadet Bone Spurs,” and blasts the Cadet for being a “five-deferment draft dodger.” And I’d say she’s one quite qualified to speak on the matter. A retired Army lieutenant colonel, who lost both legs, and partial use of her right arm, serving in the Iraq war.

We could also ask the families of the seven service members already killed in the Iranian war to speak. And let’s not forget the untold number of veterans currently suffering from PTSD from “real” war exposure. I’ll bet they’re not humming the theme to “Top Gun” while trying to fall asleep at night. I can only imagine how shallow and deeply disrespectful Trump’s video campaign must seem to them.

Americans, I pray we will be brave enough to stand with Sen. Duckworth and not, through silence and inaction, become complicit with those who fall in line, head down, gleefully marching alongside SpongeBob, high-fiving the latest up-tic in the “Call of Duty” kill score.

If we do not, we could “all” soon be marching to merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily pretending life, and war, is but a game.

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Tagged as iran, israel, middle-east, Politics, trump

January 22, 2026 · 10:58 am

1984

The Party told you to ignore the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. George Orwell, from the novel,1984.

1984 is here and we’re in grave trouble, America. The reasons why or how no longer matter. We’re nearing a crucial tipping point from which there could be no return. Historians, assuming there will be any, will long debate how we got here. Right now, it’s too late for that. Time necessitates we state the obvious and courageously chart a new course.

President Trump’s modus operandi, imbued with his narcissism and fanned by his faithful followers, has succeeded in eroding our basic freedoms as spelled out in the First Amendment to our U S Constitution. Gone is “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Far-right religious leaders, like the Rev. Franklin Graham repeatedly points to unrest, like the recent shooting of Renee Good, as largely the result of Godless secular values antithetical to Christian doctrine and calls for our nation to return to the true Word. Trouble is the First Amendment doesn’t call for us to be a Christian nation. Quite the opposite. Such rhetoric is actually antithetical to our democratic belief in religious freedom and only fuels further division.

2026: Ignore what the Constitution says.

Gone is “there shall be no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.” Here, Trump assures us he knows our true history, conveniently disconnected from the uncomfortable parts including the quests for equality by many disenfranchised groups. And freedom of the press? For some time now any news that does not validate Trump’s views is quickly dismissed as fake.

Voices have gone silent in our classrooms and universities. Media newscasters, reporters and journalists are increasingly bowing to censorship. Many law makers now fear for their political, or sometimes, actual lives. The tragic irony is that they, along with the U S Supreme Court, have become complicit, cowering in silence and eliminating guardrails leaving only one functioning branch of government, the Executive.

2026: Ignore all except for what I tell you.

Gone is “there shall be no law prohibiting the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” And here we are today. Regardless of how you view the many videos of the shooting of Renee Good, the bottom line remains. She was not posing an imminent threat. She was attacking no one. She was trying to get away from a volatile situation. If detainment had been the goal, shooting the tires on her vehicle would have sufficed. But that was not the goal.

2026: Ignore what you think you see or it could cost you your life.

It would be bad enough if his pathology only impacted our country. Perhaps, we could live with his illusion that if he says something, no matter how unsubstantiated, it’s true. For example, the 2020 election was stolen or the January 6^th insurrection was simply a peaceful protest.

Perhaps we could tolerate his delusional belief that the White House is his personal property, permanently marring its glory by destroying an entire wing, or proudly denigrating the walls with disparaging comments under the portraits of former Presidents.

Perhaps we could even try and ignore that, for the first time in our history, people are being rounded up off the streets and hauled away without any due process. Perhaps we could try hard to silence the cries of all those in hiding, a chilling reminder of the Jews in Nazi Germany. Families being torn apart.

But now it’s not just our country.

Many of us watched in abject disbelief as Putin invaded Ukraine. Now, it’s us. In what universe has it become okay to invade and take over a sovereign nation because we want their oil or believe it’s in our national security interests? Only in Trump’s universe. Gratefully, in response to Mr. Trump’s claim on Greenland, our NATO allies had the courage to stand up and support the many Greenlanders wearing red hats that read, “Make America Go Away.”

2026: Ignore what our allies are saying. I know what’s best for the world.

But perhaps the most disturbing, the final red flag that should jar anyone still sleeping awake was his recent vengeful remarks and declaration, after not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, “No one deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than me.” This reveals something even more troubling than narcissism, more dangerous than an inherent sense of invincibility. It reveals a school-yard pathology disconnected from any true sense of self or reality.

And this man thinks his power is only limited by his own mind.

Americans, will we ignore the evidence of our eyes and ears or will we stand up, speak out, and show up as if our very lives depended upon it?

Because now, it does.

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November 17, 2025 · 11:23 am

The Office of the First Lady

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt

I believe if Eleanor Roosevelt were here, she’d have a word or two to say about President Trump demolishing the East Wing of the White House. Built in 1902, it served as the official office for First Ladies. Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32^nd president of the United States, was the first to professionalize the East Wing using it as a base of operations for her activism. She used the East Wing to expand the role of the first lady specifically to highlight women’s issues and organizations from the Girl Scouts to the Women’s Trade Union League. Her first news conference, March 6, 1933, featured 35 reporters, all of them women helping to elevate the role of women in national and political life as well as in journalism. (The 19^th, Haines, Becker, October 22, 2025)

Since then, all of our first ladies have gifted the American public with initiatives in support of causes they championed. Following Roosevelt, First Ladies Bess Turman, Mamie Eisenhower and Jacqueline Kennedy were deeply involved in White House restoration with Jacqueline Kennedy founding the White House Historical Association in 1961. First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, championed the “War on Poverty” initiative and programs like Head Start. First Lady Pat Nixon engaged in much volunteerism visiting schools, orphanages, and hospitals.

First Lady Betty Ford reportedly said, “If the White House West Wing is the ‘mind’ of the nation, then the East Wing, the traditional power center for First Ladies, is the ‘Heart.’” (4NBCWashington, Darlene Superville, October 26, 2025) She and First Lady Roselyn Carter were strong advocates for mental health reform. First Lady Nancy Regan is remembered for her “Just Say No’’ antidrug abuse program. First Ladies Barbara Bush focused on literacy, Hillary Clinton on healthcare reform, Laura Bush also on literacy and women’s health. Michele Obama is known for her “Let’s Move!” initiative to combat childhood obesity, Melania Trump for her BE BEST program focusing on child welfare, and Jill Biden for her advocacy for military families.

Anita McBride, chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush, described the East Wing as a place of “purpose and service” and “tearing down those walls doesn’t diminish the significance of the work we accomplished there.” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, policy director for first lady Michelle Obama, said the demolition was a “symbolic blow” to the East Wing’s legacy as a place where women made history. In an interview she said, “The East Wing was this physical space that had seen the role of the first lady evolve from a social hostess into a powerful advocate on a range of issues.” (4NBCWashington, Darlene Superville, October 26, 2025)

And here we come to the key issue. It’s not hard to understand why the very place the wives of presidents have used to create and foster their own initiatives, dreams, indeed, exercise some measure of power unique to them, would be the very place demolished. The Trump administration is primarily focused on the implementing Project 2025, created by the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation along with many Trump loyalists, aiming to restructure and concentrate power in the executive branch to execute policy strongly influenced by Christian Nationalism ideals. They seek, “to impose a hierarchical, gendered, patriarchal vision of society.” (National Women’s Law Center, “Project 2025 and What it Means for Women, Families and Gender Justice,” September 17, 2024)

This increasing concentration of power in the executive branch, a hallmark of authoritarian regimes, is Trump’s modus operandi. With an overly compliant judicial branch and a majority yes-man legislative branch, he says it and it happens, even when it comes to demolishing a wing of the historic People’s House — even when over half of those very people don’t approve. And for women, the symbolism is clear. Go home. Fall in line with the traditional role we conservatives envision for you. You are not here to make history. You are here to create children and support your family. Trouble is women have dreams too, of course, and need our democratic republic, free from homogenization and the imposition of religious tyranny, to thrive and serve just as men always have.

So, I write today to highlight all the first ladies and the dreams they pursued in the East Wing of the White House in service to our great nation. Though their space has been so ruthlessly and disrespectfully demolished, the historical imprint each has made on our nation, the many lives they touched through their efforts, cannot be so easily dismissed, erased and forgotten. Thank you.

And to all girls and women going forward, I say: Be brave. Follow in the footsteps of Eleanor Roosevelt. Dare to create your own space for the beauty of your dreams and, in doing so, make a future that belongs to you, our nation, and the world.