Youth Advocacy
Questions are surging about who actually leads the ragtag band of incompetent sycophants appointed by “Dear Leader,” Donald Trump.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 37 (287 total reports)
03.12.2025-09.12.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Questions are surging about who actually leads the ragtag band of incompetent sycophants appointed by “Dear Leader,” Donald Trump.
Visual Stories!
This week’s video focuses on the criminality of not just Donald Trump, but Trumpism. It is not just enough to impeach and prosecute the man, we also have to focus on impeaching and prosecuting his regime. Remove the Regime!
Top Links of the Week
09.12.2025
Hegseth Defense Collapsing as Fresh Leaks on Strikes Grow More Damning
Only in a vacuum of deliberate and sustainable leadership can mini-potentates like Pete Hegseth, Linda McMahan, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Kristi Noem exist. Picked not for their expertise but their sycophantic devotion to their dear leader, it seems even the “Nodfather” has his limits with their incompetence as rumors fly that neither Hegseth, Patel, nor Noem will make it to the new year. The illegal murders of humans off the coast of Central America are now beginning to wind their way through the courts as the increasingly obvious lies of Hegseth become apparent in lieu of videos revealing how much he knew about the “double-tap” executions of survivors of a questionably legal strike in international waters. As debate surges about whether video of the second strike will be released for public review (Trump first said “yes,” but then later said “no,” while insulting the female journalist who raised the question). Meanwhile, Hegseth has remained staunch in not wanting the public to see the results of his orders and tries to throw those under his chain of command under the bus, blaming them for the second strike and claiming, first, he had left “hours” before the second strike and second, he could not see the victims because of the “fog of war…” The question remains whether this was a war crime or a murder, but the real question is “who is actually leading this ragtag group of incompetents?”
08.12.2025
Hegseth declares end of US 'utopian idealism' with new military strategy
Over the weekend (and hiding from the news cycle), Project 2025 and the Trumpists announced a change of international relationships that take us back to pre-WWII relationships. Quickly following that announcement, two parties vociferously applauded the changes: Putin and the cult-followers of Donald Trump in the Republican Congress. Then, the administration put out beleaguered Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, in front of a deeply conservative audience (the annual Regan Defense Forum) to act tough and announce the changes. He declared no more “utopian idealism” and that the Trumpists had basically decided to divide the world into newly determined “spheres of influence”. The US will get all the Western Hemisphere, China will get all of Asia (as long as it doesn’t aggressively grow its military), the Europeans will have to divide up Europe and deal with Russia on its own (and pay their own expenses). Africa was not mentioned in his comments, so apparently, they are included with Europe and left to figure out their own path. Gone will be the day that we seek to foster world peace through friendships and decades-old relationships with reliable partners in Europe; instead, we will begin forcing these determinations on other nations. Hegseth also announced that he will increase arms at the southern border with Mexico and establish a new “Get Tougher” policy (whatever that means).
05.12.2025
Marco Rubio Is More Dangerous Than Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth is a dangerously incompetent sycophant, but he does not operate in a vacuum. The one behind the buildup of forces off Venezuela is a hard-core hater, Marco Rubio. He’s the one with what remains of Donald Trump’s ear (when “The NodFather is actually awake”). Rubio has been anti-Venezuelan for decades, and the policy we see being perilously enacted off the coast of Central America is one of his fantasies come to life. The White House is already doing its best to throw those under Trump and Hegseth under the bus for the murders that are occurring off the coasts of Central America, but when the truth comes out and these people are finally tried, Rubio’s name should not be left off the list of culprits.
04.12.2025
For First Time in Decades, Child Deaths Will Rise This Year
This morning, there were several stories to cover, but one stands out as the most tragic and significant. This statistic represents the global cost of the cruelties of Project 2025 and Trumpism. The current administration has canceled crucial assistance programs both domestically and internationally. They have even burned food that was intended for overseas delivery. Moreover, they have prevented medicine from reaching developing nations, which could have significantly reduced AIDS and other preventable diseases. Regrettably, this administration will never be held accountable for the deaths caused worldwide, and now the consequences are finally catching up with them. If you voted for Trump, you voted to increase child deaths globally, and this is the burden you must now bear. This is the price of “America First,” which has truly transformed into “Billionaires First” under this administration.
03.12.2025
White House defends strikes on boat survivors, but it's unclear where the buck stops
The Trump Administration is incapable of creating sustainable policy, and its approach to Venezuela (and indeed, all of Mexico and Central America) is a classic example. They have committed nearly all of the U.S.’s naval and air resources to the area, leaving Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, practically undefended. They have ordered air strikes against alleged drug smugglers with no viable proof of such activity. They have ordered “no survivors” on those strikes and allowed the murder of civilians left in the debris of those air strikes murdered. Meanwhile, Trump has pardoned the President and convicted felon of Colombia, Juan Orlando Hernández, and ordered him released from prison. Hernández was sentenced to 45 years in prison for flooding the U.S. with 400 tons of cocaine, enough for 4.5 billion doses on the streets of the country. Hegseth has denied giving the “No Survivors” order and is now passing blame to Admiral Frank M. Bradley, who was in charge of the mission. But Hegseth is the Director of the so-called “Department of War” and can’t pass this buck. As Senator Adam Smith, ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, stated in an NPR Morning Edition interview: "Yeah. It was a CYA moment for Hegseth. He's the secretary of defense. You know, he's putting them in a terrible spot by giving them these highly questionable orders. And then after that, to come out and say, hey, it was that guy, not me. That's not leadership, and it's also not honest.” It seems to me Secretary Hegseth is the one who's responsible for what happened here. Further complicating the matter is the Justice Department’s go-ahead for these attacks. Also, recorded in Smith’s interview, he stated, "This memo that's out there explaining the legal justification for this is fascinating, because half of it says, this is why this is an armed conflict, why these narcoterrorist groups are such a threat. They're doing all these awful things. And the other half says, no, it's not a war, so therefore we don't have to get permission from Congress," said Smith. "They say it's legal, and yet they went to great pains to make sure that Hegseth wasn't the one who gave the order. So obviously, they're a little nervous about that point." We have an idiot in the White House, slowly succumbing to dementia, and his fawning cabinet, who would do anything to win his adulation and cover their own butts. It is past time to impeach Trump and his cabinet. In order to do that, we have to step up to vote in November to make a landslide against Trump and his Republican enablers.
Youth Advocacy
We are in a global theater, and politicians (from every side) see the best strategy to attract attention (not lead) is to yell, “Fire!”
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 36 (286 total reports)
26.11.2025-02.12.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
We are in a global theater, and politicians (from every side) see the best strategy to attract attention (not lead) is to yell, “Fire!”
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Visual Stories!
Trumpism continues to sink to lower depths. This week, the administration broke the Geneva Convention and possibly committed murder when Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered a double-tap on survivors of a Venezuelan boat attack. He told the commander, “No survivors,” so when the bombing team circled around and found two survivors floating in the wreckage, the commander ordered them killed as well. This Motown-inspired song to encourage you to rise above their tactics. Rise Above
Top Links of the Week
02.12.2025
What History’s Fallen Societies Have in Common
Linda Kinstler, a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, reviews a book titled “Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse” by Luke Kemp. Kemp offers a historical perspective on the collapse of civilizations spanning over 5,000 years. He identifies common factors that have led to apocalypticism, including extreme inequality, pandemics, rapid technological advancement, and draws parallels between these past civilizational collapses and the current global conditions. Kemp asserts that civilizations were both constructed and destroyed by “Goliaths,” which are collections of hierarchies where certain individuals dominate others to control resources and labor. The primary objective of Kemp’s work is to draw parallels between these past civilizational collapses and the current global situation. He cautions us that our best chances lie in taking David-like actions against the Goliaths of our time, specifically citing figures like Bezos and Musk as examples. Ultimately, this book urges us to take action to combat oppression and inequality.
01.12.2025
Yelling “Fire” in the American Theater
This article is very insightful comparing today’s politics to a person yelling “Fire” in a movie theater. It discusses how a healthy democracy needs honest discourse in order to function and that the honest discourse in our democracy has, instead, given way to creating crises in order to get the most media hits. It also discusses how our society, with its immediate access to the Internet, has lost the ability (or inclination) to truth-check the intentional crises created by politicians and the news media (specifically citing Fox for their news style, but saying other media outlets are now employing the same methods). This is not a new issue, but the size and intentionality of the problem is alarming. Finland now offers courses to its high school students on identifying false media claims, and it is probably time we do the same. Many politicians believe this to be an acceptable strategy (intentional deception) without which they cannot win. It is imperative that we question the sources and intent of the media we see and share. Where did it come from? Who benefits from the story? Is it verified in other reputable sources?
28.11.2025
There’s No Doubt About It: The Great MAGA Crack-Up Has Begun
This article is a good review of the last week in the bumbling, broken, MAGA presidency of Predator in Chief, Donald Trump. It does a good job of going, person by person, through his cabinet and looking at the terrible week they had as their incompetencies come home to roost. It’s a litany of fools examining how this administration is crumbling, or as the author, Michael Tomasky, puts it, “cracking up.” The last paragraph is worth it all: “People may not hate incompetence. They may not hate corruption. And they may not hate extremism. But all three at once? It’s getting to be too much for people, and it’s a great way to close out the year.“ Yet, let’s still remind ourselves that the whacko statements and actions of this administration have a deeper goal, to distract us from the Epstein files and their current scrubbing by the Justice (?) Department.
27.11.2025
Trump’s FBI Spent Nearly $1 Million on Redacting Epstein Files
Of course, we never expected to gain access to the full Epstein files, just like we never expected the House to approve spending on the Affordable Care Act once some (5) Democratic Representatives caved on the government shutdown. Trump’s FBI has assigned over a thousand agents to the “Special Redaction Project,” in which their sole assignment is to scrub the files. We don’t know… and will probably never know (unless someone comes forward) what they are being scrubbed for, but we can certainly assume. Perhaps someday—after this administration is in our rearview mirror, the Predator in Chief is gone, and his lead protectors are facing trial (and hopefully jail sentences)—perhaps then we will find out how deep the dirt goes and what a disgusting human being this administration and the Republicans have been protecting.
26.11.2025
‘An Example MUST BE SET’
This attempt by Donald Trump not only reveals, again, how mentally unstable the Chief Predator is, but also how far his fawning cabinet members will go to feed his ego and revenge fantasies. Mark Kelly is a war hero; he is an astronaut, a decorated war veteran who has multiple medals awarded for valorous behavior under fire. In short, he is everything that Donald Trump is not. Trump is a convicted felon, a draft dodger, and a child predator. As with the attempts to bring James Comey and Letitia James, these actions lend credence to the pattern of this administration: use the justice department to create fear among those who have stood against the authoritarian nature of Donald Trump. Even when these cases are thrown out of court, those targeted by Trump face personal violence against themselves and their families. These are mafia scare tactics, plain and simple. This violent and imbecilic regime must be removed, and Trump, plus all his supporters, must face the courts they have tried to usurp. Truly, “An Example MUST BE SET,” but that example is impeaching Trump and his administration for the blatant misuse of power. We must also not forget that all of this is a sideshow for the Trump Administration to scrub the Epstein Files. What is in them that is so bad that Trump is pouring his dying energy into burying them?
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Democracy is hanging by a thread. That’s not hyperbole. Trumpists are asserting they have the power to make arrests, start wars, starve children, and manipulate the economy to enrich their billionaire supporters. The last line is us! Resist!
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 36 (286 total reports)
29.10.2025-04.11.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Democracy is hanging by a thread. That’s not hyperbole. Trumpists are asserting they have the power to make arrests, start wars, starve children, and manipulate the economy to enrich their billionaire supporters. The last line is us! Resist!
Visual Stories!
Trumpism wants an authoritarian government, and the only way they can achieve it is through cruelty, lying, and violence. I wrote this song, with a Motown vibe, to encourage you to continue to Rise Above their tactics.
Top Links of the Week
04.11.2025
Our System of Checks and Balances Might Not Survive Another Year
This is an eventful week—on many fronts—voters in multiple states will decide today about issues against which Trump’s keepers have told him to take firm stands. Issues like Proposition 50 in California (asking voters to approve a state-wide redistricting to counteract Republican gerrymandering elsewhere), governorships in Virginia and New Jersey (in which Trump has weighed heavily for the candidates that have pledged adoration and undying fealty to him), and the mayoral race in New York City (in which Trump has threatened to pull all federal funding from the city if Zohran Mamdami wins). Meanwhile, as Charles P. Pierce states, the carefully crafted conservative Supreme Court will decide if Trump is effectively a king, able to make unilateral decisions about voting and the economy—and ultimately, elections. Pierce, and many others—conservative and liberal alike—point out that democracy is hanging by a thread. It is up to us to say whether or not our children will be raised in an authoritarian state modeled after Hungarian strongman, Viktor Orban, or a democracy centered firmly in the Constitution of the United States.
03.11.2025
Trump Brags He Could Invade Your City Whenever He Wants
In a rambling Sixty Minutes interview last night, Emperor-to-Be Trump announced he is free to invade any city in the United States he wants to. Considering that he now controls the fourth largest military in the world (and the largest Armed Police force is at his beck and whim), this is not an idle threat. Most experts are concerned that Trump is gearing up to deploy the National Guard to undermine voting in the mid-term elections. A ruling by (SCOTUS), the Supreme Court of Trump—U.S., could decide the legalities of his tariffs and military deployments this week, but Roberts’ court is as much a part of Trumpism as Johnson’s House and Thune’s Senate. Over the weekend, while America braces for impoverished families and children to begin starving, Trumpists held a Great Gatsby-themed party in the second White House at Mar-a-Lago. Our primary responses must continue to be resistance, truth-telling, and to Rise Above their cruelty, lies, and violence.
31.10.2025
Trump’s Plan Is Now Out in the Open
Happy Halloween everyone. Supposedly, Trump’s Secret Service (and the world’s fourth-largest military) is supposed to stand down so that children are not afraid of them when trick-or-treating tonight. What a sad commentary on the state of the United States. This article by Peter Wehner gives us adults something to be afraid of: the blatant display of authoritarianism by Trumpism to abandon democracy and subvert the Constitution. There is no pretense there. This administration is boldly attempting to take over the country, deny voting rights, ignore habeas corpus, and use the military without any checks. It is emboldened by the Supreme Court, Mike Johnson, John Thune, and sycophantic staff members. Our role is critical, we have to Rise Above the hatred and cruelty and make sure we turn out the vote at mid-terms.
30.10.2025
Trump keeps flirting with the idea of a third term. That would be unconstitutional
Legality and the Constitution have never been barriers to Trump and Trumpism. It is evident that they will do anything to keep this person in office; even when he had to be led around a room by a foreign premier because he was lost.
29.10.2025
Cruelty as a Tool of Government Power
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-29-2025
How cruel can Mike Johnson and his Trump-compliant representatives be? We’re finding out… Denying payments to air traffic controllers, denying food security to impoverished families; all of this is okay to this administration and Mike Johnson’s House of Representatives. It is clear that this government is willing to starve people to protect their Predator in Chief. If you care for hungry children in the United States, remember this cruelty at the polls in November 2026!
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The only way to make sense of Trumpism is to understand that their singular goal is to feed themselves and the billionaires that support them. Everyone else is dead weight.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 35 (285 total reports)
22.10.2025-28.10.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The only way to make sense of Trumpism is to understand that their singular goal is to feed themselves and the billionaires that support them. Everyone else is dead weight.
Visual Stories!
An historic seven million resistors gathered to say, “No Kings,” and we want the Epstein Files released! This Black Choir celebrates No Kings Day in song. https://youtu.be/kDbeVB9MFi4
Top Links of the Week
28.10.2025
President for Life
J. Michael Luttig is a Bush-appointed former federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In this article, he reminds us of the U.S.’s greatest danger: Trump and Trumpism. In Luttig’s words, “With his every word and deed, Trump has given Americans reason to believe that he will seek a third term, in defiance of the Constitution. It seems abundantly clear that he will hold on to the office at any cost, including America’s ruin.” The evidence that Trump would subvert the Constitution to stay in power is that he’s done it before, and his aides (like Steve Bannon) are saying there already is a plan. According to Luttig, Trump is a vain man, and a third term would be the ultimate feather in his cap. The No Kings Day march has scared this administration; they know they can’t win the midterms without doing something to subvert the results. They’ve already said they would “monitor” elections in California and are planning on gerrymandering more states across the nation. Trump will try and steal this election. Trumpism will try to steal the election after that, even if their symbolic orange clown is a stuffed mannequin.
27.10.2025
No federal food aid will go out Nov. 1, Trump administration posts on USDA website
We can understand Trumpism better (if that’s possible) if we understand that anyone who does not contribute to the billionaire class is dead weight. This administration is purely about self-interest, self-aggrandizement, enriching the Trump family and all the billionaires who keep him (them) in power and feed his unquenchable ego. Stopping food aid, while not paying Federal workers; simply cruelty. The emphasis of this administration to increase the death penalty; simple cruelty. Starting a war in Central America; simple cruelty. Breaking up families and deporting people to distant countries or internal concentration camps; simple cruelty. Hiding the Epstein files so Trump and his billionaire cronies don’t get prosecuted; simple cruelty. The list grows daily. Let’s keep working towards the day this all ends and the people who have supported Trumpism are ousted and scorned/prosecuted.
24.10.2025
This Is the Shutdown That Doesn’t End
When Trumpers voted for their man, many of them wanted someone who would break Washington D.C. as we knew it; well, they’ve gotten their wish. Never, since the first Trump administration, has a shutdown lasted this long. And Trumper Mike Johnson has sent Congress on vacation for weeks (months), partly because of the Epstein files vote and partly to prevent Republicans from talking to each other, Democrats, or the press. Trump shows no indication that he wants to end the shutdown—in fact, just the opposite. This is the chaos he thrives on, and this is the chaos that keeps people from focusing on Epstein. In fact, the chaos has become so bad in the U.S. right now that many of the major news outlets are not even covering this story. As this story’s author, David A. Graham, states, “It is nowhere on the front page of The New York Times today, appears in a single sentence on page 1 of The Wall Street Journal, and is addressed tangentially in a story about Obamacare on A1 of The Washington Post. Who cares about the shutdown? Federal Employees who are not receiving paychecks and standing in welfare lines. However, this is what Trumper lackey, Russell Vought, wanted anyway. In Graham’s words, “The real pain has so far been felt by government workers, whom the top Trump aide, Russell Vought, has said he wants to put ‘in trauma’ anyway.” Trumpers voted for a government that feels glee at making people “feel trauma,” and that’s what we all have.
23.10.2025
Transcript: Trump Press Sec Goes Full Cult as Ballroom Fiasco Worsens
This article examines how Karoline Leavitt’s apologetics serve to reveal the deeply embedded disregard this administration has for the public it serves and the extent that Trump’s sycophants will go to protect the predator boss. Leavitt explains that Trump didn’t need the usual permission to tear down the White House East Wing because 1) he is not constructing, he’s tearing it down, and 2) because he is the “Builder in Chief” and that is why he was elected. The only way any of that makes sense is if you have totally bought into the MAGA cult mind meld. However, as this author points out, it does reveal the disdain this administration has for the country it is supposed to serve as well as revealing the depth of brainwashing Trump’s cabinet has experienced.
22.10.2025
It’s Not Enough to Read Orwell
This article by Shirley Li gives us not only some historic insights into the physical state of George Orwell (dying of tuberculosis) when he penned 1984 in the late 1940s, but it also reminds us of the premise of the book, “that blatant falsehoods can, through propaganda, be accepted as truth.” Li further states that the mechanics of authoritarianism are set to deaden the people being terrorized and suggests this is already occurring to us. The article is a review of a new documentary about Orwell called, “Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5.” Raoul Peck, the director of the documentary, grew up under two authoritarian regimes (Haiti and the Republic of Congo) and tells us that all authoritarians follow a similar playbook; “They attack intelligence, they attack universities, they attack science, they attack the press, they attack every institution that can be a bulwark against them.” Peck’s answer is that—beyond reading Orwell—we must question democracy daily. Please ask, “How are you going to apply that today?”
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Seven million, SEVEN MILLION, marched without violence (at least by those protesting) to tell Trump and Trumpism, “No Kings!”
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 34 (284 total reports)
15.10.2025-21.10.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Seven million, SEVEN MILLION, marched without violence (at least by those protesting) to tell Trump and Trumpism, “No Kings!”
Visual Stories!
We are far closer this week, following the mega “No Kings” rallies to tell this administration their days are numbered. This song, written for a women’s choir, applauds all 7 million of you who will be able to say, “I stood for democracy.” When The Nightmare’s Finally Over.
Top Links of the Week
21.10.2025
Why the ‘No Kings’ Protest Moved Me
George Packer of The Atlantic has covered a lot of politics in his journalism career. He says he didn’t expect to be moved (almost to tears) by the rallies in his home state and across the nation, but he was by the sincerity and honesty of the attendees. He captures the heart of what can only be described as a movement as honest and sincere, surprising in “modesty and decency.” A commitment to the constitutional dream of America that Trumpism thought was dead and could bury with little regard. Now, Trump and his supporters are being revealed as the fringe lunatics they are. This massive protest (7 million plus by most estimates), without violence (at least from the protesters), left the Conservative Right unable to respond, except for a despicable, vile, AI-video released by the White House depicting Donald Trump with a crown bombing U.S. Citizens with raw sewage. The largest anti-government protests have all taken place under this man’s presidency. Thank you to those who showed up and let your voices be heard. Let’s keep up the pressure. This indecent predator has no place in the U.S., and—according to protests worldwide—Trumpism is not wanted in most of the world either.
20.10.2025
3 takeaways from the second No Kings day of nationwide protests
An estimated 7 million marchers showed up in the U.S. and across the world (including my wife and me at a local rally in Merida, Mexico). All to say, “No!” to this administration’s monarchy-like behavior. The resounding “no” was said across causes, across ages, and across genders. It was a “no” of epic proportions, a “no” to beat all “no’s.” Did the administration listen? Did the G.O.P. hear? That’s harder to tell. Vance and Trump’s immediate response was to post an AI video of Trump (with a crown) bombing protesters with sewage as they marched. Yes, the sort of five-year-old fantasy that you would expect from this administration. No marcher was paid, and the marches were all peaceful, except for a number of incidents where the MAGA faithful tried to cause violence and were arrested.
17.10.2025
The Power Map of the Trump Regime
This power map by political guru, Robert Reich, draws out the power map of the Trump presidency. It is important because it chronicles the tiers of who matters in Trumpism. It looks at the top triad of Trump: Miller, Vought, and Vance, all the way to the bottom dwellers and where Trump drifts in and out of the map, generating rage and receiving tributes. Rewards are doled out by the incapacitated leader according to fealty and downright adulation. This map makes it easier to understand the Trumpism of today and what will occur when their orange cult leader is finally gone.
16.10.2025
The trap of Florida’s prison food
Having worked with incarcerated people for a significant portion of my life, I’ve always felt that establishments, like prisons, often get away with things we wouldn’t otherwise tolerate because the general public is so intentionally isolated from what occurs in their own institutions. This article does a good job illustrating the impossible situation that many inmates find themselves facing—not just in Florida—but nationally, when it comes to basic needs like food. It also illustrates the extent of the graft by profit-making organizations sanctioned by the government in those prisons. Please take time to read this and ask what you would do in a similar situation with limited resources. These are our prisons; we put people there; we should be aware of what occurs.
15.10.2025
Steven Pinker on the Recursive Loop That Made Us Human
This blog was originally started four years ago to keep foster parents and group home staff informed about COVID-19. In the beginning, I featured a lot of stories from journals such as this one at Psychology Today. Over time, I began to realize that the greatest crisis facing our children and our children’s children was Trumpism and the overthrow of democracy in the United States. This morning’s gem is a review of Steven Pinker’s new book, “When Everyone Knows that Everyone Knows,” by Ralph Lewis, M.D. It begins by discussing the story of the Emperor who wore no clothes. It points out that the heart of the story is that everyone could see the emperor was naked, but it took a young child—without social graces—to state what was obvious to everyone. We all need social clues (or a recursive loop) to move from private recognition to public awareness. That’s why events like “No Kings Day” are so important. As social animals, we need cues from others to verify that what we’re seeing is not just inside our own heads. Trumpism is wrong—on so many levels—but we need each other to say that Trump’s standards are not acceptable.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Trumpism—not just Donald Trump—is poised to destroy democracy, not just in our lifetime but our children’s lifetimes and their children’s lifetimes. This weekend is your chance to say “NO! Find your nearest No Kings Rally and support it.”Saveour
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 33 (283 total reports)
08.10.2025-14.10.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Trumpism—not just Donald Trump—is poised to destroy democracy, not just in our lifetime but our children’s lifetimes and their children’s lifetimes. This weekend is your chance to say “NO! Find your nearest No Kings Rally and support it.”
Visual Stories!
Someday, if we do our part, the nightmare will be over. This song, written for a woman’s choir, asks, “will you be able to say you stood for democracy? When The Nightmare’s Finally Over.
Top Links of the Week
14.10.2025
America Needs a Mass Movement—Now
Some of you know that David Brooks is my favorite author/news commentator, and The Atlantic, my favorite news journal. So when the two combine to tell a story, I’m all over it. Why is it time for a mass movement? Brooks explains, “The second Trump administration has flouted court decisions in a third of all rulings against it, according to The Washington Post. It operates as a national extortion racket, using federal power to control the inner workings of universities, law firms, and corporations. It has thoroughly politicized the Justice Department, launching a series of partisan investigations against its political foes. It has turned ICE into a massive paramilitary organization with apparently unconstrained powers. It has treated the Constitution with disdain, assaulted democratic norms and diminished democratic freedoms, and put military vehicles and soldiers on the streets of the capital. It embraces the optics of fascism and flaunts its autocratic aspirations.” Brooks identifies the problem not as Donald Trump, but Trumpism. He states, “If you think Trumpism will simply end in three years, you are naive. Left unopposed, global populism of the sort Trumpism represents could dominate for a generation. This could be the rest of our lives, and our children’s, too.” I really appreciate Brooks’ litmus test for authoritarianism: “One way to tell if you’re living in an autocracy is by asking this question: Do people feel free to express their dissent?” October 18 is Saturday, a new chance to show up at your nearest “No Kings” rally. I hope you have researched where you will go and how you will show support this weekend. We are losing democracy, and the effects won’t just be felt by our current generation, but Trumpism will take root for generations to come.
13.10.22025
Portland’s Dancing Protesters Are Showing Us How to Stand Up to Trump
As journalist Jeet Heer points out, this administration wants us to be afraid. It is their goal to make us so afraid that we become numb, then incapacitated. Portland’s response to that has been a training ground for dealing with conservatives. We must remember that the conservative mind does not get humor; Trump and his cronies don’t find anything funny that is not demeaning. So unless they’re making fun of someone, they can’t understand humor. The response from Portland to the constant attempts to invoke violence has been people turning up in the streets and dancing in full-body costumes like frog suits. When Kristi (dog-shooting’) Noem gathered with ICE agents on the roof of the ICE building in Portland, aiming rifles at the protestors, they turned up the music and boogied down. The Trump Gestapo wants violence; instead, they got Portland. Remember, this is the city whose motto is, “Keep Portland Weird”; why would the Trump Administration expect anything less? Have a listen to this song: Laugh at them… laughter drives them crazy!
10.10.2025
Trump Loses Nobel Peace Prize He Shamelessly Campaigned For
The man with orange makeup is going to need an extra layer this morning. As we mentioned yesterday, Trump is living in fear of what his obituary will read. He desperately wanted a Nobel Prize so that he would not just be remembered for his predatory crimes and insatiable graft. As this article points out, despite his constant and shameless campaigning, a woman from a country Trump has been targeting and illegally attacking, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, won the award for—as the committee stated, “her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” You can bet there is ketchup on the White House dining room walls this morning as we know that the infant-in-chief does not take such news well. The alarming part is, now that the Nobel Prize is off the list, how will the angry old man respond? Who will he target next on his “Revenge Tour II?” Letitia James was on the list yesterday, James Comey, the week before, prior to that, Jimmy Kimmel, and, of course, Stephen Colbert. The retribution list seems endless for all the enemies in Trump’s rapidly decaying mind.
09.10.2025
Retribution Is Here
This President has two modes, and both are dangerous for America, indeed… the world. Tribute and Retribution. He panders to those who give him tribute and seeks retribution on those who don’t. Foreign leaders like Putin, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have acknowledged this and used it to manipulate this President on multiple occasions. In this article by Jonathan Lemire, he tells us that Trump is currently also driven by what his obituaries will say about him. Lemire states, “Trump knows that they will mention his history-making presidencies, his ostentatious wealth, and his unusual charisma—but he also is aware that when he dies, people will remember his conviction on 34 felony counts, and that there is nothing he can do about it. Even now, White House officials have told me, Trump rages about how his guilty verdict is sure to be mentioned way up high in his obituaries.” Lemire also points to Trump’s demands that two governors be arrested (while not giving any evidence of wrongdoing), at the same time that James Comey is being hauled into court on charges that his previous attorney general said were unsubstantiated. Trump’s motivation, obviously, is pure retribution.
08.10.2025
This morning there are two exceptional articles from Trump-Occupied Chicago that are worth reviewing. Both are heart-rending, both from mothers, one is a representative from the area, the other a working mom. Both are afraid for their children in light of what the Trump machine is doing there. The first one, by working mother, Meredith Shiner, The Case for the Forever Shutdown, makes us wonder what the Democrats are doing (and have been doing) during the two Trump administrations. She artfully argues that whatever they have been doing is obviously not working, because the government is not working. Yes, the Republicans own the House, the Senate, the White House, and the Judiciary, but Democrats keep playing tete-a-tete on Republican terms. They argue about the economy when clearly, the country is not working on all levels. On ALL LEVELS! When parents are afraid to send their children to school in the morning, then the government is not working. Ms. Shiner argues that this is not a time to argue not just about the economy, this is a time to argue about the purpose of government and whatever purpose is elucidated; that purpose is not functioning in America. It IS time for a shutdown. The other article, by Illinois state Rep. Lilian Jiménez, states, Trump is trying to make an example out of Chicago. We won't stand for it. Rep. Jiménez is from the district where Trump’s Terror Troops, repelled onto the roof of a high-rise apartment building at 1 a.m. and forced people into the streets, some were naked, children were zip-tied, no one was read their rights, and many were American citizens. Trump’s immigration machine is the fourth largest military in the world thanks to funding from the GOP and their One Big Beautiful Bill; he is using that military to take revenge and attack Blue Cities in Blue States. This is a government that is not working, it doesn’t need to be “tweaked,” it needs to be remade.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Macho wannabes, their actions screaming for the one thing they will never deserve in real life: respect. Remember their names, all of those who supported this madman and protected him from his predatory, pedophiliac actions.Save
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 32 (282 total reports)
10.01.2025-30.09.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Macho wannabes, their actions screaming for the one thing they will never deserve in real life: respect. Remember their names, all of those who supported this madman and protected him from his predatory, pedophiliac actions.
Visual Stories!
For the upcoming No Kings Day, enjoy this Afrikaner-Choir style song encouraging all of us to remember; it’s Time for Making Choices!
Top Links of the Week
07.10.2025
Stephen Miller Just Keeps On Suggesting Judges Who Rule Against Trump Are ‘Terrorists’
Gotta love Portland, it is my home away from home. I love that people showed up at the ICE facility two days ago wearing pajamas and eating donuts. This administration—and especially Stephen Miller—are spineless macho wannabes (including Trump, Hegseth, and even Kristi Noem) trying to force the country to give them what they will never, ever earn: respect. Remember their names! Remember them long after this administration has passed and the cowards protecting the Predator in Chief are sent to prison.
06.10.2025
Trump’s War on America Is Expanding
The subtitle of this article by Alex Shepherd, of The New Republic, is “Lawless Madman,” and I doubt anyone needs me to say who the article is about. “Lawless Madman” is a moniker once reserved for dictators in other countries, but now it applies to Donald Trump and his administration, who have declared war on the U.S. and other sovereign nations like Venezuela without any congressional approval and often illegally. Indeed, in the face of judges telling Trump he cannot do what he is doing. It remains to the Supreme Court (which is blatantly supportive of Trump and Project 2025’s radical conservative agenda) to tell us if this president has any constitutional guardrails. Many of us can already see the direction that the John Roberts MAGA court is going to take, which is to allow Trump to continue expanding his “Lawless Madman” behavior.
03.10.2025
A Government Shutdown, Weaponized
Who else would weaponize other people’s pain and act gleefully in the process? Of course, Project 2025 and this President. They both see this as 1) opportunities to cut programs and jobs in blue states, and 2) an opportunity to prevent the swearing in of Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), whose vote would release the Epstein files. House Leader Mike Johnson, Senate Leader John Thune, and the other members of the Republican Congress are even willing to hold the nation hostage to protect their Predator in Chief. We need to remember this when No Kings Day occurs on October 18, and the vote takes place in November 2026.
02.10.2025
Pete Hegseth's speech to generals crossed an ominous line
There’s little that is sadder than three emasculated men trying to force people to respect them. This is what Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, and Stephen Miller are attempting to do along with other members of King Donald’s court. Yet, the harder they try, the less deserving of respect they look. Though they appear to be obvious buffoons, the danger of their words cannot be underplayed. Trump is literally suggesting war against his own nation’s cities (only blue cities). He has called for using these cities as training grounds for military intervention and told troops they can use “full force” if necessary. These are the words of an authoritarian madman; of a Viktor Orban (Hungary’s despotic dictator). At some point, one of the military leaders called to Quantico yesterday is going to be forced to choose between the Constitution and the demands of this administration. It is not hyperbole to say, “Democracy hangs in the balance!”
01.10.2025
Trump’s ominous move to recruit generals and admirals to his political cause
If you wondered what the dozens of admirals and generals were doing gathered in an undisclosed location at the demand of Hegseth (who prefers to be called “The Director of the War Department”) and President 47 (whom I prefer to call the “Predator in Chief”), imagine an insecure administrator who fears his/her own managers and calls them together to say he/she is the boss and they serve at his/her discretion. This was pure and simple an attempt to get the top military leaders on board with Trump’s MAGA agenda. It included threats, derisions, and missives. It had everything… except listening. This president wanted these military leaders behind his agenda to start invading U.S. cities and focus on “the enemy within” or “Antifa…” Whatever that is in this administration’s minds. The result was an alarming tirade by two very insecure people to pretend they command what they will never have: respect.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
A looming budget shutdown, a president who is “stark, raving, mad.” It’s never been so important to say, “No More Kings.” Find a rally near you on October 18!
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 31 (281 total reports)
24.09.2025-30.09.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
A looming budget shutdown, a president who is “stark, raving, mad.” It’s never been so important to say, “No More Kings.” Find a rally near you on October 18!
Visual Stories!
This new song was written for those who want to show it was never more important to make your stand for democracy. No King’s Day is October 18th, please Stand Up, Turn Up, and March On.
Top Links of the Week
30.09.2025
Why isn’t the media reporting on Trump’s growing dementia?
In this Substack commentary, Robert Reich points to the many recent Truth Social postings and rantings of Donald Trump that highlight the man’s growing dementia, simultaneously wondering why the press is not covering it. If you watched the news over the weekend, you might have seen or heard about Trump’s attack on present and past F.B.I. directors, his claim that miracle “MedBed Hospitals” are going to change health care (quickly taken down), and his demand to attack “war-ravaged” Portland, Oregon, allowing the use of “full force” is necessary. This President is 79 years old, with a history of dementia in his family and obvious signs of it in his daily activities. Meanwhile, Mike Johnson and those protecting this Predator act as if every day is “Weekend at Bernie’s” in the White House, where they prop up a cadaver that is long outlasted its functionality. Reich closes by asking, “Are his acts those of a sane person? Or of an aging paranoid megalomaniac?”
29.09.2025
What’s Really Behind the Shutdown: the GOP’s Immoral Priorities
This is an important story identifying the behind-the-scenes efforts of Project 2025 and the Republicans to decimate the Federal Government and using Trump, once again, as the carney front man. This administration, since its inception, has made no secret of its desire to reduce everything in the government except for immigration control and defense (the Department of War). The author, Michael Tomasky, points out that government budget shut downs are not new, but this one is different. Behind it is—as he puts it—“Republican Villainy” on full display. Project 2025 wants to cripple the government for their own ends. They don’t want money going to the government; they want money going to themselves. Their primary goals are 1) to make billionaires richer, and 2) to give themselves more control.
26.09.2025
The Problem with Honoring White Supremacy
The Far Right is pulling out all the stops to make Charlie Kirk into a martyr. The problem, for the rest of America, is that you can’t hide the racist comments that litter the man’s past. He was not only a youth recruiter for MAGA, but he frequently spewed hatred towards women aw well as minorities. The vast majority of Americans have a problem with someone so openly sexist and racist having his own holiday and certainly having his own silver coin minted in his honor. That doesn’t seem to be a concern to this administration or the Project 2025 crowd. J.D. Vance and Donald Trump are both busily trying to whitewash Kirk’s legacy. It’s just that it requires a lot of paint to whitewash so much hate speech.
25.09.2026
Testing Teachers for ‘Wokeness’
What will education look like under the Project 2025 conservative regime? There will be no religious freedom, there will be no freedom of expression. Trump signed a law yesterday to bring back physical punishment (beatings) in schools. There will be no mention of slavery, cultural or racial genocide, or evolution. The election of 2020 will be taught as a fake election; in other words, this will be the least scientific, most dumbed-down generation this country has ever graduated. They will not be taken seriously outside of the United States and will be laughing stocks if they try to get jobs in other countries. Welcome to Education-GOP.
24.09.2025
September 23, 2025
In her Substack commentary from yesterday, Heather Cox Richardson contrasts the opening speech of Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, with the incoherent ramblings of Donald Trump. While Guterres reminded us of the purpose of the U.N. to build, “cooperation over chaos, law over lawlessness, peace over conflict.” Trump used his time to complain about the teleprompter and an escalator, as well as castigate other nations, even telling them they were “going to hell…” As one senior foreign diplomat put it, “This man is stark, raving mad. Do Americans not see how embarrassing this is?” As Cox Richardson points out, Guterres used his speech to ask, “What kind of world do we choose to build together?” Trump used his time to say, “[e]veryone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize.” I agree with the senior foreign diplomat: Trump is “stark, raving mad.”
Youth Advocacy
The attack on Jimmy Kimmel, the efforts to undermine the courts, and the disregard for Habeas Corpus. This administration is bent on dismantling democracy and installing an autocracy. Show up on October 18 to support “No Kings Day.”
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 30 (280 total reports)
17.09.2025-23.09.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The attack on Jimmy Kimmel, the efforts to undermine the courts, and the disregard for Habeas Corpus. This administration is bent on dismantling democracy and installing an autocracy. Show up on October 18 to support “No Kings Day”
Visual Stories!
We need everyone to show up and support the upcoming “No Kings Day” on October 18. This latin rap song states clearly, “No Kings for Me!”
Top Links of the Week
23.09.2025
The deeper story behind America's pending loss of free speech
Trump has two priorities: tribute and retribution. If you aren’t going to pay him tribute (like Charlie Kirk), expect retribution (like Jimmy Kimmel). And, as I say this, it is always important to remember that this is about more than the Orange Clown of Mar-A-Lago; this is the goal of the insidious Project 2025. They are the kingmakers behind this Administration, seeking to undermine the Constitution and democracy so they can have a permanent radical right-wing government. We must also remember those who want such a government by either voting for this Administration or staying home instead of exercising their voting rights. But now is the time to step out, step up, and march against this overthrow of the U.S. government. This week’s blowback against Disney, Hulu, and ABC is proof that it can work. Look for your local “No Kings Day” march; prepare to show up and encourage others to make their voices heard as well. Now is the time, and the pendulum is swinging.
22.09.2025
‘2026 Is the Battlefield’
Even many conservatives like David Brooks are saying it is time to take to the streets. 2026 and the mid-term elections are truly our last chance of stopping the autocratic takeover of the United States. No longer thought of as hyperbole, it is more evident daily that this administration plans to silence free speech, take over the media, and upend the courts. For those of us who do not want our children to grow up in a dictatorship, it is now or never. This administration must be defeated in the 2026 mid-term elections, and now is the time to take to the streets to show both those in power and those too timid or undecided to make a stand that these actions are unacceptable. The next No Kings Day is October 18. Find a march near you and either march or encourage those you know to attend.
19.09.2025
American Democracy Might Be Stronger Than Donald Trump
This essay by Jonathan Schlefer, in Politico Magazine, is a ray of cautionary hope for those of us committed to resisting the regime of this President and Project 2025. Schlefer is a former senior researcher in political economy at Harvard Business School. He also served as editor-in-chief of MIT Technology Review and is the author of two books, Palace Politics: How the Ruling Party Brought Crisis to Mexico, and The Assumptions Economists Make. This essay is thought-provoking and hopeful, in a sobering way. It points out how the U.S. is different from other countries that have succumbed to authoritarian rule and especially points out the role of public protests. Let that be an encouragement for the upcoming “No Kings Day” on October 18. To quote Schlefer, “Erica Chenoweth of the Harvard Kennedy School has estimated that when 3.5 percent of the population has risen in nonviolent protest against autocrats, almost 90 percent of them (authoritarians) have failed.” Schlefer points out it may take as little as 1% to make those in power take note. He says, “citizens may not be aware of others’ thinking.” Protest makes known resistance that would otherwise remain merely private and implicit.”
18.09.2025
California Lawmakers Pass Bill Banning Law Enforcement From Wearing Masks
California has passed a new law (and hopefully other states that have been invaded by the Trump Administration will follow suit) banning this administration’s “Brown Shirts” from wearing masks while terrorizing the public. I’m sure the legal wrangling has just begun, and this administration will attempt to end-run this decision. It seems imperative to the Federal Government at this time that their ICE agents remain anonymous. After all, who would want their neighbors to know the deeds they perform while behind those masks?
17.09.2025
Racism isn’t innate – here are five psychological stages that may lead to it
This article in “The Conversation” by Steve Taylor reports on research reminding us that racism is not innate; it is learned. Diving deeper, Taylor examines the roots of racism and how it is taught. Taylor also explains that most minorities around the world report that racism is intensifying and expanding. In this article, Taylor points to evidence that racism is linked to both poor psychological functioning and when people are made to feel anxious or insecure. It is imperative that we ask ourselves in this political climate, “Who benefits by increasing anxiety and insecurity in the general population?” As we watch this administration respond to the murder of Charlie Kirk by threatening freedom of the press and the right to free speech while simultaneously feeding the fires of immigrant typecasting and denigration, we are observing how autocratic regimes increase their power through fostering racism. If there is a hopeful side, it is in asking the question that, “If racism is learned, can it also be unlearned?” Can people learn how to stop hating each other? What can you do this week to confront racism and other forms of hatred spawned by those who are seeking greater governmental control of the press and the population?
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The shooting of Charlie Kirk this week has become a rallying flag for this Administration and the Republicans. What it should remind us of is the incompetency of this government to pass any meaningful gun laws.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 29 (279 total reports)
10.09.2025-16.09.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The shooting of Charlie Kirk this week has become a rallying flag for this Administration and the Republicans. What it should remind us of is the incompetency of this government to pass any meaningful gun laws.
Visual Stories!
Congress, once again, following both a political assassination and a school shooting last week, refuses to offer anything meaningful to respond to this violent national crisis. Once again, we are called to believe that “Thoughts and Prayers” are a meaningful response. With newly appointed right-wing theologian Lauren Boebert explaining to us further that “Silent Prayers get silent results.”
Top Links of the Week
16.09.2025
This Is the Greatest Threat to Our Human Future
Michael Mann and Peter Hote have co-authored a very important book for our age, and I hope it becomes a conversational piece among your peers. The book, “Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World,” discusses the danger posed primarily by an “anti-science” culture propagated by powerful forces driving our politics today. It is important for all of us to dig deeper and ask, “who benefits from being against science?” If we do so, we will see some very powerful economic forces with a great deal of political clout who want to deny not only climate change but also changes to pharmaceuticals and medical treatment. Indeed, most autocratic governments reap benefits from “dummying down” their followers. Resist the autocratic threat; read and learn.
15.09.2025
Something Is Very Wrong Online
This article looks at underlying causes for the recruitment of solo shooters that has been occurring across the U.S. It seems rational to assume that Congress under this administration and the Republicans aren’t going to offer anything more significant than their “Thoughts and Prayers,” although Lauren Boebert has castigated Congress for informing them that “Silent prayers get silent results.” How she became the theological expert on communicating with the Divine is anyone’s guess. Fortunately, this article digs a little deeper into something substantial: the pervasive use of online media to recruit and radicalize individuals into shooters. That, combined with the availability of guns in the U.S., makes for a dangerous combination as is witnessed daily in our schools and increasingly in our tense political environment. It certainly does not help that some of the loudest voices for violence come from the top of the Republican leadership, indeed, from the President himself. Read this article if you’re interested in the process of how some people take the step from angry and at home to angry and in the public with a deadly weapon.
12.09.2025
10 Political Violence Experts on What Comes Next for America
The murder of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy, but it’s also indicative of a pending crisis. I see twin issues as causes: Leadership and Laziness. Leadership that benefits from using violence to support their agenda and laziness on the part of followers all too willing to accept the divisive rhetoric, which, according to professor and author Barbara Walters, is being pushed through “a radicalization pipeline supported by a handful of American tech companies.” This article provides insights much deeper than one can find on social media or the pervasive opinion platforms that we once called “news.” Do what you can to ask for a deeper understanding of the issues that led to this tragedy. Do what you can to push your representatives to condemn violence as an acceptable means for supporting your political agenda. Professor and researcher Sean Westwood wants us to become aware of what he calls, “a phantom enemy,” the belief that the desire to use violence is widespread among “political opponents (whatever side you are on), and the reality that only two percent of Americans believe that political murder is acceptable.”
11.09.2025
Trump’s Formula to Conquer the Economy, and Everything Else
Prior to discussing this important article, I want to examine the shootings in the United States yesterday. I say shootings because I know the media is focused on a singular shooting, that of MAGA-favorite Charlie Kirk, but there was also another school shooting yesterday at a high school in Denver, and it seems unfair to cover one gun death without covering the victims in other deaths. All of this, while the political leaders of the United States still offer no viable response to gun deaths within its borders. Sadly, the right (and President 47) are already using Kirk’s death as a rallying point. This president desperately needs a distraction from his many woes, but especially from the release of the Epstein birthday book yesterday. This shooting will become a rallying cry (in fact, already has) to bring those straying from the MAGA message back into the fold. This article examines the formula this administration has used and will continue to use—precisely because it is working. As pointed out in this article, it is important to keep in mind the bookends of all of this president’s actions: “Creating pain and demanding tribute,” incumbent upon demanding tribute is its negative opposite, demanding retribution. Tribute and retribution; in this administration, they are two sides of the same bruised hand. This is the heart of this hollow-chested man. Most of us can’t understand that, because we want to attribute values to people, that is very dangerous with this man. There are no values there, just narcissistic self-centeredness. You can’t reason with someone who has no values; and he is the champion of people who want a world without empathy (a world void of “WOKEness”). A world with the bywords: I, Me, Mine…
10.09.2025
You Really Need to See Epstein’s Birthday Book for Yourself
For Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday, his co-conspirator and girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, decided to put together a book filled with tributes from the Pedo-Master’s friends and financiers. Yesterday, this book was released by Congress after being subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee. As The Atlantic staff writer, Charlie Warzel, points out, a drawing of a young female’s body and a bawdy poem with a signature that resembles Trump’s famous scrawl is featured prominently in the book, ending with the phrase: “May every day be another wonderful secret.” Of course, the liar-in-chief is denying any link to this drawing, but Trump’s signature is unique and nearly impossible to miss. Trump’s predator protection squad is hard at work trying to spin what is obviously condemning evidence linking the Predator-in-Chief to Epstein. Protector-in-Chief, Mike Johnson, has been so busy telling lies about this that he can’t keep up with his own fabrications. First, he said that Trump was embedded by the F.B.I. to bring down Epstein; later, he denied that story when he realized that this would make Trump a material witness. Purchasing and raping underage teenage girls and losing the House at mid-term elections occupy Trump’s mind 24/7. It is significantly aging him. It sickens him to realize that this will probably be the final straw that brings him down and determines his legacy. Even mega MAGA supporters like Marjorie Taylor Greene are turning against Trump over this debacle. She posted the page in question from Epstein’s book outside her office along with other examples of Trump’s infamous signatures. If you are against the raping of children and the practices of pedophiles, if you want a sampling of the truth in this affair to become public knowledge, then please read this article and pass it on.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The Supreme Court, under John Roberts, has become Trump’s plaything. Trump can fire anyone he wants, he can arrest anyone he wants, and racial profiling is now legal.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 28 (278 total reports)
03.09.2025-09.09.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The Supreme Court, under John Roberts, has become Trump’s plaything. Trump can fire anyone he wants, he can arrest anyone he wants, and racial profiling is now legal.
Visual Stories!
Everyday this nation, under this administration steps one step closer to fascism. Indeed, many say we have already crossed that line. One Step Closer
Top Links of the Week
09.09.2025
Chief Justice John Roberts Is Trying His Darnedest to Make Trump a Dictator
The Supreme Court under John Roberts has become Donald Trump’s plaything. Roberts’ court has given Trump the power to 1) fire anyone he wants, and 2) arrest anyone he wants. This once-sacred branch of government now rubber-stamps anything the conservative president wants—including racial profiling. This is no longer the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), it is the Supreme Court of Trump — U.S. Trump owns the Republicans, he controls his cabinet, and he dictates the rulings of this court. Our primary hope lies in persistent resistance and showing up at the mid-term elections.
08.09.2025
Fear of Losing the Midterms Is Driving Trump’s Decisions
This article by The Atlantic staff writer, Jonathan Lemire, examines what is keeping President 47 up at night. The mid-terms and the strong chance of losing the House. According to Lemire, some of this president’s worst memories are the impeachment trials he faced when he lost the House in the 2018 election. Usually, Presidents are blamed for the economy when going into the midterms, and this administration’s economy is not looking pretty. This week will be significant as the Supreme Court takes up the legalities of Trump’s dictatorial use of the EEPA (Emergency Economic Powers Act) to create tariffs. Some say—as Lemire points out—that a Trump win in the Supreme Court (allowing him to keep the tariffs) might actually be worse than a Trump loss. Revealing how ineffective the tariffs have actually been. Either way, it does reveal a path forward for those who want to stop this administration’s determined march towards fascism. Turn up and win the mid-terms. Staying home is not acceptable. Not voting is the same as voting for Trump.
05.09.2025
The Biggest Test for the Supreme Court Yet
Tariff law may not be your usual enjoyable morning reading material, but Paul Rosenzweig, legal and justice scholar, points out that the upcoming cases before the Supreme Court about this president’s right to declare an international emergency and thereby be able to take over the right to impose tariffs (and by association, military occupation of cities), is what is truly at stake. The focus is on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which, Rosenzweig points out, “grants the president certain emergency authorities to deal with any unusual or extraordinary threat to the American economy from abroad. The IEEPA gives the president wide-ranging economic powers to ‘block’ transactions, for example, or to ‘regulate’ or ‘prohibit’ importation of foreign goods if the president thinks it necessary. Will the Conservative Court under ultra-conservative Chief Justice, John G. Roberts, Jr., continue to grant broad license to this president in their unified quest to attain an authoritarian government? It’s an important week to keep an eye on tariff laws, whether you enjoy it or not.
04.09.2025
The Fight for Truth
This is an important transcript from the podcast, “The David Frum Show,” in which he interviews award-winning journalist and author, Jonathan Rauch. In it, they discuss how disinformation has become a “central political strategy,” but especially how this administration moved from a “fire hose of falsehoods,” in Trump’s first term, to a “machinery of lies,” in this second term. The latter is imminently more dangerous because it means that lying has moved to the organization of government, not just the machinations of one crazy, old man. The podcast also examines the frailty of Donald Trump, including the possibility that a major health event recently occurred and what a J.D. Vance presidency would look like. As I said, this is a critical conversation that you’ll want to read, if not listen to.
03.09.2025
September 2, 2025
This President seems determined to make the United States into a barbaric nation that reflects his own predatory inclinations. Trying to hide the removal of up to 600 children over the long weekend in the middle of the night is but one action this last week that Heather Cox Richardson points to as this administration’s emphasis on cruelty and hatred. To argue for leniency because, “these are children,” falls on deaf ears in an administration that has only been too obvious in treating children in a predatory manner. We mustn’t lose sight that this is not just Trump’s rapacious cruelty, but an entire administration urged on by the likes of Stephen Miller, Kristi Noehm, and Project 2025. It will take us decades to sort out the damage these people have done to the nation’s reputation and the lives of children around the world. Perhaps when the insanity is done, the trials for human rights crimes can begin. These people belong in prison, but if there really is someplace worse—that is where they should go.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Most presidents are aged by threats to global peace or economic stability, but Trump has no empathy. What is aging him is the fear that the Epstein Files will be released. Keep up the pressure; demand the files!
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 27 (277 total reports)
27.08.2025-02.09.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Most presidents are aged by threats to global peace or economic stability, but Trump has no empathy. What is aging him is the fear that the Epstein Files will be released. Keep up the pressure; demand the files!
Visual Stories!
The most successful strategy that affects President 47 is keeping attention on the Epstein Files. Don’t let him distract you; keep asking why he won’t release them. https://youtu.be/_KywDujjLnc?si=n6C67KNx6MPusFls
Top Links of the Week
02.09.2025
The Anti-Trump Strategy That’s Actually Working
The job ages most presidents because of threats to global peace or economic crises, but President 47 is a narcissist and feels no empathy. What is obviously aging him are the Epstein files. This article points out how terrified Trump is that this will become his legacy: the abuse of power and money by billionaires (including himself) to force teenage girls to have sex with them. Our best strategy to wear down this president is to keep up the pressure and force the administration to release the files. Donny will do anything (or sell anyone) to distract us from these files. Don’t let him. Stay razor sharp and keep bringing them up whenever possible. Ask those you know who have supported this predator why they think Trump is having them buried. Keep pressing.
01.09.2025
Is this the moment when America tips into authoritarianism?
This interview of Garrett Graff, bestselling author about key moments in U.S. history, is crucial to understanding the new turf we are facing, not just under Trump, but from Project 2025. Graff argues that authoritarianism “has” arrived, not “will” arrive, and the actions of this administration in August are proof of that arrival. He cites the occupation of the capital and the search of Trump antagonist, John Bolton’s, unwarranted home invasion as prime examples, also the takeover of the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian. The behavior of these federal agents, Graff points to agents, “operating in masks, operating without normal law enforcement identification and credentials, operating with unmarked vehicles—things that we would recognize normally as abuses of civil rights and civil liberties.” All point to a takeover by this authoritarian regime. As this president threatens to send National Guard soldiers to 17 cities across the United States, we must stay aware; this is not the government acting on behalf of its people; it is an authoritarian regime acting to silence dissent. If you’re not actively against this regime, you are supporting it.
29.08.2025,
2 firefighters arrested by Border Patrol while working active fire in Wash.
I highlight this article because it points out the obtuse and asinine policies of this administration. Two firefighters, bravely working to stop a forest blaze in the state of Washington, were arrested and removed by Trump’s henchmen. The ridiculousness of this action, arresting people who are putting their lives at risk and actually working to protect this nation, is taken by minions of a fascist regime that is blindly undermining the country. What an analogy for the state of this administration: arrest people who are preventing the country from burning down.
28.08.2025
The Wannabe Dictator
Jim Acosta’s commentary this morning focuses on this Administration’s attempts to make the President a dictator. Acosta analyzes the blatant moves this President has taken (and continues to take) and points out that Trump began this campaign by telling Sean Hannity and the American people he was going to be a dictator. Yet, he was elected; both by those who voted and those who stayed home. The truth is apparent: if you are not resisting this administration, you are supporting it. Each of us will be accountable for the actions we took at this time to either stop this takeover or to support it through our silent acquiescence.
27.08.2025
August 26, 2025
As Ms. Cox Richardson points out in this commentary, President 47 is becoming increasingly vocal about pulling out all the stops and claiming a dictatorship. He surrounds himself with sycophants and holds three-hour “Dear Leader” meetings resembling the fawning tribute gatherings of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Trump goes further by saying the U.S. public supports having him become a dictator (he has made this statement twice this week). Sadly, polling says that a large percentage (75% according to the Washington Post—a Jeff Bezos enterprise) of Republicans actually do support this claim. Using these skewed numbers and the praise of his cultic followers, the President is continuing his efforts to take over cities with Democrat leaders in Blue States. The primary goal of this President at this time is to keep us from delving into the Epstein files. We need to keep our eye on that ball. We need to keep pressing on that point because it is one of the only areas that Democrats and some Republicans agree on. Which is why the Predator-in-Chief is scared. Most presidents fear failing economies or global conflicts; this president fears being outed for the sexual predator that he is. The stress is evidently aging him. We need to keep up the pressure and even intensify it. Don’t let this go!
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
As Trump tries to hide the Epstein files and Project 2025 tries to hide the undermining of democracy, it is an important time to ask Republicans: “Is this what you wanted?” https://youtu.be/hPwDLib0YYA?si=L-_bYe9oD6aFcxCd
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 26 (276 total reports)
20.08.2025-25.08.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
As Trump tries to hide the Epstein files and Project 2025 tries to hide the undermining of democracy, it is an important time to ask Republicans: “Is this what you wanted?” https://youtu.be/hPwDLib0YYA?si=L-_bYe9oD6aFcxCd
Visual Stories!
He is turning the U.S. into a militarized nation with concentration camps in every red state. Meanwhile, he is doing his best to hide the files that would tell the truth about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Ask those who voted for him: “Is This What You Wanted?”
Top Links of the Week
26.08.2025
If You Are Not Working to Defend America, You Are Helping Trump Destroy It
This song will be too old for many to recognize, but in 1931, Florence Reece, whose husband was a Union Organizer for the United Mine Workers, wrote a song that was covered by folk legend Pete Seeger, called, “Which Side Are You On!” The sentiments of the song are timeless and—as this article points out—apply to the situation in the United States today. If you’re not defending America, you’re helping Trump destroy it. I know which side I want my children to say I was on. This administration is trying to destroy the U.S. democracy. Trump is their front man, but Project 2025 and Vladimir Putin are the brains behind this attack. Don’t let them distract you from their primary goal. It is time to take a stand. Resist the autocracy, let your voice be heard. In the words of Ms. Reece, “Don’t listen to their lies, poor folks ain’t got a chance, unless they organize.” (1931, Florence Reece).
25.08.2025
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre wrote a memoir. Months after her death, it's coming out
We cannot ethically let this go. It is possible that the president of the United States is a child predator who raped minors, and he is trying to hide the evidence. A victim of Epstein’s abusive pedophile ring, Virginia Giuffre, wrote her memoirs before taking her own life last year at the age of 41. Years of trying to bring her trauma and the abuse of many others to light failed, and she finally succumbed to despair. We can make sure that her death was not in vain by insuring her voice is heard posthumously through this book. Please find ways you can support this book, Ms. Giuffre, and the multiple other victims of Epstein/Ghislaine’s abuse and President 47’s coverup.
22.08.2025
How ICE Became Trump’s Secret Army
Every authoritarian needs its own secret police force, and Trump has ICE. Make no mistake about it, this is HIS police force. He dictates where it goes, what laws it enforces, and who it arrests. Noem may appear to be in charge of it, but it’s all a modeling opportunity for her. She is nothing more than a Donny-Sycophant. No credentials for the position, no ability to lead. It is imperative to the agenda of Project 2025, Stephen Miller, and Trump, that they balloon this secret police agency and the concentration camps it oversees. A federal judge declared one of those despicable camps (Alligator Alcatraz) closed. Not only is the site dumping raw sewage into the wetlands around it, but it was built on a national heritage site, the Florida Everglades. Building was halted on the site before, when MAGA-cult lackey, Ron DeSantis, tried to turn it into a tourist airport for those wishing access to the Everglades. This waste of money could have been averted with a little research, but it’s unlike this administration to delve into environmental issues or care about the results when discovered. Beware ICE, it is the secret police force of this fascist government.
21.08.2025
Trump Has No (Legal) Power to Mess With the Election
The “fine print” of this article is really important: Trump has no (legal) power to mess with the election. No “legal” power, but the Trump Administration—and their supporters—have never cared about legalities. They break the law and then wait for the courts to catch up. Expect that strategy to remain active this year and during the next presidential election. I encourage governors to mimic Karl Rove’s strategy of using the states to effect the election. In the first reelection campaign for her husband, President Obama’s wife, Michelle, said, “When they go low, we go high…” now she says, “going high didn’t work…” I agree with her completely. This is a death struggle for democracy, and Democrats need to meet the MAGA right head-on.
20.08.2025
Six states to send troops to D.C. And, Texas lawmakers to vote on redistricting today
Sometimes there are so many stories of the U.S.’s slide into anarchy and authoritarianism that it’s difficult to keep up, but that was the intentional point (and plan) of Steve Bannon and Project 2025. They purposely wanted to overwhelm the public so people would A) become overwhelmed, and B) be too spread out to respond to the biggest issues. Today’s news feed is along that line. The president is especially trying to “flood the zone” to distract us from his number one enemy-of-the-moment; the Epstein Files. However, that’s not the primary concern of Project 2025; their major aim is to distract us from the One Big Beautiful (Ugly) Bill. We need to encourage each other to keep our eye on two balls: the next election and the release of the Epstein Files. Put your energy into resistance and resilience.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This week, Trump goes to great ends to try and distract his MAGA followers from the Epstein files. He wants to be remembered for being a peace-maker, not a child abuser. Don’t let him distract you. RELEASE THE FILES!
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 25 (275 total reports)
13.08.2025-19.08.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This week, Trump goes to great ends to try and distract his MAGA followers from the Epstein files. He wants to be remembered for being a peace-maker, not a child abuser. Don’t let him distract you. RELEASE THE FILES!
Visual Stories!
Don’t give up, keep pressing for the truth behind the Epstein files. Just exactly why is Trump so afraid of letting people see the details of these documents? One of his many, many campaign promises was to release these files so people would know the powerful players who supported the heinous couple of Epstein and Maxwell. Release them! The Epstein Files.
Top Links of the Week
19.08.2025
August 18, 2025
Heather Cox Richardson produces well-researched and informative Substack commentaries on a regular basis. This review of Trump’s recent false bravado, evident in his indignant treatment of Zelensky and E.U. leaders, as well as his obscene kowtowing to Putin, reminds us what a narcissistic, ego-driven oaf the United States decided to elect as its president. Trump never fails to embarrass; however, the rest of the world seems to be learning how to stroke his massive ego and appease his tiny mind. Zelensky, especially, has learned to adapt and countered the last despicable meeting Trump and Vance had when they tag-team bullied one of the greatest leaders this world has to offer at the moment.
18.08.2025
Why Trump will fail
substack.com/p/why-the-scumbag-in-chief-attracts?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack
Robert Reich is a clear voice with a lot of political history in this modern era. In this Substack commentary, he illustrates why Trump is bound to fail like other authoritarians before him (and around him). They live in “cocoons of flattery.” All the sycophants with whom he has surrounded himself will not tell him the truth; they will only tell him what he wants to hear. They have learned that truth-telling leads to firing in this administration, and, as Reich explains, “So they learned that if they wanted to be rewarded with promotions, money, and power, they could not rely on the normal processes and systems of recognition for jobs well done. If they were to make anything of themselves, they must instead become ass-lickers, lapdogs, and sycophants.” Reich tells us that failure is inevitable, but in the meantime, there is—and will be—a lot of pain. Until we finally get rid of this egomaniacal monster.
15.08.2025
Trump's Tariffs and 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Face More Opposition Than Support as His Job Rating Slips
Like a wild animal, Trump is at his most dangerous when he is cornered. His poll numbers are sliding, and even his MAGA worshippers want to know what is in the Epstein files. Look for his trip with International Criminal and Trump Puppeteer, Vladimir Putin, to be one big, beautiful sellout. Hopefully, Trump won’t give Putin back Alaska, but do expect him to “make a deal” on Ukraine. Of course, without Zelensky’s presence, any deal is bogus. Trump will do anything to distract people from his criminal behavior and pedophilic past. Norway’s prime minister, Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre, said that Trump already cold-called him to ask for a Nobel Peace Prize. Remember, this president has no integrity and, therefore, no boundaries.
14.08.2025
Trump's Urging For Epstein Distraction Will Lead To Shocker At Putin Summit: Michael Wolff
For those Trump supporters who are finally beginning to realize that this President will do anything—ANYthing—to cover up his crimes, you won’t be shocked when he sells off Ukraine and national interests to curry more favors from his big-time boss, Vladimir Putin. We can put a stop to this, but it will take bold actions, like Governors Newsom and Hochul are proposing in their states. In the meantime, do all you can to let your representatives know; this is not the America we want.
13.08.2025
The trial run
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-trial-run?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack
Robert Reich, who is by no means an alarmist, is raising red flags over this Administration’s takeover of Washington, D.C. In his words, “It’s important to see Trump’s occupation of Washington, D.C., as a trial run for a possible military occupation of the United States, including martial law, later in his term.” This is what Project 2025 has wanted ever since they got their patsy president elected. They want nothing short of prohibiting voting and the continuation of democracy in the United States of America. Let this also be a test case for resistance! What can you do today to throw a wrench into their belief that they have a mandate for this behavior?
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The whole Epstein cover-up should teach us about Trump and his supporters. He is not “President in Chief,” he is “Predator in Chief.”
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 25 (275 total reports)
23.07.2025-29.07.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The whole Epstein cover-up should teach us about Trump and his supporters. He is not “President in Chief,” he is “Predator in Chief.”
Visual Stories!
Trump Supporters seem to take pleasure in the conquests of their Predator-in-Chief. Looney Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina says she watches ICE arrests for fun and relaxation. All of this is so shortsighted. The pendulum will swing back, and cruelty will stop being a national principle. Here’s my latest song for your enjoyment, So Shortsighted.
Top Links of the Week
29.07.0225
In His Latest Turn Toward the Insane, Trump Said Obama “Owes” Him Big for Presidential Immunity
Charles P. Pierce has this correct. This is just the “latest turn” towards the insane in the deterioration of the Office of the President and the degeneration of the mind of Trump. If President 47’s links to Epstein reveal anything to us (and they do), it is that Trump is not the “President in Chief,” but the “Predator in Chief.” His staff are not lackeys; they are lampreys. They live off his kills. Unlike a Great White (that hunts to fill its voracious hunger), Trump hunts to satisfy his rapacious lusts. He loves to prey on the innocent, and this Epstein episode should reveal to us that the more innocent the victim, the more pleasure he experiences. Insanity? Yes… Out of control? Definitely.
28.07.2025
Transcript: Trump’s Vile New Epstein Ploy Humiliates MAGA: “Sham”
As the administration of President 47 does all it can to distance itself from the crimes of his best buddy, Jeffrey Epstein, even some MAGA followers are calling “foul.” Trump has sent Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—who is also Trump’s lawyer—to (according to Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorney) seek a pardon in exchange for exonerating the Presidential Predator. The reason that even some MAGA folks aren’t buying this ploy is because part of Trump’s election platform was releasing the files saying there was evidence of a deep state in the Democratic party of pedophiles and the files would prove it. Unfortunately, for the Predator-in-Chief, the files apparently name him, if not as an abuser of the underage girls that Maxwell and Epstein procured, then at least as a witness in the deeds. The White House (and his sycophants) are doing all they can to make Maxwell look like a victim here, BUT SHE IS NOT! As the author of this story states, “In fact, many of Epstein’s victims have described her as something of a procurer for him. She would round up young women to come and give Epstein massages and perform sex acts. And according to some of the victims, she actually participated physically in some of those acts. She was convicted in 2021 of a variety of actions connected to Epstein: sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, and so on. And she’s currently serving a 20-year sentence.” Many MAGA followers were 100% behind these claims of bringing these sex traffickers to justice and now they are now aghast that their own candidate is trying to cover this up. Sorry, Trump supporters, you own this, this predator is the guy you voted for and if his pre-election behavior didn’t tell you how depraved he is, then now you must suffer the consequences. How far will this administration go in their efforts to cover up 47’s behavior? That remains to be seen.
25.07.2025
Questions about Epstein files follow lawmakers home
GOP lawmakers can run, but they can’t hide. In order to prevent the House from having to deal with the embarrassing Epstein files—and their Orange Leader’s involvement—Speaker Mike Johnson sent his members home. According to this article, these cowardly sycophants will get little respite in trying to hide in their home districts. Voters want to know what and who was in those files, and they don’t want it watered down by Trump, Bondi, or any of his other lackeys. Quit hiding the pedophiles, Republicans; time to come clean.
24.07.2025
The Ugly Truth About ICE’s Abusive Detention Centers
Congratulations Trump Supporters, this is the United States that you voted for. No longer the “shining city on the hill,” no longer a country that says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Now, the United States is a country known for its concentration camps and violent arrests of men, women, and children in its shopping markets, parking lots, and on the way to work, school, or court. Supporting a President who is using all his political power to hide his involvement with a known pedophile. This is your America, you must be very proud.
23.07.2025
Trump supporters report higher levels of psychopathy, manipulativeness, callousness, and narcissism
This study published by Craig S. Neumann and Darlene A. Ngo in the Journal of Research in Personality tells us a great deal about those who favor Donald Trump. As the study states, “They have a tendency towards malevolent personality traits—sometimes called “dark” traits—that include tendencies such as manipulativeness, callousness, narcissism, and a lack of empathy.” Neumann points out that, “This paper was several years in the making, starting as a result of the 2016 election, and was designed to address why some people might view favorably a political figure with a history of business failures, bankruptcies, misogynistic statements caught on video, use of charity money for a self-portrait, etc.” Neumann is a Regents Professor of Psychology at the University of North Texas. All this serves to remind me that appealing to the empathy of Trump supporters will not work. Those with the so-called Dark Traits are not repulsed by images of people being brutalized or incarcerated; in fact, some might actually be exhilarated by it—apparently enough to support an Administration that uses cruelty as a measurement of success. What works instead? The attacks on Stephen Colbert and other late-
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Trump voters, congratulations! Your president has once again sought to close an investigation into his behavior, this time for pedophilia and using Jeffrey Epstein to set up relationships with teen girls. You must be so proud!
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 24 (274 total reports)
16.07.2025-22.07.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Trump voters, congratulations! Your president has once again sought to close an investigation into his behavior, this time for pedophilia and using Jeffrey Epstein to set up relationships with teen girls. You must be so proud!
Visual Stories!
If there is no information in these files that is linked to the President, why not do as Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Donald Trump all promised pre-election and release the entire file? This week’s song, with a circus theme to it, is “The Files of Epstein.”
Top Links of the Week
22.07.2025
Democracy Upside Down
This article by Skye Perryman, a lawyer and the president/CEO of Democracy Forward and the Democracy Forward Foundation, points out how those who voted for Donald Trump have turned Democracy upside down on a state level. The latest case he points to is the work of the ultra-conservative Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, and Donald Trump to overturn Texas law (voted for by the will of the Texan people) to undermine Dreamer legislation in that state. Those who voted for this Administration can watch how the Trump Administration now uses its influence to undermine the laws of states, even in cases without the help of a MAGA attorney general, as when Trump used the National Guard and Marines to invade California. In the article, Perryman points out that other Presidents have used the National Guard in the past, but always in cases to enforce human rights, rather than take them away. Thanks to Trump supporters, your vote may not matter federally and in your own state. Indeed, another dangerous precedent for those who voted to undermine democracy by electing this president.
21.07.2025
This Is the Presidency John Roberts Has Built
If we look behind the daily theatrics and clown show of this presidency, we would not only see Project 2025 and the undying fealty of MAGA minions, but also the conniving craftiness of Chief Justice John Roberts. Peter M. Shane, a distinguished scholar in residence and an adjunct professor at the New York University School of Law, makes the following points about this Chief Justice’s enablement of Trump’s authoritarianism: “Roberts upheld the first Trump administration’s “Muslim ban” on the grounds that the president’s national-security role precludes courts from taking account of the bigotry undergirding an immigration order. He remanded a lower court’s enforcement of a congressional subpoena for Trump’s financial information, writing that “without limits on its subpoena powers,” Congress could exert ‘imperious’ control over the executive branch and ‘aggrandize itself at the President’s expense.’ He has come close to giving the president an untrammeled right to fire any officer in the executive branch at will. And he took the lead in inventing a presidential immunity from criminal prosecution that could exempt the president from accountability for even the most corrupt exercises of his official functions.” Of course, Trump is not bright enough to get to where he is by himself. Trump is identified by his crass graft and spectacular misogyny. He needed the likes of Mitch McConnell, Roberts, and Project 2025 to power his dominion, and they have enabled him.
18.07.2025
What the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' will change for students, schools and colleges
In my endeavor to keep our eyes on the major evils of this administration and not be distracted by sideshow stupidity (like the recent tongue-lashing of Roseanne Barr), let’s follow NPR (whose funding was just cut on July 17) and journalists, Sequoia Carrillo, Cory Turner, and Elissa Nadworny, as they examine what Project 2025 and the GOP’s One Big Ugly Bill will do to education in the United States. After being overridden in multiple states, this bill provides parents with tax credits to send children to the private school of their choice. The option is more focused on supporting religious schools and defunding public education than actually providing much-needed tax breaks to upper-middle-class parents who want their children to attend private schools with religious curricula. The Bill tightens restrictions for the 37 million children at or below the poverty line who receive health care through Medicaid. The GOP further seeks to cut food assistance to children who are at or below the poverty line. It restricts student loan programs and virtually eliminates funding for post-graduate courses. In an effort to undermine the nation’s top schools (that Donald Trump wasn’t able to get into), it will tax higher education endowment funds, so those funds can go to offset the billionaire tax cuts this administration loves so dearly. In essence, this bill seeks to cripple education for decades and force students in the United States to become less competitive than young people in other countries that promote advanced education.
17.07.2025
The Trump Administration Chose to Incinerate Food Rather Than Send It to Starving Kids
This administration and its lackeys—the GOP—continue to debase itself almost on a daily basis. With the ending of funds for USAID, it wasn’t enough to just cut money that would provide medicine to prevent the transmission of AIDS from mothers to unborn children; it wasn’t enough just to cut food programming; they had to take it one step further and burn 500 metric tons of food destined to feed about 1.5 million children for a week, rather than let it be sent to Africa. In this article by Charles P. Pierce, he states, “This administration’s commitment to public indecency remains rock-solid. If there is inhumanity anywhere to be found in one of its policy positions, they will, by God, find it, shine it up, and put it out there.”
16.07.2025
The Supreme Court Says Laws Aren’t Real
This article by Res Derelictae seeks to remind us how far the Roberts Court is willing to go to turn the Project 2025 blueprint into reality. As Derelictae puts it, “The conservative justices’ latest decision in McMahon v. New York allows the president to effectively demolish the Department of Education—a Cabinet-level department that was created by Congress, given duties and responsibilities by Congress, and funded by Congress to carry them out.” Just in case you forgot who McMahon is and what qualifies her to run the Department of Education; Linda McMahon, is a pro-wrestling promoter and sexual-abuse lawsuit defendant. Yep, those are pretty much her credentials. Yet, she has made no secret since being assigned this position that she wants to fulfill the wishes of Project 2025 to dismantle the Department of Education, and this court made the President’s moves to undermine the department by firing half of its staff; legal. Why does Project 2025 hate the DoE so much? Because it supports DEI, it supports humane treatment of transitioning young people, and seeks to prepare students for a college education so they can compete in the world instead of being part of the Mudsill Economy that is at the heart of the Republican plan.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Don’t be distracted! This President, with assistance from a MAGA Congress and SCOTUS (Supreme Court of Trump — US), is focused on dismantling democracy in the United States.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 23 (273 total reports)
09.07.2025-15.07.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Don’t be distracted! This President, with assistance from a MAGA Congress and SCOTUS (Supreme Court of Trump — US), is focused on dismantling democracy in the United States.
Visual Stories!
There have been plenty of distractions this week to keep our eyes from focusing on the primary issues before us, but we must remember the betrayal of this Congress in passing the One Big Horrible Bill. They are Compliant Cowards.
Top Links of the Week
15.07.2025
SCOTUS Judges Tear Into Court’s ‘Indefensible’ Decision to Help Trump ‘Break the Law’
This decision by Justice Roberts’ MAGA-Supporting Supreme Court (SCOTUS or Supreme Court of Trump — US) should remind us that the conservative plot to undermine democracy in the United States is deeper than the carney at the top; President TACO. The role of the Conservative Supreme Court in dismantling the Department of Education must be remembered as one of the hallmark decisions leading to the abolishing of our Constitution in the future. The primary question at stake here—and the precedent being set—is “does a President have the right to arbitrarily (and solely) dismantle an entire department of the government that was established by Congress and, if so, where else will this apply when it is a set precedent for the courts?”
14.07.2025
America Is Now a Police State
In this article, Jonathan Alter issues a warning we all—who care about what remains of the U.S. Democracy—need to embrace. Here’s how he summarizes it: “If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And if you have $75 billion over four years in new funding for ICE, you—Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and Tom Homan—will use it to fund a huge domestic army to round up four million people in the next three years, put them in ‘detention centers,’ and deport them.” These three men are as racist as any men who have lived in history—including Adolf Hitler and George Wallace—the One Big Ugly Bill has now given them a $75 billion dollar hammer to arrest and lock up the people they hate the most, anyone that is not white and doesn’t work in an industry that benefits President 47, like on golf courses, in hotels, or restaurants. Folks, the daily stupid antics of this President are only distractions to keep us from looking at the real issues of arresting those against this administration’s policies; ignoring habeas corpus, or taking away health care. Don’t be duped by the Rosie O’Donnell stories and stealing the spotlight at a FIFA World Cup Award Ceremony—all distractions. This Administration seeks to undermine Democracy in the United States, and we can’t afford to avert our gaze.
11.07.2025
The growing surveillance state in the U.S. is far worse than you imagined
You might not be worried about who has access to your private information right now, but what if this Administration continues with its directives from Project 2025 to detain—without habeas corpus—anyone this administration sees as a threat, anyone who has spoken negatively about their actions or their beliefs? According to Maurizio Guerrero, the author of this article, we are on the verge of seeing this occur as this administration undermines the right to privacy of all citizens.
10.07.2025
Trump Loves ICE. Its Workforce Has Never Been So Miserable.
This article by Nick Miroff examines the morale at ICE, the police force that is now super-funded (from $9 billion a year to $170 billion under the new Republican-backed budget; this includes an astonishing $45 billion for new detention facilities—concentration camps—like their pet project in Florida). Whereas ICE was once a branch of the government primarily focused on preventing drugs and criminals from crossing the border, they have increasingly become a tool of mega-racist Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem (who, since the floods in Texas, can’t really remember what her actual role is in securing the Homeland from all threats, including natural disasters). Miroff explains that since the new Trump focus in immigration is deporting as many people as possible, including mothers still nursing babies and babies receiving cancer treatments, the morale of the employees has fallen abysmally. Adam Boyd, a 33-year-old attorney who resigned from ICE’s legal department last month, told Miroff he left because the mission was no longer about protecting the homeland from threats. “It became a contest of how many deportations could be reported to Stephen Miller by December,” Boyd said. You can recognize ICE these days by their unlicensed vehicles, the masks on their faces, their refusal to say who they are or who they represent, and their violent techniques to force people into their waiting vans sans rights.
09.07.2025
Meet the new national police force
Every dictator needs a secret police—and King TACO is no exception. While taking away medical care for millions and food from hungry children’s mouths, the OBBB also creates the largest domestic police force in the world; Trump’s Gestapo, or ICE. What we are witnessing in LA is but a sign of things to come in the rest of the blue states with Democratic governors across the nation. At the same time, this administration is asking more red states to follow the lead of Texas and Florida in building large-scale concentration camps for immigrants (or whomever this President deems “the enemy”). The policy of this administration to allow their “officers” to wear masks and not identify themselves is leading to copycat robberies and rapes in many cities. For the first time in US history, citizens are being told, “If law enforcement shows up at your door, call 911.” We mustn’t lose focus; this administration has to declare martial law to prevent upcoming elections, and it needs to ignite violence to do that. We must follow John Lewis’ advice and get in Good Trouble, but simultaneously, we must also remain nonviolent.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Republicans revealed themselves as the Complacent Cowards they truly are this week, falling in line with Project 2025 and Donald Trump’s OBBB, they will gut the American economy, create a permanent subclass of servants to fawn on the richest 0.001%.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 22 (272 total reports)
25.06.2025-08.07.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Republicans revealed themselves as the Complacent Cowards they truly are this week, falling in line with Project 2025 and Donald Trump’s OBBB, they will gut the American economy, create a permanent subclass of servants to fawn on the richest 0.001%.
Visual Stories!
The GOP revealed their true colors this week, a party of traitors, willing to sacrifice their constituents for something as reprehensible as a signed MAGA hat. They are a party of Complacent Cowards.
Top Links of the Week
08.07.2025
Why Do So Many People Think That Trump Is Good?
Whenever I read a commentary by David Brooks, I know I’m going in for a deep dive. This time, his thoughts invite us to try and understand the rise and adoration of someone as morally vacuous as Donald Trump. In typical Brooks-style, he takes us back to Aristotle and the role of moral excellence in Greek society, then he plays that forward through the Middle Ages and into the Age of Enlightenment. Finally, he brings us round to the moral relativism and hyper-individualism of the present age, pointing to the rise of Stalin, Mao, Hitler, and—of course—Trump. In the end, Brooks leaves us with a cursory review of the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, and this wrap-up: “Trump speaks the languages we moderns can understand. The language of preference: I want. The language of power: I have the leverage. The languages of self, of gain, of acquisition. Trump doesn’t subsume himself in a social role. He doesn’t try to live up to the standards of excellence inherent in a social practice. He treats even the presidency itself as a piece of personal property he can use to get what he wants.” As I look at those around me at those who worship the MAGA cult and their demigod, I do begin to understand how Trump is a reflection of their inner struggle, a salve for their own personal greed and racism, a way to excuse their acceptance of such a morally reprehensible ruler and the actions he has taken (and is taking). They need an excuse for their callousness, and Trump provides it. They need medication for their moral vacuum, and Trump provides it. They need a reason to be racist, and Trump provides it.
07.07.2025
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill: Where It Came From, What It Does
This article leads off by calling OBBB (One Big Beautiful Bill) as One Big Beautiful Meat Cleaver as it will divide America further into the haves and have-nots. As William Dowell, the author of this article notes, “Income distribution in the United States is already dangerously skewed. The BBB will make it worse. The top 20 percent of earners in the country already receive more than 50 percent of the annual US payroll. The remaining 80 percent of Americans get to fight over the scraps that remain. Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill can be expected to increase income — and wealth — inequality like a shot of steroids.” No wonder this administration seeks to increase the size of both prisons and its secret police force (ICE); it is also beginning to talk about creating labor camps (forced labor), to respond to its radical immigration policies. Project 2025 is creating a “Mudsill Economy”; a permanent underclass that will serve the richest of the rich, and the OBBB is the framework they are using. The GOP has sacrificed any shred of dignity it might have had (I use the word “might” with emphasis here); some changed their vote for signed merch from the big, orange, one himself! Despicable…
04.07.2024
25 Pics About Billionaires And The Wealth Gap That Show Just How Infuriatingly Unfair The World Is
The bill due to be signed by President 47 today creates the largest redistribution of resources in the history of the United States since George III was king. The result will inevitably be a class confrontation once people begin to feel the effects of this bill (which are designed to kick in until after the 2026 mid-term elections). It takes money from the poor and middle class through canceling health care programs for the elderly and handicapped as well as food programs for children of poverty and redistributes that money into the hands of the wealthiest in the United States. Class confrontation is inevitable; timing is the only question.
03.07.2025
Selling “Alligator Alcatraz” Prison Merchandise Is a Deranged New Low for the GOP
Yesterday, I wrote about the opening of the new Florida Concentration Camp and the glee Trump, Noem, and DeSantis displayed during its opening. I thought that was yet another low for this administration, but, as Charles P. Pierce reveals, this is just a rest stop on this administration’s descent into inhumanity. Now, you can buy “Merch” to display with your favorite Concentration Camp. One can barely imagine buying merchandise for Dachau or Bergen-Belsen, but how is this any different? I suppose those who like to still wear their cult MAGA hats would want to accessorize them with other concentration camp merchandise. How sick…
02.07.2025
The Grand Opening of an American Concentration Camp
To see the three of them (Trump, Noem, and DeSantis) laughing and celebrating at the brand-new opening of what they dub, “Alligator Alcatraz,” but what the rest of us realize is a concentration camp, is sick. If you share in the joy of this massive opening, then you are mentally ill too. President 47 flew in to celebrate this opening. You can count on him being present for openings such as these (and if his budget passes, there will be more), but not at events such as the funeral of State Rep. Melissa Hortman of Minnesota. Sad news though (tongue-in-cheek), the facility flooded the day after the grand opening.
01.07.2025
With the Big, Beautiful Bill, You Can Now Sponsor a Billionaire of Your Choosing
The Atlantic is not prone to sarcasm, so it was with interest (and some delight) that I read this commentary. According to the writer, Alexandra Petri, the OBBB (One Big Beautiful Bill) gives us each a chance to live vicariously through a billionaire of our choice. We get to watch them spend tens of millions to rent Venice for a three-day wedding, buy a larger yacht, or three more helicopters. We get to watch our tax dollars be taken out of medical care, infrastructure, and schools and put into research on living forever, living on Mars, or living with cosmetic transplants. Why wouldn’t Republicans vote for this? Why wouldn’t they continue to line their own pockets with ways to make their lobbyists richer? This is not the OBBB, it is the OOBB; One Obscene Big Bill that the Republican Senate is scrambling to pass so 47 can have it on his desk for (ironically) Independence Day.
30.06.2025
The Republicans Are About to Get Away With the Most Outrageous Lies
What’s the first lie of being a Republican? “We represent you…” The truth is, they represent those with wealth and, increasingly, they represent President 47 and Project 2025. That translates into rights for white males, conservative evangelism, and the richest of the rich. The hypocritical pronouncements of Josh Hawley and Lisa Murkowski face the light of day this week. The gross grifting of Elon Musk, Stephen Miller, Ron DeSantis, and Kristi Noem is all on display for your viewing disgust. Along with their President, they have taken grift to a new level, and this OBBB will lock in their graft for generations to come. Disgusting…
27.06.2025
Yes, the Iran Mission Was Successful. No, We Are Not Taking Questions.
This parody of the “press shouting match” by Trump sycophant, Pete Hegseth, is worth the tongue-in-cheek read. Hegseth’s own mother, Penelope, said in an e-mail, “He mistreated women and displayed a lack of character.” Hegseth says it is too early to tell what the results of the bombing had on Iran’s nuclear facility, but that Trump’s claim that they were “obliterated” is correct. Can you really have it both ways? If it’s too early to tell, isn’t it also too early to conclusively say they were completely destroyed? No wonder few people trust this administration.
26.06.2025
MAGA Dope Pete Hegseth Accidentally Exposes Trump’s Vile Scam on Iran
Trump sycophant, Pete Hegseth, proved a number of things yesterday. When you know you’re caught in a lie, get louder and more aggressive. Lately, we have seen the President drop not only bunker-busting bombs on Iran, but also F-Bombs at the media. The Vice-President flipped the crowd off in a profanity-laced speech at a Republican fund-raising dinner. Judicial nominee, Emil Bove III, told aides to tell federal judges to “F-Off,” and Hegseth yelled in his most screechy fingernails-on-a-blackboard voice at the media during a press conference at NATO. All of this to say, we are not going to get truth from this administration. The press is comparing its conferences with White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, to press conferences in North Korea. What Hegseth reveals is that this administration is peddling a tale that will only fit with the Trump talking points.
25.06.2025
Trump Will Be Left Cursing His ‘Mission Accomplished’ Moment
This president is like a spoiled teen that took a stick and whacked a hornet’s nest in the middle of a village, all while everyone else was telling him not to. He did not destroy that nest (though he says he did), and now the village must bring in responsible adults to fix the mess he caused. Of course, the administration is denying the leaked reports of Iran’s continued capability to create nuclear weapons. Of course, 47’s administration is going to swear at (and flip off) anyone who contradicts them. But despite their feverish denials, it appears Iran moved most of its nuclear bomb-making material to other locations prior to the strike last week. It also appears the facility was not “obliterated,” but instead, damaged and may face a three-month setback. What happens once that setback is overcome? Obama had a nuclear treaty with this country, and this same spoiled teen (President 45) broke that agreement because… well, because Obama created it. Is this president most upset because his mission largely failed or because it is a definite setback to his plans of getting a Nobel Peace Prize? He’s never been good at making things, excellent at breaking things; what next, Donnie?
Youth Advocacy
As Republicans in the Senate scramble to shaft the US with the OBBB, we can rest assured they are staying up all night to take your money away and give it to their billionaire handlers.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 21 (271 total reports)
25.06.2025-01.07.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
As Republicans in the Senate scramble to shaft the US with the OBBB, we can rest assured they are staying up all night to take your money away and give it to their billionaire handlers.
Visual Stories!
The OBBB (One, Big, Beautiful, Bill) is the largest redistribution of wealth since Reaganomics, this time brought to you by Donny and The Grifters.
Top Links of the Week
01.07.2025
With the Big, Beautiful Bill, You Can Now Sponsor a Billionaire of Your Choosing
The Atlantic is not prone to sarcasm, so it was with interest (and some delight) that I read this commentary. According to the writer, Alexandra Petri, the OBBB (One Big Beautiful Bill) gives us each a chance to live vicariously through a billionaire of our choice. We get to watch them spend tens of millions to rent Venice for a three-day wedding, buy a larger yacht, or three more helicopters. We get to watch our tax dollars be taken out of medical care, infrastructure, and schools and put into research on living forever, living on Mars, or living with cosmetic transplants. Why wouldn’t Republicans vote for this? Why wouldn’t they continue to line their own pockets with ways to make their lobbyists richer? This is not the OBBB, it is the OOBB; One Obscene Big Bill that the Republican Senate is scrambling to pass so 47 can have it on his desk for (ironically) Independence Day.
30.06.2025
The Republicans Are About to Get Away With the Most Outrageous Lies
What’s the first lie of being a Republican? “We represent you…” The truth is, they represent those with wealth and, increasingly, they represent President 47 and Project 2025. That translates into rights for white males, conservative evangelism, and the richest of the rich. The hypocritical pronouncements of Josh Hawley and Lisa Murkowski face the light of day this week. The gross grifting of Elon Musk, Stephen Miller, Ron DeSantis, and Kristi Noem is all on display for your viewing disgust. Along with their President, they have taken grift to a new level, and this OBBB will lock in their graft for generations to come. Disgusting…
27.06.2025
Yes, the Iran Mission Was Successful. No, We Are Not Taking Questions.
This parody of the “press shouting match” by Trump sycophant, Pete Hegseth, is worth the tongue-in-cheek read. Hegseth’s own mother, Penelope, said in an e-mail, “He mistreated women and displayed a lack of character.” Hegseth says it is too early to tell what the results of the bombing had on Iran’s nuclear facility, but that Trump’s claim that they were “obliterated” is correct. Can you really have it both ways? If it’s too early to tell, isn’t it also too early to conclusively say they were completely destroyed? No wonder few people trust this administration.
26.06.2025
MAGA Dope Pete Hegseth Accidentally Exposes Trump’s Vile Scam on Iran
Trump sycophant, Pete Hegseth, proved a number of things yesterday. When you know you’re caught in a lie, get louder and more aggressive. Lately, we have seen the President drop not only bunker-busting bombs on Iran, but also F-Bombs at the media. The Vice-President flipped the crowd off in a profanity-laced speech at a Republican fund-raising dinner. Judicial nominee, Emil Bove III, told aides to tell federal judges to “F-Off,” and Hegseth yelled in his most screechy fingernails-on-a-blackboard voice at the media during a press conference at NATO. All of this to say, we are not going to get truth from this administration. The press is comparing its conferences with White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, to press conferences in North Korea. What Hegseth reveals is that this administration is peddling a tale that will only fit with the Trump talking points.
25.06.2025
Trump Will Be Left Cursing His ‘Mission Accomplished’ Moment
This president is like a spoiled teen that took a stick and whacked a hornet’s nest in the middle of a village, all while everyone else was telling him not to. He did not destroy that nest (though he says he did), and now the village must bring in responsible adults to fix the mess he caused. Of course, the administration is denying the leaked reports of Iran’s continued capability to create nuclear weapons. Of course, 47’s administration is going to swear at (and flip off) anyone who contradicts them. But despite their feverish denials, it appears Iran moved most of its nuclear bomb-making material to other locations prior to the strike last week. It also appears the facility was not “obliterated,” but instead, damaged and may face a three-month setback. What happens once that setback is overcome? Obama had a nuclear treaty with this country, and this same spoiled teen (President 45) broke that agreement because… well, because Obama created it. Is this president most upset because his mission largely failed or because it is a definite setback to his plans of getting a Nobel Peace Prize? He’s never been good at making things, excellent at breaking things; what next, Donnie?
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
President 47 needed to distract the American public from his policy failures and solidify support for his OBBB. He autonomously decided that initiating a war would be his best bet at doing that.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 20 (270 total reports)
18.06.2025-24.06.2025
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
President 47 needed to distract the American public from his policy failures and solidify support for his OBBB. He autonomously decided that initiating a war would be his best bet at doing that.
Visual Stories!
When controlling men with adolescent maturity have access to the world’s most powerful weapons, you can bet the question most asked is, “Does This Make Me Look Strong?”
Top Links of the Week
24.06.2025
The True Impact of Trump’s Strike on Iran
As “Senator Hiram Johnson once stated, “The first casualty when war comes is truth.” Truth has never been a strong point for this Administration. In fact, you can just about guarantee that this President will lie daily. The Washington Post says that he lies, on average, fifty times per day. This is part of the reason it is so hard to ascertain exactly what the situation in the Middle East looks like. It certainly doesn’t help that the other major players—Netanyahu and Khomeini—also have propensities to seek out “alternative facts” (so named by Kellyanne Conway). All of these power players decide upon their own truth and then seek out information that will support their opinions. The relative “death of information” (as this article calls it) is directly related to the solo initiation of this action. President 47 wanted a “Black and White” war. Something that would tickle his fancy for power and distract people from his domestic failures (especially his breakup with Elon, his pitiful parade, his invasion of California, and his plummeting poll numbers). What 47 wanted was a distraction, not a war. At this point, we have no ability through the U.S. government to determine whether that is the case or not. If we seek truth, we will have to seek it elsewhere.
23.06.2025
Attacking Iran Without Congress’s Blessing Leaves Citizens With No Recourse
A radical religious fanatic has taken over this country, and no… I’m not talking about Speaker Mike Johnson, I’m speaking about Ali Khamenei, the religious leader trying to take Iran back to the 15th century (what he perceives as the time when Iran was great). Some say that Iran’s nuclear threat needed to be dismantled. Obama had a treaty to do just that, before President 45 broke it. The nuclear consequences we face anew with Iran in that region now, are directly attributable to largely solo actions he took then. This “The Atlantic” article points out that 47’s action is unconstitutional and unethical. No single person has the right to commit the U.S. to a potential long-term war without some involvement by its citizens. Yet, that is exactly what this President did; in his continuing attempts to undermine the U.S. Constitution and create a dictatorship. This article analyzes the trip that a former Republican president, George W. Bush, took us on when Iraq was accused of having nuclear warheads. The difference being, Bush sought congressional approval and the result was that many politicians paid a political price for the quagmire that resulted from the Middle Eastern war with Iraq and Iran. Now, with no input, this writer argues, citizens have no recourse. This is all Trump’s war, plain and simple. If it escalates, it’s all on him. If the global economy plummets because oil is prevented from flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, it is all on him. It is all on him, because… the decision was all by him.
20.06.2025
The story behind the arrest of 87-year-old veteran John Spitzberg at the Capitol
This is a true sign of how weak this administration is, arresting an 87-year-old veteran and throwing away his walker while zip-tying him in the process. Every US citizen should watch this incident and then try to justify the direction that Project 2025 is going. There is no excuse for this unconscionable behavior.
19.06.2025
June 18, 2025 (Wednesday)
This is another stellar commentary from Heather Cox Richardson, this time, a brief history of Juneteenth. Juneteenth has been an important holiday—and now all the more important as Project 2025 tries to wipe out the role of minorities in U.S. history. Minorities, and their vital role in the world (and in this case, particularly in the U.S.), frighten conservatives. Their existence and contributions threaten their goal of a substratum of labor in a mudsill economy. In particular, they feel White males have been undervalued and want a pity parade (much like President TACO’s catastrophe in front of the White House last week). Resist their efforts, have a fantastic Juneteenth, and… tell the story.
18.06.2025
June 17, 2025
Heather Cox Richardson, in her commentary yesterday, reviewed the events of the G7 and essentially wants us to know that organized crime has a new face in the U.S., and it is the current president. She examines both his language and his actions, preceding and during the event, and her takeaway is frighteningly valid. As with the first Trump administration, the Grifter-in-Charge has been released in this term. He has no guardrails, the Republican Congress is complicit in his behavior, and the White House simply ignores the Judicial—even the Supreme Court. This is mob boss behavior, pure and simple, just with all the tools of the United States Government to support it.
