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9/26/2025

It’s been a hectic two weeks for me…and for the nation. As one may realize, there have been an abundance of events that have taken place which have drawn national, if not international attention. For me, it was difficult to find one thing to write about. I thought I had an idea about something, and then, another event took place and I was back to square one. So, with that thought in mind, I offer this one man’s thoughts about…

The assassination of Charlie Kirk was awful. It’s a terrible thing that a young man’s life was cut short by a bullet. The motive for the killing hasn’t been clearly defined, but it may be assumed the assassin didn’t like Kirk’s message. It is a shame Kirk’s wife and children must carry on without a husband and father to complete the family. As it is well known, the memorial for Kirk was held in Glendale, AZ…at the State Farm Stadium. The estimated attendance of the memorial was in excess of 200,000, which included the President, the Vice President, and certain members of the Cabinet. As custom and law dictates, anytime the President and Vice President are together with members of the cabinet, one person must be designated the “lone survivor” in the event the unspeakable were to happen. In this case…the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.
The on again, off again, on again Jimmy Kimmel saga was something to behold. Personally, I see nothing wrong with a comedian telling a joke or two. If the joke is aimed at a political figure; so be it. I am not of the opinion Kimmel tried to down play the Kirk assassination. What Kimmel tried to point out was the President was using the Kirk assassination for his gain instead of mourning the death of a close associate. One must realize when a person decides to enter into public service, criticism and ridicule will happen and it just must be endured with a smile. I do believe the federal government took action to silence Kimmel…which if anyone doesn’t know, that is a violation of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, the same document that allows those in the federal government to govern within the stated powers of the occupied office.
The President’s UN visit turned into a comedy show of its own.  The escalator stalled when the first lady and President attempted to ride it; the teleprompter used by the President didn’t work properly as the President addressed the General Assembly.  The President has asked the UN to conduct an investigation and punish those who are responsible for the treatment he received at the UN.  And the punishment to those responsible would be what…?

And then, there was the President telling all present, their countries were going to hell if they didn’t do something about immigration.  Amazing to believe the President of the United States tell the countries of the world their countries were going to hell, when the history of the United States is based on immigration.  Historians would agree there have been four major waves of immigration into the United States beginning with the founding of our country to present day.

In return, the Columbian government has asked the UN to conduct an investigation into the United States destroying three Venezuelan boats on the open sea with the investigation pointed directly at the President of the United States.  This action by the United States could be considered an act of war on Venezuela, without permission from Congress.  Taken from the Constitution, Article 1 Sec 8… “To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;”
U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert resigned his position Friday (Sept 19th) amid pressure from Trump administration officials to bring a criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James. Siebert would not file charges against James because he hadn’t found enough evidence of mortgage fraud to support the charge. In Siebert’s place, the President nominated Lindsey Halligan, one of Trump’s personal lawyers. Halligan is an attorney without prosecutorial experience. Notably, at the same time, the office where Siebert worked, under pressure from the President, was investigating James Comey.

Yesterday, (Thursday, Sept 25) Comey was indicted for lying to Congress and obstruction. In my opinion this is a weaponization of the DOJ by the President to seek revenge against his critics…(think Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert). The newly appointed US Attorney Halligan ran point on these indictments of Comey.
And on Thursday, Sept 25, a new round of tariffs has been levied. President Trump said he will put import taxes of 100% on pharmaceutical drugs, 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture and 25% on heavy trucks starting on Oct. 1. According to Trump, this was done for “National Security and other reasons.” This is a bit of a stretch as the Commander in Chief…let alone forgetting to ask permission from Congress to levy any tariff at any time. Yes, the power to regulate commerce resides with Congress…taken directly from the Constitution, Article 1 Sec 8…“To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;”

I am more than convinced the voters have elected a person who is not invested in the government for the people and by the people than the man in the moon. The President claims to make America first, but his actions do not support his thesis. One does not use associates for personal gain. Kirk and Musk were used as a diversion from other items of importance to the nation…mainly the Epstein files. One does not weaponize the DOJ to silence critics. President Lyndon Johnson had this to say about his critics…After being trashed numerous times by the Smothers Brothers, President Lyndon Johnson wrote them, “It is part of the price of leadership of this great and free nation to be the target of clever satirists. You have given the gift of laughter to our people. May we never grow so somber or self-important that we fail to appreciate the humor in our lives.” One does not persecute or prosecute political figures who may not agree with leadership. If dismissal of a federal employee is needed, let it be because of a failure to discharge their requisite duties and not because of some personal vendetta.

Unlike JFK who eloquently said…”Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. It is my opinion President Trump may not have heard the second part of JFK’s statement and only heard what he wanted to hear…ask what your country can do for you…

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War...What is it good for?

9/15/2025

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War, huh, yeah What is it good for?  Absolutely nothing…

While decades passed without such high-level successful assassinations, recent years have seen a dramatic number of deadly instances of political violence targeting officials at all levels of government.  During my lifetime, I have witnessed the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, Sr.  All tragedies, all acts committed by people who had some sort of disagreement with those shot dead.  President Reagan, survived an assassination attempt.  However, in recent years, our nation has experienced an uptick in assassination attempts as well as attacks on public figures.  Why?  There is a myriad of reasons.  I have listed several of these “attacks” for one’s perusal and allow one to possibly arrive at a conclusion.

A targeted attack struck the family of US District Judge Esther Salas in New Jersey on July 19, 2020.  She was the first Hispanic woman appointed to that position. Previously, Salas served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge, becoming the first Hispanic magistrate judge for the District of New Jersey. A self-proclaimed "anti-feminist" lawyer, Roy Den Hollander, disguised himself as a delivery driver and went to the judge's home, where he shot and killed her 20-year-old son, Daniel, and critically injured her husband, Mark.

One of the most significant events was the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. A group of Donald Trump's supporters stormed the building to prevent the certification of the 2020 election. Five people died on the day of the attack, and four police officers died by suicide in the following days.  Somehow that angry mob was thought of by some government officials as an orderly protest.

In 2022, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, a Democrat, was nearly killed in an assassination attempt during his mayoral campaign when a suspect fired 6 shots in the campaign office.

In April of this year, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence was set on fire. The suspect admitted to planning to beat Shapiro with a hammer.  Shapiro is a Democrat.

The recent deadliest attack on elected officials occurred in June 2025 in Minnesota. A 57-year-old man, Vance Boelter, went on a politically motivated shooting spree, killing Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, and wounding State Senator John Hoffman, a member of the Minnesota Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party. Boelter was arrested and found to possess a "hit list" containing the names of 45 Democratic officials.

Assassination attempts on national leaders

Members of Congress have also been directly targeted. On June 14, 2017, a gunman motivated by left-wing extremism opened fire on Republican lawmakers practicing for a charity baseball game in Alexandria, Virginia. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was critically wounded, and three others were injured before Capitol Police killed the attacker in a 10-minute gunfight.

In June 2022, an armed man was arrested outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Republican, later admitting he intended to kill the justice.

Other top officials have faced grave threats. In October 2022, the husband of then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Paul Pelosi, was bludgeoned with a hammer by an intruder in their San Francisco home. The attacker said he intended to hold the speaker hostage and break her kneecaps.

The highest levels of American politics have also been targeted recently. In 2024, President Trump, a Republican, faced two assassination attempts during his presidential campaign. On July 13, at a rally in Pennsylvania, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired an AR-15-style rifle from a rooftop 400 feet (122 meters) away. The shots grazed Trump's ear, killed a spectator, and wounded two others before Secret Service snipers killed Crooks.

The second attempt on President Trump occurred on Sept. 15, 2024, when 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh hid in bushes with an SKS rifle 300-500 yards (274-457 meters) from Trump at a Florida golf course. A Secret Service agent spotted the rifle and opened fire, causing Routh to flee without firing a shot.

Targeting infrastructure and officials

The violence has also extended to the infrastructure of politics. Political party offices for both Democrats and Republicans have been repeatedly attacked. In the fall of 2024, a man shot at a Democratic office in Tempe, Arizona, on three separate occasions.

In March 2025, the New Mexico GOP (Grand Old Party) headquarters in Albuquerque was targeted by suspected arson. Other incidents have included a 2016 firebombing of a North Carolina GOP office and repeated acts of vandalism against Democratic offices nationwide.

Finally, Charlie Kirk was gunned down at Utah Valley University during one of his engagements at university locations around the country.  Was Kirk controversial?  Yes.  But it that a reason to kill him?  It was a senseless murder for what reason?

My point is this…what we are seeing and experiencing with the attacks on political figures is not a left or right problem…it is all of our problem.  Social media has added to this problem because it allows people from hundreds of miles away to insult another with no real repercussions.  False information is displayed as “the truth”, and that information is not true at all.  Yet, subscribers to social media outlets believe the message to be accurate.  This creates a false narrative, one that is destructive to civil discourse.

Too many people have said, “This has to stop”, but little to no action has taken place.  Behavior of the leadership on both sides of the aisle hasn’t changed.  There is no respect shown for one another; there is no more “loyal opposition”.  The attitude is “you are with me or against me”, and that is just wrong.

Stating that these attacks are “evil” is a cop out for everyone.  This seemingly removes guilt from those of us who didn’t participate in the attack; it exonerates us…but does it?  Doing nothing to change the behavior of our role models…namely national politicians incite people to act out.  Bad things happen when bad words and intentions are spoken and displayed.  Threats made often end up in some sort of action…by those who are threatened.  And those actions are rarely good.

Our national political leaders have added to the problem with their divisive rhetoric or actions.  Was Speaker Pelosi guilty of this?  Absolutely.  When she tore up the SOTU address manuscript given to her by President Trump on national tv…she helped to incite her followers.  Pelosi was wrong in what she did.  She showed a lack of respect for the Office of the President of the United States regardless of her dislike for Trump.

Was, is, President Trump guilty of this?  Yes!  As early as the 2016 Republican Presidential Debates when he called then Senator Marco Rubio, “Little Marco” and other candidates as “losers”.   Calling President Biden “Sleepy Joe” in public is a complete disrespect for the President of the United States.  One cannot lead by continually inciting one’s opponents without expecting a bad result.

In regards to Kirk’s assassination, President Trump made these comments:

“If you look at the problem, the problem is on the left. It’s not on the right, like some people like to share the right, the problem we have is on the left,” Trump told reporters. “And when you look at the agitator, you look at the scum that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place, that’s the left. That’s not the right.”

The president on Saturday told NBC News that he wants to see the country heal, “but we’re dealing with a radical left group of lunatics.”

And Trump made these statements BEFORE any information regarding the shooter was known.

NOW, I purposely colored the Dems, blue, and the Republicans, red, so one could see the violence is NOT taking on the position of what the President has claimed…”…we’re dealing with a radical left group of lunatics.”  Logically, it doesn’t make much sense for a left leaning citizen to attack a Democrat, or a right leaning citizen to attack a Republican. Does it?

Great leaders ask how can I help, not demand loyalty to the cause.  Great leaders may not agree with their opponents, but nonetheless, show respect to those with whom they may not be in agreement.  Great leaders make the people around themself, better at what they do.  Great leaders are not transactional, they are transformational.

The war between the two political parties needs to stop.  It will help lower the “temperature” of divisive rhetoric which should lower the attitude of “if you are not with us, you are against us.” And just maybe prevent further attacks on political and public figures.

War, what is it good for?  Absolutely nothing.  It ain't nothing but a heart-breaker, Friend only to The Undertaker….

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Isolationism vs. sphere of influence

9/4/2025

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I saw something interesting the other day on Social Media.  It was an image of the President wearing a hat that was embroidered with the phrase “Trump was right about everything”.  I thought to myself, everything is defined by the word “all”, or “100 per cent”.  As I pondered this statement, I began to realize some things that didn’t align with “Trump was right about everything”

President Trump was wrong about:

I’ll build a wall and Mexico will pay for it.  No, Mexico is not paying for the wall.

I’ll stop the Russian/Ukraine war on day 1 because Putin would agree with what President Trump wanted.

About the 2020 United States presidential election, the campaign for the incumbent President Donald Trump, and the filed 62 lawsuits contesting election processes, vote counting, and the vote certification process in 9 states.  All were denied by the courts.  Some of the judges issuing judgements were appointed by President Trump himself.

The Putin Summit and the ceasefire.  The Summit to produce a ceasefire has backfired on the US.  Putin played Trump.

Sending the national guard to act as law enforcement.  This action violates the Posse Comitatus Act as determined by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco.  The judge  set his order to go into effect Sept. 12.

Having Hegseth authorize the national guard to carry weapons while deployed in American cities to serve as law enforcement, once again a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.

Nominating RFK, jr to head up the nation’s health.  He isn’t a scientist or a doctor; he has no formal training in this area.  And now, after enraging the CDC community with non-scientific date regarding vaccines…even the US Senate is now questioning RFK, jr’s actions.

Nominating Hegseth to run the Pentagon; we know he used an unsecure social app to transmit sensitive information regarding the bombing of Iran.  You criticized Biden for his withdrawal from the middle east, but it is okay to have sensitive information given out on an unsecure social app?

Zelenskyy being a war monger… Zelenskyy is not on the offensive side of this war.  He wasn’t invaded; he is protecting his country as well as he can.

The results of the Iranian bombing; the nuclear facilities were not “obliterated” according to military intelligence reports.  US defense secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's intelligence agency chief, just weeks after a White House rebuke of a review assessing the impact of American strikes on Iran.  Lt Gen Jeffery Kruse will no longer serve as head of US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon said in a statement. other senior military commanders have also been ousted by the Pentagon.

Waging economic war using tariffs.  The President has over stepped his authority.  Article I, section 8, of the Constitution begins with the clause, “Congress shall have the power” and followed by  “to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes”.  Consequently, the President’s use of tariffs may be construed as “illegal”.

But most importantly, President Trump IS wrong about leading America into an isolationist policy with the mantra of Make America Great Again.  Retreating from America’s position as leader of the free world has emboldened our “enemies”.  As Washington and Jefferson warned against “entangling alliances”, it was found to be necessary to join those which our nation was warned not to do.

As early as 1918, when President Woodrow Wilson floated the idea about a “League of Nations” to prevent another world war, the US Senate did not ratify the treaty, which 1) the US didn’t enter into the League of Nations; and 2) because the League of Nations was part of the Treaty of Versailles, theoretically, the US never agreed to the Treaty of Versailles which ended WW1.

Since that time in history, the US has entered into many treaties and agreements with foreign nations around the world.  Most all were to promote peace, to protect human life from disease, to share information, and to commit to fair trade. What this all amounts to is the 100 years of work former presidents and administrations have done to create a “sphere of influence” for the United States.  Some may say it is buying off people to do our will, and those people may very well be correct.  But, one thing is certain, with the exception of Pearl Harbor and 9/11, the United States hasn’t been attacked on home soil.  Other than the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the diplomatic ideology of “sphere of influence” has worked in favor of the US.

However, during the two tenures President Trump has enjoyed, he has removed the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (a trade agreement with 12 Asian countries), The Paris Agreement (2020 and 2025), the Iran Nuclear Deal (2018), the World Health Organization (WHO, 2025), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Tax Agreement, which in a related manner helped set up the International Health Regulations (2025) and UNESCO (2025).  And, it appears President Trump would like to leave NATO.

The President, through DOGE, has cut off foreign aid funding for many agencies all of which supported the doctrine of “sphere of influence”.

From the Cambridge Press...

“The withdrawals and related provisions of the president's announcements will end, too, U.S. involvement in the regular work of organizations pertaining to the contribution and exchange of information and expertise, such as through the collaboration of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff with WHO officials and colleagues from other national health offices and the support given by U.S. government-funded scientists to reports developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.The president's actions will also end U.S. participation in institutional governance bodies, including membership on the boards of the WHO.”

“These initial actions were prelude to a broader assault on international law and organizations. A subsequent executive order targeted three United Nations (UN) bodies: the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  U.S. participation in and funding of the Human Rights Council was terminated, and seeking election to that body in the future was ruled out.  U.S. funding for UNRWA, which comprises a significant portion of that organization's budget, was cut off.  And a review of U.S. membership in UNESCO, including an “evaluation of how and if UNESCO supports United States interests,” was directed.”

Trump’s tariffs placed upon countries has alienated many trade partners.  Trump’s braggadocio regarding how only he can solve world problems has alienated foreign national leaders.  Trump’s challenging the sovereignty of world countries alienated world leaders, (think Canada being a state in the Union; think Greenland, think Panama).  This is all wrong, it shows no respect for international leaders, let alone the sovereignty of nations, and, one must ask, “What will be the result of all of this?”

This can all be realized by looking at the military parade held in China on Wednesday, September 3rd. Not only was Putin in attendance in Bejing, but so was Kim from North Korea.  And, if one were to believe this was a rather small group of national leaders meeting in Bejing at the invitation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, consider this:

Here’s some of the other officials who were in attendance:

·       Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
·       Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev
·       Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko
·       Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni
·       Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel
·       Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto
·       Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian
·       Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
·       Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov
·       Laos’ President Thongloun Sisoulith
·       Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
·       Maldives’ President Mohamed Muizzu
·       Mongolia’s President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh
·       Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing
·       Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
·       Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
·       Republic of the Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso
·       Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic
·       Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico
·       Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon
·       Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov
·       Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
·       Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong
·       Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa

It is not a list of global powers, but, looking at a map of the world, one would realize the significance of those countries present should all align with China.  To be sure, there were some notables not in attendance, as in some members of BRICS, which included Brazil, India, Egypt, South Africa.

For those who do not know, BRICS is a political and economic intergovernmental organization of ten countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies aiming to increase their global influence and create a more multipolar world order by coordinating economic and diplomatic policies, and challenging Western dominance in global institutions and finance.  That sounds like these countries wish to implement the ideology of “sphere of influence”.

And so, I ask, if the United States continues down the path of isolationism and Putin, Kim and Xi should join up with those invited to the Bejing parade, who will hold the cards?  If one believes the US can be successful isolated from an international economic system, then one needs to consider the lifestyle one wishes to live.  As the President has said, if the US continued on the path in which it was heading, the US would have turned into a third world country.  Isolationism just make that true.

I have my opinion, I hope you arrive at one too!

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One Man's Opinion

An Abundance of What to Write About

War...What is it good for?

Isolationism vs. sphere of influence

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