Posts by: Jack Altschuler

War, Consequences and Fantasy


POST 1265

What Will Iran Do?

If you had been in charge in Iran for the past 14 months and had heard Trump’s bluster and saber rattling about attacking your country, what preparations would you make? Surely, you’d be thinking about defense for your country and your people. What else?

The Iranians are a proud people. Having now been attacked without provocation, it’s reasonable to assume that they might want something Trump understands: retribution. There’s no way Iran will be satisfied just to have been a punching bag for the West’s military adventure. They can’t beat the U.S. and Israel militarily, so they would look for some asymmetrical way to hit back. One thing they do well is to sow terror. Indeed, it’s what they do best.

They have already attacked our military installations in the region, killing 7 of our people. They’ve sent missiles and drones into Israel and clogged the Strait of Hormuz. They can only continue their attacks until their weapons supply is exhausted. Then they will do something else.

One thing they could do is to plant explosives, maybe even dirty bombs, around the U.S. and near U.S. embassies. They could place them in schools, hospitals and in government buildings. They could attack our infrastructure and our cities, with these explosives to be detonated as they desire. They could murder a lot of Americans and hobble our nation.

Their attacks would serve more than their hunger for retribution. Terrorist attacks could be a powerful trigger to permanently empower American authoritarians, our home grown fascists, to declare martial law, to destroy our democracy and to end our civil rights. They could destroy our way of life. They will believe that destroying “the great Satan” is a great and religious victory, a tribute to Allah.

What kind of corner do you think we’re painting ourselves into with this illegal, punitive and pointless war? Put your notions in the Comments section below.

If you want to stretch your brain further, consider what Vladimir Putin  and President Xi may do, as Trump systematically shifts global advantage to Russia and China. Trump is tolerating Putin’s providing Iran sophisticated targeting of American assets in the Middle East blow up our hardware and to kill our people. Trump has also shifted much of our Pacific military might away from Taiwan, opening the door to Xi to walk through. What a fine time this is to be America’s adversary, thanks to Donald Trump.

To be fair, Trump’s deadly Iran folly is a brilliant move for Trump himself. He’s taking our eyes away from ICE cruelty and murder and from the Epstein affair and Trump’s part in it. It’s what con men do. Damage to our nation and the crushing of justice and the death of Americans? Big Trump yawn. He’d rather talk about his gold drapes and his “You’ve never seen anything like this” useless ballroom.

Ever and always, it’s all about Trump. He has no room in his narcissism for the welfare of the American people or the Iranian people or our servicemen and women. And as his dementia and other maladies progress, expect worse, especially because our Gallery of Cowardice Republicans are invertebrates. They whisper in private about how bad Trump is and then vote for whatever he wants in perfectly choreographed goose step. That will ensure many casualties, both in Iran and in America.

Selling The War With Brainless Hoo-Ah

Top officials in our government seem to think that war is nothing more than a video game. They thump chests while mixing extremely dangerous actions with toxic and murderous masculinity, as though war is just fantasy that doesn’t count in the real world. Hey, it doesn’t hurt Trump or his department heads, so why shouldn’t we war whoop?

Watch this official White House video promoting the awesomeness, the “Meanest S.O.B. in the valley of the shadow of death,” the absolute power of American might and our endless toxic testosterone.* And watch this video linked from Sunday’s post. In it Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War, Destruction and Primal Screaming, shows how way cool war looks by mixing video from the actual bombing of Iran with video game footage. It’s not clear if one of the actual bomb explosions in Tehran shown in his video was the one that killed 175 little school girls. No problem, because Pete just doesn’t care about them or the over 1,200 Iranians already killed. It isn’t at all clear that Hegseth even cares about our 7 wear dead, either.

Keep in mind that those brain-free video dispatches aren’t from some cretinous, online troller. They are our official government cretinous dispatches.

They think they’re selling the war to the American people so that we’ll be silent as they create more death and destruction. They think that chest thumping is enough and that we won’t notice that they have no objectives, there is no strategy, there is no exit plan, there isn’t a definition of what comes next and there is not even a vague notion of what victory would look like. Trump says he demands “unconditional surrender,” perhaps to send a mothballed battleship to the port of Bandar Abbas to have surrender documents signed there. Idiocy.

Trump has invented a war so that he could be a war president, with all of us rallying ’round the flag and him. But a majority of Americans disapprove of this war and 74% oppose sending ground troops into Iran.

One thing is clear: sending U.S. ground troops into Iran will be a disastrous, murderous blunder. That, though,won’t stop President Bone Spurs. We’ll need the Congress to stop him. How’s that going to happen?

This Trump administration is the cabal that has:

– imperiled our economy

– raised the cost of living for everyone

– has not just killed job growth but has cost over 100,000 manufacturing jobs

– brutalized, imprisoned, tortured and killed innocent American citizens, legal residents and immigrants who have done no wrong

And now it has started a war that immediately spread to be a regional war with no solution even at the horizon. What are we going to do about it.

Click here to find a No Kings rally near you. Then show up on March 25. Add the event to your calendar._______________________________________________

* It’s great political theater to brag that we have the greatest military in the world, but how sure are we that China isn’t the biggest, baddest gorilla? How sure are you or any of us that we really are the greatest military?

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    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

Newsflashes


POST 1264

Newsflash 1!

To the right is a picture from the dignified transfer at Dover AFB of six of our fallen military personnel. Attending is the undignified President Bone Spurs, who refers to our fallen warriors as “suckers” and “losers.” He is ignorant and doesn’t know that it is inappropriate to salute when out of uniform. But then, President Bone Spurs never wore a uniform.

Plus, he couldn’t be bothered to remove his cap as a sign of respect as six coffins passed him. The white ball cap is Trump merch, of course, for sale to rubes wherever they buy lies. And he wore a too long red tie as dead patriots passed by. The transfer was dignified. Trump is never dignified,

Newsflash 2!

It’s been reported that Russia – meaning Trump’s bestie, Putin – is providing targeting intelligence to Iran, which has led to their much improved accuracy in hitting U.S. military installations and killing American military personnel. Watch for swift, inane denials from Trump that are devoid of any concern for our troops. Hey, no problem, Trump told us. “When you go to war, some people will die.”

Watch Rick Wilson’s take down of this.

And see this video designed to appeal to Pete Hegseth’s MAGA-macho sub-intelligence. Perhaps it’s his creation. It will help you to understand this administration’s low sense of gravitas – its callousness, really – about this war.

Newsflash 3!

Kristi Noem, AKA ICE Barbie, the puppy and goat killer, the surgically and cosmetically altered face of United States Homeland Security, will be gone from the department by the end of the month.

President Trump used to try to look like a tough guy on his TV show The Apprentice by eliminating contestants with a vicious and scowling, “YOU’RE FIRED!” Turns out that in real life he doesn’t have the cojones to face a subordinate in a one-on-one dismissal meeting or to write a formal letter of dismissal or even to send a sycophantic employee to do the dirty work. He fired Noem via his social media platform, just as he has done with many others. It’s the coward’s way.

Trump wants Noem replaced by Sen.Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a proud suck up to Trump. Actually, Trump said he was appointing Miller to the top spot at Homeland Security but that isn’t how this works. He gets to nominate Mullin and the Senate decides whether to let him slither through.

Mullin is a lick-spittle to Trump, a perfect yes-sir machine. This is a highly suitable and desired trait in fascist governments. He will be powerful, blatantly cruel and a proudly manly man, right until the hammer comes down on him. Here is what to expect from Mullin and each of Trump’s cabinet toadies when they are at last confronted with accountability:

“I was just following orders.”

It’s a Nuremberg excuse and it won’t work any better for Trump’s lackeys than it did for Nazi operatives. Bookmark this notion, because it’s already on the way via the next Congress if we do our job right.

Newsflash 4!

Jesse Welles’ explanation – click me

Back in our school days we took lots of tests, many of them multiple-choice. Often choice E was “None of the above.” Periodically, there was a choice F, “All of the above.” But in war, there is rarely a choice F. There is a primary answer or reason and everything else is secondary at best. This Iran war is more nebulous than that. Here are examples from the mouths of Trump, Rubio, Vance and a few more blabbers.

1, What is the real goal of the U.S. military actions against Iran?

A. Regime change – or not

B. Obliterate Iran’s nukes and nuke making capability – again

C. Destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capability

D. Freedom for the Iranian people – some undefined, probably unachievable smoke and mirrors thing

E. To eliminate some unnamed, invisible and fact-less “imminent threats” to the U.S. from Iran, supported only by a Trump “feeling”

F. All of the above, but who knows?

2. What is the U.S. end game? How will we know we’ve won and can bring our troops home?

A. There is regime change to something that isn’t a military theocracy – maybe a democracy in this country that has never had a democracy?

B. There are no more Iranian ships to sink or nuclear sites or missile launchers to bomb.

C. We’ve run out of missiles, drones and bombs

D. Netanyahu says, “I’ll take it from here.” Yeah, that will go well.

E. Trump has hotels and casinos along the Persian Gulf

F. All of the above, but who knows?

Newsflash 5!

This looks to be legitimate, based on a report from Politico.

Ashley Beck T, Moderator
BREAKING: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney blindsides Trump by forming a super alliance of 40 powerful countries to defeat his disastrous MAGA agenda.
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[Canadian Prime Minister] Carney has become one of Trump’s most brilliant adversaries . . .
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According to Politico, the European Union, composed of 27 nations, as well as a geopolitical bloc of 12 Indo-Pacific countries, have begun negotiations to form one of the largest economic alliances in the entire world. This historic pivot comes as Trump continues to wage erratic tariff wars on close allies, turning the once-stable United States into a deeply unreliable partner.
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The talks are being led by Canada and will be the fruit of Carney’s vision of a world in which the so-called “middle powers” unite to undermine Trump’s tariffs and make themselves immune to his bullying coercion.
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If successful — and it certainly appears to be heading in that direction — the supply chains of countries as far off as Canada, Malaysia, and Germany could be intertwined into one super supply chain.
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“The work is definitely coming along,” a Canadian government official said to POLITICO. “We’ve had very fruitful discussions on it with other partners around the world.”
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“We see a lot of value in increasing trade among the EU and [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership] parties, which would also contribute to enhancing supply chain resilience,” stated a Japanese trade official.
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Last month, Carney gave an astonishing speech at the Davos World Economic Forum during which he announced the end of American dominance, stating that the “bargain no longer works for the rest of the world. American hegemony once offered benefits, now it offers only chaos.
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“Let me be direct, we are in the midst of a rupture not a transition,” Carney said during that speech. “Over the past two decades a series of crises in finance, health, energy, and geopolitics have laid the bare risks of extreme global integration.”
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“But more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons,” he said, referring to Trump. “Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructures as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited. You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.”
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He predicted that allied nations would “diversify to hedge against uncertainty” and “rebuild sovereignty” and that’s exactly what’s happening with this nascent trade alliance. Carney said that the deal will “create a new trading bloc of 1.5 billion people.”
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Left out in the cold would be the American people, who will be forced to stand by as the citizens of other nations enjoy easier, cheaper access to reliable goods. Trump has made us a world pariah, and the price will be shouldered by your wallet.
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“We hope that if that’s a success, if you can see tangible benefits in different areas, that could also entice other countries to join in and team up in a positive sense,” said Klemens Kober, the Director of Trade Policy, EU Customs, Transatlantic Relations at the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. “So the more the merrier,” Kober added.
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This is what happens when we elect an ignorant conman and give him absolute power over foreign policy. Trump and his MAGA sycophants thought that the rest of the world would simply go paws up as America proceeded to abuse their countries. Instead, they’re banding together to completely shatter the balance of power forever and leave the U.S. odd man out.
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It’s not just Americans whom Trump is pissing off. This is going to cost us big time.
  • Time for action is dwindling

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    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

There Are Consequences


POST 1263

I Want To Be Wrong

Listening to Pete Hegseth*, head of our War Department, which has a tough guy name but is not a department of government, as he delivered the first Pentagon briefing since our attacks on Iran began, when I heard him invoking various hyper faux-masculine images, I choked. As he tried to puff up our “warriors” using dumb football coach words equivalent to, “Go team! You’re our guys! Fight! Fight! Fight!” I was insulted on behalf of our military personnel, whom he talked about like they are dull witted children. I choked on his pettiness. When he invoked God, as manipulators often do, I threw a dish towel at the TV.

I want to be wrong about all that and more. I want to be wrong about our justification for making war in a place where we have no such justification, where bombing a girls school and killing 100 – 175 children is just an oops for this administration and I want to be wrong about three of our war planes being shot down by allied forces and they say it’s no more than a regrettable error. I want to be wrong believing that there is no end game, that this is and will be another forever war where huge numbers of innocent people are uprooted and many thousands die, where there is never a path to peace, where the fetid mess is left to stink up another generation. I want to be wrong, but I am not.

No words of explanation or justification can justify the unjustifiable. No jingoist blatherings will make this okay. No president’s addled brain, wandering images and tough guy non-sequiturs will cause this to make sense. Congressional cowardice when strength to stop the tyrant is called for can’t make this right. People are dying and they will die in ever greater numbers, as our leaders march all of us off a cliff.

I want to be wrong, but I’m sad to say I’m not. And I’m furious with all those who think they are leaders but are just brainless hacks getting people killed. And they’re making the world more dangerous for us and paving a highway to a Chinese century.

There are consequences to making stupid war. I want to be wrong, but I’m not.

The Consequences of Bullying Go All Around The World

Trump is stomping all over us, our rights and, with his illegal, un-constitutional tariffs/taxes, crushing our ability to care for our families and ourselves.  He’s collected many billions of dollars from his abhorrent tariffs which are effectively being given over to his ultra rich friends. We know all of that and that is a major reason why there are angry demonstrations all over the country. But there’s more.

His temper tantrum tariffs have angered the entire commercial world, as trade has become both chaotic and much more expensive for all of our trading partners. Trump is acting as though the world is his play toy to do with as he wishes and with no negative consequences to himself or to our country, but that isn’t how the world works. He’s pissed off a lot of world leaders and they’ve had quite enough of his bullying.

Politico reports on the beginning of efforts by world leaders to create a vast new trading coalition that will entirely bypass the United States. That’s what happens when we thumb our noses at those who were good friends, besties even, allies and others. They refuse to be treated poorly. They refuse to allow their people to suffer. And they develop a pent up urge to punch the bully in the nose. I implore you to read the Politico report and recognize that our welfare and our place in the world are threatened because of Trump’s baseless attacks.

There are consequences to stupid presidential bullying.

I’m not wrong about that, either.

Claims Of Voting Fraud – You Know: “Stop The Steal”

Trump, MAGAs, brain-free people everywhere and sycophantic power weasels all know that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. They don’ need no stinking evidence. They just know it’s true because Trump told them it’s so. Plus, they know that Trump is going to be whumped in the mid-term elections – at least they’re right about that – so they’re already wailing about voting fraud. But just a second.

Trump and these whiners claimed that millions of non-citizens voted for Democrats in 2020, especially Biden, in 2020. Where were those supposed millions of supposed cheats in the 2016 and 2024 elections when Trump won? Is there only voting fraud when Republicans lose, but elections are free, fair and honest when they win?

The incidence rate of voting by people not eligible to vote is vanishingly rare.

Examples:

In 2016, North Carolina audited its elections to make sure no one voted improperly. It found that just 41 legal immigrants who had not yet become citizens cast ballots. That’s out of 4.8 million votes cast.

[The Brennan Center] found only about 30 incidents of a possible non-citizen voting out of 23.5 million votes cast in three states.

.  .  .  a recent review in Michigan identified 15 people who appear to be non-citizens who voted in the 2024 general election, out of more than 5.7 million ballots cast in the state.

Doing the basic math, out of 34 million votes cast, there were only 86 cases of voting by people ineligible to vote in these states. That means the percentage of improper votes/voters is just

0.00000002529%

Yet without any evidence, just wild accusations,Trump said, “The cheating is rampant in our elections.”

Does that look rampant to you? His words are, as usual, just another pack of lies and he’s already using the lies to cheat in our next elections, should we have any.

I said, “SHOULD WE HAVE ANY!”

Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War – Would you let your sons or daughters be led by him? There are consequences.

If we don’t stop this lying, this cheating, this betrayal of us and our Constitution, the consequences will be disastrous.

And I’m certain I’m right about that, too.

____________________________________

* From Steve Schmidt, describing our Secretary of War, March 2, They Died For Nothing:

[Pete Hegseth] is a colossus of incompetence and extremism, a poisonous nitwit enamored with violence, but estranged from the concept of duty, honor, country.

The most patriotic thing Hegseth can do is to go back to drinking to great excess and to resume. I don’t care if he resumes his job of lying at Fox News.

  • Time for action is dwindling

    Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too (IT’S A FREEBIE!), because it’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

We’re So Sorry . . .


POST 1262

We Interrupt This Interrupted Title To Bring You This

As reported by news sources yesterday, The Great and Powerful President Bone Spurs, the one who is always glad to send others to suffer and die, our “No New Wars“* leader, has picked yet another fight with Iran. He lit the fuse in the middle of the night so that nobody could yell “FIRE!” and slow him down.

He did this in spite of Iran having done no harm to the United States and posing no immediate threat to the United States. Can you say “unprovoked” boys and girls?

This five times deferred President Bone Spurs (which deferrals ensured that others were put at risk, not himself) is promising to deliver regime change in Iran, a skill at which the United States sucks. That is and he is, to use his own term, a loser.

As of this writing we can report that upon being attacked, Iran immediately launched missiles and drones at Israel and at U.S. installations in other countries in the area, thus threatening to expand this war, possibly to engulf the entire region. We have not yet heard a casualty count, but it’s certain that the detonations of Iran’s munitions on U.S. bases plus those of American and Israeli munitions in Tehran and elsewhere in Iran will produce a large number of mangled bodies, some of them dead.

This president can’t even spell “strategic,” much less think strategically. His rationale for this military action changes daily, often multiple times within one speech. Just last week he repeated his June 22, 2025 claim that we had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment capability. Yesterday he announced to the world that we attacked Iran this time to “obliterate it’s nuclear enrichment capability.”

So, pay no attention to his stated goals for attacking Iran, as they are wobbly at best and most are unattainable, at least as a result of U.S. air strikes. Plus, he refused to obey the Constitution and get Congressional approval for his illegal war of choice.

Instead, we focus on reasons President Pedophile might want you to be thinking about Iran just now. Don’t do it. Don’t let him distract you with his march of death.

The illegal Iran war is his WAG THE DOG. Do not be wagged. Focus on his law breaking and violating of little girls.

Top Orange Moron Quote Of The Illegal Iran War – So Far

“The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!”

Yeah, he really did say that, just like that, Bomb them into peace.

As always, there is no clear end game, no off ramp. There is nothing but muscle flexing and posturing with no regard for tomorrow.

Must Read

Professor Heather Cox Richardson’s post of February 28.

______________________________________

Now back to our regularly scheduled title and content, no longer interrupted.
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.  .  .  That Our Leaders Hate America

It’s so sad that people in elective and appointed offices don’t like us. They hate us, really, or at least they scorn us. I mean, when they beat the hell out of citizens and legal residents and send lots of them into cattle pen prisons hundreds of miles away and even send them to foreign black rendition sites to be tortured, well, no way they’d do that if they love America and Americans.

No way these officials would direct ICE to profile people who look Hispanic or speak Spanish. They wouldn’t tell these Gestapo goons to assault people holding anti-ICE signs and throw them to the ground, zip tie them and throw them in the back of an unmarked van and refuse them any rights.

And surely they wouldn’t allow any ICE agent to hassle those who have committed the crime of being a citizen while Black. No way they would completely ignore habeas corpus rights or the requirement to have a warrant signed by a judge to enter anyone’s house, arrest people and lock them up entirely without probable cause. No, people who love America would never do such things.

Yet here we are with all that fascist brutality and more going on, with millions of us afraid, many of us wondering how we’ll feed our kids. And we’re hoping against hope that there isn’t a major health issue with anyone in the family, because now that our health insurance support is gone, one illness or injury will put us into bankruptcy.

We believe in justice – all of us do – and the people who are supposed to be going after the awful offenders are instead covering up their crimes. The very worst of their crimes are against little girls. And our Department of Justice has turned into a Department of Injustice, turning its back on victims of rape and sex trafficking. That isn’t the America we love. Whatever happened to Truth, Justice and the American Way?

And what are we supposed to think when the head of the FBI used the agency’s jet to go to the Olympics and drink beer like he was a dumb kid at his first frat party? Or when the so-called “White House Border Czar” is caught accepting a $50,000 bribe in an FBI sting operation? And then the DOJ claims there’s no case against him! Really, Attorney General? What are we supposed to think? Surely, we all see that you don’t love America and what it stands for.

And what are we doing with anyone in a position called “czar,” anyway? The czars were Russian despots and cruelty dispensers.

Seriously, what are we supposed to do when our people in charge of public health are either too stupid to understand dozens and dozens of research reports that show that vaccines do not cause autism, or they just lie about it, indulging their joy of dishonesty? What they tell us to do is to refuse disease prevention and life protecting vaccines for our kids. That has now led to hundreds of potentially lethal measles infections and kids dying, as well as a resurgence of polio. These  officials are actually promoting our backsliding into the Dark Ages.

And our symbols of the America we love – they tore down the East Wing of the White House! They obliterated it so that a gigantic ballroom for which we have no use could be built. And they paved over the rose garden that was planted by Jackie Kennedy. And they paraded military hardware down Pennsylvania Avenue like it was Moscow on May Day. And the Kennedy Center has been venally renamed and has now been closed because patriotic American artists refuse to perform in such a grossly named facility.

The wonderful resurgence of manufacturing jobs we were promised has instead turned into the loss of over 100,000 manufacturing jobs and job growth overall has sputtered to insignificance. What are we to do with that reality as jobs become ever more scarce?

We keep being told that inflation is going down – “way down” – but the prices of the things we need in order to live are going up. And our wages – they were supposed to be going up but instead real wages are pretty much flat lined. How are we supposed to care for our kids?

We Americans are pretty much welded to values like honesty, which is almost dead in the hearts of so many of our leaders and we are all suffering as a result of that. That’s why we’re so sorry that our leaders hate America. We still love America, which is why we are more than sorry.

Click me – then follow the instructions.

We’re as mad as hell and we’re not going to take this anymore!

We’ve known since grade school that the way to stop bullies is to punch them in the nose. Fists are on the way to the noses of the people who have been lying to us, cheating us, hurting us and betraying us. It will come in the form of brutal results for them in the next elections. Every one of them better update their résumé now.

Because we do know that these people hate America and Americans. We do know about the hateful things these leaders are doing to America. Unlike them, we love America and we know what to do about their betrayals of us and this land we love.

Click here for an Associated Press fact check, unmasking Trump’s claims of America’s glowing greatness for what they are: frauds. It sure doesn’t look like that leader loves you.

__________________________________________

* “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.” – Trump during the 2024 campaign

  • Time for action is dwindling

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    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

Fourth Reich and Moronica


POST 1261

 

SOTU

There is no commentary here on the State of the Union rant last night because, like millions of others, I boycotted it. I had a pretty strong feeling that it would be yet another “Oh, poor me, look what they’ve done to me” venomous whining, for which Trump is well and miserably known. This time, though, promised to be malevolently worse than most because the Supreme Court had done a smack down on his tariffs, taking away one of his play toys. I can’t stand whining any more than I can tolerate a blizzard of lies, so I didn’t watch. Here is my limit expressed pictorially.

“What We’ve Got Here Is A Failure To Communicate”

It’s an iconic movie quote, this from Cool Hand Luke, as the lead character played by Paul Newman didn’t obey the orders of the prison warden played by Strother Martin. The conflict wasn’t actually about communication, but about conflict borne of each of them trying to be in control. We’re playing out the control drama in our politics now and this isn’t the first time this has happened, although this time there truly is a failure to communicate – a willful one.

Read history professor Heather Cox Richardson’s detailing of our presidential and congressional manipulations in the 1880s and 1890s. The Republicans then did various slimy manipulations to gain control of Congress and to gain and hold the presidency to drastically and negatively affect the nation.

Clearly, they’re back and doing even worse today, because this time they threaten not only to win our upcoming elections by means of their lies, their slimy tricks and by back stabbing the rights of American citizens, but they promise to end America and turn it into a Fourth Reich.

History rhymes once again, and once more to our peril. We better win this conflict.

Revisiting The Moronica Awards

Two years ago the Moronica Awards were bestowed upon MAGA, the Trump suck ups, the apocalypticly selfish family, the close idiots, the performative administration hacks and, of course, the Orange Disease itself, all of them fascist and some Nazi wannabes. That post needs an update and a reminder.

The Update

In that post I wrote,

The Grand Prize Gold Star 2024 Moronica Award goes to Donald Trump for his outrageous and bafflingly stupid claim of immunity from prosecution for all of his criminal behavior while President. The unanimous decision [of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit] was quite aggressive in it’s smack down of Trump’s “I’m above the law” claims.

He will appeal to the Supreme Court, but don’t be surprised if they refuse to review the case. Trump’s argument really is that stupid.

I was right, that Trump’s argument really is that stupid, but I failed to account for a Constitution upending Supreme Court. Those six Trump supplicants gave him what he wanted but did not deserve.

In writing that 2024 post I had no idea that putting a president above the law was possible. It was just too hard to imagine the Court or anyone else would approve such an un-constitutional, un-American thing. Now we all know what that special permission for criminal actions can do to destroy us.

While the former Moronica Awards remain appropriately upon the mostly empty heads of the 2024 Award winners, they are now joined by six members of the Supreme Court, most of whom also approved the Citizens United decision in 2010 that allowed billionaires to buy our elections and the legislation they prefer.

Don’t be swayed into thinking that those justices are somehow dependable for democracy because of their smack down last week of Trump for his unlawful, un-constitutional tariffs. They are the same people who in the Dobbs case effectively and cruelly limited abortion and, by extension, limited pregnancy medical care, due to which women have died. They are the same justices who decided to hear Trump’s attack on birthright citizenship (the 14th Amendment), coming soon to a fascist rally near you.

So, the first 2026 Moronica Award goes to The Supreme Court Black Six: Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett, destroyers of justice and democracy all.

Watch this space for new Awards as the idiots earn them.

Now the reminder.

There is good news and there is bad news.

Yoda

The bad news is that there is no cure for moronica. It is a persistent, virulent disease for which there is no penicillin. There have been reports of a few cases of spontaneous remission, but these are only anecdotal. No scientific study has been possible because nearly all carriers of this disease cling to their hateful, extremist views as though they are lifelines in a violent sea.

While there is no known cure for moronica, we can overpower it.  That’s the good news.

I recently consulted with Master Yoda about this. He explained the path to me and directed that I share his wisdom with you. I recommend that you read his words out loud.

“A great and terrible disturbance there is in The Force. Happened this has many times before and evil is once again coming to destroy the Republic and enslave the people.

“If free people you are to remain, The Way of The Vote you must learn. A luminous path it is to what is right and what is good. To refuse The Vote is the path to the dark side.

“Not enough is it for you to do this great task. Influence others to Vote, you must. You will do this with the The Force that is within you and all about. Feel it connecting you to others and between you and the stacks of prepared ballots awaiting voters. Then guide others, you must, and follow you to the polls they will on the wave of The Force. Then will you feel the crushing of the disturbance in The Force, the moronica will be defeated and triumphant will be democracy.

“Go now. Much work there is to do. If your job you do well, The Vote will be with you, always.”

The next and critical battle will be on November 3. Meanwhile, there is much preparation for us to do, including donating to and supporting and promoting in additional ways the candidates who are the true defenders of our republic. Together we are the Army Of Democracy.

May The Vote be with us!
Trump Truth

For every Trump felony there is an overwhelming and opposite distraction.

Now we are moving to the edge of the ledge of a wag-the-dog illegal war. How many will die so that Trump can distract us from his felonies?

  • Time for action is dwindling

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    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

Ready For Day 1


POST 1260

 

Dreams Of A Better Tomorrow

I’ve had many of them and perhaps you have, too. They all start with a new president cutting, crumbling and demolishing every Trump executive action.

My professional writer and right thinking boyhood pal Kirk Landers has thought about such things, too, and offers the following Guest Essay. Many thanks to him for allowing me to share it with you.

Note that Kirk’s offering is about January 20, 2029 at 12:01PM when the nation will sing Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead, but the same principle and with the same urgency to reverse national direction both domestically and internationally apply to January 3, 2027 at 12:01PM, immediately following the new Congress being sworn in.

____________________________________________

One thing the MAGAs got right was their preparation for taking action as soon as they took office. Yes, it was a Nazi agenda, but they created a model for democracy advocates to follow: a list of changes the President can invoke by himself, with the wording ready to go on Day #1; a list of Congressional bills in order of priority, with submittable language ready to go on Day #1, etc.

New Day #1 Priorities
.
  1. Fill key cabinet posts immediately.
  2. Demolish the ballroom and restore the East Wing.
  3. Sue the donors who paid for the ballroom to cover demolition and restoration costs.
  4. Remove Trump’s name from everything in Washington DC and all federal properties, including the White House.
  5. Contravene every single Presidential order issued by Trump by restoring prior regulations. Every. Single. One.
  6. Name a blue-ribbon panel of serious judicial minds to immediately begin reviewing candidates for six new Supreme Court justices. This panel would include liberals, conservatives and moderates, but all will have a proven track record of judicial gravitas and none will be advocates of screwball theories about how the constitution is to be interpreted.

There’s more, but that’s Day 1.

New First Month Priorities
.
  1. Create and fund a special counsel to investigate and prosecute illegal actions taken by Trump and his  administration.
  2. Create and fund a special court to hear cases against Trump administration people charged with crimes against humanity.
  3. Offer to cooperate with legitimate International courts pursuing charges against American officials, including military leaders, who participated in the various murders on the high seas of people who had not been tried or even indicted for a crime.
  4. Add six new justices to the Supreme Court.
  5. Fund a task force to investigate corruption on the Supreme Court
  6. Pass huge tax increases for the Epstein class.
  7. Pass bills that restore environmental norms for the country.
  8. Initiate legislation to nationalize the holdings of the tech bros. Just to fuck with them.

There’s more, but you get the idea. No more four-year, sloth-like “progress” at correcting the hideous mess these Nazi bastards created.

____________________________________________

We can add plenty to Kirk’s beginning list, like

– term limits for all elected or appointed officials

– the return to the U.S. of all illegally incarcerated, renditioned and disappeared victims of Trump’s revenge, retribution and self-satisfying cruelty and ethnic cleansing.

– the invitation to the stupidly fired government workers to bring their expertise back to us and their jobs back to them.

You get the idea. Be sure to add your notion of what needs to be done pronto in the Comments section below this post.

Oh, Kristi

Yes, I think the queen of photo ops in front of illegally and cruelly imprisoned men, standing brazenly wearing her too tight top stretched wide by her possibly augmented breasts deserves imprisonment, but for more substantial reasons, like her crimes against humanity, U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.

Her job was falsely described as having something to do with immigration, but she used it for plain Jane ethnic cleansing as she was directed to do by Trump.

What do you suppose her intake will look like at CECOT, the El Salvadoran torture prison?

For one thing, I think they’ll shave her head because they don’t want some louse to harbor lice and infect others. They can’t take away her artificially puffed up lips or her dental implants, but they can refuse cosmetic touch-up for her bionic eyebrows and eye lashes. The present ones will be allowed to deteriorate and fall off. Likely, though, the breast implants won’t fall off.

Her often displayed artificially large cowboy hat and her $75,000 Rolex watch won’t get past the door, nor will the aforementioned too tight top, nor will her too tight fashion jeans. She’ll have to get used to scratchy fabric, shapeless tee shirts and baggy orange prison pants.

The poor little darling of mean girls is going to find out what it’s like to not be in the billionaires’ circle of privilege. She’ll lack the ability to screw her “assistant,” Corey Lewandowski, in the bedroom at the back of a government B-737 Max. Yeah, Kristi’s gonna find out what it’s like on the other side, where not everything is fixed to her delight. Just like she inflicted on all those wrongly harassed, deported and locked up Hispanics and Blacks.

If You Do ONE Thing To Fight Trump This Week – From MoveOn

Boycott his State of the Union address. On Tuesday, February 24, President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address. We know what to expect: more lies, as well as blame-shifting meant to divide and disempower all of our communities. But this time, we’re not giving him any airtime, and neither should you.

That was written before the Supreme Court ruling smacking down Trump’s illegal – that’s the word they used – and deeply harmful illegal – that’s a word I use – tariffs. The Constitution makes clear that only Congress can levy tariffs. But in his overtly infantile way, Trump is pissed at the decision. He doesn’t like when his toys are taken away from him and he vows to find some other path to give him the right to do what the Court has said he does not have the right to do. In other words, his State of the Union speech is destined to be an hour and a half of temper tantrum and mind numbing bloviating.

So, don’t watch. Don’t give him any satisfaction of big viewership numbers, even though he’ll brag that he had the most viewers of a SOTU speech ever, that nobody ever had so many viewers even if nobody watches.

But do catch the Democrats’ rebuttal by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) for a delicious serving of truth and reality.

And Another Thing

It has never made sense to me for cities to subsidize professional sports teams. Each of those teams is just another privately held, for profit business (except for the Green Bay Packers). I started and ran my commercial and industrial water treatment business for 25 years and no government anywhere offered to build a new plant for me. Now, why is that?

But that is exactly what various municipalities are offering to do for the Chicago Bears. They’re even offering to build roadways and other infrastructure to enhance the likelihood of the Bears’ profitability.

Much is made of the benefits to hotel, restaurant and other businesses that will flourish through having a local professional sports franchise, but all that will be true regardless of who pays for the infrastructure. I just can’t think of a good reason for sucking all those millions of dollars out of local wallets – like yours.

So, click on the link and sign the No Public Subsidies for Megaprojects! petition.

  • Time for action is dwindling

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    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

For us To Win


POST 1259

“For Us To Win”

I keep hearing Democrats using that phrase regarding the upcoming elections. Lawmakers, candidates, influencers, liberal podcasters, bloviators and more talk about what Democrats need to do to persuade voters. What they need in order to get elected. Here’s the problem.

We The People don’t give a damn about those Democrats.

We care about our lives, our safety and our freedom. We care if there is equal justice under law for all, so that rich guys, elite guys and brutal cruelty dispensers get what they’re due. We care that the lawless, criminal ICE thugs are prosecuted and that lying, self-serving officials are prosecuted for their reprehensible and often illegal, un-constitutional behavior.

We care that Epstein’s buddies, the abusers, pedophiles and sex traffickers of girls, some of them little girls as young as 9 years old, get skewered by an aggressive Department of Justice that actually does its job. And I don’t mean their job of sucking up to Trump.

There is little as abhorrent as children being violated. Even MAGAs are all in on getting the perps. And they’re angry as hell that Trump lied to them, promising to make the evidence of those crimes public and then doing everything he can to keep the evidence from them, to cover up the wrongdoing. Still, millions of them stand with the felon.

We know what “fair” means, and what we see is so blatantly unfair and offensive to our values that we want things set right. Finger pointing doesn’t get the job done and neither do toothless bromides like, “We must,” blah, blah, blah.

We care if we can afford to feed our families, provide healthcare and keep the house warm in winter. We care about saving our democracy, too, but that’s a rather esoteric thing, so for some it isn’t a compelling argument to get out and vote – except for those voters already feeling the violations of their citizenship, like the citizens of Minneapolis and others around the country who care and show up to protest.

Voting for Democrats carries the implication of voting against Trump and his criminality and cruelty and that’s good. There are lots of us who find that motivating. In fact, much of the anticipation for a blue wave in November is not about electing Democrats, but about defeating Trump. Just watch what happens on March 28 for the next No Kings rally. And do more than watch. Show up! Speak up! You’ll see unlimited energy for deposing the tyrant.

So please, Democrat promoters, stop telling us what you need – donations – and whatever you think will tweak us to send more. We might like some of you, but honestly we’re not at all about you. We’re about us.

We care about We The People. Focus on that, on what we need, not what you need. Perhaps then we’ll listen and maybe donate – after you’ve listened to us. Then we just might show up on November 3rd, vote for Democrats and make a blue wave.

Your Wednesday Assignment

Read Andy Borowitz’s post of February 18, Will Pam Bondi Go to Prison? This is a well reasoned examination of our abhorrent Attorney General. And it will remind you, too, of other felonious incidents and perps that we must prosecute as we move forward to save our freedoms and as we continue to insist upon justice for all.

Quote Of The Week

Speaking to coal workers at the Champion of Coal meeting at the White House last week to accept a childishly made up award, your president broke news, saying,

“I’m proud to officially name the .  .  . undeshibly dishowen .  .  . when did this come out, Mr. Speaker .  .  .”

That is neither snark nor satire. It’s an accurate representation of Trump’s gibberish-speak. Some people are saying that someone must have implanted unintelligence nodules into his brain by blending them into his Big Macs. Or perhaps there is something degenerative going on.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle boasted – and this is word for word what he said:

“President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history.”

A confidential source inside the White House who understands Trump’s gibberish-speak explained that “The President takes daily shushems, eats organanic frendoom and garglesh fifadon eshtrank to stay ready for the world schtage.” When asked if President Trump is suffering from dementia, the source reported that Trump doesn’t seem to notice it.

  • Time for action is dwindling

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    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

So Many Lies


I like a piece of description of Pam Bondi penned by Steve Schmidt.

Pamela Jo Bondi is a bad acid trip come to life, a powerful clown, a demented skank, and a dark comedy genius who will be laughed at in every room she ever walks into for the rest of her life.

Pam Bondi will die as a disbarred lawyer and a national disgrace, a historic villain and a lawless fascist who covered up the crimes of child rapists, while attempting to destroy American democracy.

Source: Rick Wilson’s post The Friday Brief, February 13, 2026

Not crazy about Schmidt’s use of the word “skank” – would have preferred “sleaze bag” – but otherwise his description is just fine. I say that because I watched much of the hearing and was struck by and offended by many of her finely honed and demented skills. It was embarrassing for our nation because we saw her in her fully puffed up contempt for reality, respect and decency. The entire world saw that.

  1. She did an amazing job of sucking up to President Trump, declaring him “the greatest president in our nation’s history.” Everyone, even Trump’s supporters, knows that is utterly false under any definition of reality, but she sucked up that way just the same.
  2. She continuously displayed her world class arrogance that long ago earned her lifetime membership in the Mean Girls Club. Example: she made a big show of ignoring Democrats by shuffling through papers the entire time a Democrat was addressing her. That plus her snide attacks and more should earn her a contempt of Congress citation.
  3. She was masterful in not answering the questions of Democrats on the panel when their questions headed in a direction she didn’t like, which was nearly always. However, she made great eye contact with Republicans and floated into a dreamy place when answering their soft ball questions. Utterly useless answers. Utterly useless witness.
  4. She set a new bar in speaking extensively on issues and events having nothing to do with the point of the hearing or even vaguely relating to the questions she was asked, irrespective of the questions or questioners. Filibustering as an art form.

That was Bondi replying to an Epstein question, as survivors sat behind her ignored and dismissed by the A.G. and the entire Department of Justice. Yes, really.

On January 24 of this year Alex Pretti was using his rights as an American to protest ICE’s brutality to Minnesotans. Pretti had bent to help a woman who had been pepper sprayed directly in her face and eyes by an ICE agent when ICE agents grabbed him, threw him to the ground and six of them completely subdued him. We know this because we all have seen the videos, as has Bondi. We also saw two of the ICE goons draw their guns and shoot and kill unarmed, subdued, passive Mr. Pretti 10 times. In his back.

Within minutes both Trump and the puppy murderer Kristi Noem declared to the public that Mr. Pretti was a terrorist, that he was there to murder as many ICE agents as he could, that he was a clear and present danger, all in contradiction of what everyone saw.

Bondi, on the other hand, used the murder to attempt to extort voter information from Gov. Tim Walz (MN). Not a word of empathy for Pretti or those who cared about him. I guess as our highest law enforcement official she doesn’t care too much about Mr. Pretti or justice, the rule of law or democracy. indeed, she refused to look at or acknowledge the Epstein survivors seated behind her, even when invited to do so. How does it happen that some are completely without empathy?

For at least the past year Bondi has worked hard to cover up the crimes and the identities of the Epstein pedophile players. She has continuously suppressed evidence and lied about it. She has directly violated the law by displaying the names of victims and has covered up the names of Epstein’s co-conspirators, the child rapists and traffickers. She is effectively an accomplice after the fact in the crimes of pedophilia, trafficking of girls as young as 9 years old and the rest. Instead of being our nation’s chief enforcer of justice, she is our chief cover up criminal, second only to Donald Trump.

Just another day in the Trump Administration

Paraphrasing what was said long ago about Richard Nixon, when Bondi was a little girl and her little girlfriends (assuming she had any) were getting Christmas gifts of dolls and cute stuffed animals, Bondi was given a briefcase. And she liked it.

Just another day in the Trump Administration – Again
.

President Donald Trump has been claiming that he stopped eight wars, but The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette published a fine report issued by the Associated Press that sussed out the reality of Trump’s claim. Do read the piece, but to save you some time, the jury is back with a “nuh-uh.”

There were some clashes about which he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, but Trump didn’t end any of them.

He claims he strong armed India and Pakistan to stop their clash over the Kashmir region that has been ongoing for over 79 years. But India says that he didn’t do anything but flap his lips meaninglessly and that the conflict isn’t settled. So much for stopping eight wars.

Karoline Leavitt admonishing reporters who just don’t get it that up is down.

Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado presented Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal. But the Nobel Institute says, “[o]nce a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others.” That means that it’s still Machado’s, regardless of whose small hands are on it.

Of course, the Nobel Institute’s rules won’t stop Trump from falsely claiming he won a Nobel Peace Prize for – what else? – stopping eight wars.

White House Press Secretary and official mean girl liar, Karoline Leavitt, has exploded with phony hyperbole over this, keeping this Trump lie ongoing, just like the rest of them.

Satire So Real

From Andy Borowitz, Feb. 10:

[Trump] remained bitter about the Super Bowl halftime show, telling reporters that “Bad Bunny took a job away from an American bunny.”

  • Time for action is dwindling

    Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too (IT’S A FREEBIE!), because it’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

History


POST 1257

 

 

Everybody agrees that we want those people off our streets. That’s why during Trump’s first administration we locked up over 5,000 very dangerous children – they’re horrible people, very bad – some of them infants in diapers and you know what those are like. You’ll recall that Trump’s pet Nazi Stephen Miller told us that the cruelty is the point. That toxic history should tell us something about today and tomorrow.

Let’s start with a definition, agreeing that the “worst of the worst” are those convicted of violent crimes, like arson, homicide and various forms of assault. Good news! Our Department of Homeland Security is on duty rounding those guys up.

But according to DHS’s own report, less than 14% of the people they’ve rounded up were accused of or convicted of violent crime. Now, we can split hairs over whether those only accused and not convicted should be included in a “worst of the worst” lineup, but that’s just innocent until proven guilty, rule of law and Constitutional rights picky-picky.

Analysis Using Our 3rd Grade Math Skills

If less than 14% of the people zip tied, imprisoned, renditioned, deported and other forms of being abused and disappeared by ICE are accused or convicted of violent crimes, then our 3rd grade math skills tell us that

OVER 86% OF THE PEOPLE

DETAINED BY ICE

ARE INNOCENT

OF ANY CRIMINALITY.

BY DEFINITION THEY AREN’T THE

“WORST OF THE WORST”.

This is Trump’s full-page ad in the New York Times calling for the killing of the Central Park 5.

Surely you recall the case of the Central Park Five,** the horror of teens wrongfully accused and convicted of attacking and raping a jogger. After years of being imprisoned, they were exonerated in 2002 through the confession of the actual attacker and through DNA evidence that was illegally withheld by the prosecutor during their trial. In 1989 Trump took out a full page ad calling for the suffering and death of these innocents. He has never apologized for his cruelty. That history should have made clear to us what he is.

If you read Andy Borowitz’s short post of February 9, Trump’s Racism Isn’t News, Trump’s posting of Michelle and Barack Obama as apes will no longer surprise you..

In Trump’s case, his cruelty rhymes over and over.
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More History – Say Their Names

A Sampling Of What Trump and his Totalitarian Monsters Bring Us.

Killed On The Street In Just The Past 3 Months:

Alex Jeffrey Pretti: A 37-year-old nurse fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 24, 2026.

Renee Nicole Good: A 37-year-old mother of three fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026.

Keith Porter Jr.: A 43-year-old father fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles on December 31, 2025.

Isaias Sanchez Barboza: Fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent on December 11, 2025.

Josué Castro Rivera: A 24-year-old from Honduras who was struck by a vehicle on a Virginia interstate while fleeing ICE agents on October 23, 2025.

Deaths in ICE Detention (Fiscal Year 2025) – Causes Not Listed, But You Can Imagine:

Ismael Ayala Uribe: Died September 22, 2025.

Oscar Duarte Rascon: Died September 8, 2025.

Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas: Died August 31, 2025.

Isidro Perez: A 75-year-old Cuban national who died in ICE custody in Florida on June 26, 2025.

Jesus Molina-Veya: A 45-year-old Mexican citizen who died at the Stewart Detention Center on June 7, 2025.

Abelardo Avelleneda-Delgado: A 68-year-old Mexican citizen who died during transport on May 5, 2025.

Marie Ange Blaise: A 44-year-old Haitian national who died at the Broward Transitional Center on April 25, 2025.

For a more comprehensive historical list, including those dating back to 2004, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other advocacy groups like the Southern Border Communities Coalition’s Fatal Encounters and ICE’s Detainee Death Reports maintain trackers of deaths that occur in CBP and ICE facilities.
Source: Google AI
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Current History From the Misogyny Department

You already know of the cheating, lying, manipulating and foul anti-Constitution crap in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, but this new slice of discrimination calls for our attention.

Recall the Gallup survey detailed in this post, showing that 2 out of 5 young American women (ages 15 – 44) want to emigrate – leave the U.S. permanently. Here are some reasons why, as outlined by Sheila Markin in her Zoom announcements of February 9***:

Heritage Foundation’s new attack on women’s rights.

You might not have heard about the next regressive playbook similar to Project 2025 to keep women barefoot and pregnant, but it has arrived. Sarah [Garza Resnick, CEO of Personal PAC] discusses it. The motive is to get more women to have babies to restock what these white supremacists believe should be a white Christian nation. Among other things it calls for an end to no-fault divorce, an end to IVF, an end to birth control and greater tax burdens for people who do not have children. Oh, and it calls for a dismantling of programs for women seeking higher education – because educated women tend to work instead of being barefoot and pregnant.

Women solely as submissive breeders, dull witted sex toys, robotic servants – it’s the fever dream, the wet dream of White supremacists.

Quick Quiz

Rules: No cheating. Answer each question before looking at the answers.

Questions:

  1. Why are the values of the far right always cruel to those who aren’t White, Christian and male?
  2. Why are so many policies promoted by the far right regressive and repressive to so many?
  3. Why do far righties hold fast to practices and beliefs stemming from at least, say, 1619 when the first African slaves were delivered to America? Okay, it goes back to way before that.

Answers:

  1. Fear. They see everything as a zero-sum game and are afraid of losing power and wealth if anyone else benefits.
  2. Fear. They see everything as a zero-sum game and are afraid of losing power and wealth if anyone else benefits.
  3. Fear. They see everything as a zero-sum game and are afraid of losing power and wealth if anyone else benefits.

_________________________________________

* Mark Twain was and is right: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”

** The list of outrageous and discriminatory actions in this case is extensive. Read the report and remember that Trump continued to want to execute these teens even after they had been proven innocent.

*** Sheila Markin publishes The Markin Report and hosts a weekly Friday Zoom featuring high power guests from the political arena. Contact her at [email protected] to attend.

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    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

Apt Comparison


POST 1256

Moderation?

As early as 2017, the first year of Trump’s first administration, I made comparisons of Trump to Hitler. A few others did so, too, but the voices of moderation and reason railed against such observations, calling any comparison to Hitler hyperbolic, unfair, overblown and more. It was, they said, way too early for such over-the-top accusations. But the reality of Trump’s desire for fascism was in our faces even then. The issue was our being willing to see what was plainly there. That’s what I was calling out.

Now that Trump’s Gestapo is murdering Americans, should we still be moderate in our descriptions?

Now that journalists are being indicted for reporting the truth that Trump doesn’t want you to see, should we still be moderate in our descriptions?

Now that tens of millions of Americans are being denied food and medical care, as are millions in devastated regions of the globe, causing massive numbers of deaths, is it still time to be moderate about calling a spade a spade?

I warned about the hatred in America that can metastasize into murder, comparing it to the Holocaust in a post in 2020. There is nothing moderate about what is happening now, including DHS moving to create massive koncentration kamps – human warehouses – across our country.

Brown and Black people, citizens, legal residents, law abiding people – it doesn’t matter –  are being disappeared at the direction of Trump’s Adolph Eichmann, his toy Nazi, Stephen Miller. Prisoners are being denied food and medical care. Anyone not speaking the fatherland tongue is in trouble. Actually, any non-White person or non-Christian person is somewhere in line for persecution. We’ve seen this movie over and over. The ending is beyond horrid and it’s always the same.

Don’t even think that’s not so because Miller is Jewish by birth. He is as full of demonic hatred as anyone you’ve ever heard of. So, I ask, how do those voices of moderation from 2017 sound now?

To anyone who thinks they still sound reasonable I suggest that they go to Minneapolis, pick up a protest sign and stand a watch at 26th Street West and Nicollet Avenue. That’s where Alex Pretti, helpless, with his face pressed into the snow and ice and the rough sidewalk, was gunned down by Trump’s ICE agents. For those showing up today, fascist descriptors may begin to seem reasonable and accurate.

First, watch the video to the right – again. There is no moderation there. There’s only murder legalized by Trump.

Still skeptical about Nazi/fascist comparisons? Watch this short commentary by Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).

The Great Brain Report: True Trump Quote of the Week

“I don’t know why the federal government doesn’t manage elections.”

It’s true. Trump really doesn’t know. He could look it up in the Constitution, Article I, Section 4, or have a flunky look it up and make a comic book presentation for him, but he’d ignore even that. In fact, he doesn’t want to know. He hasn’t a bit of curiosity and he doesn’t see an immediate profit to himself for making the effort to know, Plus, he hasn’t the ability to learn.

Oops! Wrong brain

In the damaged Trump brain there are only two possible outcomes of any election. Either he gets what he wants or he declares that the other side cheated and demands to be named the winner. He knows that there’s nothing lower than a loser, so when he doesn’t get his way, he goes psycho. It’s a brain issue. Part nature, partly distorted by nurture. The Oval Office is a terrible place for an abnormal brain.

To see the actual way Trump got his brain, watch this short clip from the 1931 film classic, Frankenstein.

Trump’s loser phobia psychosis has real world impact. Here’s part of a report from Heather Cox Richardson’s post of February 3 and note the obvious insanity.

[Trump] said to Bongino: “These people were brought to our country to vote, and they vote illegally, and the, you know, amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it. The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places*.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked and the county votes, we have states that I won that show I didn’t win. Now you going to see something in Georgia where they were able to get with a court order, the ballots? You’re going to see some interesting things come in. But, you know, like the 2020 election. I won that election by so much.”**

Fighting that anti-American, anti-Constitution, illegal vote stealing mania is job #1 for us, because if we don’t stop his theft of states rights and his destruction of the Constitution, it won’t matter how thoroughly he’s crushed in a real world vote count. He’ll just lie and say he won and his Reichsleiter (top Nazi leaders) and Gestapo thugs will make that stick.
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Statistic of the Week

Got a sister, daughter, mother or female friend age 15 – 44? There’s a 40% likelihood they want to leave the U.S. permanently. That desire correlates perfectly to loss of faith in America’s institutions over the past 10 years.

  • Gasp! That’s the same time frame – 10 years – as Trump’s destructive influence on America!
  • Coincidence? I don’t think so. Neither do 40% of America’s younger women.
X Post of the Week

We are facing annihilation of our democracy, so splash some cold water on your face and read Frank Levy’s wake up call..

Hopeful Reading of the Week

Read Thom Hartmann’s Dear Trump Administration Official: History Is Full of Loyal Men Who Thought They’d Be Protected. The reality of what will happen can help you to stiffen your resolve and bolster your hope. You’ll enjoy reading this piece for the accountability Hartmann shows us is coming.

From The Borowitz Report, Feb. 5
Tom Homan Demands ICE Agents Return Their Signing Bonuses to Him in Paper Bag

While some ICE agents grumbled about transferring their signing bonuses to Homan, he sternly reminded them, “Taking away people’s freedom isn’t free.”

_______________________________________________
* All 15 are blue states. Imagine that!
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** Even if a fourth counting of the Fulton County, GA votes somehow shows that Trump gained enough votes to win Georgia (there’s not even a remote chance that could happen in an honest recount), his Electoral College count would still show him to be the loser of the election, 290 – 248.
  • Goes fast, doesn’t it?

    Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too (IT’S A FREEBIE!), because it’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Book links to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
    5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
    6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those comments I deem inappropriate.
    7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine. Unless it’s a guest essay, in which case, blame the guest.

    Click me

    JA


Copyright 2026 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

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