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Frustrating Anomalies


Several readers reported that the link from the email announcing yesterday’s Disambiguation didn’t work for them. I’m guessing that the problem is either malicious behavior from the torrent of spam pieces we’ve received or it’s a side effect of my web guys stopping the incoming spam. So sorry if you had difficulty yesterday. We’re working on a repair already.

Meanwhile, here’s a link to that post. I hope it proves to be valuable to you.

Note that there will be a regular post for you on Wednesday. If you have any trouble with linking to it, copying sections – anything – please access it at www.JaxPolitix.com and select the top entry. Then describe your experience in the Comments section. We’ll jump on it and keep you informed.

Thanks so much!

Jack


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

What This War Is All About


POST 1267

A Little News Wrap-Up
  1. As detailed in Rolling Stone, 17% of young Republicans are Hitler loving Nazis, John Avalon reported on Morning Joe on Monday, March 16.
  2. The Chairman of the FCC and Trump are threatening broadcast networks that they’ll take action against those outlets which report news and opinion about the war that Trump doesn’t like. You’re right: that violates the First Amendment. Trump will do so to get his way through intimidation. See Timothy Snyder’s First Lesson in On Tyranny: Don’t obey in advance.
  3. Hegseth says we’re winning and doing so “without mercy” and “we will show no quarter for our enemies.” That means we will take no prisoners and instead we’ll kill everyone, including those who surrender. How very chest puffy of Hegseth to declare that. Other than the moral repugnance of such a thing, intentional cruelty and murder violate our own Uniform Code of Military justice. That means it’s a crime according to our own laws to follow Hegseth’s direction. And it’s a war crime, too. So, any U.S. military personnel who act according to Hegseth’s dictum will be international criminals.
  4. For an excellent explainer, read Sheila Markin’s post here.
War Update

Trump ignored warnings about likely Iranian opposition to a U.S. initiated war and did scant planning for it, even to the point of having no clear, achievable objectives.

The U.S. military doesn’t have the capacity to guard all regions of the globe, commit various offensive actions against Iran and also escort 130 – 150 ships per day through the Strait of Hormuz to protect them from Iranian missile and drone attacks. So, Trump is now trying to strong-arm other nations into filling the gaps in U.S. preparedness.

After harming them with tariffs, Trump has repeatedly threatened, disrespected and coerced members of NATO to help. In fact, now he is alternately begging and dismissing them regarding sending their warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

Stable genius Trump’s demand has been rejected or ignored by over a dozen countries. He said that if they won’t support his war, “I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”

Let’s be clear that the United States attacked Iran, not the other way around. The NATO charter doesn’t require any support for a member nation that violates international laws regarding other nations’ rights and sovereignty. Nothing is promised to a nation which goes to war because its leader had “a feeling,” apparently based upon no evidence, that some unnamed bad thing was about to happen.

I swear it’s true that Trump posted this plainly self-contradictory idiocy:

“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are.”

This is the person who started a war based on “a feeling.”

Insufficient and Insecure Being

On Thursday, with the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sitting next to him, Trump made a cringe worthy comparison of his sneak attack on Iran to the Pearl Harbor attack. That was in response to a question about his failing to notify our allies in advance of his ambush. Said Trump,

“We didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan, okay?

Turning to her, he asked, ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, okay?”

We shake off the willies and go on.

In the preface to Brother Wayne Teasdale’s book, The Mystic Heart, Dr. Beatrice Bruteau makes an insightful comment that applies to our time, writing,

Consider that domination, greed, cruelty, violence and all our other ills arise from a sense of insufficient and insecure being. I need more power, more possessions, more respect and admiration. But it’s never enough; the fear always remains. It comes from every side; from other people; from economic circumstances; from ideas, customs, and belief systems; from the natural environment; from our own bodies and minds. All these others intimidate us, threaten us, make us anxious. We can’t control them.

Hence, our sociopath.

Trump’s effrontery, like that dumped on the Japanese PM, and all of his anti-social exhibitions play out in his domination, greed, cruelty, violence and the rest, as they inevitably “arise from a sense of insufficient and insecure being,” He harms and kills others in his desperate clawing to fill his emptiness. But he’ll never fill that void. Never.

That explains, but it doesn’t excuse. And now we are in yet another intractable war that should never have been started. People are dying and people are suffering and it’s of no consequence to Trump. But it is to us.

Just get that all the outrageous narcissism is about Trump trying to fill his bottomless neediness and we are the now hapless victims of that. It’s about his deadly coverup, too. See the final sentence in this post.

Follow Up

Last Wednesday in my post Winning I detailed some of what should be wins for We The People but instead they are abject, painful losses for us. Here’s an important addition that’s critical to that list for a lot of people.

Two and a half years ago there was a freak and violent hurricane that hit the Asheville area of North Carolina. The residents looked to FEMA for help and there was very little. Then Trump took office and ravaged the agency, making things far worse. There are lots of people in that devastated area still paying mortgages on houses they cannot live in, while simultaneously paying for housing elsewhere. And FEMA is nowhere to be found.

To be fair to FEMA, it is sorely hobbled by a huge percentage of its people having been DOGEed by Chainsaw Musk, so those remaining are unfairly challenged. There’s no way to distribute desperately needed cash to desperate people if there’s nobody there to do the job. Do you think the folks in Asheville feel like they’re winning?

Report From The Snark Department

Perhaps you’ve wondered how MAGAs could remain in thrall to Trump in the face of his anti-patriotic bluster. They vote against their own best interests and even thump chests about that.

I’ve repeatedly cautioned that such people have valid grievances. Their blockage is that they are ruled by their anger and that blanks their ability to think clearly and critically. They are limited to rage and hatred and they are unable to oppose what is actually abhorrent to themselves.

Watch this rant from Cliff Cash.

CAUTION: There is a lot of potty mouth in this rant. If nasty words offend you, don’t watch the video.

Speak Up This Saturday!

Click here to find a No Kings rally near you. Then show up on March 28. Change our atmosphere that has been poisoned by our home grown fascists. Make it clear that the they are the minority and we are the majority.

The cure for hopelessness is action.
What It’s All About

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT let Trump’s war distract you from his culpability in the Epstein crimes. Trump trying to cloud your eyes is what this war is all about.

  • 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.

Winning


POST 1267

Are You Sick of Winning Yet?

Food prices are up.

Healthcare cost is up.

Energy – gas for your tank, electricity and heating oil – all up

We’re abusing, disappearing and murdering our own citizens.

We were told they were getting rid of the worst of the worst, but 86% of the people they/we have locked up are innocent of any serious crime.

We started an illegal war for no clear reason, there is no apparent way out of it and our allies won’t support us.

We’ve angered all of our allies through insults, tariffs, threats and Russia coddling and we’ve created massive international distrust, to the point that over 40 nations are banding together economically and leaving us behind.

Instead of creating millions of great, high paying manufacturing jobs, we’ve lost 100,000 of them and thousands of service jobs, too.

Trump promised the opposite of all the things on this list and more, yet here we are in this worsening quagmire of betrayal, a lowering standard of living and threats to our nation.

I’m sick for sure, but what ails me isn’t due to winning. And I’m confident that a strong majority of the 77 million voters for Trump in 2024 did not vote for all this “winning.” In their heart of hearts they know they were duped by a con man. Having to admit they were wrong, though, or that they’ve been played for fools is a very bitter pill and millions won’t ever swallow it.

But some have and they’re ready to leave the chaos and brutality behind.

About That Illegal War

The arc of the Strait of Hormuz – prime beach property

Now we have 4,000 U.S. Marines on the way, ready to do a ground invasion of Iran. This is the “boots on the ground” thing that Trump told us over and over that he wouldn’t do. Oh, it’s just to secure the Strait of Hormuz, he’ll say. We’ll only invade a little bit of Iran.

What do you think the Iranians will do when their homeland is invaded? Do you think Trump and his idiot Secretary of Defense will stop the troops on the beaches, that they won’t send them to occupy the entire country? The landing pattern at Dover AFB is about to become very busy.

And still the Republicans holding Congress hostage sit on their hands. I think we should draft their sons, daughters and all their grandchildren past their 18th birthday and deploy them to land on the beaches of Iran. Under that threat, do you think these congressional Republicans could at last find their spines and do their job to check and balance, to stand up to this lawless, murderous president?

If they did stand up and stand strong, that would be winning. It would also be a new experience for all of us.

Quote of the Week

From James Madison, Founder and 4th President of the United States, courtesy of regular reader MG.

“As a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.”

This is offered as your rights are systematically being taken from you. What do you suppose the Founders would say to all of Trump’s crushing of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, to which they pledged their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor?

Trump could never understand that integrity, especially the honor part. He’d call them suckers and losers. But you get it.

Observe And Think

Trump puts his empathy for our fallen on display. He says he just played his best round of golf.

The next few times you hear Trump giving a speech, rally, press conference or interview, note that every topic, every event, every squishy policy comment, every response to every question is converted into the issue of money. He bypasses all focus on moral choices, doing the right thing, supporting the American people, caring about anyone but himself, protecting and defending and simple right versus wrong. If he touches on such topics, he will convert them instantly into a comment about money.

To him, everything is about money. That’s why he changes an opportunity for caring about our fallen military people, a chance to express empathy for their forlorn loved ones, into something monetary, like wearing his promotional ball cap as caskets of our fallen in flag draped coffins passed by. For Trump, everything is an opportunity for money. Winning and his presidency are solely about amassing cash.

Make Your Voice Heard This Saturday

Click here to find a No Kings rally near you. Then show up on March 28. Change our atmosphere that has been poisoned by our home grown fascists. Make it clear that the they are the minority and we are that we are the majority.

The cure for hopelessness is action.
What It’s All About

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT let Trump’s war distract you from his culpability in the Epstein crimes. Trump is trying to cloud your eyes with this war. That’s what it’s all about. Focus on the pedophilia.

  • 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.

    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.

The Rush To War And, Of Course, Money


POST 1266

This is an unusual day/time for letting you know about a new Disambiguation. It’s part of some good news, which is .  .  .

My web geeks tell me that they’ve fixed the spam inundation, which means that you can now enter your comments without getting the third degree from Captcha. So, speak!

The U.S. Stampede To War

A piece published in Dispatches from the Atlantic Council entitled Before striking Iran, Trump should answer these six questions explores what our bottomlessly ignorant President and State Department should have done before launching this illegal war. The questions are here, with my answers following them.

Questions and Answers

Q1: What is the objective of [this] military campaign?

First, foremost, middle and last, to distract from the Epstein case.

As to the military objective, nobody knows. It’s a vast cluelessness, callousness and official incompetence surrounded by tough guy posturing. See this sample of the White House videos.

Q2: What might Iran do in response?

There is no evidence that this was considered. But by now we know about their missile and drone strikes and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. You don’t suppose they might try some terrorist stuff, do you? Explosions? Cyber terrorism? Proxy uprisings?

Q3: Will Trump face any consequences this time around?

Oh, please, please, please.

Q4: [Wa]s there a feasible diplomatic off-ramp prior to conflict?

Yes, given that Iran posed no threat to the U.S. But Trump was too excited about looking like a tough guy flexing U.S. military muscle to bother with little impediments like diplomacy. Plus, there;s that wagging of the dog thing.

Q5: How will the Iranian people respond to a military campaign?

They will die and death will come from our bombs, missiles and drones.

Q6: What role will US regional partners play?

They will be targets for Iranian missiles and drones. They won’t lift a finger to help the war effort, nor will any U.S. ally.

We can add more questions, like:

Jax Q & A

Q7: What is the end game – the off ramp for ending this war?

There is none. Trump says bombing will stop “when I feel it, OK, feel it in my bones.” Yes, he said that.

Q8: Now that we’ve broken things, we own them, per the Pottery Barn rule as taught to us by Gen. Colin Powell. What are we prepared to do with the broken mess we’ve created?

Nothing. We will just turn our back to the suffering we’ve created. Think: Vietnam; Iraq; Libya; Syria; Afghanistan; Yemen; Somalia; Nigeria; Venezuela.

Q9: How will we repair relationships with the countries in the region that have suffered from Iranian bombardment, triggered by our display of our manly manliness?

Trump will tell them that nobody has ever seen anything like the rebuilding we’ll do. Then he will accept their bribes, which they will give, hoping for assistance. He will pocket the money and do nothing to help them.

Q10. How many dead American military is too many?

There is no number high enough to deter Trump from his Epstein distraction.

There is so much that should have been done way in advance of any hostilities at the direction of smart, wise experts in international affairs. But those people have been forced out of government service and replaced either by nobody, leaving us empty of expertise, or by know nothings and people who think war is a bar room video game.

Now the question is how we can get out of this mess. Trump will reject any solution that won’t leave him looking like a hero, the  likes of which nobody’s ever seen before, and keep us distracted from the Epstein criminal participants. Got any ideas?

Follow What?

After being forced out of office by the exposure of his criminality in the Watergate crimes, Nixon returned to his home in California and never admitted to any wrongdoing. Indeed, in an interview with David Frost in 1977 he defended himself, arrogantly declaring,”When the president does it, that means it is not illegal.” That was an echo of the long dead divine right of kings and a precursor to the divine right of Trump, a vicious Supreme Court perversion of our Constitution.

The advice to Woodward and Bernstein for investigating Watergate was, “Follow the money.” We can do that now to understand Trump’s illegal war against Iran.

Who benefits monetarily? The easiest way to think about that is to consider who benefits from greatly increased oil prices.

The U.S. is energy independent. The Straight of Hormuz may be blocked and 20% of the world’s oil supply may be choked off, but that doesn’t affect supplies here. The cost to produce a gallon of gas or diesel fuel has not increased a bit, but still the prices at the pump continue to rise.

You’re the loser because you are funding the expanding profits of oil companies. Watch those quarterly reports for confirmation. Trump’s billionaire friends thank you.

Who else benefits from this war? Certainly, the manufacturers of war matériel receive enormous contracts to replace our fabulously expensive drones, missiles, rockets, bullets, that refueling airplane that crashed and killed 6 of our people and yet more. Betcha those billionaire friends of Trump are sending him messages with hugs and kisses emojis.

How about Saudi Arabia? They hate the Iranians. They’re in a centuries old battle of Sunni/Shia, each side certain that Allah is on their side and the other side is a horde of horribles, which may actually be true in both directions. Betcha the Saudis are content to have Trump do the dirty work of pounding Iran. They just might be paying Trump handsomely for him to be their bounty hunter. Watch for more billions to be given to Jared Kushner.

Russia has gained a windfall of over $6 billion due to Trump releasing Russia from oil sanctions. How come Putin gains huge whenever Trump acts?

You get the idea. This war was a money con long before a shot was fired. We’ve been given bottomlessly stupid explanations for the reason for our attack, including that Trump “had a feeling” that the Iranians might possibly do something or other. We’ve been given a long string of implausible goals for this war with no consistency coming from the idio-scenti.*

Pay no attention to our over 200 mangled troops dumped into VA hospitals or the now 13 flag draped coffins that have arrived at Dover AFB. Hey, our President told us with a yawn that people die in war, you know?

And he calls them suckers and losers.

Ultimately, it’s simple: follow the money. But DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT be distracted from the Epstein case and Trump’s involvement.

I’m Not So Sure

Likely, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen, was unglued because he had lost four family members to an Israeli bombing in Lebanon last week. So, he did what any of us would do. He strapped on his rifle, mounted his explosives filled vehicle and rammed it into a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

In the aftermath of each of our unceasing episodes of religious and racial violence we regularly hear calls to our “shared humanity.” I’m not so sure that we have a shared humanity, except in a genetics sense. When someone is moved to violence against others, is that person’s humanity displaced or perhaps destroyed by uncontrollable rage? Did the killer of eleven at Tree Of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh share our humanity? It looked to me more like he was sharing his rage and his full magazines of bullets. Same at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston where nine were murdered. Same when ten were murdered at the Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo. Do we have a shared humanity with those murderers? I’m not feeling it.

Right now I’m not much in the mood to understand those who want to get their way by means of murder. There just isn’t much detectable humanity in them.

Come to think of it, that’s a lot like Trump jamming our military into where it doesn’t belong, getting his way by means of murder.

Spare me the calls to shared humanity.

Make Your Voice Heard

Click here to find a No Kings rally near you. Then show up on March 28.

The cure for hopelessness is action.

_________________________________________

* Cognoscenti – “people who are considered to be especially well informed about a particular subject.” My made-up idio-scenti is the opposite of that and is well displayed in this government.

  • 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.

    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.

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 and injuring over 130. 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 to 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 28. 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?

  • 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.

    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.
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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

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    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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    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.

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

    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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