Three Tales from Pete's Pentagon

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Our nation's highly decorated (tattooed) Secretary of Defense, former Fox News entertainer Pete Hegseth, clearly needs to be spending less time primping in his new Green Room and more time working in his office.  What follows are three noteworthy tales that were generated in his political domain just this week.

Pentagon Tale #1:

Pentagon and White House officials are struggling to come up with a plan for spending an additional $500 billion that Trump wants to give our military in the next fiscal year.  A normal budgeting routine would require a federal agency, such as the Pentagon, to come up with a list of needs and wants along with estimated costs, and then put that in a budget request, but the Trump administraation doesn't do "normal."  There ass-backwards approach has the President picking an arbitrary sum, much larger than they have ever received before, and the having the Pentagon come up with a plan for spending it.    

A half-trillion dollars just handed to the Pentagon without so much as even a simple request.  This, at a time when Americans are losing healthcare by the thousands, safety net programs - like school lunches and food stamps - are being cut willy-nilly, the cost of everything, and especially food, is on a steady rise thanks primarily to Trump's insane tariffs which are being paid by American consumers, and masked gestapo on the government payroll are in the streets threatening the safety and security of Americans.  It certainly sounds like a good time to give the military more money than it knows how to spend!

Pentagon Tale #2:

On the evening of January 29th, 2025, just nine days after the Trump administration came back into power, an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger airliner over the Potomac River near Reagan Airport in Washington, DC, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.  This year, with that particular air disaster as their focus, the United States Senate unanimousuly passed the "Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act, an air safety measure that would require almost all aircraft to use a technology that would transmit that aircraft's location.  Use of that technology would have prevented the mid-air disaster over the Potomac last January.

The ROTOR air safety bill provided exemptions for classified and high level military missions.

The Pentagon initially supported this important air safety regulation, but changed its mind after the bill went to the House.  The House took it up in a process that required a 2/3 majority in order to pass, and despite support from consumer safety groups and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), it still failed by two votes - with Speaker Johnson's entire leadership team voting against the measure.  Part of the Pentagon's logic in pulling its support from the bill was that it would create "significant unresolved budgetary burdens,"  (See Pentagon Tale #1)

The House is rushing to get an alternative bill to the floor, but it is not as widely supported at the original bill which was backed by families of air crash victims, safety advocates, air traffic controllers, pilots, flight attendants, airports, and regional airlines - but not a super majority in the US House of Representatives and the decision-makers at the Pentagon.

Pentagon Tale #3:

The Pentagon is currently in a feud with Anthropic, an artificial intelligence provider that, until recently, was the only AI model to have access to the Pentagon's classified networks.  Anthropic is apparently a company with a social conscience, something that does not fold well into the current administration's military strategies, both at home and abroad.  

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Last month Anthropic stirred concern in the Pentagon when it began asking questions about how its services had been used in Trump's takeover of Venezuela.  The company apparently has safeguards in place to prevent its AI model from being used to target weapons autonomously or to conduct US domestic surveillance.   Pentagon sources are calling such safeguards "Woke AI."

In summary: 

The Pentagon is about to receive more money than it knows how to spend, it has come out in opposition to commonsense air safety reforms, and it wants an AI system with no guardrails and one which will do the total bidding of whoever happens to be at the keyboard - including domestic surveillance!

Our tax dollars in action!

Mike Huckabee: The Soul of Diplomacy

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and governor of Arkansas, seemed to have fallen in over his head last week in an interview with rightwing podcaster Tucker Carlson.  Carlson asked the ambassador, a Trump appointee, about a biblical verse in which God promised Abraham and his descendants land "from the wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates - the land of the Kinites, Kenizzites,  Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.

The formidable patch of real estate, according to Tucker Carlson, would include (in addition to Israel),  Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and big parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.  

Ambassador Huckabee's initial response was that the Jewish state had a "biblical right" to that land.   He agreed that God had given it to Abraham and his descendants, and added:  "It would be fine if they took it all."

The governments of several Middle Eastern countries (primarily US allies) were not amused at the ambassador's careless remarks, and promptly condemned what he had said.   Huckabee, for his part, began backpedaling.  

Perhaps the preacher/diplomat had misread his scripture.

There was absolutely no point in jeopardizing future Trump/Kushner real estate deals in the region over one man's intrepretation of a Bible verse.

Big Ugly Ballroom Seems to be in Limbo

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

When Donald Trump had the East Wing of the White House torn down during the third week of October last year with no warning, reviews, requests for public comment, or authority to do so, he immediately began releasing statements about the ballroom that he intended to have built to replace it.  A poll immediately after that destruction (conducted by the Washington Post, ABC, and Ipsos) found that Americans disapprove of the project by 56% to 28% - or a two-to-one ratio.  That same poll showed 88% of Democrats and 61% of Independents are opposed to the new structure, while 62% of Republicans support it.

Trump released several plans and cost estimates for this monument to himself, and his latest announced estimates are that it will cost $300 million, seat 1,350, and have a footprint of approximately 90.000 square feet.  He says the costs won't be paid by taxpayers but instead will be covered by donations from his supporters (oligarch billionaires who are purchasing his favor).

On December 12, 2025, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed suit in Federal Court to prevent construction of Trump's new vanity ballroom until proper legal reviews can be completed.  The President, the National Park Service, and the US Department of the Interior have each been named as defendants in the case.

The Trust is arguing that the new structure will violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and that Congress has not authorized the construction.  A decision in the case is expected soon, and whichever side loses is certain to appeal.

One other development:  To no one's surprise, this month the Commission of Fine Arts, a group whose members have all been appointed by Donald Trump, approved the project.  That still does not get them past the pending federal court case.

It will be interesting to see what position the next Democratic nominee for President takes on the future of the ballroom project:  keep it and use it for big parties, keep it and repurpose the structure for the common good, or just bulldoze the sucker down.

Fools and Lapdogs

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

The US Supreme Court issued a ruling on Friday saying that Donald Trump does not have the authority to impose tariffs by personal whim.  Under most circumstances that is a power which the Constitution clearly gives to Congress.   The vote was six to three with the dissenters being Kavanaugh, Alito, and, of course, Clarence Thomas.  Three other conservative justices - Chief Justice Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, and Neil Gorsuch - joined with the three liberals - Sotomayer, Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson - to uphold the Constitution's mandate.

Trump, for his part, was quick with the name-calling and labeled the justices who opposed him "lapdogs and fools."  He also said they were "disloyal to our nation" and "very unpatriotic and disloyal to the Constitution."  (Piggy's social development got stuck in the "schoolyard bully" phase when he was ten.)

That ruling would have been a perfect opportunity for Trump to pull himself free of the very unpopular tariffs, but the man who can't accept a loss on anything, chose instead to double down and impose new tariffs - 10% on every nation - under the authority of the Trade Act of 1974,  another shaky basis for a President to be able to impose tariffs that will take at least another year in court to justify or throw out.  The following day he raised that new rate to 15 percent.

So attention Walmart shoppers, Trump is still reaching into your pockets despite the US Supreme Court telling him to leave you the hell alone.

Donald Trump realizes that it is actually us, the American people, who pay his tariffs every time we buy imported goods - and almost all goods seem to be imported these days.  Trump knows we are the ones paying -  he is not that stupid.   Revenue already collected from the Trump tariffs is into the billions of dollars, and Treasury Secretary Bessent says it could reach a trillion dollars by this June.  Most of that is money from American pockets and savings accounts, not those of people from other nations or from the pockets of the oligarchs who own and control most of the planet's resources and commerce.  

The US Supreme Court relieved us of that unfair tax burden - and the very same damned day Donald Trump foisted new tariffs on us from by a different act.  Piggy must be fed.  He plans to take $10 billion from our treasury and put it into his pseudo government agency, the Board of Peace, a slush fund that he, and he alone, will control - for life.  He is also talking about plans for suing OUR government for $10 billion because the Treasury Department released some of his tax records - something other politicians who run for President routinely do.  Piggy must be fed.

Piggy is doing very well for himself.  Whatever became of those $2,000 tariff rebates that he promised us?  Perhaps that money will be used to gold plate his new ballroom.

The US Supreme Court in its Friday ruling failed to address what to do about the tariffs which have already been collected from American consumers.  Some companies are preparing lawsuits in order to reclaim the money that they paid into tariffs (most of which was later incorporated into the price of their goods).  Here are three scenarios of how tariff refunds could play out:

1.  The courts could ultimately rule against the idea of refunding the tariffs, and Piggy would keep would keep his ill-gotten loot.   Or,  

2.  The courts could rule that the tariff money must be refunded, and the money would go back to the entities that actually handed it over to the US government in the first place - and many of those companies have already recouped their tariff money through sales to consumers.  The companies would therefore have a big case of "windfall" profits.   Or,  

3.  The corporate giants and oligarchs who own them could figure out a way to make cheerful refunds to their consumers, the people who actually paid the tariffs.   (Don't hold your breath for option number three.)

Maybe it's us, the American public, who are the "fools and lapdogs" to corporate criminals and sleazebag. politicians.  Just sayin' . . . 

Girls Buried Near Epstein Ranch in New Mexico?

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Donald Trump and his so-called "War" Department under the control of Stephen Miller and the highly decorated (tattooed) Secretary of "War" and former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, are making serious noises about going to war with Iran somethime during the next few days.  Trump's primary purpose for risking American lives, squandering taxpayer money, and destabilizing the geopolitics of the Middle East is to draw attention away from the world furor over the Epstein files.

But no matter what distractions and sideshows Trump pumps into the daily news cycles, the Epstein files simply will not disappear.  Somebody, somewhere is always fanning the flames of discontent and rage over the horrors associated with Trump's long-time friend, Jeffrey Epstein.  

This week the former Prince Andrew of Great Britain was arrested for allegedly sharing secrets of state with Jeffrey Epstein, a crime that could result in life in prison for the 66-year-old second son of Queen Elizabeth.  Andrew is the first senior British royal to be arrested in more than four centuries, and even though he has officially lost the title of "Prince," he remains eighth in line to the British throne.  Andrew's arrest stands in stark contrast to the reluctance (refusal) of the United States government to seriously investigate any prominent Americans associated with Epstein, a fact that is not being ignored by the international press.

The voluminous criminal files on Jeffrey Spstein that the US government has collected over the past two decades on Jeffrey Epstein are under the fierce protection of US Attorney General Pam Bondi, another Fox News personality retread.  Even though Congress passed a bill with near unanimity ordering the Justice Department to release all of the Epstein files, and even though Donald Trump (reluctantly) siged that bill into law, the Justice Department has been slow to act and quick to obfuscate. Some believe that Ms Bondi, under the direction of the President and his administration, is deliberately impeding the full implementation of the law.

Now, however, the American public may have another opening for access to the Epstein files.

The state of New Mexico is reopening an old investigation into potential crimes that may have occurred at a property owned by Mr. Epstein outside of Santa Fe called the "Zorro Ranch," and to pursue that investigation, New Mexico is requesting "unredacted" files on Jeffery Epstein from the US Justice Department.  The following is from Reuters News Service this past Wednesday, February 18th:

"New Mexico's Department of Justice said on Wednesday that the state was investigating an allegation, which emerged from documents released by the US Department of Justice, that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein ordered the bodies of two foreign girls buried outside of his remote New Mexico ranch."

Authorities in New Mexico have requested an unredacted copy of the 2019 email in which that allegaation was made, but so far the US Department of Justice is sitting on that request.

The New Mexico legislature has launched a comprehensive investigation into accusations that Epstein sexually abused girls and women at his Zorro Ranch in New Mexico.  Numerous requests for unredacted records will be generated by that investigation.

What does Pam Bondi do as states begin demanding copies of the Epstein files for their own investigations - such as New Mexico is now doing?   Does she continue to stonewall and drag her feet, or does she finally do the right thing and obey both the letter and the spirit of the law?

Pam, you are already under the bus.  Quit biting the tires and do your damned job!

Like Sticking Your Hand in a Weed Eater

 

by Pa Rock

Animal Lover

Yesterday was like spring in the Ozarks.  The temperature was in the seventies, the skies were bright blue, there were breezes and wind gusts, God was in her heaven, and all was right with the world.

I had a doctor's appointment in Mountain Home, Arkansas, fifty miles southwest of my home in southern Missouri.   That appointment gave me an excuse to drive through a beautiful portion of the Ozarks and enjoy the fine day.  

I hadn't been on the road more than fifteen minutes when I came across three chickens, two black hens and a black rooster, scratching for bugs near the road.  That got me to thinking about the various poultry that I have had at The Roost over the years - and about how much I missed having chickens in my own yard hunting bugs and causing endless commotion.   By the time I reached Mountain Home I had reached a firm decision to get back in the chicken game, and this time I would go with Black Australorps because those I had come across by the road were beautiful.

I stopped at the local feed store on my way home to pick up a chick order form.  The last time I bought chicks, five or six years ago, pullet (girl) chicks were around four dollars each, and cockrells (boy) chicks were two dollars - and that was too damned high!   When I picked up the order form yesterday, I was shocked to see that pullet chicks are now six dollars - all varieties, and cockrells are four dollars.  The hatcheries are awfully proud of their babies.  Somehow or other, those outrageous prices are Trump's fault!

But, outrageous prices or not, it is now twenty-four hours later and I am still intent on getting some baby chicks.  I am also going to get a few guinea chicks, but those are normally only available from local individuals at poultry swap meets.   The swap meets are usually on Saturday mornings - and are always an interesting experience.

Yesterday afternoon I took Rosie to the vet.  He saw her two weeks ago over a cough that had me concerned.   He put her on ten days of antibiotics, and after that the cough had become wheezy and more concerning - so we went back yesterday.  He has now put her on two more pills.  She was already on one for a heart murmur.

Rosie does not like going to the vet.  She begins to tremble when we drive onto his parking lot, and her shakes continue throughout each visit.    That's not unusual.  I've noticed that many pets begin being noisy or acting erratic when they are brought into his office.  Yesterday Rosie displayed her anger toward me for taking her to the vet by swapping humans.  She walked to the far end of the bench on which we were sitting, and sat down next to and older woman who was holding a small dog on her lap.  Rosie sat next to the stranger until we were called in.   Everyone in the waiting room thought that was funny, except Pa Rock, of course.

Rosie's vet is one of the kindest and smartest people I know, and very easy to talk to.   He understands that many family pets are not fond of having thermometers stuck up their butts or being jabbed with needles - and he takes their disdain of him in stride.  I told him about Rosie being mad at me and trading humans in the waiting room, and he thought that was hysterical, even though I was still miffed over the betrayal.

Rosie, who is not a fan of pills, had been taking her daily one mixed into a small glob of peanut butter, but lately she has tired of that, so we talked about other ways to administer pills to small pets.    (Today I tried wrapping it in cheese and that worked well.  Maybe when she tires of that I will go back to peanut butter.) The vet did tell me that giving pills to dogs was infinitely easier than giving them to cats - who have sharp teeth - and claws.  He described trying to give pills to a cat as being "like sticking your hand in a weed eater!"

That brought me back to earth - things can always be worse - and I quit my bitchin' - except about the price of chickens!

The United States Should be a Good Neighbor

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

I mentioned in this space a few days ago that I took part in an educational tour to Cuba in 2016, arriving just days after the Obama's left,  It was the experience of a lifetime and one I will never forget, and, if given the opportunity, I would jump at the chance to go back for another visit.  I made friends on that tour, which was sponsored by The Nation magazine, not only among the other travelers who were on the same tour, but also among the many ordinary Cubans with whom I interacted during those several days of learning and exploration.

There were plenty of problematic issues endemic to the island to be sure, but it was not the police state that I had been conditioned over decades to expect.  I got out in the evenings and walked the streets of Havana without fear of the locals or the police, and, in fact, I don't think I saw over a half-dozen uniformed police the entire time i was there.  I did see a few uniformed soldiers also, but not many.  For the most part the people were open, friendly, and as curious about me as I was about them.

The food and drinks were good,  and reasonably priced, and there were hundreds of vintage US automobiles from the 1950's cruising the streets and offering taxi services, so it was easy to get around. 

The most significant problem that I encountered was WiFi reception.   Our group stayed at The Capri hotel, one of the two or three nicest in Havana, and even there WiFi was sketchy to non-existent.  One of the "friends" I made on the island was a young man who worked at the hotel who tried in vain one evening for an hour or so to get me connected to the internet.  I did hear that there was a park in Havana where it was possible to snag free WiFi and most of the young people went there.  The guy who was helping me shared that Cubanos were very resourceful because they had to be.

But that was then, and this is now.  

Today there are severe shortages of food and energy on the island, and the United States is responsible for much of the suffering that is occurring there.  The United States has had a a trade embargo on the island nation since 1960, and it has become the longest-lasting trade embargo in effect anyplace on the globe.  For many years US citizens traveling to Cuba had to fly out of Canada or Mexico, but things loosened up considerably under President Obama, and he, his wife, mother-in-law, and two daughters spent several days there int the spring of 2016. When Trump came into office the following year, he quickly bent to the will of the Cuban immigrant community in south Florida and shut down as much travel to the island as he could.  Most of the Cuban immigrants and their descendants are strong Republicans - with dreams of one day returning to Cuba and taking back the family property that they or their families abandoned during the revolution.

The current economic situation and supply shortages are due to the continuing American embargo, the US takeover of Venezuela which severed Cuba's major source of fuel, triple-digit inflation, and shortages of food and medicine.    The Cubans are in a dire situation and in need of humanitarian aid, something which will not be addressed by the US government of Donald Trump or our Cuban-American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.

Cuba is no longer a pariah on the world stage and a few countries are beginning to step into the economic breach with assistance and supplies, chief among them is Mexico.  Last week, our neighbor to the south had its navy deliver 814 tons of relief aid to Cuba, clearly not enough to stem the hunger and suffering of the people, but certainly a start toward that goal.  Mexico also sent assistance and aid to California to deal with its wildfires, and they sent support to Texas during that state's disastrous floods of a couple of years ago.

In 2005, following hurricane Katrina, Cuba offered to send a brigade of 1,586 doctors and 36 tons of medical supplies to the US Gulf Coast to assist with relief efforts, but the Bush administration rejected the offer - again due to concern over offending Cuban Republican voters in Florida.

Mexico is a good neighbor.    Cuba has been a good neighbor to much of the Americas.  The United States of America should also be a good neighbor.  

Buddhist Monks Walk for Peace

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Having spent four years of my adult life living in the Orient, I have more than a passing familiarity with Buddhism.  I have visited in family homes and observed small shrines set up within the homes that pay homage to Buddha and his teachings.  I have also been in several Buddhist temples, or places of worship, and observed adherents in quiet contemplation.   I had many friends who were Buddhists, and I always felt at ease and welcome in their presence.

I also had occasional encounters with Buddhist monks, and always found them to be welcoming as well and often quite engaging.  One of my more memorable encounters with a Buddhist monk was at an orphanage which he was helping to run in Vietnam.  The man was carrying a baby on his shoulder and asked me if I would like to hold the infant, which I did.   While I had the baby pressed up against my shoulder, the monk, who was probably ten or fifteen years younger than me, reached over aand patted my belly and made a reference to me looking like Buddha.  It was funny, and I laughed with the wise-ass holy man.

On October 26th of last year a group of nineteen Theravada Buddhist monks set out from Ft. Worth, Texas, on foot for what would become a 108-day "march for peace" as they slowly made their way south, then east, and then north to Washington, DC, around 2,300 road miles.  Peace walks are a cherished tradition of Theravada Buddhism.  Two members were injured along the way when a truck hit one of their escort vehicles on a road near Houston, Texas.  One of the monks had his leg amputated as a result of that accident, but he was able to rejoin the effort in a wheelchair as the group neared Washington, DC, a couple of months later.   They arrived at their destination last week, on February 10th.  The walking monks had averaged just over 21 miles per day.  

While the weather was at times cold, wet, and generally inclement, the monks, dressed in traditional robes, marched on.  Some photos reveal that they wore a variety of footwear including rugged outdoor shoes, sandals, and what appeared to resemble white, vinyl shower shoes.

The walking monks were accompanied by their rescue dog, Aloka.  They made stops to promote their message of peace along the way at churches and government buildings.  The monks were widely followed on social media during their three months on the road.  Their beautiful gesture drew much attention and admiration.  Thousands of American gathered along the way to stand in quiet reverence and show their support for the monks and their message.

Maybe if we all engaged in long walks for peace, we wouldn't have time for anger and being so bitterly divided.  And maybe if Pa Rock spent more time walking, he woujld't look like the Buddha!

Thank you, venerable sirs, for your sacrifice and service to humanity. You are an inspiration to the world.

The Day Our Family Sang Happy Birthday to Jesse Jackson

 

by Pa Rock

Retired Missouri Teacher

The Reverend Jesse Jackson, an icon of the American civil rights movement, passed away at his home in Chicago earlier today from a malady related to Parkinson's Disease,  He had been in poor health for several years and unable to speak during the last few weeks of his life, a tragic circumstance for one of the great orators of his time.  He was 84 at the time of his death.

Jesse Jackson was born to an unwed mother in South Carolina on October 8, 1941, and went on to become a football star at his segregated high school, and a college graduate.   By the time he reached his early twenties he was working as a close aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and was standing just a few feet away from the great man when he was gunned down in front of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis in 1968.  Jackson went on to be a leader in the civil rights and peace movement, and he twice ran for the Democratic nomination or President of the United States in the 1980's.

My family an I crossed paths with Reverend Jackson one time, and it happened to be on October 8, 1981, a Thursday, on the occasion of his 40th birthday.   He was a keynote speaker with the Missouri National Education Association (MNEA) conference in Springfield, Missouri, an event that was held in the same venue and in conjunction with the larger Missouri State Teachers' Association conference.  Schools across the state closed that Thursday and Friday in order for their teachers to attend the big statewide gathering.  

My wife and I were both Missouri teachers at the time with the Mountain View-Brich Tree R-III School District, and we attended that conference with our three small children in tow:  Nick (aged 8), Molly (4), and Tim (2. - barely!).  I think we only stayed for the morning session, to hear Rev. Jackson's speech, and then went out and had some fun - perhaps heading over to the Springfield Zoo, one of our favorite places.

I remember telling the kids to pay attention at the man speaking because someday he might be President.  It will be interesting to see if any of them:  a. read this blog posting, or b. actually do remember hearing Jesse Jackson speak that day.  But we were there - and were part of the several hundred who sang "Happy Birthday" to him that morning long ago.

Jesse Jackson had a good run at life and will long be remembered as a person of peace and action who did much to improve the lives of the masses, and particularly the voiceless and oppressed.  It was an honor and a privilege just to have been in the same room with him - and especially on the day he turned forty!

Rest in peace, Reverend Jackson, and thank you for your seervice to the world.

Minneapolis Nominated for 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

The Nation magazine, founded by abolitionists just after the close of the Civil War in 1865, is this country's oldest, continually published news magazine, and an unapologetic upholder of progressive ideals.   I am a longtime reader and admirer of The Nation magazine, though I am loathe to admit that I have let my subscription lapse - something that I need fix - perhaps today.

But I have done more than just enjoy the in-depth political articles featured in The Nation, I have also participated in their educational and cultural activities.   In December 0f 2009 I went on a Caribbean cruise with The Nation that was jam-packed with lectures by prominent political commentators and observers.  I had the opportunity to meet and visit with such noteworthy individuals as The Nation's editor and publisher, Katrina vanden Heuvel, acclaimed novelist E.L. Doctorow, and former Vermont governor and presidential candidate Howard Dean.  Seven years later I again traveled with The Nation, that time on an educational tour to Cuba where I had to opportunity to meet and listen to several Cuban political activists and government officials, attend cultural events, tour a tobacco plantation and cigar-making operation, spend a night with a family in a private home in a small town, and walk the streets of Havana, day and night, at my leisure.

So The Nation and I have a history.

That is why I was so very pleased to learn that The Nation magazine has officially nominated the city of Minneapolis, and its humane and courageous citizens, for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.  When their city came under open assault by the federal government in January, the people stayed relatively calm and observant as they protested their city's occupation by masked invaders who operated under the color of government.  They gathered peacefully when the masked ICE agents put their neighbor's safety and freedom at risk, sang, chanted, observed, blew whistles, and recorded (often with videos) the activities of the invaders.  In the end, after two murders by ICE agents, the federal government began the removal of its forces.  Non-violent resistance clearly won day.  Peace was returning.

The restoration of peace and order by citizens adhering to non-violent tactics is exactly what the world's most pre-eminent peace prize should be about.

Kudos to The Nation magazine for recognizing Minneapolis and its citizens for their exceptionally brave, resolute, and peaceful response to the tyranny of the ICE invasion.   They deserve the honor of the Nobel Peace Prize, and The Nation deserves our thanks for helping to shine a light on a proud city and its patriotic and defiant citizenry!

On to Oslo!

My Granddaughter, the Protester

 

by Pa Rock

Extremely Proud Grandpa

Traces of the 1960's still linger.

This past Thursday I received an email from my youngest son, Tim, who lives with his family in the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City, telling me that he and Erin's oldest child, Olive, age 14, had been involved in a student walkout at her high school the previous day.  Olive and over four hundred of her fellow students left the school during the final hour of classes and marched down the town's main drag, Johnson Drive, protesting the despicable Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that are taking place across the United States.

The numerous videos of the event that have been posted on-line show the mass of young people with their homemade signs and exuberant spirits taking up a lane of the town's main thorofare and the adjacent sidewalks as they marched several blocks.  Local police showed up to help manage the demonstration and the traffic.  The Kansas City Star described the event thusly:

"Hundreds of Shawnee Mission North High School students participated in a student-led walkout on Wednesday afternoon to protest US Immigration Customs Enforcement.  Students walked along Johnson drive for several blocks, holding handmade signs that bore pro-immigration messages and opposition to the federal agency.

"Police officers blocked traffic and cars honked in support of the students as they walked down the busy street.  Several students walked holding Guatemalan, Cuban, and American flags."

There were also student walkouts at several other schools in that area last week.

Some of the clever signs from the Shawnee Mission North demonstration that I saw posted on the Internet included:  "Morons Are Governing America," "No Decent Human has a Heart Made of ICE," "Stop Pretending Your Racism is Patriotism."   

I spoke with Olive on Friday to tell her how very proud I was of her stance in support immigrants and oppressed peoples.  She told me that most of her school had participated, but that a few students chose to remain at the school, as is their right.  She said she saw one anti-protestor, an angry old man who was yelling at the kids, but overall it seemed to have been a very positive experience.

Olive's decrepit old grandfather, himself a former high school principal, knows that not all education happens in the classroom, and in Shawnee Mission this past Wednesday a big dose of it occurred out in the streets.  Several hundred young people now have a deeper understanding of our current political realities, and they have personally experienced the power of the First Amendment to the US Constitution.  Good work, Shawnee Mission!  Thank you for standing up for true American values!

Salute!

RFK, Jr Sticks his Nose on the Crapper

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

In the panoply of horrors inflicted on the United States by the Triump administration, a new one was burnt into the American psyche this week when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr,  told podcaster Theo Von and his listeners that he had no fear of germs and had, in fact, snorted cocaine off of toilet seats.

(If the US Treasury is looking for more iconic Trump administration images to portray on dollar coins for this summer's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, they might consder Kennedy putting the moves on a commode.  I would invest in a few of those!)

Kennedy, who was a long-term (14-year) heroin addict in his youth, has been in "recovery" since the early 1980's.    A big part of that process  focuses on admitting post failures and being open about them, so kudos to Bobby for owning up to the mistakes of his troubled youth, and I certainly wish him nothing but continued success in his fight to stay clean and sober.

That said, it would still be good if he would step away from his government position and allow trained and qualified individuals to direct our nation's health programs and agencies.   The effects of a parasitic brainworm and years of hard drug abuse have taken their toll on a man who was essentially unqualified for the job anyway.

Measles are serious, and deadly.  Flu is serious, and deadly.  Covid is serious, and deadly.  And so are dozens of other diseases that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have been working for years to eradicate or at least keep under control.  

Bobby, as an American you are free to make your own medical decisions and put what you want into your own body,  but your years of bad choices should not be allowed to inform how the rest of us live our lives and treat our own bodies.    Resign, go home, and eat whatever you damned well please - and don't saddle the rest of us with your crackpot ideas and Facebook gibberish.

You are not a qualified medical or science professional, so please quit acting like you are.  Resign!

Federal Judge Knows Which Way the Wind Blows!

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

I like judges who know which way the wind blows!

Senator Mark Kelly and five members of Congress released a video in November of last year in which they correctly informed members of the United States military that their oaths were to the US Constitution and not to political leaders, and they made it clear that troops do not have to follow illegal orders, and, in deed, should not do so.  Donald Trump and our tattooed and inexperienced Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, did not agree, loudly, and Trump referred to the act of creating the video as "seditious behavior" and called the members of the US House and Senate who took part in it "traitors."

In early January of this year Hegseth announced plans to censure Senator Kelly and potentially reduce his rank (Navy Commander) and his retirement pay.  Senator Kelly, a former combat pilot and astronaut, was not in the mood to tolerate adolescent abuse from a former Fox News weekend host, and instead took the matter to court.

Yesterday a federal judge blocked Pete Hegseth from punishing Senator Mark Kelly.  US District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the Pentagon "trampled" on Senator Kelly's First Amendment rights.  In his comments on the case, Judge Leon quoted American poet and songwriter (and winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature) Bob Dylan with a line from Dylan's 1965 hit,"Subterranean Homesick Blues."  In referencing the Pentagon's trumped-up case against the senator, Judge Leon took note of the true motive of trying to silence free speech, and said, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."

Trump and Pete Hegseth have clearly lost it, but Dylan never will!

Now, for a walk down memory lane:

Subterranean Homesick Blues

by Bob Dylan   (1965)

Johnny's in the basement, mixin' up the medicine

I'm on the pavement thinkin' about the government

The man in a trench coat, badge out, laid off

Says he's got a bad cough, wants to get it paid off

Look out kid, it's somethin' you did

God knows when, but you're doin' it again

You better duck down the alleyway, looking for a new friend

The man in the coon-skin cap in a pig pen

Wants eleven dollar bills, you only got ten

Maggie comes fleet foot, face full of black soot

Talkin' that the heat put plants in the bed, but

The phone's tapped anyway.  Maggie says that many say

They must bust in early May, orders from the DA

Look out kid, don't matter what you did

Walk on your tip-toes, don't try NoDoz

Better stay away from those that carry around a fire hose

Keep a clean nose, watch the plainclothes

You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

Oh, get sick, get well, hang around a inkwell

Hang bail, hard to tell if anything is gonna sell

Try hard, get barred, get back, write braille

Get jailed, jump bail, join the Army if you fail 

Look out, kid, you're gonna get hit

By losers, cheaters, six-time users

Hanging 'round the theaters

Girl by the whirlpool's lookin' for a new fool

Don't follow leaders, and watch the parking meters

So sayeth the Nobel laureate.  How's that for "woke," Pete?  Piggy?

You-Know-Who and Gordie Howe International Bridge

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Donald Trump endorsed a new bridge between Windsor, Ontario (Canada) and Detroit, Michigan (US) in 2017, the first year of his first term in office.   The purpose of the new bridge was to alleviate the congested traffic on the existing Ambassador Bridge which currently connects the two cities across the Detroit River.  The existing Ambassador Bridge is currently the biggest international truck crossing between the US and Canada, and approximately 10,000 vehicles a day transport around 80,000 people across the border using that bridge, primarily to get to and from work.  Having a reliable way to get across the river is an important economic factor for both countries.

The new bridge, which has been named the "Gordie Howe Bridge" in honor of the hockey star, a Canadian who played for the Detroit Redwings for 25 years, is now nearly finished.  It was conceived in Canada through a partnership with the US state of Michigan.  Michigan was to have borne half of the cost, but a subsequent Michigan legislature decided not to pay for its half of the project.  The Canadians continued with the construction with the understanding that they would recoup the more than $6 billion in costs through tolls, and when that debt was paid, Michigan, would once again be a full partner.

A large quantity of US planning, steel, cement, and labor have gone into the project.

It was a workable solution until Donald Trump, vintage 2026, got involved and began demanding a share of the bridge for the United States.  Trump has stirred animosities with Canada since he began his second term in office last year by imposing tariffs on Canadian imports to the US and making off-the-wall suggestions that the United States should own Canada and give them representation in Congress equivalent to that of one US state.  The government of Canada is understandably not eager to hand over a major portion of their new bridge to someone many view as tempestuous and erratic.

The family which owns the existing bridge has made contributions to several Michigan and US Republican politicians, including Trump, and they have remained politically active in trying to stop the new  bridge's construction.    Then, enter Trump as the bridge is almost complete, barking demands and stirring the political pot.

Trump reneged on his initial support of the very expensive project, and now that it is nearly complete, he wants to move in and claim half of it, even though half will belong to Michigan as soon as the construction costs have been recouped.  He clearly is not a man of his word, and his greed-based actions reflect badly on him and on the country he leads.  Trump speaks for the United States, and if he is deemed by the world to be unsteady and unreliable, the rest of our country will be viewed through that same lens.

Probably the most expedient way out of the mess that Trump is manufacturing would be to name the new bridge the "Donald J. Trump and Gordie Howe International Bridge," with Trump's name being first, and then the government of Canada purchasing a significant amount of crypto from the Trump family business.

Canada, that is a serious recommendation.

(You can pull his name off the bridge the day he leaves office, there are plenty of people on this side of the border who will help, but you will probably have to eat the crypto.)

Has the Singularity Arrived?

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

It was fifteen years ago tomorrow that I first mentioned the concept of the "Singularity" in this blog, a notion developed by people who study trends and advancements in technology.   The premise of the singularity is that by the year 2045 computer capabilities will be enhanced to the point that they be able to program and operate themselves and no longer require the assistance of humans.   Doomsayers promptly equated the arrival of the "Singularity" with the ultimate downfall and perhaps even the extinction of humanity.  Since that first posting which ran on February 12, 2011, I have posted three subsequent pieces on the same topic in this blog, and guest blogger Ranger Bob, also took note of it on one occasion.  (All of those articles may be found and accessed by using the search bar at the top of this page.)

At 3:00 a.m. on January 4th of this year, the world's best known ketamine enthusiast, Elon Musk, posted a tweet on "X," a social media platform which he owns and controls, which said simply:

"We have entered the Singularity."

Musk, who like his buddy, Trump, uses social media to grab attention and stir controversy, was referring to the world's headlong rush into the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), something in which he is deeply involved, and he did fan the fires of concern over this rapidly evolving field of endeavor.

Yesterday there was an opinion piece online in the news source, The Guardian, that was written by Samuel Woolley, a professor at the University of Pittsburg, which basically stood against Musk's notion that the singularity was already upon us.  While humanity and its computers are headed that direction,  Professor Woolley argues that the actual Singularity is still quite a ways into the future.  In discussing the AI bots that are springing up around the internet, which he refers to as "agents" of Artificial Intelligence, the professor, an expert on bots, said this:

"These so-called "agents" don't have agency the way people do, and they aren't intelligent in the way people are.  In fact, they are mostly reflections of people.  Like the social bots that came before them, they are encoded with human ideas and biases because they are trained on human data and designed by human engineers.  Most of them also operate via mundane automation, not actual AI (a term that continues to be rigorously disputed and debated by scientists)."

So, Professor Woolley's response to Elon Musk seems to be "go back to bed and try again when you are feeling better."

Elon may have jumped the gun in declaring that we are in the "Singularity," but we are certainly still headed in that direction and becoming more and more dependent on computers in managing and conducting our daily lives - and things are moving at a much faster pace than they were fifteen years ago.

The Singularity is still coming - fast - so buckle up, buttercup!

An Outrageous Misuse of the US Military

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

There was a major story in the news a couple of months ago when six members of Congress got together and issued a statement to the members of the United States military reminding them that they take an oath to the Constitution and not to a President - and that they should not follow illegal orders.  That extremely bold statement of fact so enraged the tattooed primate who heads the Department of Defense that he said he would commence action to bring at least one member of the congressional delegation back to active duty, court-martial him, and have his rank and retirement pay reduced.

That past Trump administration outrage came to mind this week when I read a story indicating that the military was again issuing orders or strongly encouraging troops to do something that might run counter to their personal belief systems and clearly have nothing to do with the defense of the nation.  The Military Religious Freedom Foujdation (MRFF), a private watch-dog group whose focus is on keeping the military and its commanders from imposing religious beliefs and points of view on the troops, issued a report indicating that service members were being encouraged or ordered to go and watch the Netflix documentary "Melania," an homage to the First Lady for which the Trump family pocketed $40 million.

The MRFF's report said that it had received reports from eight installations stating that commanders had either urged or directed troops to attend showings of the film, with some of the commanders making it a mandatory unit activity event, and with at least one of those unit activity events requiring attendance in order to avoid a penalty.  The MRFF also noted that some of the commanders involved had also been known for wearing MAGA hats,.

The Department of Defense has stated that there is no official directive requiring service members to see the film "Melania."

Some things are just understood.

What an outrageous misuse of the United States military!

New Mexico Stands Tall for Families and Humanity

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

I have crossed New Mexico several times over the years, mostly along the main highway corridor that runs east-to west and was known as "Route 66" when I was a child traveling with my parents to visit relatives in California.  Today that same basic roadway is known as Interstate 40, a relatively straight four-lane that goes from Texas to Arizona and connects the cities of Tucumcari (in the east) to Santa Rosa, Albuquerque, Grants, and Gallup (in the west). It's a famous passage with lots of history, and always brings to mind that famous rhythm and blues standard, "(Get Your Kicks on) Interstate 40."

My most memorable trip to New Mexico was in 1994 when, as a fairly new employee with the state of Missouri, I had already earned so much "comp time" from shuffling foster students around on weekends and evenings, that I was ordered to take some time off rather than the state risk having to buy it from me at some later date.  I hadn't been on a train since I was in elementary school, and a friend who was a travel agent (remember those?) convinced me to take a train from Kansas City and go someplace.  I studied the rail maps and wound up choosing a place I had never been before, but one which contained much in the way of history and places of cultural interest - Santa Fe, New Mexico.  

Santa Fe was not on the AmTrak rail line, but the train company ran a shuttle service that transported passengers between the train station in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, roughly 60 miles or a one-hour trip.  I spent a week in downtown Santa Fe at a decent motel and explored many sights including the old historic plaza, San Miguel Chapel (built in 1610) and the oldest church in the continental US, the state capitol building, and so much more.  It was a wonderful trip and I met many very nice people there.  I always intended to return to Santa Fe someday, but never have.

New Mexico has featured prominently in the news a couple of times over the past few months for what I consider to be very commendable reasons.   Both focused on bills passed by the state's very progressive legislature and signed into law by New Mexico's  forward-looking Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The first of Governor Lujan Grisham's progressive measures was the no-cost, universal child care program (UCC) which became law last November and eliminated income-limits for state-subsidized child care assistance up through the age of thirteen.  More children with state-approved child care meant more parents being able to work or get an education - something other states, such as my own state of Missouri, have yet to figure out.

And this past week the state of New Mexico took a significant step to limit the power of Trump's masked and marauding secret ICE army when the governor signed the "Immigrant Safety act" into law.  The new legislation prohibits state and lcoal governments from entering into or renewing contracts with federal immigration authorities (ICE) for civil detention.  In other words, the state of New Mexico will not assist ICE in locking up its residents.  It also prohibits public land and facilities from being used for immigration detention.

While most of the nation is still focused on subjugating women and people of color, New Mexico stands tall and is stepping into the future by building a more affordable and safer environment for all of tis people.

¡Felicitaciones gobernadora Michelle Lujan Grisham y al pueblo de Nuevo Mexico!

An Unhinged Bottom Feeder

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Barack and Michelle Obama have something that Donald Trump will never possess:  class.

One of my first acts of consciousness each morning is to check the news headlines on my phone.  Ths past Friday morning I found an oddball story in one minor news source that was so shocking I assumed it had to be fake.  The story said that Trump had stayed up late the previous night banging out tweets and reposting memes.   That part was easy to believe, but then it went on to say that a few minutes before midnight he had posted a video showing Barack an Michelle Obama's faces on the bodies of apes.

No, that couldn't have happened, I surmised.  Not even Donald John Trump was that racist and stupid, and even if he was, surely someone on his staff is in charge of monitoring his social media postings and would not have let that remain up.

The story didn't appear in the other news sources whose headlines I read in the mornings, and National Public Radio (NPR), one of my primary news sources, wasn't covering it on their morning news programming.  But when I checked in with NPR around noon, they were covering it and noted that equating Blacks with apes was "a long-standing racist trope from the Jim Crow era used to dehumanize Black people."

As the uproar began to pick up steam, the White House responded by sending Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt out before the cameras to mock the press for trying to turn it into a big deal.  When that didn't work, Trump began spitting out statements and excuses:  He hadn't posted it.  A staffer had posted it but hadn't reviewed the entire thing and seen the part featuring the Obamas.  No, the staffer had not been fired.  Okay, he (Trump) had posted it, but he had not viewed the entire thing either.  No, he (Trump) had done nothing wrong,  And, no, he (Trump) would not apologize.  Case closed.  The meme was up for 12 hours before finally being pulled down.

The reviews poured in:  US Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black GOP member of the Senate, called it "the most racist thing to come out of the White House."  GOP Rep. Mike Lawler of New York called the post "wrong and incredibly offensive" and said it should be withdrawn and an apology offered.  Republican Senator Roger Wicher of Mississippi called the video "unacceptable" and requested that Trump apologize.  Senator Ricketts of Nebraska, another Republican, also expressed outrage.

Susan Collins, a Republican senator from Maine, referred to the posting as "appalling."  Rep. Mike Turner, a Republican from Ohio, called it "heartbreaking and unacceptable," and said Trump should apologize.   GOP Senator John Curtis of Utah called it "blatantly racist and inexcusable" and said it should have never been posted or left up for so long.

And those were just the Republicans reacting.  The Democrats tended to be even more offended.  

Democrat Chuck Schumer, the minority leader in the Senate, called the posting "racist," "vile," and "abhorrent."  Democratic Representative Maxine Waters said the meme was "brazen" and "racist," but said she wasn't surprised because "that is who Trump is."

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas said:

"Most of us already know who Donald Trump is.  We already know there are no bounds to how low he's willing to go.  We know he has no moral compass.  We know that his behavior is a disgrace.  So while his behavior is not shocking, it is certainly disgiusting and disturbing."

But it was Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader of the US House, whose summary was the most poetic.  Jeffries said in a video on Instagram:

"F*** Donald Trump and his vile, racist, and ignorant behavior.  This guy is an unhinged bottom feeder."

Well, f*** yeah, he is!

The racist meme stayed up for twelve hours, and Trump, who claimed no responsibility because he had not viewed it in its one-to-two-minute entirety before posting, declined to apologize to the Obamas over the egregious insult.  Trump, who bullied his way into national political prominence with claims that Barack Obama had been born in Kenya, does not do apologies.

Here's hoping Barack and Michelle Obama, armed with their Harvard law degrees, sue the shirt off of Donald Trump's back - and take his golf cart, too!  $50 billion sounds about right!  

Narcissism in a Raging Mode

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

A great deal of my professional training and education was in the field of clinical social work, and while much of my professional career was as an educator, I did spend the last quarter of my working career as a licensed clinical social worker with the US military.  I also have a copy of the "Diagnostical and Statistical Manual of mental Disorders (DSM-5)" within easy reach of where I sit typing this morning, so I do have a working knowledge of mental health issues.  On December 24th of last year I posted a piece in this blog on a mental health condition called Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).  It was short, and it follows here as a preamble to something else that I wish to share.  Bear with me.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a recognized mental health condition.   People with the disorder often exhibit a heightened sense of self-importance, a desire to be admired, and a lack of empathy for others.  They expect special treatment, seek constant praise, believe they deserve special privileges, and exploit others without regard for their needs or feelings.

While narcissists are the type of people others generally try to avoid in social situations, if they possess money or power, they can command attention, an ability which feeds into their mental health disorder.

A raging narcissist might soothe his inner demons by placing his name on buildings, or golf courses, or battleships.   He might place his image on things like coins, or gild his home and work space as though it was some royal splendor from ages past.  He might try to increase his self-importance by seizing things which do not belong to him.  He would very likely take great care in his personal appearance and go to extremes to appear younger and more virile than he actually is.

A narcissist is not a person who would be expected to rush out and help a friend in need.  He might profess interest or friendship, but only while it was of direct benefit to himself and his own interests.  He would not make a good confidant, babysitter, or neighbor - and he should certainly not be trusted with power, responsibility, or money.

The primary and consuming interest of a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder is himself.   Once others are aware of that and internalize it, the commotion and distractions caused by the narcissist can be seen for what they truly are:  symptoms of a mental health disorder.

Putting a narcissist in charge exacerbates his mental health condition and can have negative impacts on those must operate and survive under his leadership.  

People suffering from mental health disorders need mental health treatment, not unchecked power. 

Just sayin . . . 

A couple of weeks after that, on January 5th of this year, in another blog posting, this one entitled "I Object!", I discussed my frustration and displeasure at Donald Trump placing his own name on the Kennedy Center and above the name of the war hero and former US President for whom it was named a half-century ago, and I also aired my displeasure about the US Treasury's announced plans to put Trump's image on commemorative dollar coin celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary this summer.  In other postings I have mentioned Trump's gold visa cards in which he essentially sold entry into the United States, and his insistence on having his own signature attached to the nation's economic recovery checks issued to combat the economic effects of the COVID pandenic,

Trump's narcissism was so out of control that it was becoming a national embarrassment.  This week a couple of more examples have hit the news.  Yesterday, there was a story about a new government-issued  "Trump Rx" card that offers a discount for some drugs if the purchasers use cash, and there was a bigger story regarding Trump's efforts to get two major US transportation hubs named after himself. 

In that second story it was revealed that last month Donald Trump had approached US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer with a "deal" that certainly had the smell of extortion.   Congress approved funding for a new rail and vehicle tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey in 2024 and construction was already started when the Trump administration froze $16 billion in funding for that massive construction project during the October goverrnment shutdown last fall.  If the funding is not released by this Friday, construction will stop and more than a thousand construction workers will suddenly be unemployed.

The "deal" that Trump reportedly proposed to Senator Schumer was that he would unfreeze the $16 billion and allow the project to keep going if Schumer would agree to renaming Penn Station in New York City and Dulles Airport outside of Washington, DC, after Trump.  Schumer declined.

The person controlling the levers of government is exhibiting narcissism so repugnant and at such an astounding level as to defy belief, a mental health condition in a raging mode.  When will enough be enough?

The Rehabilitation of Marjorie Taylor Greene

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who represented Georgia's 14th congressional district for five years until her abrupt resignation early last month on the day after she became eligible for a government pension, was considered by many to be one of the more reprehensible members of Congress.  

Ms. Greene rose to prominence as a social media promoter of conspiracy theories like the idea that the 2018 California wildfires were started by a "space laser" that was controlled by a prominent Jewish banking family.   She also promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory that a cabal of prominent Democratic pedophile politicians were running our government.

(To her credit, MTG later redeemed herself somewhat on the pedophile theory when she finally figured out that many of the pedophiles were Republican politicians and their rich donors.)

Ms. Greene pushed false narratives such as the 2020 election was "stolen" from Trump, a plane did not crash into the Pentagon on 9/11, and the Sandy Hook massacre of those very young children as a "staged' event.  She has spoken out against the LGBTQ community, pride flags, individuals who are transgender, and made remarks that many regard as racist such as referring to Black people as "slaves" of the Democrats.  Ms. Greene also pushed the idea of a "national divorce," a proposal to divide the United States into two countries, one of red states the other comprised of blue states,  presumably something like the American South initiated in 1861.

One of her outrages which stuck with me was the day during her first campaign for Congress when she came upon Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg as he was walking around Washington, DC, and the Capitol meeting with various officials about proposed gun control legislation.  Ms.. Greene chose to follow along in the young man's wake filming and heckling him as he made the rounds.  Mr. Hogg, who was barely out of high school at the time, kept his cool remarkably well, showing his class, while Ms. Green clearly displayed her lack of it.

All things considered, the "old" Marjorie Taylor Greene was not the type of person that some would want for a neighbor.  But that was then, and this is now.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, in one respect, got her national divorce, but it was not between the red and blue states, the big breakup that she help to  bring about was between her and Trump, the MAGA extreme nationalists versus the cult leader who was basically focused on his own self-interests. The defining force in the split between Trump and his far-right flank was the push by Greene and a few other Republicans for the release of the Epstein files.  

Greene had yammered on for years about conspiracies involving pedophiles within the US government, and as it was becoming evident that Jeffey Epstein oversaw a sprawling network of social, business, and political contacts who were involved the trafficking of children for sex, Green chose to join with Democrats in pursuing the full release of the Epstein files.

Donald Trump initially fought release of the Epstein files and tried to reason with Greene by telling her that releasing the files would hurt friends of his.  But the former Trump toadie held to her principles and would not be swayed, and she was instrumental in ultimately getting the law passed which mandated release of the very sensitive and secret files - a law that Trump felt politically forced to sign.  He had been cornered by Marjorie Taylor Green and a handful of Republican legislators who supported the Democratic initiative to open the files.

Greene and a few other extreme MAGAts also stirred Trump's ire by sticking to their "America First" principles and opposing his moves to entangle the United States in conflicts abroad.  Things became so strained between MTG and Trump that he turned on her and withdrew his politiccal support.  Trump went so far as to publicly ridicule the congresswoman and refer to her as "Marjorie Traitor Greene."  After his public taunts resulted in physical threats to her and her children, the congresswoman from rural Georgia said "enough" and announced her early retirement from Congress, one full year short of the completion date for her elected term.

Trump flexed his political muscle and vanquished a political headache, but if he hoped to silence her, that has yet to happen.  Marjorie Taylor Greene is still out there making speeches, giving interviews, and stirring the pot.  Donald Trump has not heard the last of her, and neither have we.

Maybe this time around, with her addiction to Trump broken, MTG will be more grounded in reality and use her time to focus on the common good, things like the protection of children from predators.  May your next trip around the sun be better, Marge, for you and for all of us.

Look Who's Coming for Your Guns!

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Certain conservative elements of American society have worried aloud for generations of their fear that the government would one day come for their guns.  In order to be prepared for that assault on their liberty, they have hoarded and hidden massive amounts of guns and ammunition, and coerced state legislatures into passing open-carry gun laws that in most cases impose absolutely no restraints on their ability to be armed any damned where they please. They knew that the day would come when some sort of liberal government (hippies, feminists, gays, Blacks, whatever) would show up and begin trying to disarm God-fearing, patriotic Americans so they could make their children change genders.

What the armed paranoids did not anticipate was that when the gun-grabbers arrived, they would be conservatives, like themselves, the frontrunners of a new authoritarian world order.

Two weeks ago in Minnesota when registered nurse Alex Pretti was murdered by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Trump administration immediately began blaming the victim for his own death - as they had done earlier with the ICE murder of Renee Good.  Pretti had showed up at the protest armed with a loaded pistol in his waistband - one that he never brandished, and people from Trump to FBI Director Kash Patel to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem used the fact that he was carrying to declare him an armed insurrectionist.   They said that the shooting was his own fault.  No one, they argued, should carry a weapon to a protest.  End of discussion

Except for the past several decades the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Gun Owners of America (GOA),  and other gun rights' extremist groups have fought valiantly for Americans to go anywhere with loaded guns, and they knew that if exceptions were made as to who could carry and where, their own right to carry would be slowly chiseled away.  By and large, the noisiest portion of the gun rights' community was not happy with Alex Pretti being vilified by the government for carrying a weapon.   As they saw it, having that gun with him was his "right."

Then  last Monday US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia, made the situation worse when she told a Fox News interviewer that anyone who brought a gun into her district (Washington, DC) would face jail time - and she meant ANYONE!   Pirro, a former television personality who was appointed to her current job by Trump, said:

"I don't care if you have a license in another district, and I don't care if you're a law-abiding gun owner somewhere else.  You bring a gun into this district, count on going to jail and hope you get the gun back."

After the howl went up from Republican lawmakers and gun owners, Pirro tried to pull her foot from her mouth by saying she had been focused on people who were "unlawfully" carrying firearms, which was clearly not what she had said.

Keep stockpiling and hiding those guns, Joe Bob, because sooner or later Trump's masked goons are going to come looking for them!

Many Monsters Hurt Many Children

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

In a brazen and highly partisan political maneuver to get the Epstein onus away from Donald Trump, House Republicans on the Oversight and Accountability Committee issued a subpoena for Bill and Hillary Clinton to appear before the committee where they would sit for depositions (a.k.a. "be deposed), which the Clintons promptly declined to do.  This week, however, as the House prepared to take a vote to hold the Clintons in "Contempt of Congress" and it became apparent that even some Democrats in the House would vote for the measure, the former President and First Lady changed their minds and agreed to be deposed.  

The Clintons' lawyers requested that their testimony be public, and, as nearly as I can deduce from news sources, the House GOP is not in agreement with that request.   Bill and Hillary are both whipsmart politicians and skilled attorneys, and their testimony could show the public the shameful quality of bumpkins currently running our government.

The Clintons will testify on February 26th (Hillary) and February 27th (Bill).  Bill Clinton, like Donald Trump, has long been  closely linked to Jeffrey Epstein, but it is unclear what connection Hillary had to the child rapist.  One news account suggested that her subpoena was just to add extra embarrassment to the couple and that most of her answers were likely to be "I don't know.  I wasn't there."

There is some confusion in the press as to what form the Clintons' testimony will take.  The congressional subpoenas that they originally ignored called for the two individuals to sit through "depositions," yet many of the news reports are talking in terms of them testifying in committee hearings.  Those are two decidedly different things.

As an agent for the state of Missouri many years ago,I have been deposed and had to testify in court on numerous occasions - and they were distinctly different processes.  In a deposition the witness appears before an attorney for either party, often in an office, is placed under oath, and answers the lawyer's questions about his knowledge of the case.  Those answers will inform the lawyer as to whether that person would be of value as a witness in court or not, and also what information he possesses if he is called to testify for the state or the other party.  On the other hand, testimony given in court lets the witness be cross-examined by the counsel for the other party - and courtroom testimony is usually open to the public.

The subpoenas issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability apparently requested the Clintons sit for depositions rather than a hearing.  There is also a requirement that the sessions be electronically recorded and videotaped.  Depositions taken for congressional committees are usually conducted behind closed doors by committee staff and not by the members of the committees.  Witnesses are placed under oath and can have their attorneys present.  

Depositions will not be nearly as entertaining as a public hearing, but they will put a former US Presidnet on record as to his involvement with a known sex-trafficker of children.  The public may not gain access to that record for awhile, but it will be an official government record that will someday see the light of day.  The Republicans singled Clinton out as a partisan move to draw attention away from Donald Trump, but that is very likely to backfire because now a precedent will have been set about Congress being able to call former Presidents to account - and one day Donald John Trump may be a former President, and a Democratic Congress may choose to hold him to account for so many, many things - including his long personal history with Jeffrey Epstein.

This old Democrat is glad to see Bill Clinton being called forward to make an official record of his involvement with child-predator Jeffrey Epstein, and he hopes that he will live long enough to see people like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and all of their rich and powerful friends who socialized and partied with the world's most notorious child rapist be forced to do the same.

Many monsters hurt many children, and they all must be called to justice.

Stepping Out Again

 

by Pa Rock

Country Bumpkin

The snow is still covering the ground today, eight days after its arrival, and there are patches of ice on the streets, sidewalks, and driveways.  Old people with brittle bones need to remain vigilant and be extra careful as they wander away from their homes.

I managed to get out at noon yesterday and go into town for the first time in a week.  My objective was to attend cardiac rehab, an exercise group that meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the local hospital and is run under the supervision of two registered nurses.  Classes had been cancelled all last week due to the snow, and I had missed the Friday prior to the closures to be home while our new furnace was being installed.  

After that long break I was concerned that I wouldn't have the stamina or the wind for twenty-five minutes on the treadmill and twenty-five on the recumbent step machine, but it turns out that both sessions ran smoothly and I had no issues with either.

I wear a pedometer on my wrist which counts the amount of steps I take each day, my primary form of exercise.  Two years ago I was doing 10,000 steps on most days, and in the summer that often included a walk to a nearby park and the using its many walking trails.  But my balance has become an issue  and I no longer feel safe walking away from home, especially along the roadways.  Now I do 5,000 steps on most days, around the hose and yard, and occasionally grocery shopping.  I try to never go below 5,000, even if I have to stay up late and march around the house in order to get there.

On days when I have cardiac rehab I pick up an extra 5,000 steps there, so on thos days my goal is 10,000 steps.  I also park in the farthest parking lot when I go to that class (or anywhere else, for that matter) which, in the case of cardiac rehab, adds an extra 600 steps to my daily total.

My numbers were abysmal during the snow, and one day I only logged a miserable 1,900 steps - but most days it was 3,000 plus.  Yesterday that slow streak ended with my return to the exercise class and a follow-up trip to the grocery store, and I clocked in last night at 10,300 steps.  Pa Rock is back!

Our group at cardiac rehab is normally around eight, and I am the oldest.  Some seem to attend as a cure for loneliness and tend to spend much of their exercise time visiting, but I go to keep my blood pumping, and I take the program seriously.  Recently I have begun wearing headphones and listening to music as I workout, something that combats the endless chatter and gives me time to think great thoughts.  While the rest are chewing over each other's family problems, I am lost in contemplation and relaxing to sounds of Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles, Billy Joel, the Eagles, and many other poets of my misspent youth.

And the rhythm of the music keeps me stepping, and thinking, and relaxing.  I'm glad to be back at it!