Month: April 2025

Trump’s Tariffs and a Whole Lot More Mess, Part 1

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Trump’s Tariffs and a Whole Lot More Mess,

Part 1

 

Despicable and Disgusting:

Trump’s 100 Day Highlights

 

Editor: I want to thank my friend Cate Hessel for allowing me to join her in trashing the Orange tinged monster that has manifested his bloated ass into our government.

 

By Cate Rees-Hessel with D.S. Mitchell

 

I want to talk about Trump’s disastrous first 100 days in office. His continuing attempts to destroy our democracy weigh heavily on the shoulders of our nation. This horrific excuse for a “president” displays his racism, anti-Semitism, anti-LGBTQ, and misogyny openly. 140 Executive Orders in his first hundred days. The Trump Administration has acted not only illegally but unconstitutionally.  His actions are intended to destroy our democratic institutions, slow down our economy, gut public education, roll back protections for public health and our threatened environment, in addition to putting health care and Social Security benefits at risk for millions of senior and disabled Americans. And that’s just the start. The Trump administration is impacting the arts, universities, scientific research, and cultural organizations across the country. He and his allies are running a game of bait and switch, look here, no over there. Overwhelm us. Nothing new, just unprecedented intentional chaos and absurdity and cruel lawlessness with the intent to overwhelm the system.  As more of us flow into the streets in protest of Trump’s disgusting agenda, I feel we are moving toward Martial Law; bone-chilling imaginings. Bone-chilling fear for those who dare to speak up, but we must speak up, before we can’t. This isn’t Russia, yet.

Despicable and Disgusting Trump 100 Day Highlights

  1. Trump was handed a booming economy per all the financial gurus and within 100 days of taking office Trump has tanked the stock market, started a trade war leading to tariffs that are predicted to raise prices on consumer goods, worsening inflation, the GDP now in a tailspin and egg prices skyrocketing. Russia and China don’t have tariffs, do they?
  2. Immediately upon taking office, Trump reversed President Biden’s $35 cap on insulin for seniors.
  3. Giving Elon Musk access to Social Security, Medicaid, the VA, and other legally protected records.
  4. Allowing Elon Musk to run our country while Trump himself is out playing golf.
  5. Massive deportation of innocent people, many with legal status or U.S. citizenship, being sent to foreign prisons without due process. We aren’t being shown proof of criminal elements being deported.
  6. Insulting and berating Ukraine President Zelensky, on national television, a man who has served heroically during his nation’s crisis, with ultimate dignity and compassion. Two qualities Trump has shown he does not possess.
  7. Having a judge arrested for not complying with “The Donald’s” racist agenda.
  8. Wasting money on a military parade (for his birthday!) in his self-created poor economy. An estimated $100M, plus post-parade clean up and repairs to damaged concrete and asphalt.
  9. For planning another run in 2028, when it is unconstitutional for a president to run for a third term. A man of 82, well into his dotage is not the face of the future.
  10. Disrespectful of Pope Francis’ memory – falling asleep at his funeral, wearing a blue suit, and walking on the sacred rug meant only for clergy. Never afraid to confirm his ignorance and social stupidity.
  11. Stripping funds from PBS and NPR.
  12. Outrageous funding cuts from the African American museum.
  13. Making moves to get rid of the Department of Education.
  14. Stopping funding for medical research at labs and universities across the country while exploiting a child who has cancer.
  15. Attacking Social Security with a horde of 20-year-old hackers.
  16. Attacking SNAP. A program that is good for the giver and the recipient. Farm to Hungry Americans. Such basic support for the needy in America is vital.
  17. Moving to defund the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which protects consumers’ food supply and keeps our food safe, as well as regulating pharmaceuticals. The absurdity of this action is beyond words.
  18. Continues to sell Made in China junk and is blasphemous in signing and selling the word of God for profit. Where are the watchdogs in Congress authorized to constrain this heathen?
  19. Defunding library grants. I love my library.
  20. Trump’s ridiculous, racist insistence that the Gulf of Mexico be changed to the Gulf of America. I saw a protest sign that called it the Golf of America with an AI-generated cartoon rendering of a bloated golf club swinging Donald Trump.
  21. Appointing a complete moron to fuck up the workings of the CDC and National Institute of Health (NIH).
  22. Taking away the funding for the National Suicide Prevention line – we need that service now more than ever before.
  23. Defunding DEI programs and threatening companies and universities that continue such instruction.
  24. Slashed funding for our colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning.
  25. Cut veterans’ benefits.
  26. His constant attacks against the LGBTQ and trans communities.
  27. Empty cargo ships from China, thanks to outrageous tariffs, mean no work for truck drivers, retailers, or dock workers.
  28. Made sure egg prices went sky high.
  29. Signed a presidential memo directing his Attorney General to investigate ActBlue in an attempt to silence MoveOn, a progressive political organization.
  30. Trump wants to be king in a country that never had one, by choice. His recent comment, “I run the country and the world,” is frighteningly sociopathic.

Don’t blame me, I voted for Kamala and Tim. But I’ll move over if you want to join the protests against this outrageous administration. We all must resist, resist, resist. We all must protest, protest, protest.  We all must join every march, sign every petition, vote in every election to come, and stand firm in our fervent prayers for impeachment. We are better than this, America…at least we proclaim to be.

Letting Go

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LETTING GO

Letting Go

By David L. Shadrick

 

My mother has been in my closet since last August.

I think that’s disrespectful.  But, letting go isn’t easy. First, we have the problem of where to spread her ashes. All she told me was that she wanted to be spread ‘among the wildflowers’. Unfortunately most wildflower fields are in parks or other places that have restrictions against spreading human remains. This leaves private property, unfortunately the only property available to me is our gold mine in Railroad Flats, California. The gold mine is owned by the Shadrick side of the family not the Staggs; and quite honestly Dad may not have wanted her there. He and mom had a very contentious divorce, and I don’t think either of them are interested in spending eternity together.

After months of anxiety I think my brother and I have settled on a place to disperse mom’s remains. While it may be illegal, we’ve decided to take the risk and release her ashes into the Rogue River wilderness of Southern Oregon.

Quite honestly I can hardly wait for this to all be over. I need this to happen, because the responsibility of this task feels like an anvil on my chest.

“Goodbye Mom.”

 

RIP, Carlie (Staggs) Clayborn

 

OBITUARY

Mom’s accomplishments include: the first woman stockbroker at Kidder, Peabody, Portland, OR. Chairwoman for National Cerebral Palsy Association, Member of the Million Dollar Club in Real Estate Sales, Santa Rosa, CA. BA in Business, SSU. These outstanding accomplishments took place in the 1970’s, when thanks to the Women’s Movement, women were beginning to break into those coveted ‘men’s jobs’. Carlie was a pioneer in life and myself, my brother Randy, and my sister Sheila know that mom will shine bright in her new home.

NO KINGS HERE PROTEST

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NO Kings Here Protest

NO Kings Here Protest

By D.S. Mitchell

I decided not to make a new sign, I figured my ‘Resist MAGA’ sign would still work. It was Easter weekend after all and I had guests coming. Not that I’m pulling my hair out or any such thing. GRR. Fuck. I just want to take my life back. The idea that one orange melon head can disrupt, traumatize and injure so many people with the scribble of his sharpie is inconceivable; but here we are in Psych Crisis Unit 2025 with Donald Trump Director of Chaos, Delusion, and Hate. Until one of us, Trump or me, dies I am committed to resist Donald Trump and his oligarchs and his fascist message.

I was sitting on the stone wall in front of the County Court House holding my sign and hooping and hollering at passing motorists when a grey shadow blocked my view of the street; causing me to look up. He was tall and slender with close cropped salt and pepper hair; rather good-looking in a clean-cut way. Not only was he staring down at me he was pointing at me and asking me what my problem with MAGA. was. Startled I sucked in a breath and let loose. It was then I realized he was pointing a microphone at me. Shit. What the hell had I just said. I suddenly worried.

“And what else?” he challenged me.

“Quite honestly, my outrage is limitless. How about; tariffs, the crashing stock market, Social Security cuts, the defunding of Medicare and  Medicaid, destroying the Department of Education, closing USAID, the VA cuts, the attacks against science and research, the distain for knowledge. What we have left is stupidity, chaos and corruption…like I said, my outrage is too big for one sign.”

His questions continued and I blabbered on about the loss of our core vales, the growing police state that comes with the loss of due process and wanna-be-dictator Trump’s cabinet of oligarchs. After a few more questions he thanked me and moved on down the street without talking to anyone else. He didn’t leave a card, nor did he identify himself as working for any media company. I assume he was just a Trump backer sent behind the enemy lines to agitate the  demonstrators. The whole episode was a bit strange and if his intent was to agitate me he certainly succeeded on that score.

Once my interrogator had moved on the group around me burst in to pats on the back and shouts of praise for my spontaneous performance. I appreciated the praise, it was very kind. I however, could barely remember a word I had said.

RESIST MAGA

This is Not Normal

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This is Not Normal

I raised my sign and held it right above his head

This is Not Normal

By John Curran

So, my girlfriends down at the Pole Dance Club bet me that I’d never do it. Well, that’s all it took. They should know me better than that. They sure never thought I’d get elected to Congress either, but here I am tonight to take on the fight, as best a little ‘ol ex-stripper can do. And, yeah, I was even warned about what they might do, if I actually carried out my plan. But c’mon,  they don’t really torture do they. No, fear will not be an issue and the opportunity is just too perfect to let it slip away. See, I’m new to this place and they don’t know me yet.  They just figure I’m gonna just do my small part as a so called “placeholder.” I’m s’posed to just stand here and act as a balance to the makeup of the receiving line for ‘Big D’, meaning, I’m young, female, white, of course, and over there, on their side, is old, male, white-as-white-is an we like balance it.  That’s the idea, anyway. D won’t be shaking my hand, actually, I wouldn’t let him, but he’ll  be busy with everybody else’s so…the timing is perfect.

The sign is small and innocuous, but the printing is large enough and quite clear.

And….the door is opening and here they come. If you’ve ever done the running of the bulls in Pamplona, well this is like that a bit; only it’s a lot slower and there’s only one bull and he doesn’t have horns, but somehow the smell of it is the same. A smell of excitement mixed with a tension like something could surely happen at any moment, and must not. A heavy sort of testosterone-like overlay as if the damn guns could be drawn any second.  A heavy vibe. Meanwhile, Big D’s coming down the aisle all shit-faced ‘n grinning, shaking them hands like crazy; and let me tell you this next little step was the easiest stunt that I have ever pulled, certainly of this damn magnitude.

The cameras followed Donald and me. No one got it, for the longest time. I just followed along behind him like I was s’posed to be there. I am so close I coulda’ touched him ‘n he’s not seeing me at all. Finally, this little old bald-headed white guy catches on and yanks my sign and it goes up in the air in pieces. And later it was obvious all the media was trying to ignore it, like it never happened, but it did. All my girl friends down at the Pole Dance Club  assured me, “You killed it, girl. It was the funniest thing ever, and you can have your old job back here too, anytime, ’cause we’s just so proud of you, Tiger.”

Editor: This is a fantasy based on some facts.

Thoughts on 4/5/2025-HANDS OFF !! Protest

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Thoughts On 4/5/2025:

HANDS OFF!! Protest

 

Thoughts on 4/5/2025:

HANDS OFF !! Protest

 

By D. S. Mitchell

Making Signs

The alarm woke me at 4 a.m. I was up and out of bed in a flash. I was excited. The protest was scheduled to start at 11:30 and I still had signs to make.  “RESIST MAGA,” “HANDS OFF!! EVERYTHING,” “Radio Free America, 2025” and “Musk to Mars”. The “Musk to Mars” sign was quite distinctive;  big, bold letters on a field of white. It was definitely my favorite. All four signs only took me a couple of hours with poster board and project markers, but I thought they made a big statement.

A Lawless Operation

Despite all my frenzied activity I was still mad as hell. The Hands Off !! protest was my first protest march since 1968. A lot has happened since those days. I’m now grey-haired, and older than the Ten Commandments, but I’m pissed off. I’m so pissed off I’d even called a couple of friends and we agreed to do the protest together. Strength in numbers. The Trump Administration is running a lawless operation out of the White House and I wanted to let those a-holes know that me and a majority of Americans want it stopped. I  could spend the next 1,000 words ranting against the Musk/Trump policies, but I won’t. Instead I want to tell you about my Hands Off!! protest experience.

Deep Red

First of all, let me make it clear. I live in deep red, Trump country. More specifically, Grants Pass, Josephine County, Oregon. Josephine County hasn’t voted Democratic since 1930 something.; that’s nearly a 100 years, it’s that red.  However, over the last month, as the darkness of Trump’s agenda has emerged, I have seen fewer Trump yard signs, some of which have been in the ground since 2020. Furthermore, there is a significant drop in the pickup trucks with the giant American flags and mammoth Trump banners parading up and down the main street of our little town.. That boiling pot of MAGA outrage seems is cooling, while the Dems and the Independents are blue with rage.

Fingers Crossed

There were about 500 people at Oregon Senator(D) Jeff Merkley’s Town Hall a couple weeks ago. I hoped the Hands Off !! protest would draw at least as many. I had my fingers crossed. While I worried about attendance, I also fretted about parking. With one of my gang in a wheelchair and me using a walker; ease of parking was a priority. With that in mind, we headed out about 10 o’clock and easily found parking across the street from the courthouse.  I high-fived my comrades and with help unloaded first the rollator and next the wheelchair and headed to the front of the Josephine County Court House on 6th street.

Drum Roll, Please

I was surprised to see such a large crowd an hour and a half before the scheduled event. It looked like people were fired up. I could hear the sound of a cow bell, a chorus of drum beats, and a megaphone shouting encouraging chants. People were flowing in from all directions, waving signs. The diversity was striking. The grievances many. There was a sizeable group of boomers, many like us using walkers and wheelchairs. I was happy to see a large turnout of all age groups. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z; everybody was there.  There was also a sizeable group of young folks flying the flag of many colors.

Too Many Problems

There were as many concerns as there were people. Women’s rights, Democracy, due process, Trump’s Imperial presidency, DOGE, corruption, the reckless gutting of essential government services like Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans benefits. complaints. Despite the anger and outrage all the participants I encountered were respectful and even smiling and good natured, happy to be with a group of supporters and proud to be speaking out.

Democracy in Action

Peaceful protest is Democracy in action. We as citizens of this great democracy are expected to dissent when we see injustice. It is our duty as thinking, caring human beings to speak out. Right now, our country’s government is working against the many for the benefit of the few.  The Trump administration is a disaster for the average working person. It is critical that the citizens of this country express their shared outrage over the direction Trump and his cronies are pushing the country. And people are speaking up. They are making signs, putting on their sneakers, and hitting the pavement. I hope the White House is listening. We want no kings here.

The Few Against the Many

The crowd stretched about three blocks up and down NW 6th Street. From my vantage point, it was hard to estimate the size of the crowd. With that said, I would guess that there were at least 1,200 Americans on the street making their voices heard. This was a very well-organized and well-attended event. Organizers repeatedly stressed that the 4/5/2025 Hands Off protests would be peaceful and non-violent. Respect and tolerance was the organizing message, and the crowd did not disappoint.  At no time did I see any confrontations or disputes of any kind between the 3 Trump supporters and the 1200 gathered in opposition to him.

There is nothing more inspiring than taking action against injustice. Resist MAGA.

National Day of Action: 4/5/2025

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HANDS OFF!

4/5/2025 National Day of Action

Elon Musk.

HANDS OFF!

4/5/2025 National Day of Action

By D.S. Mitchell

Chainsaw Maniac

If you don’t like what you are seeing from chainsaw wielding unelected billionaire Elon Musk, and golf-absorbed semi-retired president, Donnie Dumpster, then mark this Saturday, April 5th, 2025 as a National Day of Action. Nearly every community in the country has something planned. Whether young, old, big, small, male, female, able or disabled, each protestor is important and is needed. Time to rock their boat-and push back against the oligarchs’ brazen power grab. The 1% are bent on destroying services that millions of elderly, disabled, Americans depend on; SNAP, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, Obama Care, HHS, and the VA; to pay for their budget busting tax cuts. We can’t let this travesty continue. Last time I heard Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and their ilk already pay less taxes than the average secretary in America. If that isn’t an outrage I don’t know what is. It is time to push back against the destruction of federal agencies. and the firing of federal employees.

Shoes and Signs

Take a few minutes and look up the activities being held around your area and make a pledge that you will be putting on a pair comfy shoes, dusting off the old 2016 Resistance sign, and get your butt out on the street. Make your voice heard. You have power, but only if you exercise it. Time to protest the policies of the oligarchs and dictators. It is clear that this group of rich men are ready for an outright assault on our democratic government, our legal system, our economy, and our basic rights.

Schedule a Protest

As recently as Wednesday there were nearly a 1,100 protest events have sprung up across the nation, organized by a grassroots coalition of progressive groups and nonprofits. Organizers are urging protestors to commit to nonviolent action, and when necessary, to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who may disagree with them.

Hands Off!