Category: Freedom of the Press

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Courage

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Courage

Courage

D. S. Mitchell

As part of my job at Calamity Politics I get to do research. Research can be lots of fun. This week, I decided to look up courage. I am beginning to believe that we are going to need strength and courage to see this political battle to it’s satisfactory progressive conclusion.

People say some pretty inspiring things.  Here’s a brief collection of some pretty smart comments by some pretty smart people.

1,) “Courage leads starward, fear toward death,” Seneca

2.)”Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,” Winston Churchill

3.)”Courage conquers all things,”  Ovid

4.) “The strongest, most generous and proudest of all virtues is courage,” Michel De Montaigne

5.) “Fate loves the fearless,” James Russell Lowell

6.) “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties,” Erich Fromm

I’m inspired. How about you? If you are even a little inspired, do something to fight the corrupt Trump administration. Be brave. Be courageous. Write a letter to the local newspaper, make a phone call to your congressperson, march in that NO KINGS protest on July 4th, 2026, donate to Democratic candidates, talk to your friends and neighbors-even those who have been on the other side of the aisle; reconnect if you can. Don’t force the issue but let them talk about their current thoughts on Trump; a lot of folks are evolving as Donnie Boy destroys the economy and every friendly relationship this country has ever had.

Join the New Resistance

The Rigged Game

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The Rigged Game

The Rigged Game

Editor: The Jan-Feb 2026 edition of Mother Jones published a scathing indictment of the sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, and the actions that have directly led to the “corrupt and abusive Trump reign”. What follows are direct quotes (with large parts of the article left out because of copyright issues) from that brilliant article by Pema Levy and Ari Berman. All items within parentheses are added by this writer for clarification. Please subscribe to Mother Jones and support its 50 years of fearless journalism; it’s definitely worth the money. Call 1-800-438-6656 for subscription information. Sign up for newsletters at motherjones.com/daily-news-D.S. Mitchell, aka “Calamity”.

Excerpts from “Blame John Roberts for Everything”

By Pema Levy and Ari Berman

 

“Today, as the Robert’s court rewrites the Constitution in the image of Trumpian autocracy, it’s become clear that Robert’s promise (when he was testifying to the Senate at his confirmation hearing) to be a neutral umpire was a lie. We are watching a rigged game, and Roberts set it up.”

“Twenty years ago, John Roberts promised (the Senate, the country and the media) that as chief justice of the Supreme Court, he would be like an umpire, calling balls and strikes. The delusion was so powerful that for two decades the media defaulted to portraying him as a moderate institutionalist.”

“The Robert’s court has spent Trump’s second term not applying the law so much as clearing it out of his (Trump’s) way. In a matter of months, the court’s 6-3 GOP aligned majority has permitted a long list of lawless actions, including firing independent agency commissioners, using racial profiling in immigration sweeps, disappearing immigrants to authoritarian and war-torn nations, and defying Congress’ power of the purse.”

(This didn’t start yesterday,) “Robert’s has been embedding white-dominant authoritarianism into the country’s source code for two decades. It is impossible to imagine today’s crisis without the Robert’s court having first undermined the foundations of our democracy.”

“(Representative) Democracies are built on the right to vote and choose representatives. The United States finally recognized this right for all people with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (and 1982).”

“As chief justice (Robert’s) has helped craft a string of rulings knee-capping (the Voting Rights Act of 1965 & 1982) laws, starting with his 2013 Shelby County v Holder. The decision overruled Congress and freed states with histories of discrimination to change their voting rules, spurring the creation of 115 voter suppression laws in more than 30 states. Many were inspired by Trump’s election lies.”

“After oral arguments in a Louisiana redistricting case, observers expect Roberts and the GOP justices to declare that the districts drawn to preserve representation for voters of color are either unconstitutional or subject to insurmountable barriers. It’s a decision that would turn the 14th and 15th Amendments-passed during Reconstruction to give formerly enslaved people citizenship and equal rights-on their heads, and turbocharge Trump’s gerrymandering push.”

“Such redrawn (gerrymandered) maps could shift up to 19 eats to the GOP in 2026 and runs the threat of creating a permanent GOP control of Congress.”

Continue reading

What Next For Sesame Street?

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What Next For Sesame Street?

What Next For Sesame Street?

 

By D.S. Mitchell

 

Schnapps and Coffee

Well, right now I am adding a touch of Schnapps to my coffee. It’s still early, I might switch to straight Tequila by noon. Why? The leaders of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), after nearly 60 years of steering federal funding to PBS, NPR and hundreds of radio and TV stations nationwide voted Monday to dissolve the federally created organization. Ouch. The Republicans for years have complained loudly that public broadcasting is anti-conservatism, especially news programming. With Trump’s second administration-the GOP had full control of the government and those decades old complaints were acted on with the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’. Following Congress’s elimination of federal funding the CPB voted to close the organization to prevent what they described as, “political misuse of the organization.”

Uncertainty Over Future Funding

This congressional decision creates nationwide uncertainty for local media and independent journalism. Community fund raising has significantly increased but to be clear, there is in no way private donations will ever be able to match the lost 1.1 billion dollars in federal funds. In addition to emergency alerts public broadcasting has consistently provided educational, civic, and cultural programming.

Goodbye CPB
In essence, the closure of CPB marks the end of a major federal lifeline for public broadcasting in the U.S., shifting the burden of support onto local communities and private donors. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the private nonprofit created by Congress in 1967 to fund public media, officially voted to cease operations and dissolve on 1/5/2026. This decision followed the rescinding of over a billion dollars in federal funding by Congress in July 2025. While the CPB is closing, PBS and NPR are not shutting down as a whole, but going forward they face significant operational challenges: 

Rural and Local Stations: CPB funneled over 70% of its budget directly to more than 1,500 local stations. Rural and low-income areas are the most vulnerable; NJ PBS announced facing the loss of funding they are likely to close by July 2026.

Funding Shifts: National organizations like NPR and PBS have indicated they will rely on donations and emergency grants from major foundations to fill multi-million dollar gaps.  The sustainability of this plan is suspect at best.    

High Profile Programming: High-profile programs have sought external partners; for example, Sesame Street recently secured a deal with Netflix. 

Breaking News Out of Minneapolis

Time to bring out the Tequila, the breaking news out of Minneapolis, MN is a white woman, 37 years old, a citizen of this country was just murdered there by ICE agents. The gaslighting has already begun by Kristi Noem and the administration. I’ll be back tomorrow with this heartbreaking story.

OPINION: Dementia and Corruption at 20500

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OPINION:

Dementia and Corruption at 20500Not every president of the United States is remembered well.

OPINION:

Dementia and Corruption at 20500 

Editor: The number 20500 most commonly refers to the Zip code for Washington, D.C., often associated with federal buildings like the White House (1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20500)

By D. S. Mitchell

I started the Calamity News and Politics website to vent my frustrations and to keep from losing my frigging liberal mind; that was at the end of 2016, right after Trump’s first presidential win. I joined the Women’s March and the Resistance. Well, its 2026 and the Mango Menace is running wild through the government.  I have always tried to focus on facts and also try to support my statements with at least two sources. With this post, I’ve thrown all those established behaviors to the wind. Fuck Trump and that Project 2025 crowd, here’s what I as an average everyday American am  seeing from Trump and his cronies, and this list of ten terrible things Trump has done in his first year, not one damn one of them has helped lower grocery prices or made life better for the average American.

1.) Presidential dementia should be a big concern for us as Americans and as citizens of the world. This near  80 year  old guy that we call “president” is a babbling, wandering, impulsive, mentally disabled individual encumbered by several severe personality disorders and undeniable and worsening dementia.  Trump has always been evil and cruel, now he is demented too. Seriously, I worry who is running the damn country? What, you say, Trump may not be running the country? It is obvious after listening to 2 or 3 minutes of Trump’s indiscernible  word salad that he’s not running much but his mouth. I believe this guy is incapable of finding his own ass with a handful of toilet paper. They were doing MRI’s of the brain and multiple cognitive tests at his second, or was it his third annual physical. LOL. I thought annual physical meant once a year. However, in our guys case he needs more testing. Shit, folks, I’m 3,500 miles away and I can tell you, without MRI’s and cognitive tests that Trump is deep into his decline into dementia. So; a couple likely suspects for running the country in Trump’s mental absence are the Jewish pretend Nazi, Stephen Miller and the anti-humanist, Russell Vogt. Scary combo. As far as the Trump kids go, they’re out making billions of dollars from foreign governments. Gotta make it while Daddy is in the White House appears to be the combined mantra.

2.)  Images of the masked ICE agents massively funded, newly emboldened and empowered handcuffing and loading people into vans and disappearing them without access to legal representation, without due process. This crap isn’t supposed to happen in America. It definitely reminds me of the Nazi’s rounding up the Jews eighty-five years ago in Germany.  Obviously, hate lives on. But, in some ways this goes beyond hate and straight to the pocketbook of several Trump supporters. These allies intend to make billions of dollars running government concentration camps, like Alligator Alcatraz. The plan is not to remove the immigrants from our country, but to instead, imprison the immigrants and pay some company owned by a card carrying MAGA to operate a government prison at the cost of millions of dollars a year; until then we’ll be filling prisons in Sudan, Cuba, and El Salvador at the cost of the American tax payer.

3.)  I once had a husband.  He believed and practiced the theory, “if you repeat a lie enough times, most people believe it.”  I am more of the,  “You can fool all the people some of the time.  You can fool some of the people, part of the time,  but you can never fool all the people, all of the time.”  I’m watching Trump and he’s lost his luster even to many of the diehards. I’ve got my fingers crossed.  There’s a lot at stake here, our country is celebrating 250 years as a constitutional republic (democracy). But, for how much longer. We need 3 active branches of government each religiously exerting its guaranteed checks and balance power. You would think the reps and senators and the black robed justices on the Supreme Court would cherish their power and guard that power, but since Trump came down the escalator the reps, the senators and the all powerful justices have turned over their power to a 35 count felon.

4.)  In 1973, Richard Nixon declared, “there can be no whitewash at the White House.” A thought that is needed now more than ever; because there is a stench rising out of  Washington, D.C. the stink so foul it can be smelled around the world. I have never smelled anything so disgusting, except the odor that hovers over a rendering plant in mid-August.  a.) A “free” jet for the prez from Qatar. Qatar?? The prez of the U.S. is taking “a gift” from one of the biggest troublemakers in the middle east. Qatar is a supporter of Hamas. This new, “free” Air Force One that’s going to cost at least a billion dollars of U.S government money to retro-fit, and then the old fossil takes it home with him. Wow. Sounds wrong. b.) And then there’s the billions of dollars in profit for the prez and his family from their crypto currency shenanigan’s. Who’s writing the rules on this made up currency?  Oh, silly me, there are no rules and regulations and that’s what makes it so lucrative, folks. c.) With a series of million dollar a plate dinner dates with Donald and the fossil fuel barons have reversed United States environmental policy and Trump is quickly returning to a “drill baby drill” mentality, opening up wide swaths of public lands, most dramatically in Alaska. d.) And the “maybe you” or  “maybe not you” tariffs, I wonder how much is costs to be a “maybe not you” in the tariff war the prez has decided to unleash on the American consumer. e.)  What is the price of a pardon? We may never find out but the pardons being issued by this president seem to have a lot of donor money behind the presidential action.

5.)  The unrelenting attacks and insults against the media, by President Trump, are inexcusable and dangerous.  A little contention is good, but what is going on is unprecedented.  Since when does the top liar in the country have the right to accuse anyone of being “fake.”  The fabricated accusations by Trump are disgusting and unnecessary.  Trump’s assault against the press must stop. The press in an indispensable part of our democracy, understood by our founding fathers that’s why we have the First Amendment to the Constitution.  Free speech whether written or spoken is the foundation of democracy. Calling people “fat”, “nasty”, and “stupid” demeans the office of president and calls into question the abilities and motives of anyone that dares tell the world the emperor has no clothes.

6.) “Who knew, health care was so complicated?” President Trump expressed Monday, February 27, 2017.   OMG.  Move forward to 2026. Nine years later and the dumb ass has participated in the biggest bait and switch in American history. Well, at least now, he admits, not everything can be solved on Truth Social.  In fact, the Republicans are so mean and cruel that they are about to give billionaires the biggest tax cuts in history while making health insurance skyrocket in price for the average American. On top of that health care calamity this country is designated as #42 on the world health care service effectiveness list.  That’s a pathetic placement.  “42”?  That means 41  other countries in the world are providing better and cheaper health care than we are. Absolutely, heartbreaking.  41 other countries provide both  better and cheaper health care for their citizens than we do here in the United States.  Has anyone thought to go to the  number 1 country, or even the number  2 country; and see how they do it?  Universal health care; that’s where I’d start, if I really wanted the best for the American people.  Let’s find out how to do it right.  We can still learn.

7.) What a bungled mess the Trump Administration has made of the Epstein files, nothing unusual for this crew of idiots. Trump’s AG, Pam Bondi said she was about ready to make Epstein’s client list public, whipping up public furor for the big reveal. In fact, Ms. AG said the file was “sitting on my desk right now,” leading to expectations that the information would soon be released. For Trump, a candidate that had made a big deal of releasing the Epstein files was now treading water, doing a lot of backscene arm twisting to keep the files secret. Then by memo the DOJ stated it would not be releasing the promised files. Reports indicate that Trump is mentioned at least 1500 times (maybe more) in the documents received from the Epstein estate. In at least one photo it sure looked like a 50-ish year old Trump had hold of a young beauty contestant’s breast. But, it must contain a lot more than a couple inappropriate pictures otherwise Donnie wouldn’t be so damn scared of what the full reveal will expose. Trump says “people will get hurt.” What the F? Epstein is believed to have sexually abused and trafficked over a 1,000 women and under age girls, perhaps more. These women have been hurt and continue to be hurt. It was about this time that even the Republicans began to break from the official dogma. Marjorie Taylor Green the most famous MAGA in the House, said, “no more”  to the coverup and announced plans to resign from office in January 2026,  after a very public falling out with Donald Trump.

8.)  Trump was impeached twice during his first term, but the Republican dominated Senate refused to convict. and it didn’t seem to slow the 35 count felon down. After a try at insurrection Trump and his followers went loudly into the political night…until 2024 when this friken’ criminal was re-elected by an amnesic electorate and the first thing he did was commute or pardon the January 6th, rioters. The only saving grace in this situation has been that many of them were criminals and kept offending which led to further incarceration. His second term has been different; the Republicans control the house, the senate, and the White House. In 2017 the Democrats were in charge of the House, led by spit fire Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. It seems that the Republicans have no intention to bring this dog to heel. Soo00, folks we need to send the MAGA’s reps and senators home with their tails between their legs and send a whole new generation of Democrats to Washington.

9.) First our troops were attacking “narco” fishing boats off the coast of Venezuela. Trump upped the ante when he began boarding and seizing Venezuelan oil tankers. Then on 1/3/2026, according to Trump in a morning news conference, flanked by Pete Hegseth and Pam Bondi, announced that Nicolas Maduro along with his wife was  apprehended by the U.S military, following a large scale strike on Venezuela. I find this action alarming. What the hell? I’m not alone, the UN’s top counterterrorism expert has condemned the US actions, calling the strikes and “abduction” of Maduro an “illegal aggression.”  Such activities by our government should be alarming. Since when does the U.S. swoop in and kidnap a government leader of a sovereign country? What? Didn’t Trump just pardon Juan Hernandez the former president of Honduras or the crimes Trump is now accusing Venezuela’s leader Maduro. This is not the American way. Really dangerous, folks. Having our demented president Trump claim “we are going to run the country…” should make the hair on your arms stand up. What next, Greenland? Cuba? Mexico? Columbia? Iran?

10.) It was Saturday afternoon and I wasn’t doing anything…so I decided I’d watch former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s testimony to the Republican led House Judiciary Committee on YouTube. Mr. Smith testified in a closed-door deposition in December 2025. He defended his investigations into Donald Trump regarding the 2020 Russian election interference and the missing classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Smith pushed back against accusations that his investigation was politically motivated, and stated categorically that Trump was guilty of all charges brought by the Special Counsel team. Smith denied emphatically  that the probes were in anyway political. I think if you have 6 or so hours, please watch it.

My big question, why are we ‘effin around in Venezuela, Nigeria, Argentina? We have hungry kids in this country, we have sick old people, we have nearly 30 million people about to be unable to pay for health insurance. Stop the bullshit, its time for our government to start taking care of the needy in this country. The cost of Trump’s demented government policy is dangerous and costly. And I want to remind you, just because it hasn’t happened (yet), doesn’t mean it can’t, or won’t.

You are the Revolution

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You are the Revolution

You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.”                                Ursula K. LeGuin

                                         

Every Morning

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Every Morning

Every Morning

 

By D.S. Mitchell

 

With Morning

Every morning I wake up, praying it’s not true….but, it is; Donald Trump is president, and the nightmare continues. Day after day, Trump continues his consolidation of power. Any restrictions that limited his accumulation of power during his first term have been removed. He has surrounded himself with yes people; and as such, Trump has, since the 2024 election, been on a single minded pursuit of supreme authority.

No Limits

Donald Trump has for years made no secret of his total disregard for limits on his power and during his 2024 campaign said more than once that he was going “to be a dictator on day one,” following up with, “a lot of Americans want a dictator.” No one seemed to be listening, pretending Trump was “joking” around. From what I’ve seen this last nearly 10 months, supports the idea that he was as serious as a nuclear meltdown.

It Was Predicted

During Trump term 1, officials surrounding him suggested, not so quietly, that he wanted to politicize the military, using it to target Americans, and potentially using those troops to hold onto office. Currently, Trump is going well beyond what looks like any legal authority to militarize the streets of America by declaring imagined emergencies.

For Example

In recent days alone, Trump has taken major steps on this front. He federalized the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and has deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capitol to deal with his fabricated, “out of control crime.” The federalization of the D.C. police department has been called “unprecedented” and the deployment of the National Guard is “extraordinary,” because the NG is usually called up for widespread, violent rioting, not some agitated president trying to distract from a building sex scandal. After sending the Guard into Chicago, Los Angeles, D.C. and Memphis, now has set his sites on the “Little Beirut” of the Pacific Northwest, my beautiful, beloved hometown, Portland, Oregon.

I Better Like What You Say

Whether you’re Jimmy Kimmel or the Commissioner of Bureau of Labor Statistics, if Donnie Dumb-Ass doesn’t like what you are saying, expect to get fired. As a further politicization of federal information and data he fired BLS Commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, calling her reported July jobs report, politically “rigged.” Rather than reassure financial markets that they would be able to trust data he replaced McEntarfer with a presumed MAGA loyalist, William Wiatrowski.

Demanding Investigations 

It’s been a long summer of Trump demanding one investigation after another of all his political opponents-and his demands keep growing louder screaming that everyone from Hillary Clinton to John Bolton will be investigated and jailed. First of the big opponents to be dragged into court is, holy crap, James Comey, former FBI Director. Mr. Comey has been indicted and charged with making false statements and obstruction of justice. I personally believe it’s more about Comey posting on his Instagram account the now infamous image of “8647” made of sea shells on a beach somewhere.

An Authoritarian Turn 

With all this going on, it’s as good a time as any, to explore the most recent significant and consequential power grabs by Trump and his inner circle. With the help of dozens of media outlets I’ve put together a list of 7 actions that Trump is using to expand his authoritarian control of our government. Is this how we, after nearly 250 years of sovereignty, lose our democracy; to a fat, demented psycho, signing illegal executive orders? Is this our crossing of the Rubicon, that moment that can’t be reversed? I guess only time will tell. But the kamikaze attack Trump is carrying out against our institutions is alarming. This is looking, scary, folks. So, here is my 7 point list:

1. US Military On US Streets

I guess in Trump’s shriveled mind, all you need to do is declare an emergency and then call in the military. Wahoo! Not so fast, it looks like he wants to militarize the county, at least all those cities and states with duly elected Democratic officials. J.B. Pritzger, (D) Governor of Illinois said he thinks Trump wants to make it common place seeing soldiers on the streets of our great cities, so when elections begin in 2026 Trump’s storm troopers will be available to  intimidate, harass, and even arrest citizens  as they attempt to vote.

The primary legal reason that the U.S. military generally is not allowed to occupy American cities is the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. This federal law prohibits the use of armed military forces for domestic law enforcement purposes, based on a long standing belief that military interference in civilian affairs is a threat to democracy. Furthermore, the 10th Amendment to the Constitution is the pillar to state independence and the foundation for state sovereign immunity, which declares that powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the states or the people. Reinforcing the federalist principle, ensuring the federal government’s powers are limited; and that states retain significant autonomy over their own affairs.

2. Tariffs

Now this whole ‘effin tariff game is just another Trump power play. He is, of course, far exceeding any presidential authority. The U.S. Court of International Trade has said so, but we haven’t gotten to the Supreme Court and he seems to have neutered them, right along with the Congress, and is currently running around like a dictator, changing the terms and tariff amounts willy-nilly in some schizophrenia bargaining strategy. The end result, is an ever shifting and changing level of taxation on American citizens and businesses.

It may not seem like it now, but the Congress does have the power to slow this wanna be tyrant down, but the GOP controlled Congress has no interest in stopping or even slowing down their party’s standard bearer. What a sad display of weak kneed cowardice for the world to see.

3. The “Enemy Within” Investigations

I’m sure you have heard Trump say, at multiple rallies, “I am your retribution.” Well, he was not talking about “your retribution,” he was talking about going after his own enemies. He’s pushing for investigations against key figures that headed four high profile efforts to scrutinize Trump in his first term; the Russian investigation, his first impeachment, the January 6, 2021 riot investigations, and those leading his personal criminal and civil cases. The retributive nature of using the Justice Department to bring charges against his perceived enemies, is to say the least, a break with historical practice. At the beginning of Trump term 2 he signed an executive order explicitly demanding the investigation of Miles Taylor (a Homeland Security official in Trump 1) and Christopher Krebs (a top cyber security official in Trump 1) both well-known and vocal Trump critics.

Even if the investigations fail to produce indictments, they subject the targets to large legal fees, politically motivated threats against their health and welfare, and public embarrassment; sending a clear message to anyone else who may be thinking of blowing the whistle on Trump’s actions, that they better not. If you question him, he and his political attack dogs will come after you. That’s a powerful recipe for keeping people quiet.

4. Loss Of Independent Functions

Trump’s actions with the Bureau of Labor Statistics could have big time implications. Here again, its all about the message it sends to others who might deliver bad news for Trump. And although his nomination of E.J. Antoni, to replace fired BLS commissioner, Erika McEntarfer,  was withdrawn due to sharp bipartisan criticism, the nomination was an obvious effort to undermine the expectation of independence from such officials.

Trump has a long history of trying to fire nonpartisan government officials and watchdogs. Just look at his continued attacks against Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, attempting to force him to lower interest rates, by repeatedly threatening to fire or investigate him. President’s aren’t supposed to do this kind of shit. Well, until Trump that is. Trump’s active and very public, often by tweet, threats against the Chairman should be alarming. Such political pressure in apolitical government functions is reprehensible.

5. The Disregard of Due Process

In order to ramp up those lawless deportations, Trump and his advisor, the ever shrinking, “4’10” Stephen Miller”, have made some serious power grabs. Most notably; by just ignoring the due process clause of the Constitution and the rule of law.  Trump invoked a wartime authority-the Alien Enemies Act-to quickly deport undocumented immigrants, which in itself is quite a stretch of authority.

In the heated rush to deport the undocumented there have been numerous wrongful deportations and attempted deportations. These actions in some cases have been blocked by the lower courts. In one case, in total defiance of court order, the Trump administration ignored the court order to turn around planes carrying migrants headed to prison in El Salvador. It seems the lower courts have stepped up to check Trump, while the Supreme Court continues to bend over backwards to indulge whatever perverted whim strikes our demented leader. The power struggle continues with dire prospects for democracy.

6. Ignoring Congress/Tik Tok

Trump has no intention of heeding the will of the Congress; and his acquiescence to his every demand is growing dangerous and increasingly alarming. A great example is the legislation regarding Tik Tok. The legislative branch passed a bipartisan bill requiring the social media giant to divest from its parent company ByteDance or be banned, with lawmakers citing urgent national security concerns. The bill was later unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court. But Trump, until last week, seemed to be intentionally ignoring the legislation, giving ByteDance (Tik Tok) multiple extensions, despite him having no authority under law to take such action.

On 9/25/2025, Donald Trump, by executive order, of course, approved the deal to sell Tik Tok to American investors, Oracle Chairman, Larry Ellison, Fox Corp Chairman Emeritus, Rupert Murdoch, and Dell Technologies CEO, Michael Dell. With concerns for free speech and privacy in the forefront these names should light a fire under all of us. In case you didn’t notice, these men are all close Trump allies.  Per the agreement, ByteDance will retain 20% ownership. Furthermore, under the agreement, Americans will hold six of the seven seats of the US Tik Tok Board of Directors. The takeover of the U.S. media by a few MAGA individuals leaves me and a whole lot of others deeply worried. There was good reasons that the Founding Fathers protected free speech and a free press in the Constitution as essentials to a free functioning country. Pretty soon these rich guys will own all the media outlets in the country. A real time for thoughts and prayers.

7. Dominate Media, Colleges, and Law Firms

The media, the universities, and many of the most high powered law firms in the country have made unexpected and quite remarkable concessions to Trump’s demands. It seems that many have made the calculation that it is better to stay on the fat guy’s good side, than to resist. New precedents are being set and those precedents could negatively impact other institutions and further embolden Trump and his supporters.

A gleeful Trump during an interview at the White House in March of 2025, said, “You see what we’re doing with the colleges, and they’re all bending (the knee) and saying, ‘Sir, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Nobody can believe it, including law firms that have been so horrible, law firms that, nobody would believe this, just saying, ‘Where do I sign? Where do I sign?'” I don’t believe a word that this delusional guy says, except in this case, I do believe he has humbled the mighty and just as with every other move he has made the intent is to silence those who would oppose him and his authoritarian actions.

 

***Mark  October 18, 2025 on your calendar and commit to join the growing army of anti-Trumpers and hit the streets with sturdy shoes and inspirational signs. The NO Kings event is revving up as we get closer to 10/18/25. Please come out and visibly display your hatred for kings and oligarchs. My sign says: NO CROWNS for CLOWNS with a big crown and below it a clown riding a unicycle. I know you guys are smarter than me and can come up with something better, just do it!

References: Union and Labor Standards, Wages, Incomes, and Wealth, the Perkins Project, the New York Times, Mother Jones, The New Republic.

Trump’s Travesties

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Trump’s Travesties

Trump’s Travesties

By Cate Rees-Hessel with D.S. Mitchell

Since taking office less than a year ago, “The Donald” has made quite the mess of our nation…. again. I feel like sending him right along with his policies to the nearest dump site. Here are just a few of his deliberate faux pas:

  1. The Epstein cover up – resist! Too many “secrets,” that Donnie wants hidden.
  2. Tariffs – he needs to be impeached now…take back the House & take back the Senate!
  3. Racist ICE raids – resist! Take off the masks!
  4. Said the day after the Perry High school shootings, “We have to get over it” – he needs to be impeached now…he’ll “get over it”!
  5. Said at the Bedminster Gala that smart people don’t like him; stop the presses – he finally said something truthful…resist! That’s because smart people see past culture wars and listen to policy.
  6. Seeking to silence the progressive left regarding the shooting death of Charlie Kirk – he needs to be impeached now…well, of course he needs to be impeached.
  7. Cozying up to Elon Musk – resist! Such a short and damaging love affair for our country.
  8. Denying climate change – he needs to be impeached now…I guess we’re gonna find out just how hot it can get. *Iran July 2025; 127 degrees F.
  9. Cozying up to the gun lobby – resist! As of 9/25/25 there have been 317 mass shootings in the US-!
  10. Project 2025 – he needs to be impeached now…right along with this corrupt and rogue Supreme Court.
  11. Claiming he is king – resist! No crowns for clowns is my motto.
  12. Denying COVID-19’s severity, restricting vaccines, and inciting the anti-vax fringe – he needs to be impeached now…and Bobby Jr. and allies should be sent off planet.
  13. Attacking Social Security – resist! Social Security has been paying Americans faithfully for 90 years I’d say it should be strengthened not ‘effed up.
  14. Attacking SNAP so children go hungry – he needs to be impeached now…SNAP helps the farmer as well as the hungry. 60% of Americans are barely scraping by; protect SNAP.
  15. Tax breaks for billionaires – resist! Spreading the wealth makes for healthier and happier citizens.
  16. Brown nosing other dictators – he needs to be impeached now…and the ass-kissing goes on…and on….and on.
  17. His undermining the post office causing major mail delivery problems, which is occurring because of his first term installation of Louis DeJoy – resist! They’re getting ready to auction off our constitutionally guaranteed post office to buyers like Fed-Ex and UPS-resist.
  18. His constant attacks on freedom of the press – he needs to be impeached now…Americans are about to lose their freedom of speech, we’ll all be listening to one channel, no need for the remote control.
  19. Just being a multiple convicted felon – resist! When you’ve got the thugs in charge, expect to find a lot of dead bodies and jailed enemies.
  20. He incited the January 6th 2021 insurrection – he needs to be impeached now…and now he’s pardoned his co-conspirators.
  21. He threatened officials to rig the 2020 election and his victory in 2024 is in severe question – resist! This is a story hiding in plain sight, we should be saying, “Madam President.”
  22. Being an accused and convicted rapist – he needs to be impeached now…I certainly think we need  better, but when are we going to demand better?
  23. Calling President Biden and VP Harris vicious names and lies – resist! Small minds produce a lot of four letter words.
  24. Trying to force out of office a federal reserve governor that he does not like – he needs to be impeached now…he seems to enjoy accusing people of crimes he has committed, in this case mortgage fraud.
  25. Threatening our democracy and anyone that disagrees with him-resist! Ask Miles Taylor, Chris Krebs, James Comey, or how about Rosie O’Donnell how it feels when the president starts publicly accusing you of wrongdoing and threatens Justice Department charges.

Mark 10/18/2025 on your Protest Calendar and hit the streets and tell Trump we’ll have ‘No Kings Here.’

He Still Speaks to Us

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He Still Speaks to Us

MLK, Still Speaks to Us

By Wes Hessel & Cate-Rees Hessel

 

A True Leader

Monday, January 20th, we honor a great, charismatic leader who led a huge multitude of committed followers – and no, we are not talking about Donald Trump. The real man celebrated today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the most visible champion of the civil rights movement.  The men who were referred to as the “Big Six” were also key in the work: James Farmer, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, and John Lewis.  But Dr. King, or MLK, as he is often referred to, was the center of the fight for freedom for all. We hear the echoes of truth in his quotable phrases and speeches.

The Bible He Actually Read – And Lived…

The basis of what Dr. King strove for is rooted in the Scriptures he preached from – the Bible.  That foundation is apparent throughout his words of wisdom, but particularly in these:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve.  You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.  You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.  You only need a heart full of grace.  A soul generated by love.”

And one paraphrased from his namesake, reformist Martin Luther:

“Live like Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow.”

“And I say to you today my friends, let freedom ring.”

Muster The Mustard Seed

MLK pointed out everything should proceed from faith:

“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”

“I have decided to stick with love…hate is too great a burden to bear.”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers…or perish together as fools.”

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

“Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole being into the being of another.”

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EDITORIAL: Who Will Judge The Judges?

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EDITORIAL: Who Will Judge The Judges?

EDITORIAL: WHO WILL JUDGE THE JUDGES?

By  D.S. Mitchell

Turtles All The Way Down

According to absurdist and other folks more clever than I, there is no inherent meaning to anything. Not that there’s no meaning, that would be nihilism, just that all things are arbitrary at their core. As famed genius Bertrand Russell put it, while addressing the issue of infinite regress, it is ‘turtles all the way down.’ An odd phrase based on the metaphor of the world sitting on the back of elephants, which in turn stood on the back of a turtle. Fans of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series of novels will likely recognize the concept.

The Price of Tea In China?

What does this have to do with the Supreme Court? Trust me, I’m getting there. The idea of ‘turtles all the way down’ also applies to society and the application of authority there in. Leaders, officers, and elites are not born. At least, supposedly, not anymore. Every position of power is designated by the people who constitute society. In a very real way the exercise of authority is ‘people all the way down.’ Humans chosen by other humans to hold power over them. In the context of a participatory democracy those humans are the elected officials.

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“Fox News” and Shameless Bias

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“Fox News” and Shameless Bias

“FOX NEWS” and Shameless Bias

“You see, the truth is Murdoch has become a cancer – an arrogant cancer – on our democracy,” K. Rudd,  former Australian PM

OPINION:

“Fox News” and Shameless Bias

D. S. Mitchell

“An Arrogant Cancer”

A democracy is dependent of diverse, reliable, independent, and accurate information. Kevin Rudd a former Australian prime minister has described Rupert Murdoch’s monopoly of Australia’s media as a “cancer on democracy,” that effectively serves “to chill free speech and undermine debate.” Mr. Rudd continued, “Murdoch has become a cancer – an arrogant cancer – on our democracy,” adding that over the past decade Murdoch has “viciously” campaigned against democracy in support of right wing, white  nationalism.

Politically Polarized and Manipulated News

The effect of Murdoch’s philosophy and his powerful media presence is not only effecting Australia, the UK but also the good ol USA, where media ownership has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of the few. The end result has been that Murdoch has deliberately encouraged politically polarized rhetoric and manipulated news for his own agenda.

Enemies In the Crosshairs
Rupert Murdoch through his company News Corp uses its power as a media Goliath to routinely attack his enemies whether it be in business or politics.  Murdoch uses his billions in wealth and power derived from that wealth as a media cudgel to “attack opponents in business and politics by blending editorial opinion with news reporting,” alleging that, as a result, those “who hold contrary views have felt intimidated into silence.”
Typical Strategy
This is very similar to what we see in the United States with Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and the Tuck.  According to Rudd, Murdoch with the strength of his cable viewing audience seeks “to maximize his political power in. . . defense of his ideological interests; one being climate change denial.”
Division In The Empire

James Murdoch, one of the 90 year old mogul’s sons  revealed recently he had quit his position on the board of New Corp because of “disagreements over certain editorial content … and certain other strategic decisions.”  Most particularly he pointed to the company’s coverage of Donald Trump’s presidency. He continued, “I reached the conclusion that you can venerate a contest of ideas, if you will, and we all do, and that’s important. But it shouldn’t be in a way that hides agendas,” James Murdoch said in a New York Times interview. It should be noted that James and his wife give millions to liberal causes and democratic candidates in direct opposition to his father’s espoused philosophy.

James Murdoch Should Know

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