Conceal and betray

 The President of the United States is hiding his actions from other branches of government.

He is acting in concert with President Bukele of El Salvador. Trump has used a statute that has only been used during a declared war to deport those he claims are gang members, with no due process.

They will be imprisoned for at least a year in El Salvador and the United States will pay for them to be incarcerated in a country other than that of origin. A federal judge barred President Donald Trump on Saturday from using a wartime powers act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members without a hearing, ordering the administration to turn around any planes that had already taken off.

When they landed in El Salvador, Bukele mocked the judge on X, “Oopsie, too late,” followed by a laughing emoji. A White House official celebrated his post with a meme, saying, “Boom!”. Our Secretary of State, Marco Rubio participated as well, responding, “Thank you for your assistance and friendship, President Bukele,”.

Trump and his administration actually hid this act from the judicial branch and is acting contrary to clear legislative intent in his use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

Who cannot recognize this as dysfunctional and the existential threat it poses not only to democracy but the survival of the U.S. as anything other than a failed state?

There Will be Blood

 D. Earl Stephens, retired managing editor of the military's daily newspaper, Stars and Stripes, issues a warning, not only to the average citizen of the U.S. but, I believe, to rank and file military personnel at home and around the world.

He's exhorting them to consider if they will follow the orders of a madman hell bent on destroying the U.S. or follow the U.S. Constitution. I suspect tens of thousands of troops will disobey orders rather than invade Canada (less so with Greenland or Panama, I suspect). Those will be the first shots of the civil war.

I'm posting the entire text of his piece here and will link to the article in comments.

@followers @highlight

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“It would be helpful if we stopped pretending this terrible chapter in American history won’t close without bloodshed …

It would be helpful if Americans, and our feeble Democratic politicians in particular, stopped implying by their comatose actions that Democracy is some damn American right and has no end date.

America very well might be arriving at hers, because, yes, it really is that bad right now.

Rather than bringing Ping-Pong paddles and groovy, little signs to a fascist hate-fest disguised as a State of the Union speech, it would be helpful if our meek, out-of-touch Democratic politicians at least pretended they understood the perilous moment we are standing in right now.

We are in deep, deep trouble, and now would be a wonderful, necessary time to step in front of your favorite mirror and honestly ask yourself what you are willing to do to fight for our country’s survival.

We are but six-plus weeks into the repulsive, wannabe-king’s second term and the damage he and his party are causing are already at catastrophic levels.

Our air, water, earned benefits, peace, public safety, civil rights, and human rights are all under immediate threat. Worse? This is only the first course of many that will be served by the vindictive, orange madman, and his pathetic party of supplicants.

The insults, the attacks, endless provocations, and thrashing of our Constitution will continue daily. All this carefully planned evil will be aimed at exactly one thing: breaking us.

Everything he is doing is designed to pound us into submission, and he’s having a grand damn doing it.

This was entirely his aim when he and his pet mutt, JD Vance, double-teamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the behest of Boss Putin in the Oval Office on Friday. The idea was to publicly humiliate the man who has done more to defend America’s interests across the globe than any Republican in memory.

Because Zelenskyy has tasted gun powder and breathed the odious smell of death on the battlefield, he wasn't about to be pushed around by some morbidly obese, 78-year-old yacht club bully and his toady, who think swinging a sand wedge to free a golf ball from some bunker is dangerous business.

Zelenskyy punched back and wasn't having it. He told the truth, and didn't back down. The future of his country is on the line right now, and he acted like it.

And therein lies the playbook for dealing with this sadistic bastard — if only the cautious, too-clever Democratic Party and their weak leaders, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, bothered paying attention.

While Rome burns, they dither.

They act as if we have all the time in the world, when time is something that is not guaranteed right now. They seem to somehow have no idea how bad things are about to get, or most certainly will be when elections they seem to be pinning their hopes on roll around next year.

Everything changed on November 5th, but by the looks of it, very little has changed in the Democratic Party.

This country will never be the same, and the sooner we come to grips with that, and start acting accordingly the better.

What would you do if everything you had and everyone you loved was threatened? Would you act like Zelenskyy or Schumer?

One of the big mistakes of Joe Biden’s presidency was this notion that everything was going to be OK, and that his idea of America matched the actual circumstances of America.

If I had a dollar for every time he said this, I’d fold up shop and move to Tahiti:

“We are the United States of America – there's nothing we can't do if we do it together. We just have to remember who we are.”

It was a noble statement and magical thinking that would have worked great pre-2016, when we could still believe without being laughed at that our two parties could work together in a crisis to protect America.

When we were attacked by the terrible human being who is now somehow leading us January 6, 2021, that magical thinking needed to go out the nearest window.

Instead, our Justice Department twiddled its thumbs and allowed the America-attacker to build himself back up, so that WE would have to deal with him AGAIN.

I seethe just thinking about this, but it is where we are right now, and the sooner we all understand this the better.

The clock is ticking. The bomb is in place.

Which brings me back around to my original premise: At some point, he will do something so heinous … so anti-America … so dangerous … that the people who truly love our country will be forced into the streets to take a life-or-death stand. Sadly, this is actually the best-case scenario, because the worst case is we just go quietly into the dark, gloomy night and become an authoritarian country, where we have zero rights or say in how we are governed.

Yesterday under the cover of his blankets, the America-attacker shared this with us:

Now read the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; OR THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PEACEABLY TO ASSEMBLE, AND TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES."

He is telling us what he thinks of America and silly things like the Constitution. Kings don’t pay attention to that kind worthless drivel.

And, really, end of the day, it not him who we have most to fear. It’s the stupid, goddam Republicans who are stubbornly in all of our lives. These are the people who have illustrated there is no known pain or sacrifice to our civil liberties or pocketbooks that they won’t absorb just for the satisfaction of watching some poor kid of color going without something they didn’t think she should have.

So the choice is yours: You can continue thinking there is some magical way out of this, or you can begin to take the threat to everything you hold dear seriously, and ACT accordingly.”

— D. Earl Stephens, author of “Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters” and finished up a 30-year career in journalism as the Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes

Saved from DEI

Thank you, President Trump and SecDef Hegseth for protecting us from the likes of DEI hires such as PFC Gonsalves.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military to remove diversity-related content in accordance with President Donald Trump's executive order to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government.

And among those files flagged for removal was a photograph of Pfc. Harold Gonsalves. Gonsalves was born into a Mexican-American family in Alameda, California, on Jan. 28, 1926.

He was barely 17 when he joined the Marine Corps Reserve in May 1943. It was with the 15th Marines that he landed on Okinawa on April 1, 1945. Gonsalves was a forward observer for the battalion, directing fire toward the enemy's mountain stronghold on the Motobu Peninsula. As the group approached the front, a Japanese grenade landed in their midst. Without hesitation or reservation, Gonsalves threw himself on it. He absorbed the full blast and fragmentation, saving his comrades who all emerged unharmed.

President Harry S. Truman awarded him a posthumous Medal of Honor, which was presented to his family in San Francisco on June 19, 1946.

Unfit or Unwilling?

 Nathan Hooven is a disabled Air Force veteran who voted for Donald Trump in November.

“I think a lot of other veterans voted the same way, and we have been betrayed,” said Hooven, who was fired in February from a Virginia medical facility for veterans. “I feel like my life and the lives of so many like me, so many that have sacrificed so much for this country, are being destroyed.”

That's a damn shame.

According to draft dodging President Donald Trump's advisor Alina Habba who spoke about veteran's fired in the chaos of DOGE cuts. "Well, as you know, we care about veterans tremendously. I mean that's something the president has always cared about. Anybody in blue, any that serves the country. But at the same time, we have taxpayer dollars, we have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people that actually work. That doesn't mean we forget our veterans, by any means. We are going to care for them in the right way. But perhaps they're not fit to have a job at this moment or are not willing to work."

So, Nathan Hooven, which is it? Are you unfit or unwilling to work? Apparently, those are the choices.

Not fit to serve

 Draft dodging President Donald Trump's advisor Alina Habba spoke about veteran's fired in the chaos of DOGE cuts. "Well, as you know, we care about veterans tremendously. I mean that's something the president has always cared about. Anybody in blue, any that serves the country. But at the same time, we have taxpayer dollars, we have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people that actually work. That doesn't mean we forget our veterans, by any means. We are going to care for them in the right way. But perhaps they're not fit to have a job at this moment or are not willing to work."

I assume the "we" she speaks of is this administration. From their actions I do not know they care tremendously, nor do I believe that to be the case.

This tremendous care for anyone in blue no doubt was the impetus to pardon those who beat and injured first responders on January 6.

They have not forgotten the veterans. They have chosen to abuse a class of citizens who have sworn to preserve protect and defend the constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. This commander in chief believes his authority allows, even encourages him to harm his subordinates in order to demonstrate his power and cow others.

This would appear to be the right way they have chosen by which to treat our veterans.

If you still support this pathetic office holder and his minions, you can never lay claim to the title patriot.

Let our allies beware

I am a cold warrior. 1975-1979, following Vietnam when the military was not held in high esteem, I enlisted. I chose a combat arms mos because that is the mission. Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter were the Presidents of the United States during my service years. They were both veterans. Neither of them bent their knee to Lenin Brezhnev, nor Kim Il-Sung during their tenure. If you don't know those names, then refrain from commenting.

We, the U.S., established a diplomatic relationship with Ukraine in 1991, following the fall of the Soviet Union. According to the U.S. Department of State, The United States attaches great importance to the success of Ukraine as a free and democratic state with a flourishing market economy. U.S. policy is centered on supporting Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression as it advances reforms to strengthen democratic institutions, fight corruption, and promote conditions for economic growth and competition. The United States does not, and will not ever, recognize Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea, and continues to work with our partners to seek a diplomatic solution to the Russia-instigated conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Our greatest national threats, Russia, China, and North Korea have acted in concert to overpower Ukraine. The response of the current administration is to abandon our ally, Ukraine, and grant our enemies their specious desserts. Remember the Kurds, look to NATO, consider those who Trump calls "shithole" countries.

To say that if you rely upon an alliance with the United States, you are a fool, shames me.

REAL Censorship

 For years I have been amused by people claiming to be censored.

When a private body, IG, FB, X (formerly known as Twitter), etc. disallows or even suppresses views contrary to their interests or inclinations this may be inconvenient, even reprehensible, but it is not censorship.

Censorship occurs when a government authority engages in such practices. Let me give you an example.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered restrictions on what books DOD schools can teach. The Defense Department has begun restricting access to books and learning materials covering subjects from immigration to psychology in its school system serving U.S. military families. The effort affects curriculums for elementary school ages and up.

THIS is what censorship looks like. An official of the government, with no experience or training in education has decided he may determine what can be taught in DOD schools.

This is just the start. DOD today, independent school districts tomorrow.

The above is not hypothetical. It has begun.

Read, comment, follow

Whaduyathink?