Funding a war against ourselves

 So let me get this straight--

Because the administration botched the Iranian campaign and allowed Iran to choke the world by stopping the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz:

Trump lifted sanctions on Russian oil, and then

Trump lifted sanctions on Iranian oil at sea.

This will allow Russia to get more cash to fund the war against Ukraine and provide the Iranians with better intelligence to kill Americans.

And Iran will get money to fund its defense against the US and Israeli attacks. 

This makes sense, how?  

Or as one Iranian researcher wrote: "America is funding a war against itself." (Raw America)

Whatever genius came up with this blackhole of an idea ought to be removed from office. Just saying. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Springtime

Spring Arrived!

Happy first full day of Spring! The season arrived yesterday during the late-morning and is finally in place and hopefully will help us to shake off the Winter doldrums and darkness. 

Something I am concerned about shaking off is the Iran War. Yup, despite the lack of an official declaration from the Congress, we are at war. How do I know? Simple--the administration is telling us that we need to expect to suffer. 

Gas Prices
Juno Beach, FL
March 20, 2026

Wait, I have to suffer to support a war that I don't approve of? Do not misunderstand me, I support our military 100 percent, but the war is a needless drain of national treasure and focus. People are suffering right now in America because of affordability issues--and that includes food, medical care, and housing. These are things at the very bottom of Maslow's hierarchy. The war exacerbates the situation.

I am not amused by National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett suggested that Americans will feel economic pain during the Iran war. He stated on CNBC that the increased prices from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz were “the last of our concerns right now,” acknowledging the impact on consumers. (Independent)

In fact, this is the first war America has entered in modern times without majority in support. - The Guardian

Make no mistake about it, I am not a fan of the President, I believe that is fairly clear from my occasional rantings, but getting us involved in a war without a plan tops almost anything he has done to destroy America's position in the world. 

Why should I be happy about feeling pain to support a war that we should not be in? And I don't like being told to, effectively, suck it up, especially when the value of my retirement investments is dropping like a rock thrown from a rooftop.

Well, at least it is Springtime.


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Slog of War

Mauree Naree Ablaze
Straits of Hormuz

Beware Friday the 13th

It is apparent that the war being waged against Iran was woefully under-planned. 

How else would Iran have now become one of the leading oil exporters in the world and is exporting more oil than before the war? (Hindustan Times) We won't sink their tankers because we don't want to upset China; the primary recipient of Iranian oil. (Reuters)

Or even more concerning, the U.S. has dropped sanctions against Russia to allow them to ship oil! (Business Insider) Really, so the aggressor in the Ukraine conflict is getting a free pass because the U.S. didn't plan ahead on how to keep the Strait of Hormuz open?

Our adversaries are profiting from the war while U.S. military personnel are dying and the treasury is being drained.

What is the endgame?

Where is a battleship when we need one! I would think that one battleship could defend the Strait. Wait we retired them all. We have no way to pummel the defenders of the Strait with monstrously-huge conventional munitions. 

Strait of Hormuz

Why didn't the United States deploy sufficient naval ships to escort tankers? Under-planning! Everyone with a brain knows that Iran's best move in a conflict is to shut the Strait of Hormuz. We don't have sufficient naval vessels because there was no prior planning to create an international coalition to provide security for the 20 percent of the world's oil which transits the Strait of Hormuz daily.

I am not suggesting our military is under-performing. No. They are magnificent! Our brave service members have been let down by leadership which has ignored decades of assessments about how a conflict with Iran might proceed. 

If only we had an identifiable objective then we could really decide when we had completed it. 

Welcome to the quagmire. God help us!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

War and Again

 I was stunned when I woke yesterday and discovered that the U.S. and Israel had attacked Iran. 

I'm sure there are a lot of Americans who, like me, believe that attacking Iran is not warranted. Attacking Iran is also ill-advised for a number a couple of reasons:

First, according to Article 1 of the Constitution only the Congress can declare war. Try as they might to define it otherwise, attacking another nation and decapitating them is an act of war.

Second, The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state in Article 2(4), which reads, “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” Launching attacks, like the U.S. strike on Iran, is generally illegal. There are exceptions for self-defense against an armed attack (Article 51) or an attack authorized by the Security Council, but neither of those is in play here. (Civil Discourse)

Third, the killing of Iran's leadership is illegal. Decapitating a country's leadership—meaning the targeted killing or removal of a foreign leader—is generally considered illegal under international law, especially when conducted outside of armed conflict. 

 Such actions typically violate principles of sovereignty and the prohibition on the use of force enshrined in the UN Charter. (Chat GPT) [Note: since Congress has not declared a war, this action was outside an armed conflict]

And so, I wonder why our President is determined to place the U.S. in the same category as Russia under Putin by launching an unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation in violation of U.S. law and the U.N. Charter? And even more so, while negotiations were underway.

And I was reminded of Steven Miller's 2024 campaign statement. Certainly, times have changed. 

So much for the Peacemaker! Trump may want to be remembered as a great liberator, but he is more likely to be remembered as a despot wannabe.

My final thought, Why are we not supporting Ukraine rather than starting another conflict?

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Reflections on the SOTU

State of the Union 2026

 It has been a very wild week in terms of news.

I took yesterday to reflect on the State of the Union Address. It is hard with a speech that long to really grasp the salient points. I also got caught up a bit in the theatrics of the event and needed time to cool-off from the inaccuracies which were presented. 

I found a good source to Fact Check the statements of the speech. It is FactCheck.Org and Trump's 2026 State of the Union address has a lot of incorrect facts. 

I watched competing news channels yesterday to get a sense of the Right vs Left view of the speech. What i discovered was especially disturbing. 

While the Left-leaning networks were discussing the facts and the policy initiatives, the Right-leaning ignored the inaccuracies and the bad facts to focus on the Democrats and their responses to the speech. Neither side hailed the speech as a positive roadmap for the future of America and there was general disagreement with the actual State of the Union!

A lot of discussion on both sides was about the incendiary statement made by Trump:

The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens (Trump SOTU, February 24, 2026)

Wow, this statement has been so misquoted that I was glad to have seen and heard personally. 

Trump called on those who believed this statement to be true to stand. All the republicans stood, none of the democrats stood. The statement was a calculated set-up because it is not true! All those who stood are ignorant of the Constitution.

What is the duty of the American government? It is clearly defined in the Preamble of the Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. (The Constitution)

So what is the State of the Union? 

Divided. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

A Betrayal

 Steven Colbert's interview with James Talarico on Monday evening helped clarify an important aspect of what is happening right now in America. 

Yes, I watched the interview on YouTube! CBS, based upon a request from the FCC, did not want the interview aired and so Colbert put the interview on his YouTube channel. The decision by CBS was likely a mistake since the interview was seen by more people on YouTube than regular interviews on Colbert's show. Watching the interview was worth the effort. 

Talarico helped me understand the nature of Christian Nationalism. 

Talarico is a Texas state lawmaker studying to be a minister, who criticizes the Republican use of Christianity as a political weapon. Such politicization of Christianity both distorts politics and cheapens faith, he says. The true way to practice Christianity is simple but not easy, he says: it is to love your neighbor. Political positions should grow out of that to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and heal the sick. “[T]here is nothing Christian about Christian nationalism,” he told Colbert. “It is the worship of power in the name of Christ, and it is a betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth.” (Letters from an American) (Highlighting added)

That pretty much says it all! Not that I had really wondered, but it was reassuring to hear someone else say it so clearly. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

De-ICE America

Alex Pretti was clearly visible holding
 a phone when agents first
 approached him, before pulling
 him to the ground and
 shooting him.Credit...dangjessie, via Instagram
via NYTimes

Yesterday in Minneapolis, Alex Pretti, a civilian, was killed by ICE/CBP agents while he was legally recording the activities of federal agents. He is the second civilian killed during the ICE/CBP occupation of Minneapolis/St Paul. He was unarmed and subdued on the ground at the time 10 shots were fired into his body during a period of 5 seconds. (NYTimes)

What quickly became apparent, again, was that DHS and ICE leadership do not have a grasp on truth and fact. Their first narratives after the horrific incident bear little resemblance to the facts. Thankfully, multiple citizens recorded what happened so that we can see truth. And who is FBI not conducting an investigation as required when a civilian is murdered by federal agents?

I, sadly, have lost faith in the Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, DHS, FBI, CBP, and ICE to discharge their responsibilities to the American people in a faithful and unbiased manner. They have forgotten that they work for "We the People."

Let me be clear, I am not against immigration enforcement. 

Immigration enforcement, however, must be done properly, respectfully, and in a manner consistent with our laws the Constitution--all of it. I am tired of hearing the tired narrative about the numbers of immigrants that Biden allowed into the country as if it matters, because it is immaterial; everyone who is here now has legal and Constitutional protections. I am against what appears more and more like a secret police force designed to terrorize people and communities--that is not the job of properly trained and deployed law enforcement. ICE/CPB continue to be seen trampling the rights of citizens. What happened to "Protect and Serve?"

I actually have an idea. 

De-fund ICE and distribute their bloated funding to local and state police authorities. Create an organization under DHS, maybe under CBP, which identifies the egregious immigration criminals, as was promised by the President when he said "worst of the worst", and pass that verified information to the "locals" to execute warrants and arrests. That the locals would execute legal warrants for felonious crimes should appease concerns expressed by sanctuary cities and states. 

Effectively repairing the damage that has been done to the Country requires replacing the heads of DOJ, DHS, ICE, CBP, FBI, and Defense. Replacing them can be easy or hard--they resign (easy) or are impeached (hard). Their leadership is not compatible with the bedrock principles of America as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and applicable US Titles and laws.

Restore the land of the free and home of the brave--for all people!

De-ICE America!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

We need normal!

 

It was a classic, but not unexpected, move. 

In a long screed this morning, Trump’s social media account said the president is placing tariffs of 10% on all goods from the countries currently protecting Greenland after February 1, and that the tariffs will increase to 25% on June 1. The post says the tariffs will be in effect “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.” (Letters from an American)

And where is the money to purchase Greenland coming from? Congress certainly has not appropriated such funds. Did anyone notice that the residents of Greenland do not want to be Americans? 

Who suffers at the end of the day? 

We do!

Trump has already added more than $2 trillion to the national debt during his first year in office. 

We get to fund that. 

And the increase in prices caused by the punitive tariffs is not going to improve affordability, nor will it encourage American production of exports when the retaliatory tariffs are applied. 

I remember, decades ago, when George H.W. Bush called Ronald Reagan's economics plan: Voodoo Economics--turns out it was. But Reagan got elected and Bush became his VP.

I have a name for Trump's economics plan--Bankrupt Economics. He is, after all, the king of bankruptcies. 

Consider that Greenland, tariffs on Europe, and Venezuelan oil are definitely not America First policies--they Trump First policies. 

I know the phrase was used unsuccessfully by rival presidential candidate, but I saw it scrawled on a protestor's sign in Copenhagen yesterday--we need to be normal again. Make America Normal Again! We need to restore our traditional alliances and trading partners. The insanity has to stop. 

Instead of punishing the American people with tariff wars, suffocating debt, and loss of healthcare access, we need someone who remembers that the president is the servant of the people and the steward of democracy. He is not the king of the world. 

Note to Congress: WAKE UP!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

It was in the News

 The Verizon outage yesterday made the headlines. Chris and I, although we have service from competing carriers, were affected as we tried to call Lucas and sing Happy Birthday on his 16th birthday. He was finally able to call us after we contacted his Dad, who is on XFinity. 

A major outage attributed to an undisclosed problem is very concerning. Was it a cyber attack? But, even more, an outage like this demonstrated the fragile nature of our communications architecture.

I know that I am very dependent upon my cell phone and Wifi carrier. I am very happy that I do not have Verizon.

And they won't say, why?  Why?

But wait! There is more strange stuff in the news, this time from the White House.

"FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!" - Donald Trump (Yahoo News)

What does that mean? 

Who talks like that?

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

I Have an Uneasy Feeling About This

 

What a week it was!

The boundaries of decency and democracy continue to be pushed by the administration. The most disturbing comment of the week was made by the president. 

President Trump declared on Wednesday evening that his power as commander in chief is constrained only by his “own morality,” brushing aside international law and other checks on his ability to use military might to strike, invade or coerce nations around the world.  (New York Times)

The more my mind turns on this, the more concerned I become. 

Trump is a convicted sex offender. He is also a misogynist, pathological liar, alleged pedophile, narcissist, and terrible businessman. Who else could bankrupt a casino or have businesses declare bankruptcy six times. Counting the United States, that number could grow to seven.

I'm don't trust his "own morality."

And the talk of taking Greenland or attacking Cuba is very concerning. 

Trump does not believe he is constrained by The Constitution, the laws of the land, and probably the Supreme Court. He definitely has nothing but contempt for the Congress. 

Why did the national debt rise by $2.2 trillion last year if tariffs and trickle down economics were supposed to work? (factually) 

We are being spent into eternal debt and apparently the administration is unconstrained by the appropriations approved by Congress. 

This administration has become the Revenge Tour that Trump promised his supporters during the election. 

But the bottom line is that it is all about the Trump crime family getting richer, by billions.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

This is the Golden Age?

 The news this morning is, well, distressing. 

The U.S. has become a rogue country under the thuggish leadership of Trump. 

Three Palms at Sunset 
Tequesta, FL
January 2, 2025

When the sun was setting last evening, on Day 2 of 2026, I had no idea that the year would go off the rails so quickly. 2025 was bad enough and 2026 is not off to such a great start. 

Continuing a pattern of lawlessness and ill-advised decisions that began when he negotiated a terrible deal with the Taliban during his first administration, and subsequently blamed it all on President Biden, his second crack at president is marked by worldwide combat operations and lawlessness. Here is a quick recap:

1. Large-scale strike and capture of Venezuela’s president

• On January 3, 2026, U.S. forces launched airstrikes on Caracas and other Venezuelan locations and reportedly captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife as part of a broader operation. Maduro’s government declared a state of emergency. The Guardian+2The Washington Post+2

This action is associated with an ongoing U.S. campaign designated Operation Southern Spear, involving a military buildup in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific targeting drug trafficking and regime leadership. Wikipedia

---

2. Expanded airstrike campaigns abroad (2025)

Throughout 2025, the Trump administration authorized a broad and sustained set of military strikes overseas, including:

• Somalia: U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State affiliates started early in the term and continued as part of counterterrorism campaigns. Defense News

• Iraq: U.S. and coalition forces targeted ISIS leadership in Anbar Province. Defense News

• Yemen: A U.S. air campaign against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels took place in early 2025 and concluded with a ceasefire in May. Defense News+1

• Syria: In December 2025, Operation Hawkeye Strike hit more than 70 suspected ISIS targets in central Syria after U.S. personnel were killed there. Defense News

• Nigeria: U.S. forces carried out airstrikes against ISIS-linked militants on December 25, 2025 as part of anti-extremist operations. Defense News

• Iran (Operation Midnight Hammer): A June 2025 strike used B-2 bombers against Iranian nuclear infrastructure. Defense News

• Caribbean & Eastern Pacific: Beginning September 2025, U.S. forces conducted a sustained maritime counternarcotics campaign, including strikes on vessels suspected of smuggling drugs toward the U.S. Defense News

These combined operations represent hundreds of air strikes in multiple regions and signal a significant escalation in U.S. military activity compared with recent administrations.  (Chat GPT)

At his second presidential inauguration, Trump explicitly called his hoped-for legacy a “peacemaker and unifier.” In that speech he said he would measure success not only by the wars the U.S. wins but by those it ends or avoids, casting his role as one aimed at peace. CNBC+1

And here at home, millions of Americans are struggling to make ends meet due to rising prices and continued inflation, they are paying significantly more for health care, and are feeling abandoned by the administration while ICE runs rampant across the country carrying out its immigration activities.

Hey Congress! What does it take for you to answer the wake-up call? I'm not sure the administration's actions during 2025 and now 2026 meets the expectation I had when Trump promised:

“The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.” mint

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

I Can't Believe He Said That

"It's all about him," I cannot believe what our president wrote about the murder of Rob Reiner and his wife. 

The comments are criminally insensitive and I wonder how any rational thinking person in America would continue to want to be led such a pompous wannabe. 

Two people were brutally murdered and he wrote the following: 

A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS. He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace! (Truth Social)

This diatribe is from the same person who called a woman, "piggy" just for asking him a question.

Apparently, there is now a disorder called Trump Derangement Syndrome, which shows just how self-centered the president has become.

These, in my opinion, are the statements of a small-minded, bigoted person who has no respect for anyone. 

Civility and respect need to return to the White House. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Affordability is not a Hoax

Ribeye Steak @ Publix
Tequesta, FL
December 10, 2025

 Affordability is not a hoax! 

Those of us who actually got to stores or online to shop know that prices have climbed and continue climbing. 

I was shocked yesterday when I went to buy some beef at Publix. I was looking at a Ribeye steak. I remember getting those last year for about $8.99/pound. Not today, it was $38.99/pound. Ugh! Did I move to Japan? I hope the meat rots in the case.

And then there is coffee! I used to get a 3 lb can at Costco for $13.00. Last time I bought one there it was $21.00. 

Even wine is bloating in price. I used to buy a Lohr Cab Sav for $11.99/750 ml bottle. Now I am seeing it for $18.99. And Whispering Angel has soared from $18.99/750 ml bottle to over $25/btl the last time I was in the store. 

And that is just food. I'm reading about higher energy costs, except for gas which I got at $2.39/gallon on Monday morning in Brunswick, Georgia. On the health front, Medicare rates for next year will increase more than inflation. 

The problem affordability problem goes right back to energy costs and tariffs. That applies for products grown or made in the US as well as imports. Consider, very little is grown or made in the US without some foreign influence on the raw materials, the machinery, or the technology.

Wait, and then I read about a $12 bn bailout for the farmers. Then, there is talk about a $2,000 payout to consumers to offset the tariff pain. That is way more than the tariffs will collect. Who is doing the math in the White House? Just drop the tariffs and prices will go down, it is fairly simple solution, but apparently someone wants to add even more to the national debt which has already grown by more than $2 trillion since December last year. (Joint Economic Committee)

Forbes in an article titled 20 SIGNS THERE'S AN AFFORDABILITY CRISIS IN AMERICA, listed areas where affordability is indeed the problem. I highly recommend clicking the link and reading their analysis.

In addition to tariffs and energy, the affordability problem is exacerbated by the oligarchs who are out of touch with prices and haven't shopped for their necessities in decades. We have too many uber-rich people running the country and thinking things are great because the stock market is climbing.

And don't forget the President who has made billions since starting his second term. There used to be laws to prevent conflicts of interest. Of course he is a happy camper--he is sucking the U.S. dry and completely oblivious to how his policies are affecting the electorate.

Affordability is not a hoax, it is not fake-news, and it cannot be wished away. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Name Calling

 

Some people apparently fancy themselves as professional name callers. 

Our President, unfortunately, is one of those people who insults others by name calling. There is a whole table of names in Wikipedia's List of Nicknames.

Remember some of these classics?

Sleepy Joe

Crooked Joe

Crazy Hillary

Crooked Hillary

My Little Communist

Governor Newscum

Marjorie Traitor Green

Rocket Man

Little Rocket Man

The list is incredibly long and insults many people.. 

Yesterday it appeared to be that our president has earned a nickname for himself. He was seen sleeping through parts of his televised Cabinet Meeting. So, I came up with a nickname for him: Dozing Don! I also thought about Dozing Dandy Don, but it was too long. 

I personally detest name calling, but I firmly believe that if you give it then you need to be able to take it!

I really don't understand how people can support such childish behavior. 

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Tone Deaf

Shifting Sands
Jupiter Island, Tequesta, FL
November 11, 2025

 Although we are now 10 months into Trump's second term, I realized that one of his problems is that he is tone deaf. He routinely does things that make many people think, "Really?"

Take for instance that in the middle of the longest government shutdown in American history he went galavanting across the globe in search of personal fame which might lead to a Nobel Prize instead of staying home and negotiating an end. 

Consider also the Great Gatsby Party he hosted on Halloween while SNAP benefits for over 40 million Americans were expiring. What an optic!

And of course I cannot forget to mention the destruction of the East Wing of the White House, done without coordinating and in fact outright lying to the American people that the structure would not be touched. The White House is not his house, it is, or used to be, the People's House. He is a tenant.

Which brings me to the shutdown itself. His lack of leadership is deafening. As President, it became clear he actually enjoyed the shutdown as it increased his ability to inflict pain on working Americans and attempt to blame it on the Democrats. It is clear that the only reason the shutdown ended was because Democrats saw the pain being inflicted on Americans and determined that the point had been made and that the tone deaf Republicans were not going to get the message over health care. 

There are other examples: 

Failing to fulfill a campaign promise and release the Epstein files. 

Pardons for criminals and cronies. I know every president issues pardons, but then going on 60 Minutes and confessing that he didn't know the guy to whom he issued the pardon? Tone deaf.

Continuing to support the war against immigrants who have not committed any serious crimes. A campaign promise was to get rid of the worst of the worst, not moms and dads trying to make their way. He won the Southern Border but has continued to push beyond the pain point for most Americans. 

Deploying troops into American cities when he could do better by giving the dollars to the local governments for increased police support. 

Denying that affordability is a problem in America. 

Saying that prices are down, when they aren't. Coffee at Costco is still at $7/pound which is up from about $4/pound just a year ago. 

All of these are symptoms of being tone deaf, or just not caring.

Maybe with the Epstein Files release the sands are beginning to shift. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL 

Pillage and Plunder

White House East Wing Demolition Image
From NYTimes Video

 Conquerers and authoritarians have a things in common. One is pillaging and plundering the conquered lands with little concern for the populace. 

Our president's true colors are on display more now than ever before. 

The White House is being plundered, despite assurances before construction of the big, beautiful, new ballroom that the existing structure would not be changed. 

The president had pledged that construction wouldn’t “interfere with the current building,” a promise that always seemed unrealistic given the grand scale of the plans. (NYTimes)

And yesterday the pillaging of the treasury began with the request for $230 million from the DOJ.

I never believed it would happen in America!

But it is! 

I wonder, can we sue file a class action suit against Trump for say, $3 trillion, for broken/ignored campaign promises?

I am still waiting for an end to Ukraine/Russia War.

And lower food prices.

No inflation. Inflation is actually higher now than when he took office. 

Where are the lower energy prices.

Oh yeah, and importing Argentinian beef to lower prices sure helps out U.S. farmers. 

And why is he afraid to help ensure medical coverage for millions of Americans at the expense that he has closed the government down and is not negotiating? Is that really the Art of the Deal? 

No--he wants to break the American people while robbing the treasury. 

Is this really his vision for the "Golden Age of America?" Or did he misspeak and really mean to say the "Gilded Age of America?"

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) took the floor of the Senate to hold it through the night “to protest Trump’s grave threats to democracy.” He said: “We cannot pretend this is normal.” (Letters from an American)

Sources:

Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases

White House's East Wing Partially Demolished to Build Trump's Ballroom ...

Trump Hopes Argentina Can Help Bring Down Meat Prices

Letters from an American, October 21, 2025

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Saturday in America

 It is No Kings Day, version 2.

I have been very disturbed by the republicans view of the protests, especially those in positions of leadership. 

Let's be clear! To say the protests are anti-American is unconstitutional.

The protests today are uniquely American and they are protected by the Constitution.

Amendment 1 U.S. Constitution

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.

I have witnessed many recent events which weaken this amendment and I need to remind my friends that there is a good reason why this amendment is first in the Bill of Rights. This amendment, arguably, is the most important in the Bill of Rights because it helps preserve democratic functions of government. 

In the past weeks, the assault upon the 1st Amendment have been severe. 

The press has been stifled. We are getting no news about the potentially unlawful attacks on shipping in the Caribbean. The Pentagon created untenable restrictions on the press. 

I found that FoxNews signed the following to be especially insightful:

“The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections,” the outlets said.

To underscore: This is Hegseth’s own former employer saying he’s undermining freedom of the press. (CNN)

And for the planned rally today:

Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday slammed the No Kings protest march scheduled to take place at the National Mall next week, describing the planned protest as the “hate America rally” that would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.” 

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), another senior House Republican, also criticized the planned demonstration and blamed it for prolonging the shutdown. Telling reporters Democrats had caved to the “terrorist wing of their party,” Emmer alluded to a “hate America rally in D.C. next week.”  (Politico)

If you don't think the 1st Amendment is under attack, look again. 

So what is the purpose of today's rallies? Simple, in my mind it is to demonstrate to the Republican-controlled Congress that they are headed in the wrong direction. They have stopped listening to the constituents in their districts, maybe they will listen to "We the People!"

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL