Thank you, I want some more?

 

A banner thanking President Donald Trump
 for improvements to Logan Circle.
(Philip Kennicott/The Washington Post)

Living with a megalomaniac as president is something that I never considered possible in the United States. But yet, here we are. 

I came across the banner at the right as it was published in the Washington Post and I found it frightening when I considered all of the things for which I can thank our president.

Thank you President Trump . . .  (not an all inclusive list)

for adding $2.8 trillion to the national debt since starting your second term

for the tariffs which are generating income straight from the wallets of Americans

for starting a war with Iran that may never end

for ensuring Iran never gets a nuclear weapon (oh, wait, hasn't happened)

for strangling the world by losing control of the Strait of Hormuz

for deporting so many people trying to find a better life in America

for destroying the American dream

for increasing the price of coffee

for higher grocery store prices

for eliminating inflation (higher now than when took office)

for terminating renewable and green sources of energy production which has caused the price of energy to rise as AI Data Centers start sucking up more energy

for putting your name on the Kennedy Center

for putting your signature on our money

for putting your face in our passports

for changing the name of PBI and then trademarking the name so your family makes money of anything sold with the new name of the airport on it 

for increasing your family's wealth by $3-5 billion since the beginning of your second term

for selling telephones that do not exist

for lowering the price of prescription drugs

for removing access to affordable medical care for millions of Americans

for terminating support for the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression

for tearing down the East Wing of the White House promising its replacement would be funded privately and then asking Congress for $1B

for painting the bottom of the Reflecting Pool blue

for trampling the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments

for reducing the Freedom of the Press 

for creating your own police force (ICE) which needs to cover their faces because they are not bound by the Constitution

for choosing to fund war over assistance to Americans

for hurting our farmers through tariffs and war

for making decisions that destroy natural resources

for the measles outbreak

for giving tax breaks to your billionaires

for taking food out of the mouths of children in the U.S. and around the world

for two new golden statues of you (I think there is a story in the Bible about a Golden Calf in Exodus 32) 

for destroying the Rose Garden

for getting rid of the penny (which is actually a good thing)

for blaming all of your problems on Biden 

for having the most ineffective cabinet in the history of the U.S. 

for not taking responsibility for the problems you have created in the U.S. and around the World

for making Americans less safe

for destroying relationships with our Allies

for America First (but last after the family makes a profit?) 

for trying to take Greenland

for threatening to make Canada our 51st State

for reducing the rights of women to have control over their bodies 

for releasing the Epstein files (or not) 

  Who knew there was so much to be thankful for? "Please sir, I want some more?"

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta

Open or Closed?

A billboard in Tehran, Iran,
 appears to show the sewn lips of President Donald Trump
 covered in a ribbon shaped to represent
the Strait of Hormuz.Vahid Salemi / AP

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

The Sun came out yesterday afternoon. Finally. After almost three days of gray and rain, the sky turned blue for a few moments and the Sun shone. 

Finn was happy the sun came out. He does not like going outside when it rains, but he is a trooper and does his business even in the rain. 

I was happy last evening that I could watch the NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas via my digital over-the-air antenna! Comcast and Scripps are still wallowing around like two hippos in a small pond. I am seriously looking at dumping my Xfinity cable now that I have figured out how to get local channels. 

The big news of the day yesterday was that two US flagged ships were escorted through the Strait of Hormuz! I can't tell if it was a success or an abject failure. Two ships is far short of the total number, in the hundreds, that must transit the Strait daily to restore the critical flow of oil and other items to a starving world. Time will tell. 

So the question this morning is, Is the Strait of Hormuz open or closed to international shipping? 

Inquiring minds want to know. 

Apparently it is mostly closed unless escorted by a heavy US Navy footprint. 

Who says hostilities are terminated? 

The U.S. used attack helicopters to blow up the small boats and intercept the drones, according to Adm. Brad Cooper. He said in a call Monday that U.S. Navy ships were protecting U.S. commercial vessels transiting the strait, as part of President Donald Trump’s new mission to guide stranded vessels through the critical waterway. (NBC News)

Based upon the above, the War Powers Resolution should be enforced to bring this quagmire to a conclusion.

As for the image above? While we cannot stop the vitriol being spewed by the president, apparently the Iranians have found a way.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

To the Moon and Beyond!

Time 

Artemis 2 Launch
Cape Canaveral, FL
April 1, 2026

It is the first time, all over again!

 It has been more than 50 years since a crewed spacecraft from this planet ventured to the moon and beyond. 

The Artemis 2 launch yesterday was fantastic and rekindled the explorer spirit in many. But, let's not forget the men who preceded this mission over 50 years ago. We have been to the Moon before--but not in a very long time. 

Apollo 8 blazed the trail during December 1968, becoming the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth orbit and reach the Moon. They did not land on the Moon, but paved the way for the eventual Moon landing during July 1969 by the astronauts of Apollo 11. 

But we have not been to the Moon in a half-century. We are starting over, but this time aided by immensely improved computers and 50 years of technological progress in outer space operations and materials. 

I only wish that I had been at home in Florida to see the launch in person.

Godspeed to the four astronauts!

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

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