Atop the Slide into the Abyss

These are the times that try men's souls. - Thomas Paine

This statement was true in 1776, and scarily enough it is true today as well, almost 250 years later. 

We are facing half-truths, lies, and the outright trampling of the basic rights protected in the Constitution.

The latest "I can't believe they said that," revolves around the right to due process.

I read a statement from a congressman which (this is paraphrased) If they are here illegally they should be deported. 

Marco Rubio our Secretary of State suggested, on Sunday, that illegal immigrants can be deported outside of the protections of the Constitution. He said that immigration law requires deportation and that they are not entitled to due process, I'm guessing, because he feels immigration law supersedes the Constitution. 

“Once you come into our country illegally, it triggers all kinds of rights that can keep you here indefinitely. That’s why we were being flooded at the border, and we’ve ended that,” Rubio said.  

We've ended that--and "that" is the Constitutional right to due process. The Constitution applies to EVERYONE within the borders of the U.S. and territories--no matter how they've managed to get here. That fundamental principle is what has made America Great! And now it is being cheapened and we are becoming a laughing stock.

What happened to "innocent until proven guilty?"

We have begun the slippery slide into the abyss of authoritarian chaos where even the Constitution is subject to reinterpretation. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL 

Can't Be Bought

 I was encouraged about Harvard University's response to Trump. No--we won't be bought. 

According to Reuters:

April 14 (Reuters) - Harvard on Monday rejected numerous demands from the Trump administration that it said would cede control of the school to a conservative government that portrays universities as dangerously leftist.

Within hours of Harvard taking its stand, the administration of President Donald Trump announced it was freezing $2.3 billion in federal funding to the school.

What the Trump-led Executive Branch is doing to private educational institutions is wrong! Using the power of money to stifle freedom of education goes against the very core of what makes us Americans--education free from political dogma to foster diversity of thought. 

Freedom of education is what made America great. Yes. we may not agree with everything being taught, but that is a good thing because being exposed to diversity of thought helps us better understand and appreciate the freedoms that we have especially when we see such freedoms stifled in other countries.

Maybe money can't buy everyone?

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Do we have to do it all over again?

 

Chaos and confusion. That pretty well sums up the week we just managed to live through. 

It is apparent that there is no master plan, the White House is just throwing stuff against the wall and hoping it will stick. And if it doesn't, they are denying that it happened.

One of the most concerning occurrences this past week was the refusal, in court, to correct the injustice done to the Maryland father illegally sent to El Salvador AND the continued refusal to find a way to allow those deported to the prison in El Salvador their due process. 

Wait--destroying the world trade markets without a cogent plan--or any plan is a close second. 

One writer sums up some of the week's happenings as follows:

On Friday, China imposed 125% tariffs on goods from the U.S. A spokesperson for the Chinese Finance Ministry said that Trump’s tariff machinations “will become a joke in the history of the world economy.” At 9:20 a.m. President Trump posted: “We are doing really well on our TARIFF POLICY. Very exciting for America, and the World!!! It is moving along quickly. DJT.” The new tariffs had badly threatened Apple Inc., and at 10:36 p.m. the U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted a notice that various electronics, including smartphone and computer monitors, are exempt from the tariffs.

When economist Justin Wolfers commented: “I just want to tip my hat to the crack team of White House economists who were able to discover—in just a few short days—that the U.S. is dependent on China for smartphones, computers and semiconductors.” Dr. Soumya Rangarajan noted that “a basic medicine we use 1000x per day in the hospital, heparin, is also dependent on China, and people will die without it.” As Sabrina Malhi of the Washington Post explained, about 12 million people hospitalized in the U.S. need heparin every year, and it is only one of the many medications that will be affected by Trump’s tariffs on goods from China.

(Letters from an American)

It is clear that there is no plan and that we are living at the whim if a president who has visions of grandeur, but has no comprehension of the second and third order effects from whipsawing leadership. 

Sadly, the week ahead looks to be as turbulent and unconstrained as the week past. Maybe the Easter holiday will bring redemption and sanity. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Wednesday Wandering

 The "Hands Off" protests this past weekend struck a chord in me. I was encouraged to see such widespread concern about the direction that our country is headed. The Supreme Court decisions of yesterday continue to concern me as the justices seem more concerned with procedure than addressing fundamental constitutional questions.

Liberty is hanging in the balance. 

I was reminded of something Thomas Jefferson wrote:

“The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”― Thomas Jefferson

I never thought that refreshing the tree of Liberty would be required in my lifetime. It is frightening. The path we are on is sooooooo wrong!

I am NOT advocating insurrection, but rather that we must make a stand for the Constitution, freedom and liberty. There may be a cost involved! Working through the legal avenues is a start as is protesting and showing the depth of concern that people have across our country.

Some random thoughts: 

A nation should not do harm to its friends. 

A nation devoted to a constitution should not allow its leaders to depart from the principles espoused within.

We are a nation of immigrants--who is to say who is better or more deserving? 

One person should not have the power to upset the economies of the entire world. The situation was likened to a Roman emperor who with the flick of his finger could cause markets to rise and fall. 

One my my presidential heroes defined America as follows:

“[I]n my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.” 

He continued later:

“For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.”

Ronald Reagan

The eyes of the world are upon us!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Bait and Switch

Hands-off Day Protest Sign
April 5, 2025

American voters been duped by a classic Bait & Switch.

The chaos and confusion we are experiencing and which has now expanded to include nearly the entire world was born out of the election lies told by Trump. 

That may be harsh, but I clearly remember his promise that on day 1 he would lower prices and reduce inflation for working families. That is far from what is actually happening. 

Trump claims a mandate from the voters--but he misunderstands the mandate he had which was to reduce living expenses for working families. He did not have a mandate to destroy the economic system of the entire world while pushing the limits of democracy in America. Yes, he said he was in love with tariffs, but targeted tariffs which have been used by nearly every president are very different from what we are experiencing now. 

I fear that destroying the strongest economic system in the world is designed to allow the uber-rich to swoop in and buy companies when the stock is down and thereby further pad their fortunes. This is, of course, at the expense of those of us who have worked and saved for years and invested our retirement accounts as the government advised through 401Ks and the TSP. 

We have been duped!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Programming Note: Because tomorrow is a travel day, Monday Musings will not be published. Hopefully there will be an update from the highway.

Chaos, Confusion, Disaster

 There is so much happening in the U.S. right now that it is almost impossible to remember events are underway around the world. 

I maintain that a myopic, inwardly focused view is unhealthy as it provides fertile ground for strategic surprise. We are so busy dealing with the day-to-day crises that we don't have time to consider the effect of our actions on the other countries and for that matter, to consider how what is happening in places like Turkey potentially affect our country. 

And then there is Signal-gate. How many supposedly brilliant people does it take to realize that admitting to a problem and fixing it is smarter than doubling down. And that begs the question--how many other Signal-chats are there out there which present a clear and present danger to the United States? 

Did I mention that the stock market, which holds not only my retirement savings but many other people's, is falling like a rock due to the insane application of tariffs and the lack of strategic fiscal vision in the White House?

Why do we need a trade war with the world? That is going to help us, how? 

I wonder which billionaire owns stock in bicycle companies since cars are going to be priced out of existence. 

Why are the things Trump was elected to do being left undone?

I'm really looking forward to not paying federal income tax on my Social Security benefits--no wait, am I actually going to continue receiving benefits? But Musk said I would get more! And lower food prices--where are they?

What about Musk?

My thought is he has too much money and no political smarts.

This morning [yesterday], Wisconsin Democrats issued a press release noting that Musk had “committed a blatant felony,” directly violating the Wisconsin law that prohibits offering anyone anything worth more than $1 to get them to “vote or refrain from voting.” Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler said that if Schimel “does not immediately call on Musk to end this criminal activity, we can only assume he is complicit.” (Letters from an American)

And then consider the Presidential Oath of Office. I reread it this morning and I have questions as to whether the oath has been and is being violated. And I don't even mean the part about supporting the Constitution. It is the faithfully part, because it sure seems to me that everything being done right now will improve the financial bottom line of the president while harming the citizens. To me, that does not seem to be faithfully executing the Office of the President. 

How is sending people being evicted for the country to a prison in a country not their own without due process and no prospects for redress a deportation? Doesn't deporting a person mean sending them back to their country of citizenship? And furthermore, if there is no due process who is making the decision to deport? That people, is unconstitutional. Everyone setting foot on American soil has rights despite what certain people would have us believe. The Constitution and our laws do not differentiate between citizens and non-citizens. We are on a very slippery slope.

Finally, I am tired of hearing how much money DOGE is supposedly saving the country, because too much of it is at the expense of the citizens. If they save $1 trillion, but we are left with no healthcare, no research, a broken education system, and a defense industry in tatters I am not sure that is better. And if DOGE is saving so much money, why do we have a looming debt ceiling crisis?

Some much to ponder and so little time. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Neophytes in Government

 I was appalled when I read that senior government officials planned the March 15th Houthi attack using a tool called Signal and invited a reporter from The Atlantic to be part of the process. 

The story in the New York Times starts as follows:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed war plans in an encrypted group chat that included a journalist two hours before U.S. troops launched attacks against the Houthi militia in Yemen, the White House said on Monday, confirming an account in the magazine The Atlantic.

The editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, wrote in an article published on Monday that he was mistakenly added to the text chat on the commercial messaging app Signal by Michael Waltz, the national security adviser.

It was an extraordinary breach of American national security intelligence. Not only was the journalist inadvertently included in the group, but the conversation also took place outside the secure government channels that would normally be used for classified and highly sensitive war planning. (New York Times)

I remember when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was accused of possessing sensitive material on an unsecured phone. Trump wanted her jailed. Why is it that he is so quick to move against others, but never take responsibility for himself or his people? I wonder what the results of this incident will be? 

And accidentally including a reporter? Nothing is an accident. The whole incident smells of neophytes who do not begin to grasp the importance of operations security and the proper use of secured communications. Additionally, it seems obvious that they believe that rules are made for others and not themselves. 

The Washington Post version of the story additionally has the following:

Senior Trump administration officials have warned in recent days that they will investigate unauthorized leaks to journalists, citing reporting in a number of publications. Several of them also for years criticized the handling of classified information by Democrats in other cases. (The Washington Post)

I'm waiting for the spin doctors to move in on this one. I am sure they will blame the entire incident on Biden. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Saturday--is the week really over?

 It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride this week.

It is clear to me that neither the president nor vice-president understand the Constitution and the role of the judiciary. When the Vice President makes the statement that: “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,”  (NY Times) It is clear that he does not understand that it is the judiciary which gets to decide what are legitimate powers!

Talk about either trying to confuse the issue or being ignorant of the Constitution.

And then the president called for impeaching a federal judge because a ruling didn't go his way. I loved Justice Roberts' response: “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” he said in a statement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.” (The New Republic)

I am greatly concerned about the deportation of Venezuelans without due process. And the president and vice president think this is OK. The 4th Amendment to the Constitution is pretty clear--this can't be done. And the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 probably does not apply in this case and even if it does, there are other requirements. One discussion, from the Brennan Center for Justice is as follows:

The president may invoke the Alien Enemies Act in times of “declared war” or when a foreign government threatens or undertakes an “invasion” or “predatory incursion” against U.S. territory. The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war, so the president must wait for democratic debate and a congressional vote to invoke the Alien Enemies Act based on a declared war. But the president need not wait for Congress to invoke the law based on a threatened or ongoing invasion or predatory incursion. The president has inherent authority to repel these kinds of sudden attacks — an authority that necessarily implies the discretion to decide when an invasion or predatory incursion is underway.

As the Supreme Court and past presidents have acknowledged, the Alien Enemies Act is a wartime authority enacted and implemented under the war power. When the Fifth Congress passed the law and the Wilson administration defended it in court during World War I, they did so on the understanding that noncitizens with connections to a foreign belligerent could be “treated as prisoners of war” under the “rules of war under the law of nations.” In the Constitution and other late-1700s statutes, the term invasion is used literally, typically to refer to large-scale attacks. The term predatory incursion is also used literally in writings of that period to refer to slightly smaller attacks like the 1781 Raid on Richmond led by American defector Benedict Arnold.

I think, and this is my opinion, that given the sense from Town Halls around the country that the electorate believes that Trump was elected to do something different than what he is doing and that the "mandate" he believes he has was far more limited that he understands. I believe that those who voted for him wanted him to lower prices and inflation and not start a global trade war, or withdraw support our allies around the world, or even cozy up to Putin. And as for reducing the Federal Government--I don't think mass firings instigated by a non-elected and not confirmed by the Senate billionaire were in the mandate. 

And don't get me started on where our support for medical research is headed and the fact that there won't be a likely viable flu vaccine next year. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

I Saw Them

Winn-Dixie
Hobe Sound, FL
March 12, 2025

 
Shopping yesterday in a local market I saw, for the first time, eggs marked at $10 per dozen.

I actually could not believe it.

There was a deal on a dozen-and-a-half at $13.89, which works out to $9.26/dz.

Winn-Dixie
Hobe Sound, FL
March 12, 2025

We did not buy the eggs.

That along with so many other things just highlights the disastrous times in which we live. And this administration is not yet two months old!

There is so much happening that I can only shake my head at. 

A measles outbreak in Texas--we had that disease beaten and now children are dying, again.

What is next? The return of polio? Smallpox, the sequel?

And shutting off grants to hospitals which are on the forefront of research is going to make America healthy again? 

We are not headed for the Golden Age of America--this is the stuff of the Dark Ages when much of the accumulated knowledge in Europe was lost and had to be rediscovered during the Renaissance. 

Here is how one writer characterized what is happening:

The wholesale destruction of the U.S.A.’s advanced medical research, especially cancer research, by firing scientists, canceling grants, banning communications and collaboration, and stopping travel is also radical and seems unlikely to leave Americans healthier than before.

Yesterday, news broke that the administration canceled $800 million worth of grants to Johns Hopkins University, one of the nation’s top research universities in science and medicine. Meanwhile, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cast doubt on the safe, effective measles vaccine as the disease continues to spread across the Southwest. (Letters from an American)

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared to suggest getting measles is the best defense against the disease, as a Texas outbreak spreads across the U.S. (The Daily Beast)

I remember having the measles--I have never been sicker in my entire life. I vividly remember hallucinating  and running a really high fever. It is no joke. 

And don't get me started on the stock market.

We are mere pawns in a great money grab the likes of which have not been seen, ever. Our lives and fortunes are in play for the rich and unscrupulous to take.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

As Nero Played

 Something about yesterday's stock market downturn and the fable about Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burned hit me when I read: 

“We’re seeing a strong divergence between animal spirits of the stock market and what we’re actually seeing unfold from businesses and business leaders,” said the official, who was granted anonymity, according to CNBC. “The latter is obviously more meaningful than the former on what’s in store for the economy in the medium to long term.”  (The Daily Beast)

It has become clear that The White House does not want to be confused with the facts. Just wait until the March employment and inflation numbers come out in April--I'm not sure how that is going to be blamed on Biden. 

I have written my Congressman about the impact of federal firings on veterans, maybe he will finally stop towing the party line. 

We can only watch from the sidelines.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL 

And it Rambled

 I felt that it was my civic duty to listen to the President's address to the joint session of Congress last night. 

All of it, to the end. 

It was long--far too long. And rambling.

I was appalled to see a member of the Congress removed for doing the same thing that Marjorie Taylor Green did to President Biden during his last address. Where is evenness? 

I was saddened to see that the small-minded man with the frail ego who was speaking could not get over blaming everything on the last president, but took credit for some things the last president accomplished. 

And as for the economy--his blatant lies that he was handed a sack of feces are just not true, but it plays well to the bandwagon followers. 

It is politics after all. 

But my stomach turned when it was revealed that American citizenship could be bought! Really? People die to get here to become Americans the old-fashioned way--but rich people can just buy their way in? That is wrong!

And the confirmation that Musk is, in fact, in charge of DOGE was interesting considering the recent court case where the DOJ assured the court that he was not in charge. It is all very confusing and it is clear that no one can keep the story straight. 

But at least the news can keep the story straight. I usrge a reading of the Fact Check of last night's address. 

I am worried that someone so out of touch with truth and reality is trying to run the country. 

It all reminded me of an old joke: "How can you tell a politician is lying? Their lips are moving."

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, MD

Keeping Focus

 There are so many distractions, especially in the news. It can be hard in this era of chaos and confusion to keep an eye on the important stuff. 

Usurping peoples rights constitutes important stuff. 

Leading America into a Middle East quagmire in order to gain personal wealth is important. 

The transgender Executive Order is an example of people rallying to usurp individual rights. It has become a holy war because thousands of young boys are lining up to have gender affirming surgery so they can play girls sports, right? 

This is one of those "common sense" things that is just plain wrong. Someone needed to get the facts.

In truth, according to the NCAA president, ". . . there are ‘less than 10’ transgender athletes in college sports."

". . . Gillian Branstetter, a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who told Newsweek that Save Women’s Sports, a leading voice in the bid to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports, identified only five transgender athletes competing on girls’ teams in school sports for grades K through 12." (The Pink News)

I do not know how this became both an important campaign issue and now an Executive Order, but it certainly is distracting and has successfully obfuscated important issues.

For instance--

How many American citizens have been illegally detained or deported during ICE operations? We should be concerned about that. 

Who came up with the idea that America should rebuild Gaze, relocate almost 2 million people and let the Trump crime family develop the area into another Atlantic City?

And what about the multitudes of Federal Workers being dismissed without due process. Who is protecting their rights? 

And Congress remains silent.  

But, now our leaders can clap themselves on the back and pretend they actually did something to make life better in American. Except, did they? 

Whose rights will be taken away next?

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL 

Manifest Destiny - A Short Review

I was concerned by what I heard our president say during his inaugural speech on Monday in reference to Manifest Destiny. I was particularly concerned because he used this concept while referencing his designs on the Panama Canal, Greenland, and he specifically mentioned Manifest Destiny with his plans for the planet Mars.

The concept and application of Manifest Destiny attempts to cover a host of transgressions by believing we have a God-given right to take what is not rightfully ours and eradicating those who stand in our way. I researched Chat GPT for a short history of the abuses of Manifest Destiny, just to refresh myself about what I learned so very long ago. Mind you, I was not taught the abuses of Manifest Destiny in school because I grew up in a time when America could do no wrong. I learned, over time, the reality of the ugly American past and in which our nation had broken countless treaties and committed genocide which many on the far right now want to omit historical fact and hide. 

The concept of Manifest Destiny, the 19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand its territory across North America, has been associated with several historical actions and policies that many now consider unjust or criminal. While these actions were often framed as inevitable progress at the time, they led to significant harm to indigenous peoples, other nations, and marginalized groups. Here are the main categories of crimes and injustices linked to Manifest Destiny:

1. Displacement and Genocide of Indigenous Peoples

• Forced Removal: Policies like the Indian Removal Act of 1830 led to the forced relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands, most infamously through the Trail of Tears, during which thousands of Native Americans died.

• Land Theft: Indigenous lands were seized without fair treaties or compensation, violating existing agreements and the sovereignty of tribes.

• Genocide and Violence: Armed conflicts such as the Indian Warsand massacres like those at Wounded Knee resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Indigenous people.

• Cultural Erasure: Efforts to assimilate Native Americans through forced schooling, bans on cultural practices, and suppression of languages can also be seen as crimes against humanity.

2. War and Imperialism

• Mexican-American War (1846–1848): Driven by Manifest Destiny, this war resulted in the U.S. annexing a significant portion of Mexico’s territory (modern-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and more) through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Many view this as an act of imperialism, with the war itself being provoked under questionable pretenses.

• Annexation of Texas: The annexation of Texas in 1845, a precursor to the Mexican-American War, involved disputes over borders and challenges to Mexico’s sovereignty.

3. Exploitation and Enslavement

• Expansion of Slavery: The push to expand U.S. territory also expanded slavery into new regions, exacerbating the exploitation of enslaved African Americans. Debates over whether new territories would allow slavery contributed to tensions leading to the Civil War.

• Exploitation of Workers: As new territories developed, many marginalized groups, including Chinese immigrants, Mexican laborers, and freed African Americans, were exploited for labor, often under harsh conditions.

4. Environmental Exploitation

• Manifest Destiny often involved the unregulated exploitation of natural resources, such as deforestation, overhunting (e.g., the near-extinction of bison), and mining practices that devastated ecosystems and indigenous ways of life.

5. Racism and Cultural Supremacy

• Manifest Destiny was fueled by the belief in white supremacy and the notion that European Americans had the right to dominate and “civilize” other peoples. This ideology justified numerous acts of violence, discrimination, and systemic oppression.

These actions and their justifications under Manifest Destiny are now widely studied as part of the darker side of American history, highlighting the human and moral costs of expansionism.

OpenAI. (2025). What Crimes are Associated with Manifest Destiny. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Allies don't do that to Allies

 I have been reading to and listening to the president-elect's desires to invade the Panama Canal and Greenland, and annex Canada. 

Are we crazy?

Do we not remember that the U.S. is the cornerstone of NATO and that Article 5 stipulates that an attack on one is an attack on all? That article had been employed only once in history--after 9-11 when our good friends and NATO allies supported the U.S.

What is our president-elect thinking? If he takes Greenland by force, as he has suggested, he would make the U.S. one of the worldwide oppressors and the NATO allies would have to defend Denmark employing Article 5. 

Even a tariff war could be considered an attack--an economic attack. 

And then . . . 

Annexing Canada? Really? We invaded Canada once (War of 1812) and lost. We have no business annexing Canada.

And then there is the Panama Canal. Treaties were written and signed. It is estimated that the U.S. has broken more than 370 Treaties over time. It might be construed that our word is not our bond.

Allies don't do this kind of stuff to allies. 

Invading Greenland would make us the same as Russia in Ukraine and China in the South China Sea. 

I don't think this is the mandate that Trump was given. How is he planning to lower gas and grocery prices? I'm not hearing much about those campaign promises from the guy who said he would keep every promise. 

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD