Sensationalism Doesn't Belong in Journalism, But It's There!

In one of his pointless, senseless, rambling, demented monologues, Trump got triggered to make comments about the possibility that he would seek a third term.  In a demonstration of the poor quality of education received by some journalists in this country, some reporters picked up on this theme and it was one of multiple Trump news items that popped up for a while.  Reporters put the news out there as if it were something of significance, and as if Trump mentioning it makes it a possibility.  

Of course, the various deceitful ways that they were talking about a "third term," like having another body in the oval office elected as President who just gives deference to Trump and lets him run the country, is along the lines of what they were talking about.  But that's about as realistic as the possibility that he could actually run for, or serve, a third term.  That cannot happen unless the Constitution is either amended, or destroyed.  

It's an ego booster.  In Trump talk, there are "some people," a nebulous group whom he wants us to believe is representative of "the American people," and who are really just his own sycophants, who might have brought this up.  Getting around the rules is an obsession with this guy.  No one is talking about how to make it possible to get Trump a third term, in fact, well over half of "the American people" are talking about how to shorten his time in this term by a considerable amount. 

So why is this popping up in the media everywhere, as if talking about Trump ten times a day is not already a waste of time?  

In case these journalists are misinformed, or profoundly ignorant, the way it works is that the Constitution specifically states that a President is limited to two terms in office, and can only be elected to two terms.  In the event that a Vice-President was called upon to serve starting on the 402 day of his own term, then that person could wind up being in the White House as long as 9 years, 364 days.  But they cannot run again after winning two elections and they must leave at the end of their second term. 

It would take a two thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, and two thirds of the state legislatures ratifying it to change the provision about Presidential term limits.  That's not happening.  And no, the Supreme Court cannot step in and re-interpret that part of the Constitution.  There's not even any grounds to file a lawsuit.  Any forceful attempt to simply remain, or to sabotage the incoming administration would be identified as a coup, and if force was required to get him out, any opposition that was defending his attempt to stay would, along with him, be arrested.  

The ideology to which the GOP has sold out very likely doesn't care about the Constitution, something that we not only need to consider, but to be prepared to oppose, defending, as patriots, the Constitution against what would be one of its enemies.  Journalists would be doing their job if they pointed out that talk of a third term is not in the best interests of anyone in this country. 

"Trump Resistance Movement" and "Democratic Party" Are Not Necessarily Synonymous

One of the observations that became a little bit clearer and more focused following Saturday's massive anti-Trump, anti-Musk, anti-GOP rallies is the fact that the Democratic party is not in the lead when it comes to this movement, and while most Democrats are part of the resistance and opposition to what is, after just 77 days, a miserably failing Presidency, the two things, which I will identify as the "Trump Resistance Movement," and the "Democratic party," are not necessarily the same thing.  

There has been a massive amount of analysis of the 2024 election, most of it speculative, without strong, solid data to back it up, purporting to have discovered the exact reason why Kamala Harris lost one of the closest elections in history to Trump.  Just this morning, I heard a talk show guest of Richard Chew, on Chicago's WCPT, claim that it was a movement away from Democrats of Gen X'ers, black men and Hispanic voters, but the evidence he offered was speculative, not accurate.  

Personally, my observation is that the defeat was caused by the same reason most Democrats have lost elections, going back to 1980.  It's their inability to match the message with their actions.  The shifts in various demographics cannot account for the drop off of 5 million plus voters from the 2020 election.  It's hard to take the message seriously if the actions don't match the rhetoric.  Democrats claimed that Trump was an existential threat to American Democracy, as he certainly proved from 2016 to 2020, and is now proving once again.  No argument there.  

But the actions didn't demonstrate enough conviction to convince a lot of "low propensity voters" that they were serious about the claim.  The overall effort made to use Constitutional means to eliminate such a threat by Democrats in leadership positions was weak and irresolute, and was not convincing enough to marshall the kind of voter support necessary to win.  If they'd put in an effort to match their rhetoric, and Biden had stayed on, he'd have won a landslide.  Harris would have had an easy win.  

Their old-line leadership, which includes Biden, just couldn't break out of their habits.  I love Joe Biden, I think he was the right choice in 2020, as a transitional President, to bridge the gap between the horribly failed Trump term, and a progressive, reform aiming Democratic party under Harris.  But he spent such a long time in the Senate that he was hobbled by unwillingness to mess with its traditions and its antiquated, anti-democratic features dubbed as some kind of elite status by many of its members.  The remnants of an old, give-and-take system that valued political compromise that is long gone, abandoned completely by the opposition party, dragged Democrats down.  

Democrats could not see past the obstacles thrown up by a Republican-corrupted justice system, and in spite of claiming Trump was a threat, they could not get him in front of a jury for trial as a seditious insurrectionist as a result of a series of frivolous delays, along with deliberate foot-dragging on the part of an irresolute and inept, incompetent attorney general.  Discussions about breaking the filibuster to pack the Supreme Court, when they had the power to do it, were pooh-poohed.  We're talking about saving the country from a potential dictatorship, here.  But they made keeping the antiquated, outdated and undemocratic filibuster a priority. And they weren't willing to take the step necessary to pack the Supreme Court, which would have opened all kinds of doors, including getting Trump tried and convicted as an insurrectionist long before the mid-term election rolled around, eliminating the ridiculous and unconstitutional immunity ruling and saving Roe.    

With control of both houses of Congress and the White House for two years, the Democrats were unable to accomplish this highest priority of government tasks.  

With a Few Notable Exceptions, Democrats Weren't at the Front of Saturday's Protests

Some Democrats, those who have also been baffled and frustrated by the irresolute stumbling of their party leadership, were an active part of the Saturday protests and rallies.  Of course, with so many different locations, it's hard to tack the involvement of everyone who was out there.  But from accounts I've read, most of the speakers were activists, authors, local leaders who aren't necessarily office holders.  The Democrat who represents the state legislative district in Illinois, where I live, didn't even show up at a rally.  

Here in Chicago, it was local chapters of Indivisible that organized and promoted the protest.  Democrats in Congress, even the leadership, didn't make many headlines on national news.  Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth was part of the protest, I saw and heard some from Eric Swalwell, who I expected to be out in front, and Jamie Raskin.  Of course, Bernie and AOC, who were really the catalyst to get all of this started, had prominent roles and high visibility.  Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke is an activist organizer now, in Texas.  Most comments from Democrats are favorable.  But they're still not out in front on this, because where it is going seems to be into areas with a lot higher level of political risk than most of them want to take. 

So, while it is difficult to imagine the Democratic party as part, but not the whole, of a Trump opposition movement, that's exactly where we are.  And in order to defeat Trump, getting him out of the White House by whatever non-violent, constitutional means is possible, even forceful public opinion that convinces enough Republicans to force his resignation, it's probably going to take more than the Democratic party leadership is actually willing to do, in the long run, to bring this about.  Democrats didn't use the tools they had available to them when they had the power in their hands, not to stop Trump, not even to save their holy grail, Roe v. Wade.  Now that they don't have the tools, they've turned to fundraising appeals using this as a backdrop.  

This is a grassroots movement.  It's the evidence of a landslide election the Democratic party could have won if it had stuck to, and clearly communicated its message.  It's the sign of a political shift that is coming, one that may eventually be identified as the Democratic party, but with a new set of leaders.  Attempts to let the focus get distracted off into side issues won't be allowed by this movement.  The Democrats can't advance their complicated policy platform now, anyway, so the focus must remain on the most effective course of action, and that is stopping Trump from completely demolishing the country.  

There's progress, and movement in the right direction.  But it has to come quicker and form faster if it is to be effective in stopping Trump.

If this is the beginning of a new politically progressive movement, slightly to the left, that will appeal to a lot of constituencies both parties have been unable to reach, then it's a good thing.  

 

 

 

What was Accomplished by Saturday's Protests?

Millions Stood Up April 5, A Day of Action

Here's a quote from the article I linked above, which is a narrative of the speech given at the "Hands Off!" rally in San Francisco on Saturday, April 5 by activist Rebecca Solnit.  The entire speech can be found in the link above.

"I am not saying we will do this.  For that, we'd have to be patiently passionate and passionately patient.  We'd have to stick to our principles, keep showing up and keep standing up even when it looks bleak.  We have to do the right things even when the consequences of our actions might not be immediately obvious.  We have to persevere even if it is scary, and by that we, I mean those of us least at risk on behalf of those of us most at risk.  We can do this.  

Will we do it?  Are you in? For the long haul?" 

In It For the Long Haul 

The turnout for Saturday's "Hands Off!" rallies and marches around the country clearly exceeded the expectations of the organizers.  This was a kind of testing of the waters, a check on the political temper of the United States after just 76 days of the second Trump Presidency.  I've been reading the media pundit reactions, the politician reactions, the statements from organizers, and the public reaction that we are getting from the media is predictable.  I'm going to ignore a lot of the predictability in evaluating the effect of what transpired.  

And I have to say this here before I go on.  Colleges and universities who operate programs that train journalists, particularly the news writers, copy editors, and the editorial commentators, are absolutely embarrassing themselves with the product they are graduating, and with the poor quality of the work being done by those to whom they are handing degrees.  That should be an item in the top five of any list of things that have gone wrong in this country and are responsible for this political disaster we are now facing.  The lack of discernment, of content knowledge of the American Constitution and the government which operates under its principles and rules, the ability to discern truth from a lie, and the lack of conviction evident in repeated failure to call out lies, especially among younger journalists, is appalling. 

It'll be a while before the full impact of Saturday's events will be felt.  The horror of seeing crowds ten times larger than even the most optimistic predictions in deep red states like Utah, Montana, Idaho, West Virginia, and Texas has Republicans in a real panic.  Even what we've seen in some of the understated and carefully guarded words, mostly pre-fab stuff, over the weekend, that is one of the more visible reactions.  From that side of the aisle, I don't expect a lot of words to be said.  What I expect is a change of plans that will be noticeable soon enough.  

But even in the big, deep blue cities, the turnout exceeded expectations.  Some of the venues, like Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago, just weren't big enough to hold the turnout, so it spilled over into the surrounding streets.  

And here's an obvious fact.  If a Presidential administration has motivated protests of this size and scope, in virtually every nook and cranny of this country in just 76 days in office, it is in an unmeasurable and disastrous world of trouble, and it does not have a future.  

It will take a while for this to sink in.  The GOP is being held together by fear of retribution, not exactly a value of American politics that has ever had much success in the past.  The margins are showing up in polling data that has become even more dismal for Trump than it was in his first term.  Already.  Saturday's rallies affirmed the feelings that are showing up in those polls, as did the special election results last week, so now, the party operating out of a fear of opposition and defeat that is manifesting itself in a deathly fear of holding public, town hall meetings, is scared spitless. That, more than any words of a Fox News commentator, says just how scared Republicans are about their future with Trump in the White House.  

So being committed to being in for the long haul is a strategy that will work.  

The Opposition Has Come Together, and is Inviting Democrats to Get On Board

We have come from a point of uncertainty, confusion and paralysis following the 2020 election, that continued all through the last days of the Biden Presidency, up to and since the inauguration, to a point where the realization of the true consequences of electing this incompetent, demented, emotionally and intellectually crippled, dysfunctional demagogue are setting in quickly.   For decades in this country, we have fought apathy among various groups of people in our country who somehow got disconnected from their responsibility and role as "we, the people," and buried themselves in something else, refusing to participate in the very activities that were meant for their own benefit, even during those times when their own perspective didn't prevail.  

It was even worse, during this last election cycle, as truthful information got buried in sensationalism, competition for ratings that equal profits for media company owners, ignorance and lack of discernment resulted in the media becoming a propaganda outlet for Trump.  We had four years of the guy in the White House, and there isn't any way to be honest, and evaluate that Presidency as anything more than one of the worst failed Presidencies in our almost 250 years of Constitutional history.  And we've had some real bad, totally incompetent, inept failures who led the country into disasters we didn't have to experience, like the Civil War.  

This President is worse than any of those, and the fact that in an age of electronic media, and instant communication, that fact can be distorted, manipulated, and made to convince seemingly educated and intelligent people otherwise is a huge problem that must be corrected at every level where it exists, from television news to church pulpits, everywhere the lies are promoted.  The truth is getting out there and Saturday's turnout is evidence of that.  

This is a true grassroots movement, in the real political sense of that term.  While its organizers are, for the most part, members of the Democratic party, the party and its leadership is pretty much along for the ride.  Other than Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, there hasn't really been anyone who has done anything meaningful or effective as far as opposition to this administration's incompetence is concerned, except make a few angry speeches and used it to help set up fundraising operations for their own upcoming re-election campaigns.  We picked up Cory Booker last week, after his remarkable speech acknowledged mistakes Democrats have made in the past, and realistically assessed the future.  

I'd be in favor of Schumer stepping down, and handing the mantle of Senate leadership to Senator Booker.  Tomorrow couldn't be soon enough.  If Schumer wants to retire and get out of the way, I'd be OK with that too.  Democrats are the natural choice to lead this movement, and the fact that the momentum appears to be well past where most of them are still hanging out is a sign that we need a change in leadership.  That may well be something that results from the effects of yesterday's rallies and marches. 

It will be a long haul.  As Booker alluded to in his speech, the Democrats have made mistakes and squandered chances to prevent what's happening now from materializing.  But there's too much self-focused, self-protection going on that prevented the kind of bold risk-taking that would have produced what the justice system in this country was designed to produce, and that is an honest government held accountable to the people.  There is no excuse for Trump not being brought to trial for his crimes long before any thought of the 2024 election rolled around, and there is no excuse for action not being taken, when it seemed that the blockades, especially from the Supreme Court, were going to prevent it.  

Democrats had the power for two years during the Biden Administration, and could have used it if not for the restraints they put on themselves by sticking to their political traditions, not realizing their opponents had abandoned those rules and there was no way to win by following them anymore.  It doesn't seem like that lesson has sunk in yet, and that's why this movement is ahead of the party leadership, not really following it. It seems to be choosing its own leaders. 

What I Would Like to Happen vs What Needs to Happen

Public pressure can do a lot of things, including causing a failing, corrupt, ineffective demagogue to resign the Presidency.  We saw this happen in 1974, when public pressure from revelations coming out of the Watergate scandal pushed enough members of the Republican membership of Congress to commit to impeachment and removal of Richard Nixon, letting him know before a trial actually started that his Presidency wouldn't survive the outcome.  

The result of a Presidential resignation now would be to put an even more incompetent, and far worse individual in the White House.  And even if they both stepped down, we'd get Mike Johnson, a sniveling, spineless coward with no moral or ethical convictions.  The question is how much influence the Heritage Foundation has over those in line for the Presidency, and how much support would be left among Republicans in Congress to keep pushing that agenda in the face of public pressure.  But clearly, while the options are the lesser of two evils, getting Trump out of the White House is the best option.

Musk, very likely, is gone.  That word came down after Tuesday, when he more or less took a major beating in Wisconsin, an election won by a Democrat who very likely benefitted from people who turned out because he got involved.  I don't think Trump has the mental capacity, or the emotional ability or ego strength to push him out the door and shut down DOGE, but I think those who are his handlers realize what might happen if that doesn't happen.  Something has to give in the Signal scandal, too, and it can't be a low level sacrifice.  It must be either Waltz or Hegseth.  My guess is the latter, since having an incompetent in the Pentagon is a worry for some GOP Senators, too.    

As I watched video of the crowd that materialized in Washington, DC on Saturday, probably ten times larger, or more, than the January 6th mob of traitors and insurrectionists, I thought, "what a contrast."  A peaceful demonstration, showing respect for the democracy that gives it the freedom to march and to protest, as opposed to the violent attempted overthrow of a legitimate election.  These were true American patriots, exercising their rights and sending a clear message of opposition to a President who is failing to do his job.  

We Have a Movement

So it will be a long haul, but we have a movement.  The size and scope of this particular protest was impressive, but beyond that, it is a sign that the message is getting out, and awareness of the truth, and let me underline that, the truth, is getting out.  I don't think we have a figure of just how many people turned out on Saturday, but what we do have is evidence that change is being demanded, and is coming.  Combined with Tuesday's shocking special election results, even in Florida, where anti-Trump voters boosted turnout and doubled the election percentages of Democratic candidates in just five short months of discontent, there's been a political earthquake. 

A lot of damage has been done, and will continue to be done as long as Trump is in the White House.  But what we know about him is that his ego can't persist against opposition.  I expect that this was not a weekend very many people on the White House staff or in his secret service detail wanted to spend in his presence.  But the pressure needs to keep coming.  We will do well to focus our political contributions on the places where it does the most good, on Senator Sanders' and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez' movement and organization, and on the organizations which have formed, and are putting this together, like Indivisible,  which was responsible for a lot of Saturday's turnout.  

"Will we do it?"  Yes, we will. "Are you in?"  Yes, I am.  I have problems standing for a long time, can't walk for long distances because of diabetic foot problems but you'll see me with my lawn chair at rallies and gatherings.  "For the long haul?"  Yes, for as long as it takes.   

Undermining and Opposing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Transforms Conservative Christianity Into Something Else

My loved ones, I warn you: do not trust every spirit.  Instead, examine them carefully to determine if they come from God, because the corrupt world is filled with the voices of many false prophets.  How do you test the spirits?  If a spirit affirms the truth that Jesus, the Liberating King, has come in human flesh, then that spirit is from God.  If a spirit does not affirm the true nature of Jesus, then that spirit does not come from God and is, in fact, an agent of the antiChrist.  You have heard about his coming, whose spirit is already active in this world.  I John 4:1-3, The Voice

The Ideals of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Were Introduced and Established as Core Principles of the Christian Gospel by Jesus

Don't be deceived into believing that the Heritage Foundation, the originators of Project 2025, which is a Christian nationalist blueprint to destroy American constitutional democracy and turn the country into their idea of a "Christian nation," has anything to do with orthodox, Biblical Christianity.  To identify it as anything but a deviant, dangerous, evil, anti-Christian cult would be a mistake that could cost us all our freedoms.  

Christianity distinguishes itself by the values it claims are produced by spiritual transformation of the human soul.  It is based on the theology and doctrine taught and preached by Jesus.  The core doctrine of the faith is belief that Jesus was divine, the Son of God, through whom God's nature was fully revealed to humanity, and also through him, humans can be reconciled to God, in whose image we are created.  With the things Jesus taught being the defining theology and doctrine known as the Christian gospel, the central principles, which he identified as being the "greatest commandment" are "to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind."  And with that, he equated the second greatest commandment to the first, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  

Both Matthew and Luke include references to this in their record of Jesus' teaching, in Matthew it is an exchange with a lawyer who asked the question "What is the greatest commandment?"  Jesus follows that up with the statement that "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."  

This is one of those moments when Jesus resets the existing faith practice of those to whom he was speaking.  His status as the Christ, or Messiah, is the authority from which he draws the ability to reinterpret commonly held, but mistaken doctrine and faith practice which turns a religion that required intellectual assent to a long list of doctrines and practice of repetitive rituals into an expression of faith that was identified by the life enhancing and uplifting values motivated by this internal, spiritual transformation of the human soul.  It was a move away from pagan beliefs that human existence was subject to the whims of spiritual entities that took pleasure in controlling lesser beings for their own amusement to one that recognized human existence as God's highest creation, and human life as a reflection of the very image of God himself.  

Diversity, equity and inclusion are higher values that are, in Christian theology, evidence that human beings are indeed a reflection of the divine image of God.  Regardless of one's own personal theology and belief system, human intellect is capable of understanding, and exhibiting values that are uplifting and life enhancing, and that sustaining these values elevates all of humanity around us to a higher level of life with an unselfish purpose. 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan, in Luke 10:25-37, is an Early Example of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Practice 

Jesus introduced the concept of human equality and the sanctity of human life following his comment on the greatest commandment question with an illustration we know as the parable of the Good Samaritan.  In this parable, found in Luke's gospel, chapter 10:25-37, a man who is travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho is beaten, robbed and left for dead.  A priest and a Levite, both representing the highest religious order and value, pass by the man because their "religion," a set of rituals representing intellectual assent to a set of doctrine, tells them they would be made ritually unclean by touching his wounded, bleeding body.  

Jesus deliberately makes the one person who actually stops and does what any moral person who understands the value of human life should do, a Samaritan.  Samaritans were among the ethnicities that were most hated by the Jewish population of the region.  Their ancestry included remnants of the ten Jewish tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, left behind when the Assyrian Empire conquered it, and the pagan ethnicities who were moved into the land by the Assyrians.  The intermarriage of these people produced the "Samaritan" ethnicity, named after the former capital city of the Northern Kingdom, Samaria.  The land they inhabited, formerly belonging to the Jewish tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, which separated Jewish populations in Judea and Galilee, and they had developed an idolatrous religion, leading to their being despised by the Jewish population of the region.  

But this Samaritan man in the parable, already traveling in a place where people would have been hostile to him, knowing that he is considered an enemy, and being of a religion considered to be pagan idolatry, is the one who does the right thing, while the practitioners of the "right religion" left the man to die.  Not only does the Samaritan man provide care for the man's wounds, but pays for his stay in an inn, until his recovery is complete.  

Wow, there are so many points that can be made out of that.  But it is a clear indication that Jesus, whose teaching is the criteria by which the Christian gospel is defined, intentionally introduced values into the faith that included respect for the sanctity of all human life, and the breaking down of ethnic, racial and religious barriers which open the door for diversity, equity and inclusion to be Christian values.  

Jesus Takes His Disciples Through Samaria on an Evangelistic Crusade 

In John's gospel, chapter 4:1-14, there is a narrative describing one of the trips Jesus took from Galilee, where he lived, to Jerusalem.  These were not autonomous Jewish territories, but the predominant Jewish population of the time lived in either Galilee, which had been part of the Northern Kingdom of Israel prior to the conquest by Assyria, and Judea, the area of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, in the southern part of Palestine. 

The most direct route from Judea, to the region around the Sea of Galilee would take travelers through the territory of Samaria.  But because of the prejudice and bigotry toward Samaritans that existed among Jews, and the fact that a trip which would take several days would require them having to do business with Samaritans, including human essential activity like eating and sleeping, which would, according to the ritual obedience, make them unclean, requiring a lengthy period of cleansing and isolation, they would take a long detour, crossing the Jordan River near Jericho, and traveling up the east side, entering Galilee just below where the river flows out of the Sea of Galilee, to avoid Samaria. 

But Jesus did not do this.  Verse 4 says, "But he had to go through Samaria."  What this means was that he refused to take the long route, and deliberately chose to take the road through Samaria.  While waiting on his disciples to enter a nearby town, Sychar, he sat on the side of a well.  While he was there, a woman came out of the town to get water, and he carried on a conversation with her, eventually telling her who he was, and bringing her to what amounted to a conversion experience.  This story, which isn't a parable, but an account of a life event, makes several points illustrating the intentions of Jesus regarding the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.  

First of all, he chose to go through Samaria, and wouldn't consider the alternative.  Second, he engaged in a conversation with a woman, also an indication of abandoning ritual practices that were humiliating and demeaning.  He explained to her who he was, after convincing her he was some kind of prophet because of what he had revealed to her, and he trusted her to be the messenger, or evangelist, of the gospel that he had preached to her, and which she had accepted.  This would make her the first gentile convert to the Christian faith, and the Samaritans in her village, who came out to hear him preach, and among whom he and his disciples ministered for several days, the first non-Jewish people to respond by converting to Christianity. 

His disciples learned a valuable lesson about human dignity and equality, and in spite of their own prejudices, were welcomed and included by the Samaritans of the town of Sychar.  

Peter's Vision and His Visit to Cornelius, Acts 10:1-23

In this narrative from the days of the early church, Peter is led to an encounter with Cornelius, a Roman Centurion stationed in Caesarea, a Roman city which Jews normally did not enter, again because of the ceremonial uncleanliness the rituals of religion imposed.  There is about to be an intentional crossing over of the Christian gospel into gentile, Roman territory, and at this early point in the church's history, it is an intentional effort to create a Christian church that is racially and ethnically diverse.  There were already Samaritans that were Christian.  In this narrative, it crosses over to the Roman citizenry.  

Peter is prepared for his encounter with Cornelius through a vision in which a sheet containing images of animals considered both clean and unclean by Jewish ritual is shown to Peter, with the instructions to "kill and eat."  Twice, he refuses, citing his faith in the ritual practice.  The third time, a voice, purporting to the that of God, tells Peter, "Do not call anything impure that God has made."  

Once again, diversity, equity and inclusion is underlined and emphasized as a value of the Christian gospel.  Throughout the book of Acts, which mostly traces Paul's travels and evangelistic outreach, these values would cross the boundaries into the Greek culture of the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as into the Latin and North African ethnic groups.  

Political Implications of the Trump Attacks on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy 

Ironic, isn't it, that the most supportive political faction Trump has among the electorate, remains silent when its values are challenged by virtually everything he does?  When are they going to stop excusing the incompetence, the demented ranting, and most of all, the directly anti-Christian behavior and attacks on core Christian values, and realize that Trump and Christian are an oxymoron?  

Frankly, I don't see this happening, because his conservative Evangelical supporters have been more than willing to abandon the values of the Christian gospel in favor of a worldly power and influence that they have experienced as being more effective in enacting their own agenda than waiting on the Holy Spirit to answer their prayers and help them take over the world and make money in the process.  The Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, Christian Nationalism and all of the conservative, Evangelical leaders who are endorsing this and going along with it are pseudo-Christian.  By biblical definition, [see 1 John 4:1-3 and Jude, v. 4], they are anti-Christ, deniers of everything Jesus taught and every example he set.  

Those who remain committed to a true Christianity, for whom that is a priority, not for the personal gain it can bring their way, but for the way it makes life in this world a better experience for everyone, are allies with all human beings who are opposed to what can only be described as a fascist tyranny.  We need to find ways to neutralize the effects of the disaster that is being perpetrated on this country now, while we organize and try to get back the momentum for winning an election that is still a long way off.  We've seen enough damage.  

This is primarily being written to those who claim to be Christian, but are buried in denial over the fact that Trump, and virtually everyone around him in the GOP leadership in Washington, including Mike Johnson, Vice President Vance, and the entire Trump cabinet are completely incompetent, blinded to reality and unable to effectively lead anything.  The fact that these people have control over the nuclear codes is horrifying.  These people exhibit absolutely no values or virtues that tell the rest of us that their faith is anything more than a political influence they plan to use for their own enrichment and benefit.  

The values of diversity, equity and inclusion have broad definitions and are found at the core of the Christian gospel.  The fact that they are also found in American idealism, and have been included as core values of our Constitutional democracy are an indication of their influence.  It is difficult to understand how Christians who claim to believe that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible written word of God can miss these points so easily, or be so easily led to interpret them in a way as to miss the fact that they are core values of the United States of America, and of Christianity.  

Values are characteristics which identify the true theology, doctrine and practice of the religion that values them.  So the rejection of these values by Trump means that those conservative Evangelicals who think he's the guy picked by God to lead this country would mean that Trump, and the sycophants he owns, are clearly not Christian.  It is not possible to reject core values of Christian faith and practice and also lay claim to Christian redemption.  Whatever religion it is that leads people to reject core Christian values, it is certainly not Christian,   

Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water?  [James 3:11] 

Democratic Party Momentum Moving in the Right Direction

It's difficult to determine which news from yesterday is the best news for Democrats since the beginning of the year.  I will continue to insist that speeches in Congress are not going to be enough, but Cory Booker's marathon speech in the Senate yesterday will go down in history for more than just its record length.  He accomplished something for those resisting what is going on with Trump and Musk, boosting momentum and laying things out in a way that got some media attention.  So much for Democrats not being able to stay on message, huh?  

The combination of the overall size of the turnout, the movement of voters in every single county to the left of where they were in 2024, and the 10 point margin by which Susan Crawford won her election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, added to the fact that Trump and Musk were heavily invested in the Republican candidate, sent a very, very strong message that I believe can be interpreted as, "Get Musk out of Washington now, and dial back the executive orders and the Project 2025 nonsense, or you're going to become completely irrelevant after the 2026 mid-term elections."  

Trump is simply not capable of sustaining support, at least, not beyond the limits of his base, which make up maybe 30% of the electorate, give or take a point or two.  The media makes a big deal, he's on television all the time, people forget how decrepit he looks, how demented and confused is his speech--a couple of his recent Sunday appearances were downright pathetic--and then he touches something and it blows up.  In a state where the last few Presidential elections have been literally razor thin in their margins, and in which Musk made a judicial seat race into a referendum on his performance with DOGE and on the Trump Presidency, and then tried to buy it by putting in almost $25 million, an unusually high turnout made an 11 point swing back to the left in every county in the state.  

Let's call that exactly what it was.  It was a great victory for Susan Crawford.  And it was a smashing defeat for Musk and Trump, in every possible way.  Combined with the two deep red, gerrymandered Congressional districts in Florida, which shifted about 19 points to the left, it was a bad night for Trump and it was exactly what he will deny it was, a referendum on his Presidency. 

There is a Long, Long Way to Go

This is not all the work of resistance to Trump, or of revulsion and repulsion to himself and Musk.  Crawford had the judicial experience, and the ideology, to be an appealing candidate, especially in a state like Wisconsin.  Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made an appearance in Wisconsin, in Kenosha, when they kicked off their campaign tour.  They got an overflow crowd and a lot of publicity.  Tim Walz made an appearance in Eau Claire, focusing on what's going wrong in Washington.  The two candidates in Florida did an outstanding job of raising money and running a campaign that more doubled the Democratic party vote from the 2024 election.  

And if I'm going to be 100% honest, it will be to say that I don't think the 2024 election is an accurate reflection of the way people feel about Trump.  I know he cheated.  He'd been caterwauling and screaming about it for four years.  Of course he stole this election, right out from underneath us, and one of the mistakes Democrats made was not being prepared for what he was going to do.  Greg Palast has tracked down how he got it done, achieved mainly by running off experienced election workers with the intimidation they laid down last time around, and by discarding a higher than normal number of mail-in ballots.  But that's for another post. 

But this is exactly what we always see with Trump.  The image that he puts forth, or that the media helps him put forth, does not match the gross incompetence, lack of critical thinking ability, total selfishness and greed, and the pathological lying.  All of his assertions about trade deficits and about the United States being on the short end of trade deals were provably wrong.  A sixth grader with a laptop could have found out, before he ever finished his speech, that his numbers did not come close to any representation of reality.  

What should fascinate, or shock us is not the fact that people are rapidly waking up to the fact that President Donald J. Trump is a complete and total phony, and is completely incompetent and absolutely unfit to be President of the United States.  It is the fact that there are still so many people who are totally blind to the reality of this fact.  

Staying on Top of the Message

The political reality we face today is that the greatest threat to the Constitution of the United States, and to American idealism, democracy and guarantees of freedom is its own President.  

The Democratic party must unite with the greater scope of patriotic Americans who understand this threat and know exactly what we are up against.  We have seen some extremely encouraging movement in exactly the right direction, due in part to the fact that there does seem to be some leadership pockets forming and stepping up in the Democratic party, and also to the fact that it is not possible to hide the grossly incompetent, demented, emotionally crippled and senile Trump and the arrogant jackass Elon Musk.  

I have every confidence that the lack of intellect, competence and common sense among the pathetic, rag-tag collection of deplorable human beings--and I use that description deliberately and with complete accuracy--who make up the cabinet of the executive branch, will lead to their complete and total failure to rise to any occasion, and will produce a string of disasters that will have a disastrous political effect on the GOP.  We've already seen the keystone cops kind of fumbling and bumbling they've done in the wake of the Signal war plans scandal, barely two months into office making a mistake that should have resulted in the firing of the Secretary of Defense and Director of National Intelligence, along with a few voluntary resignations, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  The mistakes, court defiance and the complete inhumanity involved in putting Venezuelan refugees into an internment prison in El Salvador should have cost Kristi Noem her job.  

These people really are grossly incompetent, and on top of that, they are stupid in a way that can't be fixed.  There are some real disasters coming down the road for them, and for Trump.  My profound hope is that they aren't so bad as to do irreparable damage to our economy, our national security and our very existence, given the nuclear threat involved, but that they will do plenty of damage to Trump and the GOP when Congressional elections roll around again.  

I wonder if anyone on Trump's team is even aware of the Tariff Act of 1890, or the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs, similar to what he has just done, both of which cost the GOP control of Congress that took an excessively long time to get back.  I'm fearful of the economic depression that is rolling like a thunderstorm right toward us, but hopeful that it has the same effect that those prior economic depressions did to the GOP back then, costing them control of Congress for decades.  Or, given the incompetence of Trump, permanently eliminating the GOP from power.  

One can always hope history repeats itself.