Who is Actually Defending American Constitutional Democracy Against Trump?

"America is like no other country in the world,"  

"That could never happen here."  

And yet, what we are seeing develop, before our very eyes, is a dictatorship using the very limits of government that are provided by the Constitution, subverting the freedoms that it guarantees.  And some of the safeguards that we thought we've always had in place to prevent this from happening have eroded away.  The Supreme Court is corrupt, and has been turned into just one more partisan branch of government with six justices hand picked by the Heritage Foundation.  Did we ever think we would see the day when we would let one political party actually steal a seat on the court, by preventing the other party from nominating someone because it was too close to an election, and then, turn in a gigantic deceptive hypocritical act by stealing another one by letting a lame duck make an appointment just months before another election?  

Or, perhaps more significant, that no one saw it coming, even after one of the far right's talk radio prophets, Rush Limbaugh, laid out this plan years ago, and then pushed and promoted it from behind his microphone.  

Elections have consequences.  One of the steps in this process was the slow, steady push from the right to get control of state legislatures.  Democrats can turn out in big enough numbers to elect candidates like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and Joe Biden in those big Presidential election years, but they have made a habit of ignoring the midterms, off years and state level elections, and as a result, they let Republicans get control of most of the governorships and state legsilatures, where congressional district lines are drawn and where state court justices are appointed, or nominated for election.  

Each of the last three Democrats who have served as President, going back to Clinton, lost control of Congress after the first two years of their term in office, and never got it back.  As a result, we lost the ability to appoint at least two more justices to the Supreme Court, and the GOP has blocked or slowed down hundreds of others.  The result is that we have one of the most corrupt Supreme Courts we have ever seen, and one of the most partisan, whose rulings have pushed the Heritage Foundation's right wing Christian nationalist agenda right along.  

Combine that with a lack of boldness, and risk-taking on the part of Democrats, who still think that playing by old school political protocols will make the idea of compromise work for them, and we are right here now, with a demagogue in the White House, a grifter, con-artist, pathological liar and convicted felon who is the tool being used to subvert and destroy American democracy.  We can't even be certain, after eight years of his babbling about rigged and stolen elections, that this last one is an accurate representation of the "will of the people."  

Most of our news media, which is a billionaire owned corporate industry now, and hasn't been a free press for most of my adult life, doesn't challenge the corruption, and often doesn't even report it.  Those who swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, because they were elected or appointed to the office and responsibility they hold, are content to protect their own turf, and aren't interested in taking the bold risks that are neccessary to set things straight, and are simply observing years of dedicated commitment to ensuring "the pursuit of happiness" go right down the drain.  It will take years to undo the damage that has been done up to this point. 

And patriotic Americans who love this country because of the freedoms it guarantees to its citizens, and for providing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in a way that no where else in the world does, have to sit and watch it be dismantled, while it seems that there isn't anyone in a position of power, who swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, who is doing everything they can to legally try to get this demagogue out of the White House.  

Some People Deserve Credit for Taking a Stand

There's no doubt that this President has not only challenged the limits of Presidential constitutional authority, but he has broken it.  We've all heard it from his critics.  They know.  And yet, people who have taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution are doing little more than pointing it out, complaining about it and letting it go otherwise.  No one seems to know who has the authority to to anything effective, or they are lacking the boldness to take the risk to call it out and try to make it happen within the rule of law.  

I deeply appreciate some individuals in the media who have become the unlikely, but most prolific and accurate defenders of the America that most of us know and love, and want back.  I'm going to give credit to them, because they are among the few who are still carrying this torch, and who don't appear to be backing down in the face of this fascist attack and this grifting, corrupt, demented dictator in the White House.  

A lot of people think of Stephanie Miller as political comedy, more than political commentary, and in spite of everything that is happening, she has kept up the ability to laugh at things, when appropriate, and when that is the way to handle something that just can't be handled any other way.  In addition to telling the truth, and putting things in their exact and correct perspective, she brings a measure of sanity and lightheartedness to what is becoming a really bad time.  Every day that I turn the radio on, and hear her show start up on my way to work, is a day of assurance that free speech still exists and I know I am going to hear something I need to hear to get through the rest of the day.  

Thom Hartmann is a serious commentator who doesn't soft-pedal the bad news and who, through the wide variety of people who call in and comment on his program, tells it like it is.  It's bad news, here's exactly what is happening, no exaggeration, that's the way it is, and here is what we can realistically do about it.  If some of our political leadership on the left had taken seriously the comments they've heard him make, along with the backing of those in his audience who are the people out here in that experience, they might actually be taking a few more risks to protect what we have before we do lose it all.  There are those with the power to take this away from us, and they are doing it, and knowing that should be motivation to take the steps we need to take to stop it.  Thom's not afraid to let people say what's on their mind, and from that, understand there are possibilities and we have hope. 

When my alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m., the radio stays on and tuned in to Richard Chew on Chicago's WCPT talk radio.  Richard is another commentator, a local guy, who also tells it like it is, doesn't mince words, and is bold enough to let us know that facing down fascism is not only possible, but necessary, and it can work.  I think one of the most empowering things we have, as opposition to the Trumpism that is destroying everything that is American freedom, is the experience that black Americans have had in fighting against white supremacy.  That kind of bigotry is a core element of the MAGA movement and of the Heritage Foundation brand of Christian nationalism.  That's a strength that I believe will prove to be neccessary in any successful elimination of MAGA extremism from this country.  

We are fortunate, in Illinois, to have a state legislature that insulates us from a lot of MAGA craziness, and a governor in J. B. Pritzker who is one of the few politicians, along with California governor Gavin Newsom, that have the boldness and are willing to take the risks to stand up to Trump and his fully incompetent administration.  Politics being what it is, they are, of course, open to allegations that what they are doing is politically motivated by personal ambition, rather than patriotism.  But the fact of the matter is that defending everything that this country once stood for is risky, when it comes to politics, and if their motivation was only because of personal ambition, they would not be taking the political risks, and in fact, the potential risks to their own personal safety and that of their families, if they were only concerned about advancing their own political career.  They're both wealthy enough to live comfortably otherwise, and not bother with it if it didn't mean something more to them.  

Where we need the coordinated effort is in Democratic party congressional leadership.  Frankly, being resigned to being in the minority combined with "we can't do anything about it" is not a strategy that is going to work to save this country.  It's election season as usual, with appeals to give money, give more money, and give some more money to my campaign.  Well, let me tell you, as a Democratic party voter, my small, but regular monthly giving has been redirected to a few places where it seems to be more effective in combatting the real danger at hand than in simply supporting the old status quo.  David Hogg and Leaders We Deserve is a worthy political cause as far as I'm concerned.  And Bernie Sanders, who has seen what this is and has been fighting it as long as anyone is also getting part of my small monthly gift.  

Take a look at what the people I've mentioned here are saying, every single day.  They are telling it like it is, and they have the facts to support what they're saying.  This is what the American free press now looks like.  This is who is actually defending American Constitutional Democracy against the demagogue in the White House.  

James Dobson, Republican Political Organizer and Activist, and Psychologist, Dead at 89

James Dobson, the child psychologist whose book and media business led to the founding of Focus on the Family, has died at the age of 89.  On the surface, the business he built, advocating for parents to use authoritarian force-feeding methods which he claimed were supported by principles of the Christian gospel, to control behavior and instill values in their children, looks like many other para-church ministries that derive their income from contributions of Christians and the sale of their over-priced products.  But the manner in which Focus on the Family operated, and used its influence and its reach into American media, identifies it more clearly as a political action committee, an organization aimed at recruiting members and raising money for Republican party candidates who claimed to be supporting the "family values" agenda pushed by Dobson.  

No doubt, he was, and will remain, an icon within conservative Evangelicalism, at least among those who have been radicalized to turn their faith into a political weapon.  His methods were controversial among professionals in the field of psychology.  He brought in a segment of the population that heard from the pulpit of their church on most Sundays that modern psychology was not to be trusted, because it "subverted the word of God," and is based on principles discerned from scientific research, and from successes in dealing with psychological disabilities and the emotional issues that come from them.  

Like most other para-church ministries which rely on faulty conservative Evangelical theology and doctrine when it comes to accurately interpreting and applying what is found in the Bible, usually distoring its historical context or missing it altogether while wandering frequently over into the Old Testament world to retrieve principles and conclusions which Jesus completely re-interpreted in the context of the Christian gospel, Dobson's model was not consistent with the core principles of Christianity.  

Driven by Politics Rather Than Christian Theology and Principle

Dobson used his influence and his following to promote Republican party politics.  That this was the main point of Focus on the Family is difficult to challenge, given the amount of time and money that this pseudo-Christian ministry spent on supporting Republican party candidates for office on some nebulous "family values" platform.  When it came to "family values," many of the candidates Dobson supported, and used his influence to help his own cause were hypocrites, since their behavior was anything but consistent with any kind of definition of "family values," especially not the high moral standards of Christian faith and practice.  

It is support for Trump that exposes the hypocrisy of Dobson, and of everyone who tried to associate the GOP with "family values."  Trump's moral bankruptcy is shocking even to a completely secular worldview.  The total lack of a conscience, and the open rejection of basic Christian theology, especially with regard to the Christian conversion experience, which Trump vehemently denies as being necessary to his own faith, should be appalling to serious Christians.  Supporting Trump and his politics is mutually exclusive of true Christian faith and practice.  It is not possible to be both Christian and MAGA.  

And that certainly defines the ministry, and the legacy of James Dobson.  

Democrats Who "Get It"

The Republican party abandoned commitment to the will of the people, compromise, integrity and trust as a way of conducting itself as a political party during the Reagan administration.  Pushed onward by its own media outlets, and commentators like Rush Limbaugh, the Republicans have consistently been trying to make government fail for more than four decades.  They have taken advantage of Democrats who still believe in those old tools of Democracy.  The comparison has been made that this is like Democrats bringing a knife to a gunfight.  That's about the size of it.  

So last week, after Gavin Newsom made a blistering post that mocked Trump, calling him out for his hipocrisy in pushing for congressional seats by gerrymandering in Texas, which amounts to breaking the law if the Constitution still is the law, Scott Jennings, conservative Kentucky columnist and close political operative who helped Mitch McConnell carve out his dynasty, got all twisted up over the fact that Newsom proposed to do the same thing.  It seems that Jennings thinks it is perfectly fine, and expected, for a hard core conservative like Greg Abbott, to push for gerrymandering congressional seats in Texas but it is a political scheme when Newsom decides to do the same thing?  

Newsom gets it.  And when Democrats wake up and take action that doesn't follow their normal adherence to decorum and politeness, and they call things like they see them, it makes Republicans angry, and they don't know exactly how to handle Democrats who fight back.  Newsom's mocking criticisms of Trump, which nail his character flaws, dishonesty and his incessant, pathological lying, are outside the boundaries of political decorum.  

So what?  Trump's are too. 

Trump does things that are, from a political perspective, unethical, devious, and sometimes unconstitutional and illegal, except for the fact that he gets a pass from a judge here and there in the court system who he appointed and who operate under the corrupt impression that their primary responsibility is to return the favor, rather than uphold the law.  So he gets away with it.  

So, if that's the way it is, then there shouldn't be a problem with Newsom doing it too.  All's fair, right? 

Maybe Newsom is motivated by a possible run for President, maybe he's just frustrated with the way politics are going, and I really couldn't care less.  After seeing Democrats in Washington retreat behind their fences, to protect their own turf, make sure they get their paychecks and pensions, and taking the approach of hunkering down and seeing if they can survive the next three years, I prefer Newsom's approach.  If they're protecting their turf, then they're not looking out for my interests.  So I'll ignore the fundraising appeals, and put my money where it might actually do some good. 

And I would suggest that the turf protectors look around.  I'm not alone, by any means.  There are millions of voters just like me, frustrated to no end by political passivity that has opened the door to a second Trump presidency which was fully and completely preventable.  We can see the Democrats who "get it."  

The Texas Legislature's Democratic Party Delegation

Talk about taking bold, but risky political moves, the Texas Democrats who fled the state and took refuge in Illinois, Massachussetts and New York in order to break quorum and prevent Republicans from passing legislation to gerrymander the state really earned that reputation.  If these people had been serving all of us in Washington, back in 2020, when we had majorities in both houses, we would have been able to pack the court, overturning Citizens United, the ridiculous Presidential immunity ruling, restored Roe and set the country back on the track where judges serve as court officers, not as legislators. 

This group has probably done more for Democratic party morale than anyone else since Trump took office for the second time.  It's the kind of act of defiance that convinces people of the seriousness of the wrong being done by the other side.  And it works.  There is nothing illegal, in Texas law, about breaking a quorum, a procedural rule that can be used exactly this way, and would have been at some point by Republicans if they had been facing a similar situation.  They've done worse, in Texas.  

These Democrats get it.

David Hogg and "Leaders We Deserve"

I had high hopes for the DNC when they chose David Hogg as assistant chair.  But it sure didn't take long for the establishment to get rattled by someone who was willing to be bold and take some risks in order to win elections and get things done.  That's apparently not the M.O. of the DNC, which seems to be stuck in the trend of rewarding longevity and propping up the old line status quo.  How dare some younger person who hasn't been a fixture and a name in Congress come along with ideas to win elections that actually work!  

My enthisiasm over the moribund DNC was short lived.  Ken Martin, an establishment guy who wants to pander to the establishment, managed to find a way to push Hogg out.  But that's probably best for everyone involved, especially Hogg who will no longer be dragged down by the albatross of the DNC.  He'll get more done on his own, while they continue to push papers and twiddle their thumbs and remain irrelevant. 

David Hogg gets it. 

Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio Cortex and "Fighting Oligarchs" 

These are two Democrats who have always "got it."  Call them populists, Democratic Socialists, or liberals, it doesn't matter.  They have a realistic view of politics, they understand the opposition and the social agenda that it pushes, and they can see where that wouldn't be to the advantage of the American people, so they are bold in their actions, which are risky.  I'd say the foot traffic to their rallies is evidence of the popularity of their views among working class Americans, since that's who they are talking to, and for whom they are advocating.  

I'd vote for either one of them, for any office on my ballot.  As much as I like Hillary Clinton, I'm sorry, in some ways, that Bernie didn't win that nomination.  We'd never have had a Trump Presidency if that had been the case.  

Bernie sure knows the oligarchs.  Perhaps one of the least accomplished, dullest, useless members of the Senate is West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito.  She is the daughter of a former Republican governor, Arch Moore, and she has nothing in common with the people of West Virginia who elected her except that she was born in West Virginia.  She got her education at an elite private school, Holton-Arms, in Bethesda, Maryland, and her college degrees from Duke and the University of Virginia, along with being a member of the elite Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. 

Bernie recently held a jam-packed rally in Wheeling, West Virginia, appearing with the loud, rude, bold, risk-taking Senate candidate Zach Shrewsbury, a marine corp veteran from a coal mining family, who represents real West Virginians.  This is a long shot for sure, but Bernie is popular in West Virginia, ironically, and Moore-Capito has been an absolute zero on issues that have affected West Virginians recently, including the loss of medical care and hospital closings in rural counties, and she backs Trump, who has basically turned his back on the coal mining industry.  

Bernie gets it.  So does Zach Shrewsbury.  He's laying it on the line and has nothing to lose. 

I don't think I can recall anyone being mentioned as a potential Presidential candidate, or running mate, as young as Ocasio-Cortez.  But these are different times.  Conventional wisdom would suggest she pair up with some establishment candidate and take it from there, but I'm not so sure that an establishment candidate gets us where we want to go.  Then, there's the speculation that being a woman was the one thing that created just enough of a narrow window to defeat Kamala Harris, so Ocasio-Cortez has the same problem.  I'm not buying that.  

AOCs record shows us she's a thinker when it comes to politics.  There are ideals and a political position, far to the left by American standards, which she represents.  But she understands how government works, and she understands that she is a representative of those who elected her, not the other way around. She represents one of the most economically, socially and ethnically diverse districts in the country.  It's the communication that's important, she knows how to talk to people and convince them she's listening to them.  That's a gift.  

Her presence, "Fighting Oligarchs," is what the younger voters want to see.  They're not interested in the protocols or in keeping the status quo.  She gets it. 

Sometimes, I Wonder if They Get Me?  

I'm a long time Democrat.  I cast my first Presidential ballot for Jimmy Carter in 1976.  I've been a contributor since 1980, and I've served as a delegate to county and state conventions, and to three national Democratic conventions, where I proudly cast my ballot for Michael Dukakis, and Bill Clinton twice.  

We are in a Constitutional crisis that is getting worse with every day that goes by.  We have a weak minded, demented, morally bankrupt, corrupt, grifter in the White House who has no ability to be President of this country, and who is using this office for his own benefit. It's not just his bad politics that are destroying the country, it is his incompetence in dealing with the day to day duties of his office that are killing it.  

Unfortunately, looking ahead to the future , we should be able to see that we cannot endure until there is a chance to make a change at the ballot box.  This man is engineering the means to steal elections, and it is likely that he already has done so.  He led an insurrection against the Capitol, an act of sedition, that has gone unpunished, and he pardoned the other conspirators and perpetrators.  He stole classified documents from the White House and its hard to tell what he did with them.  He's unfit to be President.  

The Democratic party establishment had the means to keep him from ever being elected again.  But the attorney general that President Biden selected wasn't even competent enough to get this guy into court one time.  There was never any real pressure applied, and we couldn't get anything effective done in this regard even when we had control of both houses of Congress, because he didn't want the situation to look too political.  

That's where you lost me. 

Don't worry.  I'm not voting Republican.  I'm just not voting for, or financially supporting, any Democrats who were part of that status quo crowd back in 2020 who wouldn't break the filibuster to let Biden pack the Supreme Court to make sure Trump paid for his crimes, and that Citizens United was overturned.  Oh, yeah, and we would get Roe back. 

I'm not voting for or financially supporting any Democrat I see who isn't getting behind resistance to Trump and taking some real steps to raise the level of pressure to force some Republicans, as impossible as it may seem, toward impeaching and removing Trump from office, now, not later on.  Marching and speaking at protests is nice.  Actually taking a risk and doing something bold would be remarkable for an American policician these days. 

We need to get rid of Trump, legally, legitimately, quickly.   

What Ukraine Needs and Deserves From the United States Will Never Be Achieved as Long as Trump is in Office

The Huff Post: Trump Mocked as he Falls for Putin's Flattery

Here's what we know.  Trump claims the meeting with Putin in Alaska "produced great progress."  Translated into plain English, from the normal pathological lying that is Trump's way ot expressing himself, that means we do not have a peace deal, and that he very likely gave away strategic advantages without getting anything in return.  The general consensus, even in conservative media, seems to be that this was a waste of time and Putin didn't give any ground.  That's typical of the way US-Russia meetings have gone under Trump, and there's no reason to expect more from this, the most corrupt, and incompetent idiot ever to have served as President of the United States.   

What we saw today was more of what we have seen since the man first became President of the United States in January, 2017.  Incompetence.  Ignorance.  A complete and total failure when it comes to having the preparation and the ability to negotiate.  Trump is a phony, a strutter and a poser, and not a diplomat who knows how to use his advantages in a negotiation.  His goal isn't peace, or the best interests of the United States, it is to make himself look good and see if he can make a buck in the process.  And this embarrassment happened on American soil.  

The biggest problem with this summit, and the reason it was doomed to failure from the start, was that Ukrainian President Vlodomir Zelenskyy was not included.  That failure is evidence of a level of incompetence that we have rarely seen from an American President in foreign policy.  Frankly, the summit was a hastily concieved event designed to distract the media from its focus on Trump's close, intimate involvement with Jeffrey Epstein.   

Proof, you want?  OK.  Wake up first, and then take a look around.  Proof is everywhere, so go back to sleeping under your rock, idiot. 

Ukraine Deserves Much More From the United States

How is it that any American born and raised in the freedom we enjoy in this country, and take for granted, doesn't have the ability to understand what is at stake in Ukraine?  There had to be a colossal failure somewhere, education, family and upbringing, to create the kind of selfishness that does not comprehend the kind of freedom we enjoy has come to us at a very high price.  How it is that any American can not see this, see what is happening in Ukraine, even without understanding the long, dark, history of that part of Europe, and not support the struggle of the Ukrainian people as they sacrifice for their own freedom is beyond me.  

The United States has made itself the world's superpower, not by accident, but by choice.  Whether or not that is consistent with the values we have promoted as a nation, it is the way we have chosen to deal with the rest of the world.  And there has not been any place where we've put a bookmark in anything we have done, and set democracy on the back burner in favor of anything else, in spite of our own political stupidity in electing the incompetent, inept, demented Trump because we have allowed billionaires to buy our elections.  

Ukraine has struggled to free itself from the terrible oppression and sucking dry of its natural resources by Russia for most of its existece.  It's geography, which include flat, fertile, moist plains that have the seasonal ability to grow most of the food Russia needs to survive, and its location along the strategic Black Sea coast, which is Russia's main ice-free access to the Atlantic Ocean, have given it the disadvantage of having suffered under Russian domination, Czarist or Communist, both totalitarian, for much of its existence.  So when the opportunity afforded itself, and the Soviet Union collapsed, the areas that are part of the historic territory of Ukraine united under a democracy for the first time in over a thousand years.  

So when the rarest of rare opportunities came for the Ukrainian people to declare independence on August 24, 1991, they did it.  The boundaries of the country reflect all areas where the majority of the population affirmed the declaration by referendum, and this was followed by recognition of 68 countries before the end of 1991.  What occurred then is therefore legal, and recognized, establishing a border around a country that is entitled to exist independently, and whose sovereignty should be defended by other countries including the superpower United States.  

The United States needs to take the lead in establishing a just peace by pressuring Russia to accept a treaty that includes the following: 

1. The restoration of all territory within the boundaries of Ukraine established on August 24, 1991, including the Donbas, and the Crimea to the Ukrainian national government.  
2. The recognition, by Russia, of Ukraine's sovereignty, and of its independence, which includes its right to pursue membership in the NATO alliance.
3. Resolution of all of the issues regarding access of the Russian navy to Ukraine's Black Sea ports, including Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula. 
4. The return of all war prisoners, along with the Ukrainian civilians, mostly children, who have been kidnapped and spirited off into Russia. 
5. Reparations equal to the amount of war damage inflicted on Ukrainian property during the war.
6. A treaty establishing permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine.   

Ukraine suffered much damage and experienced almost four years of Nazi occupation during World War 2.  Some Ukrainians were sympathetic toward the Germans, seeing them as liberators, understandably, considering they had been under Russian domination for hundreds of years.  But they learned, most of them, that the Nazis were not liberators, they were oppressors.  And sometimes experiences like that provide experiences for nations to learn how to adapt themselves, and how to secure their own freedom.  One of the things that has become obvious since Ukraine became an independent country is that the freedom they've experienced is extended to the citizens of the country who are ethnic Russians, Poles, Jews, or any of a dozen other ethnicities that, because of the region's history, live within its boundaries. 

So this is only fair that the world should help Ukraine provide this kind of freedom to its citizens.  Their geography should be to their own benefit, not to their demise.  And it is mostly the role of the United States to accomplish this.  That's not something we are likely to do as long as the incompetent, inept, demented Trump is President.  

 

There's More Than Just Approval of Pedophiles Separating the Pseudo-Christian Trump Cult From Christianity

Baptist News Global: Why American Christians Are Divided [Jeff Howard]

Baptist News Global: Leatherwood Quits Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Baptist News Global by Rodney Kennedy: Journey to the Valley of Cowards

"Can you imagine Jesus pausing his reading from the scroll of Isaiah to encourage his Jewish brethren to 'Hail Caesar'?"  --Pastor Jeff Howard

Baptist News Global is, perhaps, the best news journal to be found among those still published by religious groups in the United States.  It's the product of a merger between the Associated Baptist Press, an independent news agency in partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and The Religious Herald, the news journal of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV), the oldest state Baptist group in Virginia, originally affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.  

These Baptists are at the opposite end of the spectrum, politically, theologically, doctrinally and in practice, from the conservative Evangelicals, including many of the more conservative Baptist groups like the Southern Baptist Convention and independent, fundamental Baptists, who have allowed a pseudo-Christian intrusion into their churches and denominations, the result of a mix of Fundamentalist and Pentecostal Christianity with the extremism of right wing politics.  

They are distinguished by their remaining faithful to these core Baptist principles:  

• Freedom of conscience, giving individuals the right to interpret the Bible and follow their own beliefs without coercion, 
• Freedom of the church, with each gathered body of Christians independent and autonomous, and not governed by any external authority, ecclesiastical or political,
• Freedom of religion, which is the right to practice one's faith openly, without fear of persecution, and,
• Freedom of the ministry, in which preachers are free to preach and teach according to their own convictions and education, bringing them an understanding of the gospel, without interference from denominational hierarchies and from the state's authority. 

Historically, Baptists were one of the stronger influences on the founders, particularly Jefferson and Madison, in advocating for religious liberty, including the separation of church and state, which made its way into the first amendment. Along with other groups and denominations of Christians, Baptists experienced explosive growth in the United States as a result of their emphasis on the practice of evangelism, which stems from the freedoms that form their core principles.  

Christianity and the Pseudo-Christian MAGA Cult are Mutually Exclusive

Religious liberty was the key to explosive evangelistic growth for Baptists, and for virtually all other Christian denominations and churches in the United States.  Keeping up with the growth by training and providing pastors and church leaders was difficult, especially along the western frontier.  And for a denomination without a layer of ecclesiastical authority, the lack of educated ministers contributed to the problem of cultural influences affecting the accuracy of preaching and teaching.  

For Baptists, one of the first major divisive issues in their theology, doctrine and practice was slavery.  It's difficult, from this side of the issue, to imagine how it was possible for people to claim to be Christian, and at the same time, justify the cruelty, inhumanity and racism that characterized a practice as ungodly and anti-Christian as slavery.  The first major split among Baptists in the United States occurred in 1845, when a group of Baptists from churches in the southern states met in the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia to withdraw from the Triennial Baptist Convention and form the Southern Baptist Convention over the former denomination's refusal to appoint slave owners to serve on the mission field.  

And it took 150 years for the Southern Baptist Convention to formally adopt a resolution apologizing for their role in the enslavement of human beings.  That's some powerful ignorance of the Christian gospel, and some powerful, evil hatred.  Let's be crystal clear.  It is not possible to exhibit any kind of Christian testimony indicating one's faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ through ownership of one human being by another.  Belief in racial inferiority is a denial of the Christian gospel, and it is, according to I John 4, antichrist.  

No wonder conservative Evangelicals like Southern Baptists, and their Pentecostal and Charismatic brethren, sidestep the basic theology of the scripture they claim is without error and infallible.  They simply use their own experience, with prooftexts of bits of Bible text taken out of context, to validate their feelings.  Jesus equated black slaves, along with every other race and ethnicity of people in the world, with "your neighbor."  The words of Jesus, the principles he taught, and the example he set by his lifestyle are the standard by which any other part of the Bible must be interpreted.  

Many conservative Evangelicals use the Calvinist idea of "predestination," to justify racist hatred, on the basis that God, who is all-knowing, possesses foreknowledge regarding which human beings will choose to follow him, and which ones will choose to be reprobate.  Jesus never made that kind of distinction, even though recognizing that humans, created in God's image, have the free will to choose to either follow, or reject, the creator God of the universe.  But, whether they have or haven't made the choice to follow Jesus and believe his divine person can save them from their sin, they still qualify for the love of Christians based on the fact that they are still our neighbor.   Remember, the Samaritan was a pagan, but Jesus deliberately chose to make him the hero of the story.  

And he made the two religious leaders in his parable the hypocrites.

Read through the articles that are linked above from Baptist News Global and the stark difference between these "covenant Baptists" and their counterparts among the highly politicized conservative Evangelical right is visible.  The Christian gospel begins with the Beatitudes [Matthew 5:1-11], not the Ten Commandments.  Jesus used his divine authority to establish the equality of the first and second commandments, when asked which one was the greatest.  He declared that the second, which is to "love your neighbor as you love yourself," was equal to the first, "To love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."  And he used a parable, known as the parable of the good Samaritan, to illustrate the point.  

So the clearest public testimony of one's conversion to the Christian gospel, and of the practice of their faith is observing their treatment of other people, all of whom are equal in the eyes of God, is love for one's neighbor.  Jesus used the character of the Samaritan in the parable, a man his Jewish audience would have despised because of his ethnicity and his pagan religion, to illustrate that he meant "neighbor" as "fellow human being."    

I've heard this challenge issued by others, I'll put it here as well.  Point to one thing, just one, a proposed policy or law, of the Trump administration that is a demonstration of one's love for their neighbor.  Just one.  Find something, anything, in the MAGA playbook that is consistent with any practice of a Christian principle.  Just one.  The problem is that Christianity is a lifestyle, based on a set of theological principles and doctrines that define its practice.  The theology is systematic, the doctrines are all consistently aligned and the mission and purpose is clear.  It rests on the belief that humanity is equal because every human being is created in the image of God.  

There's been a fault line that has been visible, which has separated what I call "Covenant Christians," those whose theology, doctrine and Christian practice reflect the acknowledgement of Jesus as the criteria by which the Christian gospel is interpreted from scripture and practiced, from the intrusive influence of white, Christian nationalism that is based on legalistic fundamentalism combined with extremist right wing politics.  

Proof?  I John 4.  The Apostle's words define the difference.  He speaks authoritatively of what is required for a human being, created in the image of God, to be Christian, as opposed to being antichrist, and uses that exact word.  He defines them simply, but thoroughly, enough that it's obvious.  Christianity rests on the acknowledgement of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior.  A quick test of the spirits, as instructed by the Apostle, shows the pseudo-Christian MAGA cult doesn't pass that test.  

It also doesn't appear to be a coincidence that cases of sexual abuse by pastors and church leaders seem to be soaring in those sections of conservative Evangelicalism that also embrace the extremist right wing politics of Trumpism, nor are some of their misogynystic practices excluding women from church leadership, or the fact that conservative Evangelicals are the single most segregated branch of Christianity in the United States.  Find the fault line, and you'll find these kinds of moral issues on the right side of it.  Of course, no one is perfect, but the Southern Baptist convention is having a terrible time resolving a sexual abuse crisis in its churches uncovered about five years ago by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News.  The atmosphere in most of the churches that have withdrawn from the convention doesn't tolerate that kind of behavior.  It seems to sift out the personal kingdom builders and dictator pastors.  

The old Baptist Triennial Convention, in Philadelphia, now exists as the American Baptist Churches USA.  The other Baptist groups which have adopted a gospel-centered, rather than political centered approach are the Alliance of Baptists, a liberal group that separated from Southern Baptists during the early days of their "Conservative Resurgence," and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which includes many more mainstream congregations, mostly in the southern states.  Though not monolithic, these groups represent a hard core of resistance to Christian nationalism.  And whether those on the political left are inclined toward expression of Christian beliefs and practice, or keep their distance, there are places within these Baptist groups where a very articulate, well stated narrative accompanies their resistance to the pseudo-Christian kind of MAGA Trumpism that directly attacks and discredits that cult. 

Warnings from Jude Verse 4

For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who, long ago, were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

Though I would not say these words are a prophecy of something specific, they are prophetic in that Jude, one of the twelve Apostles, likely a half brother to Jesus, recognized the danger of infiltration of false doctrine and theology into the church.  There's no question that Christian nationalism, which in this country was largely the product of the ignorance that turned into anti-education bias among churches that were never reached by educated pastors and church leaders, and of the economic reliance and dependence on the subjugation of black people as slaves.  

One of the most laughable assertions some conservative religious, political types have come up with is the thought that Trump is God's instrument being used to restore the United States to Christian revival and righteousness.  Trump's been on the political scene since 2016, and there's not an inkling of religious revival on the horizon.  Church attendance and membership is dropping like a stone in a well, as it has been for several decades now, and it's fairly apparent, from the policy they push, that "God" equals "money" in the MAGA cult.  There's no emphasis on Christian morality. 

The claim that God sometimes uses flawed individuals to achieve his will is not applicable on this side of the resurrection.  And while those who like to compare Trump with King David try to make this point, the fact of the matter is that the biggest difference in this comparison is that David was repentant from his sins, and submissive to God, while Trump loudly proclaims that he has done nothing requiring God's forgiveness, and he does not submit to God's grace.  There is no way God would ever use a morally bankrupt, sexual deviant, antichrist like that.  That's just another sign of how far away from the Christian gospel Trump has taken himself and his followers.  

According to his own narrative, Jesus has already established his Kingdom, a spiritual one, based on the practice of Christian faith through the values he preached and lived by.  He never intended to establish a "theocratic" nation on earth, similar to the way in which the Old Covenant established.  Salvation, which was what both of these kingdoms existed to provide, is quite different, needing neither the power and influence of the United States, or the leadership of a worldly demagogue like Trump.  

Reading through John's epistle, it's clear that Trump meets the definition of antichrist.   

Resistance to Trump Must Translate Into Viable, Effective Action Now

Under the false claim that "crime is out of control," which is yet another outright lie told by Trump, the federal government is preparing to take over the District of Columbia police department and deploy the national guard on the streets of Washington, DC.  This is the second attempt made by this incompetent and uniformed administration to try and control what happens in an American city, the first being his failed attempt at doing the same thing in Los Angeles.  And I will make this statement, because it needs to be said:  Anyone who is not able to see this kind of action for exactly what it is does not have an understanding of this nation's Constitutional democracy, the Republican form of government it has adopted, and the definition of being a patriotic American committed to the rule of law. 

I'll say that again.  Anyone who cannot see this for what it is, is an ignorant dumbass. 

It should also be a signal to those who have been marching and protesting that it is time to raise the level of resistance to the point where it has some effect on putting a stop to the actions being taken by the other side.  This kind of thing, sending in military to try and reduce a crime rate that is already well below the point where it was at its peak, to appeal to ignorant populists who aren't aware of, and don't care about facts, has to be stopped before it goes any further.  This is not an acceptable action of the Presidential administration, and some kind of line has to be drawn to send that clear message.  

Combat the Misinformation

Trump lies when he opens his mouth.  He is such a pathological and habitual liar, making up his own statistics as he goes along, that it can be assumed nothing he says is accurate, even if it may sound somewhat reasonable.  In that regard, he's like the proverbial clock that is completely broken and doesn't work, but is right two moments each day.  

Contrary to Trump's false assertion, Crime in Washington, D.C. has hit a 30 year low.  That's according to the U. S. Department of Justice.  The fact that Trump just casually lies through his teeth and makes a provably false statement is infuriating, and proves that the man lacks any sort of character.  The fact that there are Americans who ignorantly and stupidly believe him, and they are ignorant and stupid for believing him, is infuriating, especially in a country where we have the kind of educational resources available to us to prevent this kind of blithering ignorance.  

But I'll take bets from anyone who wants to make a wager with me that the media will not only fail to report this fact [I got the information from the DOJ website], but it will deliberately find ways to keep from reporting it. That, unfortunately, cuts us off from one of the more effective ways of stopping Trump, and that is to point out how unpopular he is.  And while there are people who will look at the facts and then decide to believe the lying Trump anyway, and that's the kind of stupid that can't be fixed, there is a direct correlation between the level of accurate information provided by the media, and drops in Trump's overall approval and popularity ratings.  

Crime Rates Across the Country Dropped Significantly During the Biden Administration

According to a recent report, published July 24 in Stateline, violent crime in the United States has continued the downward cycle that began right in the middle of Biden's Presidency, in 2022, in most of the cities where it has been a chronic problem.  This report is exactly the sort of thing we need to see from the major media outlets.  First, it cites the crime statistics which shows significant drops in homicides and other violent crimes, mostly in bigger cities where these things have been a problem and then the author says, "These findings come as Donald Trump continues to amplify concerns about crime, at times citing misleading statistics and narratives.  

I'll give that reporter a B+.  A sentence that would get an A would read something like this: 

"These findings provide proof that Trump's concerns about crime and citations of statistics are based on lies, mostly of his own making," that fly in the face of accurate statistical data based on real figures and research, and not just on their appeal to the populist narrative"  

We get that kind of accuracy from Mother Jones, or The Atlantic,or Stephanie Miller, not from CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN or the New York Times or Washington Post, unfortunately.  

Decorum and Civility Are Old Protocols for Abandoned Rules

Republicans abandoned the old school protocols of decorum and civility at the behest of Rush Limbaugh and his "winner take all, no sympathy for minority rights" attitude.  That actually occurred during the Reagan administration.  And if they left any doubt about their contempt for that means of doing government business by compromise, and about their contempt for the rule of law, it was removed when they marched on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 in a violent attempt to steal an election and overthrow the United States Constitution.  

And there's a clear reason why Trump wants to call out the National Guard and take over the police department of Washington, D. C.  It's to give him an advantage when he wants to attack the Capitol once again.  Were I a member of Congress now, especially a Democrat, I would not feel safe in the Capitol.  Let's be clear.  

Trump's closest sycophants are warning about the turn in the political tide that indicates Democrats are going to claim control of Congress following the 2026 elections.  Everything they are doing now indicates that they are planning to steal the midterm elections to prevent this from happening and it appears that while they attempt to gerrymander as many states as they can get away with, to try and take the election that way, they are also setting up to over-run the Capitol building, again, and prevent Democrats from taking office that way, if they win the elections.  

We can no longer afford a "wait and let's see" attitude, going about our fundraising and our business as if this were not happening, ignoring it, thinking that the Republicans are still playing by the rules dictated by decorum and civility, or acting like this is just another routine election and however it plays out will be the will of the voters.  

Timothy Snyder, in his book On Tyranny, provides two distinct warnings here which I believe we need to heed, and give immediate consideration to adopting. 

Principle #7 says Be Reflective If You Must Be Armed. 

"If you carry a weapon in public service, God bless you.  But know that the evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things.  Be ready to say no."

I think we are at the point where we need to take stock of the things that are now being done by this administration, and be smart when it comes to figuring out what weaknesses they exploit, and what strengths they commandeer.  We may have a great deal of respect for the rule of law, but our opposition doesn't share that same respect at anywhere near the same level.  We need to encourage enough critical thinking skills to help people decide when to say no.  

Principle #17 says "Listen for dangerous words." 

"Be alert to the use of the words 'extremism' and 'terrorism'.  Be alive to the fatal notions of emergency and exception.  Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary."  

Make no mistake about it, calling out the National Guard to patrol the streets of Washington, D.C. are dangerous words, as dangerous as anything we have heard in this country since shots were fired on Union troops at Ft. Sumter.  Federal control of the police department of the District of Columbia, based on a false pretense, is also representative of dangerous ideology.  The manner in which this President has thown rhetoric around makes those actions threats against the members of the Democratic party.

Another mistake not to make is to confuse "Christian nationalist" with "Christian."  The leadership of the Heritage Foundation has allied itself to the dregs of humanity that make up the Trump administration.  Their convictions are deceptive and dangerous.  I don't see that they are very closely acquanted with things like "love your neighbor as you love yourself," neighbor being an exceptional and misused term in their vocabulary, or with the equality of all humanity created in the image of God.  They think God suspends the rules for those he has chosen to rule the world.  As Snyder says, "exception" is a dangerous word, and it exists in Christian nationalist, Heritage Foundation vocabulary, appearing as often as the words "the" and "And."  

Not An Easy Task When it Comes to Playing by the Rules

The safeguards on which we have depended, and which our founding fathers wrote into the constitution to keep demagogues out and democrats in have failed.  It's difficult for people who believe in and live by the rule of law to imagine circumstances in which actions must be taken that might appear to be inconsistent with that rule.  Much of what could have been done in advance of this wasn't, because people could not imagine an American political party off the rails as badly as the GOP has wrecked itself under Trump, though his predecessors, and the Supreme Court, are also extremists who should be blamed.  

I know there are those who are in positions of power who need to step up now and start laying plans to preserve and protect the freedom we have.  I wouldn'd advocate for ramping up the opposition if I were not willing to participate in that myself, and I know there are a lot of others who are willing.  We must not, as Snyder warns, fall for the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book, which is the suspension of civil liberties because of some "crisis."  That's what's happening in Washington now, and that is what must be stopped now.   

This is What Resistance to Trump Looks Like

 The Maddow Blog: Texas Democrats Leave the State to Derail Redistricting

Perhaps because they have been the most harassed, and they look some of the worst politics of this Trump era, and the agenda of the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025 right in the face, Democratic members of the state legislature took some big risks, including to their own livlihoods, to defend democracy in the face of maga Trump fascism.  As the Texas legislature and the worst governor in the United States proposed to redistrict the state in order to cheat out five more Republican seats in the House, Democrats used a last moment procedural move to block the redistricting by simply leaving the state legislature without a quorum.  This effectively blocks a vote on the measure and they plan to stay out of the state until the session expires. 

This is what resistance looks like.  

The risks, to their own livlihood they had to temporarily leave, are real ones, since the Texas legislature does not pay enough of a livable salary for its members to live on.  It is deliberately designed to be a rich person's legislature rather than a people's legislature.  Some may lose their jobs, some may be severely persecuted because they left their seats.  Ultimately, the governor of Texas is powerless to do anything about it, but make life miserable for a while.  Well, go ahead and give that a try, since he's not going to get his redrawn districts.  

And there is a great example of the in-your-face kind of boldness that is necessary in order to oppose this madness and make an effort to save American democracy.  

Showing that kind of resolute courage in the face of the opposition goes a long way.  Two Democratic Senators could not be convinced to break the filibuster, to pack the Supreme Court back in 2020, when we had control of both houses of Congress, and the White House.  Had we done that, with all the risks that it entailed, Trump would not have seen the White House from the inside as President ever again.  

Packing that court would have led to overturning Citizens United, which is the big problem we have with money in elections.  It would also have prevented Trump's legal maneuvering to bring about delays to add to the inaction and incompetence of Merrick Garland, who history will make bear the blame for much of what is now happening.  Two Senators, along with Garland, lacked the courage and boldness we are seeing in Texas Democrats now.  

We saw a surge of protests and marches, millions turing out to achieve...not much of anything as the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 marches forward toward turning the United States into a Christian nationalist, white supremacist dictatorship.  Maybe some of that energy needs to have boldness applied, of the risk-taking kind we are seeing in Texas Democrats, and aim it at bringing down parts of that agenda, while keeping our integrity and staying within the boundaries of the law.  

We are smart enough to figure out how to do this, aren't we?  

Living a Lie Every Day

It's really become ridiculous, hasn't it?  

I heard the arguments, back in 2020, when Democrats held the White House and both houses of Congress, about the dangers of doing away with "safeguards" like the senate filibuster, which allows the minority to shut down a lot of legislation pushed by the majority.  

"If we do that, then we have to think of what they are going to do if they get back into power."  

That's weak minded thinking.  Of course they are going to do it.  They, being the extremists who now control most of the Republican party, are going to use tools we refused to use because Democrats still believed that everyone should act with a measure of decorum and civility.  But all we are going to get from doing this is grief, and we now have to sit back and watch as the far right, unrestrained by decorum and civility, and motivated by hatred based largely on inaccurate and untrue conspiracy theories, dismantles American democracy. 

We Don't Always Get What We Voted For 

I cast my ballot for Joe Biden in 2020 partly because I believed his administration would not pussy-foot around with decorum and civility, but would pursue whatever avenue their power gave them to stop the madness that had come to a head during the first Trump administration, and strengthen our democracy so that it could not be challenged by falsehoods again.  

The Supreme Court is behind most of this movement toward dictatorship.  That's why there were so many calls to make a bold move to pack that damn court when Democrats had the chance.  Many of their rulings in recent years, following a blueprint of extremism laid out by Rush Limbaugh, set the stage for undermining Democracy and ushering in the white, Christian nationalism that is now on the move via project 2025. 

Had Democrats made that move, which would have required simple majorities to amend the judiciary act, if the filibuster had been done away with, we would not be seeing anything like we are seeing in our broken down government now.  The aim of a packed court would have been at overturning the Citizens United ruling that has allowed money to buy the government.  Overturning that would have been worth the difficulties that would have been encountered later on.  

But, a lot more could have been done.  Roe would have been saved.  The immunity rulings regarding the Presidency could have been dismantled.  Trump's trials on indictments for stealing classified documents, and for inciting an insurrection, could have proceeded as any of the justices could have ordered expiditing the motions his lawyers made for delaying tactics, and brought him to trial.  He'd have been convicted and imprisoned by now, his federal housing in a prison cell rather than the White House.  

Not only that, but a court that would have been packed with Biden appointees would have required the ethics rules to be developed, and implemented, and could have forced the resignations of those justices who have either accepted bribes, or whose personal conduct was not up to judiciary standards.  We could have seen Alito, Thomas and Kavanaugh forced to resign under rules imposed by the court upon itself.  

That's what I expected from the Biden administration, and that's what I voted for.  

Will We Ever Have Another Chance?  

The far right is rapidly moving to close the windows on those aspects of our democracy that permit voters to exercise our will.  While Democrats keep talking like the midterm elections are going to take place as normal,, and that the party appears to be gaining enough favor among voters to win a majority of seats, at least in the House, the far right is taking necessary steps to cheat on the election results. 

Let's say we win back control of both houses during the midterm elections.  We have some Republican pundits predicting they will lose 40 seats, I don't see that happening, but 15 is a real possibility.  The Democratic leadership, with their language, fundraising and disastrous lack of initiative from the DNC, has already conceded the Senate, based on past trends, but let's just play the game for a moment, and say we get a two seat majority.  

What I would expect would be a clean sweep of objectives.  Shut down the administration, cut their budget for everything that can be cut, ignore the sitting President, his cabinet and his cronies, get rid of the Senate filibuster, block every judicial appointment, and thwart every initiative.  Do everything legislatively possible to make the prospect of the next two years miserable enough to make Trump resign.  And, do everything possible to let the American people know they need to come up with a revolution at the ballot box in 2028 that will put a government in place to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening again.  

And I can tell you that my top priority in a Presidential candidate for 2028 is their willingness, if the opportunity presents itself, to pack the Supreme Court the moment they are able to do it.  Citizens United and Presidential Immunity need to be overturned as soon as we can get it done.  No politician gets my vote unless they are willing to put their career and reputation on the line to achieve this.  No more pussy-footing around, playing politics by old protocols.  Those who want my vote, and the votes of millions of Democrats and patriotic Americans who are now marching in the streets and protesting the wrong being done to us need to be willing to put their career on the line to show me they care.   

We have a huge job, restoring and reparing the damage Trump has done.  I'll be expecting my legislators, those who want my vote, to take the hard partisan line on everything from taxing billionaires to erase the national debt, to instituting a single payer, nationalized health care system like Canada has done so successfully.  Fix Social Security so that the incomes are liveable.  

It's time to stop living the lie and restore American to the values of its roots. 

 

When You're Approval is 20% down in a Newsweek Poll...

Newsweek: Trump's Approval Rating Takes a Dive in New Newsweek Poll 

When Newsweek publishes this information, it's probably even worse than they want us to know.  

It's sometimes difficult to tell whether the writers for this publication don't really know much about how the Constitution works, along with the limits on Presidential power, or whether they are deliberately biased, knowing that most of their readers are ignorant about how the Constitution works.  Newsweek has had an almost hopeless right wing bias for decades, going back to the days of the Johnson and Nixon Administrations.  

The editorial positioning of Newsweek seems to follow public opinion, rather than simply putting the facts in place and letting readers make up their mind that way.  The position that their editorial staff took on the Vietnam War is probably one of the best examples of that, going from a very Pro-War, Pro-US policy position at the beginning, eventually ending up taking a critical stand as public opinion shifted.  They did not have anywhere near the influence on public opinion as the three major television networks and the major daily newspapers did. 

In the Media Paradigm Shift We Are Experiencing, If Newsweek is Willing to Publish Bad News on Trump, it Must Be Really Bad

I'm not a bellwether of Newsweek readers.  I used to be a subscriber, and got a copy hot off the press every week.  I'd read it in the evening, while relaxing after work, and was always looking for pieces to share with my high school students for current events value.  That stopped around 2000, with the election of George W. Bush as President.  That seems to be the moment when they took a hard right turn.  I cancelled my subsscription after reading some of their 9-11 coverage.  

The Allsides website, which measures media bias and characterizes it as either far left, left, center, right, and far right, puts Newsweek in the center.  Perhaps that's because it does, on occasion, publish articles that wouldn't get published or aired on Fox News or in the Wall Street Journal.  I do have to give credit where credit is due, they aren't making any excuses or softening the blow of a poll that is the single worst drop in public opinion for any President of the United States since before Franklin Roosevelt.  It's there, noted, that Trump is critically unpopular, and ventures to explain why.  

They have also pointed out that "Gen Z is Shifting Back to Democrats".  Now, there's a little bias there in that only one Pew Research poll ever showed enough of a shift in Gen Z support for Democrats that brought them to a 50-50 point, with most polls giving the Democrats a 3 to 5 point edge among the voters of that age group at the narrowest point at that same time.  So that's the poll they're sticking with, as it shows a shift in Gen Z voters back toward the Democrats.  It's the most conservative leaning data available, and certainly not an indication of a leftward shift at Newsweek.  

 I'll stick with The Atlantic, Mother Jones, and Salon.  They provide plenty of expert commentary, they get the facts straight and don't try to spin them, and their writers get an "A" in English for their ability to correctly use the language to effectively communicate. 

Developing a Resistance Media

There's a lot of excellence among some of the media sources I mentioned here, compared to a weekly news journal of mediocre quality and questionable values like Newsweek.  It's difficult for genuinely professional journalists to develop a perspective that is biased, in terms of understanding the corruption, distortion of facts, and the intentional and deliberate undermining of the Constitution and the American values on which it was written.  

But, American journalism is full of examples of times when true patriots recognized that being fair to a subversive and dangerous ideology and its proponents was also a danger to the existence of the nation, and they used their words to characterize the subversion, warn their readers and motivate them to action in order to defend their liberty.  Those aren't just nice words about history.  The fact of the matter is that we have a demagogue in the White House who hasn't hidden his subversive intentions.  We have arrived at the point when that subversive intent has itself become a fact that not only requires reporting, but needs to be considered in opposition to all patriotic American values, and needs to be reported as such. 

Newsweek, in its bland effort to be fair and centrist in its reporting, is not doing the fight to preserve, protect and defend the individual liberty that is provided to us by American values, including our constitutional democracy, any favors.  

Gaza Has Become the "Unimaginable" Twenty-First Century Tragedy

 "One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this."--Omar El Akkad, Award-winning novelist, author and journalist, three weeks after the attacks began against Gaza

In an upper level college course covering the period of European history that included the two World Wars, I chose the topic of the Holocaust for the required research paper.  It was reading Herman Wouk's The Winds of War and War and Remembrance that prompted my interest.  Though his works were fiction, they were based on research historical fact, and Wouk, who was himself Jewish, born to parents who Russian immigrants from Minsk, did a great job of digging out the historical facts that separate the Holocaust as a distinctively deliberate attack on the Jewish population of Europe, from the way that the Third Reich treated its other political enemies.  

So I am having more than a little trouble trying to understand what is happening in Gaza.  After an event that saw the establishment of six concentration camps built for no other purpose except that of executing people because of their ethnicity, and their religion, the long struggle that finally brought it to an end, the shock at the discovery of just how bad things were, including the displacement of millions from their homes, and a deliberate persecution that included cruel starvation, intentional murder of children, and the destruction of their humanity, the cry that emerged fromt the suffering was, "Never again!"  

And yet the national government of the state founded largely by the survivors of the Holocaust is raining death and destruction down on the inhabitants of a neighboring province, creating a humanitarian crisis, and then, from what the media that is there is reporting, deliberately blocking the delivery of food and medical supplies, leading to widespread starvation of the inhabitants.  

"Never again!" wasn't specific to just the victims of the Holocaust.  It was a vision shared by most of the rest of the world in the wake of a war that was believed to be the one that would end all wars.  So I'm having a real difficult time understanding what benefit the people of Israel are getting from their government's deliberate destruction of the Gaza Strip.  And that includes a death toll getting close to 70,000 civilians, mostly women and children, from bombing.  

Retaliation or Response to the October 7, 2023 Attack? 

It's been almost two years since the brutal, and unconscionable attack on Israel was launched from across the border in the Gaza Strip.  That is always a danger which Israel knows is present, due to the political unrest within the impoverished, largely refugee population of Gaza.  Israel's right to exist as a nation was established by the British, , in the post-war period, primarily as a reaction to the horrors of the Holocaust, and as a response to the push by Jewish political groups, mainly the Zionists, through the United Nations, to open Palestine up to unrestricted Jewish immigration.  

There was talk about creating a "two state solution" to make room for increased Jewish immigration and well as to provide for the Palestinian Arabs who already lived there in some kind of "peaceful" means.  I'm not sure who was in charge of doing so, whether it was the United Nations, or the British, but it never materialized.  The history is complicated.  Israel established itself as an independent state in 1948, and the territory it claimed has been expanded as the result of multiple wars and skirmishes. The boundary line that created the West Bank was established by an armistice in 1949, while the boundary that created the Gaza Strip was part of the 1950 armistice.  

Together, Gaza and the West Bank take up about 40% of the territory within the province under the British mandate that borders the Mediterranean on the west, the Jordan River on the East and the Egyptian border through the Sinai, to the Gulf of Aqaba.  A lot of people think this is the "two state solution" that gets talked about from time to time, but it isn't.  The West Bank is under Israeli occupation, and has been since the 1967 war.  And no Palestinian governing authority has been recognized in Gaza, which effectively puts that small province also under Israeli control. 

And so, the terrorist groups that have sprung up in response to the presence of the Israeli state, and as the result of the multiple wars that have been fought over control of the land, find it relatively easy to gather support from among the areas populated by displaced persons who have no recognized governing authority of their own, under indirect Israeli control.  They really have no backing at all, as they face off against Israel, which is backed by the United States and most of the western democracies.  

It's easy for a terrorist group like Hamas to embed themselves in a place like Gaza, and plan terrorist attacks against Israel, not with the idea that they will gain territory or win back the land that their previous generations owned and worked, but that they will inflict enough damage to change the status of their oppression.  

No one is justifying the October 7th attacks, which targeted innocent civilians, women and children, leading to more than 1,000 causualties.  Likewise, Israel's right to exist, and to defend itself, established by diplomatic recognition of the United Nations, and supported strongly by the United States and Great Britain, is also not under any question here.  But there are some legitimate questions that require answers.  

Two Legitimate Questions 

Israeli security is among the best in the world.  So one of the questions here is how is it that this group of Hamas terrorists made it across the tightly defended, heavily watched border between Gaza and Israel and managed to commit this inescusable, violent, deadly attack on Israel?  We still do not have any explanation for how this happened, with the border security being at its current level.  

Defense of the Gaza border region is essential to Israel's survival.  We know that.  But we also know that something went wrong here for which those in charge have still not been held accountable.  Was the breakthrough allowed in order to provide a pretext for an all-out assault aimed at the complete destruction of Gaza?  The Netanyahu government has taken a position that is favorable toward elimination of Gaza, even as it ignores UN resolutions and American opposition to building settlements on the West Bank, which it continues to do.  

Such moves for Netanyahu would eliminate any possibility of a "two state solution" which is what the UN, and the United States, have pushed for as a means of resolving conflict and bringing peace.  For if Israel's right to exist, and defend itself is recognized, then so must the rights of those Palestinian Arabs, most of whom are now the children of the first generation that lived with Israeli sovereignty, to exist, have a sovereign self-governed state, and defend themselves.  

The other legitimate question which must be asked is how much is too much?  What has happened to Gaza is much more than simple retaliation for the October 7th attack.  This looks very much like a war of aggression, aimed at invasion and conquest, and an almost deliberate attempt to bring the "two state solution" talk to an end, since the independence of Gaza is critical to that means of achieving peace, if it can ever be achieved.  

It would also not surprise me to learn that most Israelis are not in favor of what is happening.  This is not what is expected from a people who endured the kind of persecution that occurred as a result of the Holocaust.  The persecuted Jewish survivors of the Holocaust had more than just their own people in mind when they declared "Never again."  This was the desire for the whole world.  

It might still be possible to salvage some good will, and recover some image of peace from this, depending on how it is handled from here on out.  That might result if there is an immediate cease fire, and more than just rudimentary reparations are part of the restoration and solution to the problem, along with genuine efforts to make peace work, not just the tit for tat series of wars that have characterized the middle east since before the second world war.