Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Whether it is a presidency teetering on insanity, an economy facing bankruptcy, or a nation dealing with systemic democratic erosion—this week's news brings us straight to the brink. Drawing from 40 years on the frontlines of youth development and alternative justice systems, this week's briefing serves as an uncompromised audit of our modern socio-political landscape. Inside, we confront the deliberate degradation of the Free Press, the corporate billionaire push for a predatory "mudsill economy," and the structural corruption of our military infrastructure. We cannot afford the luxury of disengagement. Read the reports, listen to the music of resistance below, and let’s dig deep to organize for a accountable future.
Youth Advocacy
Welcome to Year 5, Week 09. This weekly report is built on a simple premise: we cannot afford the luxury of disengagement while our democracy teetered on the brink. To ensure our community of resistance stays connected across all digital spaces, you can now join my daily advocacy conversations and political updates on social media.
🦋 Connect on Bluesky: Follow my micro-essays, breaking news threads, and real-time commentary Direct Link on Word or Phrase
📘 Connect on Facebook: Join our community page for deep-dive discussions, essays, and updates Direct Link on Word or Phrase
27.05.2026-02.06.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Weekly Review: Standing at the Brink
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Whether it is a presidency teetering on insanity, an economy facing bankruptcy, or a nation dealing with systemic democratic erosion—this week's news brings us straight to the brink. Drawing from 40 years on the frontlines of youth development and alternative justice systems, this week's briefing serves as an uncompromised audit of our modern socio-political landscape. Inside, we confront the deliberate degradation of the Free Press, the corporate billionaire push for a predatory "mudsill economy," and the structural corruption of our military infrastructure. We cannot afford the luxury of disengagement. Read the reports, listen to the music of resistance below, and let’s dig deep to organize for a accountable future.
Visual Stories!
The Power of Creative Resistance: Music bypasses traditional cognitive walls and speaks direct truth to institutional power. In this section, I translate our weekly macro-political and economic critiques into original visual stories and lyrical compositions developed via Canva and Suno.
✊ Featured Single: "Tax the Rich and The Wealthy"
This track is a direct, uncompromising musical anthem demanding a structural rebalance of power against the corporate elite building a "mudsill economy." Listen, reflect, and share it with someone who refuses to look away. https://youtu.be/mV-Pnu7hfL0?si=3fb9JEMkVN7C8UCD
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: Join my channel to explore my fully categorized playlists, splitting my catalog into Social Justice & Reform and Relationships & Personal Growth Direct Link on Word or Phrase
Top Links of the Week
02.06.2026
Use It or Lose It
Adrienne LaFrance, of The Atlantic, gives us an important cautionary warning about our diminishing rights under this administration. Specifically, the right of Free Speech. Those kind few who have read my meanderings over time, might recall that I believe in two sides to any right; there is the right itself, but the flip side is the responsibility. LaFrance points to this when she says, “One requirement of self-governance is the relentless pursuit of truth, which necessarily involves questioning people in positions of power in order to prevent tyranny.” She points out this administration’s tendencies to evict or degrade those reporters that ask the “hard questions.” Turning press pools into herds of sycophants. LaFrance calls out responses from this president to those who have challenged him, she illustrates, “When one woman asked him when the Iran war would end, he called her a ‘disgrace.’ When another woman asked him why he’s focused on beautifying the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial during wartime, especially as gas prices soar, he snapped that it was a ‘stupid question.’ When a woman asked the president about his administration’s handling of Afghan refugees, he interrupted her, saying, ‘Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?’ To yet another woman, who’d asked him about Jeffrey Epstein, the president responded, ‘Quiet! Quiet, piggy.’ He has told other Americans that they are ‘horrible,’ ‘obnoxious,’ ‘terrible,’ ‘stupid and nasty,’ simply for asking him serious questions on behalf of the public.” In essence, LaFrance reminds us, “No truth, no freedom.” She also reminds us how important it is for citizens to bear the “responsibilities” of “rights.” Will we pursue truth? Will we listen to it? Will we stand up and even face intimidation for it? These are question each of us must ask to pass on the right of free speech to a new generation.
01.06.2026
How Elon Musk Killed Hundreds of Thousands of People
It was difficult this morning to decide which article was more disgusting; reviewing the work of Elon Musk while he officially worked for Donald T.R.U.M.P. in the White House, or the treatment of prisoners being held in I.C.E. Facilities sponsored by the United States. I’m going with Elon Musk, but they both point to the type of economy the Republicans want to create using the tax dollars of middle and low-income U.S. taxpayers. They want a “mudsill economy,” one in which the “authorized poor” support the billionaire class. If you are not part of the economy that supports them, the rich and wealthy don’t want to support you; they want you to die—and have no problem if you die a torturous death from treatable disease, starvation, or tortured and beaten in a detention center. Apparently, this is the type of United States that a significant portion of the United States wanted because they voted for it… TWICE! The cruelty was evident in the release of Project 2025’s workbook; “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise.” Those who didn’t read the mandate or read it and voted for this Conservative Party anyway deserve the blame for these deaths and this treatment. This is your U.S.! This is your responsibility! The only way to change this is to shake off any sense of disengagement you might be selfishly feeling and to call attention to this cruelty so as to promote an overwhelming response at the mid-term elections. There is much you can do before that: keep aware of the news (though I know how depressing and disabling—even traumatic—it can be to continue reading about these acts of inhumanity). Share what you learn with others. Write about it, sing about it, talk about it. Support local endeavors to call attention to it. Be resilient, be resistant! The dark vision of the future the people have for your children and you is worse than even the most dystopian writers could have imagined—and this isn’t fiction. This is happening right now, this is happening right away, this is happening all around the world and all across the United States. Raise your voice. Speak your mind. Tell this story!
29.05.2026
Has Trump Corrupted the Military? (Part II)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/05/has-trump-corrupted-the-military/687329/
I didn’t have the room yesterday in my blog to cover the interview section of David Frum’s podcast, so I thought I would add that today. Frum interviews Jason Crow, who represents the Sixth District of Colorado in the United States House of Representatives. As Frum points out, “Crow was first elected in 2018. He serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee. Also, “Crow is a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. He fought with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment. He completed three tours of duty and rose to the rank of captain. He was awarded the Bronze Star.” Crow is often seen these days sparring with Pete Hegseth, the madman/sycophant that T.R.U.M.P. appointed to oversee the Department of Defense. This interview analyzes how deeply political and morally corrupt military leadership has become under Hegseth. Indeed, Crow says Hegseth is “M.I.A.” But one might think that it would actually be better if Hegseth were “missing.” Less damage would be done in his absence than in his presence. Like the presidency, this cabinet appointment no longer cares about defending the United States; it only cares about defending Donald J. T.R.U.M.P..
28.05.2026
Has Trump Corrupted the Military?
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/05/has-trump-corrupted-the-military/687329/
David Frum does it again. His commentaries are always a wealth of insight, leaving me often nodding my head in agreement and sometimes stopping his podcast midstream to consider what he articulated. But he always gives me plenty to talk about with those in my circle. This week, Frum looks at this administration’s murmurings of a peace plan in the Iranian War-of-Choice. He points out this is entirely Trump’s war. He decided he wanted to go it alone because he didn’t want to explain it, he didn’t want to be questioned about it, and he certainly didn’t want anyone to block it. Now, he owns it—entirely, and he’s losing it—miserably. But, as Frum leads us to analyze, he is responsible for the job. Not just the mess he started in Iran, but the mess he’s made of the United States (indeed, the world). T.R.U.M.P. was never presidential material. He never sought to serve the hopes of the citizens, only the support of his radical cultic followers. Now, in his second term, he cares even less about being a “President for the Country,” and even—apparently—a President of his party. Frum points out how the President—in responding to a recent CNN report—remarked (when questioned about his failing poll numbers) that he has, “100% support of the Republicans. Whoever told him that news (probably in one of his “Cabinet Adoration Gatherings”), was lying to him and the President—not amenable to checking his own sources once he has formed an opinion—latched on to it. No one in this President’s inner circle will tell him the truth, or perhaps they are all duped too. This administration is under attack on the left and the right. His grift and war have left him isolated, a laughing stock internationally and an embarrassment nationally. Thank you, David Frum, for your insights again and for “telling truth to power.”
27.05.2026
36 Republicans vote against law banning child marriages. Some cited the Bible as justification.https://apple.news/ACcvvlga8SROHq4thDAHsHQ
Oklahoma is a bellwether state for radical white conservative ideology. From her loins sprang the mandate forcing schools to post the Ten Commandments in all classrooms. Now, its legislature is legalizing child marriage on Biblical and Constitutional grounds. According to journalist Daniel Villarreal of LGBTQ Nation, one of the rhetorical questions asked, in a recent legislative session where child marriage was sanctioned, was by Rep. Jim Olsen (R), “How old was Mary when she married Joseph?” Also, reported by Villarreal, was this doozy of a quote, by state Rep. Justin Humphrey (R) who asked, ‘This bill has nothing to do with pedophilia. Do you know what socialism looks like? It’s when the government comes in and tells you what you’re going to do.’” Clearly, underage sex is rape—even if President T.R.U.M.P. wants us to believe it is not. What Oklahoma legislators want us to embrace is aligned with the beliefs of the world’s greatest pedophiles, like Epstein, Maxwell, and the current president. If these Republicans have their way, the U.S. will become another country where sexual slavery is not only legal, but legally ratified.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
From Trump’s Iran blunders to the Pope’s warning on AI oligarchy, the U.S. is teetering on the brink. The world is moving on, and we cannot afford to look away. Read my full weekly advocacy briefing on why we must dig deep and fix our broken democracy for the next generation.
Youth Advocacy
Year 5, Week 08 (310 total reports)
20.05.2026-26.05.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
From Trump’s Iran blunders to the Pope’s warning on AI oligarchy, the U.S. is teetering on the brink. The world is moving on, and we cannot afford to look away. Read my full weekly advocacy briefing on why we must dig deep and fix our broken democracy for the next generation:
Visual Stories!
Systemic injustice relies on quiet, everyday compliance. Drawing from 40 years in juvenile justice and social reform, I wrote "This Banality of Evil" to confront the bureaucratic systems that compromise our humanity. Watch the video, reflect, and refuse to look away: youtu.be/njQcZglwRmc?...
Top Links of the Week
26.05.2026
Do You Trust Trump to Make a Deal?
The diplomatic dance with Iran drags on.
https://apple.news/ASFkoeDdjQW2OsTL7GLKQeQ
The National Review is a pretty conservative magazine, and Jeffrey Blehar is a regular contributor with a podcast (Political Beats) under the magazine’s cover. Despite his conservative leanings, even he can’t figure out where the president is this week in reference to Iran. Here’s what Blehar has to say: “So what to make of the situation? Nothing, except to fall back on common sense and all prior experience with Trump: He blundered, he’s in a jam, and he is desperate to at least pretend that he has wriggled his way out of it.” In a separate article by another conservative-leaning magazine, Michael Doran of “The Free Press” quotes Lindsay Graham as saying the following about Trump’s negotiations with Iran: “If a deal is struck to end the Iranian conflict because it is believed that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be protected from Iranian terrorism,” Graham warned on X over the weekend, “then Iran will be perceived as being a dominate [sic] force requiring a diplomatic solution.” Graham is a hawk whose opinions make one wonder if he is actually in the employ of Netanyahu. What Graham gets desperately wrong is a perception bias. Iran will not be perceived as a dominant force. Instead, the U.S. will be seen (is being seen) as a significantly subordinate force. Such is the way of Donald T.R.U.M.P.; his legacy is to break things: businesses, relationships, and now countries. Plus, we need to keep in mind that this president wants his armed forces in the Pacific blockading and threatening Cuba. He’s bored with Iran and wants the problem to go away. Or, as Blehar said, “He blundered, he’s in a jam, and he is desperate to at least pretend that he has wriggled his way out of it.” The Epstein Files and habitual blundering will be the legacy of this president. He wants to be remembered as “A Great Man”; he won’t be. He’ll be remembered as a blunderer who took his country to near ruin and left us all with the generational debt. He is a “bankruptor,” not a negotiator. He ruins what he touches; he is malignant. He is a living cancer.
25.05.2026
Pope calls for robust regulation of AI in manifesto that ponders the future of humanity
Pope Leo XIV has called for robust regulation of artificial intelligence and for its developers to work for the common good rather than profit.
https://apple.news/APVNbs5ZTRf-XYmA5_cPBpg
AP News’ Nicole Winfield, Kaitlyn Houmani, and Paolo Santalucia present us with an important and timely article about Pope Leo XIV’s first Encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity). The primary essence of my own blog has always been to advocate for young people, and my review today is at the top of that focus. Most of my time over the last three years has focused on the impact of losing the democracy in the United States to the T.R.U.M.P. administration. As Pope Leo points out in this encyclical, the humanities’ oversight of AI development will determine whether the future of our young people will be controlled by an oligarchical billionaire few focused on using the most powerful technology available in modern human history for increasing their wealth, power, and position, or whether that technology will be used for human development. The article also points out that the Vatican’s stance will undoubtedly put it at odds once again with the current U.S. Administration as it has fought to free AI and use it to unfetter capitalism and wage war against enemies, both abroad and internally. This is a timely missive our world needed, and I believe (along with the reporters) that it will become a framework for analyzing the use of AI well into the future.
22.05.2026
Your Neighbour Canada
https://open.substack.com/pub/americanpulse/p/special-report-your-neighbour-canada
A friend sent me this Substack by George Froehlich, Editor of the American Pulse, and it reminds all of us of a critical event in this world. It is the “World Outside of Donald.” It reminds me personally that I can’t afford to lose focus (or let you). The world is not moping about mourning the presidency of the U.S. and the loss of its democracy. The world is moving on, forging new ties, building new relationships! It’s not that Donald T.R.U.M.P. has betrayed the world; the people of the U.S. have. We voted this abomination into office… (twice!). He was the worst president in history, once! Then, we returned him to power. There may be all sorts of excuses for that (but not really). The MAGA cult may have been duped. But this doesn’t explain this loss completely. There are also those who stayed home. There are also those who said to their neighbors, family, and friends that they were voting for the Democrats, then, at the last moment, betrayed those sensibilities and pulled the lever for a heinous, malignant narcissist. The Democrats fell asleep while the Republicans plotted. We became the liberal elite and forgot the responsibilities incumbent upon our short-term victories. We empowered a pedophile and convicted rapist. We tolerated Mitch McConnell, John Roberts, Stephen Miller, Steven Bannon, and Project 2025. The world will not trust us again… and they are rightfully moving on. Meanwhile, in the U.S., we can’t afford to move on. Unlike Donald T.R.U.M.P., who focuses on breaking things (like the Strait of Hormuz) and then leaving others to fix them, it will be up to the U.S. to fix the system under Donald J. T.R.U.M.P., under the GOP, under Epstein, and under the billionaires. We can’t walk away. Walking away means leaving our children and their children to watch over the demise of a once-great democracy—not a perfect democracy—but at times a “light on the hill.” No, we must dig deeply into our resolution and ask how we became so broken. What fears and systems led to such a divided country, a distrusting, and angry population? The world does not trust that the U.S. won’t do this again. That we’ll elect another Obama, and then the pendulum will swing again, and the haters, the racists, and the Christian nationalists will use the minority protections of the Constitution to steal back the government.
21.05.2026
With Castro indictment, Trump bets his Venezuela playbook will work in Cuba
Washington is trying to pressure Havana into submission, but there are differences between that government and Caracas. https://apple.news/AB1UB4zCQSfWkCuOfXUuqbw
José de Córdoba and Santiago Pérez of “The Wall Street Journal” offer insights into the next war-of-choice this president is leading the United States into. Preparation for this invasion has been ongoing for months—even years. T.R.U.M.P. has wanted to invade Cuba since his first term, and Marco Rubio has wanted to take over Cuba apparently since he was a child. The murder indictment of Raúl Castro made by the U.S. Department of Justice (D.O.J.) pits two senile old men against each other with their civilians as economic weapons and military pawns. Here are the words this president is using to justify his attack: “The indictment and removal of Maduro sent a clear message to his socialist allies in Havana: this is our hemisphere, and those that destabilize it and threaten the United States will face consequences.” If the rhetoric sounds familiar, it’s because this is from the same playbook as the Venezuelan invasion. That, according to these reporters, is where the comparison ends. Does any of this make sense to sane people? Of course not, but how often are wars started by sane people? A number of weeks ago, we looked at an article from The Atlantic* examining the “Great Man Theory,” of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. This president has taken himself to be among the “Great Disrupters” of history; the “Great Men.” According to this theory, these men were all misunderstood in their time, with their greatness only becoming apparent in the centuries following their rule. In short, T.R.U.M.P. wants himself compared to Caesar, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon, rather than Caligula, Hitler, and Benito Mussolini (personally I’d throw in Marie Antoinette, not because she was a great ruler or male, but because she was so clueless of the people she ruled, as Melania’s coat said, “I don’t really care, do you?”). This is Donald’s fantasy, and the GOP is allowing him to play it out. We are the chess pieces. I have a suggestion for pursuing this invasion. Let’s have Donald and Raúl battle this out in an MMA ring on the front of the White House lawn to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
* 30.04.2026, The YOLO Presidency, The Atlantic, Ashley Parker and Mike Scherer
20.05.2026
Takeaways from primaries where Trump demonstrated power over GOP
It was a big night for the president as his favorites swept Republican foes in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
https://apple.news/A-SYwNachQaW3pgKe-W7TPg
Washington Post reporters, Hannah Knowles, Dan Merica, and Patrick Marley reveal that T.R.U.M.P. still rules the Republican party as his faithful won strong at primaries across the United States. In short, for the primaries, the Republicans are circling up their deck chairs on the T.R.U.M.P. Titanic. Sadly, perhaps the most tragic loss (for those hoping to keep the Pedophile Protector Party in check) was that of Thomas Massie in Kentucky. Perhaps the sliver of sunshine in this ominous cloud of derangement is that the ever-Trumpers are digging themselves deeper into the murky, nauseating pockets of a man who is a clear loser in popular polls. If you had any hopes of this MAGA disease decomposing like their demi-god prior to the midterms, let this be your warning bell. The Orange One is going to loom large among his constituents. All the more reason to turn up at the polls in record numbers and make sure your vote counts this year. If we want to impact the fascist direction of this nation, the clock is ticking. Make your voice irrepressible and your spirit unbreakable. On the wings of the Roberts Racist Supreme Court and fueled by gerrymander victories throughout the South, your stand has never been more imperative.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Whether it is a president teetering on insanity, an economy teetering on bankruptcy, a nation teetering on all-out racism, or a country teetering on fascism; this week has brought us to the brink.
Youth Advocacy
Year 5, Week 07 (309 total reports)
13.05.2026-19.05.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Whether it is a president teetering on insanity, an economy teetering on bankruptcy, a nation teetering on all-out racism, or a country teetering on fascism; this week has brought us to the brink.
Visual Stories!
The Robert’s court has revealed the Chrisitan white supremacist leanings of this administration for everyone to see. This decision does more than undermine the Voting Rights Act, it cripples fair elections for decades to come and draws battle lines that must be fought if the United States is going to be a representative government. This Techno-Rock ballad looks at the this court and says, “This Is What Evil Looks Like.”
Top Links of the Week
19.05.2026
A Different Kind of Fading President
Jonathon Lemire of The Atlantic is spot on in this article examining why T.R.U.M.P. seems to get a pass regarding his obvious senility while Joe Biden was constantly held to the fire (one could even argue that Biden was forced to resign because of his age and that Kamala Harris lost the election because of his delay in retiring). In this article, Lemire reminds us that Donald was the oldest president in history when he took the oath of office the second time. Many would also claim that he was unfit for president then (due to being a malignant narcissist, a convicted rapist, and a pedophile). Recently though, as Lemire points out, things have gone steeply downhill—both mentally and physically for the soon-to-be octogenarian. The signs of Trump’s physical frailty are constantly before us—despite attempts at make-up (not just for his hair and tan) but for the growing bruises on his hands and swelling edema on his “cankles” (meaning calves and ankles). This president cannot focus on a single topic in a sentence nor walk a straight line on a tarmac. He is the butt of jokes internationally and was literally a laughing stock in China where Xi Jinping verbally reprimanded the president while Donald sat with his made-up hands trembling in front of him. His sickly repeated attempts at playing “hardball” with Iran reveal him as the whipping boy of the Iranian leadership and would make him a laughingstock if he had not undermined the world economy through his demented war of choice. Is there anyone—Republican or Democrat—who does not wake each morning wondering if this will FINALLY be the day that the world is freed from this madman’s delusions? We can wish all we want to, but Donald is obviously a symptom of a problem of white Christian nationalism in the United States. When he is gone, it will be a relief, but it will not be a remedy—especially with recent Republican gerrymandering taking hold in the South. This president was not elected by a majority; indeed, no Republican president since Ronald “Supply Side” Reagan has been elected by a majority. They’ve been elected by fixed elections, and the racist Roberts’ court has made that situation worse. The only thing we can do is overwhelm them. Overwhelm them on the streets, overwhelm them with our voices, overwhelm them in the elections. We have to show up, folks! It is not just our civic duty, but our generational duty. Showing up at this election is as important as when service members showed up on Omaha Beach to fight Hitler (only not as dangerous). This is win-or-lose democracy.
18.05.2026
Supreme Court voting rights ruling fuels a new push to defend Black representation
This morning’s article is by Bill Barrow and Matt Brown of AP. They review responses immediately forming across the United States to respond to the racist decision by Chief Justice Roberts of the Supreme Court of Donald T.R.U.M.P. They quote Jared Evans of the Louisiana-based Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, motivating us to a “Second Reconstruction period.” The article discusses the potential of the new “John Lewis Voting Rights Act,” to replace the previous act the Supreme Court struck down. Barrow and Brown also warn us of future attempts by the Republicans to take the electoral fight to the states. Indeed, a major battle is being fought there now as Democrats across the nation are trying to encourage states to abandon the Electoral College and move to a system that is One Person / One Vote. Indeed, the fight is not just about the House and the Senate, but about Governors as well. Inevitably, one person/one vote is the only real long-term solution. Then, using those votes to restructure the racist Supreme Court that this president, the GOP, and Project 2025 have created. To do this, your vote is needed. It may feel useless, indeed, that is the desire of this administration. To undermine trust in every social institution possible. This pressure will only increase as Republicans realize how tenuous their Christian right, white-supremacist hold on the United States has become. They’re desperate, and desperate people will become bolder in their attempts to undermine your confidence—and your vote. Don’t be fooled! Remain resilient.
15.05.2026
What Happens if the U.S. Defaults?
David Frum begins his commentary (podcast) discussing how the new T.R.U.M.P. phone debacle adds another layer of distrust in U.S. institutions, this time in business and entrepreneurialism. For those unaware of this new level of graft, it is worth delving into, but this is not the central point of my review today. Later in his podcast, Frum interviews Lloyd Blankfein, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, to examine the solvency of the United States and to post a warning about the potential default on U.S. debt. When Congress passed its One Big Beautiful Bill, it added trillions in debt to the economy. This is not unusual; the tricky part comes from “who will pay” and at what point foreign investors see the U.S. as insolvent because it is not servicing its debt. Part of this, of course, is making sure the country pays on the servicing (interest) of that debt, and both sides of Congress have become pretty innovative (irresponsible) at helping their clientele dodge the tax bullet. Here’s how Frum puts it: “All right, so the current crop of politicians—Republicans, as you would expect; Democrats too—have decided that what the situation calls for is more tax relief—that is the big idea stalking both parties. But not the general kind of tax relief that Ronald Reagan proposed or George W. Bush or even Paul Ryan and Donald Trump in 2017, but highly targeted, highly specific forms of relief for very specific groups. And that’s obviously not very popular, but politically, that’s super efficient because it doesn’t cost so much fiscally to give a remit or a respite to a particular, targeted group of people. They really appreciate it. But you end up with a tax code that makes decreasing sense, and it makes it harder and harder to pay the bills.” Frum goes on to say that this affects trust in the U.S. as a smaller group of people (low to middle-income wage earners) truly pay taxes while the wealthy pay less or even make money servicing the debt. It also doesn’t help when you have a president that says, "I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody.” At least he is finally being honest! Let’s do a reboot of this government and demand that the next one establish a fair tax system as a condition of receiving the honor of your vote.
14.05.2026
Psst: What No One Will Tell You About the National Debt (But I Will)
I have a great deal of respect for Robert Reich, the writer of this commentary. He has been at the heights of political power and understands the inner workings of the global economy better than most of the economic gurus I also read. So, when he warns us about the nation’s debt, I take special interest. There are a lot of people warning us about the growing national debt. David Frum of The Atlantic is similarly concerned about the U.S. defaulting on its ever-burgeoning financial responsibilities. The only ones who seem not to worry are the people in this current administration and the GOP Congress that blindly supports them (One Big Irresponsible Bill). Reich’s major point in this article is that the structure of who owns the debt has dramatically shifted under this administration (and under Republicans in general). The richest of the rich used to pay taxes that would go towards servicing the debt. Now, they own the debt and receive income from loaning money to the country. In other words, the more that the U.S. borrows, the more these small groups of people earn, and the more that they earn, the less taxes that they pay. It is like giving themselves a free loan every time this country borrows. This is an economic feedback loop that benefits only the wealthiest of the wealthy, as many, like Elon Musk (who is in China today “representing” the United States with Donald T.R.U.M.P.), whose personal fortunes are greater than the national domestic income of many nations. These people (who literally own the T.R.U.M.P. administration) have a substantial personal interest in growing national debt. Reich (and others) are raising alarm bells because there are no internal monitors on this feeding frenzy of spiraling debt—especially now that this administration has installed its own patsy at the Federal Reserve. Will the Reserve remain its role as an independent agency or become another example of previous guardrails gone MAGA like the DOJ, the FBI, and SCOTUS? Like Reich, we should be alarmed. Alarmed enough to make our voices heard and get out an undeniable majority at the polls in November.
13.05.2026
What's a bored Donald Trump to do? Apparently, target Cuba.
Heather Digby Parton of Salon informs us that the President is bored of Iran and wants to move on to cause other chaos in the world. Not that the problem is resolved—if anything, it is much worse than it ever was prior to this administration’s involvement. But “solving” problems has never been a priority of this President; “causing” them is his bailiwick. In fact, he considers it one of his primary “negotiating strategies,” to be unpredictable. T.R.U.M.P. is not the first world “leader” to use that strategy; Nixon did it, as did Kruschev; they wanted to look crazy enough that others would not cross them. But, as The Atlantic writer, Vivian Salama states, T.R.U.M.P. has moved from “unpredictable to unreliable.” World leaders know they cannot rely on this President to keep his word and are choosing to move on without him. U.S. voters need to recognize the same thing. This President is unreliable; he is not sane; if he had marbles to lose, he’s lost the very last one. And, he has no cabinet members or GOP leaders to act as guardrails. Indeed, according to Parton, in-house discussions are that Trump would install Marco Rubio as the pseudo-president of Cuba after the regime change, which will occur, according to the White House, merely because they anchor an “aircraft carrier off their coast.” This President is the two-year-old that gets attention breaking things in the toy aisle and just when someone responsible moves in to clean up the mess, he’s moved on to smash another shiny object. This will continue as long as this madman is allowed by the GOP to run rampant in his current role. We need to overwhelmingly show the Republicans that we won’t take it anymore. Gerrymandering, wars, bullying, the attack on our own population; all of it must stop. And it will only stop if we show up and overwhelm them; we need to “Minneapolis” them, we need to “Hungary” them.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The conservative Christian far-right MAGA cult has revealed the type of U.S. they want to enforce on everyone. It is deeply rooted in bullying, hatred, and racism. It’s time to “Minneapolis” and “Hungary” this administration!
Youth Advocacy
Year 5, Week 06 (308 total reports)
06.05.2026-12.05.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The conservative Christian far-right MAGA cult has revealed the type of U.S. they want to enforce on everyone. It is deeply rooted in bullying, hatred, and racism. It’s time to “Minneapolis” and “Hungary” this administration!
Visual Stories!
This acoustic rap song demands that it is time to “Tax the Rich and Wealthy.” Republicans like Eisenhower made sure that the wealthiest in the U.S. paid their fair share of taxes (91% in his administration). These extremely wealthy, extremely few no longer pay for their privilege. In fact, under this administration, they are the new bankers of the debt. https://youtu.be/mV-Pnu7hfL0?si=5nxERGL5-qNwXyjb
Top Links of the Week
12.05.2026
Trump Is ‘Bored’ With the War He Started
According to Jonathon Lemire of The Atlantic, Donald is bored with the Iran War (did I hear a collective sigh, “Poor Donnie?”). The great negotiator, deal-maker, game show host has gotten himself into quite a bind with what he calls his “detour, little excursion, and mini war.” That’s odd; I don’t think that any of those who have lost loved ones in this war-of-choice would identify it by any of those nom de plumes. This administration has continued to say it doesn’t need Congress’s approval because there is a cease-fire and all the daily incursions that happen are merely “love taps.” Disgustingly, the MAGA Cult GOP seems to accept this new Orwellian gobbledygook and won’t do anything to deter their beloved orange Demi-God. The problem is, the U.S. is running drastically low on global weapon stockpiles, while Iran supposedly still has half of its stockpiles still intact. According to Lemire, experts believe that Iran can continue this blockade for months, not days or weeks. This complicates a number of things for Poor Donnie (again a collective sigh). Midterms for one, but also rising global prices and U.S. gas prices; then there is a high-stakes meeting with China in this week, and well… Donny’s boredom and desire to attack Cuba. There are also any number of internal issues that this revenge-focused president is swamped by. Poor bored Donny (final collective sigh). He thought this non-war, war would last only a few days and a couple of weeks at the worst. Now, he’s mired in a Middle Eastern quagmire and unable to extract himself.
11.05.2026
Israel-Firsters Won’t Let Trump Get an Iran Deal
This article by Andrew Day of “The American Conservative” (yes, I do read conservative viewpoints frequently) examines—from a conservative perspective—why this president isn’t making a deal with Iran. It’s not that he doesn’t want to stop this fiasco; it’s that the people who control him won’t let him. According to Day, those people are “The Marks.” They are, according to Day, “Mark Levin of Fox News, Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), and Marc Thiessen of the Washington Post.” Again, according to Day, they “…are getting nervous that Trump might give peace a chance.” These three Marks are Netanyahu’s U.S. thumbscrews on this president and his administration, and every time Donald comes close to an agreement, the Israeli prime minister—and these three Marks—threw a wrench into the works. It is hard to tell what Netanyahu and Putin have on this president, but one can guess that it has to do with a master manipulator named, “Jeffrey Epstein.” What is Donald hiding that these people would release if he didn’t do as they bid? The bottom line is this: this president is controlled by foreign interests, malevolent foreign interests, and it is not in their interest to end this war. Their interest (and fortunes/political futures) lie in keeping Donald in line. If you don’t want Putin and Netanyahu to control the future of this country, then we need your vote at the upcoming election. Yes, T.R.U.M.P. is manipulating the election, and yes, the GOP and Supreme Court have revealed what evil looks like. But no, we still must resist. Stronger now than ever before. Make your plan, recruit others, spread the word, and do not be silent!
08.05.2026
A Dangerous New Attack on Press Freedom
David A. Graham of The Atlantic covers this ongoing story of the administration’s attacks on the free press. It is standard for T.R.U.M.P. and his lackeys to use lawsuits to attempt to intimidate and bankrupt opponents—or at least keep them tied up in court. Graham notes that the lawsuit filed by incompetent and dangerously alcoholic Kash Patel is a new low—even for an administration that has set the bar for “lowlessness.” It appears that Patel is not just trying to intimidate journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick, but he is trying to use her personal files and research to identify internal leaks so Patel can hunt them down and prevent himself from being fired. Fitzpatrick cited two dozen sources in developing her story about Patel’s abuses of alcohol and his position. Once published, more sources came forward, some apparently “very high in the chain of command.” These are the people that Patel is after, along with intimidating reporters and anyone who dares honestly reveal the level of his incompetence. Using the bureau to intimidate reporters is—as Graham points out—a new level of positional abuse. Meanwhile, Rubio is traveling to Rome to meet with Pope Leo XIV, in what Rubio denies is an attempt to reset the relationship between this administration and the pontiff (after blistering responses from, even the MAGA right, to the President’s verbal abuse of the pope—and T.R.U.M.P. posting himself as Jesus Christ). Additionally, Hegseth, having fired almost all those competent on his staff, is now bringing his wife to classified briefings; does she have classified clearance? That doesn’t matter to someone who leaked highly sensitive military plans on a public social platform. The incompetence keeps compounding and putting the U.S. in danger. We can do something about this… continue to reveal it and resist. Make plans to be sure your vote counts in the midterms. This president is running the country like he’s run six of his businesses; into bankruptcy. Let’s make sure it stops!
07.05.2026
The Pope They Didn't Want You to Notice: Race, Moral Authority, and the Audacity of JD Vance
John Kendall Hawkins of Counterpunch does an excellent job of identifying the Dunning-Kruger Effect (a cognitive bias where people with low ability or knowledge in a specific area overestimate their competence) displayed by J.D. Vance in his attempt to sermonize to Pope Leo XIV. Kendall begins by pointing out that Pope Leo is a priest of the Augustinian order and a scholar of the theologian’s writings. J.D. Vance, on the other hand, is at best obviously an amateur reader of the subject who believes that consuming a few books on the topic qualifies him to lecture and “pontificate”—even to the pontiff himself. Not only is Pope Leo an Augustinian scholar, he is also Creole, which (according to the US’s “One Drop” standard) means he is African American. Here is how Hawkins puts it, “One drop of African blood — one ancestor, one grandparent, one great-grandparent removed from the plantation — and you were Black. Fully, legally, consequentially Black, with all the social and mortal weight that word carried.” The sentence in Hawkins’s writing that touched me most deeply was this analysis of that slave trade in the United States, “…this is not our house, and the people who built this house used our great-grandparents as the lumber.” Vance, arguing Just War theory with the pope is akin to a jackass arguing race track strategy with a thoroughbred. Hawkins points out the response of the U.S. Bishops to Vance’s lecture on Just War; “The US bishops, responding to Vance without naming him, put it plainly: just war requires defense against one who ‘actively wages war.’ Aggression disqualifies itself. Preemption disqualifies itself. Resource acquisition dressed in the language of freedom disqualifies itself.” The only way the sycophantic cretins of the current administration will finally shut up is when they are finally booted out. Let’s give them that final boot by voting them out in November. There is no room for doubt here—in fact, that is what this administration is hoping (they know they are going to lose and hope they can make us question the results). This election must resemble the mandate made evident in Hungary, when Viktor Orbán was resoundingly evicted by a 79% majority.
06.05.2026
Judicial Supremacy Has Arrived
Judicial Desecration, that’s what Duncan Hosie of The Atlantic calls the Supreme Court decision to undermine the VRA (Voting Rights Act). And, the way that “injustice” Alito wrote this decision will mean that not only will it enable racial voting discrimination in the present; it will also make it extremely difficult for Congress to change it in the future. Once again, we are reminded that the only way to defeat this White Christian Nationalist scourge upon the United States is an overwhelming defeat at the midterm election. If we want a nation that provides “liberty and justice for all,” we have to show up to vote and get others to do so as well. The stakes have never been higher in our lifetime. Hosie provides insights into how Congress can address this racist decision in the future, but only if a resounding Democratic majority is elected in the next election.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
SCOTUS (The Supreme Court of TRUMP—US) undermined voting rights for minorities, making racism the political law of the land. To fix the country, we have to overwhelmingly vote for a new Congress that will stand up to billionaires, the GOP, and MAGA.
Youth Advocacy
Year 5, Week 05 (307 total reports)
29.04.2026-05.05.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
SCOTUS (The Supreme Court of TRUMP—US) undermined voting rights for minorities, making racism the political law of the land. To fix the country, we have to overwhelmingly vote for a new Congress that will stand up to billionaires, the GOP, and MAGA.
Visual Stories!
This week, SCOTUS (The Supreme Court of TRUMP—U.S.) institutionalized racism by destroying the VRA (Voting Rights Act). All hail Mitch McConnell and John Roberts; this is on you. This 50’s Doo Wop style song focuses on the result of the Supreme Court’s racist decision, Gerrymander: https://youtu.be/hGLcLzZSIBo?si=iJ5LauwuOwdEtAqj
Top Links of the Week
05.05.2026
Pentagon Firings Have Nothing to Do With ‘Culture’
Today, I’m focusing on this article from The Bulwark, written by Mark Hertling, because it is not only timely but also telling. It reveals how deeply the cult of this president is affecting global relationships but also the damage being done by appointing incompetent sycophants to positions like the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, the FBI, Justice, and well… just about every department around this decaying madman and mockery of a Commander in Chief (or Predator in Chief to be more accurate). Retired Lieutenant General Hertling is obviously uniquely well-positioned and trained to write this examination of Hegseth’s terrible betrayal of this country and the military. He is a traitor-by-incompetence, but also by intemperance. Hertling examines the word “culture” and how a culture is formed—both in the military, but also the private sector—and this article would be an important read for anyone who sees the importance and criticality of building a culture of trust, diversity, and competence; all of which Hegseth is undermining.
04.05.2026
The Venture-Capital Populist
Once again, The Atlantic nails a difficult issue directly on its head. With this insightful (and inciting) article by George Packer. This article chronicles the takeover of Washington, DC., by tech giants during this administration. It identifies and names the “PayPal Mafia,” run primarily by Peter Thiel and a small cadre of others (including David Sacks, Elon Musk, Chamath Palihapitiya, and Marc Andreessen) who consider themselves the demigods of this generation or, in their own words, “the aristocrats of a new gilded age.” If you want to understand the fortification of the Tech-Billionaire class and how it has solidified its hold on the government of the United States, this article is a watershed opportunity. The article examines the graft of this administration, the role of cryptocurrency, and how AI is becoming a factor in who will control the outcome of “who rules the world.” Packer tracks the mindset and growth of these elite-school wunderboys through private schools, into private colleges, then on to private parties and organizations that only billionaires have access to. Of course, the most elite of which is the cadre of T.R.U.M.P. sycophants and the GOP now controlling Congress and our courts. Freedom for our nation must not just focus on changing our government but on changing our tax structure and lobbying institutions (the kind of work that Senator Elizabeth Warren consistently pursues). Who gets to buy which politicians or justices is at the heart of this change; the dark money and dark dealings that lie behind the power of semi-elected (semi-appointed) officials. This article is essential for understanding the role of this administration’s emoluments and the current issue of appointing real estate developers (friends/relatives) to act as U.S. diplomats abroad. Only a fool would think that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are acting in the best interests of the United States and the world. I’m thankful for people like Mr. Packer who are faithfully tracking the detestable graft of this administration, its lackeys, and… its owners.
01.05.2026
The Best Way to Fix the Supreme Court’s Attack on Voting Rights
Matt Ford of The New Republic quotes Rick Hasen, a UCLA law professor, who described Wednesday’s court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais as “one of the most pernicious and damaging Supreme Court decisions of the last century.” Ford goes on to tell us what the next Congress (should we survive the midterms) must do when newly elected to both limit the destruction of rights by this court, but also to address right-wing gerrymandering. I admit to having a difficult time understanding the intentionally convoluted legalities behind this archaic practice of having representatives pick their voters rather than having voters pick their representatives. But Ford has an intimate knowledge which he shares in this article. The key is winning the midterms, and the key to winning the midterms is voter turnout akin to Hungary’s in their last election. We need everyone at the polls; no one can afford to give up and not show up. This is an election for our children’s children, and that’s not hyperbole.
31.04.2026
Voters Can Be Disenfranchised Now
John Roberts’ Supreme Court has just revealed their white nationalist, racist agenda for all to see. They are undermining the VRA (Voting Rights Act), established by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This article, by Adam Serwer of The Atlantic, traces the history of voting rights and the intentional dismantling of those rights by Roberts’ court. As said by Trump’s former campaign manager, Brad Parscale, “If states are aggressive, we could see a healthy majority in the House perpetually.” It would be hard for me to be alarmist about how deeply this ruling undermines the rights of minority voters in the United States. It is court-sanctioned Jim Crowism dressed up and looking like a petulant Clarence Thomas touring white voting districts in a $267,000 RV purchased by his benefactor, Anthony Welters. There’s only one possible solution to all this: a new administration and new rules for the Supreme Court that overwhelm these openly bigoted justices. Hungary has broken its authoritarian hold with a 79.5% voter turnout. We simply can’t do less in the midterms and the elections to come. Roberts’nationalist,Act),Roberts’manager,this:overwhelmmidtermsVoter indifference is unforgivable. It elected this administration twice! Meanwhile, we need to let Democratic representatives know that they must be bold in reform, bold in impeachment, and bold in restructuring the court. They can’t dally and hope to appease the Republicans who have proven themselves traitors to this nation and our democracy.
30.04.2026
The YOLO Presidency
The president doesn’t care anymore. He doesn’t care about mid-term elections. He doesn’t care about re-election. He doesn’t care what the media says about him. He doesn’t even seem to care what MAGA says about him. He’s left them all behind for something grander. In this insightful The Atlantic article, Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer explain to us the demented workings of the president’s narcissistic collapse. Someone in Trump’s inner circle put Hegel on his mind, the German philosopher, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, that is. As the journalists point out, in his early 1800s treatise, “Lectures on the Philosophy of World History,” Hegel wrote about “world-historical individuals,” primarily Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte. Acknowledging that the president is not an adept reader, many insiders believe the president heard a speaker at one of his golf club gatherings who compared Donald to these three. Well, T.R.U.M.P. being T.R.U.M.P., he took a liking to it. He wants to be among (as Parker and Scherer say) the “heroes of an Epoch.” He wants a legacy, not as the greatest president, but as a world disruptor, the greatest world disruptor of all time… The journalists quote a White House source as saying, “He’s been talking recently about how he is the most powerful person to ever live,” the confidant told us. “He wants to be remembered as the one who did things that other people couldn’t do, because of his sheer power and force of will.” At the same time that we reflect on the horror that this realization presents, my son reminds me that we need to encourage each other to “communitize.” Our hope lies in encouraging each other. Remember Hungary, remember Minneapolis, grassroots and resilience. Let’s keep on standing firm.
29.04.2026
The American Pope vs. the American President
This excellent article by Peter Wehner of The Atlantic poses the national emergency in the United States in proportionate terms, not just a political crisis, but a moral one. The feud that this president has decided to start against Pope Leo XIV. Wehner’s point is summed up in this sentence, “But what has made the confrontation most electrifying is the way in which the pontiff is not just standing up to the president but transcending him.” Laughably, T.R.U.M.P. has called Leo, “…weak on crime.” (what next? “Weak on the economy?”). Wehner also points out the complicity of the Nationalist Christian Right, saying, “That so many people of the Christian faith, especially white evangelicals and prominent figures within that movement, have weaponized their faith to win the favor of an American president is among the most grievous things to have occurred during the Trump era. And they have sought the favor of not just any American president but one who is mendacious, lawless, cruel, and thoroughly corrupt. These courtiers have defamed Jesus while pretending they are acting in his name. The damage they have inflicted on the Christian faith is incalculable.” A moral battle for the U.S.’s future is being fought before our eyes, what will we tell our children about our involvement in this internal war of the utmost consequence?
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Don’t be distracted; this president has dug himself a hole with Epstein and Iran, and the only way he can see his way out of it are distractions.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Youth Advocacy
Year 5, Week 04 (306 total reports)
22.04.2026-28.04.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Don’t be distracted; this president has dug himself a hole with Epstein and Iran, and the only way he can see his way out of it are distractions.
https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com/youthadvocacy
Visual Stories!
This acoustical reggae tune examines the qualities of a bully—particularly the one in the White House. He is manipulating his base (still) with a series of distractions, but stay the course. This song says, “Stand Up, Push Back, and Push Back Hard.” https://youtu.be/0DuvWGtK1x4?si=XhBUra1jPIt8A2Jb
Top Links of the Week
28.04.2026
Why Bullies Always Fail — as Trump Is Failing
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/why-bullies-always-fail-as-is-trump
Robert Reich is a prolific writer helping us gain a deeper understanding of the political and historical perspective into the T.R.U.M.P. administration. He points out, “Trump believes that might makes right — that the stronger are entitled to attack and exploit the weaker.” Reich points to Stephen Miller telling CNN correspondent, Jake Tapper, “We live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power,” then Reich goes on to describe that this mindset is no longer true in our current world. This is how he puts it, “If the United States stays on this course, it will find itself bereft of allies and friends, a lonely superpower in a lawless international system it has helped to create.” This administration’s mindset is a self-defeating deception that will (according to Reich) bring this president down—and the country if we don’t continue to stand up to him. This president is a bully, and like other bullies, he is a coward at heart. In example after example, he backs down when people push back against him. Use your voice, use your creativity, gather your connections, and stand up to this bully. Our children’s future depends upon it.
27.04.2026
Proving the GOP is a Cult
This article by John B. Alexander of “Daily Kos” looks at all the GOP has done to become cult followers of a president with NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder). Alexander lays out a litany of decisions this body of congressional men and women have made that have undermined the nation they serve and instead serve the demigod of their cult. Here’s how Alexander puts it: “To prove that the GOP has become a cult, one has but to look at their unconscionable behavior. Knowingly, they function to the detriment of America and often in contravention to their oath of office. The examples of their cult behavior are legion.” The rest of his article goes on to identify examples of bills passed and appointments approved that have caused damage, not just to the U.S., but to the world. On Saturday, the 25th, there was an alleged assassination attempt on this president (again). It is difficult to believe this is not another staged event given that it has been done before, and this president is obviously willing to do anything to distract from his past behavior and gain back points in his rapidly sinking poll numbers. MAGA cult members are already using the event to say, “This is why the president needs his new ballroom.” It’s hard to believe that he would willingly attend the White House Correspondents Dinner in the first place, after refusing to do so throughout his entire presidency and having been humiliated by Obama at the same dinner on April 30, 2011. Whatever comes of this event, please do not let it distract you from the important resistance we must continue pursuing to prevent this administration from destroying democracy in the United States. RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!
24.04.2026
What Makes Bullies Like Trump Cave?
In this article by editor Win McCormack of The New Republic, we receive additional insight into the true nature of this president. McCormack says, “Trump is a bloated, pretentious, cowardly bully, and like all bullies, he can be made to stand down…” The journalist then presents case after case to verify his assertion. T.R.U.M.P. is not just a cowardly narcissist; he is also a sadist. A sadist gets pleasure from exploiting the pain of the weak. The weaker their prey, the more pleasure they feel. That is why this president was so enamored with Epstein’s exploitation of girls. There was a good meme today that stated, “Every single member of what is left of the GOP should be forced in front of the camera every single day and made to read Trump’s latest posts out loud and then look right down the barrel of the camera and say, ‘I still support this man as president.’”—Stephens_Ben of The Resistance. Thank you, Mr. Stephens_Ben, for articulating what so many of us feel. Let’s make sure that we can tell our children and children’s children that we did all we could to end this lunacy
23.04.2026
On the Brink of Global Recession
David Frum always provides an in-depth assessment of current political issues from a historical perspective. In this article (podcast), he interviews Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, for a conversation about the state of the world’s economy. They discuss the economic effect of the war in Iran, the United States’ reputational hit caused by Trump’s tariffs, and the chance of a global recession. There are multiple important points in this article, but the primary insights were how the U.S. (under this administration) has gone from a stable insurer of the world markets to a hated profiteering and racketeering piracy threatening the world market. Here is the observation that Frum makes while likening this administration to the Habsburgs of Spain and Austria from the late 1200s to the early 1900s. From states, “But the No. 1 power, while stronger than any other power, was never stronger than all the other powers. And what would happen was anyone who emerged as the strongest power, all the other powers would combine to tear down the strongest power because they perceived it as a threat to each of them in turn.” Project 2025, T.R.U.M.P., and the GOP have turned the US economy into that hated “strongest power.” The coalition being built against the U.S., because of their undependable behavior, strengthens daily. We are fast becoming “The Hated Economy,” if not the least dependable. And, it isn’t this administration, it’s the fickleness of the U.S. people swinging from liberalism to illiberalism. From Obama to T.R.U.M.P. From a system of fairly reliable laws to a system of elites raping (literally and figuratively) their people.
22.04.2026
April 21, 2026
Donald is losing on multiple fronts. In her commentary this morning, Heather Cox Richardson takes a deep dive into all sides of this story. There is no discernible strategy (or off-ramp) for his war of choice in Iran, and the president keeps undermining the peace process with his own midnight tweets and manic ravings. His cabinet continues to disintegrate with continued examples of chronic character flaws and public displays of incompetence. The president continues to start new wars of choice by posting pictures of himself as Jesus Christ and attacking Pope Leo XIV. Then, when you think it couldn’t get worse for him, he loses an important vote on gerrymandering in Virginia (although a judge could reverse that win in the near future). All told, this president has shot so many holes in his bone-spurred feet that one wonders if he has any shoe leather left to make the trek to golf courses this spring.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Don’t let the Epstein Files fall off your radar. This week we look at news that reminds us of the elites who believe the globe—its resources and its people—are their playthings.
Youth Advocacy
Year 5, Week 03 (305 total reports)
15.04.2026-21.04.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Don’t let the Epstein Files fall off your radar. This week we look at news that reminds us of the elites who believe the globe—its resources and its people—are their playthings.
Visual Stories!
I’ve never been one for drawing hard lines in the sand around politics or religion; thinking that both are variations of opinions more than facts. However, this administration has changed that. Now, I believe the future of democracy and the world in which our children will grow up is at stake. This song with a 2000’s pop-punk energy states we are either actively resisting this administration and the elites that rule our world or we are “Compliant.” https://youtu.be/Mfqp4IQ6HL4
Top Links of the Week
21.04.2026
April 20, 2026
Aides to President T.R.U.M.P. are doing their best to keep him out of briefings about the Iran War in real time because he is too impatient. As a result, the “Mum Effect” (advising a leader with only the information that he WANTS to hear and fearing the disclosure of information that a leader NEEDS to hear to make informed decisions) is rampant in this administration. This president has never wanted to hear facts that are counter to his opinion. He is an “Opinion First, Information Second” person (confirmation bias). As a result, he has an entire cabinet of pandering sycophants that only have an audience of one. Ms. Cox Richardson points this out in the number of aides that are now beginning to reveal all the character flaws of their leader. We recently saw the ouster of Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi; yesterday, we witnessed the resignation of the Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer; and we are currently watching Kash Patel sue The Atlantic over accusations of public drunkenness and using taxpayer funds for personal use: flights, security details, and more. This is a result incurred when the first priority of hiring is 1) loyalty to the president, followed by priorities 2, 3, 4, and 5) loyalty to the president, while somewhere way down the list is a vague, working knowledge of something related to the job you will be doing… It is hard to think of a cabinet member that wasn’t hired according to these priorities. This administration is proving itself unsustainable primarily because there is never enough air in the room for anyone except Donald T.R.U.M.P. Keep an eye on this as the Iran War progresses and others need to be “thrown under the bus.” The emperor indeed has no clothes, nor substance, nor sustainability. That does not mean we can relax and wait for his failure; for the sake of our global future, we must do all we can to bring to light just how dangerous this man is. What can you do to overcome the lethargy of those overwhelmed by the rapidity and preponderance of the daily dramas of this White House? What can you do to remind people of the crises behind the news this administration seeks to bury. The rape of children by this president and the elites that surround him? We are all tired, but we must all be resilient.
20.04.2026
What I Learned About Billionaires at Jeff Bezos’s Private Retreat
This article by Noah Hawley of The Atlantic is an excellent explanation of the moral danger we are in by allowing an elite class to control the world. He begins by comparing the protagonist of the movie in the movie, “There Will Be Blood,” with Jeff Bezos. In the movie, Hawley points out, the oil-baron protagonist, Daniel Plainview, beats a man to death in a bowling alley and then declares to his chauffeur, “I’m finished.” Hawley’s point is that Plainview is not saying he is finished as a person, but finished feeling moral consequences for his actions. It is this sense of “finished” that Hawley says he saw revealed at a Bezos’ retreat for the ultra-influencers of the world. The elite of the elite—Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, and now, T.R.U.M.P.— are declaring to the world that they are done with empathy, they are done with consequences, they are freed from the ramifications that give most of us a guiding morality. Hawley points to the response the current billionaire president made to the question, “Is there any check on your power?” He stated, “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” As evidenced by the powerful elite named in the Epstein files, all of humanity is the plaything of these elite megalomaniacs. They have no repercussions, they have no boundaries, there is no such thing as failure, and no such thing as cost. Everything and everyone else exists solely for their pleasure and convenience. One could hear Bezos declare with Marie Antoinette, “Let them eat cake (and let them order it from Amazon…).” How will your actions influence the end of this oligarchy? Not just your vote, but your daily voice? What can you do on a daily basis to call attention to this gross injustice?
17.04.2026
Pope James David Vance the First
David Frum’s tongue-in-cheek take in The Atlantic highlights the arrogance and audacity of this administration. Frum begins with this thought: “The Trump administration doesn’t seem to have many rules, but one of them is that once the president picks a fight, his posse must show up to support him, no matter how ill-advised the conflict. And few senior officials are more eager to back up the boss in every embarrassing beef than Vice President Vance, who recently seems to have decided that he, and not Pope Leo XIV, is the true arbiter of Catholic doctrine.” In their desperate attempt to justify this unjustifiable war of choice, this entire administration has gone to great lengths to win over White Nationalist, Far-Right, conservative Christians. Hegseth tried to pull off a theological coup yesterday when he thought he was quoting scripture, but instead was quoting director Quentin Tarantino, from the movie, Pulp Fiction. Alternatively, insulting the pope and depicting himself as Jesus Christ hasn’t been a win for the mentally deranged man who frequently tweets at 0400 in the morning. It would be a kindness to the president and a gift to the world to take the president to a prison room that specializes in caring for the deranged elderly.
16.04.2026
Is Anybody Actually Winning Trump’s Iran War?
In this David Frum podcast from The Atlantic, it should come as no surprise that the current beneficiaries of T.R.U.M.P.’s Iran expedition (war) are Russia (who is making about $1 billion per day in oil revenues) and China (who is learning how to win a war against the United States). Neither of these countries (and also Iran) could have a better defense than to let this president continue his subversion of the United States. And, as if this administration didn’t have enough battles to fight, he is picking more battles; against the pope, against the Fed, and against his own cult followers (MAGA and the GOP). Yesterday, I posted Jim Acosta’s piece that this president just doesn’t care anymore. He doesn’t care about his party, he doesn’t care about his supporters, he doesn’t care about his cabinet; he has gone full rogue. He is, as one article in The Daily Beast stated, “The most powerful idiot in history.” We too should be taking lessons from Iran and others who are teaching us how to fight back against this bully. T.R.U.M.P. backs down when his prey is not easy to defeat. When they are not as helpless as the children that Epstein fed to him. He is, after all, the TACO president (T.R.U.M.P. always chickens out). Iran has stood up to him, the people of Hungary stood up to him, the people of Minneapolis stood up to him, Pope Leo is standing up to him, and Iran is standing up to him. He has no longevity. He bores easily. He doesn’t have the mental acuity to sustain a chess game or a strategic encounter. Many have shown that; Kimmel, Harvard University, Mamdani. It’s time for the voters of the United States to show the same resilient courage. Stand up to him, push back against him—and push back hard. He will lose, he has no long-term support. He doesn’t build coalitions. He’s just in it for himself (and largely by himself). He is like a black hole imploding. He will suck in who he can suck in, but don’t let him suck you in. Stand up, push back, be resilient.
15.04.2026
The Great Betrayer
https://jimacosta.substack.com/p/the-great-betrayer?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack
Jim Acosta’s commentary this weekend matched up with many others citing the dangerous meltdown of this senile president. I would venture to say that he is in the final stages of narcissistic collapse. If he were an elderly man in a nursing facility, no doubt the staff would be concerned about his mental state. In a similar article, David Frum of The Atlantic chronicles the social media tweets the night that Donald went after the pope and posted a meme of himself as Jesus Christ. The posts began rolling out at about 22:00 and continued until 04:50 in the morning, just before dawn. Acosta and Heather Cox Richardson both point out that this is especially alarming behavior for a man who has access to the nuclear codes. In this commentary, Acosta calls T.R.U.M.P. the “Great Betrayer” because he has taken on another dangerous quality (evident in those experiencing narcissistic collapse) he doesn’t appear to care what his own supporters think of him, meaning… he is bound by no one. We have witnessed what happens when this man doesn’t get his way; now imagine that behavior with no limitations. The world is in imminent danger because of this man, now more than ever.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Let us focus on the defeat of the illiberal hero, Viktor Orbán, by Peter Magyar. This was a victory of the people and shows that they can be soundly defeated if people turn out to vote.
Youth Advocacy
Year 5, Week 02 (304 total reports)
06.03.2026-14.04.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Let us focus on the defeat of the illiberal hero, Viktor Orbán, by Peter Magyar. This was a victory of the people and shows that they can be soundly defeated if people turn out to vote.
Visual Stories!
T.R.U.M.P. has gone off the rails, and the scarier fact is, he has given up caring what people think about him. He doesn’t care about the backlash from MAGA or the GOP. He’s out to build his monuments and attack his enemies wherever or whoever they are. As his own cabinet is beginning to learn, he has no loyalties; all of his relationships are transactional, and the only question he asks is, “What have you done for me lately?” This jazz tune examines the truth about his followers; they are, “Just Pawns to Him.” https://youtu.be/cXtMbXjRS2Q?si=iOUgiQb1kAVuACGR
Top Links of the Week
14.04.2026
Hegseth’s Unholy War
There’s a great line that Peter Wehner uses in this The Atlantic article that sums up the theology of Pete Hegseth and this White House. He says, “The defense secretary seems less interested in being on the side of God than in insisting that God is on his side.” This has been a full week of deceptions—even by this administration’s standards. Melania started by saying she had no involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, then the president took on Pope Leo, and posted a meme to his social media depicting himself as Jesus Christ, the healer. Shortly thereafter, he took it down and said he thought it was a picture of him as a doctor working for the Red Cross (by the way, the president is not a doctor nor Jesus Christ). Interestingly enough, of all the things that MAGA has witnessed—that their president is a pedophiliac rapist and has used his powers to grift copious amounts of money for his family and himself—this is the one thing they are most upset about. This is one of the worst parts about MAGA and social media, people start out with their own “truth,” and then look for whatever will affirm what they already believe. On the other hand, this administration went “all in” on Viktor Orban and lost “biggly” in Hungary. The key this week remains that illiberalism can be defeated. Voter turnout and maintaining resistance are the keys. We need to keep resisting. Orban had sixteen years to fortify his voting machine, but couldn’t deal with overwhelming voter turnout. The key is in our hands—and on our feet. Get your ballot in. We need to overwhelm the GOP, MAGA, and Project 2025, as this president would say, “We need to send them back to the dark ages.”
13.04.2026
Hungary Just Ousted the Unoustable
Viktor Orban served as an authoritarian road map for Project 2025’s design to overthrow U.S. democracy. Now, he can serve as a democratic road map for ousting illiberalism. Péter Magyar, who defeated Orban, celebrated what many believed only months ago could not be done. Magyar’s promises should empower candidates hoping for a similar uprooting of this administration and far-right agendas worldwide. Magyar promised he would “impose a wealth tax and imprison Fidesz officials (Fidesz is the name of Orban’s party) he accused of pilfering public coffers.” He also declared, “We will not be a country of no consequences.” Magyar’s win is a huge loss for Putin, T.R.U.M.P., Vance, and many other authoritarian players in Europe and worldwide. Vance flew to Orban’s aid at the last minute (but wound up causing a 3% drop in Orban’s ratings). While this is a clear win for global democracy, we need to take heed: it required a voter turnout of 79%. We cannot defeat this regime by staying home; in fact, that is how we lost last time. Make plans to vote and make plans to make sure your vote counts. Be redundant. It truly is the most important issue of this generation: will our children grow up in a democracy or an oligarchy? Your turnout will make the difference.
10.04.2026
There's growing disquiet in the military. The Iran war made it worse
If you’re wondering why this administration is shifting to automatic registration for the draft and increasing the age limit from 35 to 42, one needs look no further than the number of service members who are 1) not reenlisting, and 2) seeking discharge. Hegseth and T.R.U.M.P. are repeatedly asking the military to take illegal actions that conflict with the Constitution and international law. According to this NPR article by Kat Lonsdorf and Tom Bowman, retention is the number one means of maintaining a functioning military, and this administration is driving out existing service members from the rank and file, but also from the highest, longest-service ranks. Major issues being reported in career-counseling centers include the bombing of a school in Iran, the use of the National Guard in U.S. cities, and Hegseth’s major restructuring of the Pentagon, including firing Gen. Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, in the midst of the Iran War. According to Lansdorf and Bowman, “The Army career counselor said that in 2025, they had the highest number of retirees come to see them for guidance on getting ready to leave than in any previous year in their experience, approximating nearly a doubling of such retirees from 2024.” Personally, I want to thank those of the military for serving the Constitution, not this administration. They are being asked to make extremely difficult, life-altering decisions, and many are deeply disappointed that it has reached this point, but they can’t work for an immoral and dysfunctional leadership. It is time we, as a country, also start making life-altering decisions to say we can’t support an immoral and dysfunctional leadership either. Neither this administration nor the GOP Congress that has sheltered it. What can you do today?
09.04.2026
Trump Is Wishcasting Victory in Iran
Wishcasting is when a person makes up a wish for what they want to happen, then hope it comes true. This panel of experts from The Atlantic, hosted by Adam Harris and including Nancy Youssef and Tom Nichols, tells us that this is the primary strategy of Donald T.R.U.M.P. in Iran. And the president wants us all to call upon Tinkerbell and wish for the same thing. T.R.U.M.P. also wishes the Epstein files would go away and that the Strait of Hormuz would go back to the way it was before he attacked Iran. To date, the GOP MAGA cult seems content to join him in searching for falling stars and calling out empty fantasies. Unfortunately, no one besides his cabinet sycophants and the GOP seem to join the president in his wishcasting strategy. They are more prone to the reality of the situation. The 3-4 billion dollars the president is spending daily on this “incursion,” the 1.5 trillion he is asking Congress to approve for continued funding in a budget that abandons health care for children and seniors at home. If you voted for him or stayed home in the last election, this is your guy, and you are just pawns to his wishcasting.
06.04.2026
Trump's Defeat in Iran
Robert Reich’s commentary this morning gives us an insider’s handbook into defeating T.R.U.M.P. He analyzes the behavior of those who have turned the conman’s threats against him and won. He doesn’t just provide insight into how this administration caved into Iran, but also diverse groups such as China, Russia, Canada, Minneapolis, Harvard, law firms, and individuals like Jimmy Kimmel and E. Jean Carroll. Reich also covers those who caved into T.R.U.M.P. and wound up losing “Biggly.” The bottom line is, “give in to T.R.U.M.P. and you lose your dignity, plus whatever else he wants to steal from you.” Those who caved into this president, according to Reich, include Europe, ABC, Columbia University, The National Museum of American History, and a number of law firms. The fact remains, we have a lunatic in the White House who is like the proverbial “loose cannon” flailing about on the deck of a wooden ship. Congress, who has become this president’s pawn, needs to step up to its responsibility and administer the 25th Amendment against both his cabinet and him.
05.04.2026
Congress Can End Trump’s Unconstitutional War in Iran
I’m pulling an article this morning from a conservative source because I want to show how widespread the alarm over the President’s sanity has become. This article examines the constitutional reasons that James Madison and the other writers of the Constitution decided to separate the powers of the congressional purse from the powers of a wartime president. Congress can—and must—stop this president from carrying out his illegal actions in Iran. Even threatening to bomb civilian targets can be considered a “war crime,” and that is exactly what this president and his “Secretary of War” are doing. There can only be a few reasons why so many respected military leaders are being fired or deciding to quit; they are being asked to make their troops do something illegal. Whether this is bombing civilian targets with tactical nuclear weapons or starting a ground war without congressional approval, the reasons are dire, and this president must be stopped. More than stopped, his powers must be taken away from him, and his cabinet dissolved. His propensity for violence and retribution will not go away just because his actions are curtailed in Iran. He has already shown that he is willing to continue his wars against other targets—both internally and externally. Replacing Pam Bondi with Todd Blanche is merely painting over the deeper issues at the Department of Justice (will they rename that to the “Department of Presidential Retribution”?) Blanche will simply continue doing the bidding of the Madman-in-the-White-House. Bondi was let go because she wasn’t corrupt enough—and she will be remembered as a model of corruption. Stopping the war in Iran isn’t enough. It’s just the immediate issue. It needs to be done, but it’s only treating a symptom, not the cause. The cause is T.R.U.M.P. He must be removed, and his sycophants with him. Unless Congress acts, they are complicit. They are as much responsible for this president’s actions as the madman himself.
04.04.2026
The War in Iran Is a Failure of Intelligence
It is reported that many of the MAGA far right are increasingly open to using the 25th Amendment after this week’s Easter tirade by the president. Nothing else is working in Iran, so T.R.U.M.P. decided an expletive-laced post on his Truth Social was the best method for getting the Iranian leaders to surrender and open the Strait of Hormuz. The result is that it undermines the credence of articles like this that look at the lack of rational intelligence within the walls of the White House at this time. This article compares the intelligence provided to George Bush in the Iraq War compared to the intelligence provided to this administration. The point of the author, Shane Harris, is that Bush 43 had horrible intelligence leading him to war, while this president had excellent intelligence that he ignored. I see that as less a failure of intelligence, than an example of stupidity, perhaps (given Sunday’s post) an example of insanity.
03.04.2026
Trump Is the Most Dangerous Man in the World | Common Dreams
Reading foreign journalism is very important. It gives us a broader perspective of how the world views the United States and often without the bias of the increasingly small panoply of billionaires that own the media in the U.S. This article, written by two foreign experts, C. J. Polychroniou (a political economist/political scientist), is interviewed by Alexandra Boutri, reminds us of how dimly others see—not only this president—but those who elected him. In one paragraph, discussing Trump’s free-ranging, emperor-like tendencies, Polychroniou reminds us, “What else can one expect from people who believe that explosive conflict in the Middle East will trigger Christ’s return and see Trump as the man God has chosen to defeat the satanic forces in the United States and Christianize it?” The world outside the U.S. sees it as a country that swings on a whim, and that—if elections are allowed—the country might vote liberally again in 2028 for a president whose viewpoints and intellect are similar to Barack Obama, only to be followed by a newer version of T.R.U.M.P. and a renewed, angrier Project 2025. After what this administration—and those who supported it—have done to the global reputation of the U.S., it may never again be able to gain the trust of the foreign nations it needs to thrive.
02.04.2026
Five takeaways from President Trump’s address on Iran
If it was the president’s goal to reassure the U.S. public and stock markets that the war in Iran was going well, then this journalist and others think he should’ve not said anything. The top takeaways that most are pulling from this speech are that this administration has nothing new to say and no new insights to offer as to why Iran was invaded and what the end goals are. If anything, the president looked tired and old (probably because he is both). This commentator, Neall Stanage, from “The Hill,” said that the speech was notable for its lack of relevance. T.R.U.M.P. let us know that the precipitous rise in gas prices is “Iran’s fault.” That if Iran doesn’t do what he wants (whatever that is), he is going to “hit them very hard,” and, “Bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong.” Once again, if this speech was meant to answer questions or ease concerns about this invasion, it backfired. Stock market prices dropped sharply after the speech, declining—according to Stanage—by 1 percent and Brent Crude oil jumped another $6 per barrel.
01.04.2026
Lions Led by Donkeys
This evening, Donald T.R.U.M.P. is holding a press conference at which he will likely announce that 1) he will tell us he is going to decimate Iran for not doing what he wants or 2) the U.S. has accomplished its objectives and declare victory in Operation Midnight Hammer (for those of you unfamiliar with this administration’s Orwellian double-speak, this is the non-war, war that was declared arbitrarily on the country of Iran by Netanyahu and T.R.U.M.P.). We won’t know which objectives were accomplished (or need to be accomplished) because they change on almost an hourly basis and depending upon whom is standing in front of the mic at any given time. The truth is, this president is getting bored of this adventure and has been watching his ratings take a shellacking at the polls. This The Atlantic article, by Eliot A. Cohen, examines how no leadership in U.S. history has been more poorly prepared to lead the military forces of the country. It has been a complete waste of lives and other resources. MAGA cult followers and Republicans, this is on you, this is your guy, and your guy is bored with Iran because he has too many battles back on U.S. soil to fight and he still wants to invade Cuba. T.R.U.M.P. is at war, not just with foreign governments, but domestic powers as well. He is at war within his own cabinet, with MAGA, with the Supreme Court, with voters, with the media, with higher education, with lines at airports, a crashing economy and stock market, and with the price of well, almost everything in the U.S. economy… he also has to make sure the Epstein files aren’t closer to being revealed and continue with his retribution campaign (now expanded to judges that don’t rule in his favor) to make matters worse, all of this is cutting into his golf time, his new ballroom, his Nobel Peace Prize, and parties at Mar-a-Lago.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This president verified his insanity this week, and Congress must use the 25th Amendment to impeach both him and his cabinet; otherwise, they are complicit in whatever actions he takes.
Youth Advocacy
Year 5, Week 01 (303 total reports)
31.03.2026-05.04.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This president verified his insanity this week, and Congress must use the 25th Amendment to impeach both him and his cabinet; otherwise, they are complicit in whatever actions he takes.
Visual Stories!
This melodic rap song focuses on those who supported putting MAGA in control of the U.S. The world has lost trust in this country. You are complicit whether you actually voted for him or stayed home and let others do your dirty work. This song says, “This is Your Guy.” https://youtu.be/KIWkHMVHc8I?si=9EpKLoSTKKLp-b-1
Top Links of the Week
05.04.2026
Congress Can End Trump’s Unconstitutional War in Iran
I’m pulling an article this morning from a conservative source because I want to show how widespread the alarm over the President’s sanity has become. This article examines the constitutional reasons that James Madison and the other writers of the Constitution decided to separate the powers of the congressional purse from the powers of a wartime president. Congress can—and must—stop this president from carrying out his illegal actions in Iran. Even threatening to bomb civilian targets can be considered a “war crime,” and that is exactly what this president and his “Secretary of War” are doing. There can only be a few reasons why so many respected military leaders are being fired or deciding to quit; they are being asked to make their troops do something illegal. Whether this is bombing civilian targets with tactical nuclear weapons or starting a ground war without congressional approval, the reasons are dire, and this president must be stopped. More than stopped, his powers must be taken away from him, and his cabinet dissolved. His propensity for violence and retribution will not go away just because his actions are curtailed in Iran. He has already shown that he is willing to continue his wars against other targets—both internally and externally. Replacing Pam Bondi with Todd Blanche is merely painting over the deeper issues at the Department of Justice (will they rename that to the “Department of Presidential Retribution”?) Blanche will simply continue doing the bidding of the Madman-in-the-White-House. Bondi was let go because she wasn’t corrupt enough—and she will be remembered as a model of corruption. Stopping the war in Iran isn’t enough. It’s just the immediate issue. It needs to be done, but it’s only treating a symptom, not the cause. The cause is T.R.U.M.P. He must be removed, and his sycophants with him. Unless Congress acts, they are complicit. They are as much responsible for this president’s actions as the madman himself.
04.04.2026
The War in Iran Is a Failure of Intelligence
It is reported that many of the MAGA far right are increasingly open to using the 25th Amendment after this week’s Easter tirade by the president. Nothing else is working in Iran, so T.R.U.M.P. decided an expletive-laced post on his Truth Social was the best method for getting the Iranian leaders to surrender and open the Strait of Hormuz. The result is that it undermines the credence of articles like this that look at the lack of rational intelligence within the walls of the White House at this time. This article compares the intelligence provided to George Bush in the Iraq War compared to the intelligence provided to this administration. The point of the author, Shane Harris, is that Bush 43 had horrible intelligence leading him to war, while this president had excellent intelligence that he ignored. I see that as less a failure of intelligence, than an example of stupidity, perhaps (given Sunday’s post) an example of insanity.
03.04.2026
Trump Is the Most Dangerous Man in the World | Common Dreams
Reading foreign journalism is very important. It gives us a broader perspective of how the world views the United States and often without the bias of the increasingly small panoply of billionaires that own the media in the U.S. This article, written by two foreign experts, C. J. Polychroniou (a political economist/political scientist), is interviewed by Alexandra Boutri, reminds us of how dimly others see—not only this president—but those who elected him. In one paragraph, discussing Trump’s free-ranging, emperor-like tendencies, Polychroniou reminds us, “What else can one expect from people who believe that explosive conflict in the Middle East will trigger Christ’s return and see Trump as the man God has chosen to defeat the satanic forces in the United States and Christianize it?” The world outside the U.S. sees it as a country that swings on a whim, and that—if elections are allowed—the country might vote liberally again in 2028 for a president whose viewpoints and intellect are similar to Barack Obama, only to be followed by a newer version of T.R.U.M.P. and a renewed, angrier Project 2025. After what this administration—and those who supported it—have done to the global reputation of the U.S., it may never again be able to gain the trust of the foreign nations it needs to thrive.
02.04.2026
Five takeaways from President Trump’s address on Iran
If it was the president’s goal to reassure the U.S. public and stock markets that the war in Iran was going well, then this journalist and others think he should’ve not said anything. The top takeaways that most are pulling from this speech are that this administration has nothing new to say and no new insights to offer as to why Iran was invaded and what the end goals are. If anything, the president looked tired and old (probably because he is both). This commentator, Neall Stanage, from “The Hill,” said that the speech was notable for its lack of relevance. T.R.U.M.P. let us know that the precipitous rise in gas prices is “Iran’s fault.” That if Iran doesn’t do what he wants (whatever that is), he is going to “hit them very hard,” and, “Bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong.” Once again, if this speech was meant to answer questions or ease concerns about this invasion, it backfired. Stock market prices dropped sharply after the speech, declining—according to Stanage—by 1 percent and Brent Crude oil jumped another $6 per barrel.
01.04.2026
Lions Led by Donkeys
This evening, Donald T.R.U.M.P. is holding a press conference at which he will likely announce that 1) he will tell us he is going to decimate Iran for not doing what he wants or 2) the U.S. has accomplished its objectives and declare victory in Operation Midnight Hammer (for those of you unfamiliar with this administration’s Orwellian double-speak, this is the non-war, war that was declared arbitrarily on the country of Iran by Netanyahu and T.R.U.M.P.). We won’t know which objectives were accomplished (or need to be accomplished) because they change on almost an hourly basis and depending upon whom is standing in front of the mic at any given time. The truth is, this president is getting bored of this adventure and has been watching his ratings take a shellacking at the polls. This The Atlantic article, by Eliot A. Cohen, examines how no leadership in U.S. history has been more poorly prepared to lead the military forces of the country. It has been a complete waste of lives and other resources. MAGA cult followers and Republicans, this is on you, this is your guy, and your guy is bored with Iran because he has too many battles back on U.S. soil to fight and he still wants to invade Cuba. T.R.U.M.P. is at war, not just with foreign governments, but domestic powers as well. He is at war within his own cabinet, with MAGA, with the Supreme Court, with voters, with the media, with higher education, with lines at airports, a crashing economy and stock market, and with the price of well, almost everything in the U.S. economy… he also has to make sure the Epstein files aren’t closer to being revealed and continue with his retribution campaign (now expanded to judges that don’t rule in his favor) to make matters worse, all of this is cutting into his golf time, his new ballroom, his Nobel Peace Prize, and parties at Mar-a-Lago.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The power of the people was on display this week with “No Kings” protests taking shape in small and big towns throughout the United States, and indeed, the world.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 52 (302 total reports)
18.03.2026-31.03.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The power of the people was on display this week with “No Kings” protests taking shape in small and big towns throughout the United States, and indeed, the world.
Visual Stories!
My heart told me this week that many of us needed a hopeful song that looked forward to the end of this madness. We’re seeing cracks in the MAGA facade, and we need to put a chisel in those cracks and drive it deeper. This happy-go-lucky tune channels the hit song, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” I hope you enjoy it and find it both uplifting and empowering. “What a Joy,” https://youtu.be/KSCZPNJMAGk
Top Links of the Week
31.03.2026
Trump’s Executive Order Diverting Border Security Funds to TSA Is a Blatantly Criminal Act
Do I like airport lines backed up for literally blocks? Of course not. Do I like that TSA is not being paid? Of course not. But like Andy Craig, this journalist from The Unpopulist, I also don’t like this president breaking the law to use discretionary funds at his whim and fancy. Craig compares T.R.U.M.P. to King Charles, I, who attempted to bypass the Parliament from 1629 to 1640, resulting in the “Glorious Revolution,” of 1688; a civil war, and the King’s execution. Despite Congress giving this president a 10-billion dollar slush fund, it is not his to do with as he will. It is allocated by Congress and overseen by Congress. Though his Republican lackeys have consistently let this president do whatever he wants, his choice to personally determine what to do with this unheard-of, enormous sum of money (from the One, Big, Beautiful Bill) crosses a constitutional line. The Constitution was designed to give Congress, not the president, spending and allocation powers. As Craig points out, this is not a “flaw” in the system, it is the bedrock of the system. It is what separates an autocrat from a democratic president. Pleased as I would be to see TSA employees paid and lines flowing at the normal snail’s pace, I am not in favor of an autocratic government. Similarly to posting ICE in airports (a ploy that even Steve Bannon admits is designed to make us feel more comfortable with their public presence ahead of the mid-term elections), this is a sign of a deeper and more sinister plot to undermine our Democratic government.
30.03.2026
Photos From the Third Nationwide ‘No Kings’ Protest
The biggest news this weekend is the people (over 8 million) who showed up in large and small towns around the globe to put U.S. politicians on the alert. No more wars, no more distractions, no more T.R.U.M.P., and no more kings. Atlantic captures photos from around the U.S. (small towns and large) of people who will not be intimidated—or distracted—by this administration. The countdown to invoking the 25th Amendment has begun!
27.03.2026
March 26, 2026
Heather Cox Richardson arguably offers the best-researched political commentary available today. In this article, she examines how the United States has gone rogue and become untrustworthy as a global partner. She examines the graft of this White House under this president, not just by his family but among insiders in the cabinet and among Republican representatives. T.R.U.M.P. has worked to align himself with global dictators and authoritarians, including supporting Putin at a moment when he is openly offering military information to Iran in a war this president started. In my own opinion, one cannot blame just this president without pointing an admonishing finger at the 35% of voters who put him into office and those who stayed home and let others vote for him in their stead. What other countries have learned from this is that even if the U.S. swings back to a saner leadership after this election, there is no telling what it will do when it swings back again in following elections. Other countries are forming partnerships that don’t include such a feckless population so easily swayed almost daily by conspiracy theories.
26.03.2026
What we know and don't know about Iran war negotiations
It seems awkward to be asking whom to trust: the demented would-be king in the White House or the fanatical religious fundamentalist Ayatollah in Iran. But here we are, an extremely awkward time when lying is part and parcel of a politician’s tool kit. It almost boils down to, “Whose lie seems less untrue?” It is particularly difficult with this president and his administration, who seem to prefer lying to truth-telling. The reality they have to sell—especially in regard to this war—is particularly undigestible. But… so is the reality about the economy, so is the reality about climate change, so is the reality about graft and traitorous behavior, and… of course, so is the reality about the Epstein files.
25.03.2026
March 24, 2026
Heather Cox Richardson quotes economist Paul Krugman as saying, “People close to Trump are trading based on national secrets.” These are not just the acts of profiteers; these are the acts of traitors. Someone, in the inner circles of this White House, tipped off investors about actions that were going to take place on a battlefield, and those people—including representatives of Congress—used that information to invest over a half billion dollars. This should not surprise us from an administration that revealed military secrets on public social media to journalists (without consequence). Keep this information on your files so we can remind lawmakers when (if) we can vote again.
24.03.2026
America's wealth gap is growing, and Trump's policies are making it bigger
There is an economic term called Mudsilling. It refers to a powerful upper class that intentionally creates a permanent underclass to serve their economic needs, and it comes from a construction term whereby a mudsill is the lowest threshold that supports the foundation for a building. Nothing could describe the Project 2025 economy better. In my article review yesterday, we examined who is profiting off the aggressions of this administration. The presidency, Congress, and our Supreme Court have demonstrated they are doing all they can to rob the poor and give money to their ultra-wealthy benefactors. Relying on the midterms is not enough. Our current president has already indicated that he does not want voting to occur, and the recent action of sending his private shock troops (ICE) to airports is but one indication that he will also take over polling places. We need to be more assertive if we want to save our democracy for our children. We need to show our elected officials that we will not tolerate a mudsill economy.
23.03.2026
Who Is Profiting from the War in Iran - and What We Can Do About It
This brief article by the editors at Daily Kos is important if you want to know 1) why war is so profitable, 2) who profits from it, and 3) what you can do to resist this cycle of blatant racketeering. Among those who are profiting the most from this war in Iran is the president himself, his family, Netanyahu, Putin, China, petroleum companies, and even Iran itself! The editors go on to reflect upon a piece by James Carville about how we can respond and what Democrats can do to target such exploitation in the future.
20.03.2026
Trump Had No Plan B for Iran
If Tom Nichols of The Atlantic wrote it or has it in his podcast, I want to understand the commentary. This article takes a deep dive into the behind-the-scene thinking (or lack thereof) of this administration’s decision to join Netanyahu in bombing Iran. Despite being told by military and intelligence experts who are familiar with the region, T.R.U.M.P. ordered this invasion thinking it would be a one-bomb-run ordeal and the regime would collapse. So confident were they of their own “brilliance” that there was no Plan B. As Mr. Nichols puts it, “Trump’s Plan A was to hit Iran hard, watch the theocrats flee, and then hand power to a government of his own choosing. Should such things not come to pass, Plan B was … well, apparently, there was no Plan B.” Nichols goes on to squarely lay the blame for this invasion on those responsible. Here are his words: “Some observers have criticized American planners for failing to anticipate such a move. This is unfair: The intelligence community and the U.S. military have analyzed, planned, and exercised for this scenario for decades. The failure came not from the national-security community, but from the civilians, and specifically the commander in chief, who evidently refused to heed warnings from his senior military advisers that the Iranians would do exactly what anyone paying attention suspected they would do.” Once again, Nichols points out, “T.R.U.M.P.’s arrogance,” is putting the United States—and the world—at extreme risk. This presidency is the worst presidency since, well, since his last presidency. Let’s just hope the globe can recover from what the people of the United States (voters and stay-at-homers alike) have unleashed.
19.03.2026
The Iran War’s Next Threat Is to Food and Water
The Atlantic’s Vivian Salama looks behind the scenes and into the near future to analyze the global implications of T.R.U.M.P.’s grandiose encroachment into Iran. Salama does a deep dive into the story behind and beyond simply the effect of this “invasion” on food and water in the region, not just gas and oil for the United States. According the this administration, they didn’t think that their invasion would cause this many problems, which begs to remind us how imbecilic this President can be and how intentionally blind he has become cocooned by his sycophantic followers. Let us not also become victims of myopic vision looking at only how this incursion affects us nationally or locally. It’s not just about gas and oil prices, it is about access to food and water, which is becoming a far greater menace to the world.
18.03.2026
Nobody Wants To Clean Up Trump's Mess In The Strait Of Hormuz
Ryan Grenoble and Marita Vlachou of HuffPost aptly name this post-Iran, non-war invasion as a “no-alition of the willing.” Turns out this administration is learning you can’t invade a country with only Israel’s support, insult all of your allies, then expect them—or the population of the United States—to be supportive. And it drives this administration more insane (if that’s possible). Adam Serwer of The Atlantic posts a similar headline and discusses T.R.U.M.P.’s unreadiness for the chaos he has caused. He quotes the president as saying, “On Monday, Trump told reporters that Iran wasn’t ‘supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East.’ He said, ‘They hit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait,’ and “nobody expected that. We were shocked.’” This is just another illustration of how obtuse this administration is and how it will not listen to anyone who doesn’t praise, “The Dear Leader.” The world will pay the price for this incompetence. Rising oil prices affect everyone and nearly everything from shipping to fertilizer. In the United States, this is further complicated by all the internal battles this administration has started from the nonpayment of TSA employees to ICE running rampant on city streets. It almost seems trite to say (and too ubiquitous) elect a clown, expect a circus. What can we do? Keep the focus on the Epstein files, keep demanding their release. All of this is a distraction from sending this president where he belongs, not in the White House, but in an orange suit.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Mudsilling is a political term defining when a ruling economic class intentionally designs a political structure to keep others enslaved in poverty. The U.S. is a mudsill economy.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 51 (301 total reports)
18.03.2026-24.03.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Mudsilling is a political term defining when a ruling economic class intentionally designs a political structure to keep others enslaved in poverty. The U.S. is a mudsill economy.
Visual Stories!
This week’s Blues/Rap song focuses on the Pedo-in-Chief and reminds him, “We Will Not Forget.” https://youtu.be/Z0Xt8Ch4aaI?si=okNFBWjRDIlcFb5i
Top Links of the Week
24.03.2026
America's wealth gap is growing, and Trump's policies are making it bigger
There is an economic term called Mudsilling. It refers to a powerful upper class that intentionally creates a permanent underclass to serve their economic needs, and it comes from a construction term whereby a mudsill is the lowest threshold that supports the foundation for a building. Nothing could describe the Project 2025 economy better. In my article review yesterday, we examined who is profiting off the aggressions of this administration. The presidency, Congress, and our Supreme Court have demonstrated they are doing all they can to rob the poor and give money to their ultra-wealthy benefactors. Relying on the midterms is not enough. Our current president has already indicated that he does not want voting to occur, and the recent action of sending his private shock troops (ICE) to airports is but one indication that he will also take over polling places. We need to be more assertive if we want to save our democracy for our children. We need to show our elected officials that we will not tolerate a mudsill economy.
23.03.2026
Who Is Profiting from the War in Iran - and What We Can Do About It
This brief article by the editors at Daily Kos is important if you want to know 1) why war is so profitable, 2) who profits from it, and 3) what you can do to resist this cycle of blatant racketeering. Among those who are profiting the most from this war in Iran is the president himself, his family, Netanyahu, Putin, China, petroleum companies, and even Iran itself! The editors go on to reflect upon a piece by James Carville about how we can respond and what Democrats can do to target such exploitation in the future.
20.03.2026
Trump Had No Plan B for Iran
If Tom Nichols of The Atlantic wrote it or has it in his podcast, I want to understand the commentary. This article takes a deep dive into the behind-the-scene thinking (or lack thereof) of this administration’s decision to join Netanyahu in bombing Iran. Despite being told by military and intelligence experts who are familiar with the region, T.R.U.M.P. ordered this invasion thinking it would be a one-bomb-run ordeal and the regime would collapse. So confident were they of their own “brilliance” that there was no Plan B. As Mr. Nichols puts it, “Trump’s Plan A was to hit Iran hard, watch the theocrats flee, and then hand power to a government of his own choosing. Should such things not come to pass, Plan B was … well, apparently, there was no Plan B.” Nichols goes on to squarely lay the blame for this invasion on those responsible. Here are his words: “Some observers have criticized American planners for failing to anticipate such a move. This is unfair: The intelligence community and the U.S. military have analyzed, planned, and exercised for this scenario for decades. The failure came not from the national-security community, but from the civilians, and specifically the commander in chief, who evidently refused to heed warnings from his senior military advisers that the Iranians would do exactly what anyone paying attention suspected they would do.” Once again, Nichols points out, “T.R.U.M.P.’s arrogance,” is putting the United States—and the world—at extreme risk. This presidency is the worst presidency since, well, since his last presidency. Let’s just hope the globe can recover from what the people of the United States (voters and stay-at-homers alike) have unleashed.
19.03.2026
The Iran War’s Next Threat Is to Food and Water
The Atlantic’s Vivian Salama looks behind the scenes and into the near future to analyze the global implications of T.R.U.M.P.’s grandiose encroachment into Iran. Salama does a deep dive into the story behind and beyond simply the effect of this “invasion” on food and water in the region, not just gas and oil for the United States. According the this administration, they didn’t think that their invasion would cause this many problems, which begs to remind us how imbecilic this President can be and how intentionally blind he has become cocooned by his sycophantic followers. Let us not also become victims of myopic vision looking at only how this incursion affects us nationally or locally. It’s not just about gas and oil prices, it is about access to food and water, which is becoming a far greater menace to the world.
18.03.2026
Nobody Wants To Clean Up Trump's Mess In The Strait Of Hormuz
Ryan Grenoble and Marita Vlachou of HuffPost aptly name this post-Iran, non-war invasion as a “no-alition of the willing.” Turns out this administration is learning you can’t invade a country with only Israel’s support, insult all of your allies, then expect them—or the population of the United States—to be supportive. And it drives this administration more insane (if that’s possible). Adam Serwer of The Atlantic posts a similar headline and discusses T.R.U.M.P.’s unreadiness for the chaos he has caused. He quotes the president as saying, “On Monday, Trump told reporters that Iran wasn’t ‘supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East.’ He said, ‘They hit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait,’ and “nobody expected that. We were shocked.’” This is just another illustration of how obtuse this administration is and how it will not listen to anyone who doesn’t praise, “The Dear Leader.” The world will pay the price for this incompetence. Rising oil prices affect everyone and nearly everything from shipping to fertilizer. In the United States, this is further complicated by all the internal battles this administration has started from the nonpayment of TSA employees to ICE running rampant on city streets. It almost seems trite to say (and too ubiquitous) elect a clown, expect a circus. What can we do? Keep the focus on the Epstein files, keep demanding their release. All of this is a distraction from sending this president where he belongs, not in the White House, but in an orange suit.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Let’s keep our eye on the ball. The release of the Epstein files will bring this administration and those Pedophile Protectors surrounding him down. That’s why they (not just ‘he’) are working so hard to distract us. Release the files!Peace
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 50 (300 total reports)
11.03.2026-17.03.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Let’s keep our eye on the ball. The release of the Epstein files will bring this administration and those Pedophile Protectors surrounding him down. That’s why they (not just ‘he’) are working so hard to distract us. Release the files!
Visual Stories!
This week’s Blues/Rap song focuses on the Pedo-in-Chief and reminds him, “We Will Not Forget.” https://youtu.be/Z0Xt8Ch4aaI?si=okNFBWjRDIlcFb5i
Top Links of the Week
17.03.2026
How Trump's Treasury is shifting sanctions to punish his critics and reward friends
This NPR article by staff writers, Chiara Eisner and Robert Benincasa, reminds us, once again, how small a human, Donald T.R.U.M.P., is.There seems to be no tool too sacred for him to not turn into a weapon of revenge, and just as he is using the Department of Justice to seek revenge on those who annoyed him, the Department of “War” to attack those who stood in his way, he is now using the Department of Treasury to attack those who have stood against him. That includes people internationally as well as companies internally. This president will get his revenge. Sadly, the more decrepit he becomes (and closer to his physical or political demise), the more revenge is important to him. This administration has been chastised by the ICC (International Criminal Court), by the U.N. and even by the Nobel Prize committee, but it only seems to add fuel to his fire. One can only imagine those surrounding him at Cabinet meetings seeking his favor by telling him what a great human being he is, all the while enabling him to commit continually worse atrocities.
16.03.2026
Trump Has Replaced International Law With the Rule That Might Makes Right
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-might-makes-right?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other
Walden Bello received the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, in 2003, and was named Outstanding Public Scholar of the International Studies Association in 2008. He is well-positioned to write and speak to this subject of how world politics has disintegrated under Donald T.R.U.M.P.’s administration and with the onset of practices designed by Project 2025. Citing Prime Minister Mark Carney, Bello tells us that T.R.U.M.P. has foregone the United Nations and supplanted it with a “Might Makes Right” strategy. Also, like Carney, the professor and author reminds us that our only hopeful path lies in resistance. That is true globally as well as individually. What can you do today that will resist the continued power-grabbing of the madman in the Mar-a-Lago? Intentional actions, big and small, make a difference. Writing your senator to protest the SAVE ACT, or supporting someone you know who is assertively protesting this administration, all make a difference. As the Obamas like to remind us, “Don’t just boo, do something!”
Trump keeps asking Americans to sacrifice — for things they don’t want
Aaron Blake of CNN Politics asks us if we are feeling a bit of déjà vu this week, with this administration’s admonishment that we should all expect to embrace short-term pain for long-term gain. He suggests that we might have heard this before, like during COVID, like during the tariffs, and like now during the Iran War (er… Operation Fury, er… “Short-Term Excursion”, er... “Massive and Ongoing Operation,” er… “Campaign for Iran Liberation,” apparently, we haven’t settled on a name yet, because we haven’t settled on a mission). When this “action” started, oil was around $60 per barrel; now it is just over $100, and some analysts say it could go as high as $200. So, we are being asked to “tighten our belts.” Meanwhile, the “Department of War” is certainly not tightening its belts. Over the last month, Daily Kos writer, Oliver Willis, tells us that, “Hegseth has also presided over an internal spending spree at the Pentagon. Newly released reports of expenditures showed the purchase of a $98,329 Steinway & Sons grand piano, $60,000 for Herman Miller recliner chairs, $124,000 for ice cream machines, and $139,224 on 272 orders of doughnuts.” This weekend, the president is flying down to his Pedo-Castle on the sea, Mar-a-Lago, for another round of golf with his billionaire supporters. If you weren’t invited, just think of it as another opportunity to experience “short-term pain.”
12.03.2026
Dario Amodei’s Oppenheimer Moment
Ross Anderson of The Atlantic compares this moment in our history to the precipice the world faced when Julius Robert Oppenheimer completed his work on the atomic bomb in 1945. Anderson points out the ethical dilemma Oppenheimer faced as he proverbially “turned over the keys” of the bomb to the Truman Administration. The columnist discusses the 15,000-word manifesto developed by Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, entitled, “Machines of Loving Grace.” He also reviews the (what now might be considered naiveté) of the scientists of Oppenheimer’s time as they dreamt about the positive applications of atomic energy for world peace and economic development. Few of those many ideas saw any relevant development, while the destructive force of atomic energy was deployed twice against Japan. Now, instead of Truman, we have world leaders like Putin, Netanyahu, and T.R.U.M.P. vying to decide how AI and nuclear energy will be used—for or against humanity. I agree with Mr. Anderson that we are teetering on a critical “Oppenheimer Moment,” and need to make our voices heard in this debate. Use your choices to support Anthropic. I know many are against the use of AI, for multiple reasons, but that is similar to being against the use of atomic energy in the time of Oppenheimer. Ceding your opinion is allowing others to use it. Others like those named above. Others like Pete Hegseth and this administration. Like Tom Homan and the MAGA Republicans already supplying Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses to ICE for use in facial recognition and unlawful civilian surveillance.
11.03.2026
Trump Can’t Decide Whether the Iran War Is Still Going On
This article by David A. Graham of The Atlantic takes us to a very dangerous place: the mind of this President as he tries to explain the Iran war to the press. Graham points out, “Reporters at the press conference, perplexed, asked Trump about the gap. ‘You said the war is ‘very complete,’ but your defense secretary says this is just the beginning, so which is it?’” T.R.U.M.P.’s response? “Well, I think you could say both.” With oil prices skyrocketing and tankers jammed in the Persian Gulf, T.R.U.M.P. appeared to blame price hikes on oil companies. As Graham points out, he “… even called on oil-tanker captains to ‘show some guts’ and sail through the contested Strait of Hormuz, according to Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade, though he hasn’t volunteered to personally dodge Iranian missiles aboard a floating makeshift bomb.” As frequently the case with this administration, chaos and confusion reign. Graham cites reporting by his others at The Atlantic: “As my colleagues Marie-Rose Sheinerman and Isabel Ruehl reported last week, Trump offered 10 different rationales for the war in its first six days alone.” The bottom line is that every day brings new lies by this administration. Graham explains the rationale (although I hesitate to ever use any word relating to “rational” with this circus of miscreants): “The problem is that Trump wants to operate with complete freedom from any restrictions and without waiting for advisers’ input. Asked when the war would completely end, T.R.U.M.P. told CBS, ‘Wrapping up is all in my mind, nobody else’s.’ That’s not very reassuring, for stock markets or anyone else.”
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
War (or whatever you call it) has a way of creating its own fog. This administration already defaults to lies over truth. Expect that to get worse. In the meantime, our role remains to be firm, stand up, and defy.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 49 (299 total reports)
10.03.2026-04.03.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
War (or whatever you call it) has a way of creating its own fog. This administration already defaults to lies over truth. Expect that to get worse. In the meantime, our role remains to be firm, stand up, and defy.
Visual Stories!
A demented president, a gaggle of Republican sycophants and cabinet members. This country tune reminds us it’s ”A Different Lie; A Different Day.” https://youtu.be/q7w2ofLh09k?si=AW8I59gah0DBkDkc
Top Links of the Week
10.03.2026
What Anthropic’s Clash With the Pentagon Is Really About
Someone bombed a girls’ school in Iran with a U.S.-made Tomahawk missile. The standard press responses throughout the administration have ranged from Trump’s, “no one knows who… there’s lots of Tomahawks in the area…” to Hegseth’s, “It’s under investigation.” Earlier this week, my blog focused on an AI company called “Anthropic,” that was standing up and defying this administration at the risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in military contracts. Well, Anthropic held fast and the Administration designated them as a “Supply Side Risk,” a term usually reserved for hostile foreign nations. In turn, Anthropic rightfully sued for breach of contract and that suit went to court today supported by dozens of AI engineers from multiple companies—even some who were with companies that are opponents of Anthropic. Even though these engineers are business opponents, they are not ethical opponents. It seems that many of us do not want the people who targeted a girl’s school in Iran to determine how AI will operate in a war or in domestic surveillance without interaction from humans—preferably democratically elected ones. Thank you to Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei and these engineers for standing up to this administration. Boo to Sam Altman and OpenAI for kowtowing to them. Folks, you know what to do. Since this became an issue, Claud AI (made by Anthropic) has become the No. 1 AI app download in the U.S. Let’s join them as we all “Stand Up and Defy,” this kakistocracy.
09.03.2026
America Isn’t Divided by Race. It’s Divided by Class
William Spivey, of Level, writes to remind us of the history of classism in the United States. His position can be summed up in the following statement: “America built a caste system that protects wealth by weaponizing color.” Personally, I have been in enough jails, prisons, and watched enough trials to give credence to his statement. In almost every trial I’ve seen (juvenile and adult), if you had the money to hire an attorney, you either received a much lighter sentence or no sentence at all. It wouldn’t matter where I was visiting (I’ve had similar experiences working in multiple states), the punitive division wasn’t along the lines of race; it was along the lines of poverty. The poor are always misrepresented in our prison system. They cannot afford justice, and—tragically—minorities are far too often a majority of the impoverished. Spivey points out that this unfairness of representation applies all the way up to the Supreme Court, who recently ruled, “Documented racism isn’t enough to sway their rulings; a plaintiff must prove racism was the intent.” As Spivey reminds us, “Sometimes, it isn’t the intent, just the means. Does that make anything any less racist?” As we watch the Epstein chaos unfold, we are reminded that wealth without boundaries often results in wealth without constraints. Again, I quote Spivey, who reminds us, “That 10% of people who control 72% of the wealth effectively control our government, banks, and law enforcement.” Mid-Terms will tell us if that richest percentage is strong enough to cancel elections in a democracy. We need to do all we can to “Stand Up and Defy,” to show adherents of this billionaire president and his cabinet that there is a cost to their callousness.
06.03.2026
Would Trump Risk an Oil Crisis?
Rogé Karma writes this in-depth article for The Atlantic examining the history of oil prices and (predominantly) Iran. Of course, one cannot write about Middle East oil prices and Iran without also writing about the Strait of Hormuz. Hundreds of ships are now anchored idly in the waters of the Persian Gulf, and insurers will not cover losses on these tankers, so they will not move. About 20% of the world’s oil flows through those straits, and blocking them is causing oil prices to skyrocket. Does T.R.U.M.P. care? About as much as he cares for the lives of soldiers being lost in this war. Perhaps a bit more, because oil prices will impact the U.S. economy, and that will impact mid-terms (if the U.S. has them). Karma points out that the president has said he would use military escorts to protect tankers accessing Hormuz. But that would take much more planning than this administration has shown itself capable of doing so far. In addition to blocking the strait, Iran is targeting the production facilities of oil producers around the Persian Gulf. This includes nations/kingdoms such as the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. We still do not know the goals of this war, except that the president said on Truth Social this morning that he will accept nothing less than Iran’s unconditional surrender. It is evident that Iran knows that this war is not as supported domestically as Pete Hegseth and Donald T.R.U.M.P. want us to believe. Reuters says that only 25% of the U.S. population supports this war. Is the president even aware of that? Probably not. The evidence points out that this President only surrounds himself with people who affirm his actions. He is surrounded by sycophants that will not let any light shine in. That is why it remains so important that we take action and visibly show the Republicans surrounding him that they are not just disliked, but even loathed. Active defiance is the only way we can restore democracy to the United States. Don’t give in.
05.03.2026
The American King Goes to War
Adam Serwer, of The Atlantic, gives us a constitutional framework for T.R.U.M.P.’s unilateral decision to engage in an illegal war with Iran. He points out, “Who can decide when a country goes to war is one of the crucial distinctions between a republic and a monarchy. The Founders’ decision to give Congress the authority to declare war is not a coincidence. It was one of several deliberate moves to limit the ability of an executive to wage war based on grudge, impulse, or personal profit. The restraints on the executive branch’s ability to wage war exist to ensure that if the nation makes a choice to go to war, it does so only after careful planning and deliberation. That is to say, the opposite of what happened here.” Serwer points out that there is no plan for post-invasion reconstruction, and the explanation for why the U.S. started the war changes on a daily basis (and depending upon whom grants the press an interview). Serwer does not believe there is a plan; however, his partner at The Atlantic, David From (in his weekly podcast), says essentially, the plan is simple: take out the top 40 people and continue to take people out until you find a person that is willing to do what T.R.U.M.P. wants, then let that person build a coalition and rebuild the country. Serwer continues his important history lesson by quoting Akhil Reed Amar, author of “America’s Constitution: A Biography.” Serwer explains, “Dividing the authority to wage war between the executive and the legislature was a deliberate innovation because ‘in England, the king had the power to both declare war and command troops.’ The king was seen as the embodiment of the people, and therefore his decisions regarding war and peace did not require their consent. America is famously founded on the opposite proposition. A monarch can take their nation to war for petty or personal reasons; a president should not be able to.” As of this morning, the Republican-led Congress seems comfortable granting their leader, King-like powers. Democrats (sans John Fetterman, D-PA) are feigning resistance, but only so they can later point out they voted against T.R.U.M.P. What can we do against such odds? Continue to use your voice to demand answers. Why did we invade Iran? What is the plan now and beyond the next 4-5 weeks? Who will rebuild their infrastructure once Israel and the U.S. have destroyed it? Is this a war against nuclear weapons, against terrorism, for regime change? Will this administration follow proper channels prior to any other preeminent invasions (for example, of Cuba)? When will the Justice Department release the unredacted Epstein files?
04.02.2026
The ghost in the machine has changed sides
You might wonder why I’m featuring this article, by Jeff DeGraff, on my blog today, but if you’ve been following the domestic war between Pete Hegseth, this administration, and the leaders of Anthropic, you will certainly understand. In this article, DeGraff discusses the concept of “Spectral Accountability” and British philosopher Gilbert Ryle’s concept of “The Ghost in the Machine.” Briefly (very briefly), Spectral Accountability examines human agency in the AI decision-making process. This administration wants to use AI without human agency, allowing AI to decide on military strikes or how to monitor the public in its own defense. If you’re not comfortable with the way this administration has already been monitoring, arresting, and even shooting U.S. citizens, then you should be uncomfortable—even shocked—at how Hegseth and this administration are clumsily trying to bully Anthropic. We know—we don’t assume—that we are preemptively at war with Iran for two reasons: 1) to shift the focus from the Epstein files, and 2) so T.R.U.M.P. can declare emergency powers and avoid mid-term elections. We know this based on this administration’s behaviors and clues from the Supreme Court instructing T.R.U.M.P. how he could use emergency powers legally. The Roberts court is trying to teach this administration how to end democracy by a sort of political “Whack-a-Mole”; the administration blunders and the Court tells T.R.U.M.P.’s lawyers what they did wrong and how to do it differently next time. What we must also learn from this glimpse into this presidency is that we must be courageous and defiant. Minneapolis taught us that this administration will back down when faced with a community of like-minded, resolute, peaceful protesters. Bovino is gone, Bondi and Noem are digging their own legal graves while lying to Congress, similarly with Rubio and Hegseth, and T.R.U.M.P. will eventually have to face the consequences of his primary role in the Epstein empire. But only if we “Stand Up and Defy!”
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
T.R.U.M.P. is not running for president; he is running from jail. If U.S. citizens saw the unredacted Epstein files, EVEN REPUBLICANS wouldn’t pretend to support him.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 48 (298 total reports)
24.02.2026-03.03.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
T.R.U.M.P. is not running for president; he is running from jail. If U.S. citizens saw the unredacted Epstein files, EVEN REPUBLICANS wouldn’t pretend to support him.
Visual Stories!
A cadre of capitalist billionaires controls this president and the Republican Congress. T.R.U.M.P. is allowed to retain power as long as he does what they wish. This song focuses on calling out those people, “Elitists of the Land.” https://youtu.be/V5W-DfebEN4?si=B-gAJmBkOPPxTC2j
Top Links of the Week
03.02.2026
Trump Has Given America a Constitutional Dilemma
This reporting by The Atlantic reporter, Tom Nichols, tells us that congress has two ways to respond to T.R.U.M.P.’s illegal war efforts, first in Venezuela, now in Iran (and next, Nichols doesn’t mention, in Cuba). They have a blunt instrument, to turn off the funding, and a dull instrument, “The War Powers Resolution.” Both have their levels of fallibility, with shutting the funding perhaps being the more irresponsible. Shutting off the funding leaves U.S. Troops undefended in foreign lands, The War Powers Resolution gives four months of funding for this administration to end hostilities and/or explain their rationale and mission to congress and the U.S. Public. The down side is that it signals to foreign powers that they just need to extend the war by that amount of time and then the U.S. will be gone. Now, I’m going to venture into personal commentary aside from the well-researched journalism of Mr. Nichols. We have to remember that T.R.U.M.P. is not seeking to retain his presidency, he is seeking to stay out of jail. If the truth of what has occurred in the Epstein files becomes public, this president would face a backlash that NOT EVEN THE REPUBLICANS could feign support for. This President would face the same accountability as other politicians found in these files in countries which are not controlled by a cadre of billionaires that use the presidency to fund their wealth and power. Our singular hope, at this time, is to demand the complete (unredacted) release of those files. T.R.U.M.P. must be held accountable as well as those that have been protecting him for years, decades.
02.03.2026
Congress gears up for vote on Trump's war powers in Iran — after the battle began
This administration is relying on the laggard response of Congress to impede its aggressive global actions. Congress meets after-the-fact tomorrow to discuss T.R.U.M.P.’s invasion of Iran, but his administration is already discussing another invasion of—well, who is left?—Cuba. This is the M.O. of Project 2025, and this White House moves so fast that the legal system cannot keep up. As this article points out, even if Congress passes a resolution to limit T.R.U.M.P.’s wartime powers, it is highly unlikely they will be able to pass a bill that will thwart the Republican-led House and Senate and be veto-proof when it goes before the President. In other words, Congress is legally impeded from responding. It falls back on voters to overwhelmingly and resoundingly kick out this administration and the Republicans who have kowtowed to everything this President has desired. Nothing short of complete change and impeachment will stop this administration and the Project 2025 madness.
27.02.2026
The High-Stakes Fight Between Hegseth and Anthropic
I’m going to ask you—for the sake of how important this article is—to imagine the degenerate, T.R.U.M.P. Minion, Pete Hegseth. Imagine Donald T.R.U.M.P. and him equipped with the most advanced AI defense program available to mankind. Now, imagine them using it as a weapon of war and a weapon of internal monitoring of citizens. Please forgive me for asking you to do that exercise. This article tells us why that is important. Anthropic, the company that designed Claude AI, wrote (as journalist Idrees Kahloon describes it), “…an 84-page constitution, a ‘soul document,’ that aims ‘to avoid large-scale catastrophes’ such as a “global takeover either by AIs pursuing goals that run contrary to those of humanity, or by a group of humans’ to ‘illegitimately and non-collaboratively seize power.’ When Anthropic began working with this administration, allowing it to use their software, they made two stipulations: “That its technology not be used either for mass surveillance of American citizens or for lethal autonomous-weapons systems.” In short, Hegseth does not want to be hemmed in by these stipulations; he wants free rein over the use of this software to do with as this administration desires. To get his way, he is threatening Anthropic’s leadership with conflicting options: “Either the Trump administration would invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) to compel Anthropic to provide the no-guardrails model it desires (a hypothetical creation sometimes referred to as ‘WarClaude’), or the government would sever ties with Anthropic and label it a ‘supply-chain risk.’” Kahloon states that Brendan Steinhauser, a former Republican operative in Texas who now leads the safety-oriented nonprofit Alliance for Secure AI, told me. “This could lead to us losing control of autonomous weapons.” Steinhauser argues that Hegseth should back down rather than provoke a civil-liberties nightmare. This is the nightmare Orwell warned us about, and we need to urge what’s left of Congress to support Anthropic’s constitution. We need to act in defiance of this upcoming nightmare where this administration turns loose AI on those they deem enemies—both external and internal.
26.02.2026
US and Iran begin talks seen as crucial to prevent conflict
https://apple.news/ApGShGJlhQtGBYMFGV5RnPg
Somehow, having Jared Kushner (who walked away with billions from the Middle East during the first T.R.U.M.P. presidency) and Steve Witkoff (T.R.U.M.P.’s long-time real estate friend and golf partner) doesn’t make me feel like the United States is being fairly represented in Iran. What we do know is that a substantial U.S. naval presence lies off the shore of this country, and T.R.U.M.P.’s daily demagoguery becomes increasingly threatening with every hour. In his State of the Union, T.R.U.M.P. praised the military, but never explained to the parents, Congress, or the rest of the United States what in the hell the military was doing back in Middle East waters after being expensively sent to the waters off of Venezuela (estimated costs are about $3 billion so far for the round trip). Is T.R.U.M.P. worried about Iran’s nuclear program? Didn’t he say that was obliterated back on June 25, 2025? Are we there to “re-obliterate” it? Isn’t it up to Congress to decide who we go to war with? Is it not the purview of our elected Congress to at least hear the case for war and decide if it is the best course of action for the United States’ interests? One would think that a President that was recently told by the Supreme Court that he is not unilaterally able to set U.S. economic policy through tariffs would also understand that he cannot set U.S. political policy by involving the country in wars against other nations (or regions). The U.S. does not belong to the T.R.U.M.P. family yet! We have to stand up and defy these actions. Defiance needs to become part and parcel of all of our lexicons. Defy and act. It is our duty to this country, our globe, and our children. As stated during the State of the Swamp rally yesterday, “We defy because we love America.”
25.02.2026
President Trump’s State of the Union Variety Show
I’ll proudly admit I did not watch the State of the Union (SOTU) address yesterday. I didn’t want to give him my rating to this administration, and I already knew what their “Dear Leader” would say. In this article by Tom Nichols of The Atlantic, my low expectations were affirmed. Basically, Nichols tells us that the address was more a circus than a speech, with T.R.U.M.P. being the ringleader. Here’s how Nichols puts it: “But Trump tonight went far beyond what even the most self-indulgent presidents would have envisioned. Beset by scandal, facing multiple defeats in America’s courts, and hitting levels of unpopularity that would make President Richard Nixon nod with empathy, he turned the State of the Union into a vulgar, populist carnival.” I think that Nichols’ closing is especially worthy of merit; here is what he states: “Trump made a great show of honoring a handful of U.S. military heroes. Meanwhile, thousands of young men and women are a world away, waiting for his orders to go to war. The president of the United States might have taken a moment tonight to tell their families why they’re out there and what they’re supposed to do. But why bother? The show must go on.” As for me, I gave my rating to the alternative, “State of the Swamp” show by Democrats in a different location. I know the Dems are trying to win over the “Turning Point” crowd that seems less directed with the death of their demagogue leader, Charlie Kirk, but I found the atmosphere disappointing. It seemed more like a circus carnival to me (but keep in mind I’m admittedly an old fuddy-duddy). In contrast, the speeches and panels were electrifying. The primary message was made during a panel/crowd involvement rally that stated, “We defy because we love America.” I know that is why I’m going to continue to join in defiance of this Republican-supported authoritarian regime.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Expect a diatribe full of lies tonight at the State of the Union, or… lower his ratings and join us live on YouTube watching the Democrats’ alternative gathering, “The State of the Swamp.”
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 47 (297 total reports)
18.02.2026-23.02.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
Expect a diatribe full of lies tonight at the State of the Union, or… lower his ratings and join us live on YouTube watching the Democrats’ alternative gathering, “The State of the Swamp.”
Visual Stories!
As this administration makes more authoritarian demands that undermine citizens’ rights by telling social media platforms to inform them when someone is negative about ICE or this government’s policies, it is time for us to join together and remember the strength of unity and courage. This song, modelled after CCR’s “Fortunate Son,” tells us to remember that “Courage is Stronger,” https://youtu.be/VRM3KKNh1Ro?si=GQdR5JYJGsCIvRom
Top Links of the Week
24.02.2026
February 23, 2026
This morning’s commentary by Heather Cox Richardson is a perfect preparation for those who might be tempted to T.R.U.M.P.’s diatribe of fresh lies and (most likely) condemnation of those against his autocratic policies; no doubt now including the Supreme Court (which Donald refuses to capitalize, to him, it is the “supreme court”). I’m sure we’ll also get plenty of the “fixed election,” “all Joe Biden’s fault,” “ false media’s reporting of the economy,” and more of the drivel that he’s been posting non-stop on his late-night potty site, Truth Social. If you, like my own State Senator, Democrat Patty Murray (who said in a recent e-mail to constituents, “I’m not going to dignify his lies and sit through that in person,”) do not plan to give credence to his lies, lower his views and raise the ratings of the alternative gathering, “The State of the Swamp,” which Democrats will lead tonight on YouTube or at “DEFIANCE.org.”
23.02.2026
Call Them What They Are
Tom Nichols, a journalist with The Atlantic, says what this administration does not want us to discuss. The government created by Project 2025 and led by Donald J. T.R.U.M.P. is not acting like Nazi’s, they are a modern form of Nazism. They don’t just dress up like Nazi’s, speak like Nazi’s, have policies like Nazi’s, or use phrases from Nazi’s. They are Nazi’s. They are fascists seeking totalitarian power in this hemisphere and the destruction of the U.S. democracy. It is time that we call out those who support (or supported) this government: “You are like those who stood aside while Hitler rounded up the Jewish population and had them put into concentration camps.” Now, you might say (as many of the German population did), “We didn’t know it would be this bad…” But that is no excuse. Either you didn’t read the literature and supported T.R.U.M.P., read the literature and gave approval to this type of regime, or you stayed home to let others make this awful decision for you. It has become apparent that most people who tacitly (or explicitly) supported this regime have too many “sunk costs” to change their minds now. Therefore, it remains up to the rest of us to refuse to back down, to make sure we defend our constitution and this democracy.
20.02.2026
Social Media Platforms Receive DHS Orders to Identify Users Who Criticize ICE
Last week, I posted a blog by Richard Reich, encouraging Kristi Noem to check his social media for attacks on her and on ICE. This article looks a little bit more in depth at the orders given by ICE Barbie for social media platforms to turn over information on people who attack ICE or identify locations in their cities where they are found. It tells us who those orders have been issued to and who, so far, is complying. Of course, we know that Bezos’s Google is compliant—and will continue to do whatever this administration asks them to. META is another platform that should not surprise us. But the article also tells us that most of those who comply inform users that their names are being subpoenaed. Folks, let’s not succumb; let’s burn the boats behind us. Make this administration’s government ungovernable. This is our time to be assertive and respond just as the people in Minneapolis did; nonviolently but courageously.
19.02.2026
Trump Has A Favorite Tool For Keeping MAGA Followers Loyal. Experts Say It's Highly Effective.
This article by Jillian Wilson of Huffpost examines “Echo Chambers” that occur in social media sites. It not only examines them from how this President uses them to keep the MAGA faithful in line, but also how those of us who receive our news largely from social media can fall prey to these echo chambers as well. An echo chamber, in this regard, is a feedback loop in our social media that only feeds us the news we want to hear. Therefore, left-leaning news feeds like Bluesky are most likely to receive news with a liberal slant, while MAGA followers, who follow T.R.U.M.P.’s Truth Social, are only going to receive the news that he deems worth sharing. That includes the disgusting racist video he shared (yet, Karoline Leavitt finally confirmed it was not a staffer, but the president himself that tweeted the video depicting the Obamas as simians). We live in an age where it is especially critical that we investigate our sources—especially if our sources are from social media. It is also important to ask other people for their sources: “Where did you get that news? Did you verify any other sources?”
18.02.2026
Concerns over autocracy in the U.S. continue to grow
Frank Langfitt, of NPR, examines the growing concerns many scholars have about the insidious movement towards authoritarianism in the United States. He quotes Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard University and co-author of “How Democracies Die,” who says the U.S. is in a “competitive authoritarianism.” Here is his definition: “Under competitive authoritarianism, countries still hold elections, but the ruling party uses various tactics — attacking the press, disenfranchising voters, weaponizing the justice system, and threatening critics — to tilt the electoral playing field in its favor.” While Levitsky also quotes other scholars that say that T.R.U.M.P. is merely using executive orders to respond to the liberal policies of the previous president (Biden), he also points to the words of ultra-right advisors to the President like Steve Bannon, who said they would “deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to polling places to root out undocumented migrants trying to vote.” If you read the two-part blog I posted last week based upon The Atlantic’s David Frum’s podcast, you would have seen that the situation is much more precarious than this article would indicate. This administration has concrete plans for preventing a fair mid-terms election; they cannot afford to lose power, and they know they will. It might come down to “more than the election” for these people to be stopped. We have to be ready to continue, like the courageous people of Minneapolis, to continue our peaceful resistance on the street. Republicans need to see—once and forever—that supporting this administration is a one-way ticket out of office. It remains up to us.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This is a violent, fascist regime that is damaging our reputation internally and externally. This week, we examine commentaries and articles that tell us how to peacefully fight back.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 46 (296 total reports)
11.02.2026-17.02.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This is a violent, fascist regime that is damaging our reputation internally and externally. This week, we examine commentaries and articles that tell us how to peacefully fight back.
Visual Stories!
We owe a debt to the people of Minneapolis. Their stance of nonviolence in the face of radical violence by this administration’s masked death squads is a timeless lesson in standing up to oppression. This song, modeled after the anti-T.R.U.M.P. band “Green Day,” focuses on the debt we owe to that city and its leaders. https://youtu.be/Oy3_U_MKpLs?si=9wvNFOJ-qiiaBZ9u
Top Links of the Week
17.02.2026
February 15, 2026
If I can use this blog to point to stellar writers like David Frum and Heather Cox Richardson, then I would be happy. In this commentary by Ms. Cox Richardson, she helps us understand the goings-on at the recent gathering of the 62nd Munich Security Conference. First, she presents the history of the event and the historic relevance of this year’s gathering, where their new report states: “We may be present at its destruction (of the conference). ‘The world has entered a period of wrecking-ball politics. Sweeping destruction—rather than careful reforms and policy corrections—is the order of the day. The most prominent of those who promise to free their countries from the existing order’s constraints and rebuild stronger, more prosperous nations is the current US administration.’” Marcus Rubio was present to do what sycophants regularly do for this administration. While their “Dear Leader” tweets from behind walls in eerily early morning hours, his lackeys are sent to “tone it down” and tell us what Project 2025 really wanted Donald to say. Also present were a number of representatives like Gavin Newsom, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Representative Jason Crow. They pleaded on behalf of keeping the door open for a saner United States in the future, with Crow stating: “Our foreign policy is being turned into an extortion ring for Big Oil, for the Trump family, for elites…” The damage of this administration will be long-lasting, but we can’t just point to them and say, “They’ll be gone soon…” We must also remember all the people that voted—and still support—this administration. And all the people who did not show up to vote. We must be courageous and bold, like the people of Minneapolis, if we hope to end the MAGA era and Project 2025. A slight win at the polls will not be enough in the midterms. With all the manipulations that this administration is preparing to do, we must let the MAGA faithful know their time is done and they will not be tolerated. Let your representatives see and hear you! Do not let your guard down or give up hope. If we can learn anything from the people of Minneapolis, it is that this violent administration can—and will be—defeated.
16.02.2026
A short note to Kristi Noem
Thank you to Robert Reich for this column; it really sizes up what I and apparently many other U.S. citizens are thinking right now. Kristi Noem, who made her early claim to fame by shooting her dog and bragging about it on social media, continues her unethical, immoral, and even illegal campaign to attack the American people on Donald T.R.U.M.P.’s behalf by assigning officers to illegally collect the names of people who say irksome things about her pet project, I.C.E. Essentially, Reich tells her, “Look me up…” He then does a short review of Noem’s stint as a cabinet member and not only the poor job she has done, but also the illegal actions she has taken. If you, like me, post items that might disturb ICE Barbie’s sensibilities. Our names are likely to turn up in her database. Hopefully, the only access she will have to that database in a few years will be from those who visit her in prison.
13.02.2026
How Trump Could Break the 2026 Elections
This is my second blog reviewing this important podcast from David Frum of The Atlantic. Frum continues his conversation with Stephen Richer about how the T.R.U.M.P. Administration could undermine voting in 2026 and beyond. Sadly, it wouldn’t be as difficult as many people think. They both (Frum and Richer) point out that all that this administration needs to do is disrupt voting in key polling stations across the U.S. That’s important, not all the polling places, but less than a dozen key ones. The invasion of the Macon County Elections Office is a dry run of what they could do elsewhere. If they can create the illusion of discrepancy (and just the illusion would do), it would give Speaker Mike Johnson (already one of T.R.U.M.P.’s minions) the ability to refuse to seat members from the House in those districts. This would prevent Johnson from handing over the gavel to the minority House Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, and prevent a democratic majority in the House that could call for the president’s impeachment. Stephen Bannon has already said they would send Homeland Security Agents to surround polling stations around the nation, but this strategy reveals that it doesn’t have to be “all” the stations across the nation—or even a lot—only the ones in contested districts that Republicans stand to lose. That’s how the Democrats could lose the next election and how the current administration could maintain power. Let’s hope the Democratic leadership has a strategy to block this possibility and, in the meantime, let’s make sure we “keep our feet down on the street” (as Vaclav Havel and Mark Carney encourage us). Remember, there are Republicans who are beginning to turn against this administration and they need to see our faces and hear our voices. Be courageous, remain resilient, be a dissident.
12.02.2026
How Trump Could Break the 2026 Elections
There is so much in this podcast from The Atlantic, by David Frum, that I’m going to do something unusual and take two days to discuss it. This podcast delves into three important topics. First, Frum examines the racist and idiotic video posted by T.R.U.M.P. featuring the Obamas as simians, which was posted, then rapidly removed (apparently, as soon as the sycophants around the president found out what their doddering overseer had been doing with his phone late at night). This is how Mr. Frum reviews it, “When the president is acting like some kind of internet troll, some kind of Klansman with access to an AI machine, he discredits everything that his administration is doing that looks like something that another administration might also do.” Secondly, Frum goes on to interview Stephen Richer, the former Republican County Recorder of Maricopa County, who has probably been closer to Ground Zero in this administration’s attempts to undermine the 2020 elections than any other authority. Frum points out that Richer’s bravery and fortitude during the attacks directed at him while county recorder are unmatched. Here’s how Richer recalls it… “It’s like Whac-a-Mole. And weirdly, the burden of proof always seems to be on those of us who won all the court cases, those of us who won all of the audits, and yet it’s on us to disprove every single wild-eyed allegation. I really hate that framework—I think it should instead be on the movant, so to speak, on the people who are alleging the thing, to have to bear the burden of proof.” Richter and Frum analyze the recent break-in at the Georgia elections office. They recount that some of the wilder conspiracy theories circulating are that the election was rigged by Maduro from Venezuela, and that—in exchange for his release—he will admit to using some “Magical Software” to fix the 2020 elections. Tulsi Gabbard’s presence was not requested by anyone (although T.R.U.M.P. said that Pam Bondi was behind it), but Gabbard felt she was not getting enough air time with “Dear Leader” and being on the scene would increase her presence within his inner sphere. The bottom line is this: Europe is passing laws that punish a politician if they lie to people; the U.S. is backwards. If there is anything this administration excels at, it is conspiracy theories, and—even if they are outlandish—Richer’s point is that the burden of proof is on disproving them, not proving them. This administration has weaponized falsehood, and the onus is on us to verify the validity of what they say. One thing is certain: if it comes out of the lips of this administration, ask these questions: 1) Is it verifiable? and 2) What do they benefit by lying? Tomorrow, we will cover more of this conversation and look at Frum’s third area, the 250th anniversary of the publishing of the literary series, “The [History of the] Decline and Fall of Rome.”
11.02.2026
The US slips to its lowest-ever rank in a global corruption index
Pam Bondi meets with the House Judiciary Committee today, and according to this poll by Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), that hearing couldn’t be more timely. The U.S., according to Hanna Ziady of CNN Business, is slipping in transparency and increasing in the perception of corruption by its own citizens. Now, the United States has reached a point where we awaken daily to a new atrocity committed by this administration against its own people. Most of those atrocities are fueled by a justice department, led by Pam Bondi, that does whatever this administration tells it to do. Let’s hope that today’s hearing makes that clear and that the Democratic leadership will do more than whine about the situation. Polls like this reveal how deeply the fabric of the democracy in the U.S. is fraying. Coupled with the 2025 Human Rights Watch report on the declining state of civil rights in the United States, these combined reports should leave lawmakers (and those who voted for this administration) ashamed. This is the direct result of those who voted for this administration—or stayed home instead of voting. This is the country they are responsible for; there is no possible way anyone can say, “We didn’t expect this…” T.R.U.M.P. made it clear he was going to be a dictator, and they elected him anyway. But this attack can be blunted, as the people of Minneapolis revealed, by organized, consistent acts of nonviolence. We are strongest when we take to the streets together. When our voices are united. When we act like we believe that courage is stronger than corruption.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The gaslighting we are all experiencing from this administration forces us to be more alert and vigilant. They commit unthinkable atrocities, pretend to apologize, and then attempt to normalize their abhorrent behavior.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 45 (295 total reports)
04.02.2025-10.02.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
The gaslighting we are all experiencing from this administration forces us to be more alert and vigilant. They commit unthinkable atrocities, pretend to apologize, and then attempt to normalize their abhorrent behavior.
Visual Stories!
Do not believe a word from this administration; it is built upon lies, determined to deceive and distract. What we are now learning about the Epstein files is that they spread wider and are even more despicable than ever assumed. This song reminds us, “We Must Remain Vigilant!” https://youtu.be/EoyftGC2kxM?si=xvBJNxCLqFATa9xB
Top Links of the Week
10.02.2026
Carl Sagan’s 9 timeless lessons for detecting baloney
I admit to being a Carl Sagan geek. I loved both his books and his television series, but that’s not why I’m suggesting you read this column. Sagan’s timeless advice on detecting baloney is perhaps more important than when it was first written, and it clearly stands the test of time. This is a fairly short article and well worth the read. It is also well worth passing on to those you know who all-too-easily consume the baloney in today’s social media environment.
09.02.2026
Hard hats and dummy plates: Reports of ICE ruses add to fears in Minnesota
No shame, no shame, no shame. That is the defining quality of this administration. A people—just like their leading representative, without morals, without conscience, without scruples. No shame, no shame, no shame. This article by Jake Offenhartz of the Associated Press examines how ICE has been using cars without plates, disguising themselves (in Kristi Noem’s Barbie-like fashion) and showing up at Mexican restaurants, Home Depot parking lots, and churches in the attempt to round up the quote of arrests set by Stephen Miller and this White House. They have used children to bait teachers and parents, they have broken into private property, houses, and cars, warrantless. This is a gestapo, this is a military force led by those without shame. No shame, no shame, no shame. But let their names be remembered. Let’s not forget those who recruited these people, who sent them out in masks to terrorize neighborhoods, to arrest children, to murder citizens. No shame, no shame, no shame.
06.02.2026
How Autocrats Meddle With Elections
This illuminating article by Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic is part of a series from The Atlantic called “Autocracy in America.” In this final episode, Ms. Applebaum interviews voting expert par-non, Stacey Abrams, of Georgia. The author begins by giving us insight into the history of gerrymandering and what is different about the current administration’s attempts to undermine the voting system. Abrams states, “We have never had a president of the United States explicitly state that the line should be redrawn, not based on population, but based on voter outcome. And when you do that, when you decide that the districts are not designed to allow voters to elect their leaders, it is designed to allow leaders to elect their voters—that is a shift of power, and it is exactly what redistricting is designed to preclude.” Abrams also analyzes the Republicans’ anti-democratic proposed new law, the Orwellian-named “Save Act.” “The SAVE Act has a disproportionate effect on very targeted communities: the 69 million women who may have changed their names after marriage, and transgender people who may have had name changes. They’re going to say that you don’t have proof of your right to vote because your name does not match your birth certificate and your Social Security card. That means that millions of people would be disenfranchised and would have to go through multiple hurdles to get back on the rolls. You knock out a group who also are more likely to vote Democratic than Republican.” There is much more to this article—and the series is unmatched in analyzing this topic; it is well worth your time to review.
05.02.0226
Trump vs. Canada
David Frum of The Atlantic interviews Jason Kenney, former Premier of Alberta, former Canadian minister of immigration, and former Canadian minister of defense, to look at the damage this administration has done to the U.S. relationship with their northern neighbor. But initially, Frum poses the question many of us are asking in light of the unparalleled corruption of this administration: “What can we do?” Here’s now Frum poses the query: “The New York Times has estimated that the Trump family has made over $1 billion in this first year-plus of the Trump administration. The New Yorker has an update in which they estimate the Trump family’s stake at $4 billion. Whatever the actual number is, again, it is an astonishing sum never before seen in the history not just of the United States, but of any pure democracy, and such things are unimaginable, or have never happened before. And we’re left feeling, What can we do?” All of this lends itself to explain why T.R.U.M.P. and his fanatical supporters are working so hard to block the mid-term elections. Here’s how Frum puts it: “…one of the reasons why Donald Trump is so panicky to ensure that, by any means necessary, he retains control of Congress, both houses, in 2026 and why he so covets a third term: because only by overthrowing the electoral system of the United States can he feel that he has security from some of the legal risks to which he might be exposed if the implications of these latest reports turn out to be valid and true.” Vigilance, I cannot stress that word enough. We’ve seen how far these people will go to protect their power and wealth. We’ve also seen how morally bankrupt they are and the apparent lack of concern shown by those surrounding T.R.U.M.P. So far, there is no law they will not break—including murder in broad daylight—and that there are no apparent consequences for these actions.
04.02.2026
U.S. Has Seen ‘Decided Shift Toward Authoritarianism’, Rights Group Claims
Rebecca Schneid of Time reveals a new report from the Human Rights Watch (HRW), that states, “the United States has taken a ‘decided shift toward authoritarianism’ in the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term.” This is how the report defines that shift: "The administration’s racial and ethnic scapegoating, domestic deployment of National Guard forces in pretextual power grabs, repeated acts of retaliation against perceived political enemies and former officials now critical of him, as well as attempts to expand the coercive powers of the executive and neuter democratic checks and balances, underpin a decided shift toward authoritarianism in the U.S." The report goes on to say, “Under relentless pressure from US President Donald Trump, and persistently undermined by China and Russia, the rules-based international order is being crushed, threatening to take with it the architecture human rights defenders have come to rely on to advance norms and protect freedoms.” The article defines five areas where this administration has undermined human rights: 1) Immigration, 2) Structural Racism, 3) Foreign Policy, 4) Democracy and the right to vote: Silence Critics, and 5) Gender, Sexuality, Reproductive rights. The U.S., which, at times, has been a symbol of freedom, is not becoming a leading example (and cause) of global authoritarianism, spreading disinformation and undermining human rights across the world. A question to the MAGA faithful: “Is this what you wanted?”
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This administration cannot allow elections to go forward, and T.R.U.M.P. is calling for future elections to be “nationalized.” We must stand as dissidents like the brave people of Minneapolis.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 44 (294 total reports)
28.01.2025-03.02.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This administration cannot allow elections to go forward, and T.R.U.M.P. is calling for future elections to be “nationalized.” We must stand as dissidents like the brave people of Minneapolis.
Visual Stories!
Prime Minister Mark Carney told the leaders of the WEF that our world faces “a rupture, not a transition.” This song examines his statement that we need to be “clear-eyed.” https://youtu.be/_VtZPSq_YH4?si=NxONl4sZZenULvYS
Top Links of the Week
03.02.2026
Trump calls on Republicans to ‘nationalize’ future elections
What happens when a doddering, demented fool has unlimited power and unquenchable anger while also having access to unequalled power and has surrounded himself with people who only fortify his worst cravings? He goes back and tries to rectify the lies of his life. This is what our entire justice department (including the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the director of the DNI) is doing in Fulton County, Georgia. And though they will never be able to prove that T.R.U.M.P. won the election, they can sow doubt among enough of his cultish followers to undermine the next election. T.R.U.M.P. is calling to “nationalize” future (not just the next, but all future elections) because he knows he is losing. Certainly, the GOP and his cabinet will not try to rein him in, nor will the Supreme Court. If he has his way, the press will not be able to as well. As Prime Minister, Mark Carney stated, there is a “rupture, not a transition” in the system. We must remain vigilant and become dissidents if we do not want Fascism to take root in the United States.
02.02.2026
American Dissidence
Gal Beckerman of The Atlantic needs to be thanked for this article. In it, he unpacks that word “dissident,” and some of it’s vital history. He reminds of dissidents from our past and other cultures facing similar oppression. Argentinian Mothers whose children were abducted by the government, The Underground Railroad, the words of Frederick Douglass, yhe man in Tiananmen Square with two shopping bags and confronting four tanks. He reminds us (as Prime Minister, Mark Carney did at the WEF) about Václav Havel, that being a dissident is about “ordinary people with ordinary cares.” Beckerman points to “the reaction of regular people in Minneapolis,” and that it “is not, fundamentally, about an ideological or policy disagreement with the administration. The movement that has arisen on the city’s frigid streets is about defending what any reasonable American would call ‘normal’—the expectation of a life without the threat of violence and coercion.” Take the time to read this article and learn the difference between “resistance,” and “dissidence.” Increasingly, “ordinary people with ordinary cares,” will be called to the street in protest of this administration’s fascist tendencies.
30.01.2026
January 29, 2026
Heather Cox-Richardson is one of the leading voices today reminding us to be vigilant. In this Substack, Cox-Richardson runs down a list of reasons we need to remain on high alert. I’d like to point out to people that, in his speech to the WEF in Davos, Prime Minister Mark Carney called us to vigilance as well, without ever mentioning T.R.U.M.P.’s name once. That is important, along with Rachel Maddow and others, I want to remind my small band of committed readers that our problems will continue long after this current president is gone. It is the cult that supports him, the think tank of Project 2025, and radical, conservative White Nationalists like Stephen Miller, that are a continued danger to the world. Remain vigilant; the worst thing we could do is ease up out of defiance in the face of the administration’s so-called “about-face” in Minneapolis. The modus operandi of this administration is to make horrendous oversteps and then feign sorrow while throwing some low-level bureaucrat (like Greg Bovino) under the bus. These steps are merely acts to distract us and lead us to think that future moves by this administration are “not that bad, compared to what we’ve experienced.” We must fight the urge to normalize this behavior! We must fight the urge (even desire) to accept mitigated responses, as Cox-Richardson has stated, “The correct response to Dachau was not better training for the guards.”
29.01.2028
Allying with the United States Is a Big Mistake
In this commentary by Dr. Michael Rubin, in the politics and economics journal, 1945, the former Reagan administration Pentagon official warns foreign governments that “Washington’s repeated abandonment of partners is no longer an exception but a defining feature of U.S. policy.” This is a warning pertinent, not just because of this administration (who has turned U.S. partnerships on its head), but because of a contemporary conservative bent to isolate from global relationships. Rubin says, “The conclusion is stark: allies should assume U.S. commitments can evaporate when political incentives shift.” International relationships are built upon the foundation of trust, and trust is hard to find in a political and economic climate where Americans have nominated someone like Donald T.R.U.M.P. not once but twice!
28.01.2026
Rachel Maddow Welcomes GOP Backlash To Fatal ICE Raids: 'This Is Called Political Change'
On December 28, Rachel Maddow received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Political Journalism and asked fellow journalists to focus less on Donald T.R.U.M.P. and more on the people. According to HuffPost’s Marco Margaritoff, Maddow’s coverage of the horrific events in Minneapolis this last week and the apparent about-face of this administration reflects that type of journalism. She said, “That is what has forced the Trump administration to change course. That is what has forced Trump to back down. Principled, peaceful, relentless protest is the democratic means of saving a democracy, and that is the only way to win for the long term.” This is a reminder by Maddow that we must remain active and vigilant. Only by doing what Prime Minister Mark Carney says is to “take the sign out of the window and put our feet down on the street,” can we defeat this administration and its spineless GOP supporters.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
A week including a second murder by T.R.U.M.P.’s masked police, but also accented by two lights on the horizon: the Speech at Davos by Mark Carney and the testimony of Jack Davis.
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 43 (293 total reports)
21.01.2025-27.01.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
A week including a second murder by T.R.U.M.P.’s masked police, but also accented by two lights on the horizon: the Speech at Davos by Mark Carney and the testimony of Jack Davis.
Visual Stories!
This administration—and the Republican cult followers who support it—thrives on cruelty and controversy. We mourn with the people of Minneapolis while admiring their nonviolent stance in the face of abhorrent intimidation by this administration. Seven Democrats sided with the T.R.U.M.P. administration this week in support of ICE (and their names are listed below). In the meantime, we stand with the people of Minnesota in fervent resistance to facsism. This song states: “It’s time to Take Our Country Back.” https://youtu.be/UxNvMBxsb84?si=SoeKzayGlJsmJY7b
Top Links of the Week
27.01.2026
Jack Smith lays it out: Trump has shattered the rule of law
In this article by Heather Digby Parton of Salon, the journalist lays out similarities between Jack Smith in his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee and Premier Mark Carney in his historic speech to the World Economic Forum. Both leaders lay out practical, straightforward insights into the aberrant behavior of Donald J. T.R.U.M.P. Carney presents his evidence to a world in need of economic and political responses to a regime seeking domination; Smith presents his evidence of a greedy evil man, willing to use violence and those who support him to retain power—even when he knows he is lying to them and breaking the very laws he pledged an oath to support. Both men (Carney and Smith) present go-forward opportunities for dealing with the chaos this man—and his regime—have inflicted upon the nation and the world. As resistors, we need to have this type of solid evidence and specific strategies to support our endeavors. Though the Republicans tried to goad Smith into angry, petulant responses, similar to those this administration has become famous for employing, they were unsuccessful. Like Carney, Smith remained professional and stuck to the most important facts of his investigation. Neither sunk to the levels of those who opposed them.
26.01.2026
Pete Hegseth Should Stay Out of Minneapolis
Between March and April, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led people on a 240-mile, 24-day march from Sabarmati to Dandi to protest the British monopoly on salt. It was an act of civil disobedience grounded in the principles of Satagraha—“truth-force” or nonviolent resistance designed to confront injustice without causing harm. These principles were later adopted and taught by Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the nonviolent civil rights movement from 1965 until his death in 1968. During those times, the leaders reminded followers to use non-violence to respond to overwhelming power and violence by the unjust regimes they were confronting. A central tenet of the principle of Satagraha is that the more violent the oppressors become, the more world opinion will turn against them. We are seeing a similar occurrence today in the cities that the T.R.U.M.P. administration has been targeting. This insightful article by Tom Nichols of The Atlantic reveals how deeply this administration wants to unleash havoc on Blue American cities like Minneapolis. Lies continue to roll off the tongues of this administration like bats evacuating a cave at sunset. What becomes evident is the grotesque violence this administration is willing to condone and, indeed, encourage. The strength of the leadership of Minneapolis and the people of that city is inspirational. In the face of horrific oppression, they are showing us how to fight when one is under-resourced. And who resources these evil goons dressed in balaclavas? Our own Federal Government, including seven Democrats who recently voted to continue funding ICE, are Tom Suozzi (New York), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (North Carolina), Laura Gillen (New York), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), and Marie Glusenkamp Perez (Washington). Were it not for them, the continued funding of ICE in the Republicans’ recent DHS bill would have been dead in the water. This Republican government, with the support of these Democrats, is voting for continued chaos and even murder in our cities. Let’s continue to resist and remember their names when midterms come.
23.01.2026
Trump 0, Europe 1
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trump-0-europe-1?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack
In this Substack commentary, Paul Krugman deftly analyzes T.R.U.M.P.’s recent faceplant at the World Economic Forum. Some of the wisdom that I pulled from Krugman’s commentary are: “Trump then confirmed the old adage that bullies are also cowards.” “There is no reason to believe that Trump has learned a lesson. Learning is not something he does.” And, “But Europe has learned a lesson. Appeasing a bully doesn’t work, especially when, as anyone watching Trump’s Davos rant could see, that bully is experiencing rapid cognitive decline. But standing up to him does work.” Indeed, the emperor has no clothes, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. The doddering old fool has got to go. He has access to great power and will continue to wield it in cruel and childish ways. This is a time for resistance to strengthen itself or, as Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney tells us, to “take the sign out of the window.”
22.01.2026
An Open Letter to European Leaders
This opinion paper by Brian O’Neill is wise in depth and broad in perspective. It warns world leaders about trying to appease Donald T.R.U.M.P. Like a schoolyard bully, appeasement doesn’t work with him; a bully will only push for more. I think it is difficult for many of us to think like this sadistic man, simply because most of us are raised to have some semblance of compassion in our hearts and empathy in our interactions; this President does not. He is devoid of value and vacant of empathy. In fact, he enjoys the suffering of others. If we can tell anything from his sordid past, it is that the weaker his victim, the greater the pleasure he receives from causing them pain. Read this article to get a historical perspective of the administration’s manoeuvres and techniques and why accommodation will not work, and, as a reminder, if you didn’t read the content of Premier Mark Carney’s post yesterday, please read it today. Like Mr. O’Neill, Carney reminds us that the old ways have passed, they have ruptured, and it is time for new strategies among resistors.
21.01.2026
'The old order is not coming back,' Carney says in provocative speech at Davos
https://apple.news/AC5x7njQmTV6xQ8FzXy_5yQ
This article by John Paul Tasker makes me realize what it is like to be a citizen of a “Sandwich Country.” A country whose leader is like a slab of meat between two extremely articulate and well-educated world leaders. Both Mark Carney and Claudia Sheinbaum-Pardo are well-educated, well-spoken global leaders who—just by their very existence—make Donald T.R.U.M.P. look like a piece of meatloaf. In this article, Tasker shares a speech that Canadian Prime Minister gave at Davos’ Annual World Economic Forum. Carney points out that the world has changed since the U.S. elected Donald T.R.U.M.P.—for a second time—and it’s not going to return to the pre-Project 2025, Republican-backed era. It is to our shame that this man was chosen by so many who voted (and so many who stayed home). But it has made it clear to the rest of the world that the U.S. cannot be trusted. This is a forever consequence of those who wanted a white, Christian, nationalistic, authoritarian leader to rule over them, and the rest of the world is building coalitions to protect themselves against the future stupidity of an ignorant, social-media-addicted culture. I thought this speech was the best speech I have heard to world leaders since Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
Youth Advocacy
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This week, the T.R.U.M.P. Administration defended the murder of a U.S. citizen, the invasion of a foreign country, and the threatening of a NATO ally. How far will they go to hide the Epstein files?
Youth Advocacy
Year 4, Week 42 (292 total reports)
07.01.2025-12.01.2026
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel
This week, the T.R.U.M.P. Administration defended the murder of a U.S. citizen, the invasion of a foreign country, and the threatening of a NATO ally. How far will they go to hide the Epstein files?
Visual Stories!
How far will we let one madman go to hide his involvement in the Epstein Files? Will we let him invade countries? Will we let him shoot our neighbors? This song states; “It’s time to Take Our Country Back.” https://youtu.be/UxNvMBxsb84?si=SoeKzayGlJsmJY7b
Top Links of the Week
12.01.2026
Trump Has No Plan for Venezuela
In this podcast, David Frum of The Atlantic interviews David Rothkopf; broadcaster, businessman, journalist, author, and—as Frum says—the preeminent historian of the National Security Council and the foreign-policy process in the United States, author of the 2005 book Running the World, a history of the creation and development of the National Security Council. This podcast points to how deeply unprepared this administration was in their follow-up plan to the storming of Venezuela. Not only was it unprepared to lead the nation of Venezuela, but its plan was flawed from the onset. If you read one article about this invasion and the direction of this White House for future invasion plans, make it this one. Well-researched and perhaps two of the foremost global experts on this topic. One of my favourite quotes by Rothkopf was, “We are having, essentially, on a remarkably fast, wide-ranging basis, a lobotomy being performed in the United States government at precisely the wrong moment because we have a president who is purely an impulse engine with no sense of history and who needs to be constrained by that kind of process, which he is eliminating.”
09.01.2026
The Wrath of Stephen Miller
This article by the team of Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer, and Nick Miroff at The Atlantic reminds us of the dangerous fascist behind the worst policies of this administration. Even more important now, as his warped mind has created the dangerous situation at ICE that is resulting in the shooting of people within the boundaries of the United States. There’s no doubt that Miller is the most powerful advisor in this administration; this article shows just how powerful he has become and how far-reaching his White Christian Nationalist ideals have spread throughout this White House. Miller is the “Martin Borman” of T.R.U.M.P. (Borman was Hitler’s private secretary and closest advisor). Though Borman committed suicide as it became apparent that Hitler’s regime was collapsing, he was condemned posthumously for his role in the Nazi regime. Let’s hope history remembers Miller in the same manner.
08.01.22026
Photos released of Renee Nicole Good, the US citizen killed by ICE in Minnesota
Remember the name, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, but also remember the names, Stephen Miller, Greg Bovino, Kristi Noem, Tom Holman, J.D. Vance, and, of course, Donald T.R.U.M.P. Renee was murdered yesterday in Minneapolis, but this would not have happened had it not been for the policies of Project 2025, the compliance of the Republican party, the brinksmanship of Donald T.R.U.M.P and the files of Epstein. Yes, all of this is tied together, resulting in the death of a peaceful woman who was shot by an inept ICE agent, hired without proper training by a federal agency run amok under the White Nationalist fanaticism of racist fascists who could only come to power under the likes of Donald T.R.U.M.P. Right now, Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey are seeking to reveal the truth and keep the peace amidst a plethora of lies and conjectures from regime leaders in the White House administration. What can we do? Support fact-finding, continue resisting, share the name and character of Ms. Macklin Good, a mother of a six-year-old, who, according to this article, described herself on social media as a “poet and writer and wife and mom.”
07.01.2026
Trump team puts a target on Cuba, with threats and oil blockade
Trump and Rubio have made clear the collapse of Cuba’s communist government is not only a likely side benefit of Maduro’s ouster but a goal.
https://apple.news/AwpPvAt1VQryeJWWMjUPL4g
This article, written by two journalists at the Washington Post, Karen DeYoung and David Ovalle, does a deep dive into the dark and vicious plans of those in this administration that have Cuba in their sights for the next invasion. There’s no doubt T.R.U.M.Ps lackeys have to move quickly—and will. They want to cement their gains from their illegal foray into Venezuela, and Cuba is the next-door neighbor. This is Marco Rubio’s dream, and the article dives into why. It’s worth the read to try to understand the lunacy behind this White House’s colonialist criminal behavior.
