10.03.2026 15:03
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Since 1945, the U.S. has gotten into wars seemingly without end because goals and end conditions were never properly set. Government leaders sometimes dropped the ball - "mission accomplished" is one example. And here we are today, with an administration that is seemingly as lost as the rest of us.
Quote from National Public Radio about Trump's call for "unconditional surrender" by Iran and conflicting messages by other government officials.
Mid-morning thoughts: when "official government channels" use language that isn't truthful, including gaslighting, lies by omission, false narratives, and more, asking people to "just trust us" becomes less credible and more questionable. It creates uncertainty about who to believe; this is bad.
Plus, two court filings that lay out how the FDA could restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone, the abrupt closure of a Utah adoption agency accused of helping create a βhuman marketplace,β and a secret state list of trans people in Kansas:
that author just has "mamdani bad" essays again and again and again. it's his whole beat.
www.theatlantic.com/author/powel...
I've said it before and I'll say it again: 2016 saw the Trump Organization execute a hostile take-over of the GOP, and 2024 saw the Trump Organization execute a hostile take-over of the federal government. But the U.S. isn't a business, we don't have a CEO, and we need better leadership than this.
Look where we are today. Nobody like Kelly anywhere near to Trump and the GOP majority in Congress is MIA. But this entire line of thinking is crazy. Decisions to go to war are not some sort of secret, C-Suite "business strategy for the win!" The President *must* consult others before doing it.
Gen. John Kelly as Trump's Chief of Staff, standing at a podium, looking down and looking disappointed.
Late night thoughts: Remember this guy? General John Kelly, one of the "adults in the room" during the 45 administration? It was surreal that we were relying on Kelly to keep the wheels on the baby stroller of Trump's first term, as if we had no other way to keep Trump from doing something awful.
This is, quite simply, not remotely true. One generation ago? In 2002? What about two and three generations ago? Nope. Not remotely true. It doesn't advance discussions of political economy to make absurd claims like this.
Late night thoughts, just before going to sleep: the world is overwhelming, and the Trump regime is depending on that. Best way to cope: get enough rest, decide where we can make a difference, get up in the morning and work on that, and let go of everything else. Do your part to make things better!
Early evening thoughts: we don't elect kings in the U.S. and the House and Senate are supposed to be an actual third branch of government. We have separation of church and state so that Left Behind isn't used as an operating manual. We must act now to prevent further harm to the U.S. and the world.
Russiaβs making it easier to kill US troops and this is the best these assholes can manage in outrage.
This isn't the "give and take" of "normal" American politics. It is a fundamental struggle for the soul of this country. If we really are "of the people, by the people, and for the people" we need to shake things up and never let this happen again, ever. Failure to understand this is a dire mistake.
The GOP has been building towards this moment since Reagan, and sees nothing wrong with what's going on - not enough to do anything to change course or fix anything. They have enabled Trump and they're responsible for what he does. It isn't enough to dump Trump; we need to hold them accountable too.
The destruction of the East Wing of the White House is a metaphor for the state of American politics. Trump thought he could just do it, so he did. Debating how it might get rebuilt is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. We've missed the deeper reality that Trump *is* the problem.
We can't go back to the status quo ante, because it isn't there anymore. Democratic "centrists" are in a fantasy world where Trump's way of acting is considered acceptable, rather than as an assault on American values. Jeffries and Schumer might have been adequate in a non-Trump moment, but not now.
Billionaires and political opportunists have recognized this, which is why they are Trump's biggest supporters. Trump sees no barriers and they reinforce his way of thinking, and they benefit as a result. We've not done enough to stop Trump or them. This is the culmination of 50 years of GOP rule.
Mid-morning thoughts: to understand why we are where we are right now: Trump has successfully avoided the consequences of his actions for his entire life. So he thinks he can do whatever he wants. Any time he's been unsuccessful it's always someone else, never his fault. Watch and see if I'm wrong.
Early morning thoughts: time to call your elected representatives in Congress to shut down Trump's unwinnable war with Iran, abolish ICE, and stop DOD from using AI without human supervision in kill chains. Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Keep calling until they take real action.
Absolutely BEGGING news organizations to not accept the framing of "we accept them, they just have to be their assigned sex at birth for all purposes" as a win for trans people.
Essential read: a statement from Cardinal Cupich. www.archchicago.org/statement/-/...
Late-night thoughts: commenters on social media supporting the actions of the Trump regime appear to be whyt people, and a majority of those appear to be straight, cisgender men. The rest of us need to work together to stop them, starting with directly confronting their wrong-headed thinking.
"Unless we imagine a systematic severing of children from parents, birthright citizenship in the historical context of free immigration implies a constitutional regime of open borders." www.liberalcurrents.com/abolition-am...
Early morning thoughts: I appreciate the critique of Christian Dominionism and why the U.S. military ought not be used as a part of Revelation and Armageddon, but I also think this might be a sign that we need separation of church and state. Maybe it's just me, but that sounds like a good idea.
I've gotten some pushback on this, since apparently it's unfair to Russians to point out the Kremlin's hypocrisy in using the term ΡΠΏΠ΅ΡΠΈΠ°Π»ΡΠ½Π°Ρ Π²ΠΎΠ΅Π½Π½Π°Ρ ΠΎΠΏΠ΅ΡΠ°ΡΠΈ. And if we're guilty of calling the Korean War a "police action" then we need to stop doing that, too.
