Tag: Donald Trump

Voting challenges

Vote for Democracy #57


(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

The United States is facing even more serious challenges to our election system.

The US Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Callais has set off a spate of redistricting in southern states which, while they are being labeled as partisan, are effectively race-based, even though primary elections are very close, or, as in Louisiana, already underway. All of these states are looking to cut down the number of Democrats and Black elected officials.

This morning, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the April vote that would have redistricted that state and potentially added more Democrats to the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections in November.

It’s very discouraging because Trump and the Republicans are actively trying to stay in power through manipulating the electoral system, even though their policies are increasingly harmful and unpopular.

It’s time for citizens to take back their electoral power. Given that new district lines will make it more difficult for Democrats and people of color to elect their preferred candidates, voter turnout will be crucial. It may, though, not be sufficient to overcome these new obstacles. Voters who are registered as Republicans need to vote against all Republican nominees who favor these unfair and unconstitutional policies and help elect officials who believe in the principle of one person, one vote and who will uphold our civil liberties and rights.

I admit that this is a discouraging time in our efforts to uphold democracy but we must keep working on it. As Joyce Vance titled her recent book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable.

May Day!

Vote for Democrary #56

While May 1st is observed around the world as International Workers’ Day, it’s usually not a big thing in the United States, which observes Labor Day the first Monday in September.

This year is different.

Indivisible and other organizations are spearheading May Day Strong, calling for no work, no school, and no shopping today. There will be rallies in some places for those who are able with others, like me, participating from home. I’m wearing my “Presidents are not Kings” shirt and refraining from shopping today. (No work and no school are every day things for me.)

One of the messages today is “Workers over Billionaires.” The hope is that a show of economic power will draw attention to the unfair tax structure in the United States and the undue influence that wealthy individuals and corporations have over our government. This is also tied to current abuses of power by the government, trying to strip rights and protections under the law and interfere with elections.

As it happens, May 1st is also observed as Law Day in the United States. The Amercian Bar Association explains this year’s theme:

The 2026 Law Day theme is “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” The rule of law—the idea that no person is above the law—is what ensures the rights of the people to live their lives as freely as possible and to pursue their dreams. The ABA encourages all Americans to recognize Law Day on May 1, 2026, and to reflect on how the rule of law ensures all Americans have the ability to fulfill their dreams.

This dovetails well with the May Day actions and No Kings, Hands Off, and other rallies that have been happening during Trump’s second term. Law Day seems even more urgent this year with the lawlessness of immigration enforcement and detention/deportation without due process, election interference, the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, and the decisions of the Supreme Court that fly in the face of precedence and the Constitution.

I don’t know what the impact of this May Day and Law Day will bring but I am looking at it as another step in the movement to restore the rights and freedoms of the American people, taking back the power from the corrupting influence of autocrats and oligarchs.

There is a third thing about May 1st that is important to me. It’s the first day of EDS & HSD Awareness Month. (EDS is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; HSD is the related diagnosis of Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder.) I was diagnosed with hypermobile EDS (hEDS) in January, although as a genetic connective tissue disorder, it has always been there. I hope to do several posts this month to continue to raise awareness and to update my readers about my current treatment trajectory.

Of course, there will be more posts in my Vote for Democracy series, too. The caveat is that there will never be as many posts as I would like, unless/until I can clear the brain fog and get more energy back. There will be other topics popping up, as well. You can never tell what might be at the top of JC’s Mind!

Or maybe you can….

One-Liner Wednesday: Congress, convene!

While I’m grateful that a partial ceasefire was declared in the Middle East yesterday, I call on the United States Congress to immediately return to Washington to remove Trump from office because he publicly threatend destruction of a civilization, also known as genocide, in violation of international and United States law.

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! While this particular post of mine is very serious, many of the posts in this series are more fun or have lovely photos. Learn more about the series here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/04/08/one-liner-wednesday-im-not-opening-up/

No to war and war crimes!

Vote for Democracy #55

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

I wanted to add my voice to the millions in the United States and around the world that I am opposed to Trump and Israel’s war against Iran.

In particular, I want to say that it is absolutely unacceptable to bomb infrastructure that civilians use, such as power plants, roads, bridges, and desalination plants. To do so is a war crime, as recogonized by both US and international law. Military leaders given such orders have a duty to refuse them because they are illegal.

I have long feared that Trump is mentally ill and it seems his condition is deteriorating. He should be removed from office by the 25th amendment which provides for the removal from office of a president who is unfit to serve.

I fear, though, that no one will intervene and Trump will perpetrate war crimes against the Iranian public. As a US citizen, this action is undertaken in my name but I am disavowing it here, not that I expect it to have any impact.

I appreciate Pope Leo speaking so forcefully and so often on behalf of peace. If only Trump would listen to him and the millions of others trying to avert any more war, death, and destruction.

SoCS: No Kings!

Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “portrait.”

The photo above is a new portrait of me today, dressed in honor of the third No Kings! Day held in the United States in Donald Trump’s second term.

There are over 3,300 marches, rallies, demonstrations, or other events planned across the country with a few being held in other countries in solidarity.

Due to my health issues, I won’t be able to be at any of them in person, so I am declaring my solidarity here on my blog.

I’m hoping to watch some of the coverage on television. This is the largest yet of the No Kings protests against the rising autocracy we are experiencing here in the US with Trump and his administration. The situation becomes more dire by the day, especially with the Iran war.

Of course, there are also the ongoing problems across many issues both domestically and internationally. The flagship protest for No Kings today is in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, where an alleged immigration crackdown early this year led to terror, including the deaths of two US citizen observers who were trying to assist their immigrant neighbors and other citizen observers.

There are also many organizations that are standing up for our Constitution, laws, ethics, values, and humanity and rights. Special shout-out to CREW, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. They do a lot of legal work in trying to call attention to and file suits about the abuses of power in the nation’s capital. I ordered this shirt from them – in yellow, which is one of the colors associated with No Kings.

I also appreciate how the No Kings events are held. They are peaceful and designed for there to be safety and fun for participants. Some people even wear fun costumes, like inflatable animals.

Even while people are having fun, though, the cause is very serious.

Presidents are not Kings!

One-Liner Wednesday: fact-check

On “Morning Joe” today, commenting on Trump’s State of the Union address yesterday, Ed Luce, US National Editor for the Financial Times, said, “There were so many lies that at one point I thought should we fact-check whether, you know, the men’s hockey team really did win a gold because it was just sort of a flood the zone with it.”

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/02/25/one-liner-wednesday-plans/

JC’s Confessions #34

the sin of being American

In the first few seasons of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert did a recurring skit, then a best-selling book, called Midnight Confessions, in which he “confesses” to his audience with the disclaimer that he isn’t sure these things are really sins but that he does “feel bad about them.” While Stephen and his writers are famously funny, I am not, so my JC’s Confessions will be somewhat more serious reflections, but they will be things that I feel bad about. Stephen’s audience always forgives him at the end of the segment; I’m not expecting that – and these aren’t really sins – but comments are always welcome.

I’m guilty of being an American.

In the opening blurb for JC’s Confessions, I say that things I write about here “aren’t really sins” but this post will be an exception.

In Catholic theology, there is such a thing as social sin.

From the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church  

#118 Certain sins, moreover, constitute by their very object a direct assault on one’s neighbor. Such sins in particular are known as social sins. Social sin is every sin committed against the justice due in relations between individuals, between the individual and the community, and also between the community and the individual.  
~~~from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website

Although this is a society-wide, structural sin, it mires all of us in the evil being done in our name and with our tax dollars. One needn’t look far to see the injustices being perpetrated on individuals, families, groups of people, and entire countries by the Trump administration, despite millions of us protesting against it and numerous findings of illegality by the courts.

Despite my own objections and (tiny) actions, I still bear responsibility for this sin. The truth is that I have benefitted from this system, in ways that others cannot. For example, my Italian grandparents and Irish great-grandparents were not considered “white” when they arrived in the United States, but their descendants with our pale skin and American accents found it much easier to fit into our society and find opportunities for education and employment. While it seemed that the United States had made progress in recognizing and redressing discrimination and prejudice against people of color and immigrants, those gains are being obliterated by the current administration on a massive scale.

One of the many insidious things about the current state of affairs in the United States is that too many people are not recognizing the responsibilities we have to each other as communities, as a society, and as a nation. While I happen to have a faith tradition that supports this viewpoint, in our democracy, our responsibilities to one another are the foundataion for everything. Our Constitution begins with “We the People.” It’s about all of us, not just the powerful or wealthy or Christian.

The Trump administration in its policies has made clear that they don’t consider themselves to be serving all the people, instead catering to the rich in economic and regulatory matters and punishing in any way possible millions of people who are immigrants, of color, LGBTQIA+, non-Christians, Democrats, women, liberal, progressive, residents of Democrat-led cities or states, experts in their field, or anyone who doesn’t support their agenda in some way.

Somehow, while I can see and acknowledge this sin and my part in these systemic injustices, those currently abusing their power in government, business, and communities refuse to accept responsibility for their actions, instead blaming those whom they victimize while excusing their own unethical behavior. A recent, outrageous example of this is the ICE/CPB aggression against protestors who are peacefully exercising their First Admendment rights, while Trump pardoned nearly all those who had participated in the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The Catholic Church does offer ways to seek absolution for our sins but these focus more on personal sin, not social sin. One aspect of seeking forgiveness for sins is that you are supposed to avoid committing that sin in the future, an impossibility with social or structural sin.

I realize that many of you, if you have managed to read along this far, may disagree with the entire premise of this post, reasoning that I’m not responsible for the actions of my government and society that I oppose. You may even be inclined to offer forgiveness. I do appreciate that sentiment and thank you for your support. Even more, I thank you for whatever way you help your neighbors and uphold human dignity.

We are all in this together.
*****
This post is part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. There is still time to join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/30/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-30th-2026/. The prompt for today is “cinnamon.” It’s one of my favorite spices and you may be wishing I’d written about that instead…

positive movement?

Vote for Democracy #54

Like millions of others in the US and around the world, I’ve been horrified by the actions of federal agents from ICE and CBP in Minnesota, Maine, and many other locations.

It looks like the massive outcry and protests after the murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and the obvious lies from administration officials about it may finally have moved the Trump administration to rein in some of the terror they are inflicting.

Greg Bovino, who has been termed “commander-at-large” of Customs and Border Protection, has been on the ground directing operations in Minneapolis; he will now be leaving the state. Trump is sending Tom Homan, his border czar, to Minnesota to head up ICE/CBP operations there. It’s not that I trust Homan, who, among other things, was instrumental in the unconscionable family separation policy in Trump’s first term, but, at least, he was saying that investigations into the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti needed to happen before conclusions were drawn, as opposed to Bovino, DHS Secretary Noem, Vice-president Vance, and other administration officials who immediately labelled the victims as “domestic terrorists” who deserved to die.

Trump has also reportedly had productive conversations with MN governor Walz and Minneapolis mayor Frey, which is a good sign, although surprising after Trump vilified them repeatedly over the last several weeks.

It seems that Trump and his administration may finally be realizing that the majority of the country opposes the unlawful arrests and violence that ICE and CBP have undertaken. The vast majority of court cases have been decided in favor of plaintiffs, not the government, although, shamefully, the government lawyers have lied to judges and defied their orders on many occasions. While many Democratic officeholders have opposed Trump’s actions, finally some Republicans are speaking out, as well. Chris Madel has dropped out of the Republican primary to be governor of Minnesota because of the ICE/CBP assault on his state by the Republican administration.

I believe, though, that the greatest credit for this pullback goes to the people of Minnesota, who refused to be cowed even by violence against them. They organized to watch out for their neighbors and bring them food and supplies when it was too dangerous to go out because ICE/CBP were taking people off the street if they were people of color or speaking a different language, even if they were citizens or had legal status. They protected schools and students. They blew whistles to warn if agents were in the area and filmed agents’ activities to document what they were doing. They held a general strike to protest what was happening. They held many rallies, marches, and vigils, even though Minnesota winters are very, very cold. Their persistence, strength, and goodness are a great service to the nation and a great example to other locations under threat.

No one knows if this will be a turning point and Trump administration will stop their lawless campaign against immigrants or not, but it seems that Trump at least realizes that his actions are condemned by the majority of the country.

There has been a lot of discussion, however, that large-scale deportation is only part of the plan – that the real endgame is to militarize our cities and interfere with or suspend the November elections.

This possibility was made explicit when Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Gov. Walz, demanding concessions, which included handing over complete voter data to the federal government. In the United States, state and local governments are responsible for running elections, not the federal government. It is feared that the Trump administration would use such voter data to try to suppress the votes of people who are unlikely to vote for Republicans. Trump has also threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops in Democratic-led cities and states, which is not allowed in general under the Posse Commitatus Act. Having the military patrolling would suppress votes as eligible voters, especially people of color, would be afraid to go to their polling places.

I hope that this will be a pivot point and that Congress and the courts will be able to stop the abuses of the Trump administration. Perhaps there will be impeachments or resignations of some of the administration leaders responsible for these abuses.

The ordinary folks of Minnesota have been resolute in defending our rights and the common good. May their resolve, action, and compassion inspire members of Congress to do the right thing and uphold their oaths of office.
*****
Join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/27/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-27th-2026/

a message to the US Congress

Vote for Democracy #53

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Dear Members of Congress,

You have powers under Article I of our Constitution that you need to assert immediately.

You should go into emergency session and pass legislation that rescinds Donald Trump’s ridiculous tariffs against our European allies who oppose his wildly illegal attempts to annex Greenland. While you’re at it, rescind the rest of the tariffs Trump has imposed that infringe on trade treaties, which is the vast majority of them. These are adding to inflation for consumers and have caused uncertainty – and even closure – of US businesses, especially small businesses.

You must also make clear that only Congress can declare war. Trump, though he is commander-in-chief, has no authority to attack another sovereign country, especially our allies. He cannot attack Greenland. Period. Congress as a body should also remind the military that they are bound to follow the Constitution and must not follow illegal orders.

Speaking of illegal orders, they must also make clear that the US military is not authorized for deployment domestically. The Posse Comitatus Act forbids using the military as law enforcement within the country. Yes, there is the possibility to call in troops in the event of insurrection, but there is nowhere in the US that people are threatening to overthrow the government. (Oh, and when there was an insurrection when Trump was president on January 6, 2021, he failed to uphold the Constitution and put down the insurrection; he actually encouraged it and now denies it happened.)

You must also make clear that Congress controls spending and the president and the executive branch only execute the laws that Congress passes. You must make clear that you will not authorize funds to buy Greenland or any other sovereign territory. While you’re at it, you should stop the stealing of Venezulean oil with proceeds going to offshore accounts.

It’s time for Congress to do its job as defined by Article I of our Constitution and centuries’ worth of laws that you have passed.

Sincerely,
Joanne Corey

*****
This post is part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/18/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-18th-2026/

deterioration

Vote for Democrary #52


(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

The Trump/Vance administration is becoming increasingly unhinged, vindicative, violent, threatening, lawless, and terrifying.

I’m increasingly afraid that Trump will do something from which future administrations will not be able to recover.

One of those things is Trump’s threats to own Greenland, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark. Denmark is a long-time ally of the United States and a member of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization which has prevented a third World War breaking out in Europe since 1949. Part of the treaty is that any member can ask the others to come to their aid if they are attacked. This is in Article 5 and has only been invoked once, when NATO allies, including Denmark, deployed their militaries to defend the United States after the Al-Qaeda attacks on September 11, 2001. In fact, Denmark suffered the greatest casualty count as a proportion of population of any of the NATO members in that conflict. Because of Trump’s threats against Greenland, troops from other NATO nations have arrived on the island to bolster its defenses and, I hope, deter Trump from taking military action there. The United States has long maintained a military presence in Greenland, currently the Pituffik Space Base. If Trump attacks Greenland and Denmark invokes Article 5, the other member states would come to their aid and be at war with the United States. This would break NATO and destabilize the global order. It’s a huge, looming danger and I hope Trump will follow our law and drop his ridiculous idea of taking control of Greenland, but I don’t know what will happen.

On the domestic side, Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act and send US military forces to Minnesota, even though there is no actual insurrection and the governor, other state and local government officials, and the residents there object to the current federal ICE agents deployed, who have already wreaked havoc in the state. The military does not belong on our streets and is prohibited from being there by the Posse Comitatus Act. Of course, the disgusting fact is that, during Trump’s first presidency, he enocuraged an actual insurrection on January 6, 2021 and then pardoned those who took part when he became president again last year. Trump is now “joking” about not holding elections in November but often his “jokes” turn into what he actually thinks and intends. It would take a huge military and law enforcement presence to prevent an election from occurring and there is a fear that Tump is trying to normalize using our military domestically so that he can prevent the election from happening or selectively suppress voting in places where Republican candidates would likely lose.

I could go on, but I think that will have to do for today.

Millions of us are using every nonviolent mechanism we can to oppose the actions and threats from Trump and his administration. Some members of Congress are finally standing up for democracy both here and abroad but we need more.

I lack the imagination to know what Trump might do next but I am increasingly terrified. Most Americans disapprove of what Trump and his administration are doing and are appalled at his actions against citizens, immigrants, and other countries. There has already been so much damage done and I know that there will be more before he can be stopped.

I just hope we can stop him and begin the hard work of repairing as much of the damage as possible.

*****
Join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/16/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-16th-2026/