Tag: United States

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/

One-Liner Wednesday: Renee Nicole Good

murdered poet gifts
words crowds magnify Renee’s
voice radiates Good

Sharing again the haiku I posted Monday about Renee Nicole Good, whose death at the hands of an ICE agent in Minneapolis has horrified millions in the United States and around the world.

Please join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays and/or Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/14/one-liner-wednesday-jusjojan26-the-14th-decisions-decisions/

SoCS: Onward!

Don’t get me started writing about the horrors of the Trump administration, especially in stream of consciousness, because it would go on for pages and pages and be incredibly painful to read.

Nobody needs that, especially because it wouldn’t be helpful in making changes that are needed to protect lives.

I’m sending prayers and well wishes to all those protesting and speaking out against the autocracy and evil that has befallen the US and afflicted so many here and across the world. While very few of us have any real power in the government, I believe our numbers will eventually prevail to get us back on a path that honors our Constitution and laws and our highest ideals for equality, compassion, and care for all people and our common home, the earth.

Stay strong but remember that, when you need to rest, others are there to carry on until you can rejoin the effort. Although I wish we could get to a better state of affairs quickly, this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint.

Onward!
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday/Just Jot It January today is “don’t get me started.” If you would like to join in with either effort, you can find details here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/09/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2026-daily-prompt-for-jan-10th/

Epiphany

[Note: I wish I were writing a post addressing the murder of Renée Good and the horrible actions of the Trump administration both in the United States and throughout the world but I don’t have enough brainpower to do so between the brain fog and jet lag, so something lighter today. I drafted this and had intended to post it for January 6th – itself a fraught date for those of us in the US – but our travel complications derailed my intent to do so.]

On January 6th, Catholics in the UK celebrate Epiphany, observing the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. This ends the twelve days of Christmas, although the Christmas season continues liturgically through the celebration of Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan River by John.

Interestingly, in the United States, the observance of Epiphany is moved to Sunday rather than celebrated on January 6.

One of the most meaningful parts of our trip to London has been attending Mass with daughter E, son-in-law L, and granddaughters ABC and JG. I especially have enjoyed the Saturday vigil Masses because L has served as organist with E as songleader.

I’ve always loved listening to E sing. She was very musical from the time she was young and always sang in choirs at church and school. She majored in music in college and studied voice there. Because we live so far away from each other, I don’t get to hear her sing often, so it was a treat to hear her – and sing along – at Masses during our trip.

This post is part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/09/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-9th-2026/

an unexpected association

While visiting the London contingent of our family, we often rode by a JFK Special School. For people from the United States, JFK commonly refers to President John Fitzgerald Kennedy but we assumed that these schools must refer to a different JFK.

Our daughter and son-in-law, though, told us that the school program is named after President Kennedy. The schools are for students with special needs and recognize the Kennedy family’s involvement in the development of education for those with special needs. While there are some stand-alone schools for those with the most complex needs, many of the JFK programs are now within schools where students are mainstreamed.

President Kennedy signed some of the first legislation to assist people with mental illness and intellectual disabilities. Many members of the Kennedy family across several generations have been involved in helping those with these conditions, most notably JFK’s sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who worked through the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation for many years and founded the Special Olympics. Rosemary Kennedy, another sister in their large family, had been born with an intellectual disability and is thought to have inspired Eunice in her work.

It’s great to know that so much good has come from the work of the Kennedy family, not just in the US but across the world.

This post is part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/05/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-5th-2026/

extrajudicial

Vote for Democrary #51

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Not the post I expected to write this morning.

The Trump administration continued its assault on the Constitution and the rule of law yesterday by using our elite military forces to kidnap Venezulan leader Maduro and his spouse and bring them to the United States, ostensibly to be tried for drug trafficking charges. This follows months of bombing boats and killing crew members coming from Venezula and other Central/South American countries, also ostensibly tied to drug trafficking.

These actions appear to break both United States and international law.

What should happen is that warrants or charges should be issued and arrests made, not bringing in the military or killing people without trial.

In the case of Maduro and his family, charges should have been brought with an arrest taking place if he left his country. This is the usual protocol followed with national leaders, as we see with cases of war crimes. (One of the terrible things about Trump inviting Putin to Alaska last year is that Putin is under indictment for war crimes and should have been arrested upon entering the United States, but was not.)

I don’t know what the evidence is against Maduro and whether he will be convicted at trial. In the past, the United States Department of Justice did not indict on serious charges unless they felt sure they had enough evidence to convict but the Trump Department of Justice has hollowed out many of the veteran prosecutors and has had a number of high profile cases fall apart because they have not had proper evidence before filing charges.

It’s obvious, though, that Trump’s aggressive behavior against Venezula is not about drugs. If Trump was serious about jailing drug traffickers, he would not have pardoned former Honduran president Hernández, who was convicted on drug charges and serving a 45-year prison sentence in the US.

Instead, this seems to be about power and money. Trump plans to “run” Venezula for the immediate future and bring in his fossil fuel patrons to take Venezulan oil. You may recall that Trump asked for millions of dollars in campaign funding from the fossil fuel industry for his 2024 campaign and this move in Venezula would be the latest handout to benefit them.

The Trump administration is claiming this was a law enforcement action rather than a military incursion, trying to skirt the Constitution which states that only Congress can declare war. I don’t know what will happen with this because the Republican majority has been reluctant to insist on exercising their Constitutional duties.

I am worried that Trump has started a war with Venezuela that will further destabilize the country. Maduro was acting as president despite having lost the last election. The apparent winner, Edmundo González, was forced into exile because the military still backed Maduro. Maduro’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, should assume the presidency but will probably be considered illegitimate because she was elected along with Maduro. Most countries were already sanctioning Venezuela because Maduro was still acting as president despite having lost the election. I’m not sure how they will react to Trump saying he is going to “run” Venezuela. There may be action in the United Nations.

What I can say is that I think Trump’s action was unconstitutional, illegal, and unwise. I hope that he will be held to account, along with the Cabinet members and other people involved, but Congress does not inspire confidence in this regard.

It’s hard to predict what will happen, so I won’t try, but I wanted to be clear that I think this action against Venezuela was wrong.

This post is part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. To join in, please visit here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/04/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-4th-2026/ for more information.

2025

Vote for Democracy #50

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

I, along with millions of others in the United States, faced January 2025 with dread, knowing that Donald Trump would be inaugurated on January 20th. Many of us had read Project 2025 and feared what he would do once back in office.

The reality was worse than the fears had been.

The level of corruption, lawlessness, and unethical behavior has been staggering, as has the complicity, cooperation, and feigned ignorance of many big corporations, media, Republicans, and the majority of the Supreme Court.

Still, I am more hopeful in January 2026 than I was last year.

Many judges in the lower courts are ruling against the administration’s power grabs. A scattering of Congressional Republicans are joining with Democrats to oppose some of Trump’s wishes. Lawyers are stepping up to defend people harmed by Trump’s actions. Some in the media are standing firm for speaking the truth and investigating what Trump wants to hide. Some in academia, medicine, economics, law, and other fields are loudly spreading the truth.

What gives me the most hope, though, are the millions of Americans taking action in defense of our democratic values of equality, decency, and fairness. Many have attended protests, both large and small, in 2025 and plan to continue in 2026. We write and call our representatives with our views. We try to protect those being persecuted or marginalized. We feed the hungry. We look out for public health.

We speak the truth and demonstrate our love for our country.

It’s not that I expect 2026 to be any easier under this president, but I know that even more people will speak out and we will begin to reverse the damage Trump and his many minions are doing to our nation.

Deep breath.

Let’s go!

This post is part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/02/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-2nd-2026/

One-Liner Wednesday: FDR on economic progress

“the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
~~~ Franklin Roosevelt, second inaugural address

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/12/03/one-liner-wednesday-i-dont-think-this-is-mathing/

shutdown aftermath, etc.

Vote for Democracy #49

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

I’ve been struggling with health stuff again and unable to organize my thoughts well enough to tackle a post on the overwhelming state of affairs in the US but will make an attempt.

There was not really a path for the record-breaking government shutdown to have a good outcome, so it didn’t. The Trump administration cruelly shut off food assistance, even though there were funds available to continue. It did, however, highlight the truly terrible statistic that 1 in 8 people here struggle to get enough to eat. The vast majority of these are children, elders, disabled people, or employed adults. Many employers do not pay wages that are sufficient to cover the basic cost of living, so workers and their dependents need government assistance and/or charity to have enough food. This also means that, even after a lifetime of employment, many retirees don’t have enough income to survive and were never able to save enough to have a cushion for their retirement years. It’s a sign of how warped our society has become that so many are hungry in the richest country in the world. At least in the agreement to reopen the government through January 20, funding was secured for food benefits through September 30.

Meanwhile, it is unclear if the health insurance subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans will be extended. As people are trying to sign up for 2026 plans, the rates from the insurance companies have risen sharply without the subsidies in place, sometimes doubling, tripling, or worse, which will leave millions uninsured. This, in turn, will drive up insurance rates even higher, as hospitals and doctors will raise prices for people with insurance to try to stay afloat. More rural hospitals, which are already strained, may be forced to close. It’s disgusting that our country does not treat health care as a basic right, denying care to anyone without good insurance and/or mounds of cash.

There has been a lot of talk about who bears “blame” for the shutdown. To my mind, the fault lies with the Repbulicans in both the legislative and executive branches. The budget process should work through the Congressional committees to have the appropriation bills passed and in place for October 1, when the new fiscal year begins. Instead, Repbulicans insisted on ramming through their own proposals rather than negotiating with Democrats and Independents to craft appropriation bills that could pass under regular order. Even when Democrats tried to make proposals, Congressional Republican leaders and the President refused to negotiate. The Speaker of the House went so far as to not even call the House into sessions for weeks, time that should have been spent crafting budget bills so that they didn’t have to rely on short-term continuing resolutions to keep the government open.

Another major problem is that the Trump administration has not been executing laws that Congress has passed. How can Congressional Democrats and the general public trust that the Trump administration will spend the money that Congress allocates when they shamefully cancelled life-saving funds for USAID and other agencies and programs, even ignoring court orders?

There is a Constitutional way to deal with this, impeachment of the president and other members of the executive branch by the House and conviction by the Senate, but the current Congressional Repbulicans won’t take action against Trump, even when he is illegally usurping powers granted to Congress, not the President. Unfortunately, this traps the country in this hurtful, dysfunctional state until, at least, the next election.

It is possible that the Republicans could lost the majority in the House even before the midterm elections next November. If more Repbulicans resign, as Marjorie Taylor Greene plans to do in January, and seats are left open for a time period or if Democrats flip some of those seats, the Repbulicans could lose their majority and a new Speaker would be elected. A Democratic majority could launch investigations and might be able to find enough Repbulican senators to pass bipartisan legislation to better serve the country.

Meanwhile, concerned citizens will continue to protest, boycott, and raise their voices to call for their rights, liberty, and values to prevail, in line with our Constitution and laws. We have sunk so low in the functioning of our national government that it will be a long, hard slog to recover, but we will try. It will be difficult for other countries to ever trust us again, given the immense harm that Trump has perpetrated on the world. All the more reason to get to work now.

One-Liner Wednesday: Thanksgiving

As we here in the United States are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I’m giving thanks for all the people who visit my blog, especially those who have stuck with me despite my irregular posting as I deal with personal and family health issues. ❤

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/11/26/one-liner-wednesday-what-did-you-do-yesterday/. Also, congratulate Linda on the publication of her new book, which came out yesterday!