THANK YOU, DAVE MILLER

 

I was going to do a post on Trump's speech to the American people last night. I'm getting ready to travel to New York for Christmas and a wedding (my son's) on Christmas Eve!!! Needless to say, I'm a bit harried with shopping, cooking, and preparations for two big events coming on December 24!

Dave Miller left this excellent analysis of Trump's lies speech, so thanks to him, here's a recap of it:

The speech...

Gas in $1.99 a gallon... Maybe somewhere. But the gold standard AAA survey says the average price of gas in the US is $2.99, so Trump is wrong, or lying.

Drug prices have been lowered 400, 500, 600%... Maybe the president skipped math in elementary school or at Wharton. You cannot lower prices more than 100% without people being paid when they get their medicines.

The check is in the mail... $1776.00 for our soldiers... The check is not in the mail. In fact, the Constitution says only Congress can appropriate money. So if the check is in fact in the mail, Trump has betrayed his oath, committed an illegal act and should be impeached and removed from office.

Inflation is lower than it has ever been... According to Trump's own White House, this is not true. Sorry MAGA, facts matter.

What can we do with all of this? Nothing at all. Look, I actually like giving our soldiers a Christmas bonus. But the White House, any White House, cannot, by law, just send $$$ to people. All expenditures like this must, according to the Constitution, must be approved by Congress. It's just as Schoolhouse Rock explained it back in the 70s.

But here's the larger issue and Grey touched on it. Trump is losing it. And before you "what about" folks start, I said the same about Biden. Any objective person can see Trump is nowhere near the campaigner, showman or communicator he was in the first term.

People at some blogs I am sure will write posts asking why Trump doesn't just better explain to the American what he is doing. If he does so they claim, America will understand all the great stuff he's trying to do.

Well, this was his chance. And he whiffed. His speech was full of lies, obfuscations and outright mistakes. The delivery was rushed, at times seemed shouted and almost comical.

And that's before we get to his Biden obsession. The MAGA crowd simultaneously sees Biden as both an evil genius and a dithering idiot during his time in office. Apparently, so does Trump as evidenced by his speech where everything is/was Biden's fault. MAGA folks lap this up.

But at some point they're going have to face facts... They elected Trump, he's hurting America, he's a liar and in their blind support of him, they have surrendered their ability in the future to credibly complain about presidents and candidates lying to the American people.

What a night.

So, Trump's giving our troops money that's already been allocated to them for housing and calling it a gift from his tariffs?

Really? Did he think no one would look into this?

"OUR PETTY, HOLLOW, SQUALID OGRE-IN-CHIEF"

 

After reading this post, I suggest you go to THIS BUZZFEED SITE to see what Trump has done to his so-called "Presidential Walk of Fame" at the White House. It is difficult to believe that Trump, our hollow, squalid ogre-in-Chief, could outdo himself in pettiness, but go to the site and see that he absolutely did. It is appalling!

Conservative opinion columnist, Bret Stephens

"There is, as Adam Smith said, 'a great deal of ruin in a nation,' by which he meant that there are things in almost any country that are going badly wrong but can still be mended. Foolishly imposed tariffs can be repealed. Hastily cut funding can be restored. Ill-thought-out national security strategies can be rewritten. Shaken trust can be rebuilt between Washington and our allies.

 But the damage that cuts deepest is never financial, legal or institutional. As one of Smith’s greatest contemporaries, Edmund Burke, knew, it lies in something softer and less tangible but also more important: manners. 'Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us,' Burke wrote. It is, he warned, through manners that laws are either made or unmade, upheld or corrupted.

 Right now, in every grotesque social media post; in every cabinet meeting devoted, North Korea-like, to adulating him; in every executive-order-signing ceremony intended to make him appear like a Chinese emperor; in every fawning reference to all the peace he’s supposedly brought the world; in every Neronic enlargement of the White House’s East Wing; in every classless dig at his predecessor; in every shady deal his family is striking to enrich itself; in every White House gathering of tech billionaires paying him court (in the literal senses of both 'pay' and 'court'); in every visiting foreign leader who learns to abase himself to avoid some capricious tariff or other punishment — in all this and more, our standards as a nation are being debased, our manners barbarized. 

I wonder if we are ever getting them back — and if so, what will it take."

[skip] 

"This is not a country on the cusp of its 'Golden Age,' to quote the president, except in the sense that gold futures are near a record high as a hedge against inflation. It’s a country that feels like a train coming off the rails, led by a driver whose own derangement was again laid bare in that contemptible assault on the Reiners, may their memories be for a blessing."

*****************************

Trump's disgusting Truth Social post about the Reiners is as bad as anything he has done, and he will expose himself as the depraved person that he is again. As hard as it will be to witness another one of his travesties, I believe his next outrage will need to be reported and broadcast widely because this is how all this will end. 

The resistance, the pushback, the organizing must continue; but at this point, I think it's become clear that we are witnessing Trump's inevitable self-destruction. The sooner that is complete, the sooner the country can start to heal.    

The great Italian director and screen writer, Federico Fellini, supposedly said about television that "it is the mirror in which we see the complete defeat of our culture." 

For America, Donald Trump is the mirror in which we see an ongoing debasing and mockery of our culture. He is what the tyranny of the minority adores. They elected him twice, and it appears that he will never lose substantial support from many of them, although some deterioration in that support is happening. 

He is them; they are him. 

And now, they're getting what they have clamored for, good and hard.

MY RESPONSE

 

SAM HUNTINGTON OF GEEEZ BLOG: "I don’t know what prompted Joe to bring the disruptions to your attention yesterday; I hope it wasn’t out of meanness. But I am not surprised by what I saw printed there, nor by those who participated in their childish banter. What are they most upset about? It’s that many of us are no longer willing to turn the other cheek or let bygones be bygones. And we now have certain limitations in our tolerance. We are not willing to accept decadence as America’s standard."

"...decadence as America's standard."

The man they support for POTUS is a convicted felon, adjudicated sexual assaulter/rapist, serial adulterer who cheated on all 3 wives, and the present one with a porn star and playmate bunny; a man who bragged openly about grabbing women's genitals because he thinks he's "a star." Trumps was also a close friend of two notorious child sex traffickers/rapists for years. Trump AND his wife, Melania partied at Epstein's mansions in New York and Palm Beach many, many times. Trump even sent an affectionate birthday card to Epstein and signed his name in the crotch section of a drawing of a young female's body. Trump bragged about being the owner of a teen beauty pageant so that he was able to intrude on the teenage girls when they were half naked because, as he said, he was the owner of the pageant, and he could do it.

Trump appeared on shock jock radio, Howard Stern's, show and had no problem when Stearns described Trump's daughter, Ivanka, as "a piece of ass." Trump was proud that Sterns saw his daughter as something to be ogled at and objectified by men.

Trump denigrates women on almost a daily basis calling them names for the way they look and for doing their jobs.

I could list more about Trump, but what I have posted here is common knowledge and has been widely reported about him for years.

So, to counter what "Sam Huntington" wrote about his and his confrere's inability to "accept decadence as America's standard," I say this to him:

You don't just ACCEPT decadence, you proudly support, vote for, and relish it because you put it in the White House, Sir!

GET RID OF THEM!

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."

 

 "After WWII, there was significant American sentiment, driven by racism, economic fear, and wartime hysteria, that wanted to prevent Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans from returning to the West Coast or gaining full citizenship rights, leading to post-war anti-Japanese activism and policies, though the U.S. Supreme Court eventually struck down some of the most extreme measures like indefinite detention. 

While many Nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans) were loyal citizens, the desire to keep them out was strong, with groups lobbying Congress and state officials fearing economic competition and cultural threats, even pushing for legislation to strip citizenship from those who renounced it during the war. 

Following Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066 led to the forced removal and incarceration of over 100,000 Japanese Americans, fueled by fear, prejudice, and political pressure from the West Coast, as documented by the National Archives

 

"The more things change; the more they remain the same."

The comments below were taken off the public blog "Geeez." I assume most of the people who comment there see themselves as good Christian Americans who believe and practices what is in the Bible. Although reading their comments on Muslim Americans, and in particular Minnesota Rep. Ilan Omar, belies that assumption.

"When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress or mistreat him. But the stranger who resides with you shall be to you like someone native-born among you; and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God."

GET RID OF THEM!

"SHOULD ICE JUST KEEP STOPPING PEOPLE, KEEP ARRESTING, CONTINUE WHAT THEY’RE DOING?   How do we convince Americans that WE NEED THESE PEOPLE GONE?  AND THAT WE DON’T WANT TO BE ANOTHER UK WITH MUSLIM MAYORS IN SO MANY CITIES ACROSS THIS COUNTRY?

1. jess says:

   December 16, 2025 at 4:17 am

   People ignore the efforts of an enemy. Why? They’re afraid and don’t want to engage them in war. Until the enemy is recognized as the enemy, drastic measures are taken to remove their ability to cause harm, and the avenues of their infiltration are removed, they become stronger, and the inevitable outright war will cause the deaths of those that ignored the reality of their predicament.

   Liked by 5 people
2. Ed Bonderenka says:

   December 16, 2025 at 5:35 am

   To add to Jess.

   We are at war. Most of us just don’t want to admit it, it’s too unpleasant, or requires a response and effort. But they are at war with us.

   This is true of China and it is true of these unassimilating heathens.

   Liked by 5 people
3. Jeffrey Guy says:

   December 16, 2025 at 6:01 am

   Agreed with Jess and Ed. Plus the Liberals and MSM are pushing for the illegals, the Muslims, and people that have come in that are on government assistance to stay. All of these should be gone as they break our laws and the Muslims want to take over following Sharia Law, which is not allowed as it against US Constitutional Law.

   Our country is based on Judeo-Christian Law and religions. The Elites on the Left are ignoring what is happening with the flood of lower class Muslims taking over Europe and seeing what is happening in other countries. This flood was done by Biden with not just Muslims but other countries and group

 this tendency to bow to figures like Ilhan Omar was predicted by writers such as John Cunningham, who, in 1947, demonstrated how to recognize cowardice in his short story that became the Hollywood film High Noon.  All Omar has going for her is the race card, and when all you have is the race card, you have nothing.  We can despise Omar because she deserves our negative feelings toward her.  Still, shouldn’t we acknowledge the fact that she is the result of an insidious plan by Obama to “fundamentally change the complexion of the United States of America?

I have questions, though.  Since when does ICE pull over anyone?  Was there an immigration checkpoint?  That would make more sense.  Now, if ICE asked for proof of citizenship, is that a form of discrimination?  Answer: No, not if the questions were asked of everyone regardless of skin color or hairstyle.  Maybe he was detained because he couldn’t provide proof of citizenship, which is nearly impossible in Minnesota.  In Minnesota, even extraterrestrials can obtain proof of citizenship.  That leaves one more possibility: When a woman gives birth to her brother’s child, it’s entirely possible that the offspring is a fool and shouldn’t be allowed out of the house, much less wander through an immigration checkpoint."

jess says:

December 16, 2025 at 11:25 am

Ice has no record of Omar’s son being pulled over. Otherwise, the Islamic acceptance of using deceit, and any other method, including murder, to promote their goal was well used by Omar. She needs to go.

Who to believe? Who to believe? The people who work for a known liar, Donald Trump, and Kristi Noem, who's been brought before a Congressional Oversight Committee for breaking the law? Or Ilhan Omar and her son, whom Trump publicly denigrated by calling them "garbage?"

I'll believe Rep. Omar, since Trump and Noem have a reputation for being dishonest.

Words fail me.

PALATE CLEANSER

 

In social media parlance, the story below is known as a "palate cleanser," and that term is used when a poster wishes to inject something of beauty, wisdom, or human decency into horrendously bleak reports on current events.

As Dave Miller noted in the comments below, this past weekend was one of unrelenting news of tragedies:

Three Americans shot and killed in Syria by lone gunman. 

Two killed and 9 others injured in the Brown University shootings.  

Fifteen dead and 40 injured in Australia shooting aimed at Jews attending a Hanukkah celebration. 

Four people injured in a shooting in Greenville, NC. 

Six people injured in a shooting in Brooklyn, NY. 

One killed and 3 injured in a shooting in Cleveland, OH. 

I needed to read something that reaffirmed human decency, and I found this:

"On May 30, 2015, Barack Obama walked into the Oval Office and found Joe Biden sitting alone, staring at a family photo with tears streaming down his face—it was just fifteen days after Biden's beloved son Beau had died from brain cancer at age forty-six, and what Obama did next became one of the most profound moments of friendship ever witnessed in the White House.

He sat beside Biden, held his hand for nearly twenty minutes without saying a word, and then whispered something that Biden later revealed in his 2017 memoir: 'You gave Beau the best life any son could ask for, and now you have to let yourself grieve like the father you are, not the Vice President everyone expects you to be.' 

What makes this moment absolutely soul-crushing and beautiful is that Obama had cleared his entire afternoon schedule without telling anyone why, instinctively knowing that his Vice President and friend needed permission to fall apart, and according to senior advisor Valerie Jarrett's 2019 book, Obama told his staff, 'If anyone needs me today, tell them the President is exactly where he needs to be—with his brother.' 

The depth of their bond was forged not in policy victories but in shared understanding of devastating loss—Obama had lost his mother to cancer, his grandmother days before his 2008 election victory, and he recognized the specific hell of watching someone you love slip away despite all your power and resources. 

Biden later told Stephen Colbert in a heartbreaking 2015 interview that Obama offered him something extraordinary during those grief-stricken months: 'Barack told me to take all the time I needed, that the Vice Presidency could wait, that America could wait, because being Beau's father was more important than being Vice President, and he meant it—he actually meant it.' 

In a 2017 email, Jeffrey Epstein wrote: "I have met some very bad people. None as bad as Trump. Not one decent cell in his body."

From Occupy Democrats:

BREAKING: Obama delivers a powerful tribute after Rob Reiner’s murder as Trump spits on his grave — and Americans are stunned by the contrast.

In a moment that called for basic human decency, America got a side-by-side contrast so stark it felt like a morality play.

Barack Obama responded to the deaths of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, with empathy, humility, and class.

“Michelle and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele. Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people—and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action. Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them,’ the former president posted on X.

His message centered on grief, love, and legacy. He spoke about Reiner’s belief in the goodness of people, about a life lived with purpose, and about the inspiration Rob and Michele gave to others. It was a reminder of what leadership looks like when it understands that words can heal. No politics. No ego. Just humanity.

Then came Donald Trump.

While Obama offered condolences, Trump used the deaths of two people to settle scores. In a rambling Truth Social post, Trump mocked Reiner as “tortured” and “struggling,” smeared him with the made-up slur “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and somehow managed to turn a tragedy into a self-congratulatory rant about his own “Golden Age of America.” Even the obligatory “rest in peace” landed like an afterthought, tacked on after a barrage of cruelty.

This wasn’t just bad taste — it was a window into character.
Obama spoke to the country. Trump spoke to his resentments. Obama honored a life and a marriage defined by creativity and values. Trump reduced two deaths to an excuse for ridicule and grievance. One man showed respect for the dead and compassion for the living. The other showed that even grief is no barrier to his appetite for insult.

The American people have seen this pattern before. When tragedy strikes, Obama’s instinct is empathy. Trump’s instinct is always about attacking his perceived enemies and protecting himself.

And that’s the real comparison voters should sit with. Leadership isn’t about who shouts the loudest or who insults best. It’s about who knows when to be silent, when to be kind, and when to rise above hatred.

In this moment, one former president acted like a statesman. The other acted exactly as America has come to expect — cruel, petty, and incapable of grace.

YOUR SUNDAY MOMENT OF ZEN

 

“Be where you are, otherwise you will miss your life.” — Buddha