Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Friday, March 28, 2025
Hillary Clinton
This Guest Essay by Hillary Clinton is a Gifted Article. I think it is about time that previous Democratic leaders speak up and speak out forcefully about how much Trump is destroying. Tim Walz is getting active, but not a peep from Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. Or Bill Clinton. Or Barack Obama. Does that suggest that they are "ok" with Trump is doing? Doubtful, but we need our best and brightest to speak up.
And yes, I have been pretty silent on this blog and elsewhere online lately. Our recent time has been consumed with packing for our move from South Padre Island to an inland location. I am tired of hearing rockets launch and watching the house shake like a leaf. And I believe in climate change, unlike current-day Republicans, so we are clearing out ASAP.
March 28, 2025
Mrs. Clinton is a former secretary of state and United States senator and was the Democratic nominee for president in 2016.
It’s not the hypocrisy that bothers me; it’s the stupidity. We’re all shocked — shocked! — that President Trump and his team don’t actually care about protecting classified information or federal record retention laws. But we knew that already. What’s much worse is that top Trump administration officials put our troops in jeopardy by sharing military plans on a commercial messaging app and unwittingly invited a journalist into the chat. That’s dangerous. And it’s just dumb.
This is the latest in a string of self-inflicted wounds by the new administration that are squandering America’s strength and threatening our national security. Firing hundreds of federal workers charged with protecting our nation’s nuclear weapons is also dumb. So is shutting down efforts to fight pandemics just as a deadly Ebola outbreak is spreading in Africa. It makes no sense to purge talented generals, diplomats and spies at a time when rivals like China and Russia are trying to expand their global reach.
In a dangerous and complex world, it’s not enough to be strong. You must also be smart. As secretary of state during the Obama administration, I argued for smart power, integrating the hard power of our military with the soft power of our diplomacy, development assistance, economic might and cultural influence. None of those tools can do the job alone. Together, they make America a superpower. The Trump approach is dumb power. Instead of a strong America using all our strengths to lead the world and confront our adversaries, Mr. Trump’s America will be increasingly blind and blundering, feeble and friendless.
Let’s start with the military, because that’s what he claims to care about. Don’t let the swagger fool you. Mr. Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (of group chat fame) are apparently more focused on performative fights over wokeness than preparing for real fights with America’s adversaries. Does anyone really think deleting tributes to the Tuskegee Airmen makes us more safe? The Trump Pentagon purged images of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb that ended World War II because its name is the Enola Gay. Dumb.
Instead of working with Congress to modernize the military’s budget to reflect changing threats, the president is firing top generals without credible justification. Five former secretaries of defense, Republicans and Democrats, rightly warned that this would “undermine our all-volunteer force and weaken our national security.” Mass layoffs are also hitting the intelligence agencies. As one former senior spy put it, “We’re shooting ourselves in the head, not the foot.” Not smart.
If they’re this reckless with America’s hard power, it’s no surprise that they’re shredding our soft power. As a former secretary of state, I am particularly alarmed by the administration’s plan to close embassies and consulates, fire diplomats and destroy the U.S. Agency for International Development. Let me explain why this matters, because it’s less widely understood than the importance of tanks and fighter jets.
I visited 112 countries and traveled nearly one million miles as America’s top diplomat, and I have seen how valuable it is for our country to be represented on the ground in far-flung places. The U.S. military has long understood that our forces must be forward deployed in order to project American power and respond quickly to crises. The same is true of our diplomats. Our embassies are our eyes and ears informing policy decisions back home. They are launchpads for operations that keep us safe and prosperous, from training foreign counterterrorism forces to helping U.S. companies enter new markets.
China understands the value of forward-deployed diplomacy, which is why it has opened new embassies and consulates around the world and now has more than the United States. The Trump administration’s retreat would leave the field open for Beijing to spread its influence uncontested.
Diplomats win America friends so we don’t have to go it alone in a competitive world. That’s how my colleagues and I were able to rally the United Nations to impose crippling sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program and ultimately force Tehran to stop its progress toward a bomb — something Mr. Trump’s bluster has failed to do. (He actually defunded inspectors keeping an eye on Iranian research sites. Dumb.)
Diplomacy is cost-effective, especially compared with military action. Preventing wars is cheaper than fighting them. Mr. Trump’s own former secretary of defense Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps four-star general, told Congress, “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.”
Our development assistance has always been a small portion of the federal budget, but it also has an outsize impact on international stability, especially paired with effective diplomacy. When American aid dollars help stop a famine or an outbreak, when we respond to a natural disaster or open schools, we win hearts and minds that might otherwise go to terrorists or rivals like China. We reduce the flow of migrants and refugees. We strengthen friendly governments that might otherwise collapse.
I don’t want to pretend that any of this is easy or that American foreign policy hasn’t been plagued by mistakes. Leadership is hard. But our best chance to get it right and to keep our country safe is to strengthen our government, not weaken it. We should invest in the patriots who serve our nation, not insult them.
Smart reforms could make federal agencies, including the State Department and U.S.A.I.D., more efficient and effective. During the Clinton administration, my husband’s Reinventing Government initiative, led by Vice President Al Gore, worked with Congress to thoughtfully streamline bureaucracy, modernize the work force and save billions of dollars. In many ways it was the opposite of the Trump administration’s slash-and-burn approach. Today they are not reinventing government; they’re wrecking it.
All of this is both dumb and dangerous. And I haven’t even gotten to the damage Mr. Trump is doing by cozying up to dictators like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, blowing up our alliances — force multipliers that extend our reach and share our burdens — and trashing our moral influence by undermining the rule of law at home. Or how he’s tanking our economy and blowing up our national debt. Propagandists in Beijing and Moscow know we are in a global debate about competing systems of governance. People and leaders around the world are watching to see if democracy can still deliver peace and prosperity or even function. If America is ruled like a banana republic, with flagrant corruption and a leader who puts himself above the law, we lose that argument. We also lose the qualities that have made America exceptional and indispensable.
If there’s a grand strategy at work here, I don’t know what it is. Maybe Mr. Trump wants to return to 19th-century spheres of influence. Maybe he’s just driven by personal grudges and is in way over his head. As a businessman, he bankrupted his Atlantic City casinos. Now he’s gambling with the national security of the United States. If this continues, a group chat foul will be the least of our concerns, and all the fist and flag emojis in the world won’t save us.
Sunday, March 16, 2025
onward
Scott Dworkin is an independent journalist that tries to keep up with some "good news" re Trump frequently. He is the co-founder and lead investigator of the Democratic Coalition. It's a pretty thankless job. If you can, toss Scott a few bucks at Substack.
Onward!
Before we start another week of Trump’s chaos, I’m pleased to have more good news for you today. I truly hope it gives you some relief, and shows you that—in our fight against tyranny—we are becoming stronger and louder, every single day.
The “Tesla Takedown” movement continued to spread this weekend, with thousands of folks protesting at nearly 80 events throughout the world. Hundreds of people showed up in Baltimore, Boston, and the Philadelphia areas.
The pushback against Musk’s unhinged co-presidency is working. Tesla’s stock is down around 48% since it peaked in mid-December. Multiple stock analysts agree that Elon’s activism plays a role in the stock plummeting. JP Morgan analysts wrote: “We struggle to think of anything analogous in the history of the automotive industry, in which a brand has lost so much value so quickly.”
National protests took place this weekend, following the unlawful detention of activist Mahmoud Khalil—a legal permanent resident of the US, married to a US citizen. Nearly 1,000 people showed up in Times Square to call for Khalil’s release.
There was another protest held outside of the US consulate in Greenland’s capital city. Roughly 1,000 people gathered in what has been described as Greenland’s largest protest ever, rallying against Trump’s attempt to annex the island.
The country’s likely next Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said: "There is not the slightest chance that I will talk to Trump about Greenland becoming part of the US. Greenland will be Greenland.”
MN Gov. Tim Walz held his second town hall of the weekend yesterday—this time in GOP Rep. Don Bacon’s Congressional District, in Omaha, NE. The crowd of hundreds greeted Walz, a Nebraska native, with chants of “welcome home!”
Walz said this about Bacon, who refuses to do in-person town halls: “Do the damn job and answer the questions.” When asked about Trump’s ban on transgender Americans serving in the military, Walz said: “This nation is less secure and less safe because of that dumbass decision that was made … This is an outrageous attack.”
Walz also said: “There are a lot of ways folks in Omaha could spend their Saturday, but they’re fed up with Trump and want to make their voices heard. I’m here with local Democrats to listen.”
A judge put an immediate halt on Trump’s attempt to deport Venezuelan nationals using an archaic wartime powers act. The judge said the use of the “Alien Enemies Act” was illegal, and ordered all deportation flights in the air to be turned around. “However that is accomplished … make sure it’s complied with immediately,” the judge said.
Michelle Obama just launched a brand new podcast called In My Opinion, along with her brother Craig Robinson. In a yet to be released episode, recorded live from SXSW in Austin, TX, Obama said: “I worry about folks being out of work, and I worry about how we think about diversity and inclusion. I think about how we treat one another, and ... what models that’s setting for the next generation.”
Obama continued, saying: “But I find in those moments that it is better not to try to figure that stuff out alone. Share those concerns. We're not going to figure this stuff out on our own. We need each other.”
Reminding us of the power we have when we are united, Obama said: “The truth is, the small power that each of us has to do something is right in front of us. If we're all doing that, it outweighs anything that some big leader somewhere can do.”
Michelle Obama nails it. Trump can make all the big moves he wants, but we can absolutely stop him if we all do our part, and work together. That’s why we formed our activism arm—The Watchdog Coalition—so that we could unite the opposition against this wannabe-king, focusing on real actions that produce tangible results.
We’ve already sent more than 216,000 letters, and made countless calls to the House and Senate. We will never stop fighting against any cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, the VA, and so much more.
And our social media following is one of the largest in all of politics, which we use to push our unmatched messaging campaigns. Like our “Hands Off Our Medicaid,” and “Republican Cuts Hurt Veterans” efforts, which generated more than a billion impressions in a matter of only weeks.
We do all of this, on top of delivering good news daily, as well as one-on-one exclusive interviews with changemakers. Unlike corporate media, we aren’t going to just copy and paste Trump’s propaganda, or repeat his lies.
We’ve been taking on Trump for 9 years, and we will never back down to him. Never.
We have zero outside investors, and we remain ad-free. Which means 100% of our funding comes from our paid subscribers on Substack. So if you haven’t yet, and you’re able, please support what we do by becoming a paid subscriber today:
Onward!
Friday, March 14, 2025
Robert Morris
Yet another holier-than-thou TV megapastor and Donald Trump worshipper has been arrested on sex charges. Never fails. The louder you rant against something, the more guilty you are of it. The more you hold yourself up as a paragon of virtue, the more vile you act. Quite an interesting phenomenon. You'd think they'd have enough brains to shut the fuck up about stuff that YOU DO, but they cannot resist incriminating themselves. No wonder they love Trump. They recognize a fellow conman when they see one.You know, you can be a slut behind closed doors, but don't go molesting women against their will!! And don't even THINK about abusing children!! It's pretty simple!
I keep hoping that unmasking these religious hucksters will eventually cause enough people to turn away from the church, but they just keep coming.
So many cannot seem to live without imagining that the imaginary being in the sky is looking out for them, and he cares about them, but he needs more money!!
Robert Morris, former Texas megachurch pastor and Trump adviser, indicted for child sex crimes
Morris is a former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, and Gateway — one of the nation’s largest megachurches — has been particularly active in Dallas-area GOP politics.
BY ROBERT DOWNEN, Texas Tribune
MARCH 12, 2025
Robert Morris, the Dallas-area megachurch pastor who resigned last year amid sexual abuse allegations, has been indicted in Oklahoma for child sex crimes that date back to the 1980s.
Morris is a former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, and Gateway — one of the nation’s largest megachurches — has been particularly active in politics. In 2020, Trump held a “Roundtable on Transition to Greatness” there that was attended by then-U.S. Attorney General William Barr and other prominent Republicans.
Morris faces five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office said in a Wednesday evening press release.
The indictment comes less than a year after Morris resigned from Gateway Church in Southlake after an adult woman, Cindy Clemishire, said Morris repeatedly sexually assaulted her while she was a child in Oklahoma in the 1980s. Morris was at the time working as a traveling preacher.
In a Wednesday text message, Clemishire said through an attorney that she was grateful for the indictments.
“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,” she said. “Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable. My family and I are deeply grateful to the authorities who have worked tirelessly to make this day possible and remain hopeful that justice will ultimately prevail.”
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| pervert pastor |
Clemishire’s disclosure came as the Dallas religious community was still reeling from a handful of recent sex abuse scandals. Since then, at least a dozen Dallas-area churches or pastors have been accused of committing or concealing sexual misconduct — allegations that have ensnared some of the area’s most prominent leaders and institutions.
Few, if any, were more high-profile than Morris, who steadily involved himself in state and national politics after founding Gateway in 2000. In 2017, Morris was tapped by Gov. Greg Abbott to help support the so-called “Bathroom Bill” that sought to ban transgender people from using their preferred bathroom — in part by arguing that it would allow children to be sexually abused.
During Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, Morris was among at least three other Dallas-area religious leaders who served on Trump’s evangelical advisory board. And in 2021, Morris was part of an effort to mobilize conservatives and evangelicals ahead of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid.
As Morris’ national political spotlight grew, so did his church’s local footprint. For years, Morris and Gateway would show slates of local school board candidates on the church’s massive screens in the lead up to elections — potentially in violation of federal rules that prohibit overt political activity by churches.
“Many of you see what Satan has been trying to do even in our school systems,” Morris told some of the church’s roughly 25,000 members in 2023, before showing a list of Republican candidates.
Those tactics have since been replicated at nearby congregations such as Mercy Culture Church. The Fort Worth church was founded with financial support from Gateway, and has become a staple of local Republican circles, often hosting local elected Republicans and the chair of the Texas GOP.
Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, is also a pastor at Mercy Culture. Schatzline was among numerous Republican lawmakers who called on Morris to resign after Clemishire came forward last summer.
Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Dallas, joined those calls, and vowed to use this legislative session to pursue bills that would give more rights to victims of childhood sexual abuse — including extending the time period that victims have to file lawsuits against their attackers or those who enabled them.
This session, multiple bills have been filed that would broaden civil statutes of limitation, allowing those like Clemishire to sue those responsible for their attacks and be compensated for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in lifetime costs associated with childhood abuse.
In a Wednesday text message, Clemishire’s attorney Boz Tchividjian said she has been working behind-the-scenes with advocates for such reforms. “I don’t know if they have gotten to the point of testifying committees,” he said. “But I have no doubt she will do so when that time comes.”
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Steve Liesman
This is my first attempt to post something from Bluesky HERE on my blog. Looks like it's going to work. This opens up a can of interesting worms. Hopefully those of you who are not on Bluesky will still be able to play this clip successfully.
I'm glad to see Steve Liesman "going here" on CNBC. He has always seemed more "factual" than many who just speculate and spew crap.
A top economics reporter goes off script on national TV: “I am going to say this at risk of my job, but what President Trump is doing is insane.”
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) March 11, 2025 at 10:10 PM
[image or embed]
Sunday, March 9, 2025
Iceberg!
I wonder if Leon Skum is going to try to slash jobs at NASA too? I mean, NASA is in direct competition with SpaceX, so I can see Mr Skum trying to kill it. After all, what regular guy needs to see satellite images like the two in this story? That should be reserved only for the very wealthy, like Scum. Just in case, that is satire.
Iceberg Grinds to a Stop off South Georgia Island
NASA Earth Observatory
March 6, 2025
South Georgia is the largest of nine islands that make up the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, a British overseas territory. While the remote island lacks a permanent human population, scientists visit its research station, and tourists visit its historical sites. The region supports abundant life, from seals and penguins to tiny phytoplankton. It also happens to lie along the northern extent of an ocean route traveled by many Antarctic bergs known as “iceberg alley.”
A-23A’s northward drift suddenly slowed around February 25, 2025, according to Christopher Shuman, a retired glaciologist with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Shuman has used satellite images to track A-23A’s drift since it wiggled free from the seafloor in the early 2020s after decades grounded in the Southern Weddell Sea. The berg is now parked more than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) north of its birthplace at Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf, where it calved in 1986.
The map above shows the iceberg’s location on March 4, 2025, with respect to the remote island and its underwater shelf. Its position is based on an image (below) acquired by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite.
Researchers later found that melting from the bottom of A-68A added 152 billion metric tons of fresh water to the ocean during its three-month stay near the island. Iceberg meltwater can potentially affect the local ocean environment. It can also add nutrients to the water that foster biological production.
Already, many ice fragments have broken from A-23A’s margins. Though these pieces appear small in the image above and are not large enough to be named by the U.S. National Ice Center, they could still affect the flora and fauna along the island’s shoreline.
It remains to be seen what becomes of the remainder of the berg’s main mass. When icebergs make it this far north, they eventually succumb to the warmer waters, winds, and currents that make this ocean area a challenge for all seafarers.
“I think the big question now is whether the strong current will trap it there as it melts and breaks up or whether it will spin around to the south of the island like previous bergs,” Willis said. “Time will tell.”
NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview, ocean bathymetry data and digital elevation data from the British Oceanographic Data Center’s General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans(GEBCO) and the British Antarctic Survey. Story by Kathryn Hansen.
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