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Today, trump said he ordered “two nuclear submarines” to be moved to “‘appropriate regions.’” [FN1] A move closer to nuclear war was prompted by crap. trump called Dmitry Medvedev Russia’s “failed former president” who should “watch his words.” [FN2] 1/9

Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, replied: “‘Russia is right on everything” & will “go its own way” [FN3] & said to remember “‘how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be.” That refers to…

“ICE” [FN1] agents, in masks, grab people who “look like” they are neither U.S. citizens nor in the U.S. with proper documentation. Parallels can be drawn between agents of ICE & agents of of other police States. Germany, 1933-45, is one such State. 1/6

There is a difference between ICE and agents of the NSDAP, including the SS and the SA. ICE personnel seek to hide their identities with masks. Perhaps they realize there’s no immunity from prosecution because they only are…

John Steinbeck’s novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” shows economic devastation of the 1930s. Made into a movie, the story is about the Joad family, evicted, like many families, from their Oklahoma farm. Banks seized a lot of land thanks to the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. 1/5

In an op-ed on Daily Kos this week, AuntieB wrote of her conversation w/a family member of the owners of an orchard near her: “A few years ago, the family refinanced to install solar panels and new walk-in…

Our country is being destroyed. Since January our Federal government has been chopped up & pieces tossed aside. The qualifications to head an agency seem to require holding views antithetical to the reasons the agency was created. [FN1] And then there’s ICE. 1/12

ICE seems to be everywhere and its masked agents act like secret police the U.S. once trained in other countries. [FN2] Of course we have election interference in favor of GOP candidates, and it consists of more than the…

By degrees on a continuum or by categories of qualitative distinction, there are different kinds of surprise. From pleasant albeit mundane to mind-shatteringly & life altering, some types of surprise are far and away clearly different. Yesterday, I experienced the latter. 1/8

Saturday morning’s rain gave way to an afternoon of clear skies and high temperatures. Humidity also was high. River City Pride was held in downtown Peoria on the riverfront. A lot of people stopped at the…

Stephen Colbert’s Late Show is being canceled. For those of the “maga” world, who espouse the freedom of speech in the marketplace of ideas, please understand: Colbert succeeds. [FN1] The show is being canceled because it airs on CBS. CBS is owned by Paramount. 1/8

A sale of Paramount to Skydance Media is pending, but requires trump administration approval. [FN2] CBS already wimped out & paid damages to trump for a segment of “60 Minutes” trump didn’t like. History shows that…

These past few months, individuals, under the aegis of “ICE,” [FN1] carried out trump administration seizures of immigrants. [FN2] I’ve referred to ICE as equal to the SA, or “brown shirts,” who were the muscle of the Third Reich. [FN3] They were typified by: 1/11

“‘the bulky, bloated forms with that special development of the upper neck, the roundish faces, the uninspired eyes.” [FN4] The “first Nazi strong-arm squads” they were an “army of storm troopers.” [FN5] Hitler’s support for…

The latest is that “Elon Musk has said that he’s formed a new political party, but it’s unclear what steps — if any — he’s taken to do so, or how the effort might affect upcoming elections.” [FN1] So Dear Mr Musk: starting a political party in the land of liberty isn’t easy. 1/16

You know pesky laws of physics from rocketing into space & regulatory statutes from conquests in business, but more imposing are election laws & not like SCOTUS tossed in Citizen’s United, [FN2] where…

Your wish in your 7/4 op-ed, that “people who live in the United States and hate it” should leave, implies you long for the time when “men and women far more courageous than I am broke Britain's chains of tyranny.” You miss a dynamic of our history: grand ideals. 1/21

Our founding documents [FN1] include “all men are created equal” & were written by white males who owned property. No woman signed any of the documents. No woman could vote. [FN2] Another contradiction for “a land…

Delaware was first to ratify the Constitution [FN1] & is among several States whose ratification conventions [FN2] left few records. Elliot’s Debates [FN3] has few entries for Delaware. [FN4] In no record does anyone declare Delaware is part of a Christian nation. [FN5] 1/19

Another collection of documents for this period is relatively recent in publication. [FN6] Edited by Prof Merrill Jensen, [FN7] relevant history of Delaware is noted [FN8] and descriptions of sources are…

As I was about to crash last night, a voice came to me and said: “Wait one more day to write about the States’ conventions! You haven’t finished saying what the Christofascists’ next move will be. I don’t work two shifts to finance your blog for it to be only half-way!” Yeah, the voice. 1/9

Christofascists want to destroy records of our history[FN1] & put racist fairy-tales in their place. Indiana gives us insight. [FN2] George Ade observed: “A lot of smart young people have come…

Why do Christian nationalists insist the U.S. was founded as a “Christian” nation? [FN1] Facts do not support their claim. [FN2] The founding documents, few in number [FN3] do not help. [FN4] Neither “God” nor Jesus Christ appears in The Constitution, but “religion” is mentioned: 5/15

“no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public trust...” [FN5] The document came from a convention in which each day’s business did not begin w/prayer. [FN6] A…

The A.G. this afternoon stated that “birthright citizenship will be determined in October.” [FN1]. My very brief post on Facebook was too short. This expands on that earlier post and is directed to the Attorney General, Pam Bondi: 1/7

Birthright citizenship will not be decided in October. It was made necessary by 250 years of slavery. In the Dred Scott case, Taney, CJ [FN2] writing for the Court, framed the question:

“Can a negro, whose ancestors were imported into this country,…

A person posted her complaint that people of the Democratic Party should be more positive & support the attacks on Iran ordered last weekend. One complimented hers as a voice of reason & compared trump’s actions to those of President Obama in May, 2011. 1/10

Stop right there. Pres Obama’s actions were lawful & relied upon the AUMF [FN1] enacted by Congress in 2001. Pres Obama’s construction of that statute as applicable to his administration’s actions was “adopted by the…

We interrupt “History of the Constitution” to offer “Short history of U.S. involvement in Iran.”

1953: Mossadegh, elected by people of Iran to head gov't, but U.S. joined other countries in Mossadegh's overthrow because Mossadegh nationalized Iran's oil. [FN1] 1/12

We replaced Mossadegh w/the Shah [FN2], who nationalized Iran’s oil industry [FN3] & was a leader in OPEC. [FN4] [FN5] The Shah used coupons the U.S. gives to our dictators to form & train his secret police,…

The Articles of Confederation governed the 13 States [FN1] w/o “Jesus” or “Christ.” “Religion” is not specific, [FN2] & “great Governor of the World” is a deist term. [FN3] The Treaty of Paris ended the war, [FN4] but does not say the U.S. is a Christian nation. [FN5] 1/12

The treaty’s date is “In the Year of our Lord,” [FN6] & it does not mean the U.S. is Christian. [FN7] “God” enters, but for: “Prince George the third, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, Defender of…

Last weekend was like footage from the 1960s: assassinations, protests & troops in the streets. A difference: a dictator in office whose shtick includes deference to a white, male, pissed-off “god” created by the far right. Sen Barry Goldwater [FN1] warned us: When these preachers 1/9

“get control of the [GOP], it's going to be a terrible damn problem” they believe they act “in the name of God,” so they won't compromise. "Today's ‘conservatives’ don't even know what the word…

This just in, from Newsweek: “ the current guidance of having two or fewer drinks a day is going

to be overhauled” by the Department of Health and Human Services (“DHHS”), headed by RFK, Jr. Newsweek might be first on getting a quick healing, but we have more details. 1/9

In an effort to restore the country to the clear-headed sanity of the Framers who produced The Constitution, eligible voters will be encouraged to drink 5 gallons of “hard liquor” [FN1] per year. The Sec’y, to…

At the checkout in the Broad Ripple Kroger, among the tabloid front-page stories of Big Foot, odd creatures in UFOs and Elvis, the face of “Bat Boy,” in black & white, w/pointed ears & fangs, was sure to catch my attention. I wondered how anyone could believe such a tale. 1/11

A far right tool, at nat’l & State levels, is god; [FN1] a white, male, pissed-off deity the far right owns. Sen Barry Goldwater warned: “if & when these preachers get control of the [GOP], it's…