I “unfriended” HS [FN1] who: 1) is maga [FN2]; 2) said “this is my opinion and not open for debate” w/“unfriend” as the option [FN3]; & 3) copied/pasted w/o attribution drivel someone else wrote. [FN4] Blind praise of trump unencumbered by facts, the meme puts 1/12

the “ass” in “passive-aggressive.” [FN5] [FN6] The meme’s creator wants no one to question their assertions, but we can’t grant that wish. Last week I reposted a “feel good” photo of Dick Van Dyke, in a hospital bed, receiving birthday wishes from Robert Plant. [FN7] 2/12

A couple of friends pointed out that the photo was AI. [FN8] In other times, I might’ve said “So what?” [FN9] In my next blog, I’ll address the falsehoods, and a cheap insult of a prior President whom, the meme implies, is a “traitor.” That’s special when evidence is compelling 3/12

that trump occupies the Oval Office thanks to Vladimir Putin’s misinformation, disinformation and hacking. [FN10] We might be in the end days of our republic. It’s not simply that we have to be careful what we refer to as “facts.” When someone simply reposts crap, 4/12

we need to correct them if they view it as factual. Who are we trying to convince? Probably not people like HS, who repost doggerel that makes the rounds of FB. But the people who sat out 2024, or the people who voted for trump in 5/12

numbers close enough that the election was hacked. The meme claimed trump is scrutinized over every word he speaks. I only wish that was the case. Had the scrutiny been that great, he would be in Russia. They always take care of their moles. 6/12

Footnotes:
FN1. That’s for “High School,” specifically Western High School, near Russiaville, Indiana, from which we graduated long ago.
FN2. The phrase is mine, not his.
FN3. My reply to HS’s post: “Okay: unfriended. Fuck yourself. trump certainly will fuck the country.” 7/12

FN4. The post has been passed around FB at least as long ago as 2/16/25, byline by a woman from KY. A June version appears to have added an invitation for those who agreed to “copy and paste this to your time line and put your name under the last name.” 8/12

FN5. Behavior is characterized by indirect resistance to the demands of others and avoidance of direct confrontation. Oxford Languages Dictionary, accessed 09/10/25.
FN6. The person says “I don’t want to argue” then takes a whack at the other person acting, her/him self the victim, but not allowing a response. 9/12

FN7. Don’t know who these gentlemen are? Go to a library, find the reference section, and look up the call number for pop culture. Or ask for help from a librarian. They know what they are doing and they enjoy their work: helping people learn. 10/12

FN8. AI = “artificial intelligence”; it should not be mistaken for A1, a/k/a “A One,” a steak sauce, an error of identification committed by the current Secretary of Education.
FN9. And, to be clear, I do not disparage A1, but a Sec’y of Education who doesn’t know the difference. 11/12

FN10. E.g., start w/2016 and findings in Adversaries Against the United States Act; U.S. intelligence agencies determined Russian Pres Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the United States presidential election.’” 22 U.S.C. § 9501(6). 12/12