The Enemy Within
If there is but one lesson to be learned thus far since the elections of November 5, 2024 it is this: Right-wing activists are hell-bent on upsetting and replacing every tradition, purpose, promise, and gains made in forming our democracy over the past 248 years. But instead of putting forth a plan to re-vitalize America and our values, they want to tear down and eliminate everything we stand for. In their place they would a create a dictator out of Donald Trump, easily the most prolific and offensive liar who ever lived. Most alarming of all is the fact that he will again have the nuclear codes with which to end life on Earth for humanity as we know it. Is this the goal instilled in his MAGA lemmings? Most importantly, are we too pre-occupied or too apathetic to let it happen?
Economics: The international scene is alive with fears, fakery, and chicanery. Trump has promised from day 1 to implement tariffs on Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese imports. His objective is to teach them a lesson about food, oil, and car prices. I am certain they never taught such nonsense at the Wharton School of Business. Not only would those countries retaliate, we would pay for Trump’s actions with higher prices for imports from those countries, higher inflation at home, more credit tightening from the Fed, lower GDP, and the need to deal with an accelerating public debt. And that is just the start. Like wildfire, these actions would spread around the world. Perhaps they don’t teach it in schools these days, but Herbert Hoover and the Congress tried that bit of nonsense back in 1930. It’s documented in the Smoot-Hawley Act. The result: A worldwide depression that lasted for at least 10 years. The US unemployment rate soared to 25 percent. An axis of dictators arose in Germany, Italy, and Japan that brought on WWII and 50 million human deaths followed before they could be stopped.
Nuclear War: Strange, but Trump thinks he has a friend in Vladimir Putin. But Putin believes he has a “useful idiot” in Trump. Putin wants Ukraine, while Trump is ready to cut off aid to Ukraine and let Putin take Ukraine. Trump promises to abandon NATO. Putin now promises to nuke the US and our allies if any nuclear weapons are brought into Ukraine. Why would he not move on Poland, Finland, and the rest of Europe? BTW, Putin has a “dead hand” policy about his nuclear arsenal. If the West tries to kill him or his staff, it will set off an automatic alarm system to his nuclear missiles to launch against the US and western Europe without a verbal order. Imagine the chaos that would arise with the key Defense positions in the hands of appointees with little or no experience.
Not-for-Profit Organizations: Trump hates the truth. Therefore, he has already threatened to form a pact with his Secretary of the Treasury to pull the tax-exempt status of any not-for-profit company who pisses him off by reporting on him. There are 10.6 million such companies in the US with 16 million employees. He would love to shut them all down without going to Congress and asking permission. But, that’s how dictators behave, right?
Trump Appointees: In the time left before Jan. 20, 2025 Trump is assembling a rogues gallery of thugs, misfits, and ignoramuses to fill all the top positions in his presidency. A few notables are Dr. Oz (a discredited MD) to run Medicare and Medicaid; Tulsi Gabbard (with no experience) to run our top 18 Intelligence agencies; Pete Hegseth as our Secretary of Defense, with no experience, to name a few. Many others will have orders to dismantle the very agencies they presumably will lead.
Summary: There is an old saying “May you live in interesting times.” It was meant to be considerably more than interesting, rather, downright difficult times when you will be asked to rise above the fray, to see the distant shore, and you need to fight your way through thick and thin until you have drug your weary body onto the far shore.
One thing is certain about the days and months ahead: They will be “the best of times” if we win, or “the worst of times if we fail.” Given what I see in the lackadaisical attitude of those around me, on TV, and in the news, we don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of pulling through the Trump presidency with our honor intact, our head’s held high, and tales of victory to tell our children and grandchildren. We are locked somewhere between greed and fear, the last refuge of complacency. We need to show the Heritage Foundation (publisher of Project 2025) that they represent a minority point of view. And they lack the courage, the knowledge, and the determination to actuallly shove their dishonorable collection of traitorous projects at those of us who know how to fight--and will.
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Courage is Our Calling
There’s more to life than being a passenger. –Amelia Earhart
Courage is a mindset to want always to stand on the right side of history.
Courage is the resolve to do what our consciences tell us is the right thing to do.
Courage is action to lead, follow, or get out of the way according to our abilities.
Courage is the desire to pay our fair share in the cause of justice.
Courage defends our goals and our vision when we know they define us.
Courage helps a child, the poor, the sick, the disabled, the disadvantaged, the elderly. Courage gives without judging.
Courage speaks with no expectation of reward.
Courage never deals in lies or deceit.
Courage finds inspiration in our heritage.
Courage listens to the wisdom of the ages.
Courage honors our past.
Courage distills our present.
Courage sets the vision for our future.
Courage asks for nothing in return.
Courage is its own motivation.
Courage is its own reward.
Courage is a warrior, a writer, a speaker, a teacher, a scientist, a dancer, a builder, an achiever in life.
Courage is our calling
