My Foreshortened Views on the News

June 10/11, 2025

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

George Orwell, “1984”

On a day in which Donald doubled his desire for National Guard troops in Los Angeles from 2,000 to 4,000 to guard a cluster of federal buildings in downtown LA against mostly peaceful demonstrators and then added 700 active duty Marines. For what? Force Protection? Against whom? Operationally what Donald is doing makes zero sense. Politically, it sets him up to try to take more power and the only way it makes any sense is when it is viewed through the prism of his authoritarian ambitions. Which means it’s not a bright shiny distraction, it’s Trumps main show. For now.

In the meantime, MAGA Mike Johnson continues to talk up the Huge Heinous Bill even as his Senate colleagues eye it nervously seemingly trapped in the middle of constituents who hate it, Elon Musk who claims he’ll fund opponents against those who vote for it, and the Donald who sits Fuhrer-like atop the Republican Party calling the shots. While the Supreme Court gives DOGE access to all Americans most private data thus setting the stage for more efficient authoritarianism.

And then there’s Stephen Miller, the cynical architect of the anti-immigrant movement kowtowing to the white supremacists who are his power base.

Not to mention Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications system which has been installed in the White House against all advice and objections from the White House communications team making the communications somewhat more efficient and far less secure.

And if that’s not enough, RFK Jr. is intent on making America a sicker and weaker nation firing all 17 medical/scientific professionals on the guidance group that is a key part of the vaccine approval process which is used by law by the health insurance industry to determine which vaccines they will cover and, therefore, what Americans can afford to protect themselves against often deadly diseases.

And between Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine has successfully targeted Russian military assets — strategic bombers, ballistic missiles, and the Kerch bridge which is the principal route for military supplies from Russia to Crimea and hence to Russian troops deployed in Ukraine. In return, Russia in an effort to undermine the Ukrainian people’s will to fight back has been mounting massive nighttime drone, artillery, and bomber raids against residential areas in Ukraine’s cities and its civilian infrastructure. For his part, the coward Donald (all Bullies are cowards) tried to blame both sides for the violence when in reality it is Russia which is the aggressor and has been 2/24/2022. He threatens to sanction both but, coward that he is, he will never sanction Vlad the Impaler but may try to sanction Ukraine.

Saturday, June 14 is “No King’s Day”. It’s also Flag Day, and the 250th anniversary of the birthday of the U.S. Army, plus it would have been my mother’s 108th birthday and Donald’s 79 th.