Three years and 3 months still left to go! Whew!

 

Now at age 87, may I live to see the day that Donald Trump is no longer our president! Even another Repubican would probably be better.. But I do remember when I thought that George W. Bush was the very worst president I could ever imagine. These days, in retrospect, he seemed rather goofy, but not all that terrible after all.  

Will the computer deities please cooperate with me now, not only by helping with the survival of this blog, but with promoting my own personal survival until that happy day when Trump has thankfully retired for good? 

Being able to express my feelings now on this blog actually has been quite worthwhile for me, though my readership remains quite modest. I am not trying to reach lots of readers, just folks I actually know living nearby and met all around the world during my travels for humaniaiarian causes. I'm not advertising any product, as so many do, which then gives them a financial kickback and probably influences their postings. No, we are free of sponsors here, just me communicating with all of you. 

History will look back on Trump's time in office as a calamity for our nation and the world. Much remediation will be needed by the time he finally leaves office! How can one man inflict so much damage so quickly? And this time, a plurality, though not an actual majority, of voters actually chose him as our president! What were they thinking? The man seems to lack even ordinary common sense. What particular skills and expertise, if any, does he have to offer as president? Some now do regret voting for him. So let's just  shut down any and all talk about a possible 3rd term! Enough already! 

I've been trying to focus more these days on local news and events, like our upcoming Apple Butter Festival, taking place here in Berkeley Springs on Oct. 10th and 11th. That's something to look forward to.

Greg, a former DC neighbor has called me several times on my home phone (no cell), but the call always breaks up while we are talking, especially at night. The problem may originate here because of our remote rural location, as back in DC, I was able to fairly often get calls from all over the world. 

Greg's daughter Alison had once visited us here, as I reported at the time. 

The Washington Post

‘Kissing bug’ disease is now endemic in the U.S., researchers say. What is it?

Chagas is an infectious disease caused by a parasite found in the feces of the triatomine bug.common in Mexico, Central America, and Mexico. In some cases, it can cause congestive heart failure. 

When my late son Andrew was just a baby, I took him with me to visit friends in Colombia where a Chagas bug, also called a Chinche, fell down from a straw roof one night, landing right on the bed where we were sleeping. I woke up just in time to crush it before it bit me or my baby. A photo of the insect appears on page 159 of my Honduras book.

Google says, Chagas disease is common in places where the triatomine bug transmits the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. These places include South America, Central America, and Mexico. The disease can be mild, causing swelling and fever, or it can be long lasting. Left untreated, it can cause congestive heart failure. Treatment for Chagas disease focuses on taking medications that kill the parasite and on managing symptoms.

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Wash. Post, National Guard documents cite public ‘fear,’ veterans’ ‘shame’ over D.C. presence

New Mexico will be the first state to make child care free

Many American mothers want to accept paid work outside the home, so having free child care, as 

in some Scandanavian countries and now in New Mexico, makes that much easier for them. The 

provision of free childcare may also incentivize more births, something that New Mexico (and other 

states) may want to encourage. 

Let's not have a complete baby bust, as is occurring in some countries.

Rolling Stone, US Open Crowd booed Trump repeatedly The president received more jeers than cheers at the tennis tournament. Broadcasters tried to block the sound, but did not wholly succeed. 

The Athletic,  Donald Trump drew boos and some cheers at the U.S. Open. Here’s what wasn’t shown on TV

Are we now moving toward a police state here in the US, with Trump taking over American cities and with the US military reportedly feeling uncomfortable in the domestic role that Trump has forced upon it? Citizens are also becoming wary about the increasing military presence in their cities. In all my decades of living in this country, I have never before seen anything like this. It's starting to feel like a Trump dictatorship. 

Wash. Post, Larry Ellison surpasses Elon Musk as world’s richest person

                            At what point does great wealth become a liability rather than an asset? 

Wash. Post, ‘Who did you vote for?’: Former FBI leaders sue [Kash] Patel, alleging politically motivated firings

Former acting FBI director Brian Driscoll alleged that a Trump administration official asked questions including: “Who did you vote for?,” “When did you start supporting President Trump?” and “Have you voted for a Democrat in the last five elections?”

 FBI leaders allege in lawsuit they were unlawfully fired over political loyalty

Wash. Post, DC Protesters call Trump 'Hitler of Our Time

Attorney says Hyundai workers detained by ICE brought in for specialized work https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5493438-korean-hyundai-workers-specialized-work/ https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5493438-korean-hyundai-workers-specialized-work/?tbref=hp

They just came to help and weren't planning to stay, their attorney says. Trump and his associates have been too focused on obsessively keeping people out of the country, when many of those coming from elsewhere actually can offer much needed skills. And we really could use more people of working age in this country, given the preponderance of old folks like me. How was this country populated to begin with? By having outsiders coming in to join the indigenous people already living here. 

Leaked Ice document shows worker detained in Hyundai raid had valid visa

Even if now allowed to work in the US, he probably won't want to stay. 

Wash. Post, Israeli strike takes fight with Hamas to Qatar, key intermediary in Gaza talks

Maybe Netanyahu is deliberately prologing the war for his own protection.

Wash. Post, Israeli strike targets Hamas leadership in Doha; U.S., Qatar criticizes it

The Hill, Trump "feels very bad" about Israel Strike on Qatar: White House

Qatar has been a US ally. 

How "bad" does Trump feel, bad enough to stop aid to Israel?  

Aljazeera, Israel’s deadly attack on Hamas in Qatar draws global condemnation

Israel vows to strike foes anywhere after Qatar attack

Does Trump dare even to threaten no more aid? (Probably not.) What about instead aiding Hamas? 

(That's never going to happen either--but let's still mention that option?) 

Hamas claims leadership survived Israeli strike on Doha

BBC

https://www.bbc.com › news › 

 Israel carried out the strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar's capital Doha, which Hamas claims its leadership team survived. However, Hamas says at least six people were killed in the attack. 

Israel escalates attacks on Gaza City as Qatar strike scuttles ceasefire talks

Gaza City residents face an almost impossible choice as Israel steps up attacks: escape and try to survive elsewhere in the enclave, or risk probable death.

Is Israel now trying to sabotague the peace talks? Netanyahu seems to be deliberately prolonging the war to save himself. While I would consider him a blatant war criminal, Trump still supports Netanyahu, though now expressing some misgivings, yet continuing to finance Israel's war efforts to take over Gaza using our tax dollars. Aren't we then all complicit in Israel's war crimes?

According to Google: As of September 2025, Donald Trump, as the sitting U.S. president, has overseen the provision of billions of dollars in military aid and weapons to Israel, accelerating transfers and sales. His administration has continued to provide aid under a 10-year agreement while also expediting additional arms packages, often bypassing normal congressional review. 

 Reuters, Cuba's electrical grid collapses in nationwide blackout

No longer is the USSR providing Cuba with massive aid. The island nation has few friends anymore.

NY Post,DOJ shuts down $18M human smuggling scheme that brought hundreds of Cubans to US https://nypost.com/2025/09/07/us-news/doj-shuts-down-18m-human-smuggling-scheme-that-brought-hundreds-of-cubans-to-us/

Trump often makes private comments to his aides. What is he saying here?

Wash. Post, Appeals court denies Trump effort to toss $83 million judgment in E. Jean Carroll case

E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump is the name of two related lawsuits by American author E. Jean Carroll against U.S. President Donald Trump. The two suits resulted in a total of $88.3 million in damages being awarded to Carroll; both cases are under appeal. Both cases were related to Carroll's accusation from mid-2019 (during Trump's first term) that he sexually assaulted her in late 1995 or early 1996. Trump denied the allegations, prompting Carroll to sue him for defamation in November 2019.

In November 2022, Carroll filed her second suit against Trump (a.k.a. Carroll II), renewing her claim of defamation and adding a claim of battery under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law allowing sexual-assault victims to file civil suits beyond expired statutes of limitations.This suit went to trial in April 2023. Evidence included testimony from two friends Carroll spoke to after the alleged incident, a photograph of Carroll with Trump in 1987, testimony from two women who had separately accused Trump of sexual assault, footage from the Trump Access Hollywood tape and his October 2022 deposition. A jury verdict in May 2023 found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, and ordered him to pay US$5 million in damages. Trump made an unsuccessful counterclaim and in December 2024, lost his initial appeal... In August 2023, [Judge Lewis] Kaplan dismissed a countersuit and wrote that Carroll's accusation of rape is "substantially true".

However, it appears that Mr. Trump has never actually paid up. (He probably never intends to do so.) 

NBCUniversal, 61% disapprove of Trump's handling of inflation and cost of living: Poll

Three more years, folks! 

Amigos de  Honduras, a newsletter by and for former Peace Corps volunteers like me who once served there, has reported on a federal lawsuit filed by a Honduran mother and her two children against the Trump administration after ICE agents arrested them outside an immigration courthhouse in May. One child is a 6-year-old boy with leukemia. The arrests were part of Trump's efforts to increase immigration enforcement. The family has since been released from federal custody but may still be deported. 

Is this the sort of action that Trump voters had envisioned? What can be done now to change the direction of this government, which is gratuitously harming so many people both here and all around the world? With more than 3 years left to go, do we just have to endure all of Trump's harmful whims and impulses? Some Trump voters have been pubicly expressing buyers' remorse.

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What can we do? Does assuming an attitude of optimstic nihilism help? 

Google, the ultimate authority on almost everything, tells us: Optimistic nihilism is a philosophy gaining adherents by asserting that because life has no inherent, universal meaning, individuals are free to create their own meaning and purpose, leading to a liberating and hopeful approach to existence rather than despair. It encourages embracing this freedom to pursue personal happiness, connect with others, and explore the world, recognizing that in a vast, ultimately pointless universe, the only things that truly matter are the experiences we create and the personal values we choose to uphold. 

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Birthrates have been falling now all over the world, but especially in asia, with South Korea having the 

lowest rate, an average of .75 children per woman.  Other asian countries, including China and Japan, also have low birthrates. The highest fertility rates 

are found in Africa, with Chad having the highest rate, an average of 6 children per woman. In South Sudan, 

where I once had a mission, as reported here earlier, the rate is 4 chilren per woman. 

The US birthrate is now only 1.6 births per woman when the figure for national sustainability is 2.1. 

Fewer abortions would mean more births. Many women unable to easily get abortions have gone on to give birth to cherished children. I've cited several examples previously on this blog. It's only natural to feel concern about an unexpected change. Often a first pregnancy arouses anxiety even for women planning to have children. It certainly helps to have a supportive partner during a pregnancy, so men also need to step up to the plate. Otherwise, we will end up here like some asian countries, top-heavy with oldsters just like me.  

Pro-life billboards have been showing up here locally in West Virginia. Unlike many registered Democracts, I've never supported "abortion rights." As both an adoptive and a birth mother, I believe that expectant mothers and not-as-yet-born babies both have rights. Therefore, I do support the campaign in West Va. now posting pro-life billboards in our region. People need to think about what abortion really means. I also would advocate for providing more support, both financial and emotional, for expectant and new mothers, especially for those now struggling with a surprise pregnancy. I myself would like to get more personally involved in providing such support, so need to find out about how best to do that. 

We'll sign off here now with this image by unnamed woman artist featured in the Washington Post.