Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Moving right along

Life never stops, except actually rather abruptly for each and every one of us when we die. I am not dead yet, so will keep on living my life here on earth, continuing to report on this platform as long as I can. After a sudden glitch resulted in the loss of some recent blog postings, I thought the blog was done for, but now everything seems to be back to normal again, except for the lost postings. I still don't know what caused that problem, as there is no one at blogspot to tell me. 

This is my antique bed brought here from DC, still waiting for the top ornament to be cut down to fit under this ceiling. Below is the dresser that goes with the bed.


And here is our living room with more of my antique furniture, also brought here from my former DC house, that had been built in 1895.

The leaves on this tree in our yard keep on getting redder, rather, actually pink. Last summer its leaves were all green. This is October now--"Indian summer"  here, with a daytime temperature of about 70 F, then cooler at night. 



                    Donald Trump is still president.



     Mr. Trump has complained loudly and bitterly about what he considers to be unflattering                images of himself, appearing recently in the media. Here below is a fake TIME cover more to the                            president's liking. 





    Mr. Trump discussed the mid-east peace deal with regional leaders. He does deserve credit for 

    having stopped the fighting in that geographic area, at least for now. 


Netanyahu is staying out of jail due mainly to Trump's continued strong support. 

Two Israeli lawmakers were temporarily expelled from their country's parliament 
for holding up signs protesting Trump's speech, also urging:

                                                                    "Recognize Palestine". 

Residents there have begun forming volunteer groups to monitor their neighborhoods. Others honk their 

horns or blow whistles when they see immigration agents nearby.





David Ignatius (Opinion) Washington Post,

‘There was no rebellion’: Trump’s war on U.S. cities is hitting a legal buzzsaw.

Associated Press

Journalists turn in access badges, exit Pentagon rather than agree to new reporting rules





Obama: ‘Inherently corrupting’ for a president to use military ‘against their own people’

Obama commented on Trump's recent use of the military to control demonstrations against himself. 

Such use is certainly unprecedented here in the US.


ABC News

Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids

This is another case of the local versus the US federal government. (Is this a modern-day civil war?)



Washington Post, Community colleges are losing millions in funding under Trump 


 "Fox Reporter Sounds Alarm That Trump’s Polling Is Tanking"


I actually have a daughter who is a federal employee on an unpaid furlough right now. So far, she 
has not been fired outright. Donald Trump could try to fix this situation, but he seems to enjoy helping
only his Republican friends --and not all Republicans either.

Trump says US strikes another boat accused of carrying drugs in waters off Venezuela, killing 6

Is the US now at war with Venezuela? What is the justification for blowing up boats navigating near that country? At least 6 boats have been targeted and sunk. Trump has even been bragging about these strikes. Is there any proof of his accusations of drug transport? And what about due process?  How does he know whether they carried drugs and that they were headed to the US? Even if proven, does transporting drugs merit the death penalty?
Is Donald Trump now king of the oceans, master of the seas, any where and everywhere in the whole wide world? The Trump administration has yet to provide any evidence to lawmakers proving that the boats targeted by the U.S. military in recent fatal strikes were in fact carrying narcotics to our country, nor would that justify blowing them up and killing everyone on board. 

  • Oct. 14: Trump announces the latest U.S. strike in the Caribbean, claiming it killed six “male narco-terrorists.”

Critics fear the boat strikes could pave the way for wider conflict in the region. In addition to the New York Times’ reporting on Venezuela, CNN reported on Wednesday that the U.S. military’s Sept. 19 attack in the Caribbean actually “targeted Colombian nationals on a boat that had left from Colombia,” citing two people briefed by the Pentagon about the strikes. “It is possible that they were Colombians,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on X shortly after the strike. “This means that officials from the U.S... would be guilty of the murder of Colombian citizens.”

“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump said recently. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that in addition to the CIA, “the U.S. military is planning its own possible escalation” and “drawing up options for President Trump to consider, including strikes inside Venezuela.” Can Trump simply order the US military to attack another country without Congress authorizing a war? Of course, Republicans in Congress may prevent any effort to try to stop Trump, just as they have been doing so far. The midterms may be too far away to avert bloodshed in Venezuela. Perhaps a majority of the American public would even approve of the strikes, whether legal or not.
The question would certainly take too long to get to the Supreme Court. What about ramping up efforts to reduce the demand for illegal drugs here at home? It's not just a matter of supply, but also of demand. 


 Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that any checks and balances to hold back President Trump have not worked.


When the Trump Guardrails Fall

The New York Times

October 15, 2025


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Cuban dissident José Daniel Ferrer freed to live in exile in the US | Cuba | The Guardian

Yes, I certainly know José Daniel, having met him in person on various occasions, shaken hands with him, and even shared a mutual embrace, but I can't remember whether we met in Cuba or here in the US or both, as I believe he once visited our former Amnesty International office on DC's Capitol Hill, then returned to Cuba. I've flipped through my Cuba book just now, looking for his name, but never took the time to make an index for either of my books. In any case, although he and I probably last met more than 20 years ago, I'm sure we'd both still recognize each other. He once commented that he didn't need an interpreter to talk with me, since I speak Spanish. I certainly now wish him well and if I should happen to visit my friends and family in Florida again, I will certainly try to meet there with José DanielWe do share some very memorable experiences from Cuba's darkest days. 

I may not actually ever write the fiction book whirling around in my imagination already for more than a year now, always with different endings, but still keeping the same title: Cyber Song.




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