No Kings, No Tyrants, No more Donald Trumps!

 

The gress is now green everywhere. And here's one of many flowering trees we see now all around West Virginia and vicinity,. 

Worrisome messages still keep popping up whenever I open the computer, like one saying "Joe Wi-Fi is unsafe." But most of the quirks in my blog now seem to have disappeared. I don't know if a daughter living elsewhere was able to come in remotely to fix things. In any case, now the blog and my email seem to be doing OK. That's a huge relief. 

Past history and the present moment are all we ever have. The future is always somewhat unpredictable and uncertain, which makes life interesting, exciting, and also rather scary. Are we now headed into a crazy war under these crooks, criminals and crazies? It's starting to look like that might actually be the case. 

Who would have thought we'd ever have Donald Trump back again as our president? Even once was already too much. Maybe the prospect of a woman president had proved just too radical for most American voters, even though it's happened in many other countries, even in Honduras. If Kamala had won, we and the whole world wouldn't be in the unfortunate situation we are in right now.

Return to Homepage

Americans are now paying $4 a gallon for gas.

Here locally, it is $3.99.

All but three members of the president’s top team have given a new meaning to the term ‘pay to play” by pumping millions into Trump’s campaign coffers.

If draining the Swamp was Trump’s big re-election pitch, monetizing it during Trump 2.0 seems to have become his governing philosophy.

Who among this cabinet would risk Trump's wrath by not donating to Trump? We tell you who. Only 3 have dared do that.Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

A new report from the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has found that 20 out of 23 Trump Cabinet members opened their wallets to the tune of at least $35 million flowing into Trump’s campaigns, super PACs, and inauguration fund.

“There’s probably a lot we don’t know about at all,” veteran political analyst Larry Sabato tells The Swamp, referencing America’s murky campaign finance laws.

“There’s just never been a presidency like this. (Let's hope there never will be another one again.)

Why in the world did President Trump give the go-ahead to bomb Iran without any provocation? We know only that Netanyahu had urged him to do that to get himself out of a legal jam. So a compliant Trump just went ahead and did it, while keeping it secret from Congress,although Congressional notification and approval is required by law.  (He knew that Congress would never approve.)

Apparently Bibi's trial on corruptuon charges has now been delayed, but at what cost to the world, the US, Iran, and to Israel itself? A world war may have been ignited, and is perhaps unlikely to be ending anytime soon. Even Yemen is now getting drawn into the fight. People will be killed on all sides, including our own. For what?

‘Canadians don’t want to come here any more’: anger over Trump squeezes US border businesses

                                                                            No  Kings

'No Kings' protests recap: More than 8 million turned out across all 50 states, organizers say

Bruce Springsteen performed at the flagship Minneapolis rally. More than 3,300 protests took place across all 50 states. President Trump has not commented.

Protesters rallied all over West Virginia, including right here in Berkeley Springs.

West Virginians also demonstrated at the state capitol in Charleston.

Folks also rallied against the Trump administration in Washington, DC, and actually all over the nation (an even the world).  

Americans may have voted Donald Trump into office, but many now regret their vote.

                                                      A golden toilet has now appeared  on the DC mall.

Daily Beast, Pope Delivers Holy Warning to Trump in Blistering Address   ARE YOU THERE GOD?

The pontiff said that prayers for war will go unanswered.

Pete Hegseth is on a completely different religious track, reading out a sermon praying that “wicked souls” be “delivered to the eternal damnation” in the fight against Iran. Of course, I regard Hegseth as a liar, an idiot, and a blatant war criminal, someone who had ordered the murders of Caribbean boaters holding up their hands in surrender. Also, although he is Secretary of War (formerly called Defense), he has no military experience whatsoever, except National Guard duty, He was elevated way beyond his capacities and experience. I can only speculate that his family must have made a humongous donation to Donald Trump's campaign.

A broker for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly sought to invest in major defense companies just weeks prior to the commencement of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, a new report has alleged. This is according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Financial Times. (Read all about it there.)

In my own lifetime (88 years so far). I don't recall any US president evoking so much backlash as Donald Trump. GW Bush was not terribly popular, but he was still re-elected. I thought at the time that he was absolutely the worst president I could ever imagine. I never imagined Donald Trump, who in his first term, won the presidency despite losing the popular vote. From there he embarked on his political career, and we have been dealing with the repercussions ever since. 

Daily Beast, Trump Secretly Admits Top Goon ‘Is Crazy’: Wolff

OUT OF CONTROL

We're talking here about RFK Jr., whom Trump appointed as his Secretary of Health. 

RFK Jr. fails to live up to the promise of either his father or his uncle. He now claims that Donald Trump is really an "empath" about losses on the Iranian side, yet, nonetheless, is still going forward with attacks harming and killing civilians, including young children. So is Trump actually an "empath" after all? I once shook hands with RFK Jr,'s late father during his presidential campaign in California, a man who was actually a much more genuine "empath" than his own namesake son. 

=================================================

NY Times, U.S. to Allow Russian Oil Tanker to Reach Cuba, Breaking Blockade  The tanker full of crude oil could reach its expected destination by Tuesday, providing a lifeline to the island amid intense U.S. pressure.

               Cuba has been on blackout once again, but now help is on the way. 

An appeal has just come in on behalf of this young Cuban boy.

Free Jonathan Muir: Cuba Is Imprisoning A Child For His Faith And His Voice And from the Cuba Archive: Message View Raúl Castro: Human cost of his regme / Costo humano de su régimen Unfortunately, I'm no longer doing English/Spanish interpretation in the DC area, but I still get regular requests. Most require showing up in person, though this one may allow participation by zoom. (I have no idea how to do zoom.) Session number 123568/1 Date Thursday, April 02, 2026 Time 07:30 AM - 09:30 AM (EDT) Language Pair English to Spanish Service Onsite Consecutive Interpretation Subject Matter Hearing Location Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20006-6807 Notes Immigration hearing at the attorney's office (on Zoom). ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Musings and observations  Lately, I've been thinking about Savannah Guthrie and her dear mother's probable death. Who could have anticipated that Savannah's own success in her media job in the east might have resulted in likely fatal harm to her mother living thousands of miles away? There are so many connections and links that we don't immediately recognize in our increasingly interconnected world. Someone apparently wanted to hurt Savannah via her mother's abduction. Whatever was in that person's twisted mind was something completely unknown and unpredictable.The mother had lived quietly for years quite safely in her Arizona home.  I also have noted how frequently we all, myself included, collude to keep everyday "secrets" in our local communities to maintain heighborhood peace and social tranquility. For example, it may be common knowledge that a spouse is being unfathful, even if their partner seems blissfully unaware of it. Nor do we remark when one child in a family looks nothing like his or her siblings. And when someone flaunts wealth they seem not to have earned, we usually say nothing. Or when a person tells an obvious lie, we often don't call them out on it. Frequently, an elderly indiviual or a child with a terminal illness won't be told about their prognosis. All these subterfuges serve to keep our society functioning more or less smoothly..Sometimes, I wonder if secrets are being kept from me just for my own protection? If so, I'd prefer not to know that is the case.

And now from the mastercook, my friend Susan back in DC, spinach and onion quiche. 

Now what?

        Dear readers, if the last few postings of my blog have come out overlapped or otherwise confused, my apologies. If so, I don't know if that's a result of bugs in my own system or what. Even I myself cannot get a clear posting when I open the blog via the internet, though things look just fine when they are being posted. I probably should ask an expert to come in to take a look. I also have not been able to renew my virus scan, so that may be part of the problem.          

 Here's my younger daughter with a sign she made for the No Kings march. 

Wash. Post, No Kings protests draw crowds, with record number taking place across U.S.

With President Donald Trump’s approval ratings hitting new lows and people accusing the administration of trampling democracy, protesters filled the streets at more than 3,300 rallies across all 50 states.

                            Here was the No Kings crowd in NY City.

                        And here were No Kings demonstrators marching in Washington. DC. 

Return to Homepage

'No Kings' protests live updates: Springsteen performs at Minneapolis rally as millions take to the streets across the U.S.

Bruce Springsteen, Bernie Sanders and Jane Fonda are at the Minneapolis rally. Tens of thousands more marched through Times Square in NYC and past the Lincoln Memorial in D.C.

Donald Trump has made sure that his name stays in the headlines. He always gets folks talking, not only here in the US, but all around the world. He may sleep a lot during the day and he often gets confused, and he also frequntly repeats or even contradicts himself. But whatever Trump says or does, then you and I will hear all about it, and so will people everywhere. One of his latest remarks is: "I don’t want a stupid person being president." Hmm.

Here's a West Virginia vista found not far from where we live now. We live in such a beautiful region.

Regarding the daffodils found growing along the roadside, as shown in a previous post, an alert blog reader has noted: 

    "Daffodils grow from bulbs, not seeds so it’s intriguing to find them in uninhabited places."

                                         Someone must have planted the bulbs there years ago. 

NY Times, Hegseth Strikes Two Black and Two Female Officers From Promotion List

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s highly unusual decision to remove officers from a one-star promotion list has spurred allegations of racial and gender bias.

Pete Hegseth, the grossly unqualified Secretary of War, whose own military service has consisted of National Guard duty and who had even ordered strikes on surrendering Caribbean boaters--an actual war crime--still has the nerve--the unmitgated gall--to bar promotions of black and female officers who have actually served in the US armed forces, served honorably. Hegseth needs to start out now beginning in boot camp and let's see how far he gets. He would probably be booted out of boot camp. 

So do we really have to wait almost 3 more years to get rid of these birdbrains and incompetents? In fact, birds are actually much smarter. 

\

New poll: Majority of Americans say US military action against Iran has gone too far

The US had no reason to attack Iran to begin with, except that Bibi Netanyahu wanted to postpone his corruption trial and thought that would be a great diversion. A very befuddled, very suggestible Donald Trump agreed and also promised to keep the plan a secret. But now with Iranian missiles falling too close to home for Israel, it's high time for a complete ceasefire on all sides. Let's just have everyone just stop attacking and killing each other for now. Then, over time, we may almost forget what the fighting was all about. That's actually what happened between the US and Vietnam. And we also need to remember that Germany, Japan, and China were once implacable foes of our country, led by evildoers beyond redemption, but no longer, though China still remains suspect. 

Simply stopping the Iran war for now, just to talk things over, is the best way to stop hostilities. To keep on attacking relentlessly just invites more retaliation. Call the talks a pause, a ceasefire, a break, or whatever, just stop the killing and keep on extending the talks until finally everyone forgets what the fighting was all about. And then everyone may also soon forget about Netanyahu and whatever he was actually accused of doing, now becoming just a footnote in the history books. 

By saying this, I don't mean to imply that Iran and its leadership are blameless or shining paragons of virtue. Iran does not elect its leaders by a completely fair and democratic system. Women there do have the right to vote and can run for office, but, in fact, few women are in leadership positions. (We can say much the same thing about the USA.) Iranian women also wear headscarves and flowing garnents covering their bodies. as is done in many Muslim countries allied with the US. 

Washington Post

Nearly 1,500 Iranian civilians killed by U.S. and Israeli strikes, report says

March 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. military has fired over 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in four weeks ‌of war with Iran, burning through the ‌precision weapons at a rate that has alarmed some Pentagon officials ​and prompted internal discussions about how to make more available, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

If there is now a pause, then a ceasefire, it means we don't have to worry about running out of missiles.

 

                        In Iran, American and Israeli flags are still being set ablaze. 

Better to burn flags than to fight. 

AP, 

• Two officials from Pakistan described the 15-point U.S. proposal broadly, saying it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped.
• Iran issued its own plan via state TV, which includes a halt to killings of its officials, means to make sure no other war is waged against it, reparations for the war, the end of hostilities, and Iran’s “exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”

The 2 sides should just continue talking about their own ceasefire plans and what each side hopes to achieve, then simply persist even longer with these talks. But in the meantime, they aren't killing each other and are no longer destroying important structures and just creating more excuses for retaliation. So the 2 sides should just keep on talking and talking, ---then start talking some more. Maybe the 2 sides will even become friends eventually, as has happened in prior wars. 

President Donald Trump has been toying with renaming one of the world’s most critical shipping routes after—who else—himself.  Speaking at an investor forum in Miami, Trump casually referred to the Strait of Hormuz as the “Strait of Trump,” before quickly correcting himself, then insisting it wasn’t actually a slip

Here's an answer to a reader's question about my views on abortion, though that has not been a prominent issue right now nor recentky discussed here.   

I believe that an individual life begins at conception. I consider that a fact. So no, I do not support abortion, which does away with (kills) that incipient life in its earliest essential stages. Contraception is fine, as egg and sperm do not then unite to form the beginning of a specific human being. Many early embryos are lost spontaneously, so the particular persons they would have become are lost. They never had a chance to live, which may be fortunate or unfortunate, depending on what sort of persons they would have become and the lives they might have led.

In Honduras, where abortion has not been permitted, unexpected pregnancies often lead to births of children who then become cherished family members. It happens all the time. People adapt to all sorts of unwanted and unanticipated events, including divorce, disability, and the loss of family members--or the arrival of a newborn they had never wanted but who then becomes a cherished family member. Look at the families of people you know or even at your own family. Any number of well-known, successful, and famous people might have had their life cut short if abortion had been more readily available. Individual lives, actual people, that's all we've got. And they all start out in the very same way. 

Nor do I support the death penalty, sometimes a hard position to argue in a specific case. Death will come to us all, but I believe everyone should have a chance to live as long as possible, even a fetus just starting out in the womb, even someone on death row--I support human life from womb to tomb. Most conceptions are often somewhat of a surprise, though rarely completely unanticipated. And certainly, every person conceived is totally unique, born with special qualities that are very unexpected in so many ways which make them just who they are. And that's how it's always been ever since time immemorial.