Here is the trailer:
Saturday, 1 November 2025
Truth & Treason
I wanted to write about this movie, but I happened to see it the same weekend as the No Kings protests. I don’t know if it is still in theaters, but I wanted to post about it anyway. It is based on a true story that occurred during World War II in Germany. It is about a young man, I cannot say boy because he was much more mature than that, who decided to stand up and speak the truth. It is not easy to stand against a government that has no shame or integrity. It is not easy to stand when you run the risk of being eliminated for having the audacity to speak against a selfish, narcissistic, authoritarian leader who does not care about his country’s people and treats them like his serfs.
Here is the trailer:
Here is the trailer:
Wednesday, 22 October 2025
No Kings – 2.0
Last Saturday was the No Kings protests. As before, I went to my local protest. Probably the biggest difference from last time was the number of people. This time there were more. Now, I can’t say why, it may have been because last time they attempted to cancel the protests in Minnesota because of the Hortman murders, which happened in the early hours of that day. Or it may be because of something else. Personally, I hope it was because of something else. Given that the number of events was up nationwide I do think there was something else behind the higher turnout.
The crowd was peaceful, with a bit of a festive air. Costumes were common. I saw an eagle, a bear, a couple of chickens, six unicorns and a taco. Yes, a taco. That one was unique and from what I overheard homemade. A number of frog hats were being worn by organizers. They had music and chants. “This is what democracy looks like” was a favorite.
The signs included the normal; “Resist”, “No Kings”, “No Faux King Way”, “Save Democracy”, “Hands Off” (an obvious recycled sign from an earlier protest) etc. But some people came up with some very clever ideas: “Make Nazis Afraid Again”, “Where is Christ in Christian Nationalism? Following Christ means protecting the vulnerable NOT Punishing Them! STOP weaponizing the Christian faith to harm others!” (a crowd favorite judging by the number of photos taken) and “Honk if you’re NOT in the Epstein files” (a personal favorite). I made a new sign, using the traditional “Liberty and Justice for All” on one side (others used that too) and “Tariffs are a Tax on You & Me!”. As before, if I thought a vehicle passing held Trumpers I showed the “Tariff” side, thinking maybe they would actually care about their pocketbook, if not democracy. My unscientific poll of passing vehicles showed a lower rate of occupants giving us the finger or the thumbs down. There were still some who did the roaring engine thing. But over all there was a more positive response. Someone drove by with a Biden head placard, which I really loved. It was like Grandpa Joe was with us. Despite his cognitive decline, a still normal president from the good old days.
Here is a small video of Minnesota protests:
Just one more song.
The crowd was peaceful, with a bit of a festive air. Costumes were common. I saw an eagle, a bear, a couple of chickens, six unicorns and a taco. Yes, a taco. That one was unique and from what I overheard homemade. A number of frog hats were being worn by organizers. They had music and chants. “This is what democracy looks like” was a favorite.
The signs included the normal; “Resist”, “No Kings”, “No Faux King Way”, “Save Democracy”, “Hands Off” (an obvious recycled sign from an earlier protest) etc. But some people came up with some very clever ideas: “Make Nazis Afraid Again”, “Where is Christ in Christian Nationalism? Following Christ means protecting the vulnerable NOT Punishing Them! STOP weaponizing the Christian faith to harm others!” (a crowd favorite judging by the number of photos taken) and “Honk if you’re NOT in the Epstein files” (a personal favorite). I made a new sign, using the traditional “Liberty and Justice for All” on one side (others used that too) and “Tariffs are a Tax on You & Me!”. As before, if I thought a vehicle passing held Trumpers I showed the “Tariff” side, thinking maybe they would actually care about their pocketbook, if not democracy. My unscientific poll of passing vehicles showed a lower rate of occupants giving us the finger or the thumbs down. There were still some who did the roaring engine thing. But over all there was a more positive response. Someone drove by with a Biden head placard, which I really loved. It was like Grandpa Joe was with us. Despite his cognitive decline, a still normal president from the good old days.
Here is a small video of Minnesota protests:
Just one more song.
Monday, 6 October 2025
No Kings – October 18, 2025
On Saturday, October 18, 2025 there will be another No Kings protest nationwide. We are calling all American’s who are concerned with the path Trump has placed our country on to come out and join us.
I have watched with horror as Trump has called out our National Guard and ICE to go to American cities in the guise of cracking down on crime or to deport those he has deemed unwelcome in our country. He has ginned up division and violence to suite his agenda, withholding funds already approved by Congress that help our country function. He has sowed chaos with his haphazard economic and foreign affairs policies.
He is threatening the American people with draconian federal job cuts because the Democrats, finally, stood up and said enough is enough to his cuts to health insurance and Medicaid. Trump has shown time and time again that he does not care about the majority of Americans. He has ignored the law and does exactly as he pleases regardless. The only true thing he has said was that he would be dictator on day one.
So, if you are as concerned about Trump’s behavior, as well as that of the Republicans who are enabling him, please think about coming out on October 18th to show your support for our Constitution and the ideals our country was founded on.
I have watched with horror as Trump has called out our National Guard and ICE to go to American cities in the guise of cracking down on crime or to deport those he has deemed unwelcome in our country. He has ginned up division and violence to suite his agenda, withholding funds already approved by Congress that help our country function. He has sowed chaos with his haphazard economic and foreign affairs policies.
He is threatening the American people with draconian federal job cuts because the Democrats, finally, stood up and said enough is enough to his cuts to health insurance and Medicaid. Trump has shown time and time again that he does not care about the majority of Americans. He has ignored the law and does exactly as he pleases regardless. The only true thing he has said was that he would be dictator on day one.
So, if you are as concerned about Trump’s behavior, as well as that of the Republicans who are enabling him, please think about coming out on October 18th to show your support for our Constitution and the ideals our country was founded on.
You can search for an event near you on the No Kings website by putting in your zip code, or clicking on one of the dots on the map. Given the number of events, the zip code search may be more useful.
Monday, 15 September 2025
Finding Charlie Kirk
On September 10, 2025 Charlie Kirk was shot and killed. I had no clue who he was. I do not frequent college campuses or listen to right wing media. Those were apparently Charlie’s stomping grounds. On this same day there was another shooting at a school in Colorado. The Kirk shooting seemed to overshadow that. It also seemed to get far more attention than the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband earlier this year, at least in MAGA world. So I felt I had to do some research and see who Charlie Kirk was.
I listened to a couple “debates” he engaged in with college students as well as a Q and A he and his wife did for a gathering of young conservative women. I also listened to his show centering around the engagement of Taylor Swift. I am not actually a Swiftie per se, but I do like her. My feeling was that his ultimate goal in the debates was not to exchange ideas, for he was very good at interrupting his opponents and not listening, but to convert those he spoke with, or those who were listening, to his way of thinking. He was proselytizing under the guise of debate. His other venues were just other platforms for him to showcase his ideas, which would be why he was doing them.
I found this debate at Cambridge rather interesting. It’s short.
One of the points I found interesting in the analysis was that when trying to counter the conservative right’s ideas it might be a good idea to try to paint a picture of what those ideas would look like in real life.
I think that what Charlie Kirk was advocating for was a time when women had little or no rights and were treated as little more than chattel by their husbands. Rather like Afghanistan is today. Or perhaps as written in “A Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. Not a world I would like to live in being a woman. For the most part I think I would have issues with a lot of what Charlie Kirk was supporting.
Since Kirk’s murder the responses have been extreme, either crass glee by his detractors or intense grief by his fans. Again, Trump and his supporters have played the divisive card, vilifying everyone on the left as being the cause of Kirk’s death. I beg to differ, the cause of his death was a young man with a gun. A young man whose motive is really yet to be determined, despite all the speculation, as he isn't talking.
Supposedly Charlie Kirk believed in freedom of speech. If that really was the case he must be horrified at the extreme measures his followers are taking to smother it.
I listened to a couple “debates” he engaged in with college students as well as a Q and A he and his wife did for a gathering of young conservative women. I also listened to his show centering around the engagement of Taylor Swift. I am not actually a Swiftie per se, but I do like her. My feeling was that his ultimate goal in the debates was not to exchange ideas, for he was very good at interrupting his opponents and not listening, but to convert those he spoke with, or those who were listening, to his way of thinking. He was proselytizing under the guise of debate. His other venues were just other platforms for him to showcase his ideas, which would be why he was doing them.
I found this debate at Cambridge rather interesting. It’s short.
One of the points I found interesting in the analysis was that when trying to counter the conservative right’s ideas it might be a good idea to try to paint a picture of what those ideas would look like in real life.
I think that what Charlie Kirk was advocating for was a time when women had little or no rights and were treated as little more than chattel by their husbands. Rather like Afghanistan is today. Or perhaps as written in “A Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. Not a world I would like to live in being a woman. For the most part I think I would have issues with a lot of what Charlie Kirk was supporting.
Since Kirk’s murder the responses have been extreme, either crass glee by his detractors or intense grief by his fans. Again, Trump and his supporters have played the divisive card, vilifying everyone on the left as being the cause of Kirk’s death. I beg to differ, the cause of his death was a young man with a gun. A young man whose motive is really yet to be determined, despite all the speculation, as he isn't talking.
Supposedly Charlie Kirk believed in freedom of speech. If that really was the case he must be horrified at the extreme measures his followers are taking to smother it.
Tuesday, 19 August 2025
When Injustice Becomes Law…
Resistance becomes duty. The title plus the first sentence is a quote that some attribute to Thomas Jefferson. Although there is no evidence that he actually wrote that, he did help write this:
"...when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government..."
We are seeing here the start of that “long train of abuses” and with it we are starting to see that resistance to them. It is our duty as citizens to stand up for our country and her ideals. If we do not, how can we call ourselves American?
Words of advice:
It doesn't matter how big or small the contribution to our resistance, it only matters that we do it together. This is our country.
"...when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government..."
We are seeing here the start of that “long train of abuses” and with it we are starting to see that resistance to them. It is our duty as citizens to stand up for our country and her ideals. If we do not, how can we call ourselves American?
Words of advice:
Speaking out:
Showing up In Tennessee:
Protesting In song:
Oh, those trolls:
Sunday, 13 July 2025
After the 4th of July
This year I did not do an annual post on the 4th of July, because I just wasn’t feeling the desire to celebrate our day of Independence when it appears we are going backwards to a time before we had representative government.
Our struggles for independence from the rule of a king started with something as simple as a complaint of being taxed without our input. You remember, right? It was called the Boston Tea Party.
A short overview of what lead up to the “Boston Tea Party”:
While you may be familiar with a movement in the recent past called the Tea Party, it was, perhaps, a misnomer. For the Tea Party was a bit of a precursor to MAGA, the group that supports Donald Trump. Or at least they were part of the Republican Party, which has veered so far to the right as to be unrecognizable.
So now that brings us to today, where we have the “Trump Tariffs” and his “Big, Beautiful Bill”. The tariffs are nothing more than a tax on goods that are imported into this country. That tax will be passed on down the food chain until it reaches the end users, which are you and me. This will lead to reciprocal tariffs by our trading partners on the goods we sell them. Both of these taxes will affect us through higher costs of goods we purchase and hurt our companies that sell overseas affecting their markets and our jobs. After Trump’s first term our agriculture markets took some time to recover from his tariffs.
The “Big, Beautiful Bill” is nothing more than a transfer of wealth to the higher income strata of American society. It has made Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy permanent and cut social programs which help lower income Americans survive. This while eliminating thousands of jobs in the public sector which were in place in departments set up to help our government function smoothly. While you may not have seen the ramifications of these Trump and Republican polices, unless you are one of those fired or rounded up and deported, you will eventually. Someone once said that the United States economy is like a battleship, it doesn’t turn on a dime. And, despite what you may have thought, it was doing quite well under Biden, when compared to other countries.
So where does that leave us? I hold out little hope that the true MAGA followers will ever realize what they have done by supporting Trump and his enablers. Even as many lose their jobs and their families sink further into poverty. They have drunk the Kool-Aid of the Trump cult. If those who voted for Trump, voted third party, or simply sat out the election do not come to understand what they are throwing away, then this country is in serious trouble.
So it was hard to celebrate the 4th of July this year. But, I cannot leave this post with such a depressing ending. Because I do see signs out there of that America which stood together in times of trouble, the America we fought for in our revolution, the America that gives hope for our future.
On July 4th there was a catastrophic flood in Texas. A short video:
They call this a historic flood, but I suspect it will become more of the norm in our future. But what we saw, again, was the strength of those who were affected. We saw people helping each other. We saw some of the grit and determination that this country was founded on. I don’t know if the people there were Trump supporters or not, but they stood together as Americans and that is what really made this country great. It is what we need to get back to, helping all of our citizens, not just those who are fortunate to be born to wealthy parents, and have no clue as to what many Americans are going through. My heart goes out to those affected by those Texas floods. Even as I write this it appears that more flooding may be on the way.
Our struggles for independence from the rule of a king started with something as simple as a complaint of being taxed without our input. You remember, right? It was called the Boston Tea Party.
A short overview of what lead up to the “Boston Tea Party”:
While you may be familiar with a movement in the recent past called the Tea Party, it was, perhaps, a misnomer. For the Tea Party was a bit of a precursor to MAGA, the group that supports Donald Trump. Or at least they were part of the Republican Party, which has veered so far to the right as to be unrecognizable.
So now that brings us to today, where we have the “Trump Tariffs” and his “Big, Beautiful Bill”. The tariffs are nothing more than a tax on goods that are imported into this country. That tax will be passed on down the food chain until it reaches the end users, which are you and me. This will lead to reciprocal tariffs by our trading partners on the goods we sell them. Both of these taxes will affect us through higher costs of goods we purchase and hurt our companies that sell overseas affecting their markets and our jobs. After Trump’s first term our agriculture markets took some time to recover from his tariffs.
The “Big, Beautiful Bill” is nothing more than a transfer of wealth to the higher income strata of American society. It has made Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy permanent and cut social programs which help lower income Americans survive. This while eliminating thousands of jobs in the public sector which were in place in departments set up to help our government function smoothly. While you may not have seen the ramifications of these Trump and Republican polices, unless you are one of those fired or rounded up and deported, you will eventually. Someone once said that the United States economy is like a battleship, it doesn’t turn on a dime. And, despite what you may have thought, it was doing quite well under Biden, when compared to other countries.
So where does that leave us? I hold out little hope that the true MAGA followers will ever realize what they have done by supporting Trump and his enablers. Even as many lose their jobs and their families sink further into poverty. They have drunk the Kool-Aid of the Trump cult. If those who voted for Trump, voted third party, or simply sat out the election do not come to understand what they are throwing away, then this country is in serious trouble.
So it was hard to celebrate the 4th of July this year. But, I cannot leave this post with such a depressing ending. Because I do see signs out there of that America which stood together in times of trouble, the America we fought for in our revolution, the America that gives hope for our future.
On July 4th there was a catastrophic flood in Texas. A short video:
They call this a historic flood, but I suspect it will become more of the norm in our future. But what we saw, again, was the strength of those who were affected. We saw people helping each other. We saw some of the grit and determination that this country was founded on. I don’t know if the people there were Trump supporters or not, but they stood together as Americans and that is what really made this country great. It is what we need to get back to, helping all of our citizens, not just those who are fortunate to be born to wealthy parents, and have no clue as to what many Americans are going through. My heart goes out to those affected by those Texas floods. Even as I write this it appears that more flooding may be on the way.
I just ran across this video tonight and want to add it to this post, because the point made is important. What do we really want our country to be?
Sunday, 15 June 2025
An Assassination in Minnesota
June 14, which is Flag Day and marks the birth of our Army, was a day of tragedy here in Minnesota with the assassination of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. A gunman entered their home in the early morning hours and shot both of them, resulting in their deaths. The attacker had previously entered the home of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife and daughter and shot Hoffman and his wife. At this writing both are expected to survive.
The gunman posed as a police officer, dressing up in tactical gear and driving a vehicle that could be mistaken as a police vehicle at first glance. Here is a brief overview:
The suspect has expressed anti-abortion views in the past and the list of people found in his vehicle included not just Democratic legislators, but abortion rights supporters. A possible motive for his actions. One thing someone pointed out to me and that is interesting, is the time lag between when police found the Hoffmans at 2am and when they encountered the suspect at the Hortman home at around 3:30am. What was he doing for an hour and a half? The distance between the two homes wasn’t very far at all, certainly it would not take that long to travel.
This day was, as you know, the day for the No King’s protests around the country. While I had heard about the shelter in place order for Champlin and Brooklyn Park, I had no idea at the time what was actually transpiring. I did find it a little odd that I heard about it on CNN while having breakfast. Usually fly over country doesn’t really rate national attention. However, it was revealed that the targets of the shooting were state legislators. I had a few errands to run before the protest that I was attending was supposed to start, so I never thought to check my email, and only found out when I arrived a few minutes before the scheduled start of the protest that it had been canceled due to safety concerns. But there were people there and the person who told me about the cancellation said that they were still going. I never considered not going. I had anticipated this protest for too long. As I walked over to the rally point I saw others carrying signs and joining the group. I do not know how many came, or how many chose to stay away, but the crowd seemed to grow as time went by. While I can’t say how many there were, it was a decent size. And, like the other protest I attended, the cars drove by, honking in support or giving us the finger. I didn’t seem to see as many obvious Trumpers in big pick ups as before. There were some clever signs marking the No Kings event and signs for Melissa and Mark. There was, perhaps, a more somber mood than the earlier protest. But the people there, I think, were determined not to let fear rule them. We all seemed to feel that we needed to be there. This was bigger than a single tragedy. And, I suspect, those who died that day would have wanted us to continue on in our fight for our country’s future. From what I have heard there were still many protests around my state, including at the Capitol, where an estimated 25,000 showed up.
Here is one that was actually set to music. I loved the song.
The gunman posed as a police officer, dressing up in tactical gear and driving a vehicle that could be mistaken as a police vehicle at first glance. Here is a brief overview:
The suspect has expressed anti-abortion views in the past and the list of people found in his vehicle included not just Democratic legislators, but abortion rights supporters. A possible motive for his actions. One thing someone pointed out to me and that is interesting, is the time lag between when police found the Hoffmans at 2am and when they encountered the suspect at the Hortman home at around 3:30am. What was he doing for an hour and a half? The distance between the two homes wasn’t very far at all, certainly it would not take that long to travel.
This day was, as you know, the day for the No King’s protests around the country. While I had heard about the shelter in place order for Champlin and Brooklyn Park, I had no idea at the time what was actually transpiring. I did find it a little odd that I heard about it on CNN while having breakfast. Usually fly over country doesn’t really rate national attention. However, it was revealed that the targets of the shooting were state legislators. I had a few errands to run before the protest that I was attending was supposed to start, so I never thought to check my email, and only found out when I arrived a few minutes before the scheduled start of the protest that it had been canceled due to safety concerns. But there were people there and the person who told me about the cancellation said that they were still going. I never considered not going. I had anticipated this protest for too long. As I walked over to the rally point I saw others carrying signs and joining the group. I do not know how many came, or how many chose to stay away, but the crowd seemed to grow as time went by. While I can’t say how many there were, it was a decent size. And, like the other protest I attended, the cars drove by, honking in support or giving us the finger. I didn’t seem to see as many obvious Trumpers in big pick ups as before. There were some clever signs marking the No Kings event and signs for Melissa and Mark. There was, perhaps, a more somber mood than the earlier protest. But the people there, I think, were determined not to let fear rule them. We all seemed to feel that we needed to be there. This was bigger than a single tragedy. And, I suspect, those who died that day would have wanted us to continue on in our fight for our country’s future. From what I have heard there were still many protests around my state, including at the Capitol, where an estimated 25,000 showed up.
Here is one that was actually set to music. I loved the song.
Update: The suspect in the attacks on our legislators and their spouses, Vance Boelter, was arrested the night of June 15th. Kudos to the great job done by our law enforcement.
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