A woman who doesn't understand democratic government

In a front page article on “Voters’ Distrust,” a woman from Pennsylvania was quoted about her opinion of Gov. Josh Shapiro.  She described his position on a data center in her town as an “about-face.”  

She said, “ I don’t trust him now.  He’s just saying what he needs to get votes.”  Yes, and I love him for it.  He is responding to the will of the people.  That is what is supposed to happen in a democracy.  Politicians are supposed to reflect what we want.

I take pride in changing my mind on certain political issues as I learn more about them and realize I was wrong.  And no, I am not going to embarrass myself and detail what some of those issues were.  And thank you, Gov. Shapiro, for listening to the people of Pennsylvania.

3400 housing units on the West Bank

If there is to ever be an independent Palestinian state, the core of that state would be the West Bank.  But an election is coming up next month and Netanyahu wants to shore up support from his right-wing allies.  The Israeli government has approved a 3,400 unit housing development in the West Bank.  

Bidding opened in August for the project.  It will close on Oct. 19.  The election is scheduled for Oct. 27.  The U.S. has, of course, not publicly opposed the project.

For more information see Isabel Kershner, “ E1, Israel’s Disputed West Bank Settlement Plan,” New York Times, (Oct. 18, 2026), p. A5. 

Annihilating Iran?

I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation on the efforts of the United Nations to end Third World colonization.  I spent a month working as in intern at the U.N. headquarters in New York.  I loved just walking into the building.  I loved being associated, even for a few weeks, with an organization committed to world peace, however inadequate it was in realizing that goal.

Today the President of the United States defiled the U.N.  He gave a speech in which he threatened to “annihilate” the 90 million people of Iran.  Think about that. 

Affirmative Action for Jared Kushner

The latest issue of the New Yorker has an article by Dexter Filkins on Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.  What a crook Kushner is.  What a crook Kushner’s father was, sentenced to two years for tax evasion, witness tampering and wire fraud.  (Today he is ambassador to France.)

Jared wasn’t the brightest student, so how did he get into Harvard?  It’s not like he was a DEI student.  What he did have going for him was that his father gave Harvard two and a half million dollars.  That did the trick.

Now this rich little son-in-law is out making billions from foreign countries because of his connections with Donald Trump.  The corruption of these people is unbelievable.

This is exactly who we are

I’ll bet you have heard the phrase “This is not who we are” any number of times.  It is certainly in use since Trump was inaugurated in January 2025.  

It is time to own up.  This is who we are.  We have held migrants in tiny cages, called “small metal enclosures” by the Department of Homeland Security.  According to the report, “the use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards of humane treatment.” 

The report, produced by an internal Department watchdog, was then denied by the Department.  “All detainee facilities are clean, and any allegations of inhumane conditions or excessive use of force are FALSE.”[ibid.]  The cages were used at the detention facility called Alligator Alcatraz.  That is so cute, isn’t it?  Trump made jokes about it.

Gov. DeSantis said conditions at the state-run facility were part of the state’s efforts to remove criminals in the country illegally from the streets of Florida.  The governor’s communications director said “left-wing media wants to focus on a confinement area for violent criminal aliens who have proven they cannot remain peaceful while awaiting deportation.  He added, “[W]e’d make it even smaller if we could.”

We are also paying countries to take deportees who have no connection to their destinations.  For example, we are paying Equatorial Guinea to take deportees, a country where those deportees are kept in prisons and horribly mistreated.

I’m going to imitate Trump in a Truth Social post:  THIS IS EXACTLY WHO WE ARE.  IT IS WHAT WE HAVE BECOME.  WE ELECTED THIS DICTATOR, AND OUR COURTS, OUR CONGRESS, AND OUR BILLIONAIRES PERMIT THIS.  AND COME NOVEMBER, WE HAD BETTER STOP THIS.

Goofing off

Some readers have told me the posts are too serious, not funny, too dry.  So, thanks to my friend Bill in North Carolina, here are three items to amuse you:

1.  Kash Patel has a new book out:  50 Shades of Hay.

2.  Headline:  “Fox relieved to learn that Trump is only banning news networks from the White House.”  (That one was from Andy Borowitz.)

3.  Old Soviet Union Joke:  

Guy stops by the news stand every day, scans the front page, doesn’t buy the paper.  One day the vendor asks what he’s up to.

Guy says, I’m looking for an obituary.

Vendor:  Those are toward the back of the paper, comrade.

Guy:  Not the one I’m looking for.

"volunteer my ass off"

Tonight I spoke to a woman whose name I was given as a possible volunteer for the Democratic campaign this fall.  She was so pleased to be contacted and said she was, and I quote, “ready to volunteer my ass off.”  It is that kind of attitude and commitment that will propel Democratic candidates to victory in November.