WHAT IS IS THE PLAN?

In the news media, political analysts are saying the Democrats’ polling is the lowest it’s ever been, and they just don’t have a plan that the American people can trust to jump on board with. They just keep attacking donald j trump’s tyrannical behavior and decisions, and want the people to stand up for democracy. Analysts say people care more about putting food on the table than about democracy. While some of that is true, people must be free to have the opportunity to provide for their families’ needs; without it, it’s hard to believe in anything else, as James Carville, ‘a man I respect’, has always said it’s about the economy, stupid. We all know that we can’t keep the current administration in office and have a free country. The cost of living is too high for low and middle-income people to meet their families’ needs. For instance, the number of homeless people living on the streets increases yearly. Rent and utility costs go up continuously, as do healthcare and insurance prices, grocery store prices, fuel prices, and childcare costs; all of this has destroyed most family budgets, and most have to use credit cards to make ends meet. There will be many candidates running for office this fall, and all summer, they will be telling us how bad their opponent is, and then they will tell us they will fix inflation, healthcare, and childcare, along with creating jobs, and tax breaks to put money in our pockets, and lower prices for groceries to put food on our tables. The current administration promised all those things, but never had a plan and never accomplished anything, except to put us in a War that caused fuel prices to escalate. They did manage to close the border with a military presence, with no plan for a workable immigration policy with a path to citizenship. Disabled health research, turned off our educational system, and destroyed the US Agency for International Development, which helped children in the world with healthcare and food. They haven’t helped the middle class or low-income families. They did, however, give high-income individuals and corporations a tax break. They have attacked freedom of the press and free speech. The bottom line is that they have made promises to get elected without a plan, and perhaps never intended to fulfill their promises.

So the Democratic Party must stay away from things like defunding needed institutions, and candidates running for office should focus on the issues at hand in the midterm election this fall. The Democrats must nominate candidates with known high character and leadership abilities. These candidates can go out and communicate with all the people, and must listen to their grievances; it will take more than shaking hands and kissing babies; people must see empathy and believe candidates understand the problems they face. To bring in the independents and those who never voted in the past, and the youth of our country, to save our democracy, candidates must stand up and truthfully explain what they will accomplish for their district, and assure the people they will serve and protect the Constitution, and not leave any doubt that they will serve all the people. They must have a PLAN that will lead them down a path to accomplish what they promised. Because just telling people what’s wrong and promising to fix it just isn’t good enough. To regain the trust of the American people, a candidate must stand up for the Constitution and the American people with determination and strive to fulfill every promise they have made. SO I ask midterm candidates, what’s the plan?

JAMES L GARDNER, ‘the old baby boomer.’

IN REMEMBRANCE OF

I remember back when I was a little kid, I would get in my dad’s little trunk and wear his army cap and his uniform. I have to say, it was just a little too big. My dad served in the Pacific, Uncle William served in Europe, and Uncle Lauren served in Burma. They were all my heroes; they had made it home from World War II. They would never answer my questions about the War. But they were my heroes, somehow I had received a bag of little plastic army men, boy, did I have fun making War with those little men.

In 1868, Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan declared a holiday then known as Decoration Day to honor all the soldiers who died in the Civil War. Today, we call it Memorial Day, a day to mourn all the soldiers who have died in the line of duty. Since 1776, soldiers have paid the price with their lives for independence, freedom, democracy, and the Constitution of the United States of America. I feel guilty because I’ve been a little under the weather and couldn’t visit the cemetery with family and friends. So I just stayed home and watched HBO’s Band of Brothers and a CNN film on Why We Dream, all the while “crying like a baby”.

To all those who lost their lives and served for my freedom, YOU ALL ARE MY HEROES.

JAMES L GARDNER, the old baby boomer

THAT CEMENTS DEMOCRACY TO THE PEOPLE

Many times, I’m sure we all get aggravated with the mainstream press media and newspapers, but do we need them, and is it necessary? Since the beginning of time, kings, emperors, autocrats, and governments have attempted to control free speech because they knew that if people were allowed to speak against them, they would lose control. As people began to speak against a king, emperor, or regime, they were either imprisoned or beheaded. For thousands of years, those in power have sought to maintain control over people and restrict freedom of thought and speech, but people have always resisted and rebelled against such efforts. In the year 1215, the archbishop of Canterbury drafted a charter of liberties, granting the barons the right to be free from the king’s authority, stating that a king is not above the law. It proved that when people stand together for their unalienable rights, like free speech and impartial justice, it marks a path towards democracy. In 1776, the British colonies in America declared their independence. The Committee of Five wrote the Declaration of Independence, which states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that their creator endows them with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This document shocked the world by explaining that these colonies were standing up to a king. America had an operational constitution in 1789. After the convention in 1791, the framers ratified the Bill of Rights as an amendment to the Constitution. Amendment 1 tells us that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Benjamin Franklin wrote, “that there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech”. He believed that “freedom of speech is a pillar of a free government: when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved.”

So the framers of the Constitution knew that without free speech and the free press, the people can’t hold our government accountable for its actions. That’s why Trump calls the media and free press with outstanding journalists who write and speak the truth, terrible people, and attacks these establishments with lawsuits. The current government has an all-out assault on voting rights. Because they know applying limits to keep people from voting weakens and destroys the people’s power to hold them accountable. So I believe we must stand up together for free speech, a free press, and voting rights to hold our government accountable. Without the cement of free speech and voting rights, we will lose our democracy, so stand up, say something, and do something just to make good trouble. Please remember the 1965 protest at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL.

James l Gardner, the old baby boomer

THE ENEMY OF DEMOCRACY

Governor Dimwetty called his secretary of state to his office and said, “Wilbur, have you seen the polls this morning? Our party will lose everywhere from the ground up. We must do something! Wilbur Muckraker replied, “We must look at the map and decide how to redistrict our state to give us the advantage of more representatives per district. “ In other words, let’s select our own voters, instead of voters selecting their representatives,” Governor Dimwetty replied. “Is that constitutional?” “We already did that last year,” Muckraker replied. “The constitution says every 10 years according to the population and doesn’t specify when or how we do it, as long as the legislature in our state approves it.” Well, Wilbur, “let’s get right on it because if we don’t get some votes this fall, our party will be out of power.” Let’s meet with the house leaders and see what they think.”

It appears to me that gerrymandering is just a political party’s way to divide the people and prevent them from voting for their preferred representation in a democracy. It will favor one party or another. The sad part is that, at this time, two major parties are gerrymandering, which will affect competition in primaries at the city, county, state, and federal levels. So what will happen to one person, one vote?

Now, gerrymandering had a different name in 18th-century England: politicians created “rotten boroughs” to gain seats in parliament with only a few eligible voters. Gerrymandering makes it easier to buy votes and divides areas of minority residents to weaken their choice of representation. For the most part, the Supreme Court allows gerrymandering as long as it isn’t racial, and it will not resolve disputes over partisan maps. Gerrymandering, named after Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry in 1812, is still in use today. Still, the thing I don’t understand is why people, and even legislators, say they don’t like gerrymandering, especially when it affects their desired representation, yet gerrymandering is still here. Since 1812, Congress has failed to amend the Constitution to eliminate gerrymandering by declaring that states may redistrict only every 10 years, based on population. They have proposed bills, but none would pass both the House and the Senate.

It seems to me that THE LUST FOR POWER AND MONEY has overcome their oath to serve and protect the Constitution and the rule of law that works for the common good of the people. With the elimination of gerrymandering, the American people will have a more competitive selection of representatives and a one-person, one-vote system to maintain a democracy.

JAMES L GARDNER, the old baby boomer

IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE GREAT JOHN LEWIS AND VOTING RIGHTS, DO SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING, JUST MAKE GOOD TROUBLE

Here we are sitting at the table to create a shopping list. We begin listing all the items we need, and then the tension builds as this simple task becomes more stressful. We discuss and argue about our needs, the money we have available, and when our payday comes, after seeing the bills due. So, my wife stares at me with a scary look. “I’d better keep my big mouth shut.” After arriving at the store, the wife gets a cart and heads down the aisles, looking at prices, sometimes placing items in the cart or scratching items off our list. I got a feeling after observing her burden that I’d better be quiet, just be her gopher, and accept being scolded when I couldn’t find anything. So after several hours of watching her check prices and adjusting the grocery list, I noticed the wife crying and taking deep breaths. I immediately gave her a bottle of water. She said, looking at the cart while holding the list, “This is only half of what we will need before payday.” I replied, “Just one day at a time, from payday to payday, we will make it.” Well, we finally got home, unpacked the groceries, sat down on the couch, and started laughing. I don’t know why I guessed it was a way to relieve the stress of shopping and trying to stretch our income from payday to payday. I remember when shopping could be a good time out, but not so much right now.

When the top end tells us how great the economy is, they say the GDP’s, ‘total monetary value of goods and services produced in a country,’ is good, and then tell us how the stock market is performing, and look at how your 401 (k) ’s are growing. The unemployment rate is under 5%. That’s great. Statistics appear good, but do they tell the whole story? All of this may be good for politics or for moral satisfaction, but not so good for the people in general, or for people with low incomes in particular. The high end can afford to pay higher prices when the stock market goes up. But higher prices for low-income people take away their cash and can cause them to withdraw funds from their 401(k) s or IRAs, thereby depleting their retirement savings. When people can’t meet their families’ needs, many resort to high-interest credit cards, which add to their budgets. When the prices of necessities a family needs to survive rise faster than wages, they become unaffordable. Now the country is beginning to install artificial intelligence in manufacturing; one corporation installs AI. While it worked fine for the company’s bottom line, they laid off and fired thousands of workers. So, how do unemployed workers see any opportunity to get ahead, and where is the affordability? Artificial intelligence could be a great thing when integrated into manufacturing without causing job losses. Because when people lose their jobs, they don’t have money to spend, how can you have a good economy when prices are climbing, and people don’t have any money?

The current administration promised the people it would fix the economy and improve affordability; they said, “Just be patient; it would be just a little pain for a while.” Now, here we are: most can’t afford childcare, healthcare, rent, utilities, gasoline, and car payments. They will wait for the next paycheck to get further behind, so that’s the pain, and the people we elect to government don’t seem to be working for the common good of the people! A man, I respect (James Carville), who has said, “IT’S ABOUT THE ECONOMY, STUPID.”

So, where is the opportunity for people to raise their families and pursue a life with liberty and happiness?

JAMES L GARDNER, the old baby boomer

Since the beginning, there have been human beings with dynamic personalities who have been able to persuade people through propaganda and promises to meet their desires and needs. During a natural disaster or famine, hungry people will listen to someone who promises to feed them and improve their lives. Some dynamic leaders may stand up and be sincerely motivated to help people because they care.

But if we look at history, we will also find that occasionally a charismatic leader will emerge who will deceive the people with deceit and lies because he lusted for power, total control, and wealth, and will do whatever it takes to achieve the desires of his heart with little concern for the people who follow him. Also, sometimes these leaders have a small group or following that plans to achieve the leader’s goals. The result is always the same: for a time, the leader and his small group become very powerful and wealthy, and eventually the people suffer, their lives return to poverty, and their families’ needs go unmet.

So I have always been interested in history and have read many authors and professors, some of whom are here on Substack, so I’m not qualified to put a name to these kinds of leaders; to me, whether they are kings, monarchs, authoritarians, dictators, these kinds of leaders seek to deprive people of their unalienable right of freedom because they have no real concern for people, they are concerned for their own desires for power, wealth and total control. These types of rulers and their groups will constantly try to divide people to gain total control. Eventually, after much suffering, people will rise and remove these leaders; the danger is that new leaders can be worse, so care should be taken in choosing the kind of government they install. All of this has been happening since the beginning of time. Their lust for power, wealth, and total control has enslaved the people with chains or taxes. They know that humankind will not eventually tolerate it, but for a time, they will have their lustful desires met.

It seems to me that far-right populists are assaulting the democracies of the world. Far-right populists know that if they can divide the government and create a one-party system, it will weaken a democracy, and it will be on the brink of extinction.

After living in the United States of America for eighty-one years as a free man with limited opportunities, I made numerous mistakes. Still, I worked for over fifty years, raising a family, and I did it my way. I hope Congress changes some laws, limits the president’s use of executive orders, and ensures voting rights are available to all citizens. If the people want to remain a free people in a democracy, everyone must vote! I CAN’T IMAGINE LIVING IN A COUNTRY WITHOUT FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND FREE SPEECH.

JAMES L GARDNER, the old baby boomer

These former presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, Dwight D Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, understood that the best foreign policy involved working with your Allies through diplomacy to negotiate solutions. However, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon learned that you must be able to negotiate with diplomacy, not with a my-way-or-the-highway approach with bombs, which cost many lives in Vietnam. 20 years in Afghanistan with a my-way-or-highway policy, which accomplished nothing except for loss of life, with the same result in Iraq. The United States of America and the world have had great diplomats who have negotiated great treaties and peace deals. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, TALLYRAND, HENRY KISSINGER, ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, JOHN JAY, GEORGE MARSHALL, NELSON MANDELA, TEDDY ROOSEVELT. Just a few who knew how to have active listening and bridge conflicts to reach an agreement with strategic empathy. Negotiating tactics differ in foreign policy; using aggressive tactics similar to those in a corporate environment, like aggressive threats, a my-way-or-the-highway attitude, and not listening, will probably not resolve a conflict. Constant bombing and threatening to destroy a society is probably not a way to bridge a conflict or negotiate a peace deal. So, a bomb first, then negotiate a treaty or peace agreement, is not very diplomatic and probably will not bring about a long-term peace agreement. Apparently, Donald J. Trump, the current illegal president, should be the top diplomat in his administration; however, he apparently lacks strong diplomatic skills. He believes in what he calls the art of the deal: aggressively getting what he wants through intimidation, extortion, and threats to instill fear. Trump has assigned 3 diplomats who lack the skills to negotiate in foreign affairs. Diplomats must be able to communicate effectively, bridge conflicts, practice active listening, and exercise strategic empathy to build trust and negotiate a workable agreement. So here we are, the diplomats that represent the United States of America, constantly criticizing the US allies, going to Russia to negotiate the War with Ukraine without talking with Ukraine, then going to Hungary to campaign for the autocrat Orbán, a valadimir putin ally, to get him reelected. It just isn’t the kind of foreign policy America needs. CONSIDER the cost this administration has incurred in lives and dollars, the depletion of our military stockpile, and the danger the current foreign policy places on our democracy.

JAMES L GARDNER, the old baby boomer

Spring finally arrived, and here I am, with all vehicles broken down. It’s about time for gardening and lawn mowing, and you can’t even just walk into a grocery store without spending $100, and by the way, if my truck ran, I’m not sure I could afford to put gas in it. After watching the politics and the way our government is cutting away at our democracy, I think it’s safe to say I’m about all stressed out. So Saturday, my granddaughter called me and said, ‘Dad, you gonna come up to our house for easter and help Jensen, “that’s my great-great-grandson,” hunt easter eggs.’ I replied, ‘I can’t because the truck and the van won’t run. ‘She said, “Dad, I will come and get you and Jan and bring you guys home at the end of the day.” Well, I can tell you she didn’t have to ask me twice. So we spent Easter together in prayer, giving thanks for our blessings, and after our meal, we went outside with Jensen and watched him hunt for Easter eggs with determination. It was just a wonderful day. Jensen brought to my attention a rabbit hole in the yard. He said, “Papa, that’s where those rabbits are getting the eggs.” I replied, “Jensen, I believe it is.” Then I watched him count 48 easter eggs. As he was putting the eggs back in the basket, an egg came apart, and a Snickers mini bar fell out. At first Jensen seemed in shock, then he had that oh boy ” smile on his face. This wonderful day with family made me realize how blessed we are to live in the United States of America. I truly hope and pray that everyone had a blessed, peaceful Easter Sunday.

When we were kids, we got pretty good with yo-yos and could make them go up and down, and then go around. We called it around the world, and we could make it go on the floor; we called it walking the dog.

Our grifter with tariffs would ‘make them pay around the world.’ He would ‘wag the dog when things aren’t going his way.’

THE GRIFTER

I tell you folks I’m your guy. I can make our country great again, and we will have more money than ever. So help me beat the other guy, and we can put food on our table. I will fix the economy overnight. I will close the border, which the other guy let millions of illegal immigrants into the country. These people are criminals. I would stop the wars in Europe and the Middle East; they wouldn’t have started if I were in charge. I can stop these wars in a day and be a great peacemaker. I will impose tariffs on all countries, including our allies, to bring factories, great jobs, and tons of money to us. Tariffs are a beautiful thing. Yes, I will open the child molesters’ sex ring files for all to see. So elect me, and we will make our country great again. I want 25 percent tariffs on all countries!

Oh my, countries are complaining, let’s throw some fear at them, ‘will they pay 200,100, now 50, have I got 25, will you give 10.’ Let’s make a deal, as nobody has ever seen. What’s wrong with these people still complaining about affordability? Just look at all the money we brought in with tariffs. I must check and see what the boys and I took in. Look at all the waste I have eliminated with Doge at USAID, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act, the National Parks, and Recreation, NIH, CDC, ‘the boys are gonna like that at tax time’, so what if people complain about the jobs and affordability, ‘so what, just a little pain.’ our economy is great, nobody ever seen it anything like it. Look at all I’m accomplishing with executive decisions, who needs Congress and the Constitution? My lawyers can handle it.’ How about that bitcoin deal? Some are complaining that they lost everything, and now they want it regulated. ‘Well, they were just suckers,’ the boys and I have done alright, made money as nobody has ever seen before. Now they’re having these no-kings protests because I have disregarded the Constitution and Congress with executive orders; these people are crazy, terrible people. I’m the president, I can do anything I want! I will just send my ICE team along with the National Guard to control these cities and instill fear in them. I must deport more immigrants, or I will never catch Obama. Oh my, ICE has killed 2 American citizens in Minneapolis, oh well, must be some of them, domestic terrorists on the left, just terrible people. I will just send the border czar to Minneapolis; he will fix it. Now they want the Epstein files made public. I really didn’t know the guy. “What! They said,” My name is in the files. I want my name redacted. Do you understand me? Tell the AG. Well, they won’t give me the Nobel Peace Prize, so let’s change the name of the Department of Defense. Wow, that’s more like it, let’s name it the Department of War and start bombing fishing boats, allegedly to be drug-muggling boats. Maybe that will get their minds off the Epstein files. But according to the media, ‘just terrible people,’ my numbers in the polls are still going down, so let’s take Venezuela over, arrest their president, maybe we can get some of that oil money in the US. Oh no, they are still raising hell about those Epstein files.

And just maybe the boys and I can skim some off the top. Now they are complaining that we didn’t inform Congress, oh well, my lawyers will take care of that. What! My approval rating is still going down. Those Democrats, who are terrible people, will not vote for the necessary funding by the deadline, and Congress will shut down the government. They want changes to immigration enforcement, not a chance. Well, I will just let‘em all suffer for a while. Of course, I could make an executive decision and fund FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the TSA. We will see where it goes. If my poll ratings drop, I will fund it myself. They will say it’s not legal under the Constitution, but I’m the president; I can do what I want, with the lamebrains we have in Congress. Well, my approval ratings are still going down.

I must do something. Here’s what we will do: negotiate with Iran about its nuclear stockpile for a week. If they don’t agree, we will go to War and say they are an imminent threat to America. Perhaps my approval ratings will go up, and maybe get some of their oil and skim a little for the boys. Wow, so we have defeated their navy, their air force, and bombed all their cities. They have 5 days to surrender. We are making progress with negotiations, wow, the stock market went up, maybe I can make some money there? I will give them 10 days to surrender, or we will bomb their energy grid and send troops to the Strait of Hormuz. Look at how the market went up, boys, and I will make some more money. and just wag the dog with this war, as other presidents have done, and make more money for the boys, no matter the costs.

This grifter’s plan seems to be to confuse, divide, and instill fear with aggression, just to achieve more power and money. It is slowly destroying the United States of America, and we must stand up for democracy.

JAMES L GARDNER ‘THE OLD BABY BOOMER’

So LITTLE NAPOLEON, the once great peacemaker and his sadsack o’bright, SECRETARY OF War, a Nick Fury wannabe, informed us months ago that US bombers had destroyed Iran’s nuclear site. Recently, they concluded that IRAN was still a nuclear threat, gave support to proxy attacks on the Middle East—nothing new about any of this. So the US and ISRAEL attacked IRAN with bombs galore. ISRAEL began to bomb LEBANON, after billions spent on a War and killing innocent people, they found that oil couldn’t get through the Strait of HORMUZ, which means the American people, with the price of oil going up. As energy costs rise, we will ultimately pay the price for everything, as we have seen. DONALD TRUMP, little Napoleon, when he doesn’t get his way, digs in and changes his personality from peacemaker, dealmaker, to god of War, to bully. He has threatened politicians and the media, anyone who doesn’t agree with him, after threatening allies with increased tariffs and now demanding that seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Many of these countries reject this because they didn’t start the War and were not involved in the planning or clarity of the military action. Donald Trump, the little Napoleon, replied that if you fail to do so, it would be very bad for NATO, and said the US would remember what countries didn’t help. And so it just keeps getting clearer as we see all the faces of Donald J. Trump when everything goes his way, it’s okay, when it doesn’t, it’s my way or the highway. I remember when I was a kid in school, we had bullies who would harass or beat up even handicapped students. But when we stood up to them, even if we took a beating, we kept standing up until they went away defeated. folks, we must continue to stand up against DONALD J TRUMP, our little Napoleon, because he will lie, cheat, and change agendas until he gets what he wants.

JAMES L GARDNER,

the old baby boomer

Secretary of Defense (so-called War) has said Peace through Strength, and I’m sure he isn’t the first person who came up with the cornerstone of American foreign policy. So let’s look at it. If the military is strong, then you would think a country would be secure enough to defend itself. This theory has held at times until a strong country begins to overreach from peace into War. So the foreign policy of peace through strength has been around since before World War 2, and now it seems like the countries that built up strength to ensure peace and security are using that strength for War instead. Being born in World 2, from what I have learned from Veterans, America was attacked, but the military wasn’t at full strength to fight a war against Germany and Japan, and then had to build the strength of the military while entering the War. The next War was the Korean War, a war against international communism itself. North Korea attacked South Korea with its strength before it was over. It cost 5 million lives, which included around 38 thousand US service members, 1100 hundred British service members, and thousands were wounded. So, strength brought about a military armistice rather than a peace treaty, so technically the Koreas are in a state of War to this day. So was the Korean War worth 5 million lives? Maybe, maybe not. In the end, history will say.

The Vietnam War was a twenty-year war to stop the communists from taking over Southeast Asia. Even though the US military won major battles, it couldn’t prevent the Viet Cong from attacking with guerrilla warfare and hit-and-run tactics in the jungle. The US failed to stop the communist takeover of the region, and at the cost of the War and with domestic unrest at home, the US had no choice but to make peace and withdraw the military. The US military had around 58,000 dead soldiers and 300,000 wounded soldiers. So, a twenty-year war with a failed objective, where was the peace through strength! I must say to all those soldiers who served in Vietnam, thank you for your service. You were my heroes.

Since Vietnam, the US has had numerous military actions, from Lebanon, Libya, Panama, Iraq War 1, Bosnia, Serbia, and Iraq War 2. The US attacked Iraq for no proven justifiable reason with strength that caused an 8-year War action and cost around 4,500 US soldiers their lives, 32,000 wounded. These soldiers were my heroes, but was the War worth the cost? Then we have the Afghanistan war, a twenty-year war on terrorism that cost around 2500 US soldiers their lives, and an additional 20,000 wounded. A war that ended in a stalemate, a war that started with good intentions, took 20 years to achieve peace. It seems that peace through strength is hard to account for.

Currently, we are using the term peace through strength, not for defense, but to attack Venezuela. capture the country’s president and take charge of its oil, all without consulting Congress or observing international law. What is the objective?

Currently, the US has attacked Iran and bombed its cities, using the term peace through strength as its foreign policy. But what is the objective of this War? We hear something different every day, after bombing an Iranian girls’ school, killing 175 children and losing 7 US military personnel in the process, so again, what is the objective? To be true, the US military will do its job because they are heroes, but what will the cost be?

Peace through strength is a strong foreign policy theory, but it depends on who uses it. If an autocrat pulls the trigger with aggression, then you are at War, and a War without an objective and an endgame could be never-ending!

So Donald Trump (little Napoleon) has declared war on Iran without a declaration by Congress (Article 1, Section 8, clause 11). Donald Trump, the great peacemaker, is at work. It is a great way to distract America’s attention from the Epstein files and the affordability of their needs. However, okay to deal with Iran; the question has always been how to solve the Iran problem for everyone. After the US and Israeli attack on Iran, the claim is that the Supreme Leader is dead. So, what will Donald Trump (little Napoleon) do? Put boots on the ground to bring about regime change, and have another Iraq or Afghanistan? Or leave, telling them no more attempts to achieve nuclear weapons, and then remove the US naval armada in the Gulf. Donald Trump could escalate the war and jeopardize the US naval armada (1/3 of the navy) in the Gulf. So what is the plan? NAPI (Donald Trump) got elected by promising to fix the economy, close the border, which he has done aggressively, and end birthright citizenship, end the Ukraine and Russia war, while saying it would never have started if he were president. NAPI has aggressively suggested taking control of Greenland, Canada, and the Western Hemisphere. His next move was to start campaigning for a Nobel Peace Prize, all the while bombing boats in the Caribbean and capturing President Maduro and taking control of Venezuela. Even though some of these aggressive actions are right or wrong, there are priorities to consider. Donald Trump has stated that American citizens must come first in the State of the Union address. So it’s hard for me to understand how American citizens come first when the president doesn’t even consult Congress on many of his actions. Did he forget that American citizens elect the representatives according to the Constitution to serve and protect them? Donald Trump (little Napoleon), by using Executive decisions for everything and disregarding Congress and the Judicial system at every turn, just sets himself up as a King, which doesn’t do American citizens any good and destroys democracy! So I ask again, what is the plan, LITTLE NAPOLEAN?

THE OLD BABY BOOMER

JAMES L GARDNER

Many have said I’m ignorant and that I lie just to make things up about the Constitution. However, I was ignorant enough to believe that Congress wouldn’t allow an elected official to ever run for office again who had participated in an insurrection. After President Donald J. Trump, on January 6, 2021, sent a mob to the Capitol to change a legally certified election. Almost all elected officials stood up and described the incident as a violent insurrection, a direct assault on democracy. Some said it was an attempt to obstruct the transfer of power. Even though I have been accused of not reading the Constitution i can assure everyone I have, now i’m not a law professor; I just simply read the Constitution with common sense, and i dont believe you need a legal beagle to understand what it means and understand what the framers of the Constitution had in mind. It simply means what it says when you sort it out. so lets look at the 14th amendment section 3:No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

The state of Colorado Supreme Court ruled Donald Trump was disqualified from the presidential primary ballot under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Colorado Supreme Court decision, declaring that enforcing the 14th Amendment was a matter for Congress, not individual states. In 1868, the original writing is said to have included the word president but it was scratched out by the writer. My reason for saying donald j trump is an illegal president is that, as an elected official who took the oath to serve and protect the Constitution and participated in an insurrection, he is not qualified to be president. So why would the president, an elected official, be any more immune to the law than an elected congressman? The thing is congress could have enforced the 14th Amendment on January 6, 2021, and in the 2024 primary election .

So, folks, that’s my opinion: Donald J. Trump is an illegal president. And I’m not sorry I call it like I see it!

The Old Baby Boomer, James l Gardner

Donald J Trump (an illegal president) has been on a journey to gain total control of the United States of America! He has stepped on the Constitution like it was a Big Mac wrapper, and crushed the Bill of Rights like it was a piece of scrap paper. Donald Trump has managed to gain total control of Congress by promising an agenda to the people who elected him that would give them a better life for their families. Congress, intimidated by Donald Trump’s will, has allowed him to use executive orders to skirt the Constitution. Donald Trump has closed down the border, never mind that a congress-approved immigration bill could have done it. He promised voters to stop illegal immigration and remove criminals from the United States of America. Everyone agrees with that; however, the people don’t appreciate using a paramilitary force to harass legal immigrants and citizens in the cities and states that don’t agree with him. It looks like an attempt to control those cities and states. With high prices still hurting people and rent unaffordable, with no relief in sight, people are upset. Donald Trump and the misfits in his cabinet are constantly putting out disgusting rhetoric while at the same time saying the people should tone it down. The campaign promises were to address immigration, end all wars, and fix the economy. With those things not happening, people are protesting their grievances, which is their legal right to do. So, as Donald Trump’s

polling numbers go way down, he begins to attack voting rights with propaganda that there are fraudulent states counting votes, and he wants the federal government to control elections, which would be unconstitutional. The administration has disregarded most judges’ court orders.

But the thing is, the people of the United States of America have stood up with protests like I never seen before across the nation. I believe it has forced Donald Trump and his misfits to show their endgame now, which is to control the votes of the American people. To everyone who stood up in the media and risked themselves in the protests, you are my heroes. It is making a difference, and we must continue to stand up, speak out, and act to make good trouble. SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY

I’m sitting here thinking back to grade school years, standing up in class, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, And To The Republic For Which It Stands, One Nation Under God, Indivisible, With Liberty And Justice For All.” So I begin to think, what does our republic stand for?

Well, back in 1782, our founders decided to make the bald eagle a national emblem symbolizing strength, courage, and freedom, as well as national pride. Since the beginning, America has always stood up for freedom, liberty, democracy, justice, and the pursuit of happiness. like the eagle with a spirit of rugged individualism, and overcoming challenges. A nation that stood up for equal rights for people from all backgrounds. that through hard work, opportunity, and mobility, the people could have success and prosperity. Providing a government with a constitution, with equality and justice for all. America stood on the core belief that people had freedom and liberty, with the right to speak, worship, and assemble to address their grievances. The Constitution gave America three branches of government: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial, to govern for the common good of the people. With these core beliefs, America has overcome the great depression, two world wars, the Korean War, and Vietnam. Our people have encountered a petroleum shortage, recession after recession, and have insisted on and strived for equal rights for people from all backgrounds, with voting rights, and addressed racism. Now, today, our democracy is in peril. We must stand up now and, on November 3, 2026, vote for our core beliefs in freedom, with the rugged spirit of the eagle, and overcome tyranny!

So, what will we do? Stand up for democracy, or will we stand down to accept an autocrat who believes he is Napoleon Bonaparte reincarnated, who has totally ignored our Constitution and the rule of law? he has attacked all our institutions that worked to help the American people. He has begun

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Donald Trump has reportedly said “that his own morality could potentially limit his global powers, and that he doesn’t need international law.” It seems his morality completely undermines the Constitution and the rule of law in the United States of America. Donald Trump and the Heritage Foundation, along with his administration, have literally shredded the Constitution and the rule of law. We now have a paramilitary group walking the streets of our cities. The people of the United States of America need all the media and all the legal beagles to stand up and say something and do something to make good trouble.

Thousands of years ago, there was a ruler in Babylon who sought silver and gold that controlled life and death. During a feast, drinking wine from sacred vessels and praising false gods, a hand appeared on the wall and wrote, “The days of your kingdom are lacking, and you will lose it. Without the rule of law, there can be no democracy. Without democracy, first will come autocracy and dictators, then anarchy, and no one will be happy with any of that. I wish all the people would look at the handwriting on the wall, a house divided against itself cannot stand! Let’s all stand up, do something, and say something just to make good trouble.

Will Donald Trump see the HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

Homeland Security has refused to give Minnesota access to the evidence. It makes one wonder if immigration has something to hide. So Donald Trump sent an aggressive army of immigration agents to Minneapolis, Minnesota, pushing people around, raiding schools, manhandling people, and calling people who are protesting anti-ICE rioters, animals, rioters, bad, sick people. The thing is, it appears to be a (trumped-up) deal, telling us the reason agents are in Minneapolis is to remove the murderers, pedophiles, and terrible immigrants that are making it unsafe for the people. So why are people protesting the fact that the army of immigration agents is there, harassing them? So if the people don’t want agents in Minneapolis, why would they be there? Could it be payback for Governor Tim Walz’s criticism of Donald Trump, or is it another excuse, like the fraud litigation and allegations under investigation? ; however, Donald Trump’s calling Somalians garbage solves nobody’s problem and has nothing to do with immigration! What really gets me going is when all of us stand up and protest our grievances against this administration, we become outlaws, you would think we were part of the Jesse James gang, being called every name in the book! At first, you would think they had never read the Constitution; however, I believe they have read it, and just don’t care what the Constitution and the rule of law say, just do it their way, and to hell with what the people want! So, I believe in the Constitution and the rule of law, so I guess I’m an outlaw who will stand up and protest my grievances because it is my right. We don’t want to fall into the snake pit and riot, because that will justify more aggression. Just stand up, do something, say something to make good trouble, and keep the pressure on.

The old baby boomer James l gardner

The old baby boomer james l gardner

I remember when my kids played ball, but only my daughter played soccer. The kids would work really hard, running up and down the field. Their coach would stress teamwork. I pray all kids forgive me for using a soccer ball as an example in this post. However, for today, I will call a soccer ball a social ball because it seems like the word social is being kicked around all over the place. We all know that, because we are human, we have basic wants and needs. Some families are fortunate and have become wealthy, enabling their children to meet their wants and needs. Some families are unfortunate in poverty and can’t provide their children with the opportunity to meet their wants and needs. So if the community can’t meet the wants and needs of people experiencing poverty, when they ask the government for assistance and don’t get it, people usually form a group to petition the government. In present times, any grievances or petition brought to the government by a group or a person, a social ball will come down the hill, and you will be labeled a socialist. Keeping in mind that in a democracy, it’s okay to work hard and become wealthy and able to provide your family with their wants and needs. We must understand that many people work hard in our society and can’t give their families what they want and need. So is it not our civic duty to work as a team to provide, in a democracy, an unalienable right of opportunity so families can meet their needs? In 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression, there was no money, no jobs, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration created the Works Progress Administration. This social program put people to work to provide money to meet their families’ needs. The social security program will provide seniors with their basic needs. Theodore Roosevelt proposed a fair deal, which called for fairness for all citizens. Over the years, the government and the civic community worked together to provide such things as unemployment insurance, education, and healthcare. Social services, fire departments, law and order, civil rights, voting rights, and many programs to ensure that all people have an opportunity to provide for the wants and needs of their families. Of course, nothing has reached perfection; proper civics would be that we all work together for a perfect union. Could that possibly mean love your neighbor as yourself? Abraham Lincoln reminded us that we have a government of the people by the people for the people. The fact is, our social programs, while not perfect, helped to make the United States of America the greatest country in the world. Because we realized that everyone must have the opportunity to succeed, does that mean we will be labeled socialists?

I believe giving people the opportunity to provide families with their wants and needs makes you an American, so call me what you will.

The Old Baby Boomer

James L Gardner