Violent Protests in Europe

In recent days, there has been rioting in Europe, in places like Belgium, France, and Milan, Italy.

A lot of these protests have their official focus on the skyrocketing cost of living. These include the famous student protests throughout France, and which did considerable damage across the country. The town hall of Limoges was mostly destroyed. Buildings were set ablaze in Paris and elsewhere. There was rioting in several parts of France. It was the worst unrest seen in the country in years. There are reports that whole streets in Paris were completely devastated. Some witnesses suggested that it looked and felt like a war zone.

French President Macron said that he was angry. However, he stopped short of declaring a State of Emergency, at least for now. 

"Looking at these images, we have all asked ourselves: What was going ​through their minds? How can French people do this to France?" Macron said in a televised address to the nation. 

"Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. Tonight, ​we all feel anger and shame."

Similar scenes occurred in Milan, Italy. There were protests which turned violent and saw parts of that city seeing damage as well. 

There are fears that this situation, and the tensions from the higher cost of living across Europe, are setting up a tinderbox situation just prior to a major election year for numerous European nations next year. That includes both France and Italy. 

Macron urges calm as France counts cost of worst unrest in years By Sybille de La Hamaide, Clotaire Achi and Abdul Saboor October 18, 2026:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-faces-aftermath-worst-unrest-years-2026-10-18/

Macron urges calm as France counts cost of worst unrest in years | Reuters

Robert Reich Suggests That Trump's Presidency Might End Soon, But That Feels Like Wishful Thinking Not Grounded in Reality

Usually, I agree with Robert Reich. He has been a pillar of wisdom and reason at a time when the headlines reflect anything but those things. 

However, I do not always agree with him. And this article (see link below) happens to be one of those times when I just feel that he is allowing his wishful thinking to get the better of his rationale and how things might really play out.

In particular, I just don't understand how Reich and other people who are anything but Trump supporters seem to delude themselves into thinking that Trump might actually resign.

I have said this before and will say it again: I really, really doubt that there is any chance that Trump's astonishing ego will ever allow him to resign the presidency.

Period.

That's it. No further explanation or justifications. Simply, Trump has an ego like probably nobody else in history, and that is saying something. He wants to believe himself to be a unique figure in history, and so yes, he is going to remain in the highest position possible for as long as possible. Frankly, he will need to be dragged out of the White House. How people, apparently including Reich, do not see this is beyond me. What part of his MAGAlomaniacal personality have they not grasped yet?

Also, the Republicans have become the de factor Trump Party. They also will never consider the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office, at least as they stand right now. The Republicans would have to reinvent themselves and get new leadership in order for that to happen.

Frankly, I'm not holding my breath.

Still, it seemed worth sharing, if only as an example of how even people I respect can fall privy to indulging in believing what they want to see happen, rather than what their logic should tell them really is not much of a possibility.

Hope that I'm wrong on this. I would love to see Trump's corrupt orange ass removed from office. Never would I be happier to be wrong, in fact.

Nevertheless, I just don't see it. Sorry.

Is THIS How Trump Goes Out?   Robert Reich  and Inequality Media

Is THIS How Trump Goes Out? - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDuJ8ojsPOA

https://youtu.be/FDuJ8ojsPOA?si=SrfQfKHPG3mHjvWC

Trump's presidency could end sooner than you think | Opinion Opinion by Robert Reich • October 7 2026 • 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/trump-s-presidency-could-end-sooner-than-you-think-opinion/ar-AA2dJJ4y?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=6ac6fa9c7cd44976bd2f209815dac225&ei=16

Trump's presidency could end sooner than you think | Opinion

After This Trump Era, America’s Traditional Allies Will Never Again Fully Trust the United States

This is a picture of a magnet that was being sold at Strand's Book Store in New York City a few years ago. No, I did not buy it, but I liked it and took a picture, which I am sharing here now. 

A lot of Americans - and I mean a lot of Americans, and not just MAGA morons, either - seem to think that all of the controversy and stress and chaos caused by the two Trump presidencies will automatically go away pretty much as soon as his presidency is done.

Poof.

All gone.

This seems to me so outrageously clueless and naive, and so frankly entitled, that this kind of thinking could only come from 21st century Americans.

No, things are not going to go right back to normal as soon as Trump is out of office. If there was ever a chance of that - and that is a big "if" - it ended once Trump obtained office a second time. After all, you can maybe dismiss him being elected to be the elected face and the voice of the country once, because it could be an aberration.

But twice?

No, sorry. That means that quote a lot of people - far more than can be easily dismissed as a one-time fluke - actually agree with this monster on many issues. That his very loud and proud xenophobic, chauvinistic, Americentric talking points appeal to a lot of people. Even if we find out that he cheated to obtain office - which I suspect we will find out some day in the future - it still does not relegate the tens of millions of his Mindless MAGA Moron cult support to irrelevance. After all, despite all of the headlines screaming about how Trump currently has lower approval ratings than any American president in modern history, it still shows that tens of millions of Americans support him, even after all of the bullshit that we have seen now for well over a decade. 

In other words, it can happen again. It happened once. Then it happened again. Tens of millions of Americans support it, to the point where their political movement effectively dominated American politics for over a decade.

That's not something that can easily be forgotten. Nor should it, even though many Americans opposed to Trump want to do exactly that. 

And it's not because many Americans want to forget it that the rest of the world should forget it. After all, Trump is still in the White House even as I write this. He can still shape world events. And this man has threatened to terminate existing international agreements, to tear apart things like NATO. He had invaded some countries like Venezuela and Iran, and has threatened to invade other countries, including Gaza and even Greenland, which clearly traditionally was an American ally. Trump imposed economic warfare against pretty much the entire rest of the world, all at once. 

So yeah, the world would do well to take notice. And not to forget the lessons which the Trump administration indirectly and unintentionally taught them. Canadian Prime Minister Carney outright said it: the reliance on the United States was too much. Now that the stability and reliability are no longer there, they ought to try and find other ways to function on their own, and not rely on the United States as much as they do. It makes all the sense in the world. What other choice does someone like Trump give them, anyway?

That is why this will not simply be forgotten and quickly forgiven. Things will not simply "return to normal" once Trump is gone, even if the next American president (assuming there is one) is much more to their liking, like Obama was. 

Because deep down, they know that the next president might just be a temporary break from the next MAGA-style political movement. We Americans have proven to be unreliable partners. And Trump was just the most outrageous, in your face version of this disdain towards the rest of the world. Remember, Obama loved drone strikes and surveillance, even against traditional allies like Germany. George W. Bush aggressively pushed for an illegal and immoral war, and mocked the entire rest of the world, claiming that we Americans did not need a "permission slip" from the rest of the world to go to war with Iraq. Those were his words, not mine. 

It's been building for some time now. But Trump has accelerated it and made the division so obvious that nobody can ignore it any longer. Whether you like it or not, that will have a lasting impact that will go on long after Trump is gone.

The impact of this pathetic era of American politics will last many decades to come. And we collectively will come to be regarded as the "ugly Americans."

At least until we get over ourselves and our collective nationalist conceit and finally decide to rejoin the world community. Until that happens, the rest of the world is right to distrust the United States.

America’s Allies Are No Longer Waiting for Trump to Leave They now figure isolationism and protectionism will be U.S. foreign policy for a long time to come.  By Vivian Salama photo of President Trump Klaudia Radecka / NurPhoto / Getty September 22, 2026, 7 AM ET  Share  Discuss 343  Save

https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/09/allies-trump-canada-foreign-policy/688729/?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo

America’s Allies Are No Longer Waiting for Trump to Leave - The Atlantic

No, MAGA "Super Patriots" Are Not, In Fact, Patriots At All

This is a picture of a magnet that was being sold at Strand's Book Store in New York City a few years ago. No, I did not buy it, but I liked it and took a picture, which I am sharing here now. 

Despite their loud proclamations of patriotism, with flag-waving and seemingly trying to "own" patriotism and love of country, it feels to me that MAGA and supporters of the fascist takeover in the United States are far from real patriots. It does not matter how many flags you wave or patriotic themes you prominently display at your home or on your car or in your conversation. If you claim to love freedom, but you do not actually understand the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and feel that those kinds of rights are actually privileged which should only be extended to you and others you identify with, than that is not being a patriotic American.

That's being a selfish and, yes, irresponsible schmick.

Moreover, if you empowered  the MAGA movement and Donald Trump's power grabs, than perhaps another term fits better. Far from being a patriot, you are in fact a traitor. 

Go move to a banana republic somewhere if you think that's what you want. The United States was never designed to be one. And if you are willing to undermine or, worse, actively destroying one of the best things about the United States in order to make the country more to your liking, then yes, you are a traitor. 

There has been some discussion as to what should happen after Trump and MAGA are gone, always assuming we actually survive this (no, I'm not kidding about this).

One thing that seems clear to me, and not some kind of joke: we need some version of DeMAGAfication, to get rid of this cancer on the country once and for all. 

Take a look at this video, where some really interesting points are made:

This is the Perfect Explaination Why MAGA Never Truly Loved America Paul Lance Paul Lance 271K subscribers

https://youtu.be/cuTY8mMLN64?si=uc8UcHyyXMcfn8VF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuTY8mMLN64

This is the Perfect Explaination Why MAGA Never Truly Loved America

Video Explores Why Villains Like Trump Live So Long

Ever since Trump became president again, I have heard some people who actively want - and apparently believe - that Trump will not last the full four years.

Some articles suggest that he will step down, something which I frankly never understood. Are they seeing what is right in front of them? This guy's ego will never allow himself to simply resign and fade away. He always has to be the center of attention. How difficult is it to grasp that from the guy who wants arches and statues built in his honor, who wants every major building named after him, and his image to be on Mount Rushmore. 

Hello?

Other people - including some people I know very well - seem to believe that Trump will not live much longer. One of them follow all sorts of videos on Youtube by people at least purported to be doctors, who show visible signs of Trump's physical decline, and then estimate that he has mere months, or perhaps even just weeks, to live. 

This is something which I have a problem with, as well. First of all, I try not to actively root for anyone's actual death, although admittedly Trump going would hardly bring a tear to my eye, or likely make the world a worse place. However, I also have a difficult time believing it. No, Trump does not exercise or eat right. He has a very unhealthy lifestyle.

That said, he also has a team of the best medics at his beck and call and ready and willing to respond instantly. I suspect that some of those mysterious absences of days, when Trump seemed somehow to disappear, probably involved medical emergencies and him taking it easy for a few days, although clearly I cannot prove that. 

My point is this, however: Trump will likely live to the rest of this term. He will likely be there in 2028, and yes, I still believe he will run - and possibly win - again. 

Below is a video I ran into on why villains like Trump seem to live so damn long. It was interesting stuff. Take a look. 

REAL DOCTOR explains 4 reasons WHY VILLAINS LIVE SO LONG (I have bad news about Trump) The United Front Show The United Front Show 103K subscribers

https://youtu.be/X-HRqoQhYL0?si=zISOD5sk-AT8pvNX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-HRqoQhYL0

REAL DOCTOR explains 4 reasons WHY VILLAINS LIVE SO LONG (I have bad news about Trump)

The Disastrous Trump Presidency Has & Will Cost Americans Dearly – and in Real Dollars, For That Matter

This is a picture of a magnet that was being sold at Strand's Book Store in New York City a few years ago. No, I did not buy it, but I liked it and took a picture, which I am sharing here now. 

Many people who were not fans of Trump tried to warn people that his second term would be even more disastrous than his first term proved to be. That it really, really was not a good idea to put someone like him into power a second time. 

But the American people, collectively, seem to have lost certain things. Like standards for their elected officials, or holding them accountable on any real level. Or critical thinking, for that matter. And so, the predictable thing happened: Trump got another term in office.

Right away, it was clear that he was not going to make good on his promises. Again, this should have been clear and predictable to everyone out there, as well, since he failed to keep some of the major promises made for his first term. He did not really build that wall, let alone get Mexico to pay for it. He did not build a national healthcare system that would be affordable and would cover everyone. He was not even close to being the greatest jobs creating president ever. The country was not more respected than ever because of him and, in fact, he was the source of mockery the world over, with crying baby balloons going up in British skies every time he visited that country, and world leaders openly laughing at him during an UN address. Oh, and he said that he would pay off the national debt, but instead added more than 25% of what he had inherited in just four short years in office. Manufacturing jobs did not return, as he promised they would. And on and on and on.

Oh, and let's not forget all of the lying and the horrific, cringeworthy news stories. Like having a difficult time criticizing outright neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Like dismissing dozens of countries as "shithole nations" while championing Norway as a desirable country to get immigrants from. Like praising the healthcare system of a non-existent country during a meeting with assembled African leaders. Like briefly posting a video of one of his supporters shouting "White Power!" during the 2020 election. And of course, headlines like what we saw during January 6th. Add to that his social media post in 2022 suggesting that parts of the Constitution might need to be suspended, plus outright fixating on vengeance as part of his focus for a second term, and it just seemed clear that it would not be a good idea to put him back into the highest office in the land. 

With a resume like that, you might think that a reasonable country would avoid such a guy at all costs. But this is 'Murica in the 2020's, so of course we gave him another chance/ What could possibly go wrong?

So now, not even two years into his second term (although it feels closer to two decades), and it's been a complete shitshow. Once again, he is not bothering to keep campaign promises. Nope, he did not lower the price of gas and groceries, which he promised to do, and quickly. In fact now, he claims to love inflation, and has suggested that the financial realities most Americans face never crosses his mind. He did not end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, or at all, for that matter. He broke his promise not to get the United States involved in another war, and has routinely suggested that he might just nuke Iran, even before the United Nations in a recent speech. Oh, and let's not forget the Epstein Files, which he promised to release while running as a candidate, but which he now goes to such extraordinary lengths not to release that most people feel that it is quite suspicious. 

All of that, plus the reputation of the United States, and of Americans more generally, has never been more compromised. Countries are actively going around the United States, working around it and sometimes outright ignoring it while trying to work out economic agreements or peace terms with Iran. Mark Carney has come across appearing to the rest of the world as the adult in the room when it comes to North American politics. And the world positively views Trump as a threat when it comes to his aggressive posturing with Greenland, or his mockery of Canada, dismissing them as the "51st state." Or claiming that he would acquire Gaza and build a Riviera then, claiming casually that a lot of Palestinians would need to be removed first. Most of the world is not viewing this as mere entertainment or laughing points, but as a dangerous and clearly unstable dictator outright making threats.

In short, it has been a disaster.

And yet, a third of Americans still support all of this crap. Worse, a lot of Americans, even while not approving, hardly seem to take all of this too seriously, and assume - wrongly - that this is just politics. Or that things will simply go back to normal once Trump is gone.

So yeah, the rest of the world has taken to mocking Americans more and more for this level of ignorance. Ignorance in putting someone like Trump into such an office in the first place, and ignorance for allowing Trump to get away with all of the shit that he continues to get away with, time and time again. Also, for being clueless as to what his actually all means, and how long it will last. Because trust me, this will not be forgotten by the rest of the world as soon as Trump is gone, and wishing it will not make it so. We Americans will collectively be remembered for this disastrous political era for many decades to come. 

Yet, Trump's disastrous policies - both domestic and foreign - are not just going to cost Americans at some vague point down the road. It has already cost Americans in real dollars already. And it can - and in this video, has - been calculated.

Take a look at this video, which breaks down just how much the Trump presidency has cost Americans. it is eye opening, to say the least:

American Reacts to "How Much Trump Has Cost America" Tyler Rumple Tyler Rumple 181K subscribers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMVWs46Ykyo

https://youtu.be/dB5iQ16BjDI?si=hM7QuT1aPDFtFO0J

We’re Watching MAGA Collapse | Explainer

Weekend Humor: Cartoon Illustrating Trump 2.0 Has Been an Absolute Failure

Remember when Trump claimed that once he would become president, the country would just keep winning and winning until it was sick of it? In fact, he claimed that we would get so tired of winning that we would beg him to stop, but he would refuse. And so we would just keep winning and winning and winning.

Well, I think he merely misspelled or mispronounced whining. Because that much he has given us, every bit as relentlessly as he promised. And yeah, despite most of us being very tired of it and really wanting him to stop all of the whining, there is simply no end in sight.

Hell, I thought that the first Trump presidency was bad. But this second term has been so much worse. There are no longer any guard rails, and Trump seems to feel like he owns the country and can do whatever he wishes.

The results?

It has been an absolute failure.

If there was one thing that Trump and his loyal fans relentlessly claimed, it was that Trump is great with the economy. 

Yeah, not so much, eh? Who knew that waging economic warfare against the entire rest of the world, and all at once, would actually hurt the economy, eh? Who knew that making a point of bending over backwards to insult all of our friends and allies would hurt the nation's reputation around the world and, yes, have a negative economic impact? Who knew that demolishing parts of Washington to his specific liking would also not sit well with people? And who knew that staggering levels of blatant corruption, to the point where Trump & company do not even bother trying to hide it, would not sit well with the American people?

The thing is that it has only gotten worse over time. This past week is a case in point, is it not? Think about just this past week alone, and all of the things which dominated the headlines. Headlines which, frankly, would have been unimaginable under any American president prior to Trump. He banned three news organizations, and later himself admitted this to being a "ban on the free press." Those are his words, not mine.

Thankfully, the courts struck it down. Those three news organizations have been reinstated. But how alarming is it that a sitting president like this pretty much outright feels entitled enough to attack the Constitution out loud and without trying to disguise what he is doing?

Nor was that it. Trump addressed the United Nations. And in that speech, he praised himself for being a historical peacemaker while also mulling over possibly annihilating Iran. Cuba walked out of the UN General Assembly mid-speech when he took to attacking the Cuban regime. Trump's speech was met largely with silence. 

Not entirely unrelated, there was a massive walkout during Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations on Thursday. Netanyahu had blasted New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for sympathizing with Palestinians and being critical of Israel, then suggested that Israel was not committing genocide, but had prevented genocide. Given the disproportionate response by Israel to the October 7th attacks, largely destroying Gaza and killing tens of thousands of Palestinians since, it feels like he is merely giving weak justifications of his actions and trying to sweep claims of genocide under the rug. The Israeli delegation was shown applauding the speech. So was the American delegation.

As I understand it, those were the only applause for Netanyahu's speech. It seems that most people the world over are tired of Israel's hypocrisy and constant victimization of itself while, in fact, committing outright war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine. Except for Israel itself. And, of course, Americans, as represented by their fearless leader, Donald Trump.

All of that would have been quite enough. But this is the Trump era, so it's never enough. There are no limits in the Trump era. So he launched "Trump TV." So we now are that much closer to outright dictatorships, complete with government-run television. Think about it: we have a sitting president of the United States - someone who is supposed to represent the American people, who admitted to imposing a "ban on the free press" just days before the release of his state run television, clearly meant to influence the people to support him. Nothing like this has ever happened in the United States before. Frankly, despite everyone claiming that Trump and MAGA are crumbling, I feel that they are doing so much damage and setting so many anti-democratic, freedom hating precedents that future wannabe dictators may try their hand with the same approach. After all, now there is a precedent, even if Trump ultimately fails, as he has been failing spectacularly and very publicly. 

How in the hell are people still supporting this?

Granted, the polls keep showing Trump has historically low approval ratings. The latest news has his approval ratings in the low 30's. As I understand it, it is around 32 % right now. But let's keep in mind that what that effectively means is that almost one-third of Americans still approve of Trump's job so far in this second term, even after all of the nonsense and failures. Gas prices have never been higher, inflation continues out of control, and now Trump claims that he "loves" inflation. He never stopped the war in Ukraine, and boldly claiming and pretending that he ended eight or ten or a thousand wars does not change that fact. Plus, Trump broke his promise not to start another endless war in the Middle East, with his illegal war with Iran. Plus, the Epstein Files still have not been released and seem pretty damning for this administration. Yet, almost a third of Americans still actively approve of all of this. Let me repeat: one-third of Americans still fully approve of pretty much all of this. 

That right there is why the world is looking at the United States differently, and why things will never simply return to normal now, even once Trump is gone. Like it or not, we are not going back to pre-Trump days. No, we can never go home again, in that regard, no matter how much we might want to get back to that place.

Myron Guyton Facebook Page, September 26, 2026  ·

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1791320798571243&set=a.643525323350802

Facebook

Yes, Trump Will Drag the Entire Country (& World) Down With Him If He Feels Seriously Threatened

James Carville is not usually someone I pay serious attention to or even take seriously. Frankly, I believe that he is more responsible than most Democrats for helping to bring about this nightmare of the Trump presidency.

That said, I thought that he was spot on in this regard. I have been sharing my belief that Trump would bring the entire country down with him if he felt he was in danger, even though people - not just Trump supporters - often dismissed that notion. But I felt - and feel even more strongly now, if anything - that he would, or rather, he will. If pressed to do so, yes, I think Trump would actually want to bring as many people down to share his suffering if he somehow were threatened with having to face the consequences of his actions.

So I am sharing this, because it is not just important, but urgent to understand this by now. Trump is madness, and the country needs to recognize it as such in order to have a chance to save itself from it, before it is too late.

Jack Summers 14 hours ago  ·

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3252345224956489&set=a.100730480117995

Facebook

A History of American Aggression Towards Canada

"Manifest Destiny always included Canada."

That is what Leeja Miller explains in this rather fascinating history of the tensions between the United States and Canada. 

Indeed, Americans always seemed to view Canada as a de facto part of the United States. Many of them seemed to feel that it was just a matter of time.

Thomas Jefferson dreamed of an American Empire of Liberty which stretched from the northern tip of Alaska and the northern fringes of Canada to the southern tip of South America in Argentina and Chile. These were to be self-governing republics within the greater American empire, the "Empire of Liberty." 

Nor was Jefferson alone in believing that we Americans had the right to determine what happened elsewhere in the Americas, especially in Canada. As Leeja Miller explains, Benjamin Franklin strongly believed that Canada, by rights, belonged to the United States. So much did he believe it that he participated in an American invasion of Canada, occupying the seat of government in Montreal for a relatively short duration during the American Revolutionary War of Independence. The invasion was short-lived, as it wound up being a disaster for the American cause. 

Still, Canada always had to be concerned about ambitious American expansionists greedily eying their country, with a desire to incorporate it to the growing American empire. Because while that specific American invasion of Canada in the early days of the American Revolutionary War of Independence wound up being a failure and a fiasco, Americans never really gave up on the idea of absorbing Canada into the Union. Clearly, we presently have a president who never forgot it, and had repeatedly referred to Canada as the "51st state."

Take a look. it is truly fascinating and illuminating:

Manifest Destiny Includes Canada, Too by Leeja Miller 

https://youtu.be/7UVJJI2ebcY?si=kUG3C1ir2mE8QRxG

Manifest Destiny Includes Canada, Too

Donald Trump is a ‘Fuming, Friendless’ Loser Turning the Entire World Against the United States

Read the headlines, or just talk and get a sense of where people are in this world, and it feels like things are reaching the ridiculous point of this second Trump presidency. And I mean by his own standards, since Trump has always been defined by his ridiculousness. That is especially true of both terms of his presidency. 

Seriously, everything is falling apart. All of those things that he promised during the 2024 campaign - things like quickly and immediately lowering the price of gas and groceries, cutting energy prices in half within his first year back in office, ending the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, not getting the United States involved in another foreign war, especially in the Middle East, and of course, releasing the Epstein Files, all have proven to be lies. Either that, or he has failed as president.

It feels like both, frankly. 

Trump's approval ratings are in the toilet, and I have heard reports that this is riving him mad. The war he started in Iran is going very badly, with Iran appearing more powerful and innovative in their approach to fighting a superpower and standing relatively strong against it. The economy is tanking. People are outraged at Trump's blatant levels of corruption, and how he is trying to put his name up on anything that does not immediately run away, spending enormous sums of money and resources on his vanity projects while the American people continue to struggle. Lately, when he throws fits, it sounds more routine and tired, as is the response. Most people just seem, frankly, tired of him at this point. 

By now, it seems like the Mindless MAGA Moron Cult has lost some of it's steam, finally. 

Oh, sure, some of them are still loud and proud. Yet, there seems to be a real hesitation to now mention their political leanings. Those people who claim that they don't really want to discuss politics right now are, generally speaking, the ones who votes for all of this nonsense that the rest of us are forced to put up with now.

Yes, it feels like everything is going downhill, and fast, for this Trump presidency.

Who knew that voting in a self-obsessed, narrowminded, loud, arrogant jackass who never showed interest in doing anything but promoting his own narrow interests and trying to manipulate and scam his way to the top would end up not turning out so well, eh?

Finally, the rats appear to be turning on one another. Here, according to a snippet from a recent article by The Week UK (for September 6, 2026), things have really reached a crisis point:

“Now is the twilight of Donald Trump’s supremacy,” said Rafael Behr in The Guardian. The US is “still the richest and most heavily armed nation on Earth”, and the president – indulged by a “supine” Congress – still has far-reaching powers. Nevertheless, with more than two years of his second term still to run, Trump looks “thwarted and impotent”.

Even Americans are beginning to understand that the damage is not temporary. That things are not going to go right back to normal as soon as Trump is gone. Indeed, Trump is still in power, But things have changed, alright. A little more from the same article:

History will record that the disastrous war against Iran was a “turning point”. But evidence of his policy failures can be seen all around the world. Canada, citing unreasonable last-minute demands from US negotiators, has promised all-out trade war. The Ukraine conflict is as bloody as ever, despite Trump’s promise to end it. Europe, horrified by his indulgence of Vladimir Putin and his “deranged demands” for Greenland, has turned away. In the Middle East, America’s allies are furious that they’re bearing the brunt of Iran’s attacks. And at home, fuel prices are rising, and electoral disaster is looming: November’s midterms are set to flip the House of Representatives, and maybe the Senate too, against the Republicans.  

Many Americans, frankly, do not fully appreciate the gravitas of the situation, and how long this will haunt them. Again, according to the same article:

In a matter of months, Trump has “burned through decades of accumulated goodwill” across the democratic world, said Daniel Hannan in The Sunday Telegraph. “He has created a sense that it is better to be America’s enemy than its friend, for it buys its enemies and sells its friends.” Never once has Trump spoken about Putin in the way he talks about Canadians, Danes, South Koreans and other partners.

Yeah. Again, it's almost like starting an economic war against the entire rest of the world, all at once, starting an illegal and endless war that is hugely unpopular both domestically and around the world, and insulting our longtime allies in Canada and Europe and South Korea and Mexico and pretty much everywhere else might not be such a good idea.

Who knew?

So because of his own idiocy, Trump is now a "fuming, friendless" loser. And he is reflecting on the entire country, and very poorly, at that. How quickly the rest of the world turned against the United States once Trump came to power.

Yet, Trump is such a dumb (with a b) ass and a bigtime loser that things might grow worse yet. A little more from the article:

Worse may be to come, said The Economist. Many would be delighted if “a fuming, friendless Mr Trump, so weakened by his own blunders and by plunging approval ratings” were to retreat to the White House to “tinker with plans for his ballroom”. Alas, that is not in his character. He’ll be less a “lame duck”, and more an ageing “silverback gorilla” – lashing out ever more viciously at anyone within his reach. “Now that his dominance is threatened, the world will find him more disruptive than ever.”

Great. Because even more unsettling news and chaos is just what we need right now.

Guess we all know who to blame for all of this, right?

Thanks, Obama. 

Donald Trump: a ‘fuming, friendless’ president Story by The Week UK • September 6, 2026•

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/donald-trump-a-fuming-friendless-president/ar-AA2bFbW9?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=6a9e22a13ce2446590c5dbfd1844e7ec&ei=15

Donald Trump: a ‘fuming, friendless’ president

Carney & Macron Set to Meet in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon

In an effort to bring Canada closer to both the European Union in general, and to France in particular, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. These tiny islands belong to France, although they are just 25 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland in eastern Canada. 

The two heads of state will meet at St. Pierre on Sunday, September 20th. They will engage in talks regarding aerospace, energy and critical minerals, as well as quantum satellites and supercomputing.

This will be the first ever visit to the islands by a sitting Canadian Prime Minister.

Should be interesting. Let's hope it's also productive for both sides.

Mark Carney to meet with Emmanuel Macron in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon by Alessia Passafiume · The Canadian Press · Posted: Sep 15, 2026:

Energy, defence partnerships on the agenda for meeting on French territory off Newfoundland 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/mark-carney-to-meet-with-emmanuel-macron-in-saint-pierre-et-miquelon-9.7344860

Mark Carney to meet with Emmanuel Macron in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon | CBC News

Common Sense: Cops & Shootings

Saw this and instantly thought that it was worth sharing here.

Indeed, this is a reminder to all of the people who defend police officers who shoot people by claiming that those people are criminals that cops are not supposed to kill guilty people, either.

Remember, the courts are there for a reason. Judges and juries by our peers are the ones who can judge and convict people. Certainly, cops on the spot are not supposed to make those kinds of judgement calls. Things might happen, and sometimes, these may indeed lead to deaths. But when it happens are frequently as it seems to happen in the United States in recent years, then it feels like it is a systemic problem, something which we need to examine and correct.

Should be common sense. But common sense among Americans today hardly seems all that common anymore, frankly. 

Again, it is not up to police officers - or ICE agents, for that matter  - to simply kill people at will, as they see fit. This encourages people with power complexes, or perhaps with evil and frankly unlawful intentions to join the ranks of ICE, which frankly feels increasingly like a criminal organization, something which operates as if it were above the law.

Frankly, there needs to be a reckoning. Otherwise, this will happen again, inevitably. It really would just be a matter of time.  

Emily R. Andrews 1͏ ͏A͏u͏g͏u͏s͏t͏ 2026 ·

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1602706257867262&set=a.113043426833560

Facebook

Once Again, Trump Unnecessarily Creates an International Incident With a Social Media Posting of an Americentric Map

Another day, another ridiculous social media post from Trump that sets off global panic.

What a leader, eh?

Yesterday, Trump posted an image of a map with the American flag over literally all of North America. That included Greenland, Canada, Mexico, much of Central America, and the Caribbean. Hell, it even included Iceland, which is technically part of both North America and Europe.

Given Trum's past territorial expanding ambitions, as well as his by this point well-established mental instability, this caused an uproar. The American ambassador was called into Reykjavik to meet with government officials of Iceland. Much of the rest of the world - not just the countries impacted directly - were shocked and appalled, as well.

Also, just to prove his level of maturity, Trump posted an image of himself and Canadian Prime Minister Carney playing ie hockey. Carney had been evidently violently checked and was laying on the ground, clearly hurt and woozy, while Trump loomed over him urging him to get up, but referring to him as "Governor."

This man is frankly unhinged and needs to be removed from the levers of power immediately. 

Trump sets off global panic after map suggests large-scale US takeover by Alex Woodward in New York Tuesday 08 September 2026:

Officials in Mexico, Iceland and Denmark fire back after Trump posts trollish threat to annex all of North and Central America  

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-map-north-america-flag-renames-takeover-b3046691.html

Trump sets off global panic after map suggests large-scale US takeover | The Independent

Iceland summons U.S. ambassador over Trump's threat to take over Arctic nation byThe Associated Press · Posted: Sep 08, 2026:

Trump posted a map showing the U.S. flag over all of North America, Greenland and Iceland The Associated Press ·

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-map-iceland-canada-takeover-9.7336034

Iceland summons U.S. ambassador over Trump's threat to take over Arctic nation | CBC News

NOT a Joke: Trump Claims Moon For the United States

This is a picture of a magnet that was being sold at Strand's Book Store in New York City a few years ago. No, I did not buy it, but I liked it and took a picture, which I am sharing here now. 

Absolute lunacy.

Literally, in fact.

Wish this was satire.

Unfortunately, it's not. This is an actual 

Did Trump claim the moon as US territory? by Laerke Christensen Published Sept. 8, 2026:

The U.S. is bound by a U.N. treaty that says countries can't "claim" celestial bodies like the moon for themselves. 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-moon-us-territory/

Did Trump claim the moon as US territory? | Snopes.com

Then there was this. Not sure if this is real or not. 

I could not find anything else on this, so it might not be real. Even then, it feels like the kind of thing which he would post, which says something in and of itself.

Laurie Reynolds 2͏h͏  · Guess what? Us Native Americans were here first up to 20,000 years first. So he can get the hell off our lands

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=38636004909346016&set=a.4328512247188721

Facebook

Former Trump Supporters & MAGA Now Expressing Buyer's Remorse Do Not Get to Pretend Innocence & Claim That He Tricked Them

This is a picture of a magnet that was being sold at Strand's Book Store in New York City a few years ago. No, I did not buy it, but I liked it and took a picture, which I am sharing here now. 

A lot of former MAGA members and Trump supporters are now beginning to cry foul at the nightmare that his second presidential term - often dubbed "Trump 2.0" - has unleashed. To that end, they often seem to say something like, "I never voted for this!"

Well, actually you did. 

When you voted for a con artist, possibly literally the most documented liar in history, and a man who has time and again proven to be unstable, unpredictable (not in any good sense) and volatile, then yeah, you actually did vote for this. 

Period. 

No "Oh, we couldn't have known" sentiments or other such nonsense. This was the man who had a difficult time criticizing outright Nazis and white supremacists. This is the same man who dismissed tens of millions of people from "shithole nations." The same man who posted a video of a Trump supporter yelling "White Power!" during the 2020 election before taking it down after a few hours. The same man who guided an insurrection in order to keep himself in power. The same man who in 2022 posted on his Truth Social that parts of the Constitution might need to be suspended. The same man who was prominently featured both in pictures and videos with Jeffrey Epstein, and who once praised him in a major magazine published all the way back in 2002 - well before the whole Epstein controversy blew up and became public knowledge - praising Epstein and saying that he loved beautiful women as much as Trump, only he seemed to like them young. And let's not forget Trump himself bragging about being given access to dressing rooms with naked models and women allowing him to grab them by the pussy. 

So no, you don't get to pretend that he turned out to be just another typical lying politician, after all. You can't claim that his lies bother you now, when you voted for him because you claimed that he was a refreshing change from the typical lying politicians. 

You don't get to pretend some kind of innocence when you and people like you put this creep and monster into office in the first place. 

Vilma T. Fox Facebook S͏e͏ptember 2, 2026  · "T-R-U-E!!" #VoteBlue

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1425558132765725&set=a.101717571816461

Facebook

Trump Apparently May Now Aim To Rename An Entire State

Some years ago, I remember reading Mordecai Richler's book, "Oh Canada, Oh Quebec." In it, he criticized the weekend warriors among the Francophone community in Québec who would actively search for English names to convert into French. In private discussions, I remember some Americans being critical of that, and other, similar kinds of things, as well. 

Well, say what you will about Québec and efforts to preserve the French language here, but it is nowhere near as disgusting in my view as the fascist rebranding that Trump seems to specialize in. 

First, it was renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."

Then, after Trump could not bring the trade negotiations with Canada to his liking, he renamed Lake Ontario to "Lake America."

Now, he has his sights on renaming the state of New Mexico to "New America."

Besides illustrating perfectly a lack of creativity, these name changes offer a clear attempt at distracting and trying to fire up his base with yet more culture war bullshit. Try and get the Mindless MAGA Moron Cult (MMMC) to beat their chests over meaningless shit like this. Apparently, it helps them to forget about how this failed president broke his promises. The supposedly historically brilliant dealmaker renamed a Great Lake after failing to negotiate tariffs with them, so he renames a lake. The man who promised not to get us into any more forever wars is now losing the war with Iran, no matter what he says to the contrary. He promised to bring down the price of gas and groceries and has failed to do that. He promised to end the war in Ukraine quickly, within 24 hours, yet it rages on nearly two years into Trump's second term. 

Oh, and he never released the Epstein Files like he promised, did he? In fact, the lengths that he goes to in order to avoid releasing them sure looks and feels suspicious.

But hey, he sure can rename lakes and states with a vengeance, so there's that.

This poor excuse for a man, and an even sorrier excuse for a supposed leader, is worse than worthless. 

What a fucking loser.

If you still support him now, in September of 2026, shame on you. You are what's wrong with the country, frankly. 

. 

Trump posts map labeling New Mexico as ‘New America’ after online hoax  Comments: by Ryan Mancini - 09/06/26:

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6074249-trump-posts-map-labeling-new-mexico-as-new-america-after-online-hoax/

Trump shares map labeling New Mexico "New America"

A Little Bit More Appreciation of Labor Day By Robert Reich

One of the voices and faces which still restores some of my faith that not everything good in the United States is gone has been the commentary by Robert Reich. At a point in American history when I am sometimes convinced that the nation has gone crazy, hearing a reasonable, rational perspective can really help out a lot. 

For this extended Labor Day weekend, Reich posted something on Facebook which I feel Americans would do well to remember. Having been conditioned since at least Reagan to look down on unions and look at them almost as thugs and criminals, it is important, even crucial, to remember what unions actually brought the American people. In fact, it feels more important now than ever before to keep these things in mind.

Below is the list, with the link also there (see below).

Enjoy:

Robert Reich Facebook September 5, 2026:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1619877622839012&set=a.397968961696557

Facebook

JD Vance Hardly Seems Troubled With the Prospects That His Work May Help to Bring About the End Times

Perhaps having religious people who are convinced that the end times are inevitable, and thus are not bothered by the idea of using their political power to help bring this idea of a rapture into fruition was not the major motivation for the Founding Fathers when they instituted the separation of church and state.

But it feels like further confirmation that this was a good idea. 

There really is nothing scarier than when we get nutcases in office who outright feel as if they are doing their God's work by helping to bring about the destruction of life on Earth as we know it. In a recent issue, Vice-President JD Vance proved to be just such an individual.

Look at how nonchalant he is about the topic of his work possibly helping to bring about the end times in a recent interview (see link to article by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling of The New Republic below):

“Do I think we are in the end times? I don’t know,” Vance said in the interview released Monday, noting that it would be bad for him spiritually if he were to spend too much time thinking about that query. “While I’m fascinated by it, I think that focusing on it too much can be very bad.  

“I think there are things about the world that make feel like not shocked if the Antichrist was walking among us,” Vance added.  

In another portion of the interview, Vance claimed he’s focused on “doing as much of God’s work as possible,” shrugging that “if that leads to the end times, OK.”

While this may be an unpopular decision, I actually do not want someone in the highest offices in the White House who is devoutly religious and who apparently believes that the power of his political office is best used in serving his God or guiding his religious work. In this case, I do not believe that JD Vance should put his religion ahead of the interests of the people he is supposed to represent with his high-ranking political office, which would of course be the American people. The notion that we have someone who almost seems to shrug away concerns that what he is doing may help contribute to literal end times on Earth - most likely a nuclear holocaust or other disastrous ending - is more than a little alarming to me. 

To be sure, he does put on at least a pretense of seeming to not be so fixated by it as to actively seek it. Still, I am tired of discussions with these very high-ranking political officials focusing on their religious beliefs, to the point that we, the public, should have to endure it. Former President George W. Bush belonged to a faith that felt that anyone who did not believe what they believed was going to go to Hell. Also, he claimed that God wanted him to be president, and that God was on his side (as opposed to hoping to be on God's side, which is not the same thing). Then Christian Evangelicals put in Trump and seem to believe that he is almost a divine figure, when his every word and action seems to suggest that he is a closer to being the Antichrist whom Vance seems fixated on. Then of course, here's Vance, sounding casual about the possibility that pursuing what he believes to be God's work might help to bring about end times, then that would be okay with him.

Call me crazy, but I don't actually believe that these people are good Christians. In fact, I believe that they are misinformed about what Christ actually taught and misguided in their actions and intentions. And now, with the world seemingly spinning crazily out of control, it feels like it is religious nutcases like these, or like some extremists in the Middle East (not excluding Netanyahu) who are helping bring us closer to end times than ever before, each with their own unique vision, and each also absolutely convinced that his is the correct version.

What times we live in.

The portion of the JD Vance interview used above was taken from this article by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling of The New Republic:

JD Vance Says He’s OK With Bringing About the End Times by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / September 1, 2026:

The vice president gave a bizarre interview with an evangelist podcaster.

https://newrepublic.com/post/214990/jd-vance-says-he-ok-bringing-end-times

JD Vance Says He’s OK With Bringing About the End Times | The New Republic

Chickenhawk Trump Administration Apparently is Seriously Considering Nuking Iran

“I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell.” 

― William Sherman

Often times, we hear the loudest voices in favor of war, such as this war in Iran, from people who themselves never fought in a war. They are wildly enthusiastic about sending others off to war. But then somehow, they themselves are exempt from serving.

This current war in Iran is a perfect example. Let us remember that Trump promised not to get into exactly this kind of war. And Trump himself is a great example of a typical American chickenhawk. Five deferments from the Vietnam conflict after receiving an elite military education. One, famously, was for heel spurs. Then promising not to get the United States in another war before breaking that promise by attacking Iran. Supposedly, the White House held a meeting to determine whether the use of nuclear weapons could be used, allegedly to either delay or outright cancel the upcoming elections by declaring a national emergency after the attack. 

Do anyone really even doubt anymore that Trump & Co. are capable of such a thing? Do you imagine that he will think first (or at all) about the human costs, or feel remorse after launching such a strike? 

No. With Trump, it's easy to figure out: he thinks only of his self-interest. And yeah, if he thinks that launching nuclear attack on Iran will help to keep him in power - or gain still more power - than you better believe that he will launch it. 

This man, who was too cowardly to fight the war he received an elite military education for, and who also promised to keep the United States out of wars, apparently now is seriously thinking about nuking Iran. 

You know, I am not a big fan of war. But I am particularly disgusted with chickenhawks like Trump and company. Men who never actually fought a war, but are quick to recruit young people to go off and fight - and die - in wars of their making, which are for their own narrow profit in some manner or another. This so-called leader has insulted members of the military and gold star families before. Remember when he turned his back on a Navy warship simply because it bore the name of a recently deceased political rival, in an act so disrespectful on so many levels that it could be it's own article?

Yeah, that's the guy who launched this damn war in Iran. And now, he just might launch a nuclear strike against Iran?

Absolutely disgusting.

That is why I started this post with the quote from a man who knew war intimately, and clearly had no good things to say about it. 

Man, I wish the people of the United Stats would wake up already.

What times we live in.

Trump Illegally Cutting Historical Trees in D.C. Without Court Approval

Sometimes, it is still shocking to think that one man can do so much damage to an entire country in such a short amount of time, and with such impunity. It sure was shocking at first to see it early on in Trump's second term, even though we had already had his first term to get used to certain levels of idiocy. But he did not do quite as much damage then as he has been doing now in his second term.

A lot of that damage has been with his intent to remake the nation's capital to his liking. Think about all that he managed to change just in the short time since he assumed the Oval Office for a second time. In the White House itself, he destroyed the Rose Garden, demolished the East Wing, and then installed a museum-like hall of presidential plaques, only with his own idiotic commentary tacked on to it. Now it seems the Supreme Court has given him the green light to build his ridiculous ballroom. Of course that's not enough, as he wants an underground bunker to be built. You know, like Hitler had in Berlin. 

The damage was not restricted merely to the White House, though. Trump drained the Reflecting Pool and painted it "American flag blue" (whatever that is supposed to be for a pool) and then filled it with scummy water before it needed to be drained. Of course he blamed Obama for that fiasco, and also claimed that people had effectively destroyed the Reflecting Pool, thus justifying an ugly fence to block access to it. Trump has also started to lay the ground for an arch, which many are calling the "Arc de Trump." After all, he seems to want to build it in honor of himself. Who else?

Now, Trump is tearing out some historical trees in Washington, as well. This he is doing despite not having the proper permission. But when has that ever stopped him before?

Indeed, Trump has ordered the removal of cherry blossoms along the Potomac, as well as trees planted right next to the Kennedy Center. Those trees are historical and should be valued as a national treasure, frankly. The blossoms were a gift from Japan early in the 20th century. As for the trees at the Kennedy Center, they were planted shortly after Kennedy was assassinated to commemorate the memory of the late president. That those trees were on the grounds of the Kennedy Center is significant, of course, because Trump briefly and illegally renamed it after himself before being ordered to remove his name. That apparently pissed off Trump something fierce, because now, he is threatening to tear the building down unless he gets to have his name on it again.

Once again, as if any more proof were needed, Trump is proving that he does not build anything as much as he destroys things. True, one could argue that he is building the ballroom or the "Arc de Trump." But those things are vanity projects to himself, to glorify him. They are selfish and literally very costly ambitions that actually say more about how tone deaf this presidency is, focusing on these expensive monuments to a mediocre man rather than actually helping Americans out at a time when most are struggling. Plus, he needs to destroy things in order to build these monuments to himself. He did not hesitate to destroy the Rose Garden, the East Wing of the White House, or the Reflecting Pool. And he is now literally threatening to destroy the Kennedy Center. 

This man is not just an awful human being, but a historically horrendous president. Whether it is lawful or not, regardless of whether he has received approval from the necessary authorities or not, he just does things because he wants to. If the law stands in the way, he just ignores it. He acts like he has total impunity, and that his actions are always going to come to fruition. That there will never be a reckoning.

Of course, in that regard, he is going by what he sees. And what he has seen now throughout his life is a country that accommodates his bullshit and never, ever seems  to have the stomach to actually hold him accountable for his crimes. 

Now, he continues to almost literally scar the city of Washington as he desires. Never mind the public good and the interest of ordinary Americans coming to visit the nation's capital. Trump wants yet another golf course for elites like him (if not for him privately, perhaps) and specifically to his liking. If he does not like those historical cherry blossoms which were given to the nation as a gift from Japan over a century ago, he simply tears them down. And what are the odds that Trump will not seek to privatize this course for himself and his friends? Because all we need is yet one more Trump golf course. And this one will come at the expense of beauty and history. 

Truly, this all feels symbolic of the Trump presidency as a whole. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to describe it as an A-hole.

Everything is always about Trump, forever and after. Everything so that he is catered to, everything to his specifications. His presidency has and will be defined by one thing: he always comes first, and the country, and the world, comes second. A distant second. Never one does he think about possibly sacrificing even the least bit of self-indulgence for the good of the country. It's always about him. And tens of millions of pathetic cult members validate his selfishness by supporting him throughout all of this crap.

The result in a very real sense has been that the country has grown smaller and poorer. And I mean that in every sense of those words.

Trump is worse than worthless, and is actively sucking all of the good that this country has, trying to make it and everyone here as miserable as he is.

Seriously, this needs to come to an end.

Dozens of Trees Quietly Toppled in D.C. Without Court Approval Ahead of Trump’s New Golf Course Makeover: Report by Charlotte Phillipp  Published on August 28, 2026:

The Trump administration did not release any design plans, construction schedule or budget for the golf course by the time the trees were cut, The Washington Post reported  

https://people.com/dozens-trees-quietly-toppled-dc-without-court-approval-ahead-trumps-new-golf-course-makeover-report-12072010

Dozens of Trees Quietly Toppled in D.C. Without Court Approval Ahead of Trump’s New Golf Course Makeover: Report