Southerners always make the best writers. You're an honor to the profession. Been audibling "Freedom" by Tim Snyder and find that good, but lacks finesse. I told my son-in-law's mother yesterday that he defined freedom as "being unpredictable" and she, being a free Canadian, instantaneously said "of course!." Your prose shows the beauty of freedom. I'm sure it will do great things.
Well said, Rick, one of your best columns ever. Not much humor, but it ain't a humorous topic. I have a perspective to share re war crimes. I retired in 2021 after 40 years of psychiatric practice, 29 in the Army & VA. The most painful part of military psychiatry is receiving the confessions, in strict professional confidentiality, of soldiers coerced into war crimes. The coercion was always the same: the commander and/or squadmates/crewmates said, "Join in or we kill you right now. If you ever tell anyone, we'll kill you when we find out." Often decades later, the military psychiatrist is the first human to whom the sobbing, weeping veteran reveals what happened and the shame, guilt, horror, & nightmares that ensued. The UCMJ clause stating that every servicemember MUST refuse ANY unlawful order from ANY source is the best bulwark we have against atrocity. To even hint at weakening that bulwark is deepest blasphemy & dishonor, yet I have MAGA friends [may God have mercy on them!] who insist that the 6 veteran lawmakers stating this foundation of the UCMJ are "insane" and must be punished as the American Führer demands.
It’s hard to know what to say or what to ask. What more do you suggest the resistance do to counter all this, besides elections, which are not for another year?
Heavens it’s so frigging depressing reading American news and commentary on the graft occurring at all levels of Trump’s government. Will Trump, and his slimy pals, be brought to justice when his term is over?
Just wanna ask again for a complete story on Rubio. This article is a great start
Cute as a button, telegenic, got the Gym Jordan fast talking bit down, even though it's all noxious, like the spillover from an overturned tanker of hydrogen sulfide. Always fashioned himself as somewhat of a moderate. And a bible thumper, of course.
He had it ALL. It was always a facade. R-Potemkin. Thought/thinks he's JFK. In fact he's a combo of Chamberlain, von Ribbentrop and Joe McCarthy
Chris Christie, nobody's idea of anything good, disemboweled him.
You can fire the next air to air sidewinder. The coup de gras
Sorry, old French Major here! You mean 'coup de grâce' (the mercy head-shot to the wounded but not-yet-dead firing-squad victim to shorten the agony). 'Coup de gras' means literally 'shot of fat/grease.' OK, you MAY be intending a really clever pun insulting the pudgy fascists...
If there is any justice in this world, Witkoff and Kushner will end up in jail and Rubio and Vance’s political careers will be finished once Trump finally crashes and burns.
Hegseth is a Monster. (As are Kushner, Witkoff, and of course, Trump.) No longer human. Demons, for reals. That’s the only thing that makes sense to me. I can’t comprehend how a person is unable to see another human being as a person. Hegseth is evil and crazy. “At least 80 people.” How does a person become a monster? How do you spout “save the fetuses” but kill strangers? How? Why? When will this stop? A person who spends “the weekend posting cartoon social media memes boasting” about murder needs to be locked up, first in a padded room for assessment, then, if found fit for trial, locked up in prison forever, preferably with Ed Kemper as a cellmate. 🏵️ Gah. So. Much. Corruption. I’m dizzy and I feel dirty. I need a Silkwood shower. My favorite sentence: “Trump Vodka made a comeback this weekend, for those of you with a taste for yak urine strained through the oil filter of a 1956 Soviet-era farm tractor and aged in toxic waste drums.” Chef’s kiss. 🏵️ I hope you’re writing “Great Moments in Diplomacy: The Shell Game at Shell Bay”. Because you have nothing better to do. Right?
Makes me want to cry. You see, understand and speak the truth, Rick, no matter how hard it gets. Can't believe what has happened to the U.S. in such a short time. And worse, that there are millions of Americans who accept it or don't care about it, while their country is raped and pillaged under their noses. Hopefully Trump and MAGA's days are numbered. Their defeat can't come soon enough and I sincerely hope it is thorough.
Southerners always make the best writers. You're an honor to the profession. Been audibling "Freedom" by Tim Snyder and find that good, but lacks finesse. I told my son-in-law's mother yesterday that he defined freedom as "being unpredictable" and she, being a free Canadian, instantaneously said "of course!." Your prose shows the beauty of freedom. I'm sure it will do great things.
Well said, Rick, one of your best columns ever. Not much humor, but it ain't a humorous topic. I have a perspective to share re war crimes. I retired in 2021 after 40 years of psychiatric practice, 29 in the Army & VA. The most painful part of military psychiatry is receiving the confessions, in strict professional confidentiality, of soldiers coerced into war crimes. The coercion was always the same: the commander and/or squadmates/crewmates said, "Join in or we kill you right now. If you ever tell anyone, we'll kill you when we find out." Often decades later, the military psychiatrist is the first human to whom the sobbing, weeping veteran reveals what happened and the shame, guilt, horror, & nightmares that ensued. The UCMJ clause stating that every servicemember MUST refuse ANY unlawful order from ANY source is the best bulwark we have against atrocity. To even hint at weakening that bulwark is deepest blasphemy & dishonor, yet I have MAGA friends [may God have mercy on them!] who insist that the 6 veteran lawmakers stating this foundation of the UCMJ are "insane" and must be punished as the American Führer demands.
⭐🇺🇸🇺🇦 “The Promise the World Didn’t Forget”
In a land full of echoes from struggles long past,
Where the truth must stand tall
and the lies never last,
A bright little promise still shines, glowing yet—
A vow from the world
we should never forget.
It came from a time when the globe stood as one,
When fascism’s darkness
was finally undone.
Our grandparents fought with a courage so true,
So tyrants would fall
and the daylight break through.
They crossed stormy oceans with fire in their eyes,
They challenged the strongmen
and silenced their lies.
Their bravery carved out the freedoms we keep—
A legacy guarding
the wakeful and deep.
And today in Ukraine, that courage returns,
In people defending
their homes as it burns.
They stand against Russia’s illegal parade,
A tyrant whose cruelty
the whole world has weighed.
We remember the moment the globe made its stand—
The Budapest promise,
the word of each land:
Ukraine gave its weapons so peace could take root,
And trusted the world
not to follow the brute.
But here in our homeland, confusion still spreads
Through FOX-colored lenses
and right-winger threads.
They shout “all is fine!” while the families cry,
As prices climb higher
and checks barely buy
Insurance, and food, and the basics of day—
While propagandists twist
what the numbers convey.
So the grandparents rise with a bright steady beat,
With phones shining fiercely
like lamps in the street.
They comment with courage, they post without fear,
They lift Indy media
the nation must hear.
They share what is fact-based, transparent, and clear,
They push back the lies
till the truth reappears.
Each repost a lantern, each comment a flame—
A spark from the past
with a new modern name.
From Normandy’s beaches to Kyiv’s brave stand,
From WW2 sacrifice
to thumbs in our hand—
The torch passes onward from challenge to threat,
For truth is a promise
the world won’t forget.
© 2025 Clarissa Sr.
🦅 #GrandparentsForDemocracy | #StandWithUkraine | #ResharingBrigade | #FactBasedMedia | #LightInTheDarkness 💙❤️💛
It’s hard to know what to say or what to ask. What more do you suggest the resistance do to counter all this, besides elections, which are not for another year?
How do we recover from this?
Trump is after the VENEZUELA OIL RESERVES!
Heavens it’s so frigging depressing reading American news and commentary on the graft occurring at all levels of Trump’s government. Will Trump, and his slimy pals, be brought to justice when his term is over?
Rick, hope you read this.
Just wanna ask again for a complete story on Rubio. This article is a great start
Cute as a button, telegenic, got the Gym Jordan fast talking bit down, even though it's all noxious, like the spillover from an overturned tanker of hydrogen sulfide. Always fashioned himself as somewhat of a moderate. And a bible thumper, of course.
He had it ALL. It was always a facade. R-Potemkin. Thought/thinks he's JFK. In fact he's a combo of Chamberlain, von Ribbentrop and Joe McCarthy
Chris Christie, nobody's idea of anything good, disemboweled him.
You can fire the next air to air sidewinder. The coup de gras
Do it, my man
Sorry, old French Major here! You mean 'coup de grâce' (the mercy head-shot to the wounded but not-yet-dead firing-squad victim to shorten the agony). 'Coup de gras' means literally 'shot of fat/grease.' OK, you MAY be intending a really clever pun insulting the pudgy fascists...
Good one
If my malaprop didn’t work so well I’d edit
Exactly!!! You describe the issue so well. Thank you for all you are doing. We will never stop fighting!!!!
SECDRUNK is perfect! Rick, You still have it in spades. Thank you for all you do, I contribute when I have some extra at the end of the month.
The results of weak enforcement of our laws.
If there is any justice in this world, Witkoff and Kushner will end up in jail and Rubio and Vance’s political careers will be finished once Trump finally crashes and burns.
NARRATOR: "There is no justice in this world"
Hegseth is a Monster. (As are Kushner, Witkoff, and of course, Trump.) No longer human. Demons, for reals. That’s the only thing that makes sense to me. I can’t comprehend how a person is unable to see another human being as a person. Hegseth is evil and crazy. “At least 80 people.” How does a person become a monster? How do you spout “save the fetuses” but kill strangers? How? Why? When will this stop? A person who spends “the weekend posting cartoon social media memes boasting” about murder needs to be locked up, first in a padded room for assessment, then, if found fit for trial, locked up in prison forever, preferably with Ed Kemper as a cellmate. 🏵️ Gah. So. Much. Corruption. I’m dizzy and I feel dirty. I need a Silkwood shower. My favorite sentence: “Trump Vodka made a comeback this weekend, for those of you with a taste for yak urine strained through the oil filter of a 1956 Soviet-era farm tractor and aged in toxic waste drums.” Chef’s kiss. 🏵️ I hope you’re writing “Great Moments in Diplomacy: The Shell Game at Shell Bay”. Because you have nothing better to do. Right?
Makes me want to cry. You see, understand and speak the truth, Rick, no matter how hard it gets. Can't believe what has happened to the U.S. in such a short time. And worse, that there are millions of Americans who accept it or don't care about it, while their country is raped and pillaged under their noses. Hopefully Trump and MAGA's days are numbered. Their defeat can't come soon enough and I sincerely hope it is thorough.
I feel the same way. Will justice and truth prevail? I hope so.
Pete Hegseth's "Kill them all" is a hop, skip and a jump away from Kurtz's "Exterminate all the brutes!"
Always love your articles. Thank you.