You’ve got to give him credit. Throughout his campaign he said he was going to use tariff’s to Make America Great Again. By God, “I’m gonna stick it to China with 60% tariffs. I’ll put them on Canada and Mexico too. They aren’t gonna take advantage of us anymore.” Of course, many of his followers didn’t believe he would actually do it, that it is just a bluff, because he’s so smart and “has such good common sense.” Also, many of those dimwits don’t even know what a tariff is. They think that the producer company in say China, Mexico, or Canada pays the tariff. Wrong. The tariff is paid by the company importing the product, who then passes along that cost to the American consumer. Today, the Wall Street Journal editorial board called this tRump tariff action “the dumbest trade war in history.” Trump in just two weeks has managed to piss off almost the entire global community with his foreign aid freeze talks, tariff belligerence, World Health Organization drop-out, Panama Canal and Greenland take-overs, and so on. We are getting booed at sporting events in Canada when the American Anthem is played. The longer this goes on, the uglier it’s going to get for American’s. MAGA’s just don’t get it. Trust me.

Had a great time with the kids and grand dog this weekend at the beach house. We actually had nice weather Saturday and Sunday. Great play time with Charlie on the beach. Gotta run, ramble later. Ziggyman

On a day when families and the nation need to hear comforting words after the terrible crash last night in Washington, D.C. between an American Airlines jet and an Army Blackhawk helicopter causing the death of 67 people, we instead hear how it’s Biden and the Dem’s fault because of all that DEI “bull shit.” Those are the exact words from our leader on national television. After listening to the new Secretary of Transportation, new Secretary of Defense, and Vice President J.D. Vance extol the magnificent leadership from their Master, I wanted to pull out the bucket and puke. I was watching the morning news when they went to ‘Breaking News’ for a briefing from the President. What I saw was the typical condolences written by a staff member and read by Trump off the teleprompter and then watched him just go off the rails. What should have been a briefing to provide credible information and comforting words evolved into a shocking political tirade. As usual, it became all about him as he praised himself and accused past administrations for this tragedy. After having his underlings come up to the microphone and spout effusive praise for the narcissist, he came back to the podium and announced what he had concluded was the cause of the crash – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs from the TSA, the military, and American Airlines. When asked how he could connect DEI to the tragic crash considering the ongoing investigation, Trump replied, “Because I have common sense.” Ziggyman doesn’t agree, Herr tRump. If you had common sense you would have shut your f___ing mouth after paying respect to those that lost their lives. You, sir, are a bumbling idiot.

Moving on, this magnificent administration is now 0-2 in the first 10 days of their regime. First, they lost, for the time being, the birthright citizenship order. Now, after their chaotic and confusing executive order that even GOP members weren’t clear on, the administration rescinded the order to freeze federal assistance. I’m afraid this ‘fire, aim, ready’ mentality is going to be the modus operandi for the next four years and I’m surprised Donnie didn’t fire the acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget for making him look like a fool during this ‘cluster f__k.’ I have a sense that perhaps Repub’s phones and emails were going crazy when all those MAGA federal assistance recipients were starting to realize that this is going to affect me. WTF!! My friend, Mitch, sent me an article showing the effect of the order related to Medicaid in Oregon and I’m sure a bunch of MAGA’s in rural Oregon had their sphincter spasming. The article stated that 33.5% of Oregonian’s are on the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program, and the rates of Medicaid enrollment are highest in Oregon’s Trump country. For example, in Malheur County, home of the infamous Bundy takeover, 51.1% of that population are enrolled in Medicaid and 70.44% voted for the tRumpster. In Jefferson County, 46.9% are Medicaid recipients and 63.44% voted for their savior. I predict that it’s not going to be too far into the future that we will start seeing the ‘s__t hit the fan.’ Wait until gas starts hitting $5.00 again and you can’t even get eggs unless you have your own chickens. Oh boy, my friends, buy some more popcorn.

Enough for now. We came to the beach house yesterday and I need to do a couple of things outside before the rains resume, so y’all have a nice evening and try to guess what the ‘s__t show’ will bring us tomorrow.  Ziggyman

It keeps getting worse by the day. The missus got a call today from our friend, Kathy, who wondered if I had heard about tRump suspending foreign aid funding. Her brother delivers medicines to Africa and he told Kathy that the grant program has been suspended, effective immediately.  I’ve been working on projects around the house and hadn’t checked on the latest destructive actions from Herrs Musk and Trump, but have just started doing my daily research and yep, there it is in black and white. Beginning today at 5:00 PM Eastern Time, there is a freeze on all federal grants and loans effecting not only foreign aid programs, but domestic ones as well. These are on hold while the administration makes sure that the programs are aligned with Donnie’s priorities, including his executive order to end diversity, equity and inclusion. Evidently, states are now having trouble accessing Medicaid funds for about 70 million low-income American as a result of this action. Oregon U.S. Senator Wyden said his office has confirmed that the portal used by doctors to secure payments from Medicaid has been deactivated in all 50 states. Other programs such as Head Start, housing, and homeless services are also being affected. This move by the administration stopped the distribution of drugs for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, medical supplies for newborn babies, clean water for infants, ending trafficking of girls, and basic education for children and adults in foreign countries. Trump says that the US “foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values.” Marco Rubio, our new Secretary of State, says that every program will be evaluated and “every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue mut be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?” So there you have it, the key question being ‘does cutting this funding  make our oligarchs more prosperous?’ Where once the USA was respected as the biggest donor of aid globally we are fast becoming seen as the dog that shit on your carpet. Of course the GOP has no problem with this move as ‘the man’ is just following through on his campaign promises and the mandate he received from his supporters to shake up the swamp. Unfortunately, or fortunately, many of his f____ing MAGA’s are going to experience this cruel and destructive action. I wrote yesterday about the destruction that began a week ago and today it continues. Wait until they start on Social Security and Medicare, then it’ll be time to get the popcorn popper cranked up.

With that being said, I’m going for a walk to clear my brain and then I’ll come back and compose an email to my senators and representatives. Talk to ya’ later. Ziggyman

It was only a week ago today that the destruction of America began and what a hell of a week it’s been. From the many moves this administration has put into effect in just the last week, it is obvious to me that the tRump plan is not to govern – the plan is to rule. Trump has openly admired authoritarian figures, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Viktor Orban, and his plan is to become a ranking member of that club. These calculated moves are right in line with the authoritarian playbook written by Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Putin, Jong Un, et al. The playbook shows that the plan starts with small, incremental steps leading up to the Coup de grace. Wear the citizens down with continual lies and misinformation; label the press as “the enemy of the people”; create fears that immigrants are ruining the country; spew allegations that the country’s democratic system is corrupt and rigged; get rid of watch dog oversight protections or fill those positions with lap dogs; put people into positions of power who are loyalists to the King or totally incompetent; stack the courts with loyalists; go after your political opponents via your Justice Department; and finally use the power of pardon to create your own paramilitary for protection and to suppress dissent. This all starts off with a “soft launch” and gradually erodes the country as these corrupt practices become normalized. Do you see similarities to what is happening in Merica right now? ‘Week One ‘ we have seen 1,600 Trump loyalists pardoned for crimes they committed on Insurrection Day 2021. They now owe the “big guy.” ICE has become the new Gestapo as they have started rounding up undocumented immigrants and begun the deportation process, having been given the ‘green light’ to also  enter schools and churches to seek out their prey.  About seventeen Inspectors General, the watch dogs, were fired on Friday night with a two sentence email, which was basically “you are terminated. Thanks for your service.” This action was done unlawfully, as Congress was not given the 30 day notice required by law, but who knows if it will be litigated.  Birthright citizenship was ‘scrapped,’ but as I wrote about in my last post, was temporarily blocked by a federal judge. Two incompetents were confirmed for key cabinet positions who will not run their departments independently, but instead follow the whims of their boss. In the midst of a new dangerous virus, the Bird Flu, with the risk rising that it could become a human pandemic, Trump pulls the US out of the World Health Organization. Smooth move Ex-Lax. RFK better get confirmed soon to take care of this situation before eggs become $12.99 per dozen. Anyhoo, we need to continue to pay attention to this playbook and counter the oligarchs, MAGA’s, and other dictators with our own plan. If not, the man sent by God to save us, is going to destroy us.

Today happens to be Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day to remember the 6 million Jew’s that Herr Musk’s idol sent to Auschwitz. Remember, history repeats itself.

I’m sorry I can’t bring any more happiness to you to begin this week, so I will bid you adieu and go read the next chapter in the biography of Adolf Hitler. Stay safe and remember that popcorn day is still coming. Ziggyman

I’m back home from my cataract surgery and feeling bored after my lil’ nappy poo that the doc said I should do when I got back home. The surgery went well and the sneaky peek I took from behind my eye shield patch was incredible. I can’t wait for February 18^th to get the other eye done. Lordy, it’s a miracle! The sky is blue out of my surgical eye and grey out of the other.

Anyhoo, you don’t want to hear about my eyes. You want me to get fired up and ramble about current events. Well, we start with some good news today. As you know, one of tRump’s early Executive Orders was to end birthright citizenship, a right enshrined in the Constitution. Unfortunate for him, fortunate for us, we have a federal judge up in Seattle, who has been on the bench for over four decades and knows what the 14^th Amendment is all about. The language is pretty plain and simple. It says, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” It appears the judge was just a little annoyed with the argument brought forth by Trump’s lackey, ripping the DOJ attorney a new a__hole, and then stating, “I’ve been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.” He then entered a temporary injunction that will prevent the Trump administration from interfering with the citizenship of people born in the United States, regardless of their parent’s citizenship status. Day four, and Donnie gets his first loss in court. I don’t see where the Supreme Court can help him on this one. The Amendment is pretty clear. 1-0 for the “good guys.”

Moving on, in his typical modus operandi of tearing things down, another Executive Order on Day One was to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). This has been a conservative push for several years after work was being done to develop a “pandemic treaty” to strengthen pandemic preparedness and set legally binding policies for member countries. Some GOP members think the agreement would be a threat to American sovereignty. And, of course, Trump thinks that we are paying an unfair membership fee into the organization. Most health experts think this is a bad move for national interests and national security. But who needs WHO when we’ve got RFK Jr. to lead us in dealing with pandemics, bird flu, brain eating worms. Right?

It’s 4:00 pm and the Blazer game is just starting, so I need to conclude my ramblings for today and pick up again tomorrow. I’ve got FEMA, NATO, the Paris Climate Agreement, Tik Tok, and tRump Meme Coins, on my mind for the future. Keep smilin’. Ziggyman

Note: If there are misspellings in this post that spell check didn’t pick up, it’s because I’m a one-eyed bandit today. I’m looking like Stewart Rhodes, the eye-patched leader of the Oath Keepers. Sorry.

I am so disgusted I can’t even see straight. I knew that during the first few days of this new administration the King would open his mouth and spew some bulls—t that sounded like it was coming from a lunatic, sign some Executive Orders that would make me cringe, and repeatedly display that tRumpian  sneer when he was in front of the camera jacking up his MAGA minions. But, I didn’t think it would be this bad this soon. Y’all watch the ‘News’, so you know what I’m talking about. If I was a cop in America right now, I’d be thinking that maybe I’ve made the wrong career choice. The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers can beat the sh—t out of me, get convicted and sent to prison, and then pardoned by the ‘Showman in Chief,’ followed by an invitation to lunch at the White House with him on their walk out the prison door. Hopefully, this is going to come back and bite Trump and his GOP sycophants, especially those up for reelection mid-term, on the butt in the very near future.

Earlier I posted that he would probably announce the elimination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in federal programs after his Inauguration speech on MLK Jr. Day. It was kind of him to wait until the next day to make that announcement. He has the notion that he is so powerful he can impose that same mandate in the private sector, threatening to investigate companies for civil rights violations if they don’t follow the federal government lead in eliminating these programs. Presidents’ tRump and Musk have cast DEI as illegal discrimination against white Americans. There are thousands of companies that depend on federal funding or hold government contracts that could lose those contracts if they don’t play along with this ridiculous threat. This is going to be an interesting one to watch play out.

Related to the DEI Order is the order to only recognize two genders in the USA, male or female. This Order was probably written by JD Vance, as this has been his ‘baby’ since he first became a Senator in 2023. This is an interesting Order, as Trump celebrated the inclusion of transgender women in his Miss Universe pageant in 2012 and while campaigning in 2016 said he disagreed with a North Carolina law barring trans people from using public restrooms that match their gender identity. In typical Trumpian fashion, his decisions or seeing what schtuff will stick when thrown against the wall depends on who he last talked to.

OMG! Did you ever think that at an inauguration of the President of the United States of America an ally of the newly elected Chief would throw a Hitler salute when addressing the crowd? Not once, but twice. Of course he is now trying to do damage control, saying he was not doing a Heil Hitler salute, blaming the media and left-wingers for making this up. However, some neo-Nazi and other far-right and white supremacist extremists around the country made clear online that they believed Musk had made Nazi salutes, which they approved of and thanked him for.

Finally, today the deportation project has been put into effect and with it, of course, is plenty of bravado and threats. We start with a memo from the Justice Department that threatens to prosecute state and local officials who resist the federal immigration crackdown as well as federal prosecutors who decline to prosecute those immigrant cases. And from the Border Czar, Tom Homan, “Sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don’t want. More agents in the communities, more people arrested, collateral arrests If that’s the game they want to play? Game on. The gloves are off.” Spoken like a true thug. When tRump hears one of his lieutenants talk like that, I would bet he doesn’t need to pop a Viagra. I’m afraid this is the rhetoric we are going to be experiencing over the next few months. At some point, however, things are going to start going downhill and hopefully, it will be a fast descent.

With that, I’m going outside to chop firewood. Tomorrow I have cataract surgery and won’t be able to chop for a week or so and it’s been colder than you know what up here on the mountain. So, my fellow Americans, until we meet again, keep the faith and “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Ziggyman.

P.S. Note the average price of gasoline today is $3.129 according to AAA. The average price per Universal Product Code (UPC) of eggs has reached a record high of $6.30 across the top 15 egg brands. This is my baseline for the promises Donnie made to cut gas and grocery costs during his campaign, “Wait until how fast we’re going to get it going, we’ll get the prices down,” says he on November 3rd.

Here it is my friends. The day that many of us have been dreading. The day that the MAGA majority of the nation has been breathlessly awaiting. I will call this “Day One” of the 1,460 days until the next inauguration. We will survive it, but I just wonder what history making events we will experience from “Day One” to Day 1.460. I didn’t turn on the television to watch you know who’s speech or the back slapping, hand shaking, hugging, jubilation during the Rotunda ceremony. It would have made me shite before I was ready for my morning constitutional. It does warm my heart, however, to know that tRump and his billionaire buddies are warm inside the Rotunda having a gourmet 3-course meal with fine wine, while his MAGA supporters are outside freezing their asses off. It is now 1:10 pm and I don’t know what shock and awe Executive Orders have been proclaimed at this point. I did read yesterday, though, that one of the first Orders will be to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices in the federal government. I will venture to guess that he might say something hypocritical in his speech today honoring Martin Luther King, Jr, and then two hours later announce no more Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It’s too bad that this particular inauguration has to occur on the same day as Martin Luther King, Jr Day. I believe In an earlier post I said that Jimmy Carter and DJT were polar opposites. I will say the same about MLK and DJT. The only King I’ll be honoring today is MLK and will bet that in this country’s future we will not have a Donald J Trump Day. Anyhoo, I’m not going to get my bowels in an uproar, but instead will calm my inner self with a “So, Hmmmm” meditation to calm my mind and then drink some chamomile tea.

I started a post last Friday while we were at the beach, but time got away and I couldn’t finish it before we headed back to the mountain. The theme of that post was that I’m not an alarmist, but I think that we are screwed. I was going to discuss the Pete Hegseth confirmation hearing and how disappointed I was in the questioning by the Dem members of the committee, other than Senator Tammy Duckworth, who asked questions exposing his incompetence for the job. I thought the GOP members asked more substantive questions than the softball moralistic questioning by the Dems. We all know from ad nauseam reporting that he’s a drinker, adulterer, sexual abuser, has extremist ink on his body, and doesn’t seem to have the credentials to be in charge of the largest department in the government. He’s going to get confirmed over the next few days anyway and he will be joining the Kakistocracy team of other incompetents running this country. When you have Pete Hegseth (Secretary of Defense), Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence), RFK Jr. (Secretary of Health and Human Services) Kash Patel (Director of the FBI), and Kristi Noem (Secretary of Homeland Security), this ain’t exactly the “A team.” And then you have Tom Homan as the Border Czar and Elon Musk “The Knife.” And I can’t forget the ”broligarchs” camping out at Mar-a-Lago engaged in unnatural acts with their King. Not to mention the rudderless Democratic Party. Sheesh, we’re more than screwed, we’re going to be floundering in deep doo-doo.

It’s probably time to leave you and check my Apple News to see what the pundits are saying about the” Second Coming.” Amazingly, the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame game has not been postponed as viewer competition to the “Big Dance.” Go Notre Dame!! Enjoy the rest of your day knowing that MAGA’s are going to be wondering soon when the price of those eggs are coming down like Donnie promised. Ziggyman

My friends, hang on to your hats as we head to the “Big Day.” It’s not just going to be a big day, but it’s going to be the biggest day, the biggest day that you’ve ever seen. It’s going to be a beautiful day, the most beautiful day. It’s too bad it’s on the same day that we honor a greater man than our president-elect, Martin Luther King, Jr. I think this sums up what that day means for many of us:  “We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example—the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility, and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership,” according to the U.S. Government Publishing Office. “On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness, and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.”  I don’t think you could have two individuals with polar opposite character traits. You can do your own compare and contrast of character traits and values between MLK and DJT – courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility, forgiveness, and nonviolence. I would bet that DJT is pissed that he has to share the day with that other guy. After all, it was bad enough that the flags are at half-staff during the inauguration. But, oh wait, Trump fumed and complained about it so much that Speaker Johnson has ordered that the flags at the Capitol, which are at half-staff due to the death of former president Jimmy Carter be raised for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration — defying a White House proclamation and U.S. Congressional Code. Republican governors of several states have followed suit and will be raising the flag to full mast on that day. Donnie’s not going to let the death of a member of the Presidential Club ruin his inauguration flag. Sheesh, shows how thin skinned he is. If you’re a football fan be ready. I think his first Executive Order will be to have the NCAA Championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State that day postponed so we don’t miss he and Melania dancing to Frank Sinatra’s “I’ll Do It My Way.” I’ve got to check the betting odds on whether she will even be there. You should probably go right now and check your pantry to be sure you have some fresh popcorn ready for the event.

I’m thankful I have Apple News and can get current articles from a number of sources with that subscription. I mentioned in an earlier post that I cancelled my Time magazine subscription after Trump was made “Person of the Year.” Last week I cancelled my Washington Post subscription after the paper’s editorial page editor rejected a cartoon that Ann Telnaes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist created to mock media and tech leaders sucking up to the President-elect. One of the figures depicted was Post owner Jeff Bezos. Her resignation followed other Post writers and editors who resigned earlier after Bezos blocked a decision by the editorial board in October to endorse Kamala Harris. As a result of these latest Post decisions she resigned after having been there since 2008. Yesterday, I learned that Jen Rubin one of my favorite Post opinion writers has also resigned immediately from the Post and on her way out the door torched Bezos. She and Norm Eisen are launching a new independent media project, The Contrarian. In an interview with the Daily Beast she said, “We’ve watched as corporate and billionaire owners of media outlets abused their audiences’ loyalty and undercut journalism’s vital role in a free democracy. Instead of safeguarding democratic values, they have enabled the gravest threats to democracy—Donald Trump and his allies—at the very time when a robust and independent press is most essential. We need an alternative, truly independent outlet that is unafraid of the administration and unwilling to equivocate or bend the knee.” When I finish this post I will be going to their site and subscribing to The Contrarian. Their motto or tagline is “Not Owned by Anybody.” The Washington Post adopted the motto “Democracy Dies in Darkness” during Trump 1.0. I wonder what their new motto will be in Trump 2.0?   Perhaps “Democracy Died at the Washington Post.”

Well, it’s another beautiful day at the beach so I think the missus and I will put on our walking shoes and head out for a walky-poo. Go check your pantry now and have a great day. Ziggyman

It’s been quite the week. Horrific wildfires in California. Jimmy Carter’s funeral. “Weak Weasel” Mark Zuckerberg turns MAGA and scraps fact-checking on Meta and Instagram. The Trail Blazers lose two games they should have won. And then we come to Friday, the sentencing hearing of Donald J. Trump for his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide hush money he paid to a porn star during his first campaign.

Although he tried to have his sentencing hearing blocked, taking it all the way to the Supreme Court, he lost that appeal and had to sit through about 10 minutes of a nothing burger. His sentence of unconditional discharge, which was less than a slap on the wrist, didn’t please his supporters and it didn’t please his critics. What it did show is that we don’t have a system of equal justice in this country. If you or I had been convicted of 34 felonies there sure as s**t would have been some sort of punishment meted out. Instead, Trump won the trifecta. No jail time. No fine. No probation. On this same day, Jack Smith, the Special Counsel who I was hoping would have been able to put the screws to Trump for federal election subversion and the mishandling of classified documents, resigned from the Department of Justice after having our next Supreme Court Justice, Aileen Cannon, dismiss his cases against Trump. I have a sense we will be hearing from Jack again as Trump’s “Retribution Squad” goes into action after January 20th. He’s on the “hit list.”

I’ve rambled in the past about the reason Trump won. Terrible campaign by the Dem’s, some smart tactics by Trump, “President Musk” stepping in, the perceived terrible economy. What I’m really irked about today is the fact that the majority of voting Americans decided on November 5th to put a convicted felon into the highest office in this country. In an earlier period of this country, this person who is now the CEO of the USA, would never have been elected with the baggage he brings to the post. He would have been turned away like stink on s**t. These are certainly different times and probably an entrance into a way of national governance that some will cheer and others of us will abhor. But hey, the people spoke and having a felon as your leader ain’t no big deal anymore. I will say that the hypocrisy of some of his supporters just blows me away. So, The Word of the Day is “hypocrisy” – the pretending  to having virtues, principles, or beliefs that one in fact does not have (Merriam-Webster).

An example of this hypocrisy is the vast support Trump has received from the religious community. On one hand they quote the Bible, recite the Ten Commandments (which they would like posted on classroom walls), sermonize about the evils of adultery, and then turn around and vote him into office. We’re talking about a person who has never shown any interest in faith, but has exhibited many actions contrary to religious beliefs and morals. I respect the message that Reverend Monte Norwood of Bible Ways Ministries in Atlantic, Georgia has sent from the pulpit. “Trump has demeaned and debased just about anybody he could, from immigrants to minorities to women to those who are disabled.” “White conservative Republican Christianity that ignores character is just hypocritical.” Exit polls showed Trump beat Harris in just about every category of self-identified Christians (Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, Baptist, etc.). But, then again, when Trump says that “God spared my life for a reason” after his assassination attempt, you have to think these guys really do believe that God sent him here as our Savior.

Another example of hypocrisy closer to home. I have been following the situation in the Saint Helens School District where ten staff members have been put on leave, some of whom have been indicted for sex abuse, failure to report abuse, and child endangerment. The community has been in an uproar over these events for the past several months, swarming school board meetings, protesting, and supporting student walkouts. One parent in the district wants every teacher in the district investigated for sex abuse. I am not condoning student sex abuse and not trying to defend the staff members if they are convicted of these crimes. I do, however, find it interesting that in the November election the results for Columbia County where St. Helens is located, show Trump getting 17,227 votes (55%) and Harris getting 12,895 votes (41%). I’m not saying every parent in the district voted for Trump, but based on the margin of votes I think you can assume that many did. So, where am I going with this? Trump became a felon on May 30th, five months before the election. A year prior, he was found liable for sexually abusing a woman in 1996 awarding her a $5 million judgement. Parents who wouldn’t think of having their child taught by a convicted sex abuser don’t seem to have a problem voting for a felon and sex abuser to be President of the United States. They knew before the election what he had done, but ignored that or didn’t see it as a problem. I call that hypocrisy.

As time goes on over the next four years I’m sure we will see many more events and actions that will demonstrate the hypocrisy of selecting this man to be our president, king, master, Elon sub, or whatever. Have a great weekend! Ziggyman

Today was the state funeral for James Earl Carter, Jr., the 39^th president of the United States who held that office from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981. We all know him as Jimmy Carter and probably have mixed feelings about his presidency, but you can’t negate his lifetime of service and what a kind and decent human being he was. He is much more regarded today than when he was a one term president, who was easily defeated by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election. Historians have generally not rated his presidency highly, but in recent years his approval rating and the assessments of his time in office have climbed, due in large part to the things he has done during his post-president time. Probably his work with Habitat for Humanity to rehabilitate and build homes for low-income families is the first thing that comes to mind, but he and his wife also established their own nonprofit, The Carter Center. This nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has a mission of improving life for the world’s poorest people. Jimmy and Rosalynn with the Center staff have worked to resolve conflicts nationally and internationally, promote democracy, protect human rights, and improve the health of the world’s poorest. In recognition of this work the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2002 to President Carter “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

Other notable facts about this kind and simple humanitarian:

• When he died last month, he was the first president to reach the age of 100.

• He was the first president to be born in a hospital.

• Jimmy and Rosalynn lived in the same modest ranch style house in Plains, Georgia from 1961 until their deaths, most recently assessed at just $167,066.

• Jimmy wrote 32 books, all of which were bestsellers.

• Harry Truman was Mr. Carter’s favorite president. He told The Guardian in 2011 that he admired Truman for not trying to profit off his presidency.

• Before he was a peanut farmer, state senator, governor, and president, Jimmy served as a submariner in the U.S. Navy.

As January 20, 2025 approaches and Trump is inaugurated for the second time, there are similarities to 1980 when Ronald Reagan ousted President Carter. Reagan offered optimism and hope that he would improve people’s lives, which is what people wanted to hear. The economy during Carter’s years were plagued with double digit inflation and long lines at the gas pumps. Voters were ready for a knight in shining armor to come in and fix that, which Reagan promised to do. As a result, he won by a landslide. In this election, Trump won by constantly harping on the economy and how bad it is. The voters, like in 1980, saw Trump as that knight swooping in. The difference is that our economy is not in the tank. The Biden-Harris team made a huge mistake not educating people that the economy under Biden has shown steady improvement. Unfortunately, for the majority of voters, perceptions were stronger than facts. In an opinion piece in the Washington Post today, Jennifer Rubin lambasts the media for fixating “on polls showing what voters thought about the state of the economy and its negative news bias that refused to give proper weight to Biden’s successes” and “an accurate picture of Biden’s achievements.” In the article she lists facts, not perceptions, showing where we are today in comparison to when Trump left office. Factory jobs under Biden increased by 268,000 over Trump’s time. “The rate of grocery inflation has subsided to less than 1.6%.” “Real median incomes are higher than when Trump left office.” Had Biden-Harris emphasized these facts, knowing that the economy is what voters were most concerned about, we might not be where we are going into January 20^th. Let’s see how long it takes before the GOP agenda screws this up.

Anyhoo, I will leave you with words from a president who was a decent human being and worked for world peace and the betterment of all people, not for himself and his allies. Have a great day and consider a donation to The Carter Center. Ziggyman

“I want to stress again that human rights are not peripheral to the foreign policy of the United States. Our pursuit of human rights is part of a broad effort to use our great power and our tremendous influence in the service of creating a better world, a world in which human beings can live in peace, in freedom, and with their basic needs met adequately.”
-Remarks at White House by President Carter commemorating 30th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, December 1978