News Media

The Threat To Truth In Journalism

Ronald 8 Comments

A very significant part of any democracy is a free, uncontrolled journalism and news media that promotes accountability and truth by government.

Sadly, and tragically, there are danger signs that a free, unbridled journalism is rapidly being eviscerated.

Examples are ABC News and CBS News reacting to lawsuits pursued by Donald Trump by caving in, and paying financial damages, when they should have fought it out in court.

Also, CBS News has been compromised by new ownership, catering to Donald Trump and firing many on their staff.

Additionally, the Washington Post under Billionaire Jeff Bezos has changed the nature of editorials and columnists, and many leading figures in that newspaper have resigned.

The Los Angeles Times has also shown signs of conceding to the Trump Administration in many instances, and CNN also has demonstrated willingness to be cautious in its approach to the Trump Administration.

For now, only the New York Times and MSNBC (to be renamed MS NOW on November 15) are resisting pressures by the Trump Administration.

Donald Trump Is Underming Multiple Areas Of American Progress

Ronald 66 Comments

After seven and a half months of his second term, President Donald Trump has used a “wrecking ball” that has undermined multiple areas of American progress of past Presidents and Congresses.

Trump has undermined a stable American foreign policy, upending our relationship with NATO and our Asian allies, and encouraging aggression by dictatorships worldwide.

Trump has undermined our heritage of civil rights and civil liberties progress, from the time of Lyndon B. Johnson onward.

Trump has undermined environmental and consumer protection, which has been a guidepost since the time of Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

Trump has undermined America’s economic progress with his crazy, mad dash toward tariffs that are already showing signs of bringing about an economic recession and make life more difficult for anyone not of the wealthy upper class.

Trump has declared war on immigrants, upending the concept of tolerance and the essential need for a work force that includes foreigners who wish to become part of the “American Dream”.

Trump has shown total lack of compassion, decency, ethics, morals and tolerance toward anyone not white male Christian, including setting back progress for nonwhites, women, gays and lesbians, and disabled people.

Trump has undermined the independence of universities, the news media, corporations, and law firms, all threatening American democracy and its institutions.

So Trump has declared war on much of the 20th and 21st century progress from Theodore Roosevelt to Joe Biden, Presidents and Congresses of both political parties!

Trump’s Three Hour Rant At Cabinet Meeting, Including Talk Of Being A Dictator, An Alarm Bell Ringing!

Ronald 23 Comments

The latest Trump Cabinet meeting, lasting more than three hours, is an elaboration of earlier meetings where the Cabinet members engage in mind boggling praise of the President.

Groveling and flattery have become predominant in a way never occurring before with any other President.

Watching and listening to the effusive praise, which reminds one of the equivalent such behavior toward Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, and other authoritarian figures past and present, is enough to make one wish to vomit.

And Trump ranting for over three hours, clearly mentally unhinged, and talking about some thinking he should be a dictator, is extremely alarming.

It is clear that his mental state is, without a doubt, in deterioration before our eyes, and yet no one speaks up, and even the news media, while noticing, do not go after Trump, as many did toward Joe Biden, who was never in such a disastrous mental state as Trump clearly is.

Independence Day 2025 NOT A Day To Celebrate, As America Is In Constitutional Crisis!

Ronald 3 Comments

Today is the 249th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and it should be a day of celebration.

But it is extremely difficult to feel excitement or thrills, as America is on the cusp of Fascist authoritarianism after nearly six months of the second Donald Trump Presidency.

With many corporations, the Republican party in Congress, the Supreme Court, and some of the news media, kowtowing to Trump and his Cabinet and other supporters, the feeling is that what America fought for two and a half centuries ago, is being lost, without much hope of a turnaround any time soon.

The Democratic Party and the defiant news media sources continue to fight against the trends that have emerged, but now, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) having a larger enforcement budget just enacted, it is clear what is occurring.

Mass arrests and deportations are violating the major tenets of our Constitution, and the Bill of Rights is under attack, with little likelihood of a challenge, at least short term, that will reverse the damage that has been done, and is being done by the “Big and Beautiful” Budget bill that just passed into law yesterday, and was, a short time ago, signed into law at a White House ceremony!

Censorship Is Harming Journalism And Truth! :(

Ronald 5 Comments

Journalism is being harmed by the decision of news media to bend to the will of Donald Trump, and to put controls on criticism and exposing the truth.

The Washington Post publisher, Jeff Bezos, has bent to threats from Trump, and has changed the editorial independence of one of the premier newspapers in America, leading to resignations by major contributors, many with a long, treasured history with the second most prominant newspaper in America.

CNN has pushed out well known figures, including, notably, Jim Acosta, who has caused antagonism with Trump, since the first Trump Presidency.

MSNBC has dismissed Joy Reid, a major critic of Trump, and like CNN, is perceived as reacting to Trump criticism by “bending the knee”.

Trump has also called for Rachel Maddow and Nicolle Wallace to be fired, but it seems that they are “safe” at this point, but clearly, there is pressure on that news channel.

Trump has also called for revoking FCC authorization for the major networks of NBC, ABC, and CBS.

The thought that a President could wield such threats is horrifying, and an indication that Trump is ready and willing to bring enough pressure to end the concept of a free press.

But the resistance to such a situation must be unrelenting, that no further concessions can be allowed to occur!

Concern That Donald Trump Will, At Some Point, Invoke Insurrection Act Of 1807 Against Freedom Of Assembly!

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There is growing concern that President Donald Trump, who has been on a rampage of asserting power and authority in his first five weeks in office in his second term, will, at some point, when public opposition becomes more fierce, decide to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807.

But the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans military force being used within the nation, except for the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard, but those only within a state’s boundaries. This law has been updated in 1956, 1981, and 2021.

The most recent use of the Insurrection Act was in 1992, at the time of the Los Angeles Riots.

Does anyone really trust that Donald Trump would not violate these laws in an inappropriate manner if demonstrations become, in his mind, too burdensome to deal with peacefully?

This could lead to bloodshed and violence in the streets of America, and with MAGA Republicans backing their President, could evolve into a form of civil war.

The Bill of Rights is under attack in so many ways, and anarchy and chaos brought about by mass firings of government civil servants will start to affect not just those workers, but the general public.

Already, there have been some town halls in Republican Congressional Districts, causing discomfort and stress for those officeholders, and leading to recommendations from Republican leadership in the House of Representatives to reject future town halls, and ignore the growing outcry of public opinion outrage.

With Trump rejecting the close association with traditional democratic nation in Europe; with our neighbors Canada and Mexico; and with Asian nations, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand; international affairs are much more stressed, and the instability endangers the political and social climate in America.

Difficult days are ahead and some news media are, seemingly, kowtowing to Donald Trump, an alarm bell in the night, as only keeping a free and critical media can inspire the survival of American democracy!

One Month Of Donald Trump: Radical, Revolutionary, Abusive, Authoritarian Threat On American Democratic Tradition! :(

Ronald 43 Comments

Today marks one month of the second, nonconsecutive term of Donald Trump in the Presidency.

Public opinion polls show Trump “under water”, and he stands out in a very negative way as radical, revolutionary, abusive, and authoritarian, and a threat to the continuation of the American democratic tradition.

It is also shocking how the Republican Party has “sold its soul” to Trump, repudiating their past views on domestic and foreign policy!

The “Blue State” governors, the news media, and the courts are resisting Trump and his right wing Fascism at this point, but the question is how successful they might be, and what if Trump refuses to obey courts, and decides to start direct violent action against his critics in the states, in Congress, and the news media.

Would he use the military to defy the First Amendment?

This is a moment of soberness and reckoning, as the near term future looks gloomy, but the battle and the fight must not be abandoned!

“Unitary Executive” Is Term For Dictatorship And Plutocracy!

Ronald 26 Comments

With “Project 2025” now in effect during the Donald Trump Presidency in his second, nonconsecutive term, the term “Unitary Executive” is now officially the rationale for Trump asserting himself in an authoritarian manner!

This is a direct attack on the history of the Presidency, and if not challenged effectively, it means we are under a dictatorship and plutocracy, with billionaires, led by Elon Musk, but also most of the Cabinet members and other advisers around Trump, being in total control of domestic and foreign policy.

The federal courts, so far, are challenging this reality, but the question is whether the Supreme Court will assert itself with its present membership, when cases arrive at the Court in the future.

The News Media also is, courageously, making clear the threats to all Americans by this new “GILDED AGE” mentality.

And the Democrats in state governments and many in Congress are also making clear they will not sit on the sidelines as the basic concepts of American democracy are under attack.

But with growing public demonstrations developing across the nation by average citizens, the question is will the Trump Administration abuse the rights under the First Amendment—Freedom of Speech, Press, and Assembly—and use violence to suppress popular opinion and outrage at the revolutionary changes being brought about against our entire constitutional history!

Trump’s recent statement–“He who saves his country does not violate any laws”–is an alarm bell in the night, and must be resisted, as America does not have or need a King or dictator!

America has a system of “checks and balances”, and Donald Trump must be controlled in his powers for the good of the nation and its future!

Checks And Balances, Separation Of Powers, And The Constitution After 236 Years!

Ronald 27 Comments

The American Constitution, adopted between 1787 and 1789, has gone through multiple crises, including most notably the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Great Recession, and the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Through it all, the basic belief in American democracy and freedom has held, due to strong leadership in Congress and the Presidency.

But now, America faces a very severe threat to our system of checks and balances and separation of powers, as Donald Trump and his Billionaire supporters, and most notably Elon Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, are posing a massive threat and disrupting our economic, social, and foreign policy.

Donald Trump in just 24 days has been acting like a revolutionary leader, creating a whirlwind of constant crises and challenges.

It is difficult to keep up with the chaos which is assisted by MAGA followers and Republicans willing to give up their oversight over the Executive branch.

The role of the news media, the Democratic Party in the states and in Congress, and massive numbers of lawsuits, as well as public demonstrations and support, are the only way to prevent the threat of Fascism.

This is a time to pay attention, and be constantly active in pursuit of the truth, and the abuses of power that are being waged.

This is not a time to turn our heads and ignore what is happening, as that would just insure an authoritarian dictatorship!

Trump, Project 2025, And Open Declaration Of War On Federal Government: A Massive Crisis!

Ronald 42 Comments

Donald Trump had claimed he knew nothing about Project 2025, a right wing radical attack on the federal government.

But now, it is clear that Trump is utilizing the extremism of Project 2025 to declare open war on the federal government!

The shock of Trump ordering a total freeze on all government funding immediately, which was only temporarily paused by a federal judge until a ruling on next Monday, is reeling across all 50 states and our relations with foreign nations as well.

Firing 18 Inspectors General who are committed to open, honest government investigations, and working to decimate the existing civil service protections of federal government workers in order to replace all of them with political loyalists, is also a shocking attack on the concept of honest, good government!

The decision of Trump to fire all those engaged in the Justice Department into his wrongdoings that led to impeachments and indictments, and also to weed out those in Defense and National Security posts who are not slavishly loyal to his vision, is terrifying.

Trump’s disruption of international relations and foreign policy with his aggressiveness toward Panama, Denmark over Greenland, and tariff threats against our Latin American neighbors and Canada, are a danger of massive proportions!

Trump is moving toward authoritarian dictatorship, which was predictable, and there is no time for shock, but rather for action by Democrats, the courts, and the sensible news media to move to prevent in every way possible this grab for absolute power!