Blog

With the latest Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights Act, we will once again see Jim Crow fly over the South and spread his droppings on the non-white population. The Governor of Louisiana is the first with Alabama and the remainder poised to follow.  I first visited Alabama on the late 1960’s when the effects of segregation and the “separate but equal” façade were beginning to change and real opportunities for minorities seemed possible.  The segregationists can now begin the reversal.

Since the day the East Wing of the White House was demolished, The Donald has promised a palatial addition with an estimated cost of $400 million or more all from donated funds with no cost to the taxpayer.  I read this morning that some of his supporters in Congress are now suggesting that tax money be used to ensure the project is completed. This country does not need, nor can we afford, a palace addition.  We need a White House occupant who shares our values and needs not an empire builder. As with the promise of lower gas prices, lower grocery prices and no wars, the ballroom brag has proved as empty as the space between the Donald’s ears.

Have you looked at a picture of the gaudy monstrosity that The Donald is proposing for the Washington, D.C. mall area near the Lincoln Memorial?  It appears that the gaud and gold are intended to rival arches dedicated to authoritarian empires like those of Rome and Napoleonic France. I lived on the area for two years and we thoroughly enjoyed D.C. just as it is.  The People’s capital and the People’ s house should not be portrayed as the center of an American Empire.  If a monument must be built for Mr. Trump it would be appropriate to pile ten tons of horse manure and sprinkle a party-sized bag of Cheetos on the top.  The site should be his nearest golf course.

I have noticed reelection ads for Senator Risch on Boise TV where he touts the “no tips” refrain.  Possibly this is true for many Idahoans, but many may be surprised to find there is a strict limit to each category of income before the IRS will exact their share.  I have not researched the limitations on overtime or tips but can verify that a substantial portion of the social security received by my wife and myself in 2025 was taxed and we are mere fixed income retirees.  Why cannot politicians be truthful about these provisions?

I have just reviewed the Voter’s Pamphlet for the May 2026 election and I have questions about Measure 120.  If there is a guarantee that all monies raised will be used on roads, bridges and public transportation, I would support the measure. However, I do not see that guarantee in the language of the measure.  We in Malheur County have experienced the misuse of State funds on an ill-fated reload facility sited on a bog near Nyssa and on a useless traffic circle at Cairo Junction. Monies spent on these projects could have financed many miles of pothole repair and pavement resurfacing. Perhaps a provision to direct the specific use of the requested funds for transportation only would give the measure a better chance of approval.

I have just read a list of the places and things which are, or will, be named after Donald Trump.  It appears that the latest is to rename the Strait of Hormuz. This would join the picture of DJT in your passport, his bold signature on your dollar bills, his visage on a dollar gold coin, the Trump gold card and Trump Rx.  Additionally, there is the re-naming of the Kennedy Center, the Institute of Peace, a Florida airport and a new class of battleship.  The latter hardly appropriate for someone who refused to serve when so many of his generation were being drafted for the Vietnam War. This rush to rename brings memory of Leningrad and Stalingrad and other such tributes to autocratic leaders.  Previously, U.S. President names have been placed on various buildings, monuments, etc. after they have finished their terms or have died, not as an act of gratification for a demented narcissist.  Perhaps Miami should re-named Trump Town.

President Trump campaigned on the MAGA scheme and I was skeptical that it was possible.  I was wrong. During this past year we have seen the greatest grocery prices, the greatest gasoline prices and the greatest home prices in the history of this nation. I now know what MAGA really means.

 Now that DHS funding has been restored, the American public can once again be subjected to the masked vigilantes of ICE. We will experience extended violations of our First and Fourth Amendment rights and an occasional rejection of the Second Amendment as was the case with the disarmament of the protester who was subsequently shot in the back five times. These hastily recruited and ill-trained enforcers of the Trump Doctrine on immigration have revived the memory of Ku Klux Klan activities wherein minority populations were subjected harassment, lynching and murder by unidentifiable, masked mobs. I assume that we want to be as effective as the Islamic Republican Guard Corps which operates in the same masked manner in Iran.

I have been reading accounts from several sources indicating that President Trump wants to award himself the Medal of Honor.  This would be grossly inappropriate recognition for a documented draft coward.  Someone needs to explain to Mr. Trump that the MOH is not a TV reality show award but is for actual bravery in combat.  The President has tried to cheapen the Nobel Peace prize and now wants to dishonor the brave men and women who have earned the Medal through their heroic acts. Please stop this madness!

I have read the contents of the SAVE act that our president is trying to push through Congress and feel that the only thing it might save is the chaos of the Trump administration.

 My late mother was born at home in Northwest Arkansas and the birth was recorded in the family bible.  As an adult she was an active voter as was her right as an American citizen.  At age 57 she sought a passport to visit us while I was working in Japan.  The lack of a birth certificate required a lot of bureaucratic work to obtain that passport.  Mother never obtained a driver’s license and changed her name after marriage. Under the provisions of the SAVE act it is doubtful that she would have been able to vote even though she was a legitimate U.S. citizen.  I also fear that the SAVE act would disenfranchise any person who has recently moved but not updated his/her driver’s license or official identification.

I and others in my family presented proper identification and proof of citizenship when we registered to vote in Oregon.  There is no legitimate reason to have to send a copy of an identification with each new vote.  The system in Oregon works well.  The Constitution permits Federal interference in elections only when certain constitutional provisions are ignored by the state.  That is not the case in Oregon no matter how loud Mr. Trump protests.