The Matthew Effect
The latest economic data indicates the wealthiest 10% of Americans now account for half of consumer spending, or to look at it the other way around, 90% of the country is responsible for only half of consumption. Wow! In other words, our society is now so out of whack that the richest Americans are responsible […]
The DOJ vs. the S.P.L.C.
The latest target of President Trump’s weaponized Department of Justice is the Southern Poverty Law Center (S.P.L.C.), a non-profit organization based in Montgomery, Alabama that works to combat right-wing hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Since its inception in 1971, it has served as a “catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, […]
Unlike Anything Seen Before
Have you noticed that when President Trump isn’t threatening to blow something up, his favorite phrase is “unlike anything anyone has ever seen before!”? He says it constantly, even when it makes no sense, which is most of the time. If every American got a dollar every time Trump used that expression, we wouldn’t have […]
The “Strait of Trump”?
The “Strait of Trump”? What happened to Trump University and the Trump Winery? Donald Trump has spent his life putting his name on just about everything (most recently the Kennedy Center), so it’s not surprising he wants to add a Persian Gulf waterway to his collection. Otherwise, except for this latest branding opportunity, the president […]
In Desperate Straits
The more our megalomaniac of a president and his raging sycophantic secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, try to assure us that things are going “swimmingly” in Iran (that’s the term Anne Coulter used in the early days of the Iraq War), the scarier it gets. Whatever disaster the United States encountered during its forever wars […]
Black People Aren’t Apes!
And kudos to Rep. Al Green (D-TX) for Creating a Scene at the Start of the President’s State of the Union Address. Your humble spirit is embarrassed to be writing about such things in the year 2026, over 150 years after emancipation and 60 years since the end of Jim Crow. I don’t think many […]
Your Winnings, Sir
You don’t have to be an old soul hanging about the planet like this humble spirit to know your classic movies, and I’m willing to wager that most of you have seen Casablanca, one of the great movies from Hollywood’s golden age, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The movie contains numerous iconic lines, but […]
Trump’s “Fascist Tendencies”
This country is well beyond wakeup calls when it comes to the threat posed by Donald Trump and his administration, but if ever there was one, it’s Pam Bondi’s DOJ arresting journalists for doing their job. What we saw last week was a violation of the First Amendment unlike any in recent memory. This humble […]
Nathan Bedford Forrest Rides Again!
One commentator has compared Gregory Bovino, Trump’s Customs and Border Protection chief, to Nathan Bedford Forrest, possibly the Confederacy’s most vicious general. As a former Confederate officer—as repentant as I may be for wasting my life on behalf that terrible cause—I couldn’t agree more. Known as “The Wizard of the Saddle,” Forrest was a hateful […]
Don’t Mess with Trump
At least that’s what Secretary of State Marco Rubio says. He was talking about Venezuela, not ICE and Trump’s potential paramilitary force in America, but I’ll get back to that later. This humble spirit doesn’t say “I told you so” very often, but back in early fall I warned of “Trump’s Paramilitary Force”, meaning the […]
Hannibal the Cannibal
This humble spirit has often spoken of Trump’s ploy of using ridiculous “shiny objects” to distract us from his substantive failures. I’ve also expressed concern over his using the presidency as one great big grift, an opportunity to enrich himself, his family, and his endless parade of oligarchs —high tech, crypto, and sundry others—until American […]
The Epstein Class
Although I didn’t coin the phrase, I think we can all agree the “Epstein Class” is comprised of the extremely wealthy, arrogant, and privileged elites who don’t live by the same rules the rest of us do. In particular, Trump’s little band of kleptocrats come to mind, regardless of whether their names show up in […]
Things Happen
Yes, “things happen,” as President Trump said regarding the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but those “things” don’t usually get tortured, chopped up by a bone saw, and carried away in suitcases. Given the heinous nature of the crime, does it really matter if a lot of people disliked Khashoggi, as Trump says? […]
Let Them Eat Cake
President Trump has given up any pretense of caring about his subjects. . . I mean, the American people, including much of his MAGA base. While millions of people are facing dramatically rising healthcare premiums and having to make do without their SNAP benefits, Trump has enjoyed a Great Gatsby themed party, added a $300m […]
Our Liberty is at Stake (Again)!
The last decade has taught us that “election fraud” takes many forms besides just stuffing ballot boxes and forging mail-in ballots. President Trump makes no secret that he’s pushing red states to redistrict prior to the 2026 congressional elections because he’s afraid that otherwise he’ll lose the support of his motely troupe of MAGA Republican […]
Antifa Derangement Syndrome
One pundit observed that President Trump’s success in reaching a hostage deal in Gaza was based on an affinity for the Middle East that other U.S. Presidents lacked. Well, that’s hardly surprising given he shares so many unpleasant characteristics with the stereotypical Middle Eastern potentate. Of course he relates to them; at heart he’s one […]
The New McCarthyism
This humble spirit isn’t sure which reeks worse of McCarthyism, Trump’s demonizing of “radical-left Democrats” or having his justice department go after everyone on his enemies list, starting with former FBI director James Comey. Some of you are probably too young to remember the “Red Scare” of the 1950s that was championed by Senator Joe […]
Lower the Heat!
Although some have taken a conciliatory tone following the horrific assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, others have done everything they can to raise the temperature to a feverish boil that’s unlike anything we’ve seen in over 50 years. Too many people are using the term “war” and evoking the American Civil War that got […]
Trump’s Paramilitary Force
According to internal Pentagon documents reviewed by the Washington Post, the Trump administration is evaluating plans that would establish a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force” composed of hundreds of National Guard troops tasked with rapidly deploying into American cities facing protests or other unrest. That’s pretty scary, but this humble spirit worries that Trump’s […]
Trump Turns to Crime
President Trump focusing on crime? That’s not very surprising, given he’s the most corrupt president in American history, at least since Warren G. Harding in the 1920s—100 years ago. Do you ever get the impression that his entire presidency is just a grift, one big promotion of his sons’ burgeoning crypto empire and the rest […]