Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

When Lies Control the Narrative . . .

Truth disappears.

Today, National Pulic Radio reports the following:

The Trump administration has mass-deleted information regarding prosecutions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including cases involving defendants who assaulted police officers. This move marks the latest attempt by Trump to alter the narrative surrounding the violent riot. Last week, Justice Department news releases that detailed guilty pleas, jury verdicts and prison sentences disappeared from government websites. An NPR review found that the deletions included information about some of the most serious assaults on law enforcement that happened that day.

We all watched the attack on the Capitol happen in real time, with our own eyes, and much of it filmed by the insurrectionists who had been told the election was stolen. Mike Pence didn’t believe it and did not do as he was instructed to do. He supported the truth of the 2020 election of Joe Biden,

And now, we have a Trumpian edict of “non-disclosure” for all Federal Employees.

We used to take pride in the transparency of our government – not even that long ago! Less than one presidential administration ago! What happened to oversight (DOGE’D out of existence) and whistleblowers calling out corruption?

Calling out corrution is inconvenient for this regime. Bringing corruption into full view should make the corrupt squirm, but this administration has no scruples, no embarrassment.

And now, we have a new corrupt senatorial candidate out of Texas, Ken Paxton. Paxton has been charged with scandal and corruption by his own fellow Republicans, and is a welcome addition to the shameless corruption of the Trump Administration, bellying up to the trough, feeding off the taxpayers.

Did you know that “Tromper” in French is to fool? Si je ne me trompe pas.

May 27, 2026 Posted by | Character, corruption, Crime, fraud, Free Speech, History, Interconnected, Law and Order, Lies, Political Issues, Stranger in a Strange Land | Leave a comment

Coming Home to Roost

There’s an old joke about Grand Juries being so suggestible that they will indict a ham sandwich in a paper bag.

Rarely does a Grand Jury presentation fail. Rarely, that is, when experienced prosecutors look at the evidence and decide a case is worthy of taking to trial, that the evidence supports the charges.

With changes to the Trump Department of Justice, however, grand jury cases are failing. Rules of presentation of evidence are broken. Private conversations with jurists take place. Claims are made which cannot be supported. Two things happen – some of the grand juries fail to bring back an indictment, and those that go forward are whacked in court, to the great embarrassment of those trying to follow Trumps instructions.

But don’t just listen to me – do a little educating yourself. Read the article in today’s New York Times by Alan Feuer called As Trump Politicizes Justice Dept., Prosecutors Struggle With Grand Juries

May 26, 2026 Posted by | Afghanistan, corruption, fraud, Law and Order, Leadership | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Crying Out Loud

May 24, 2026 Posted by | Bureaucracy, Character, Civility, corruption, Crime, fraud, Free Speech, Law and Order | Leave a comment

A Lawless, Authoritarian Regime

Today, Robert Reich puts into words the outrage that chokes me. When accusing only blue states of fraud, and withholding government funds, when accusing universities of discrimination, and withholding funds, the leaders overstep. We saw it coming from the first day – when you fire the watchmen, you can say anything. The watchmen are there to document and hold accountable those who violate the law. This regime excels in violating the law, making a joke of the law and demeaning the Department of Justice with vengeful, retaliatory cases instead of upholding the stated will of the people.

Robert Reich:

Friends,

Words matter. When describing a government, they inevitably carry moral weight.

Over the last 16 months, Trump and his appointees have so profoundly undermined the United States government that we should use different words to describe these people than we’ve used to describe all previous administrations.

To begin with, they shouldn’t be called an “administration” at all. They should be referred to as a regime.

The Trump regime has flagrantly defied court orders. In February 2026, a federal judge (appointed by President George W. Bush) identified approximately 200 orders from the District of Minnesota alone that ICE had ignored since the start of the year, concluding that ICE had “likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.” The regime has also vilified judges who rule against it and demanded their impeachment.

The regime has usurped Congress’s powers to declare war, issue tariffs, and appropriate public funds. It is using tariffs as cudgels for Trump’s political aims. The regime is seeking to stifle speech and silence criticism — in universities, law firms, and the media.

Secondly, this regime is not headed by a “president,” as the Constitution of the United States and our laws and history have designated the head of the executive branch of the U.S. government. To put the term “President” before Trump’s name defiles the Constitution. He is an authoritarian.

Trump has illegally fired more than 300,000 career civil servants. He has fired inspectors general who are charged with holding political appointees accountable. He punishes whistleblowers who protest abuses. He attacks marginalized groups and foments bigotry. He is openly persecuting political opponents. He has given out pardons to convicted felons who are political supporters or financial contributors — including nursing home fraudsters, a Honduran president who smuggled 400 tons of cocaine into the United States, and January 6 seditionists. He has sent federal troops into states and cities headed by Democratic officials.

Thirdly, Trump has no interest in governing. He wants only to impose his will and make money from his office. His regime’s disregard for law is so monumental that it negates what we have come to understand as a “government of laws.” A better word for it is lawless.

During the first 16 months of Trump’s lawless regime, immigration agents have shot or killed 16 people, including three U.S. citizens.More people died last year in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — a total of 32 — than in the preceding 20 years. People only suspected of being in the U.S. illegally have been detained or deported by masked and armed immigration agents, without a hearing. People only suspected of smuggling drugs have been murdered by the U.S. military in international waters, in violation of international law.

Meanwhile, Trump is accepting gifts from foreign powers. He blatantly promotes his family’s crypto business and implements policies favorable to it. He has sued the Internal Revenue Service for $10 billion and is now in settlement negotiations with his own Justice Department, which reportedly has offered to drop any future IRS audits of Trump, his family, or his businesses.

Finally, the true test of a successful president of the United States and his (eventually her) administration is not how much power he accumulates or how much he gets done. The real test is how much better off are the American people and how much stronger is our democracy. By these measures, Trump and his regime are not just lawless. They are a catastrophe.

May 15, 2026 Posted by | Bureaucracy, Character, Civility, corruption, Crime, Financial Issues, Law and Order, Leadership, Living Conditions, News, Political Issues, Social Issues, Transparency, Values, Women's Issues, Work Related Issues | , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Golden Calf Going Viral

May 12, 2026 Posted by | corruption, Leadership | Leave a comment

“And Some, I assume, are Good People”

Today’s Washington Post gives the following information:

Since Trump returned to office: Nine out of every 10 deported immigrants have been men, most without criminal convictions. Many of them had lived in the U.S. for years.

In 2015, when first running for President, this is what Trump said:

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” 

Nine out of ten of those targeted by ICE for deportation are good people, the same kind of people as my ancestors, and, unless you are born a Native-American, yours. They are people here, willing to work long, hard hours doing jobs none of us original immigrants want to do, even our unemployed. They have families. They have children. All they want is a living wage, a roof over their heads, food on the table, and an opportunity for their children to have a better life – just as our ancestors did. They believe in the American Dream, and many risked their lives to get here. They pay taxes (Yes! They do!) They contribute to our national GNP.

Nine out of ten. Deported for NO reason. Not given the same chance our families were given. Many of these are people who have gone through legal channels, and are on the way to citizenship.

I have lived in countries that have different levels of citizenship. What is it in our meager hearts that wants hierarchies that make one better than another? We believe – or so believers claim – that we are created equal. What worm in our hearts will shove others aside to achieve an ephemeral wealth or glory?

May 12, 2026 Posted by | Community, corruption, Counter-terrorism, Crime, Economic Issues, Heritage, Interconnected, Law and Order, Lies, Quality of Life Issues, Social Issues, Stranger in a Strange Land, Work Related Issues | , , , , , | Leave a comment

If His Lips Are Moving – He’s Lying

Our Old Testament reading this morning is from Leviticus, that ancient book of do’s and don’ts tha tpeople cherry pick even today, even after Jesus came to clear up our misconceptions and told us many of these rules were not God-given, but man made, traditional customs.

Leviticus 19:

33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

35 You shall not cheat in measuring length, weight, or quantity. 36You shall have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37You shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and observe them: I am the Lord.

But Welcoming the Stranger is a theme throughout the book. Not cheating. Telling the truth. These rules don’t change.

Often when I don’t write, it’s because I am stunned into silence. I don’t care whether you believe as I do or not – worldwide, people share some basic beliefs because they help us survive. Kindness to one another. Compassion, even to those we might not like much. Humanity in our dealings with one another, dealing with one another straight up, giving an honest measure – often even a little more, a “bakers dozen” of 13, an extra inch of fabric, a good measure.

I knew a woman I privately considered as dishonest, and one night we were discussing the love of money as the root of evil in a group, and she said she never considered money her own, that it is God’s money, flowing through her as a conduit, going where it is meant to be.

I told AdventureMan when I got home, and he liked it, too. We decided to tip generously, to let our excess flow through our fingers, trusting God to put it where it is needed, and we would have no idea. We’ve never regretted that philosophy.

I fear for our world. I fear for the selfishness and greed putting our world at risk. I fear that the pulling back of environmental restrictions will impact on our ability as human beings to continue to live on earth. I picture Octavia Butler’s enclaves of the ultra rich while the rest of us scrabble for scraps in a world where rich and poor are breathing bad air, sweating in tropical heat and where plague and filth become common because we no longer invest in public health.

The “Truth” our leader speaks changes, not even daily, but sometimes within an hour, within 15 minutes. It’s not a War? When missiles are still destroying innocent lives? When ships cannot pass freely through a waterway that has been unguarded and open for years? When we pour the life blood of our country into guarding a war we never chose, and pulling our troops out of countries who for over half a century have been allied in creating widespread wealth, and a better world.

I gasp at his audacity, telling his citizens that a legal election was not a legal election, and that his own attempts to meddle in election results never happened, or was not illegal, or whatever the lie is today, or in his most recent speech. His truth changes according to his imagination, and he goes after those who expose his untruths.

Do you remember the wall that the Mexicans would pay for? Now we have a billion dollar ballroom, a monument to gilded vanity, that was touted as built by wealthy donors, but he is handing taxpayers the bill. The taxpayers who will pay are the same ones who have recently given up health care insurance they can no longer afford, or the dream of home ownership, or the dream of sending their first generation of American citizens to college.

What a tragic twist of fate, that the Trump years would bankrupt an entire country the way he bankrupted his own casinos and businesses. When will this stop?

May 7, 2026 Posted by | Civility, Community, corruption, Crime, Cross Cultural, Cultural, Lies, Living Conditions, Political Issues, Quality of Life Issues, Stranger in a Strange Land | , | Leave a comment

Stretching the Point

Anyone who has ever served in the military knows the term 86. We used it all the time, mostly for pieces of valueless paper. 86 meant throw it in the trash can. A translation of the above would be commonly translated as “Dump Trump”.

Dump Trump is an increasingly common sentiment in the United States. It does not have violent connotations. It means, vote out this cheap fraud, lover of gilt and self-adulation, and his entire cheap entourage, pigs at the trough. Use your vote.

If you want to see truly violent inciting rhetoric, check out 45/47. He is the master of crude incitations to violent behavior. He will tell you he will bomb you back into the dark ages, and he has the record to prove it.

I applaud you, James Comey, for your balanced and fearless response. The courts have supported your case before; they will again. Thinking a photo of seashells urging the dumping of a corrupt regime is no where near an incitation to violence.

We have freedom of speech. We are allowed to say Dump Trump.

April 30, 2026 Posted by | Character, Civility, Communication, corruption, Cultural, fraud, Law and Order, Leadership, Living Conditions, Political Issues | , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Maybe . . . ?” His Own People are Saying

It’s not us empty headed liberal thinkers who are saying “Maybe” with that doubtful look on their face. You call “Wolf!” too many times and people just naturally start to get skeptical, especially the conspiracy crowds.

“You know the casings didn’t match the gun of the accused would-be assassin,” they are telling one another with worried frowns.

“You know that kid in Pennsylvania was a Republican? And how was he allowed to be on that rooftop? The whole thing sounds kind of loose to me,” they’re saying in the coffee shops.

These are not my people talking. We’re busy shoring up lawsuits against constitutional travesties, and fighting for voting rights for people who have paid the price of their felonies. We’re in the churches, and on the streets, helping people get the right ID to continue voting, their right as citizens of the USA. We’re protecting those immigrants who are good, honest, hard-working people, and not just another statistic to boost the extradition boasts. And we are busy fighting for US Citizens, against having their citizenship stripped at the whim of those who don’t like their color, or their religion, or their opinions.

It’s hard to believe we are really having this conversation in the United States of America.

April 26, 2026 Posted by | Climate Change, corruption, fraud, Political Issues, Stranger in a Strange Land | Leave a comment

For Those Who Fall Victim to the Forces of Evil

Almighty God, our Refuge and our Rock, your loving care knows no bounds and embraces all the peoples of the earth: Defend and protect those who fall victim to the forces of evil, and as we remember this day those who endured depredation and death because of who they were, not because of what they had done or failed to do, give us the courage to stand against hatred and oppression, and to seek the dignity and well-being of all for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, in whom you have reconciled the world to yourself; and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Today our Lectionary remembers the Armenian genocide:

GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE
 

Genocide Remembrance Day is observed by Armenians in dispersed communities around the world on April 24. It is held annually to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide from 1915 to 1923.

The date 24 April commemorates the Armenian notables deported from the Ottoman capital in 1915, of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders, most of whom would be executed, which was a precursor to the ensuing events.

— more at Wikipedia
 

Although this date is specifically a remembrance of the Armenian genocide, it is clear from the collects that it is intended here to cover all genocides: the killing or harming of people simply because of which ethnic, religious, or national group to which they happen to belong.

April 24, 2026 Posted by | Circle of Life and Death, Civility, corruption, Counter-terrorism, Faith, Leadership, Lies, Living Conditions, Quality of Life Issues | Leave a comment

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