Ashland, southern Oregon. Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
First day of fall today in the northern latitudes. Autumn and summer have been fluttering in and out for the past few weeks. Leaves are rushing to change colors in some parts of the city. Other leaves are like, nah, not yet.
Temperature today will rise to 75 degrees from its current level of 61 F. Rain showers are considered possible though in my view out the window, the clouds aren’t the rain kind. They’re just thin, wispy white paste.
Mom asked my sister Gina to let her move back in with her. Mom insisted, she would never go upstairs and Pat, Gina’s husband, would not be allowed within six feet of Mom.
Of course, Gina said, no. Pat never did anything to Mom; we have video footage proving so. Mom was hallucinating, a combo of pain pills, other medication, and UTIs. But she insists that what Pat did was real. Guess it was, to her.
The White House has announced “Trump TV”. I laughed and shook my head at that.
It’s showing clips of Trump speeches. Trump thinks himself a great orator but he’s a terrible, stumbling speaker who doesn’t stay on topic. The clips will reveal this, reminding people of Trump’s grandiose promises about greatness, lies about his accomplishments, falling prices, refund and dividend checks, and how we won in Iran as the war continues seven months later. Trump is failing and falling in approval and popularity as a result.
I have spent time reading “Leaving MAGA” over the past two days. Started by a former MAGAzen, Rich Logis, a few years ago, this is a place where Trump supporters reveal what finally broke their willingness to support Trump. They’re not monolithic but very individual stories, although they often show common threads. Most stories tell of their slow spiral into anger, disillusionment, and conspiracy theories. They end up supporting Trump because they’re hoping for change. Then they begin to notice his inconsistencies and the scales fall from their eyes.
For example, Erica Roach:
“A doctored video circulated that made it seem as if Gates was saying he could kill more people with better vaccines.
“Then Trump played up Operation Warp Speed, which led to the creation of the COVID vaccine. He called himself the father of the vaccine. He said he had saved millions of lives. That didn’t make sense to me.
“I started doing a bunch of research in the White House archive; I found Trump executive orders, including one setting up a national influenza vaccine task force. I learned that Trump had asked Bill Gates to be the White House science advisor.
“This all upset me terribly; Q had said Trump knew about the 16-year plan to destroy America, so why was he backing what I believed to be a depopulation tool?
Trump often tries to play both sides of the field simultaneously when making claims. For instance, when running for re-election in 2020, Trump claimed that the Democrat’s characterization of the coronavirus as a “hoax”.
Then Trump ran for re-election in 2024 and hammered President Biden’s economy, especially inflation. After Trump returned to the Oval Office, he dismissed affordability as a Democratic hoax.
When Trump ran for office in 2024, he warned that Democrats would begin new wars. Then he promised no new wars, and then attacked Iran — twice, in 2025, and 2026. We remain at war with Iran seven months after Trump initiated the attacks on Iran. He tries to sell the softer term, ‘conflict’, but has also notably referred to it as a war.
Most of the US caught on to Trump’s Double Standards, outright lying, and rhetorical flexibility long ago. I’m happy that some MAGAzens are also waking up.
Today’s music is “Catch Me Now I’m Falling” by the Kinks. When I first heard the song on their live album, I thought, oh, the Kinks have done a “Jumping Jack Flash” cover.
I was wrong. While it often sounds like that Stones song, this song was written about the United States needing help back in 1979. Took me a while to decode the lyrics back then. When I finally did, I was like, whaaat?
Sample Lyrics
Now I’m calling all citizens from all over the world
This is captain America calling
I bailed you out when you were down on your knees
So will you catch me now I’m falling
Help me now I’m calling you
Catch me now I’m falling
I’m in your hands, it’s up to you
Catch me now I’m falling
I remember when you were down
You would always come running to me
I never denied you and I would guide you
Through all of your difficulties
I thought of the song today because of our nation’s fluctuations in fortune. Davis wrote and sang about America needing help in the last century, how America used to reach out and help others. In the Trump era, the US has been withdrawing and reducing help. Instead, Trump uses economic clout and military threat to bludgeon others. Hasn’t been working well, with disastrous results for the US and its allies.
I hope you enjoy the first day of whatever season this day is for you, that it makes you smile now and look back later, and smile again.
Cheers
