Ashland, southern Oregon. Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
Another lovely autumn day in the Pacific northwest corner of the United States — at least in my small valley. 65 F, with sunshine and blue skies, and a high of 75 F expected.
Spent some time reading sickening news of the Cornell 7. The truth is dribbling out. Right now, the university and those seven men appear despicable, part of the patriarchy and ol’ boys network which so many of us have come to despise. It reminded me and my wife of how Brock Turner got off.
Mom’s birthday is next month. She’ll be 92. My sisters and I are sharing ideas about what she needs and what we can buy her to show love and caring while filling needs and making her a little happier.
One of the other residents is an elderly blind man. Mom returned to find him in her room after lunch today. He’d taken all her clothes out of her closet and strewn them around the room, knocked things over, and made a big mess. Mom summoned the home’s director. She’s calling the blind man’s daughter.
While what happened to Mom is disturbing, I think about what the blind man might be enduring, and how this call can affect his daughter and her family and plans. It’s another of those things which just induces sighs.
Trump also masquerades as being indifferent about the war, referring to it as small potatoes. I’m sure that Iranian citizens will be pleased to hear that Trump thinks the bombing of their nation and the killing of their children and others is ‘small potatoes’. But that’s Trump — a monster trying to masquerade as a human.
Most distressingly, so many Republicans, too many citizens, too many in the media, and even too many Democrats treat what Trump and the Project 2025 contingency embedded in his administration as if it’s normal. Chief Justice Roberts in the Supreme Court bounces around the masquerade ball, fretting about what Trump is doing, then enabling him via unsigned shadow docket rulings for emergencies.
So today’s music is “This Masquerade”. George Benson had a hit with this half a century ago, a fact that makes me LAUGH OUT LOUD.
I hope this day gave you a number of reasons to laugh out loud and look back with joy.
Married three times, he’s worn masks as a faithful husband and doting father. Holding a Bible, he wore a mask as a Christian and paid money to hide his affairs.
Wearing a mask as a good friend to Epstein, Trump then put a mask that he would provide the truth, and now keeps trying to put on a mask that he had little to do with Epstein.
What wouldn’t Trump do to advance himself?
Well, tell the truth. Face reality.
Trump’s masks slip off his face so fast these days, it’s almost as if the masks are rejecting him. During his inauguration, Trump tried masking himself as a unifier and peacemaker.
Since that time in 2025, Trump:
Established immigration policies which ordered ICE to surge multiple times, brutally rounding up people, deporting them without due cause, detaining, shooting and killing US citizens
Directed the US Navy to attack boats in international waters, murdering 234 people without due process or evidence
Commanded the US military to attack Iran in 2025 to destroy their nuclear capability
Began a war with Iran to overturn their government and destroy their nuclear capability — which he’d already claimed to have destroyed, despite his promise of no new wars
Trump claimed he would Make America Healthy Again. Despite that slogan, the number of rural hospitals closing continues without slowing down. The hospital closures through 2026 are highest in Texas (39), Tennessee (19), Mississippi (17), and Oklahoma (17). All of these are red states who carried Trump back into office in 2025.
Measles outbreaks is at the highest levels in the United States since 1991, thanks to Trump’s healthcare policies and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Trump campaigned against President Biden and Vice President Harris on affordability. Now affordability is a major crisis for many Americans, completely tearing the mask off the person making those claims that he cared about them and would lower prices.
The worse mask Trump wore, though, was the one that he would govern in accordance with the Constitution and the laws and norms which bind our politics. Trump tossed that mask aside on day one. He began by Installing a billionaire, foreigner, and unelected individual, Elon Musk, to an official government position. Musk, via DOGE, fired employees, cut Congressionally authorized spending and programs, and ignored the checks and balance and agencies established via 250 years of trial and error, law, and votes.
That was only the beginning. Trump has since completely abandoned the masquerade that he’s for free and open democratic elections. Through Republican surrogates and toadies, he’s pushed for lines to be redrawn to favor Republicans. Using executive orders as imperial decrees, Trump personally attacked mail-in voting and is using the USPS and DHS to reduce its effectiveness — even though Trump uses the mail to cast his votes.
Classic Trump Double Standards. He never could find a mask to hide that one.
Trump’s masks fooled enough people that he was voted into office twice. But now, approach the midterms, enough of Trump’s masks have fallen away to expose all of his corruption and ineptitude.
Anyone voting for Trump now is voting to continue that corruption and ineptitude, regardless of the reasons they give for supporting Trump.
All of this is just the tip of the iceberg of corruption under Trump. We’re not sure how much of it is concealed. Growing evidence such as Trump’s exploding wealth and the number of pardons he’s issued led many of us to think that the corruption is enormous.
Vote blue in 2026 so We the People can begin again to try to have and hold a democratic republic.
As the United States moves to toward the midterms elections, things are going not so good to terrible for Trump. Trump has tried distraction after distraction. Despite that, people remember that he promised no new wars and started another war.
We the People noticed, too, that Trump promised to lower prices right away but hasn’t. We the People didn’t forget that Trump said he’d release the Epstein files and has done everything possible since then to change that channel.
Trump has always gone after the press. With pressure mounting, his popularity plummeting, and criticism growing — and not going away — he’s trying desperately to keep people from telling the facts about his terrible presidency, his authoritarian methods, and horrid economic policies.
Naturally, in response Trump did the one thing he still does well: he put out a whining rant filed with lies, misinformation, and innuendoes, trying to plead, “NATIONAL SECURITY!”
It no longer works because he’s cried national security so many times, We the People are on to his scam.
I caught one of the Trump ads which We the People paid for while watching a football game last night. This BS showed Trump walking toward a camera with a sour face as one of his speeches about getting rid of commies played.
My honest reaction went from WTF to screw you asshole in .4 seconds.
What unmitigated crap. With all that he’s done to this country, Trump comes on squealing about saving us from the commies like some right-wing 1950s propaganda.
After hearing viewing that commercial, I began reading “The Premonition” by Michael Lewis. He wrote about the nation’s terrible response to the COVID-19 pandemic under Trump, then added a Bill Parcells quote which fit.
Bill Parcells was an NFL coach. Won a few championships and helmed multiple competitive teams. Parcells said, “You are what your record says you are.”
And there it is, the perfect rebuttal to Trump, the GOP, and MAGA: you are what your records says you are.
In this case, the United States has entered another foreign war which Trump needlessly started.
Measles outbreaks and bankruptcies are increasing, the national debt is climbing, climbing, climbing, farmers and ranchers are doing terribly, energy prices are going up up up, and Trump can do nothing but bully, whine, plead — or try to bribe people into ‘voting for him’.
Because as Trump said, vote like he is on the ballot.
Because Trump is on the ballot.
And the record shows just what you are Trump.
No matter how hard you whine, cry, bluster, and bully, the record shows us who.
A full-fledged fall day here — cool at 63 degrees F, warming to 73 today, with sunshine breaking through cloud blockades.
All quiet with Mom today. My sister, Gina, called Mom to see what was needed and she could help. That seemed to mollify Mom. Not to make light of it, or anything, because Mom’s needs are real. But she becomes fixated, and it often seems to stem from her sense of helplessness and isolation.
Today’s theme song is “Run Like Hell” by Pink Floyd. The song was on the album “The Wall”, released in 1979. My younger cousin was so into Pink Floyd and tremendously excited when this album came out. I was stationed at Randolph AFB in Texas at the time. He lived not far away, in San Antonio. We had a lot of fun when we could hook up. Sadly, he passed away from cancer a few years ago. I can’t hear any song off “The Wall” without remembering him.
The Neurons plugged the song into the morning mental music stream today after seeing a Robert Reich Bluesky post.
“I feel optimistic about the midterm elections, just over five weeks away. But my stomach aches when I think of what’s at stake. Call me nauseously optimistic“
Yes, that’s me, too. And if Trump loses, many will see it as validation that Trump is wildly unpopular and unsuccessful. Angry as hell, Trump will probably tilt more into authoritarian ignorance and violence, while shouting, “Cheating! National emergency!”
“Run Like Hell” is about a rock star who orders an attack on the riff raff, so it’s appropriate as hell for my feelings today. I’m optimistic, nauseous and anxious, and quite ready to metamorphically run like hell.
Sample Lyrics
You better run all day And run all night And keep your dirty feelings Deep inside.
I hope you have no need to run like hell today unless it’s because you decide to run out and get a favorite treat for yourself. Remember to treat yourself kindly and try to do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.
Trump approves new fuel economy rules, says car prices will fall
Trump says he approved new fuel economy standards ending Biden-era electric vehicle mandate
Yes, let’s pause to consider the logic of this. Gas prices are high and will probably go up more with current global variables, so let’s gut the mileage requirements for new cars.
It’s not a surprise that this comes from the same Trump logic that declared that prescription drug prices would be reduced 100% or more, the same fine intelligence that claims elections are stolen without presenting evidence, the same weak thinking that pushes raising tariffs on products won’t affect prices because other countries, companies, manufacturers will pay for them.
Right.
Let’s file this under Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!
It’s another Trump attempt to distract people from how poorly things are going for them under Trump. Previous Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! actions include demolishing the White House East Wing to build the ballroom and distract people from Trump’s relationship with Epstein. Trump then tried distracting We the People with a summer of celebrations, much as Hitler used the 1936 Olympics and Rome used games in the coliseum.
This phase of Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! specifically targets several favorite MAGA and Republican areas: regulations, electric cars (and ‘green’ initiatives’), and car prices, specifically how manufacturers wring their hands and declare, “Woe is me, we could make much cheaper cars if it wasn’t for those darn regulations!”
From what I read, these regulations will require three to seven years to get merged into the design, manufacturing, and sales of cars. So these are no immediate savings as Trump is insinuating.
Meanwhile, Trump claims it will save people buying new cars about $810M. But industry experts say that high gas prices will cost more than double that in the meantime.
As a result, Trump is trying for cheap headlines and distractions from the affordability crisis and the war with Iran. Trump’s war with Iran goes on; oil, gas, and diesel prices remain high because of that war. Trump has no clearcut objectives or timelines, and no exit strategy.
Hence, a distraction.
Ultimately, these Trump moves will move the United States further out of step with the rest of the world. As EPA standards for clean air and water are dropped, our air, water, and land quality will decline, affecting the tourism industry. Respiratory illness will probably increase, causing a decline in student and worker health, lower productivity, higher healthcare costs, higher insurance costs, and increased absenteeism.
We know these things will likely happen because we experienced it before. By paying attention to history and facts, we can predict the outcome of these actions. Or, equally effectively, we can look at other nations who lack these regulations, and how it affects them.
We know that’s not what will happen. Trump is taking the United States back in time. As the US pivots back to fossil fuels in its power plants and internal combustion engines, led by China and Europe, the rest of the world will race forward with electric cars and green power initiatives.
And Trump and the oligarchs will grow wealthier.
That’s why voting blue in the 2026 midterms matter.
This is a quartet of micro stacks I wrote this evening: “Slumpin'”, “Looped”, “Shutdown:”, and “Reboot”.
I’m reading “Vineland” at the present. A scene in which one character, Sasha, is trying to cash a check was the trigger for this series. The manager can’t cash the check because a stop payment has been put on it. Sasha asks how is that possible, because it’s night. The manager then explains, “It’s computers. They never sleep. They’re on 24 hours.”
That makes sense to me. It also follows a distinct Trump pattern of making promises which he then breaks. Reading different sits online, the Epstein files were he first crack, but there were four others. In each case, a MAGA crack came because what Trump promised and what happened after he took office in his second term were far apart.
For the TL/DR crowd, the five cracks in MAGA support of Trump which I see right now:
1. Epstein files
2. Lower prices
3. Immigration policies
4. No new wars
5. Helping farmers
No, I’m not an expert on any of these things. Just a concerned and aging American citizen. Let me unpack my thinking.
When running for re-election in 2024, Trump picked up that MAGAzens really cared about the Epstein files. MAGAzens spent a lot of energy building scenarios about the damaging information the Epstein files had on Democrats and ‘elites’, two primary MAGA targets. When Trump was asked if he would release the files, Trump replied, “Probably.” Thus was born the belief that the Epstein files’ contents would finally be fully and completely seen if Trump won.
Since then, Trump has angrily demanded that people stop talking about the Epstein files, calling it a hoax. Many are also convinced that he attacked Iran initially in 2025 and tore down the White House East Wing in order to change the conversation from the Epstein files.
The damage had already been done with MAGAzens. They wanted to see what was in the Epstein files, and they’re pissed that they’re being denied.
Many Americans were completely about high inflation and the affordability crises during President Biden’s term. Seizing on that discontent, Trump promised that he would immediately lower prices. While some prices did initially drop, Trump first said that lowering inflation was harder than he thought, then dismissed affordability as a hoax, and then started the war with Iran in 2026.
Prices had already been going up in 2025, due to many factors, including Trump’s tariffs and the trade agreements he broke.
Trump then started the Iran war in February of 2026. This no gave him cover for higher prices; the higher prices were due to the war, yes, but he was doing it to free Iranians from their terrible government and to save the world from Iran’s nuclear weapons.
Either way, prices keep rising, and many now blame Trump. The second crack with MAGA had begun to spread.
Trump initially did just as he promised with immigrants. He went after them hard and violently.
Trump’s MAGA supporters were initially gleeful. But then their friends and relatives began getting picked up and whisked away.
A collective cry went out among MAGAzens. Trump said he was going to deport criminals, but he was departing people who were not criminals. Many were here legally, trying to go through the process of becoming US citizens.
Trump didn’t care. They weren’t born in the US, so he was departing them. Then, to worsen matters, Trump began sending them to nations where they were not from.
While running for office in 2024, Trump promised no new wars. He made speeches that Kamala Harris and the Democrats would start new foreign wars and decried the idea that Americans would go off and fight in another endless war.
Then, in 2026, before he was in office for two full years, Trump attacked Iran. Since then, Americans have been treated to a shifting tapestry about why Iran was attacked and the war’s objectives, how much the war is costing us, and when the war would end.
It was not the cakewalk that Trump and his administration expected. They had put in a Fox personality as the head of DOD and fired many high-ranking individuals. Trump and his staff thought they could bomb Iran into submission in a matter of days or weeks.
They were wrong.
Trump’s Iran War has been going over 210 days. Trump calls it a conflict to avoid problems with Congress and the Constitution and then calls it a war when it’s convenient to sell demands for more weapons, munitions, and cutbacks to other programs.
Even MAGAzens are seeing through this, opening a fourth crack with Trump’s MAGA base.
Trump campaigned on helping American farmers and ranchers. Trump said that raising tariffs would save American farmers because other countries were taking advantage of the US.
The tariffs didn’t lower prices. Nor did they open markets. Instead, the tariffs and Trump’s Iran war raised prices. The prices which went up the most affecting farmers and ranchers was diesel fuel and fertilizer. Potash was primary imported from Canada; Trump’s tariffs and trade war with Canada pushed those prices up yet more. In fact, diesel prices increased transportation costs across the board.
Trump knew his tariffs and the war, with its resulting high diesel prices, was hurting both consumers and producers. To address it, Trump pushed a temporary suspension of his tariffs on imported beef.
That resulted in anger among ranchers and farmers, because it didn’t help them. Farmers and ranchers’ problems are far more complex and has to do with droughts, rising energy prices, and smaller herds. Those things couldn’t be fixed by a bandage like suspended tariffs for a limited period and amounts.
Nor did suspending tariffs substantially lower prices. The fifth crack with MAGA opened.
There are potentially other cracks getting exposed.
The national debt is growing fast, disrupting the accepted truism that Republicans are fiscally more responsible.
People of both parties are pushing back against AI and data center construction while Trump urges more building. Trump is pushing for their construction because that’s where most of the commercial construction in the US is now taking place. Stopping construction of them would massively affect the stock market and economy.
Many rifts are emerging between Trump and MAGA. Some of those will probably expand into more cracks in their support of Trump.
The larger question for us now is when will traditional Republicans finally realize that the Trump experiment is a disaster and give him up?
