“I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world? I built our military.”
Trump’s claim that ‘I built our military’ barely stands up to any scrutiny. Most of the military hardware and personnel were part of the US military before Trump entered office in 2017. That is well documented.
His claim that he didn’t ‘guarantee’ no war is technically true: he didn’t ‘guarantee’ it. But he implied no new war by using the words no now war. His claim now goes against the vast Internet documentation of him promising “No new wars.”
Of course, in his mind, we’re not at war, even though he reminded everyone that we were at war, because he’s trying to gaslight us with one of his fabulous word weaves. Most of the world calls his word weaves ‘bullshit’ or early signs of cognitive issues, but to Trump, it’s genius.
Challenged about attacking Iran, Trump claimed, “If I didn’t go in there with the B-2 bombers, they would right now have a nuclear weapon, and it could be that half of the world would be eradicated already.”
Unfortunately for Trump, this was contrary to all evidence and facts, including his claims from June of 2025. Apparently becoming upset by having facts and evidence pressed on him, Trump declared, “I’ve had enough,” and stormed off the set. This could be why some have labeled him as TACO, for, “Trump Always Chickening Out”.
On the good news side of things, Trump managed to stay awake during “Meet the Press”.
There’s no confirmation that Trump had to leave because he felt a need to take a nap.
Ashland, southern Oregon — Saturday, June 6, 2026.
It’s cloudy today in the valley. Same morning cool air, 50 F. We’ll sprint up to 64 F before the evening cooling begins again.
Quiet back east, in Pittsburgh. Nothing from Mom and my sisters for over sixteen hours. More showings are scheduled for Mom’s house, and more donations of clothing and furniture are being made.
I’m watching Trump’s Great American State Fair slowly imploding, along with his UFC fight. He makes it about him, and he makes it hateful and divisiveness. We the People, along with many artists and celebrities, respond, sorry, I’m not into those values, and I’m not that into you.
Trump takes that all personally. He spins fast to his favorite style of denigrating them. His America250 committee selected performers and artists presumably because they had some cachet, were known and successful acts, things like that.
Once they turn down the gig, Trump calls them all third-rate. If he’s right, then, only ‘third-rate’ acts agreed to his celebration and then even they turned him down. Which means, if I follow the thread right, means that Trump and his ‘celebration’ must be fourth-rate, or worse.
I don’t think Iran is interested in ending the war through negotiations. I wouldn’t, were I in their shoes. Trump’s war is disrupting political and military alliances and supply chains, causing increased prices. These then cause Trump’s popularity and effectiveness to decline.
With the US already polarized, there’s increased fragmentation as some of the GOP turns on Trump. The US is a mess, paralyzed by these politics and an ineffective Congress.
So why would Iran rush to end the war? Every day it goes on marginalizes Trump and the US. Trump has no cards. All he can do is threaten more violence. That violence comes with escalating costs to his image, ego, and human life. No, Trump doesn’t care about human life, but enough voters do that he’s feeling it.
Trump says he pardoned man sentenced to 7 years for ‘fixing his own truck’
Your Trump Lie — er, Quote — of the Day:
Trump butchered the truth and history. Someone commenting on it told the real story behind Trump’s claims:
“Troy Lake, the owner of Elite Diesel Service Inc. in Colorado, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act by disabling emissions monitoring systems on hundreds of heavy-duty commercial trucks. He also faced over $50,000 in combined fines. Lake served about seven months in federal prison before being released to house arrest to finish his sentence. Subsequently, President Donald Trump granted him a full, unconditional pardon, completely erasing his conviction and penalties.” NOT 7 YRS, NOT HIS OWN VEHICLE AND BREAKING THE LAW FOR HIS OWN PROFIT, much like Trump!“
Proving once again, Trump can’t be believed. Distrust and verify.
MAGA ate it up, though. That means a lot to Trump’s ego.
Today’s music is “Misguided Angel” by Cowboy Junkies. A novel I was reading referenced the song. Hadn’t heard it in a while so I pulled it up last night on Youtube and listened to it. Such a sweet, powerful song, about a woman in love with a guy who is not good for her because of his temperament. The singer is fearful of him yet stays with him because of love. It becomes about the courage needed for her to do that.
That’s the kind of truth art often shows us. That things are not black and white but are mired in complications. Love and emotion are often our greatest complications.
The Neurons liked it and it was still in my morning mental music stream today. So here it is.
Ashland, southern Oregon — Wednesday, June 3, 2026.
Pleasant valley Wednesday. 66 F, sunshine percolates through some clouds. Rain and a high of 76 F are expected.
Mom and my sister went through a rough day yesterday, spending over eight hours at ER. Classic ER scene as the staff attempts to help everyone but there are so many who need help. They got home early in the AM this morning.
We’re not sure what’s going on with Mom. She had a CT scan but no results have been shared with us. At one point, they asked her if she wanted or needed anything, then added, but nothing to drink or eat. We all knew that usually means surgery. But surgery was never mentioned. She went home tired, thirsty, hungry, and sleepy.
Home: her shared room at the assisted living facility.
The US — or Trump, specifically — is between a rock and hard place. After Trump claimed he would end the Russia – Ukraine War, it continues with fresh strikes by Ukraine on Russia today.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who said this was a small operation back in March, was not available for comment. Trump’s Iran War was supposed to be over in weeks if not sooner, according to Republicans back in March. Now the war has been going 95 days.
Without too much surprise for me, I read that the Trump administration is dragging its feet on refunding Trump tariffs as ordered by the courts. Meanwhile, Trump dropped more tariffs on 60 nations, claiming it’s because they use forced labor.
Over in World Cup news, a Swiss player is waiting to see if he’ll be taking part in the games because the US has not said he’s allowed in yet, and the Iranians are worried about their team’s ability to come and go to the US.
The Epstein files aren’t completely released, and the Epstein ballroom is still short of funds but under construction. Under Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!, Trump is now not worried about it as a ballroom, but as a drone port. It’s all about the nation’s defense!
Of course, as I understand it, arming the White House to the teeth basically raises its value as a military target. After all, that’s what the US did in Iran: we went after the drone and missile launch sites.
Your Trump Quote of the Day:
What hyperbole. Trump blasts a judge and rants, “we can no longer defend Washington, D.C., with rifles and pistols, alone.”
Let’s face it, too; if the US has reached a point in a conflict that we’re depending on drones on top of the White House to defend us, we’re pretty screwed.
Today’s music comes out of the thought stew bubbling my brain this morning. Spying on me, The Neurons brought the Rolling Stones and “Rock and A Hard Place” to the morning mental music stream.
Sample Lyrics:
We’re stuck between a rock And a hard place Between a rock (yeah) and a hard place
This talk of freedom And human rights Means bullying and private wars and Chucking all the dust into our eyes
And peasant people Poorer than dirt Who are caught in the crossfire ain’t nothin’
To lose but their shirts, yeah
May your day be carried forward with peace and grace.
It’s clear skies and sunshine for us today. 66 degrees now, the high will be found in the 80s F. Some say 81, another contingent claims 88. We’ll see.
Oh, the Mom front. She ran out of her pain patches. They’re by prescription so she must see her doc for them. She didn’t have an appointment, and they don’t have an opening until early August. It’s concerning that with all the doctors she’d recently seen, no one ever thought to say, how are your pain patches?
Then she fell over backward in her wheelchair the other day. Hit her head. She’s been complaining of headaches since. Yet, that morning when it happened, she refused to get taken to the hospital. Today, it became a must. Now sis is at the ER with her and we’re in wait and see mode.
Poor sister, too. She’s already busy, working, meeting with the realtor to sell Mom’s house, selling and giving away Mom’s furnishings and possessions, taking care of her grandchildren, and here she is, summoned back to pick up Mom, take her to the hospital, wait with her, await next steps…
Locally, I’m perplexed and pleased with a credit union project. Bring a bag of papers to be shredded and three cans of food, and they’ll shred it for you. Sounds great! I went through our papers, filled a bag, and bought three cans of food to donate.
I’m irritated because the credit union has two locations in our town. One is a half mile away; the other is almost two. Yet, to participate in this offer, I need to drive almost twenty miles to Medford to participate.
Makes little sense. Why not do it in an Ashland location as well as a Medford location? Why make so many people waste energy and pollute the air to drive that distance?
Then there’s the Trump front. Paul Krugman had commentary about Trump’s apparent mental and physical decline, and the enablers in DC and in business who support, cover, and front for him. For all, it seems to be, “What’s in it for me?” I don’t know if that’s true or reductivism. I think the truth is on a spectrum somewhere in between. Whatever their reasoning, I remain disappointed that so many seem eager to limit voting and embrace norms that seem to favor creating a Christian white nation.
Trump’s Iran war remains on, although a ‘ceasefire’ is in effect. I watched Jordan Klepper conduct interviews with MAGAs who smugly tried to tell us that Iran is a conflict, not a war.
They’re taking clues from right-wing media, the GOP, and Trump himself. Trump reminded the nation we’re at war but also said that we’re not at war and that saying we are would get him in trouble. He’s winking at the system of checks and balances, but we as a nation have been doing this for a long time as well.
At the bottom of my disgust at this mess remains the huge challenge: how do we fix our flaws? Can we fix them? Can we at least mitigate them enough to feel comfortable with calling ourselves a land of freedom and equality and a democratic republic. Because right now, those claims are very, very thin to me.
It didn’t begin when the Roberts Court decided that Trump as POTUS could be above the law. It began long before that, with small drips. We let the drips go. Now the foundation is showing rot and we’re wringing our hands about what to do.
To make myself feel a little better without drugs and alcohol, I turned to Nate Silver’s latest findings on Trump’s popularity.
“Today, Donald Trump’s net approval rating is sitting at -19.1 in the Silver Bulletin average. That’s less popular than Joe Biden was at this point in his term (-13.6) and less popular than Trump himself was during his first term (-10.6).
“About 48 percent of Americans strongly disapprove of Trump’s job performance. Just 21.7 percent strongly approve of the job he’s doing, while another 17.2 percent only somewhat approve.
It’s worth posting this quote again because it completely captures Trump’s attitude AND his base. He called it right, and we see it playing out over and over.
I have “One More Time” by Daft Punk in the morning mental music stream. A dance song, it’s actually a celebration of things, but it hit my stream because I muttered ‘one more time’ to myself as I checked texts from home and read the news.
I hope your mood is up and your day goes well. I hope the best for us all. I guess the challenge for that is agreeing what that is.
It’s 53, expecting a high of 85 F. A solidly blue sky and bright sun have taken over.
It’s a new month. Papi and I are celebrating by doing the same thing we do every morning. Eat, wash, etc. He sniffs the ground and air, I sniff the news.
Right now, dealing with Mom. She’s struggling to think, speak, plan things, respond.
Then, dealing with family. Older sister is moving from her condo of 13 years in a place more physically acceptable for her. One sister’s young son just graduated high school. Lots of moving parts. Past, present, future all breaking at once.
Also dealing with news.
Multiple individuals dead after mass shooting in Oregon: ‘I know many people are grieving,’ police chief says
I look for details, wondering, how many dead, searching for the circumstances, thinking about the people involved.
Good thing there’s a cease fire. We had several more attacks between the US and Iran. I always thought ‘cease fire’ meant no one would shoot. Of course, Trump and the angry inch have fluid definitions, changing and using them to suit their needs.
The Epstein ballroom is still under construction, too, and the Epstein files have not been fully released.
We’ve had over 2,000 cases of measles in the U.S. 318 locations so far in 2026. 73 new cases in the last two weeks.
But in the latest phase of Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!, the Great American State Fair *cough cough* will go on.
Your Trump Quotes of the Day:
Today’s song is “Straight Up” by Paul Abdul.
It’s in the morning mental music stream because of my coffee. I picked up my fresh cup and inhaled. “Smells good,” I told Papi, who was watching. “Just as I like it. Black, straight up.”
The Neurons replied, “Oh, we know that song.”
Song came out in 1980s when I was stationed in Germany. I was at the NCO Club with friends after work, having a beer. MTV was on the television. The video came on for this song. Several friends said, “Wait, I have to watch this.”
What?
They’d pay no attention to any previous music videos but for them, Paula Abdul was a conversation stopper. *smile*
The last day of sunshine finds our area with blue skies and sunshine. It’s 48 F now and we expect a high in the mid 70s.
The Mom report is that she fell over backwards in her wheelchair and hit her head hard on the ground. A facility employee was present when it happened and wanted Mom to go to the hospital. Mom declared that. It happened at 7 AM but she didn’t share that news with us until the late afternoon. Now we worry and wait, hopeful that she didn’t do more damage to herself.
When Mom spoke to me last week, she mentioned that they were required to be in the dining room for breakfast at 8 AM. Mom has a roommate and one bathroom that they share. The roommate is on hospice, and the guidelines are that hospice residents have bathroom priority. In practice then, Mom can’t get ready to go to the dining room in the morning because her roommate is in the bathroom, and ends up getting down there late or skips breakfast.
It’s also reported that Trump is urging to cancel it outright, classic Trump Always Chickening Out.
I’d prefer the latter. If Trump is there, he would make this overtly political. It’ll be less about the United States and more about him. Sure, he’ll say that we’re a ‘great nation’. Then he’ll go on to say how great he is, how great he made the nation, call former President Biden some names, name some others as enemies, and rail about how Democrats are ‘ruining’ the nation, and spread lies about what he’s done and how others think he’s doing a great job.
Exhibit A:
Your Trump Quote of the Day:
*snark alert* Isn’t that sweet how Trump compares himself to ‘The King’ of rock and roll, someone who has been dead almost fifty years, someone who people paid to see? If he wants to draw the largest draw, he’ll need over 3.5 million people.
Trump is against Democrats because Democrats keep pushing on voters’ rights, diversity, law and order, truth, facts, and history. Those principles and ideals often collide with Trump’s grifting, ego, ignorance, and authoritarianism. Trump would prefer to lie about what’s going on, making up information, and boast about doing things like lowering prescription prices 1,000 percent. While Trump campaigned on no new wars, releasing the Epstein files, lowering food and energy prices on day one, he broken all of those promises.
His supporters like Trump and still support him because he runs roughshod over the Constitution, ignoring due process to go after political enemies, ordering ICE to attack anyone who might be illegal — especially if they look like they’re anything but white. ICE goons will ignore evidence that others are here legally and will react violently when confronted. That’s Trump’s ‘law and order’ for you: a police state.
Meanwhile, his destruction of Washington DC and the White House continues. Not satisfied with tearing up a public golf course, screwing up the Lincoln Memorial, and tearing down the East Wing to build the Epstein ballroom, Trump is now talking about the Kennedy Center never re-opening.
After illegally changing the Kennedy Center’s name by adding his to it and closing the center for ‘renovations’, a judge ruled put the name back to what was established by act of Congress, per the law, and open it. TACO immediately whined that he’s not being allowed to do what he wants to do and threatened to keep the Kennedy Center closed forever.
Of course, much of this classic Trump bluster is part of Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! Keep everyone distracted so he can enrich himself. Like, where is the money for the Board of Peace?
After thinking about how Trump is taking the nation in the wrong direction, The Neurons had a response. They brought “Wrong Way” by Sublime to the morning mental music stream.
That surprised me. I didn’t know The Neurons have such a dark sense of humor. The punk ska melody is all about young prostitution and the struggles of young women and what they face.
“Wrong Way” Lyrics:
Annie’s twelve years old, in two more, she’ll be a whore Nobody ever told her it’s the wrong way Don’t be afraid with the quickness, you get laid For your family, get paid It’s the wrong way
I gave her all that I had to give I’m gonna make it hard to live Salty tears running down to her chin And it ruins up her makeup and never wan’ give
A cigarette pressed between her lips But I’m staring at her tits It’s the wrong way Strong if I can, but I am only a man So I take her to the can It’s the wrong way
The only family that she’s ever had Is the seven horny brothers and a drunk-ass dad He needed money, so he put her on the street Everything was going fine, until the day she met me
Ashland, southern Oregon — Saturday, May 30, 2026.
It’s a gray and chilly May day, 52 F with no blue sky available for the eyes. Bleak sunshine slants in, casting faint shadows. No rain is expected today but our high will crest in the mid 60s again.
Not the happiest of weather but not the worst, either. Makes it perfect for morning reflections on the news and life on this next to last day in May.
Mom’s possessions are going fast. Sis found people who wanted things and invited them over. Now she’s not accepting any money. It has to go, so. We the siblings are fine with that, and agree with that sentiment. We like to know these things will be useful to others.
Gina sends photos of Mom’s rooms and the transformation as items disappear. Click, click, click. It’s forlorn progress.
Likewise, we have forlorn progress against Trump’s moves. Judges have ruled that the Kennedy Center couldn’t have the board just up and change its name and that they needed to stop the renovations because it wasn’t properly addressed. Other judges ruled that Trump’s slush fund might be illegal and no payments can be made from it yet. Diane Ravitch offers good summaries of it all.
Meanwhile, economist Paul Krugman helps us understand more about the Trump economy and We the People’s view of it. Trump and his minions like to crow about how MAGA supports him 100%. And polls show that as true.
But when it comes to the economy, Krugman points out that only MAGA approves of the economy at this point, and they represent 19% of all Americans. Even non-MAGA Republicans are going, no, this is not good.
What’s most disturbing when I look at that MAGA trend line is that it’s slowly increasing. This is despite Trump’s clear lies, corruption, and ineptitude. Truly makes me shake my head. This is why it’s become the Golden Age of Corruption.
Classic con man sleight of hand. If he was as interested in the law as he proclaims, he would not ignored it to wreck the White House and begin building the Epstein ballroom. He would have released the Epstein files, as he promised, instead of twisting and turning, trying to claim that it was a hoax.
Today’s music is “I’m Goin’ Down”. This Bruce Springsteen song came out in the mid 1980s. It’s about relationships and songs. I really don’t know why The Neurons parked it in the morning mental music stream today. Sometimes they work in ways that I don’t understand.
Other months have gone by so fast for me this year. May feels like it’s dragging. Looking at the calendar, I’m surprised two more days remain in May.
I looked back at a post last year in May I wrote. I was complaining about the rain then, too. Today is gloomy, rainy, showery, 53 F with 64 high expected. Papi had to bring his outside show inside where he can sleep in dry warmth. Right now, he’s balled himself tight on the bed, eyes closed, snooze position assumed.
My sisters and their others have feverishly worked on cleaning and emptying Mom’s house, preparing it for the realtor’s photos and staging, and making a little money from Mom’s goods. Mom’s bedroom is empty, as is her tiny dining room.
Funny, though, Mom has actually used four different rooms as her bedroom. When she first bought the house, the upstairs was rented out as an apartment. So Mom’s bedroom was what was the dining room. Then she took the top floor back and moved into the ‘big’ bedroom. When Frank moved in, they shared that room for a while. When she started her medical issues, she moved into a smaller room because it was the only one with an air conditioner. Then, last year, with her mobility faltering, the back porch was re-purposed as her bedroom. A beautiful space, she was only in there for a few months.
I visited Mom, noting the changes. Each marked another season of Mom. I think she’s in her final season now.
My wife continues here cleaning/purging frenzy. A drawer, cupboard, or closet each day is done. She sets items out for me to judge: what do they go to? Do we need them? Do they work? What should we do with them?
She told me, “This is the easy stuff. I’m dreading when I get to the big stuff, the things that really matter. It’s going to be tough.”
Over on the Trump front, it’s amazing how quickly the performer lineup for Trump’s America 250 celebration is changing. The venue is called ‘The Great American State Farm’. Many of the artists said they had no idea that it was associated with Trump and turned it down after learning of his involvement. It’s almost like the Trump brand is tainted.
Food prices are up. The NYT reports: “Prepare for sticker shock as summer barbecue season heats up: The price of beef is sizzlingly high. Grilled sirloin will cost more than $14 a pound, on average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up 20 percent since last year.”
Sirloin is not alone as a higher price from a year ago:
Trump has failed to lower the prices, though. Instead, his actions and policies keep driving food prices up. Energy prices are up, thanks to Trump. And the supply chain has been disrupted, thanks to Trump.
The Trump Iran War continues. So, food prices will continue rising. Trump couldn’t lower them before the war; there’s no reason to believe he’ll be able to after the war — whenever his ‘excursion’ ends.
Besides the war going on, the Epstein files have not been released, and the $1 billion Epstein ballroom is still under construction.
Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! is in a quiet period.
Today’s music is “Purple Rain” by Prince. Two factors played into this. I was talking to Papi about the rain. I was also deciding what to wear. I felt a long sleeve shirt would be appropriate for today. However, I often wear purple on Fridays. I don’t have a long-sleeved purple shirt.
The Neurons put this all together. Voila! “Purple Rain” began playing in the morning mental music stream. Prince said about the song, “When there’s blood in the sky… red and blue = purple. Purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/God guide you through the purple rain.”
Seems right for this time, when we’re divided as a nation into red and blue, and purple is considered a swing area.
Yes, I’m sharing a post that another shared that Digby shared. It’s worth sharing because Trump looks at the world through his Trumpvision glasses, which only permit him to see what he wants to see. His glasses generally colorize the world via politics, sexism, and racism. He is great and all who support him are great. Everyone else is terrible, ugly, crooks, stupid, unfair, etc.
Trump proclaimed in March of 2026, “Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the Nato Countries’ assistance _ WE NEVER DID!”
So here is the shared post in response, “The Truth Hurts”. Which is painful for Trump, because it’s the truth.
Trump Administration (TA): Woke ruined everything! White men are being discriminated against! It’s not fair to white men!
MAGA: Yea! Woke sucks!
TA: Cities – especially blue cities – are the economic engines of the US. So let’s send ICE there and disrupt flights into them and cause a slowdown there because we don’t like them and their woke liberal policies.
MAGA: Yea! Libruls suck.
TA: Companies will move out of blue cities and blue states to red states.
MAGA: Yeah! Libruls suck.
Blue States: Even though the nation is going through a drought and there’s less and less water available to drink?
MAGA: Fake news!
TA: We have plenty of water, don’t worry. There is a drought going on, don’t worry. It’s weather! Louisiana isn’t sinking, don’t worry. The glaciers aren’t melting, don’t worry. The sea level isn’t rising, don’t worry. The average temperature isn’t rising, don’t worry. That’s all a Chinese Democrat Deep State hoax.
MAGA: Yeah! Hoax!
Media and Economists: The tariffs and war in Iran are driving up oil prices and disrupting supply chains. That increases energy and fertilizer prices. That raises transportation and shipping costs, food prices, healthcare costs, and consumer goods prices.
TA: Prices might go up a little bit for food but don’t worry, we’ll be better off for it in the long run.
MAGA: Um…yeah.
TA: Don’t worry about the national debt, either. We’re all going to get so rich, it’ll be beautiful.
MAGA: Yeah.
Media and Economists: The rising prices will also affect insurance premiums because they’re tied to the costs of everything else. Insurance is also going up for many homeowners due to more extreme weather events and wildfires.
MAGA:
TA: Forget the Epstein files! It’s a Democrat hoax! They’ve all been released. They’re nothing.
MAGA: Grumble grumble grumble
TA: Look at this ballroom! Isn’t it beautiful? It’s the biggest and most beautiful in the world!
MAGA:
TA: Donors are paying for the ballroom! It’ll only cost 200 million! 300 million! 400 million! We need a billion dollars to make it safe!
MAGA:
TA: And look at this 250th celebration of our nation. Look at this fight we’re staging at the White House!
Media: It’s just like the Coliseum in Rome. Or the Olympic Games in Berlin before World War II.
MAGA:
TA: We’re winning the war in Iran! It’s already over! We obliterated their military! There is no more threat from Iran! It’s all or nothing! They’re running on fumes there! The people are going to rise up and take over! The Strait of Hormuz will be open, or else! We’ll bomb them more! The clock is ticking! They must give up their nuclear program! We destroyed their nuclear program! They have nothing!
MAGA:
Media: Trump has gone golfing today. He’s golfed 23% of the time he’s been in office.
Michael Seidel, writer 