Thwarting Trumps Ambition to be King

 By Mildred Robertson

I am not sure Americans understand the threat the Trump administration poses for our nation’s continued democracy. Legal scholars, advocacy groups and political opponents have noted his sustained assault on constitutional norms and principles that maintained our democracy nearly 250 years.

The Trump administration has initiated an aggressive campaign targeting a wide range of fundamental rights and protections. This assault extends to immigrants, voting rights, civil rights, states’ rights, and women’s rights, undermining the progress and security these groups have achieved over decades. By challenging and diminishing these rights, the administration has shown a disregard for the foundational values upon which the United States has long stood.

Central to this effort is the administration’s willingness to overlook, and in many cases, actively contravene established legal precedents and constitutional safeguards. For example, actions related to birthright citizenship directly challenge the 14^th Amendment. Similarly, the administration has disregarded the principle of Separation of Powers and has overstepped its authority in congressional spending, ignoring the checks and balances that are crucial to the functioning of American democracy. These departures from tradition and law reflect a broader pattern of governance that puts personal and political interests ahead of constitutional norms.

Despite their often disorganized and seemingly incompetent behavior, the administration has made alarming progress toward a deeply concerning objective: the systematic rollback of constitutional rights for American citizens. The aim appears to be the establishment of a government resembling a monarchy, with Trump and his family positioned as the central figures of power. This gradual shift away from the democratic principles and constitutional framework upon which the United States was founded signals an unprecedented threat to the nation’s longstanding traditions of liberty and justice.

The consequences of these actions are stark. America is witnessing the slow dismantling of its constitutional foundation, a process that leaves the country vulnerable and exposed. This erosion is comparable to a scenario in which an individual, worn down by persistent advances, ultimately yields to an unwelcome suitor—only to discover that her initial fears of mistreatment and brutality were justified. As constitutional safeguards continue to be weakened, the nation faces an uncertain future, one in which the values that have defined its democracy are increasingly at risk.

Though Trump appears to be quite mad when you view his behavior on the world stage, he is nonetheless cunning. Many of his goals are so absurd that they seem to have no chance of succeeding, but he constantly and consistently pursues them. He chips away at our foundation the way a prison inmate chips away the wall that stands between him and freedom with nothing more than a kitchen fork.  

His cabinet is comprised of sycophants who are both unqualified and who place Trump’s desires over constitutional norms. Their primary goal seems to be the implementation of his every whim, whether constitutional or not.

Chief among them is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who has embarked on a rampage to kneecap the armed forces by firing top military leadership, even as the U.S. is embroiled in a war against Iran. The abrupt dismissal of leaders such as Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Gen. David Hodne blindsided military leadership. While troops are being deployed to the Middle East, Hegseth summarily dismissed Hodne, the four-star general tasked with providing appropriate equipment to protect U.S. forces.

Dozens of other military leaders, many of them female and/or black, recently were terminated from their positions. It makes one wonder why this administration so desperately wants to decapitate the military. This pattern of dismissals raises significant questions about the administration’s intent in destabilizing the military’s leadership structure.

The judiciary has made only weak attempts to contain the rise of authoritarianism fostered under the Trump administration. Congress, on the other hand, has buckled beneath Trump’s onslaught. 

In this critical moment, the preservation of American freedom and democracy rests squarely on the shoulders of its citizens. The institutions that once served as reliable safeguards—such as congress, the courts and the military—can no longer be counted on to defend our democratic principles. Instead, it is up to the American people themselves to protect the nation’s future.

Our most effective tool in this fight is the ballot. By voting, we exercise our fundamental rights and affirm our commitment to democracy. It is through collective action and vigilance that we can ensure the survival of the liberties and values that have defined our country for generations.

In the current climate, where threats to democracy are increasingly present, it is essential for every citizen to exercise their right to vote. Even when confronted with challenges such as militarized polling stations or intimidation from groups like the Proud Boys, we must not be silenced. The act of voting is not only a right, but a crucial responsibility that ensures our voices are heard and our values are protected.

We must steadfastly defend our right to vote, making certain that every ballot is counted fairly and accurately. By standing up against any form of suppression or intimidation, we play a vital role in preserving the democratic process. The survival of democracy in America depends on our collective determination to participate, protect, and promote free and fair elections. Only through this unwavering commitment can we guarantee that democracy continues to thrive in our nation.

Trump’s War: The Bully Without Backup

By Mildred Robertson

So, Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegeseth decided it was a good idea to play wargames with Iran. Both Trump and Hegseth seem to think America’s military is a cadre of toy soldiers they can use to demonstrate what strong men they are, just like kids playing in the back yard. They entered this war with little thought, and apparently no plan, having left military experts out of the conversation. They thought they would drop a couple of bombs, assassinate a couple of leaders and that Iran would play the role of a whimpering underdog, fleeing from their strength and might. Hegseth talks about killing and fighting as though that is a goal, rather than a deterrent. 

In the three weeks since the two countries launched their attacks on Iran, the United Nations has noted mounting reports of civilian casualties. Trump’s little foray into militarism has resulted in the bombing of a school in the Iranian city of Minab,  where more than 160 schoolgirls were murdered and as many as 100 more people were wounded.

Iran answered American and Israeli attacks with drone and missile attacks on Gulf States. As of March 15, service members killed in the Middle East numbered 13.  Iran also moved to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital, narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arbian Sea. It is the world’s most important oil transit corridor. The strait is only 21-33 miles wide and serves as the only sea route for much of the crude oil and liquid natural gas exported by Saudi Arbia, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait and Iran.

Often referred to as the gate to the Persian Gulf, Iran has restricted passage through the Strait to the US and its allies. As a result, oil prices have surged to about $100 per barrel. About 20 percent of the world’s oil usually passes through the Strait, and so global oil prices have soared. Before the war, oil was around $70 a barrel. U.S. gas prices now average $3.71. That’s up 80 cents over a month ago.

Clearly that does not play well on the nightly news in America, so Trump is seeking to extricate himself from a web of his own weaving. His next move in this bloody game is to coerce NATO allies to join him in reopening the Strait. The problem is, the Allies were not consulted when Trump started this war and do not feel compelled to join a naval coalition to escort ships through the Strait. While he calls Iran a “paper tiger”, he still wants NATO allies to send warships to secure the strait.

So, Trump has started a war he cannot finish and now turns to NATO to back his play. But this is not NATO’s war.  NATO is obliged to come to the aid of its members once they have been attacked. Nothing in their charter compels them to join a member who is the aggressor.

Trump and Hegseth must play their war game, “EPIC FURY,” alone.  The problem is Iran is not playing and war is not a game.  What America ends up with is “EPIC FAILURE,” as the bully stands alone.

 

 

Battleground State North Carolina March 3rd Primary

By Mildred Robertson

Early voting has ended in North Carolina, but it is still not too late for your voice to be heard. The 2026 Primary Election is March 3, 2026.

As Washington D.C. swirls out of control, it is more important than ever that all those Americans who marched in the streets to decry the abuses of the current administration, march into the voting booth to put action behind their rhetoric. It seems that North Carolinians are motivated to do so, with early voting totals in Wake County topping 500,000 through Thursday, February 26.  According to Catawba College’s Center for N.C. Politics & Public Service, Early voting in North Carolina surpassed both the 2022 midterm primary and the 2024 presidential primary totals at the same point in the calendar year.

Data analysis showed that early voting through Thursday was about 24% higher than at the same point in the 2022 midterm primaries-and even surpassed the 2024 presidential primaries. For context, the 2022 midterm primaries had the highest turnout for a midterm primary in the state in 20 years.

With record numbers of voters participating in the early-voting cycle, what remains to be seen is who will turn out on election day. Democrats seem to have a strong showing in early voting among registered partisans and Unaffiliated voters. According to Old North State Politics half of Unaffiliated voters chose the Democratic ballot. This could be impactful if it carries over to the March 3^rd primary vote.  

This election marks a pivotal point in our nation’s history. Not since the civil war have Americans had such a profound decision to make about who we will be, both domestically and on the world stage. As we wrestle with an authoritarian assault on our democracy we must decide whether justice and the rule of law are the real underpinnings that hold up our democracy.

At the end of the day, it is up to the voters to confirm or deny the direction in which our country is going. That means it is up to you.

If you haven’t voted, turn out on March 3^rd and make your voice heard.

Trump Insults Nation's Only Black Governor

 By Mildred Robertson

As the sitting president continues to sow chaos throughout the political landscape, he outdid himself over the past week. First, he tweeted a racist photo of former president and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama. (He claims one of staff did it yet refuses to apologize for it or chastise whoever did.) Then he moved to disinvite Governor Wes Moore of Maryland from a bipartisan dinner for governors at the White House.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, © Francis Chung/POLITICO

This is particularly puzzling since Moore is the vice chair of the organization and the only sitting Black governor. Trump announced that only Republican governors would be invited to the bipartisan winter meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA). He specifically blocked Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis from the event’s black-tie dinner. Both have publicly challenged the White House since Trump began his second term.

Moore opposes Trump’s immigration policies and his deployment of the National Guard to, supposedly, combat crime in states led by Democrats. He also supports redrawing Maryland’s voting maps in response to Trumps efforts to gerrymander districts to create GOP majorities.

Moore says the National Governors Association, known for bipartisan cooperation committed that the dinner will not be considered an official NGA event. Meetings between the president and governors typically allow direct discussion of national issues. Moore claims his exclusion from this event may be due to race and criticizes the president’s actions as unaddressed.

Trump Continues His Politics of Distraction

 By Mildred Robertson

So, Trump is at it again. Trying to distract us from the EPSTEIN FILES....

- Blowing up boats in open waters

- Kidnapping a foreign leader

- Sending troops to major sanctuary cities to war against the community

- Using babies as bait to lure immigrants to capture

- Crashing into people's cars on the streets of America as a means of apprehension

- Disbursing tear gas into neighborhoods, cars and houses

- Tear gassing people in the face

- Kidnapping American citizens and holding them unlawfully

- Killing American citizens in the streets

And now he wants to start a war with Iran for carrying out similar atrocities against its own citizens. Oh, and let's not forget that he is sending the FBI into Georgia to try to rewrite history to say he won the election against Joe Biden.

All of this deserves America's attention. But we cannot forget the Epstein files. He needs to be prosecuted for all of the above. But he, and all others who show up in the Epstein files need to be made to account for their actions and pay for any crimes they may have committed.

SHOW ME THE EPSTEIN FILES.

America Awakens to the Horrors of ICE Tactics

By Mildred Robertson

Everyone has heard of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both executed by ICE agents while peacefully protesting in Minnesota. It is horrific and sickening. It is unthinkable that those are the images I see when I turn on the morning news. Muted in the media coverage, however, are stories of black and brown people who have been abused and murdered at the hands of ICE. Extrajudicial killings of people of color is normal in America. It does not pierce the conscience of America as these killing did, though it should.

Another narrative in the media is how Renee Good and Alex Pretti were great citizens, and from all accounts they were. But that was not what made their murders wrong. No one needs to be dragged through the streets, peppered sprayed in the eyes and set upon by a hoard of jack-booted thugs and ultimately be slain.  

The brutality of this agency is unbelievable. There are at least 13 instances of immigration officers firing at or into civilian vehicles. At least eight of those resulted in gunshot wounds, with two leading to deaths. Those are just the ones we know about. And the general public does not even know their names.  Assumptions by many is that these people represent the “worst of the worse” Trump so fondly refers to in his rants about immigration.

Keith Porter, a black 43-year-old father of two was shot by an off-duty U.S. ICE agent in California on New Year’s Eve. He was not the “perfect victim” whose killing raises red flags for your average white Americans. Porter fired his gun in the air in celebration of New Year’s Eve according to his family. This tradition began in early U.S. history as a symbol of celebration and renewal, and it is occasionally still practiced in some Southern regions.  His actions were illegal but did not warrant a death sentence. And ICE agents are not police. But the media attention focused on him for a moment and then moved on.

They aimed a bright light on the murder of both Renee Good and Alex Pretti who had every right to protest. They had every right to record the violence being inflicted upon the citizens of Minneapolis. They had every right to offer a hand to a citizen violently pushed to the ground and then pepper sprayed.

Their murders were atrocious, gut wrenching, unthinkable. But so are the assaults on people who may or may not have committed a crime. So are the assaults on children, women, the elderly, the sick, many of whom have fallen victim to an overly aggressive, paramilitary force released on the streets of our cities.

No matter the circumstance, no matter what the crime, everyone residing within our borders has the right to face justice based on due process. No one deserves to be summarily executed in the streets of America, to be detained without warrant or to be expelled without adjudication of their case.

If we are going to wake up…let’s wake ALL the way up.

Stranger Things: America Living in the Upside Down

 Mildred Robertson

Every day I wake up to news of additional infractions against the constitutional rights of citizens and inhabitants in America. A nation once seen as full of promise and opportunity is now viewed as a hellscape.  

Today, America is a place where soccer moms are shot in the face and five-year-olds are used as bait to entice immigrants to surrender to masked thugs as vicious as Demogorgons; humanoid but not human. Just like these fictional monsters in the Supernatural horror series “Stranger Things,” ICE agents travel in pacts enacting the will of Trump who uses his power to manipulate, terrorize and sometimes kill his victim.  His main aim seems to be controlling the world.  

The American hellscape, just like the landscape in Stranger Things, creeps into every corner of our existence, consuming everything in its path. While ICE agents ram cars on our highways and beat and choke a 16-year-old citizen whose only mistake was travelling to school in a car driven by his immigrant father, these thugs have no respect for the rule of law. They murdered Alex Pretti, who simply attempted to protect a woman who they had viciously attacked and pepper sprayed. After the first shot, they peppered his body with up to ten shots once he was down.  It is reported that one of the agents commented their actions were just like the video game, “Call of Duty”.

This is not law enforcement, and it certainly is not a game.  This is anarchy cloaked in governmental authority. It appears that Donald Trump and his administration have unleashed a rabid group of criminals upon the streets of America, parading as law enforcement. It is alleged that many ICE agents were pulled from the ranks of the January 6^th rioters, and they seem anxious to continue their attack on the foundational rights and privileges enjoyed by Americans for well over 200 years.

They have taken to the streets kicking down doors, breaking windows dragging people from cars, beating citizens and non-citizens alike, with no regard to the constitutionality of their actions.  This administration has given them license to do as they please to those residing within our borders.

As disturbing as those actions are, it appears this administration has not seen enough violence on the streets. Trump seemingly plans to deploy the ACUTUAL military to the streets of American communities.

As new atrocities come into view daily, Congress and the courts seem stymied by the brazenness of this administration’s attacks on the rule of law. It is as though they are surprised that an elected leader of the United States would choose not to play by the rules.

Our courts and our Congress seem to be caught flat-footed in the face of an authoritarian leader whose goal is to subjugate the people and undermine the Constitution. It is amazing that they did not anticipate this upside-down world, when the Constitution itself recognized it, defined it and set up guard rails to contain it.

While our Founders clearly understood that one day someone would attempt to steal the freedoms they fought so hard to wrest from the hands of an imperialistic government, they believed that they had established a framework strong enough to repel a dictator’s rise to power. Unfortunately, those agencies empowered to balance overreach by an authoritarian administration seem to be impotent. While the courts have awarded shallow victories in this fight, our gerrymandered Congress is stymied and offers us little relief.

So, we are at a crossroad. What are American citizens to do? If our courts and our Congress cannot protect us, what are we to do? Will our world remain upside down, or will we fight to return to normalcy? It is for Americans to choose.