Serena Williams - Can't Dim Her Shine

Okay, total disclosure. I am not a football fan. I didn't watch the Super Bowl halftime in real-time, and I could not name one song by Kendrick Lamar or Drake. But I certainly know who Serena Williams is. 

This young woman has used her God-given talent to take her from the streets of Compton, CA to the heights of international dominance in her chosen field. Her task was not easy; complicated by the world-class athletes whom she handily defeated, to the systemic racism that placed obstacles in her path to domination of women's tennis worldwide.  

To belittle her Superbowl performance as a "get-back" at a former lover is an example of the lengths people will go through to besmirch this iconic athlete, entrepreneur, mother, wife, and yes, world-class champion. I saw her performance as a tribute to her roots. 

It amazes me that a woman who has conquered the tennis world, won 4 Olympic Gold Medals, launched the multimedia company "Nine Two Six Productions" and is entering a licensing deal with Wyn Beauty cosmetics still must fight the petty battles that society lays in her path. She has endorsement deals with over a dozen brands and is an active investor in a venture capital firm, Serena Venture. She is a co-founder of Will Perform, a startup that creates products for topical pain relief, and skin care. As though all of that were not enough, she released a children's book in 2022 and is part-owner of the Miami Dolphins. This young woman is prolific. 

I said that to say this. Serena Williams is likely not checking for a former lover. Her eyes are undoubtedly focused on a much higher target than a simple slap back at an ex who may be thinking right now that he probably should have kept her.  Her Superbowl performance was a get-back, but not at Drake. 

She let the world know that no matter how people try, they can't dim her shine. 

Shine on, queen!

So, Trump Renames The Gulf of Mexico

By Mildred Robertson

This is just stupid. And the fact that the media is following it like it is meaningful is also ignorant. 

You did not learn the first time. He is manipulating you. Stop reporting his every word. He cannot unilaterally change the name of the Gulf, and you know it. He plans to bully the world to his will, and the media helps him do it by making his idiotic statements headline news.

The Trump strategy is to break everything at once so that it is difficult to strategize and mobilize on any one issue. He vomits one insane objective after the other, without giving thought to the process, costs, or the resources necessary to implement them. It doesn't matter to him whether he can actually implement the policy as long as he can grab the headline. The media breathlessly reports his insane rantings as if they are rational policies and procedures capable of withstanding the rules and regulations associated with policymaking.  

Can Trump be king? He most certainly can, if we let him. 

The media's breathless pursuit of his next thing is not helpful. In one of my early journalism courses the instructor defined news like this:  "Dog bites man" is not news...'Man bites dog' - now that's news."  

For instance, I understand why the media reported Trump's statement that he wanted Greenland and Canada to be part of the United States. That was news. But the fact that they continue with the foolishness is absurd. Particularly since it would be necessary for those entities to agree with that move, or for America to decide to seize them. Now, if either of those two things were to occur, that would surely be news! The mere bluster of a megalomaniac, however, does not qualify. 

So, the media must learn a new way to report on Trump. They must see who is biting who before they splash the rantings of a seeming madman all over our newspapers, airwaves, social media, and television screens. Trump does and says things that seem to scream for a response. But the media must figure out whether his words warrant their attention. 

Can I give you a new definition of news in the Trump era? Sorry, I can't. But I know that current reporting practices are not it. 

And by the way, just like the much-reported wall that Mexico built is a non-story, so too is the imperialistic takeover of several sovereign nations; at least for now. 

Stop America's Freefall Toward Tyranny

 A Letter to Our Congress

By Mildred Robertson

I have been appalled at the blatant disregard the Trump Administration has shown for this country and its laws, rules, and regulations. It is bad enough that he is appointing totally unqualified individuals to lead the nation's most important agencies, but he also is acting illegally in purging government officials whose only fault is carrying out the duties to which they were assigned. 

It is unfortunate that 49% of America chose this man to lead the nation. It is unfortunate that many people stayed home and did not vote so that he could squeak into the Whitehouse. It is unfortunate that many people did not understand the depth of his depravity or the span of his ignorance. Nevertheless, it is left to the United States Congress to deal with this situation. While many Republicans likely do not see eye-to-eye with me on many social and political issues, I believe that some of you have the best interest of the United States at heart. The fact that an unelected individual such as Elon Musk has been given a free hand to destroy this nation's foundation must be as disturbing to some Republicans as it is to me. The threat of what he will do with information to which he is not entitled is unbelievable.

I know that this administration is formidable and that it is difficult for Republican legislators to buck the system. However, I beseech you, to gird yourself for this battle. Use your power to be a bulwark against the criminality of this administration. 

As your constituents, we ask you to speak truth to power. Trump has unleashed a water hose full of lies, deceit, and malfeasance that, if left unchallenged, will destroy America. I ask that our elected representatives stand up to him. Vote against those nominees to lead government agencies who are clearly unqualified. Stop Elon Musk from accessing sensitive government data.  Save our democracy.  Only Congress can. Be bigger than the office you hold. Be an AMERICAN.

Family Says Robert Kennedy, Jr. is Unfit to Lead USDHHS

Below is a copy of a letter from Robert Kennedy, Jr.'s cousin to congressional leaders. It requires no further comment. 

Continued-Page 2

Trump Rules by Chaos

 Mildred D. Robertson

Trump 2.0 has thrown the nation into a state of constant chaos. People cannot find solid footing as one preposterous, absurd, and sometimes illegal pronouncement after the other flows from the Trump Whitehouse. 

From the nomination of clearly unqualified individuals to head our nation's most important agencies to flinging open the doors of prisons to release convicted January 6th rioters who trashed the Capitol and brutalized police officers on January 6, 2020, Trump has lumbered into D.C. bringing with him utter chaos. 

His tendency to foster pandemonium creates a never-ending flow of "breaking news" that the media breathlessly expound upon. They relish the atmosphere created by Trump's penchant to fly in the face of the norm, fervently reporting every nuance of his untraditional leadership. While enamored with the constant flow of news, they are equally frustrated with their inability to adequately report the ever-changing political landscape as Trump crushes social and political norms. 

It is clear that Trump plans to decimate the foundation of American democracy dismissing any pretense that this will be a nation of laws, equality, or justice. True to his word, he has embarked upon a campaign of retribution against all who oppose him. He appears to care little for our history, or the lessons learned as America rose to become the most envied superpower in the world. 

In the words of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., "We are going to have some dark days ahead."  But just as Dr. King refused to give up; just as he refused to accept the lot assigned to him by prejudice and flawed leadership, we too must continue to seek high ground. 

The "Mountain Top" view will allow us to rise above the chaos to gain a clearer view. There we will see that all is not lost...at least not forever. We will be able to see that there is work to be done, and we must do it, even in the face of this chaotic administration. 

America must stand, even in the face of the trials and tribulations that lie ahead. While this administration may seek to destroy American democracy, the foundation is strong. Working together we can survive. 

Republicans Accuse Democrats of Hegseth Smear Campaign

 By Mildred Robertson

During the confirmation hearing on Pete Hegseth's nomination on Tuesday, January 14, Democrats raised serious questions about his fitness to serve as head of the U.S. Department of Defense. Not only did they address his lack of experience in managing an agency such as the DOD, but they also questioned his character based on numerous reports of drunkenness and sexual abuse.  Republicans responded by accusing the Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee of attempting to smear Trump's pick to lead the agency. In fact, the Democrats did not smear Hegseth but rather exposed the stains in his checkered past.  

Hegseth is accused of sexual assault, mismanaging funds excessive drinking, public drunkenness, and disorderly conduct. Among the allegations is that Hegseth paid a woman who accused him of physically blocking her when she attempted to leave a hotel room and then sexually assaulting her.  Although he paid her as part of a settlement agreement, he continues to assert his innocence. 

A report in the New Yorker magazine stated that a former associate at Vets for Freedom, where Hegseth served as executive director, accused him of charging inappropriate expenses such as parties and trysts. Former employees who worked for him at Concerned Veterans for America sent a letter to the nonprofit's senior management also citing excessive drinking and ill-treatment of female staff. He allegedly categorized female staff as either "party girls," or "not party girls." 

Similar allegations were raised by a Fox News producer, stating that Hegseth's drinking habit was an "open secret."  Hegseth himself previously acknowledged that when he transitioned from military to civilian life he drank heavily.  He pledges that if confirmed, he will quit drinking altogether. 

That would be laughable if it were not so scary. First of all, how many alcoholics have you heard make similar statements? Secondly, do we want to gamble with our national security on the promise of a man with a drinking problem?

Can you imagine the phone ringing at 2 o'clock in the morning regarding an urgent military matter? Would we want to entrust the control of our military to someone who might be passed out on the couch when an important call came in, or a pressing military issue needed clear-eyed attention? Do we want someone like Hegseth to be responsible for responding to a domestic or international emergency? Do we want an alleged drunken womanizer to represent us on the world stage? Well, I might not want the answer to that question, since a felony and a sexual assault conviction did not give the American public pause on Election Day November 5th. 

Those are some of the questions Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee asked during the confirmation hearing today. The questions appear fair to ask of someone seeking a position of such importance, and you cannot smear that which has already been stained. 

Trump Sentencing - Unequal Justice

 Mildred D. Robertson

Equal justice under the law is a phrase engraved above the front entrance of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. It is also a societal ideal upon which the American legal system is founded. That tenet died today as Judge Juan Merchan treated Donald Trump differently from any other convicted felon in the United States. Merchan indicated about 10 days before the inauguration that he wasn't inclined to sentence Trump to prison and would likely give him an unconditional discharge. This means Trump will walk away a free man without further obligation to the court. 

Although he is now a convicted felon, found guilty by a jury of his peers, those of us who believe in equal justice under the law are left with the knowledge that American justice is neither blind nor just. The rule of law in America is decimated. 

It is breathtaking that the President-Elect is a convicted felon, who nonetheless is free of any accountability. It is farcical to assert that the U.S. judicial system metes out justice based upon the merits of the facts regardless of the individual being judged. The trope that our legal system is balanced and unbiased is just that...banal platitudes.

America's plummet from the apex of world leadership continues as U.S. politics chips away at the foundation of what made us unique and admired. No amount of media spin can make this look normal or acceptable, though they are currently making a valiant effort to do so. 

Just as Hans Christian Andersen's famed book, "The Emperor's New Clothes," exposed the emperor's nakedness America is unmasked...exposed. Everyone can see who we are.  And it is not a pretty sight.