Downfall. The 25th Amendment Watch List, Twelfth Edition. He's insane, we all know it, and he's in power. This will get much, much, worse.

Richard Nixon and Donald Trump.  One man worried his cabinet who planned around a possible mental collapse that didn't come, the other is having a mental collapse and his cabinet is doing nothing.

We later learned that in 1973 as Nixon came under increased pressure due to Watergate, his aids feared he would do something rash.  Nixon was reacting badly under the stress.  He was lashing out.  He was drinking heavily.

Of course, in the end, he resigned.

Donald Trump, who like Hitler doesn't drink, is visibly collapsing before our eyes.  He's obviously been in a state of mental decline for a decade now, and its increasing.  He was heavily impaired when elected, making any rational person wonder why he was elected to the office, other than that people the weird insurrectionist feared that Joe Biden's dementia was too advanced to allow for him to hold office again, something that history should not forgive Biden for.  Even that doesn't really explain it, as Harris was the alternative in the end, for people who play along with the two party system nightmare that actually doesn't have to exist.

A major difference between late stage Nixon and late stage Trump, other than that Nixon was not insane (a major difference) is that Nixon was surrounded by sane, if not always admirable, advisors.  Trump is surrounded by sycophants.

That's a huge difference as we now know that Nixon's advisors consulted amongst themselves about his mental state. They were worried about it.  None of them were as deeply loyal to Nixon at all costs as Trump's sycophantic advisors are to him.

Many, including me, have wondered how it is that Trump's cabinet hasn't acted to replace him.  Heather Cox Richardson, in one of her video shorts, has provided the answer.  The people surrounding Trump have nowhere else to go.

In Trump's first administration his cabinet included sane people.  Trump didn't know how to take office and in fact his natural laziness kept him from really ever fully forming a government.  That natural laziness came into effect when he was elected a second time.  He was kept from acting like a king in his first term as his advisor wouldn't let him, and he didn't like that.  In his second term he wanted people who would slavishly do what he wanted without question, and he got them almost exclusively.

If you look at the current cabinet you can see that, with perhaps two or three exceptions, it's wholly made up of people for whom Trump is their only chance. Some may be rich, but wealth is credited much more than it should be as allowing for intellectual independence.  People lavish praise on Trump not because they believe it, but because they are his willing concubines and have prostituted themselves to him.  Some of these people are outright dim.  Some have just sold their souls and know that when Trump falls, they fall with him, as Richardson has noted.

Why these people are in this position is another matter.  Some got there as they believe in Trump.  Others were placed their by forces supporting Trump, knowing that he was too lazy to actually do the work to pick competent people.  The Heritage Society, for example, saw Trump as a hollow vessel they could pour their radicalization through.

Trump's cabinet, therefore, is much like Hitler's.  Where was Goebbels going to go?  And Trump's true followers are much like members of the German SS, who fought to the bitter end.  They didn't see a future, literally, in a post war Germany where they figured they'd be killed, if not by the Allies, then by the Germans.  MAGA still shows up like the Waffen Grenadier Brigade of the SS Charlemagne, the French SS unit that went down fighting in Berlin.  They thought the alternative to that was a bullet in the back of the head.  Real Trump loyalist show up as they fear that if Trump fails, or more likely when he does, they're era is over.  And like the SS in Berlin, they fanatically hope that Der Fuehrer will pull off a miracle, which he won't, or that they'll be saved by some mysterious outside force at the last hour.

That won't happen either.

Many people have wondered how the Germans were so cowed by a leader who was sending them into a disaster.  It can't be said that Americans are.  Only 30% of Americans actually support Trump.  Probably an equal if not larger number outright hate him at this point.  If the election was held today the Republicans would loose both houses, and in November when the election is held, they will.  

But here's the dangerous thing.  Between now and November the leadership of the US is in the bunker and Der Fuehrer is insane.

I've long held that Trump would be removed in 2026 by the 25th Amendment.  I hadn't considered, however, the points Richardson raises.  He still might be but as she notes if Trump goes down, they all go down with him. They're a bunch of cowardly sycophants and they do not appear to be willing to save their country any more than Goebbels was.

Still, even in Hitler's cabinet not everyone was unquestionably loyal towards the end.  Himmler actually serious considered trying to cut a separate deal with the Allies and effectively remove Hitler via a coup.  There was even one SS member in the July 20 plot.  It remains possible, but only barely so, that the cabinet will vote to save itself.

We know that at least a few people in the cabinet likely are willing to do that.  J. D. Vance is one.  Marco Rubio another.  Both of them hope to be President and neither benefits from going down with Trump.  I've long thought they were playing out this string until they could act.  But two men alone won't get it done.  There's likely a few more, but only few. None of the ass kissers in cabinet meetings are amongst them.

Which brings us to this.  Over the next few months things are going to be extremely bad.  Trump's mental state is declining so rapidly it's difficult to gauge.  He's going to pull out of the war he joined with Israel which will be a major defeat he can't disavow.  The economy will not rapidly recover and he can't blame that on Biden.  He's lost the Hispanic vote and he  won't be able to get it back.  The Arab American vote which dimly voted for him is lost as well.  The people who are left in his cabinets who openly support him increasingly look like outright kooks.  The financial flood to his family is not being ignored and is very likely to result in post Trump criminal prosecutions, maybe of Trump himself.

And yesterday, a judge made clear that his obscene bordello on the Potomac addiction to the White House will never happen.

He's a desperate, and demented, man.

Trump, from now to November, will try to steal the November election.  He's already trying.  And he'll do every odd thing imaginable or never imagined to try to deflect attention form his failure.  There will be no limit to what he will try.  Invasions of Cuba and Greenland are possible, with Cuba almost a certainty.  Deals with Russia, or China, or whomever.  Attempts to cancel the election, or seize the polls are probable.  Ignoring the courts a near certainty.

The 25th Amendment should save us from this but might not.  Impeachment of Trump should occur, but will not, unless there's a massive post November shift in Congress.

Instead, expect things to get worse and worse.  And expect the few members of the administration who aren't willing to go down in the bunker to start resigning.  Vance can't, Trump being removed or dying in office is his only hope of being President. Rubio can, and he will, likely before November.

April 6, 2026

Trump's mental status is collapsing.

That post, posted on Easter, read like something a drunk man would post, and frankly but for the fact that we believe Trump doesn't drink, this post would receive that speculation. 

This post has renewed public demands for invocation of the 25th Amendment, and it should.  Trump is insane.  The reference to God in Arabic is insulting to Muslims, the vast majority of whom have nothing to do with Iran or its leadership.

We're committing war crimes under the leadership of a madman.

I'll note I'm not the only one whose concerned.

I'd originally posted that yesterday as a standalone, which I've taken down as I've posted it here.  But what I'll note is that Klungman doesn't say what a lot of us are thinking.  Trump is, in my view, edging up on using an atomic bomb.

In normal times, which these are not, there'd be sufficient people around him to probably put a halt to that. Now there aren't.  The cabinet appears to be nearly complete flunkies.  We'll know this is true if Trump remains in power this week.  The military is being stripped of those who oppose rationality.

We not only live in dangerous times, we live in times in which the most powerful nation on earth is governed by a madman.

At this point anybody running in the fall with an "Endorsed by President Trump" (this means you, Delgenfelder) is absolutely unqualified for office.

By the way, the man whom Evangelicals and some others routinely praise as a great Christian spent the day riding around in Washington DC and visiting one of his golf courses.  No attendance at church.

cont:

Today is a very special day. It's a day where we celebrate Jesus. It's a day where we celebrate religion. It's an honor to be the president. Our country is doing so well. We've broken every record in the stock market. We've broken every record in our military. And what about the rescue?

Donald Trump in an Easter speech.  He's insane.

cont:

If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil, because it's there for the taking…Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, I'd take the oil. I'd keep the oil. I would make plenty of money.

Trump. What a morally bankrupt human being.

cont:

I'm polling higher than anybody has ever polled in Venezuela. So after I'm finished with this I can got to Venezuela. I will quickly learn Spanish. It won't take long. I'm good at language. I will go to Venezuela. I'm going to run for president.

Trump again.

There are a pile of these from today.  Trump is bat shit crazy.  Supporting him at this point is criminal, and not invoking the 25th Amendment is as well.  He's completely, uitterly, insane.

Last edition:

The Madness of King Donald. The 25th Amendment Watch List, Eleventh Edition. He's insane, and we all know it. Somebody close to him is watching it.

Labels: 25th Amendment Watch List, Conspiracy Theories, Donald Trump, Mental Health, Saudi Arabia, The Madness of King Donald, United States and Israel v. Iran

King Donald's War, Part 3. The Bunker.

 

April 1, 2026

The British are hosting talks on opening the Straits of Hormuz.

The intellectual toddler King Donny is threatening to take the US out of NATO, which he cannot legally do.

Things are going to get very bad.

The illegitimate demented octogenarian would be king will address the nation tonight.

April 2, 2026

King Donald, his popularity sinking like a rock and facing the inevitability that Congress is not going to vote to fund an additional $200B for his losing vanity project war against Iran, came on to television last night to try to explain and get support for it.

I didn't watch it. I've been to nursing homes and, while I'm ashamed to say it, they make me uncomfortable.

It was the usual pile of shit. The war will be over soon, we're going to bomb Iran into submission, they've been at war with us for 47 years, other people should do the hard job of fixing the Straits of Hormuz that we broke.

We haven't been at war for 47 years, nobody is going to take on the ground fighting opening the Straits would require, the war won't be over soon.  We didn't for Bibi.

It won't be over this time next year, but Americans, by that time, will be fighting and dying on the ground.

Oh well, Cuba will be easier, right?

Cont: 

Pete Hegseth took to social media today to post "Bomb them back to the stone age".

Pete is a Princeton graduate, so this is yet another example of my totally losing any sense of respect for Ivy League schools. Do they not teach history at Princeton?

That phrase arose with Curtis B. LeMay and is what he proposed to do to North Vietnam.  LeMay fist used the phrase in 1965, and by the end of the war, we were using B-52s on targets in North Vietnam.

We lost the war.

At this point, I feel that somebody should see if Classic Comics has published a series on the Vietnam War.  If they did, we ought to send a case of them to the Department of Defense.

April 3, 2026

A forty nation video conference was held on opening the Straits of Hormuz following the end of King Donny's War.  The U.S. did not attend.

It's really clear at this point that there are major cracks in the U.S. defense establishment and a large number of officers are on the verge of an open break with Secretary of Defense Hegseth.  We might be edging up on a Curragh Mutiny.

A look at some interesting connections.

cont:

A U.S. F-15E was shot down.  The fate of the crew is unknown, but gunfire has been heard in the area where the two man crew may have gone down.

And so it begins.  As the air campaign continues, more and more of this will happen.  

And now this:

White House Seeks $1.5 Trillion for Defense in New Budget Request

The huge proposed increase would be partly offset by steep cuts to domestic programs, some of which the Trump administration describes as wasteful.

This is insane.

April 4, 2026

One crewman was recovered, another is alive but on the ground in Iran.  An A-10 was shot down.

And, like the claims made by Herman Goering at the time of the Battle of Britain, Trump's claim of air invulnerability prove to be stupid.

No surprise there, however.

More leaked information reveals that J. D. Vance, to his credit, was adamantly opposed to the war.

The new budget being sought by the Administration seeks $1.5T for the Defense.  This has reached the absolutely insane level.  It's probably dead in the water, and should be, but frankly it's time to take the military way down in size and vest most of its resources of all types in the reserves.

April 6, 2026

Eine Tirade aus dem Bunker.

Oh don't worry, nothing to see here.  Donny is completely well and in command of his faculties.

That went out on Easter, by the way.

On the same day Americans woke up to the news that a pilot on the run was rescued, which is or should be a relief to everyone.

Because it is, or should be, a relief to everyone, nobody is supposed to look at the overall story here.  A F-15E was shot down by a country we told can't shoot anything down. An immediate rescue mission resulted in an Army Blackhawk being shot down and an A-10 being shot down, the latter being piloted to Kuwait airspace before the pilot ejected.  The Special Forces unit that rescued the pilot used two C-130s of a special type and actually had them land, and had to destroy them. We're told the ground they landed on was too soft to allow for them to be taken off, but frankly I have my doubts about that.

Overall, it's amazing that this didn't result in an additional casualties.  It's a tribute to the post Jimmy Carter era military we're busy destroying right now that they could pull this off, but it was a close run thing.  We can't guarantee that will keep occuring.

And we have no way out, as we never had any concept of what we were doing in the first place.

While Donald, who is insane, was ranting about killing people, committing war crimes, riding around Washington D.C. and visiting a Golf Course, the Pope delivered his Easter address.

Brothers and sisters,

Christ is risen! Happy Easter!

For centuries, the Church has joyfully sung of the event that is the origin and foundation of her faith: “Yes, Christ my hope is arisen / Christ indeed from death is risen / Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning” (Easter Sequence).

Easter is the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hatred. It is a victory that came at a very high price: Christ, the Son of the living God (cf. Mt 16:16), had to die — and die on a cross — after suffering an unjust condemnation, being mocked and tortured, and shedding all his blood. As the true immolated Lamb, he took upon himself the sin of the world (cf. Jn 1:29; 1 Pet 1:18–19) and thus freed us all — and with us, all creation — from the dominion of evil.

But how was Jesus able to be victorious? What is the strength with which he defeated once and for all the ancient adversary, the prince of this world (cf. Jn 12:31)? What is the power with which he rose from the dead, not returning to his former life, but entering into eternal life and thus opening in his own flesh the passage from this world to the Father?

This strength, this power, is God himself for he is Love who creates and generates, Love who is faithful to the end and Love who forgives and redeems.

Christ, our “victorious King,” fought and won his battle through trusting abandonment to the Father’s will, to his plan of salvation (cf. Mt 26:42). Thus he walked the path of dialogue to the very end, not in words but in deeds: to find us who were lost, he became flesh; to free us who were slaves, he became a slave; to give life to us mortals, he allowed himself to be killed on the cross.

The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent. It is like that of a grain of wheat which, having rotted in the earth, grows, breaks through the clods, sprouts, and becomes a golden ear of wheat. It is even more like that of a human heart which, wounded by an offense, rejects the instinct for revenge and, filled with compassion, prays for the one who has committed the offense.

Brothers and sisters, this is the true strength that brings peace to humanity, because it fosters respectful relationships at every level: among individuals, families, social groups, and nations. It does not seek private interests, but the common good; it does not seek to impose its own plan, but to help design and carry out a plan together with others.

Yes, Christ’s resurrection is the beginning of a new humanity; it is the entrance into the true promised land, where justice, freedom, and peace reign, where all recognize one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father who is Love, Life, and Light.

Brothers and sisters, through his resurrection, the Lord confronts us even more powerfully with the dramatic reality of our freedom. Before the empty tomb, we can be filled with hope and wonder, like the disciples, or with fear like the guards and the Pharisees, forced to resort to lies and subterfuge rather than acknowledge that the one who had been condemned is truly risen (cf. Mt 28:11–15)!

In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be amazed by Christ! Let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us! Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!

We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel. There is an ever-increasing “globalization of indifference,” to borrow an expression dear to Pope Francis, who one year ago from this loggia addressed his final words to the world, reminding us: “What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world!”

The cross of Christ always reminds us of the suffering and pain that surround death and the agony it entails. We are all afraid of death, and out of fear we turn away, preferring not to look. We cannot continue to be indifferent! And we cannot resign ourselves to evil! Saint Augustine teaches: “If you fear death, love the resurrection!”. Let us too love the resurrection, which reminds us that evil is not the last word, because it has been defeated by the Risen One.

He passed through death to give us life and peace: “I leave you peace; I give you my peace. Not as the world gives it, I give it to you” (Jn 14:27). The peace that Jesus gives us is not merely the silence of weapons, but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us! Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ! Let us make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts! For this reason, I invite everyone to join me in a prayer vigil for peace that we will celebrate here in Saint Peter’s Basilica next Saturday, April 11.

On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil. To the Lord we entrust all hearts that suffer and await the true peace that only he can give. Let us entrust ourselves to him and open our hearts to him! He is the only one who makes all things new 

Happy Easter!

 cont:

And more war news since we first posted.

Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey proposed a 45 day ceasefire which was hopefully reported on by the news.  Fighting would stop for 45 days and the Straits of Hormuz reopen.  Basically, what they cleverly were proposing was a 45 day break in the fighting as once it stops, it's not going to restart.  That would give the US enough time to declare victory and get out, like in Vietnam.

Iran said no.  It doesn't, it says, want to give time for the US to rearm.

That's amazing as they likely know that if the fighting stops the US will leave. Their thinking isn't clear, but they clearly don't believe they're losing.

Something that's been missed in reporting is that Iran is selling and shipping more oil now than before the war.  About 1/3d more.  And of course, they're getting more cash for the oil they are selling.

They are reportedly also repairing missile bunkers rapidly.

The only way the U.S. can actually win this war is through a massive ground invasion.  Congress is not going to approve that.

Trump's war crime deadline expires tomorrow.

Related threads:

Subsidiarity Economics 2026. The Times more or less locally, Part 3. The Wharton Way.

The Madness of King Donald. The 25th Amendment Watch List, Eleventh Edition. He's insane, and we all know it. Somebody close to him is watching it.

Labels: 25th Amendment Watch List, Conspiracy Theories, Donald Trump, Mental Health, Saudi Arabia, The Madness of King Donald, United States and Israel v. Iran

Ascendant Ignorance in the Age of Donald Trump. Ignoramus Watch Part 3. The Quack Edition.

Labels: Ascendant Ignorance in the Age of Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Health, Health and Human Services, Ignorance, Medicine, Playboy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., The Oprah Effect, Yeoman's Twentieth Law of Behavior

Last edition:

King Donald's War, Part 2. Just a few Marines. . .

Labels: 2020s, 2026, Diego Garcia, Houthi, King Donald's War, MIddle East, Pete Hegseth, The Law of Unintended Consequences, United States and Israel v. Iran, Yeoman's Fifth Law of History, Yeoman's Fourth Law of History

We need to amend the Constitution. Introduction.

If Donald Trump's illegal occupation of the Oval Office (he's an insurrectionist and not legally qualified to occupy the office with out Congressional relief) has shown us anything, it's that much of the way American government has been working is identical to the way the British one does. . . we just figure it works this way.

Trump, who is not a very smart man, smashed that as Trump is all about Trump, and doesn't what he wants.  He's therefore demonstrated where all the holes are, although frankly quite a few of them have been obvious for some time.  

In this series, we'll look at what needs to be fixed, and how to fix it.

Do the right thing.

 

Today is, of course, Easter.

I saw a comment from a blog I've sort of followed where the poster fairly frequently remarks that he's a fallen away Catholic, although at the same time his world outlook is obviously Catholic.  Today he chose to explain why he fell away.

What's struck me over the years is that an awful lot of people who take that path fall away as they're self centered.  The post made that really clear.  Supposedly he couldn't reconcile the message of the Church and the direction of society. That's not a reason to fall away, that's the very reason we need to be saved.  Without Christ, we're just a bunch of self centered whiners out to destroy ourselves.

Religion is not magic, which some people seem to think it is. Christians discuss the problem of evil, but part of the reason that evil is in the world as we have free will and we like it.  I saw a comment from a Monk once reflecting, and he meant it, that he asked the question "God, why do you law injustice in the world?" and actually got a reply, that being "Why do you?"

We know what's wrong and right and frequently just choose what's wrong.  The big Mega Churches will be packed today with "Christians" who are on multiple divorces and remarriages, or just living in sin, even though we all know that's wrong.  For that matter, Catholic churches will be packed today with those who only make it to Mass twice a year.

That's not to be lamented.  It's a sign of hope.  We know what's wrong.  We're often just to lazy and accommodating to do what's right.

Today is a good day to start doing what's right, including comporting our actual conduct to God and the the nature God created.

Straying from this a bit, I'd note how overarching this really is.  While I can't get into details very much, recently I've been dealing with a massive inter personal fight between two people I've known for a long time. Both are flat out wrong.

One of them is now upset with somebody that he once deeply loved as that person harshly criticized him.  Frankly, the nature of the criticism was brutal.  I've been criticized by the same person brutally myself, but I haven't lived a particularly sheltered life so I learned to just disregard it and the person eventually wondered on.  This person, however, hero worshipped the person who turned on him.

Additionally, there's an element of financial stress going on in there somewhere and while the person in question regards themselves as a very devout Christian, it's really clear that their concept of Christianity involves a deep love of the Church and its sacraments, but not so much some of its lessons, including the one that holds love of money is the root of all sin.

It's a classic failing.

The other person is an archetypical Baby Boomer.  For some reason a lot of Boomers just can't let go.  Handed everything early on, they really became the "Me" generation of the 70s.  This person really only has their work left, as his marriage fell apart and for the classic reasons, and, well, I won't go into it.  At some point if you were the center of all of your major life choices, however, all you have left, is you, and that isn't much.

Our current President, and indeed our last, both epitomized that Boomer view in some ways.  Trump has lived the Playboy lifestyle and his soul is imperiled.  He's also endangering us all, and all because to him, it's all about him.

Christ came to save humanity, but we're supposed to participate in that.  The road is fairly clear.  We're to try to take the narrow one.  Americans seemingly think that doesn't apply to them, and wonder why they're miserable.

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη!

Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!

Do the right thing. 

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 122nd Edition. Trouble with the Trump 'wimmins", Hypocrisy in the Trump Administration. The disappearing and reappearing J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio.

News reports this morning hold that Trump is considering canning Pam Bondi for her poor handling, if that's what she's doing, of the Epstein matter, which just won't go away.

The weird thing is that if you hang out with kiddy diddlers, brag about checking out teenage models at a pageant in the buff, talk about grabbing, well you know, people start to think you might be a kiddy diddler.

Weird, eh?

Anyhow, Trumps thinking of canning Bondi, and putting Lee Zeldin in her place. Zeldin is another Trump lawyer.  He's currently the head of the EPA.

If Bondi departs, she'll be the second major Trump admin sycophant to be canned, Noem being the first, so both cannings will have been of women.  A big difference, however, will be that Bondi is downright dangerous.  If Trump turns on Bondi, she'll turn on him.  Trump's advisors know that, but may be too afraid to tell him, and he's likely to dense to grasp that.

Noem, who turned out to be loathsome as the head of Homeland Security, won't be turning on Trump. . . yet. She's wait for him to be out of office, then she will.  But she's been back in the news due to her husband showing up in photos cross dressing and wearing big fake boobs.

Frankly, Noem, and her husband are to be pitied for this, not condemned.  But it does raise the interesting topic of hypocrisy in the Trump Administration.  The administration is thick with Christian Nationalism and "conservative values", but Noem was widely rumored to he engaged in an extramarital affair with another Trump official, even carting him around on expensive junkets. and now it turns out that her husband had what I'd regard as a sexually centered mental illness, one which he apparently didn't adequately attempt to conceal, and perhaps didn't attempt to conceal at all.  Trump himself is a serial polygamist and there are at least credible indicators that he may have fished in the shallow end of the pond, if not worse.  Bondi didn't acknowledged abused women after ranting at Congress.  Miller sounds like Himmler most of the time he speaks but is Jewish.

Perhaps we shouldn't be all that surprised.  The Nazis were sort of the same way.  There were affairs and of course one legendary homosexual scandal. 

Sin makes you stupid, as Jimmy Akin warns us.

Since the war with Iran started J. D. Vance has been hard to find  He's not out cheerleading the war like the nervous sounding Bessant or the administration like the "I took my family to Epstein Island but all I got was this T-shirt and I know absolutely nothing" Lutnick.  Vance is widely believed to have leaked his opposition to the war right as it started.

Another nearly silent, but not quite silent, Administration figure is Marco Rubio, who may be the one administration figure who doesn't do the "Oh Donald, may I kiss your ass" routing at cabinet meetings.  He hasn't been able to completely avoid the topic, but he's been pretty quiet  Indeed, Rubio tends to be remarkably quiet and when he shows up he tends to look really uncomfortable.   There's reason to believe that Rubio is the main backer on the administration's near invasion of Cuba and now that Trump is looking like a military dumbass, there's a real chance that Trump's ardor for military adventure may be over  For that matter, while the current military has been very damaged by Trump, there are likely still enough real officers in the military to protest against start  ing a second war when the current one isn't finished, and it's going to be at least a year, if not years, before that occurs.  Marco may have lost his campaign slogan for 2028 of Viva Cuba Libre "I did that".  

Rubio and Vance are somewhat unique in the Trump orbit as they're both real Catholics.  Press Secretary Leavitt is apparently as well, although it sure doesn't show as she's a full time liar.  

Rubio, when he speaks, tends to be pretending to be angry while saying Trump didn't say what he said, but what I'm going to say, even though Trump didn't say that camp.  

Vance has come out with a book on his conversation to Catholicism which is a big off ramp from the Trump Administration and its Paul Whites and Franklin Grahams.  It's a pretty clear signal that he's separating himself from the Evangelical far right fanatics and is beginning the process of separating himself from Trump.  The book is likely to draw criticism but it's a really smart move, as he's essentially getting up from the Paul White Bee Dance table and walking over to the adults and sitting down with the sane and sober.  He's going for the National Review/First Things crowd, not the NASCAR Country Pop gang.  By the time 2028 rolls around, the folks who were admiring Franklin Graham's letters to Trump will have forgotten all about them, for the most, part, with some being on to new wives and affairs but assured that as they were once saved, they'll aways be.

Rubio likely knows this is what Vance is doing and he's going to have to do something himself  What isn't clear  The value of being a failed President's Secretary of State hasn't really been there since Kissinger managed to find it had one.  Trump is looking worse as a President, indeed worse as a mammal, every day.  My guess is that if Trump isn't removed via the 25th Amendment, he'll find he forgot to let the cat out prior to November and will leave the administration.

When he leaves he can do what Bondi will do, if fired, and what Vance can't do, while Vice President, that being writing a tell all book.  Bondi's will be a bombshell, which is why Trump should not fire her if he's smart.  Bondi's "I Know Where all the Bodies are Buried and Who All the Teenage Concubines Were" tell all will be something else.  Rubio's "I Tried To Stop Trump From Being A Dumbass" book will be less salacious, but interesting  Vance won't have a chance to write something like that before 2028.

Last edition:

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 121st Edition and Wars and Rumors of War, 2026. Part 3. The War against Iran Edition and other Military Topics.

Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara

Courthouses of the West: Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Ba...: That's the birthright citizenship case. Trump's going to lose this case, which will be another example of the wheels coming off of h...

Donald Trump attends oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara.

That's the birthright citizenship case.

Trump's going to lose this case, which will be another example of the wheels coming off of his administration.  His presence at the Court will not impress anyone, let alone the Justices. Trump seems to have lost any sense that he's not that impressive to about 70% of Americans.

His attendance is, frankly, appalling.

Cont (April 1, 2026)

JUSTICE NEIL GORSUCH: Do you think Native Americans today are birthright citizens under your test and under your friend's test?

D. JOHN SAUER, U.S. SOLICITOR GENERAL: I think so. I mean, obviously, they've been granted citizenship by statute ...

GORSUCH: Put aside the statute. Do you think they're birthright citizens?

SAUER: No, I think the clear understanding that everybody agrees in the congressional debates is that the children of tribal Indians are not birthright citizens.

GORSUCH: I understand that's what they said. But your test is the domicile of the parents, and that would be the test you'd have us apply today, right?

SAUER: Yes, yes. So, if a tribal Indian, for example, you know, gives up allegiance to ...

GORSUCH: Are tribal members born today birthright citizens?

SAUER: I think so, on our test, if they're lawfully domiciled here. I'm not s—, I have to think that through, but that's my reaction.

GORSUCH: I'll take the yes. That's alright.

Gee Louise, this administration is really something. 

It's April Fool's Day,. and the Big Fool intends to address the nation. The question is, will anyone listen?

I haven't decided if I will, or not.

The day couldn't be more appropriate.  A man whose made his political career, and he is a politician, of fooling a large percentage of the population hopes to fool you again, even as his mind descends into mush.  Anyone listening to him and believing him at this point is fooling themselves.

Trump is not qualified for his office.  He's a liar, and he lacks the legal, ethnical, moral and mental ability to hold his job.  He only remains in office as his cabinet is packed with sycophants, and the Republican Party made up of cowards. 

The topic will be the war.  By now Trump's grown bored of the war and his back is against the wall.  It's illegal, and Congress isn't going to vote to keep funding it.  The Iranians have shown themselves to be far tougher than Trump, a bully, and all bullies are cowardly, can imagine.  They're not beaten, and they're not cowed. They're actually winning.

Listening to Trump is nearly pointless.  His speeches are streams of lies.  He's going to lie.  Why bother?

Or should one listen?  I ask sincerely.  

Would you have listened, if you were German, to Hitler's radio addresses in 1945?

Like Trump's there weren't many by that time.

If you were to, it'd be out of morbid curiosity, or to try to discern what was coming next. Was there going to be a surrender and what would it consist of.  Or was Der Fuehrer going to take the country down into defeat with him.

And that's the same question we have with Trump.

Related threads:

Downfall. The 25th Amendment Watch List, Twelfth Edition. He's insane, we all know it, and he's in power. This will get much, much, worse.

Labels: 2020s, 2026, 2026 Election, 25th Amendment Watch List, Donald Trump, Heather Cox Richardson., Ignorance, Joseph Biden, Mental Health, Richard Nixon, The Madness of King Donald, United States and Israel v. Iran, World War Two

The Madness of King Donald. The 25th Amendment Watch List, Eleventh Edition. He's insane, and we all know it. Somebody close to him is watching it.

King Donny was bragging about acing cognitive tests again.

It's the Montreal Cognitive Assessment that he's taken, and it isn't given for entertainment.

He's being given these tests for a reason.  The fact that it's three times now is really remarkable.  He pretty clearly doesn't know the reason he takes them, but he complies with the requests.

The reason is that somebody is tracking his mental decline.

The real question is who?  His mental decline is patently obvious.  Somebody has enough influence on him to be able to require him to take it without him knowing why.  But who are the suspects and why are they tracking it?

An obvious answer is so that somebody knows when to flip the switch on the 25th Amendment and has his decline documented.  Another reason, however, might be that at some point a guardianship and conservatorship can be established and somebody, perhaps Melania, can control his assets.

Anyway you look at it, we have a demented man with sycophants surrounding him in the White House, launching wars, experimenting with 19th Century tax structures, and ending the status of the US as a great country.  This is being allowed to occur because it benefits somebody.

cont:

Kimberlay. Kimberly Guilfoyle. I love calling her Kimberlay. That's my little pet name but you are the greatest. I hope you come back here in 12 years or whenever the term ends

Trump about Guilfoyle.  

It's fairly well documented that those with disordered desires lose their ability to restrain themselves in regard to them.

March 28, 2026

He didn’t think he would be kissing my ass, he really didn’t…and now he has to be nice to me….he better be nice to me, he’s gotta be..

Donald Trump on Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the ruler of Saudi Arabia.

What an irony.  Bibi Netanyahu talked the demented Don into a war and the Prince has been urging Don to keep at it.  US forces and finances are fighting a war in the Middle East for Israel and Saudi Arabia.  Don's the ass kisser, but he's too dumb to realize it.

March 31, 2026

We're entering the most dangerous time of the Trump interregnum, from now until the November election.

He's already bouncing off the walls.  He's losing a war, he's threatening our Allies.  Nobody in the world has any respect for Trump, and he knows it. Allies ignore him.  Enemies ignore hm.  And he can't win a war that he thought would last a few days.

The economy is tanking due to the war, and there's no end to that disaster in sight.

He's trying to ban mail in voting.  That will fail.

He's been enjoined from further work on his pet ballroom, and the Court indicated that it was almost certain that it would rule against him. That will take months to happen, and work on the ballroom will never start up again.  It's over.

He's going to start lashing out like crazy.

He is crazy.  

The clock on the 25th Amendment is really winding down.

Last edition:

The Madness of King Donald. The 25th Amendment Watch List, Tenth Edition. Finger on the nuclear trigger.

Labels: 25th Amendment Watch List, boats and ships, Donald Trump, Greenland, International trade, Mental Health, Predictions, Spain, The Madness of King Donald, United States and Israel v. Iran

Ascendant Ignorance in the Age of Donald Trump. Ignoramus Watch Part 3. The Quack Edition.

  

BASH: Is this measles outbreak a consequence of the administration undermining support for vaccines?

DR OZ: I don't believe so. Secretary Kennedy has been advocating for measles vaccines

BASH: Oh, come on

From a CNN Interview of Mehmet Oz, a prime example of the Oprah Effect.¹ 

In fairness to Dr. Oz, who in fairness should not be a government official, he does want people to get the measles vaccine.

Also in fairness, the dissing of vaccines isn't really a Trump thing in and of itself, but he gave it some boosted unneeded assistance by taking the political step of promising Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. a job as the HHS Secretary if he'd drop out of the last Presidential race.  Kennedy is a quack, and an opponent of vaccines in varying degrees (it seems to change day by day).  The rise of this movement, however, started with people like Jenny McCarthy who sadly has a son with autism.  McCarthy herself was a Playboy model and her only real expertise is in showing her naked visage, something that really doesn't qualify a person for anything serious, and in fact may achieve much the opposite.

Oh, and by the way, Jenny McCarthy appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show multiple times in the 2000s to discuss her erroneous theories on autism and vaccines, and to promote a book she wrote.

Much of this story has to do with the inability to understand the difference between present conditions and past ones.  People tend to assume that negative developments in a population mean a negative present condition. Sometimes they do, but sometimes they also represent a positive one.  I'll give a personal example.

In 1982 I had pneumonia while at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.  I was extremely ill, literally on death's door.  

Before the advent of antibiotics the fatality rates for bacterial pneumonia were between 60% and 70%.

Not good.

Now, the survivability rate is pretty good.

I've had a colon surgery for a developing condition that would have killed me even thirty years ago.

The point?  Well, if I go on to develop Alzheimer's, which I pray I do not, it'll mostly be because I didn't die at age 19 of pneumonia.

Also, fwiw, Meet The Press this weekend had a physician on who noted that diseases we can now vaccinate for are associated with cancer, which is a developing field of medicine.  I.e., you get some disease that's not big deal when young, and then you get cancer when older.  You don't want cancer.

A fellow I know who suffered a heart attack, and who was otherwise very healthy, may have developed his heart condition this way as well.

Get vaccinated.

March 10, 2026

The worst cabinet in American history

And it's not even close.

March 15, 2026

The Trump Interregnum is threatening to pull broadcasting licenses of those who do not give a happy spin to the war against Iran.

March 21, 2026

Waging a war against American airports must be easier than waging a war against a real country that fights back:

cont:

Absolutely reprehensible.

At this point, support of Trump is indecent.

March 31, 2026

We were horrible in Vietnam until we did Rolling Thunder One and Rolling Thunder Two, and then we won. As soon as we do half-measures, we lose. The faster we get this over the better. If we seize Kharg Island, it's technically boots on the ground. It could be done almost flawlessly. If we have enough firepower, it would be very easy to defend.

Rep. Rich McCormick, whom apparently is unaware that the US lost the Vietnam War.

Footnotes:

1. The Oprah Effect is so named here to explain the phenomenon of Oprah Winfrey putting some flaming bogosity on to her popular daytime television show and thereby having millions of people give it credence.  There are a fair number of examples, including the rise of Dr. Oz.

Related Threads

Doug Wilson, the Calvinist preacher who appeared in Pete Hegseth's weekly Pentagon prayer meeting, says that in his preferred Christian nation, anything that Protestants consider to be a "public displays of idolatry" would be banned, including Catholic parades.

Labels: Apostolic Christianity, Catholic, New Apostolic Reformation, Pete Hegseth, Protestant, religion, Sunday Morning Scene, United States and Israel v. Iran

Last edition:

Ascendant Ignorance in the Age of Donald Trump. Ignoramus Watch Part 2. The War is a Racket edition.

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