Troubled Waters

For the last two weeks, I was on a cruise ship, traveling the rather calm waters of the North Atlantic and the St. Lawrence River. However, back home, I continued to see the deleterious effects of the tsunami that is Trump.

I spoke to a few Canadians on the cruise who asked me: “How is Donald Trump still president? And how did you Americans allow—and keep allowing—Trump to be president?”

As one travels through Canada, one senses a certain civility and calmness among the population, seemingly satisfied with its leadership, culture and government.

Normalcy!

I’d be hard-pressed to think of many Republicans who deserve to be reelected—or elected in the first place—particularly in the House of Representatives. As far as I am concerned, most of them are cowards.

I don’t believe in the polls. I have been sorely disappointed by what I expected in 2016 and 2024. The only way I will be happy with the results of the 2026 elections is if the Democrats control both the House and the Senate. I am not sure that this will necessarily save the state of our union, but maybe it will at least limit the clown show currently performing.

I’m pretty sure that the last chance to save the country occurred in November 2024. So much damage has been done, and much of it may be unrecoverable—especially when it comes to the trust we once had with our allies and neighbors.

That’s gone for decades!

I’m stunned that Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister and, in my opinion, one of the least capable candidates for elective office, is leading in the polls for the South Carolina Senate race. Yeah, I know. It’s South Carolina!

It’s also concerning that James Talarico does not have a 20-point lead in the Texas Senate race over Ken Paxton.

Yeah, I know. It’s Texas!

I’m still waiting for the press to make a demonstrable stand against the White House—and, in particular, against the administration’s exclusion of CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House. Trump announced on September 18 that he was banning the three organizations from the White House, and the following day reporters from all three were denied access, with press credentials being deactivated or confiscated.

Just to be spiteful, why don’t these news outlets document the many lies and false claims of the Trump administration? It’s probably a more useful exercise than actually covering stories from Trump or any of his Cabinet.

I’m not sure what they can do to limit appearances or interviews with Republican candidates or officials, but I would sure as hell make it very uncomfortable for any of them to come on those venues without having to answer questions about their views on freedom of the press.

I confess that I get most of my news from so-called liberal or mainstream media. Every now and then, I take a quick peek at Fox News. I don’t do it for long, as my brain cells begin to decline within minutes of listening to any of their news or programming.

One would think that a network that incurred millions of dollars in legal liabilities over its coverage of the 2020 election would have a little more humility.

A researcher from Anthropic recently warned that AI could destroy humanity by the end of the decade. Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s alignment-science lead, said he personally believes there is a greater-than-10% chance that AI could kill all humans within the next decade.

I wish that the huge concern and apprehension about this possible event four years from now could somehow be translated into more immediate concern about how our inept president could create a lot of economic and financial damage within the next year.

Maybe four months.

Maybe four days?

Quick reads, quicker observations…

So I’m not surprised about the Wall Street report on John Fetterman, Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania. He’s always been a bit of a weird duck. Just as the Republicans have a number of people who should not be in the Senate due to incompetence, the Democrats have Fetterman, who would feel more comfortable in the Republican party.

Where is all the MAGA outrage about comments from sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln.? No one seems happy about the length of engagement, ships conditions and comments made by President Trump. This will not help recruitment! Conditions and morale across our armed forces seem greatly deteriorated.

Maria Bartiromo is out at Fox News. In her early years. I found her a competent business reporter but she lost her skis when she got involved in political commentary. Probably an unfair comparison but what Maria was to business and political commentary, Diana Russini was to pro football insight.

World’s biggest sovereign wealth fund plans to cut U.S. Treasury holdings. I don’t think most Americans understand the gravity of our financial status. The Stock Market is doing well and as long as people are working, they are not looking under the economic hood to see if problems are brewing.

As an alumni of Rutgers University, I have the following recommendations after their humiliating loss to University of Massachusetts 37-21. Rutgers was a 30 point favorite against a team that was winless last year.

Play out the season with Greg Schiano as Head Coach. Too costly to pay him off and you won’t find anyone of any significance to replace him. God no, I don’t want Brian Kelly to coach Rutgers!
Lower ambitions. Remove commitment and contracts with Big 10. Move down to a lesser conference (Big East)
I think the basketball program should have the same scrutiny.
Be satisfied if you win 4 football games this season. I think a bowl appearance is very doubtful but maybe this team will rise up from the ashes and surprise people.

Best comments about Rutgers football after last night’s debacle:

Rutgers invented college football in 1869 and has spent the last 160 years regretting the decision. Rodger Sherman former Ringer writer

This may be grounds to throw Rutgers out of the Big 10. Albert Breer

I’ll say this: The SEC doesn’t have a Rutgers. former Nebraska player Will Compton

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

Inspired by my frustration at a spate of poorly handled service issues received from doctors, restaurants, financial institutions etc…

Businesses would be more effective if they invested more in excellent customer service upfront instead of relying on emails and surveys to address it afterward.

If you want me to subscribe or sign up for a membership, make it as easy for me to cancel or leave as it was to join.

If I’m a regular customer or diner, learn my name and thank me for my business once in a while. It’s good customer service—and it might even help your tip.

Never bill me for any items that were discussed and agreed to as “no charge” or a “courtesy” before the work was initiated.

If my call is really that important, don’t make me wait 30 minutes to have it answered.

If you offer a senior discount, don’t make seniors ask for it. A discount that customers don’t know about isn’t much of a discount..

In Hot Water

Many Americans, specifically most (?) Republican voters sit contently like frogs in boiling water. Trade war with our best ally, Canada? No problem! U.S. military running out of missiles and weapons? No problem! Americans unable to afford groceries, medication and buying gas? No problem! Measles outbreaks? No problem! American allies making new deals with China for trade and investments? No problem! Investors demanding increase in U.S. Treasury rates?No problem! American military bases in Middle East destroyed? No problem!

Ability of the Trump Administration and Congress to responsibly handle and resolve these issues: Huge problem!

Zibaldone

A zibaldone (plural zibaldoni) is an Italian word that translates to a “heap of things,” “hodgepodge,” or “miscellany.”

Couldn’t care less about Natalie Harp and what she does or doesn’t do for a doddering and feeble 80-year-old man. Just another distraction. I’m much more interested in knowing about the stories of possibly unwilling young women in Trump’s past. The failure to release the entire Epstein files and to conduct a full and transparent investigation will be viewed in history as one of the great moral and ethical failures of this time.

Way too early, but the best Democratic candidates in 2028 appear to be Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Governor Gavin Newsom of California, and Mark Kelly of Arizona. While I am impressed with Jon Ossoff, I would lean toward Mark Kelly of Arizona as the best Democratic presidential candidate today. Best VP candidate could be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Way too early, but I don’t think there are any particularly attractive Republican candidates for president. I think J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio are going to sink to the bottom of the Trump Titanic fiasco. I can’t think of a Republican who has shown backbone, integrity, and good judgment during the Trump presidential administrations. Both Vance and Rubio were highly critical of Trump in the past, and now both bow to him on their knees.

Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline, was endorsed by Trump for the South Carolina Republican Senate nomination. She is a deer in the headlights. She confessed during a recent debate that she was not familiar with national security issues, and then I realized that neither was her brother when he was in the Senate.

Is anyone remotely competent in the Trump administration and cabinet? Every day, and in every way, you see a variety of issues and problems being mismanaged. Hard to believe that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. still has his job. Astounding things that he says and believes…

So there could be a perfect storm brewing…

Rising Treasury rates as investors seek higher returns because U.S. credit is not as reliable as it once was. This could further spike inflation and make it harder to buy homes, cars, etc. In addition, I’m concerned about the prospects for AI. So much money is being invested. Could there be a correction just like there was with Internet stocks 25 or more years ago? A huge correction in the stock market would also have cataclysmic effects on retirement portfolios, personal finances, etc. Just as our military assets are being depleted, so may our financial assets in the very near future!

Every year I look forward to summer, and just about every year summer disappoints me. Too damn hot to enjoy being outside. Summer hibernation with air-conditioning.

Favorite Sports to Watch on TV

College football
Men’s college basketball
NFL football
Pickleball
Philadelphia Phillies baseball
NBA basketball
WNBA basketball — only when Caitlin Clark plays
Men’s professional tennis
1970s heavyweight boxing

Inventive Way to Win Iran War

According to various press reports, the United States military is running out of missiles and bombs. Just a suggestion, but why don’t we carpet bomb Iran with copies of Trump’s Art of the Deal book. I’m sure that we have a substantial inventory of those and if Iranian leaders read and follow the book, their unconditional surrender is guaranteed.

Some Thoughts… Without a Lot of Thought

The attacks on Dr. Fauci… I don’t get it.

Judging by some politicians—and one aging quarterback—you’d think Anthony Fauci invented the coronavirus.

Yes, his journals reveal a measure of ego and an appreciation for the spotlight. So what? In 2020 there were no easy answers. Scientists, physicians, and government leaders were navigating a once-in-a-century crisis with imperfect information.

What I remember is not a villain, but a calm and reassuring public figure trying to make sense of chaos.

The attacks on Caitlin Clark… I don’t get it.

She may not be the WNBA’s best player, but she is unquestionably its biggest attraction.

Clark has elevated television ratings, attendance, and public interest, yet she often seems to receive less respect than she has earned—from opposing players, league officials, and at times even her own organization.

From everything I’ve seen, she has handled herself with remarkable composure while avoiding needless controversy. Whatever one thinks of her game, the label “coward” is as absurd as it is undeserved.

How is Trump still president?

People lose their jobs every day for poor performance, erratic behavior, or simply failing to meet expectations. Yet somehow the presidency appears exempt from the standards applied to almost every other occupation.

Political arguments

I’ve largely stopped discussing politics, especially with committed Trump supporters.

The experience reminds me of trying to shoo flies out of the house. You wave them away, they circle back, and after a while you realize you’re wasting more energy than they are.

The Age of Incongruity

A preening president, smiling from an air-conditioned luxury box at the World Cup final, enjoys the spectacle while American soldiers in the Middle East sit exposed to incoming missiles and artillery. The contrast is jarring: comfort and applause for those at the top, danger and sacrifice for those at the bottom.

The incongruities multiply.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, whose public profile has long overshadowed his scientific credentials, dispenses medical advice while Dr. Andrew Fauci—an 85-year-old physician and career public servant who helped lead the nation’s response to COVID-19 and other infectious disease threats—is hauled before congressional critics more interested in campaign clips than sober inquiry. Washington has become a theater where expertise is booed from the stage while confidence, however unearned, receives a standing ovation.

If you are Donald Trump, a member of his family, a political insider, or the CEO of a corporation eager to flatter the administration, the economy may look quite favorable. Outside that circle, the picture is less rosy. Families contend with expensive gasoline, rising food and health-care costs, and for some, the growing anxiety that an expanding conflict could one day place their sons and daughters in uniform.

According to recent polling, only about one-third of Americans support military action against Iran. Yet the machinery grinds on while Congress performs its favorite civic duty: watching. It occasionally stirs itself—not to confront the nation’s most pressing problems, but to stage another hearing destined to produce more fundraising emails than useful legislation.

The nation may eventually run short of fuel, but there is no danger of running short of hot air. Washington produces it in inexhaustible quantities. I remember the gasoline rationing of the 1970s. At the current pace, one wonders whether history is preparing an encore.

Not the “Greatest Generation”

History will not be kind to the people of the United States. We scroll endlessly through our iPhones, binge stale entertainment, and anesthetize ourselves with online gambling, crypto speculation, and relentless consumerism while our culture erodes and our economic and political institutions decay. Future generations will curse us—not for what happened to our country, but for how little we cared.

Aphorisms below that caught my eye and mind and address the insanity of today…

I feel much better, now that I’ve given up hope.

Ashleigh Brilliant

Filling our pockets, we empty our hearts.

Dražen Jergović

Opinions, and not religion, are the opium of the people.

Being open-minded requires a lot of effort. Being narrow-minded is effortless.

Piotr Bardzik

The poor always fight the wars of the rich.

Never hire the best lawyer; the worst judge will be cheaper.

Andrzej Majewski

The truly strong are those who aren’t driven by the need to prove their strength.

Richard Greene

Judge us by how we treat the weak not by how we arm the strong.

Charles R. Castle

To close the deficit we need to raise taxes on 5 out of every 4 Americans.

Oleg Vishnepolsky

The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.

H.L Mencken

An Older Man’s Birthday Card to America

Seven Thoughts on America’s 250th Birthday

The United States turns 250 this year. As someone born in 1952, I can’t help but reflect on what I’ve witnessed over the past seven decades. These aren’t political conclusions so much as personal observations from someone who has watched this remarkable country evolve.

1. I believe I saw and experienced the best of America.
My father enlisted in the armed services in 1942 at just 17 years old and fought in the European Theater during World War II. His generation accepted sacrifice as a duty rather than a burden. I sometimes wonder whether my Baby Boomer generation—and those that followed—have fully appreciated the price that was paid to build and preserve this nation.

2. Our citizens deserve better than their leaders.
In my experience, most Americans are decent, hardworking people who want many of the same things: safety, opportunity, and a better future for their families. Too often, however, our political system rewards division instead of service. I suspect the Founding Fathers would be less surprised by disagreement than by the degree of partisanship, distrust, and self-interest that seems to dominate public life today.

3. Respect for America feels diminished.
Perhaps every generation believes the nation’s standing has slipped, but it seems to me that America’s reputation—both at home and abroad—has become more fragile. Friends and allies who once looked to us with confidence now seem more uncertain. Whether deserved or not, that perception should concern all of us.

4. Even great nations can grow old.
At 74, I’ve learned that age brings wisdom, but it can also bring rigidity and decline. Sometimes our country feels that way. We seem weighed down by old arguments, old grievances, and old ways of thinking. America doesn’t need to abandon its principles; it needs an infusion of fresh ideas, empathy, practical problem-solving, and leaders who place country above party.

5. Unity still exists—we just don’t see enough of it.
One of the things that has encouraged me recently is watching Americans rally behind our national teams, particularly in international competitions like the World Cup. For brief moments, politics fades into the background, and we remember that we are cheering for the same flag. I wish those moments weren’t so rare.

6. Washington’s dysfunction has become contagious.
Las Vegas has the saying, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” I sometimes wish Washington operated under a similar rule. Unfortunately, the anger, cynicism, and partisan warfare that dominate our nation’s capital seem to spill into every community, every family gathering, and every conversation. We would all be better served if more of that stayed inside the Beltway.

7. The years ahead matter more than we may realize.
History reminds us that nations are rarely destroyed from the outside before they weaken from within. I don’t believe America’s greatest threat is another Civil War fought with armies. I worry more about a quieter conflict—one driven by cultural division, economic inequality, religious differences, and our growing inability to disagree without viewing one another as enemies. If we lose our willingness to listen, compromise, and respect one another, we risk losing something just as valuable as territory: our national identity.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, I remain grateful to have lived here and optimistic enough to believe our best chapters have not necessarily been written. But optimism alone isn’t a strategy. The next generation will inherit the country we choose to build—or neglect—today.