A creed and a pledge endorsed by a person who has risked her life on behalf of American ideals

 A powerful statement endorsed by a person and a neighbor I know and trust and admire so much. Susanne Jalbert has risked her life in both red and green zones in the hottest conflicts in the world to bring both material and leadership development help to women to thrive in countries where they have been treated as second-class humans. In doing so she also represented what we once called old-fashioned American values. She has been home for the past several months and I wondered what she had been thinking during the first 6 weeks of the Trump regime. Here it is on my Facebook feed this morning. " I will not be drawn into debate over this post. I am aware of the arguments of people who disagree with the statements below. I am posting this for all those who may be living in fear in this moment so you know you are not alone.

I want to share this piece in solidarity:

This is where I stand."

Here is what Susanne has endorsed as a creed and pledge and asked to be posted:

"The 45/47th President, his power hungry cronies taking positions of authority in his Cabinet and administration, and the majority of Republicans in Congress are a real and active threat to me, my way of life, and all or most of the people I love.

Some people are saying that we should give Trump a chance, that we should "work together" with him because he won the election and he is "everyone's president." This is my response:

•I will not "work together" to privatize Medicare, cut Social Security and Medicaid.

•I will not "work together" to subvert the Constitution by illegitimately pushing unfit Cabinet nominees through on recess appointments without the advice and consent of the Senate.

•I will not "work together" to build a wall.

•I will not "work together" to persecute Muslims.

•I will not "work together" to shut out refugees from other countries who seek asylum.

•I will not "work together" to lower taxes on the 1% and increase taxes on the middle class and poor.

•I will not "work together" to help Trump use the Presidency to line his pockets and those of his family and cronies.

•I will not "work together" to weaken and demolish environmental protection.

•I will not "work together" to sell American lands, especially National Parks, to companies which then despoil those lands.

•I will not "work together" to enable the killing of whole species of animals just because they are predators, or inconvenient for a few, or because some people want to get their thrills killing them.

•I will not "work together" to remove civil rights from anyone.

•I will not "work together" to end same sex marriage, restrict health care for transgender persons, or diminish the rights of the LGBTQ+ community

•I will not "work together" to alienate countries that have been our allies for as long as I have been alive.

•I will not "work together" to slash funding for education.

•I will not "work together" to take basic assistance from people who are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.

•I will not "work together" to get rid of common sense regulations on guns.

•I will not "work together" to eliminate the minimum wage.

•I will not "work together" to support so-called "Right To Work" laws, or undermine, weaken or destroy Unions in any way.

•I will not "work together" to suppress scientific research, be it on climate change, fracking, or any other issue where a majority of scientists agree that Trump and his supporters are wrong on the facts.

•I will not "work together" to criminalize abortion or restrict health care for women.

•I will not "work together" to increase the number of nations that have nuclear weapons.

•I will not "work together" to put even more "big money" into politics.

•I will not "work together" to violate the Geneva Convention.

•I will not "work together" to give the Ku Klux Klan, the Nazi Party and white supremacists a seat at the table, or to normalize their hatred.

•I will not "work together" to deny health care to people who need it.

•I will not "work together" to deny medical coverage to people on the basis of a "pre-existing condition."

•I will not "work together" to increase voter suppression.

•I will not "work together" to normalize tyranny.

•I will not “work together” to eliminate or reduce ethical oversight at any level of government.

•I will not "work together" with anyone who is, or admires, tyrants and dictators.

•I will not support anyone that thinks it's OK to put a pipeline to transport oil on Sacred Ground for Native Americans. And, it would run under the Missouri River, which provides drinking water for millions of people. An accident waiting to happen.

•I will not "work together" to legitimize racism, sexism, and authoritarianism.

This is my line, and I am drawing it.

•I WILL stand for honesty, love, respect for all living beings, and for the beating heart that is the center of Life itself.

•I WILL use my voice and my hands, to reach out to the uninformed, and to anyone who will LISTEN:

That "winning", "being great again", "rich" or even "beautiful" is nothing... When others are sacrificed to glorify its existence."

Trump's epic miscalculation on Ukraine: European resolve

 Update: 3/8/2025:  In response to Europe planning to assist Ukraine if the US does not, Trump issued this threat, Trump considering pulling 35,000 US troops out of Germany as President becoming 'increasingly frustrated' with Europe   It is his usual bully response. What is so ironic is that since the beginning of his first term until now. Trump threatened to sabotage NATO because he complained Europe was not contributing its fair share. Now that they are planning to do it and defy Trump's new alliance with Russia against Ukraine, he is angry and threatening. Poland has now called up every eligible male to take military training. Major NATO nation puts all its men into military training as Europe fears war escalation  The UK beefs up Ukraine's attack drones in the Black Sea. US ally gives Zelensky huge boost to help target Putin's forces in the Black Sea   All are learning from history that if they had stopped Hitler at Munich as he got their OK to march into Sudetenland, there may not have been WWII.  Capitulation and appeasement, Trump's approach, is a history not to be repeated in the face of a stated aggressive Putin who makes it no secret he wants to reassemble the boundaries of control of the old Soviet Union.

The Trump regime has just tried to knee-cap Ukraine's ability to fight off Russia...first, cutting off aid and second, yanking them off the internet, and third, cutting them off from US intelligence support while the rest of the US sleeps at the wheel. It appears that this is more than blackmail to force Ukraine to agree to simply signing over mineral rights to the US. It appears that the Trump regime is actively and materially helping Russia conquer the rest of Ukraine by force.In direct response, the European Union has just committed $800 billion to shore up Europe's military defenses and to give Ukraine whatever it needs to buy weapons and shore up its finances.That is Trump's epic miscalculation. Neither Trump nor Putin expected that. This means the Trump regime is living in a fantasy world, having not counted on Europe not only stepping up to the plate but owning it; it also means that there will not be any peace in our time, as Trump would like to announce, forcing Ukraine to capitulate to agree to stop fighting without any guarantees protecting the security of the 80% of Ukraine left after handing over the 20% Russian now occupies. If Russia attempts to use the new alliance with the US to conquer the rest of Ukraine by force, they will be taking on the rest of Europe.

theguardian.com

EU chief unveils €800bn plan to ‘rearm’ Europe

‘We are ready to step up’ says Ursula von der Leyen after US suspen"A five-part plan to bolster Europe’s defence industry and increase its military capability could raise nearly €800bn (£660bn) and help provide urgent military support for Ukraine after the US suspended aid to Kyiv, the head of the European Commission has said."
'Discussions are already happening' as U.S. allies ponder intel black-out due to Trump
Germany, Once a Beacon of Frugality, Jolts Europe With Planned Spending Splurge
Trump and Putin have unwittingly given Germany a golden opportunity
This Is How Europe Becomes The Military Power That The World Needs Now
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/macron-warns-of-russian-threat-to-europe-as-nato-nations-mobilize-to-defend-ukraine/ar-AA1AnMWX?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=e8157dd25db4434aa55a62e87c0179df&ei=17
'We are not alone': Zelensky thanks Europe at crisis summit

Are we already living with fascism?

 I received inquiries from European friends asking me what was going on in the America they once knew? Many of my friends and relatives live in countries in the Ukraine neighborhood. The fall of Ukraine to Russia or a giveaway by Trump is of serious concern and causes fear for their own futures.  One inquirer asked about the rule of law. Does America still have it?. I replied with blog links on those issues as of today, but I had another thought. I am beginning to feel like we are becoming a fascist country, and we are already experiencing some of it. Here is why.

Dissent with Trump is not tolerated and punished using tools of law enforcement prosecution or being primaried.  Press and media daring to report facts and news contradicting Trump get denied access to the Oval Office or Airforce One.. Members of the Trump administration openly say that if the courts rule against them, they can ignore the orders with which they disagree. Or even Trump himself: No laws are broken if he saves the country. No wonder he can say it and get away with breaking criminal laws because the Supreme Court gave him immunity. Now, he thinks it applies to anything he does. The rule of law means the rule of Trump, or so it appears to him. 3/5/25: The Supreme Court on a 5/4 vote, showed a "stunning" attempt to uphold the rule of law. In one of the first test cases to reach it, it ruled against the Trump administration on the issue of stopping USAID.  Next, will the Trump administration obey the ruling? Is this the new pattern, or was it a one-off? Supreme Court rejects Trump’s request to keep billions in foreign aid frozen | CNN Politics  MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: What those who support the rule of law should fear the most updated

Political control of his base is already complete. Those of his party in Congress get threatened and fear for their political lives if they raise an objection to Trump's policies. Trump's oligarchs will provide unlimited campaign funds against any dissenters.This past week, we saw that in full array as former hawks against Russia fell into line on Ukraine, contradicting years of past public statements. Now, social media provides the approved word of the day or the rationale for whatever policies Trump supports. Not one GOP voice in Congress  (may be one exception) now objects to Trump dumping Western alliances, voting with Russia in the UN,  and, as the Kremlin acknowledged, Trump is now aligned with Russia.  In his state-of-state address on 3/4/25, the GOP members applauded and rose as a body at his every pronouncement.  

 Mind control is halfway there as favorable polls of Trump only deviate a little from November 2024.  What is different from the fascist rulers and dictators of the past is how the message gets delivered. Once in communist or fascist countries, it was blaring slogans from loudspeakers, banners, and total control over TV and radio. Western press was not allowed. These days thought control is even more effective.  Algorithms ensure the faithful get the message, not just on TV but on all the newfangled outlets and social media, and other thoughts are steered away or not reported.  The voice of Trump is right there in their smartphones 24/7, and the chances of hearing what the "other side" is thinking are either rare or dismissed as political propaganda. MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: How stupid does Trump think Americans are?

 Born in 1938, I have seen much, including the fall of fascism and the Iron Curtain consolidating power, as a student in Berlin in 1958 as Kruschev threatened to close off Berlin, and another airlift was a possibility. I met my forever husband-to-be in Berlin in 1957-58s, a fellow student planning to become a refugee from a communist country. From him, I learned what it was like for ordinary people to live in a dictatorship. We were later able to make nearly annual trips to visit the family as that country liberalized. Still, even then, I had close-up and personal observations of how dictators operate, gain, and maintain their power.  I knew what it was like firsthand.

 Communist dictators and fascists have much in common, though their messages and ideology are different. The ones I witnessed used the same techniques, blaring loudspeakers and banners everywhere, and no free press was allowed. To succeed and survive, regardless if you had a bone to pick, you had to keep your mouth shut and keep your head down low. Someone was always listening and reporting on you. Dissent was not only not allowed, dissenters would be punished. Rule of law was not what was on paper or their "constitution" but how it was practiced, and the interpretation had to comply with the dear leader's or party functionaries' words du jour.  

Does any of this sound like what you are witnessing develop or where we are heading in our own country in 2025? It does to me. I am feeling deja vu all over again.

The fools and fooled on Social Security

 The fools and fooled on Social Security: Social Security, the last word from the Administration before Trump's address March 5, "Save up because the next check may be late." Thanks to Chainsaw Musk. That was a classic "let them eat cake" response from a billionaire who has no clue about how ordinary people live. A late Social Security check will be a politically explosive wake-up call to older Americans. Most people on Social Security have no money to save and put aside for Musk's stupidity, or as some claim, a strategy for Musk to get the contract to privatize the Social Security administration.. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/01/doge-actions-may-cause-social-security-benefit-interruption-ex-agency-head.html

https://fortune.com/2025/03/03/elon-musk-joe-rogan-podcast-doge-social-security-biggest-ponzi-scheme-of-all-time/

Ah, claimed Trump, 125-year-olds are still on the books. Ah, only the unthinking should swallow that tale: Got any example of any of those 125 being mailed a check? Why? TRUMP: “Believe it or not, government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members from people aged 100 to 109 years // And money is being paid to many of them, and we are searching right now.” Keep on searching, fools. And those who swallow this are being fooled. Remember, when your check does not arrive, who is to blame? Trump idiocracy.

PER AP fact checker: The databases may list those people, but that does not mean they are getting paid benefits.

Part of the confusion comes from Social Security’s software system based on the COBOL programming language, which doesn’t use a specific format for dates, per AP and any number of posts and reports. the COBOL code problem was already reported in 2023 in a audit, but there was no evidence found that checks had been sent to any of them.

Is Putin blackmailing the US and west with nuclear threats?

One very dire issue that we will have to deal with if there is such a breakup of NATO  is Russia's constant threat of nuclear blackmail.  An unspoken threat, the elephant in the room, in the Oval Office blowup against Zelensky, was to " sign this (faux) peace plan, and if you did not accept our terms, you would cause WWIII." (Trump;" You are gambling with WWIII"). That seemed an over-the-top comment until I remembered the nuclear blackmail that Russia constantly threatens. Is Russia threatening nuclear blackmail?. Is that what is driving Trump/Vance to attack Zelensky in the Oval Office blowup? Was it not only personal animus, but is Trump being manipulated by Putin using the nuclear blackmail card?  It sounds like Trump is getting played.

Pax America has been based on the concept of mutual self-destruction by keeping nuclear warhead parity with Russia. We have the same number of nuclear warheads Russia has, and if Russia attacks with nuclear weapons to wipe the West out, we will return the fire that will wipe out Russia, mutually assured destruction. NATO provided that umbrella to Western Europe.  If NATO is destroyed by the Trump-Putin lovers, what happens to that nuclear umbrella? Europe may be faced with having to increase their warheads. They have only 10% of Russian warheads and need more to be a credible deterrent without the US . Otherwise, every time there is a disagreement with Russia, Europe without NATO would be vulnerable to nuclear blackmail

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/putin-will-keep-escalating-his-nuclear-blackmail-until-it-stops-working/

Macron to discuss nuclear deterrence with European allies. A look at France's unique strategy | AP News

Nuclear blackmail fear of WWIII is not the only way Trump is getting played by Putin. Per H.R. McMaster on 60 Minutes, Putin caters to Trump's personal weakness, the feeling he is always being treated unfairly. “[Trump] is being played. And he's being played like other presidents have been played, like other leaders have been played, through that same playbook of Putin's,” says H.R. McMaster, the president’s former national security adviser.

https://www.facebook.com/60minutes/videos/mcmaster-trump-is-being-played-by-putin/1033591225254532/

Russia sends alarming six-word WW3 threat to NATO member amid Ukraine peace talks

The backfire to the on camera Trump/Vance ambush of Zelensky is beginning updated. 3/3/2025

Update: 3/4/2025 Zelensky signals he will return to the negotiating table.  In the meantime, Trump trumped the lie in his state of the union address 3/4/2025 that Europe had provided less suppor than the US has done. https://www.factcheck.org/2025/03/trump-exaggerates-on-u-s-and-european-aid-to-ukraine-loans/

 Update: 3/1/2025 https://www.foxnews.com/world/world-leaders-back-zelenskyy-following-trump-vance-oval-office-spat     Vance's ambush of Zelensky backfires on the US. World leaders line up behind Zelensky. There is at chance Europe will now back Zelensky, enabling him to continue fighting in spite of the US pressuring him to accept a bad deal with Russia. This may signal an irreparable break with Europe as an ally, leaving the US allied with Russia, Iran, and North Korea, among others. 

Zelensky met with European leaders following the  Oval Office blowup, and they are crafting an alternative peace plan. It would still require some participation by the US.  Given Trump's determination to ally with Russia, that may not get very far. The next step after that is a work in process with Europe forming a "coalition of the willing"..https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-britain-zelenskyy-europe-starmer-trump-russia-b980170ead74a1a7914c565f14ee6cc9

3/5/2025  Germany restructures debt laws  to increase spending on military and aid to Ukraine. German parties agree historic debt overhaul to revamp military and economy | Reuters

Right now, it looks like Europe is buying some time, calling for a one month truce.https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-britain-propose-partial-one-month-ukraine-truce-macron-tells-le-figaro-2025-03-02/

https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/is-putin-blackmailing-us-and-west-with.html  Is Putin using nuclear threats to blackmail the US to capitulate and appease.?  It sounds like it.

  After Trump-Zelensky blowup, Europe may be more willing to seize frozen Russian assets while EU official says ‘the free world needs a new leader Does Europe have any bargaining chips with Russia? Not yet on the table, Europe holds $330 billion in frozen Russian assets, which are kept for rebuilding Ukraine. While Europe is reluctant to use such frozen assets of another nation's sovereign fund, it could be a bargaining chip as part of a guarantee of Ukraine's security. It could be used if Russia attacked NATO allies.. If released, the money could be used for Ukraine's purchase of weapons on the open market. That could be appealing to Germany, which is already a major manufacturer of weapons for Ukraine and would cut out US manufacturers that are benefitting now.

Trump's error is assuming Ukraine has no other alternatives, so he had them over the barrel. With the elections in Germany resulting in a coalition of a centrist government and a coalition of the left and right of center, the path is cleared for Europe to give security guarantees and defend Ukraine's sovereignty independent of the US. France has already done so.

If Trump persists, he will be left with no deal, no peace in our times, and the fall out of disgust of his alliance with Russia, even the failure of capitulation and to

appeasement, and the end of 70 years of transatlantic alliance.

Trump will find himself allied with Russia, Iran,China, North Korea and a bunch of others. We used to call some of them the "axis of evil". This is not isolationism. It is entaglements of the worst kind

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpv4n0dg3v3o

https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/trump-ukraine-deal-russia-minerals-putin-zelensky

Update: 2/28/2025   I just witnessed a s...t show on a presser with Zelensky and Trump with JD Vance on the attack. The upshot of Trump/Vance "Be grateful, Zelensky, we are taking your mineral rights with no guarantee of your security, and you have no choice but to agree with us." That Zelensky sat through the most disgusting show of an Oval Office presser in the history of the US was a remarkable show of self-restraint. He made no reference to the past bad blood between Trump and him. However, it was dredged up by Vance and Trump's personal attack.., bringing up dirt stretching back to Hunter Biden and impeachment resorting extortion attempt, was just plain ugly and made uglier with the parting words, "If you don't say you are grateful, " your country is finished," and we will have WWIII. This is on TV live. You do not negotiate like that. But it exposed the bully that Trump is and how much of a satellite nation of Russia that the US has become. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkXWNiTQbV0     The threat of WWIII was an echo of the Kremlin line. 

Keep it simple, Dems, on the budget debate. A dialog with a MAGA

 It will easy to get lost in the weeds of figures and statistics as the debate begins. All of are subpoints, but always come back to a simple message.

Update: 2/28/2025   The GOP has a plan to cook the books on the impact of extending tax cuts to the rich:; They will try to change the original basis to disguise their lies. 

Here are the detailed weeds: House Budget Economic Claims Don’t Add Up | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities    The simple truth is that they are "cooking the books to cover a lie"

 .  https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-budget-change-deficit-impact-trump-tax-cuts-rcna194015.

Continuing with the original post: 

I got this comment on a private Facebook page. My response.

GOP supporter:

"Dummycrats still don’t understand these positive advancements that he’s (Trump/Musk) accomplishing. Still so many brainwashed, uninformed sheep people." So many foxated by selective reporting, too. DOGE Quietly Deletes the 5 Biggest Spending Cuts It Celebrated Last Week - The New York Times

My response, especially, meaningful to those in red states and Congressional districts throughout the country who benefit the most: The opportunity is now to make the point: the House budget proposals as the debate that puts the specifics in writing and votes for and against in the official record.

"Keep it up GOP. You are handing the Dems a simple message. . Cutting or eliminating programs that are popular for even red-state ordinary people comprehend: "You want me to sacrifice what I need to give more tax cuts to those who do not need them and increase the debt? I dare you to call positive, cutting (social security, medicare, and Medicaid kids lunches, cancer research etc.). Positive for whom?."

It is not just benefits that are being cut, it is "threatening to take away their health coverage, make health care more expensive, and make it harder to afford food and college." https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/house-budget-would-increase-costs-and-hardship-for-many-while-providing-huge-tax       

Add this to GOP/Trump not reducing grocery prices and inflation, and Democrats will have great messaging in the midterms.  

James Carville , Democratic strategist, proposes that Dems just sit back and let the GOP manufacture enough rope to hang themselves  That is one approach, but it is still important to educate voters who is responsible for what as the budget issues are debated. It makes it easier at midterm campaign time. It is doubtful that the GOP will have the guts to cross Trump publicly other than about an isolated issue or two since they risk facng well-funded oppostion in their primaries. 

So spooked by the angry constituents at the town hall meetings, GOP representatives are being encouraged by party leaders to not hold such public meetings. However, GOP votes on behalf of their House bill are on the record, thanks to direct intervention by Trump, and it wll be hard to duck their official votes. (one negative  GOP vote in the end)   I can see the Democrats already crafting their attack ads. The challenge  Dems face is breaking through the foxated informaton silo to reach and educate less hard core Trump voters.  It will take some imagination and cleverness using other methods and social media channels.

The United States is no longer the leader of the free world

 The US is no longer the leader of the free world but has given up half the power that it had when it was allied with Europe in December. This is not isolationism. It is an engagement of the worst kind. We are now acting like a satellite of the old USSR, echoing the Kremlin mothership's propaganda. Did Trump voters really mean for the US to become allied with dictators, including those we once called the Axis of Evil? The United States at the UN 2/24/2025 made it official: the US is now allied with Russia and China against Ukraine when it voted with them in a resolution of support of Ukraine. It voted no. If Trump persists in the matter of foreign policy with the course he has set on, we will lose control of our own nation's destiny when he defers to Putin in words and deeds. (Ukraine started the war, not Russia; Europe is getting paid back for its contributions to Ukraine, so the US should too) Macron fact-checked Trump on air in real-time. New German chancellor to be Friedrich Merz has sworn to get independence from the US quickly and German supporters of Ukraine rallied at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

These 17 countries voted with US against Russia-Ukraine UN resolution

War in Ukraine: France’s diplomatic action - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs

Axis of evil - Wikipedia

Scowling Trump furious with Macron for claiming 'aggressor is Russia' in front of his face

Lawrence: Trump humiliated on the world stage as France's Macron instantly corrects his Ukraine lie

A from my 2/28/2025 Facebook post: I just witnessed a s...t show on a presser with Zelensky and Trump with JD Vance on the attack. The upshot: be grateful,Zelensky, we are taking your mineral rights with no guarantee of your security. That Zelensky sat through that disgusting show of an oval office presser in the history of the US. It is a replay of Vance and Trump's personal attack...and "if you don't say you are grateful, " your country is finished. This is on TV live. You do not negotiate like that. But it exposed the bully that Trump is and how much of satellite nation of Russia's the US has become. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkXWNiTQbV0

msn.com

Zelensky Rebukes Trump's Call for Russian Ceasefire to His Face

In his earlier remarks, Trump called for a "ceasefire" and "truce" am

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