Month: February 2026

Is this your idea of a Prayer Breakfast?

I prepared a blog post for today about one of the stories in my book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories; however, recent events and revelations must take precedence. To blog today about one of my short stories seemed frivolous.

On Thursday, February 5, 2026, Donald Trump offered one of his word salads at the 74th Annual National Prayer Breakfast.

Photo by Deb Dowd
on Unsplash

As Trump is wont to do, he went off on a tangent and just couldn’t help himself. Instead of talking about “a higher power,” he talked about his power and how unfairly he has been treated.

Instead of looking to the future like all our other U.S. Presidents have done, Trump’s mind is stuck in that wonderful year 2020. You know – that year he told us to drink bleach to kill COVID-19. That was the year he said COVID-19 was a hoax until he ended up in the hospital with it.

Trump’s speeches have always been erratic and nonsensical – and then, he goes off script and things quickly deteriorate even more.

At last Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast, among numerous other off-the-beam things, he said, “They rigged the second election, I had to win it. I had to win it. I needed it for my own ego. I would’ve had a bad ego for the rest of my life. Now I really have a big ego, though. Beating those lunatics was incredible, right? What a great feeling, winning every swing state, winning the popular vote.”

He was apparently referring to the 2016 election when he continued rambling and said, “You know, they said, I didn’t win the popular vote. I did. They always say, ‘While Donald Trump did not win the popular vote,’ they always say, ‘while Donald Trump did not win the popular vote,’ you know, sitting up against they said, ‘while Donald Trump did not win the popular vote, he won the president.’”

He tends to get in a verbal loop from which he can’t remove himself. “Broken record” comes to my mind and to the minds of my readers of a certain age.

Thinking he was being funny, he made fun of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for wanting to pray before eating a meal. I don’t think poking fun at someone for wanting to pray before a meal was the best “joke” to tell at a “Prayer Breakfast.” Just sayin!

Trump rambled and verbally meandered for an hour and 15 minutes. It would be one thing if he talked coherently, intellectually, and in complete sentences about something of national interest for 75 minutes, but that isn’t possible. You only need to listen to him speak for one minute to know that’s never going to happen. He appears unable from what I’ve witnessed since 2019 to do any of those things. He neither has a command of the English language nor a command of national – much less international – affairs.

The fact that he was elected U.S. President once, much less twice, is one of the great mysteries of life. They voted for him instead of a former Secretary of State. They voted for him instead of a sitting U.S. Vice President and former Attorney General of the most populous state in the union. But guess what… they were both women.

Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by almost three million but, thanks to the antiquated Electoral College system we have in place, the popular vote doesn’t matter. Nevertheless, Trump just cannot forget that Clinton got more votes than he. Even though he was elected, he still whines and says the election was “rigged” and “unfair.” What a sad, miserable man.

No matter how advanced we Americans think our country is, we cannot as a people vote for a woman who is head and shoulders more qualified than a so-called businessman who has bankrupted too many businesses to count, can’t put a sentence together, has the most fragile ego of anyone we can name, and brags about molesting women. You wouldn’t hire him to work for you or to do work in your home, so why did you vote for him to be the President of the United States?

Enough is enough! Why do we have the 25th Amendment?

Raise your hand if you’re a Christian. Keep your hand up if you think Trump had a clue where he was on February 5, 2026, or what prayer is.

Janet

The government should be afraid of its citizens, not the other way around.

U.S. Congressman tries to lead lambs to the slaughter

For several weeks, the newsletters from my “representative” in the U.S. House of Representatives landed in my spam box. How apropos!

U.S. Capitol Dome
Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash

But then Saturday, February 7, 2026, rolled around and there it was! Right there in my inbox. The title of his newsletter jumped out at me… just as he and his pitiful staff intended:  “Americans’ Safety Is In Jeopardy– Courtesy Of Democrats.”

I took the bait. I did not want to read his newsletter because he has never said or written a word that was worthy of the time it took for me to listen or read. But, I thought, Okay, what’s he preaching about this time?

In case you wonder why I chose the word, “preaching,” it is because he is a Southern Baptist preacher. He used to be the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Charlotte. It’s unclear now as to why he is no longer on the staff there, but could it be the congregation got sick and tired of his far-right hypocrisy that runs counter to the teachings of Jesus Christ? I’m merely speculating. I know nothing of how grounded his congregants were in the New Testament.

Bear with me as I quote his newsletter from February 7:

“Dear Janet,

“Spot the hypocrisy: Democrats allowed the Obama administration to deport millions and raised no objections.

“An yet, when President Trump does the same, Democrats shut the government down because they want funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end.

“DHS is not just Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); it is: FEMA, ICE, U.S. Secret Service, etc. Democrats are willing to allow multiple vital organizations that provide SAFETY for Americans to be defunded.

“My Republican colleagues and I will not stand for this.”

My response to Representative Harris:

Dear Mark,

I assume I can call you Mark, since you addressed me by my given name. There is apparently no need to stand on ceremony.

Your gaslighting of your constituents continues to reach new lows. You forget that quite a few of us are old enough to remember the Obama Administration. Since you are unaware of the difference in deportations while Barack Obama was U.S. President and the deportations your constituents with eyes wide open have witnessed during the reign of Donald Trump, allow me to point out just a few of the differences:

  1. Deportation agents under the Obama Administration did not hide behind masks;
  2. Deportation agents under the Obama Administration did not drag American citizens from their cars and ship them off to detention centers hundreds of miles away;
  3. Deportation agents under the Obama Administration did not break the car windows of American citizens;
  4. Deportation agents under the Obama Administration did not murder American citizens who were driving cars; and
  5. Deportation agents under the Obama Administration did not murder a nurse who was kneeling to come to the aid of a woman who had been knocked to the ground by masked, heavily armed, poorly trained deportation agents.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg.

So, Mark, I suggest you read 21st century U.S. History; read the U.S. Constitution that you swore to protect, defend, and uphold; read the oath of office you swore to uphold so help you God; and read the New Testament while you’re at it, if you can read. You are against public education, so that indicates to me that perhaps you never learned how to read.

By the way, most of your constituents were educated in public schools and public colleges and universities, so we know some history, we studied the U.S. Constitution, and we know how to think for ourselves. We know a puppet of Donald Trump when we see one.

A meme that reads, "First they came for the immigrants, but I wasn't an immigrant."

And, Mark, when you are willing and able to speak the truth to me and to Donald Trump’s face, I’ll be happy to listen to you… but not until then.

Sincerely,

Janet, an angry citizen of North Carolina’s Eighth Congressional District

The government should be afraid of its citizens, not the other way around.

Trump hits a new low (again… ad nauseam)

Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse…. last Friday morning came along.

Around midnight last Thursday night, Trump posted photos of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama on his Truth Social (an oxymoron if there ever was one!) page with their heads superimposed on the bodies of apes.

I’m white, but even I recognize that dog whistle!

Before you Trump worshippers start attacking me, I know it is possible that Trump himself did not post that abhorrent photo on the Truth Social account that bears his name; however, he is ultimately responsible for everything that is posted on said account. Period. Full stop. No ifs, ands, or buts. He is responsible even though he will never own up to any of his responsibilities.

We’ve been subjected to various explanations from Trump and his highly-paid, snarky staff. We’ve been told he didn’t see it. We’ve been told it was funny. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s spokesperson was so entertained by the incident that she could hardly control her giggles while pointing out that there was nothing wrong with it… it was all from “The Lion King”… and, after all, former Vice President Kamala Harris was portrayed as a turtle. The Vice President Kamala Harris tidbit offered by Ms. Leavitt was supposed to make us feel better?

It’s beside the point that there weren’t any apes in “The Lion King.” I really wish everyone associated with the making of “The Lion King” would sue Trump for copyright infringement. He loves lawsuits.

We were told that it was all just in good fun… that Trump was the King of the Jungle and all Democrats are supposed to bow down to him because we are lesser animals.

We were told that an unnamed member of Trump’s staff “accidentally posted” the picture of the Obamas as apes. How does one “accidentally” post something on the social media account of the President of the United States?

How does one “accidentally” post photographs of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama portrayed as apes… well… anywhere? Did the unnamed Trump staffer accidentally create the image? Did he or she accidentally come across it while looking for disrespectful fake images of our black former President and First Lady?

Trump said he will not apologize because, “I didn’t make a mistake.”

I beg to differ. Did he not make a mistake when he hired the staffer who has permission to post on the president’s social media account? Did he not make mistake when he gave another human being permission to post to his social media account?

We were told that no harm was done, because it only took the White House staff 12 hours to remove the post. We are supposed to believe that no one working in the White House can figure out how to take down a social media post in less than 12 hours?

No, my friends. All of us are not stupid. All of us did not vote for this. All of us are not all right with this blatant display of racism.

Forget about the fact that the posting of this image was extremely childish. Forget the claim that it was all in good fun. Forget the claim that the rest of the post was serious and truthful.

When you get right down to it, this was nothing but blatant racism put on a social media platform for all the world to see, and there was absolutely nothing accidental about it.

If you can excuse any part of this horrific display of hate, then you are part of the problem. Go ahead and circle the Republican wagons. Go ahead and claim that somehow this makes America Great Again. You are only fooling yourself.

I hope I live long enough to see the day when this sham of a presidential administration is over. I hope I will be here to help pick up the pieces and reinstate the Constitution of the United States of America. I hope I live long enough to see evangelical Christians have a Paul on the Road to Damascus conversion experience and accept the fact that there is nothing Christian about this President whom they adore.

I am sick and tired of the excuses Trump’s followers and supporters give us no matter what he says or does. I’m beyond sick and tired of seeing his staff members wearing cross necklaces when the truth is not in them.

I’m sick and tired of everything about Donald Trump and his ilk.

This is what real class and integrity (two things Donald Trump will never have!) look like:

Former U.S. President Barack Obama
Photo credit: Library of Congress
Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama
Photo credit: Library of Congress

Janet

The government should be afraid of its citizens, not the other way around

“Plott Hound Called Buddy” – historical short story

The tenth story in my new book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories, is about a dog and the woman who befriends him.

I have loved dogs all my life, so I wanted to include a dog in at least one of the stories in my book. I thought about the noble Plott Hound – the State Dog of North Carolina.

Henry Plott, the son of immigrant from Germany, Johannes Plott, bred this particular hound dog to hunt black bears in the mountains in western North Carolina. Mr. Plott immigrated to North Carolina in 1750. The hound he developed is descended from the “Hanover hound” of Germany.

Mr. Plott was so successful that the Plott Hound was registered with the United Kennel Club in 1946, was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2006, and was exhibited for the first time at the Westminster Show in 2008. It was named the official State Dog of North Carolina in 1989.

I know two of the descendants of Johannes Plott, so I have a special interest in this. Writing this story gave me an excuse to learn a little more about the Plott Hound. I hope you dog lovers will enjoy the story I wrote about “Buddy” and Lois, the retired teacher who took him in.

I wanted to include a picture of the Plott Hound, but I did not find a photograph that was in the public domain. There are several videos about the Plott Hound on YouTube. Here’s the link to one of them: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Plott+Hound&&mid=4493E23AF27D9EC24ACA4493E23AF27D9EC24ACA&FORM=VAMGZC or you can find other resources about the Plott Hound through a search engine.

Thank you for supporting my writing. Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories, is available from Amazon or ask for it at your favorite independent bookstore. It is available to libraries and bookstores through IngramSpark.

It can be ordered through my website, https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com, by clicking on the Bookshop.org button. If you order the book via my website, as a Bookshop.org affiliate, I will get a small commission.

If you live in the Harrisburg area, ask for it at Second Look Books.

If you missed any of the previous nine blog posts about the stories in my book, here are the links: “The Tailor’s Shears” – Historical Short Story; “You Couldn’t Help But Like Bob” — historical short story; “To Run or Not to Run” – historical short story; “Making the Best of a Tragedy” – historical short story; “From Scotland to America” – historical short story; “Whom Can We Trust?” – historical short story; “Go fight, Johnny!” – historical short story; “A Letter from Sharpsburg” – historical fiction; and “Slip Sliding Away” – historical short story.

Tell your friends how they can find a copy of the book. If you and they enjoy it, a rating on Amazon or Goodreads will be greatly appreciated!

Janet

The government should be afraid of its citizens, not the other way around.

#OnThisDay: Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward   

I see you’re scratching your head over the topic of my blog post today. I don’t blame you. Unless you are a graduate of Dartmouth, a resident of New Hampshire, or an expert on contract law, you’ve probably never heard of this U.S. Supreme Court case.

I was tempted to just brush it off and blog about a story in my new book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories, but then I remembered the significance of the case and why learning about it is important for us today.

I’ll give a brief version of the story, for that’s really all you probably want to know. If you want to know more, you can dive into it.

An iconic building at Dartmouth College. Photo by Ronni Kurtz on Unsplash.

In 1769, King George III of Great Britain issued a charter to Dartmouth College as a privately-funded school.

In 1816, the state legislature in New Hampshire decided to convert Dartmouth College into a state university. The legislators, as state legislators tend to do, thought they could just change Dartmouth’s charter by shifting control of the college to a board of trustees appointed by the governor. The school’s corporate seal, other corporate property, and record books were removed.

“Not so fast!” said the former trustees. Those earlier trustees filed a lawsuit against William H. Woodward, the secretary of the new board of trustees. They hired none other than Daniel Webster to represent them. He was a graduate of Dartmouth, but was yet to gain fame as a U.S. Senator and as the 14th and 19th U.S. Secretary of State.

It is reported that Mr. Webster made such an impassioned argument before the Supreme Court in Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward that Chief Justice John Marshall was nearly moved to tears.

Webster was apparently extremely convincing, for the Court handed down its decision in favor of Dartmouth on February 2, 1819. The actions taken by the New Hampshire Legislature were invalidated, and Dartmouth returned to being a privately-funded institution of higher learning.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The Court’s decision was based on the sanctity of a contract. The Dartmouth College’s corporate charter qualified as a contract between the King and the school’s trustees, and the United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 10 prohibits a state from passing laws to impair a contract.

In case you’re wondering why I thought it apropos to blog about Dartmouth today…

Dartmouth’s administration refused to sign the agreement that U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon sent to nine colleges and universities (Brown University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Arizona, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University) on October 1, 2025.

In my October 15, 2025, blog post, Some good news from Massachusetts Institute of Technology!, I wrote about the agreement McMahon had put forth.

To refresh your memory, the agreement would dictate how the signing colleges and universities would change their admissions policies and the way faculty would be hired. As I stated in that blog post, “By signing the compact, the colleges and universities give up their right to make public a stance on societal or political events. They must be neutral, as in no opinion, no free thinking, no thoughts whatsoever. You know, sort of like operating in an authoritarian nation.

“They must also agree to define sex as ‘male’ and ‘female.’ They must do all this while they ensure there is ‘a broad spectrum of viewpoints’ on their campuses. I’m not sure how you can do that while meeting the other requirements. Some of the requirements appear to negate the others.

“In return for signing the compact, a college would receive preferential treatment for federal funding. It seems like a high price to pay.”

The ten-page agreement was called “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which strikes me as a misnomer.

The President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was the first to refuse to sign the agreement, so that’s what I wrote about in that October 15 blog post.

Two days later, Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia joined MIT in rejecting the agreement.

Being from North Carolina, I don’t know a lot about Dartmouth, but Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward and the Dartmouth administrators’ October 2025 refusal to cave in to the blackmail deal offered by the Trump Administration tell me all I need to know.

Hurrah for college and university administrators with morals and courage to stand up to bullies!

Hurricane Helene Recovery Update

I haven’t given a Hurricane Helene recovery update since January 8, so I will do so today. The rest of the nation may have forgotten about Hurricane Helene, but North Carolinians have not forgotten.

Portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway have not reopened since Hurricane Helene damage in September 2024. I-40 at the North Carolina-Tennessee border remains just one lane in each direction with a 35 mile-per-hour speed limit.

I was unable to find a detailed report from the North Carolina Department of Transportation about the roads still closed due to the hurricane. Friday’s report dealt with road closures due to ice and snow.

Governor Josh Stein and North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson continue to seek funding and reimbursement from the federal government, but the response lags behind the U.S. Government’s response to earlier national disasters. It is a sign of the times.

Repair work continues on the Lake Lure dam on the Broad River, and debris removal there also continues. It is hoped that the lake will be back to full pond and ready to reopen in May in time for the summer tourist season.

Local TV stations in Charlotte have hurricane recovery news items occasionally. They try to remind us that our lives in the piedmont went on after Helene, but our fellow citizens here and there in the mountains are still dealing with the loss of homes and businesses as well as transportation routes that were destroyed.

There was a news item from WLOS in Asheville last week celebrating the reopening of a Walgreen’s on Tunnel Road in Asheville. It was so heavily damaged by the flooding of the Swannanoa River during Helene that it closed for 16 months for a complete remodel. It reopened on January 22. The article noted that a U-Haul store had also reopened. That’s indicative of how long it has taken for life to return to normal in the mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee since the hurricane. Businesses – even national chain businesses – have struggled to rebuild. I have no idea how many small family-owned businesses will never recover.

Life has not returned to “normal” in portions of the mountains in North Carolina. I think the people are adjusting to a new normal. Hurricane Helene changed much of the landscape forever.

Janet

The government should be afraid of its citizens, not the other way around.