Category: Politics

They erased his words

In case you live in a so-called “Blue State” – one that is not controlled by the Republican Party – you might think that most of the authoritarianism exists on the federal government level.

I live in a state that elected a Democrat for Governor last year (thank goodness!), a Democrat for Lt. Governor (and, therefore, President of the State Senate), and a Democrat for State Attorney General, but our General Assembly – State Legislature – is dominated by Republicans.

Last week, to ensure that President Trump will endorse Phil Berger in the 2026 election, the North Carolina General Assembly voted to redraw/re-gerrymander the U.S. Congressional Districts in our State. Phil Berger is President Pro-Tempore of the N.C. State Senate. He represents the 26th District in the State Senate.

Photo of part of hte North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh
Photo by Elijah Mears on Unsplash

Before last week, North Carolina had 10 Congressional seats held by Republicans and four seats held by Democrats. That wasn’t good enough for Trump, even though he only received 50.86% of the popular vote in North Carolina on November 5, 2024. Trump and his supporters call 50.86% “a mandate.”

Before last week’s vote to blatantly gerrymander North Carolina “because California redrew its map in favor of the Democrats” Don Davis, who just happens to be one of only two black North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives. Under the new map, it will be nigh unto impossible for Don Davis to keep his seat in Congress in the 2026 election.

Before last week, I did not know who Michael Garrett was.

North Carolina State Senator Michael Garrett of Greensboro, who represents the 27th State Senate District in the General Assembly, made a speech on the floor of the Senate chambers. Since the Republicans in the North Carolina Senate voted to strike it from the record, it has been put on YouTube. I invite you to listen to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY8KNA-qTdg (Sen. Michael Garrett Delivers Powerful Speech Against Republican Rigged Maps.)

Senator Garrett’s response to his speech being stricken

In response to his speech being stricken from the official government record, I will share what Mr. Garrett wrote on his NC Senate Facebook page. I copied the following from https://www.democraticunderground.com/106913604. That website says it copied the following “from Michael Garrett NC Senate FB page on NC redistricting,” and I am bringing it to your attention today. Here it is:

“They Were So Afraid, They Erased the Words.”

“Yesterday, I stood on the Senate floor and spoke truth about what happened in North Carolina. About democracy being stolen in broad daylight. About rigged maps and broken promises. About betraying every sacrifice ever made for the right to vote.

“Then something extraordinary happened.

“Senator Grafstein moved that my remarks be spread upon the journal, entered into the permanent record of this body. This is routine. It happens constantly. It’s almost always done without objection, a simple courtesy extended across party lines for speeches on both sides.

“The Republicans immediately objected.

“They forced a vote. And on a straight party line, they voted to keep my words out of the permanent record.

“In my entire time in the Senate, I have never seen this happen.

“Let that sink in for a moment.

“They rigged the maps. Then they voted to erase any record of someone calling them out for it.


“This isn’t about me. This is about what their fear reveals.

“They weren’t afraid of my words because they were false, they were afraid because they were true. They weren’t blocking the record to protect themselves, they were doing it because they know history will judge them harshly for what they did yesterday.

“They stood on that floor, voted to rig our elections at Trump’s command, and then, in the very next breath, tried to memory-hole anyone who dared to say it out loud.

“That’s not the behavior of people confident in their principles. That’s the behavior of people ashamed of their actions.

“If what they did was righteous, they’d want it documented. If their cause was just, they’d welcome debate for the permanent record. If they believed they were serving North Carolina, they’d let history judge them on the merits.

“But they don’t believe any of that. They know what they did was wrong. They know they sold out democracy. They know they chose Trump over the people of North Carolina. They know they stole voices and rigged maps and betrayed their oaths.

“And they’re so ashamed, so terrified that future generations will read what was said and render judgment, that they won’t even let the words stand in the record.

“But you can’t erase truth by blocking it from a journal.

“You can’t make democracy’s defenders disappear by parliamentary procedure. You can’t memory-hole a movement by refusing to record it.

“Those words were said. Thousands watched online. The press reported it. North Carolinians heard it. And now millions more will hear about it, because their attempt to silence it only amplified the message.

“They tried to bury the truth. Instead, they proved it.

“Their fear is our proof. Their shame is our vindication.

“Because you don’t try to erase words from the record unless those words have power. You don’t vote on party lines to block routine motions unless you’re terrified of what they represent. You don’t abandon decades of Senate courtesy unless you know, deep in your bones, that history will not be kind.

“They are losing, and they know it.

“Not today’s vote, they won that. They got their rigged maps. They’ll steal their seats. They’ll cling to power for a few more years.

“But they’re losing the war that matters. The war for legitimacy. The war for history’s judgment. The war for the hearts and minds of the next generation watching this unfold.
“This weekend, millions marched saying “America has no kings.” Yesterday, North Carolina Republicans proved exactly why those marches were necessary. They rigged our elections, tried to erase any record of opposition, then went home thinking they’d won.

“They have no idea what’s coming.

“Because every time they silence a voice, ten more rise up. Every time they rig a map, a thousand more people organize. Every time they betray democracy, a million more Americans understand: this is the fight of our generation, and surrender is not an option.

“Their fear means we’re winning. Their desperation means our movement has power. Their need to erase us from the record means they hear us perfectly, and what they hear terrifies them.

“So we get louder. We organize harder. We fight fiercer.

“They can block words from a journal, but they cannot block the march of justice. They can erase speeches from the record, but they cannot erase the promise from the hearts of a people who refuse to bow to kings.

“They were so afraid of the truth, they voted to erase it from history.

“That tells you everything about the weakness of their cause and everything about the power of ours.

“Yesterday, truth was spoken. Today, they’re still trying to silence it. Tomorrow, we rise louder than before.

“The fight continues. The promise endures. And every desperate attempt they make to silence us only proves we’re saying exactly what they fear most:

“Their time is ending. Democracy’s reckoning is coming. And no rigged map, no stolen vote, no erased record can stop a people who refuse to be silent.

“We’re just getting started.

“#NoKings #NCPolitics #DefendDemocracy #TheyreAfraid #Democracy #WeAreWinning”

Take courage from Michael Garrett’s words

No matter where in the world you live, take courage from Michael Garrett’s words, even though the Republicans in the North Carolina State Senate did not want you to hear them.

As NC Senator Michael Garrett said, the politicians are choosing their voters instead of the voters choosing their politicians.

The wheels are falling off the bus rapidly.

Janet

#OnThisDay: Teddy Roosevelt’s birthday, 1858

With President Trump still bombing boats in international waters in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and sending an aircraft carrier to the coast of Venezuela, it was difficult to settle on a topic for today’s blog post.

I decided to blog about President Theodore Roosevelt’s interest in conservation on the 167th anniversary of his birth. You’ll see why later in this post.

Photo from the Library of Congress of a statue of Teddy Roosevelt on a horse as a "Rough Rider" in the Spanish-American War.
Statue of Theodore Roosevelt as a “Rough Rider” at Roosevelt Park in Minot, North Dakota. (Photo Source: Library of Congress)

United States President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858 in New York City. He and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee, had a daughter named Alice.

His wife and his mother both died on the same day in 1884, and he went to his ranch in the Badlands of the Dakota Territory to grieve for two years. He hunted big game and drove cattle.

He returned to New York, married Edith Kermit Crow, and they had five children together. Roosevelt began his political career being elected mayor of New York City in 1886. He became well-connected in the Republican Party and was appointed Secretary of the Navy.

He left his post to become a colonel in the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, famously known as the “Rough Riders.” He led the Rough Riders in the Battle of San Juan in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

After the war, Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York. He was selected to be William McKinley’s Vice-Presidential running mate. McKinley became U.S. President in 1900.

When President McKinley was assassinated on September 6, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became the U.S. President.

The main thing Roosevelt is remembered for, in addition to being a “Rough Rider,” was his conservation efforts. During his time in office, he set aside nearly 200 million acres of land for national forests, reserves, and wildlife refuges.

Unfortunately, he wanted Native Americans removed from many of their ancestral territories to create those preserved lands. Some 86 million acres of Native American tribal land became national forests.

He was re-elected U.S. President in 1904.

Since Theodore Roosevelt is remembered for his conservation efforts, it is only right to also blog today about current U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to destroy the environment.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

On Friday, the Trump Administration announced that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska is now open for drilling.

This is what https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic said about the Refuge on Oct. 24, 2025. The website had not been updated due to the federal government shutdown, so I decided to cut and paste the following before someone decides to update it and replace all the positive details with glowing descriptions of Trump’s famous mindset of “drill, baby, drill!”:

“Arctic National Wildlife Refuge sustains people, wildlife, and fish in the northeastern corner of Alaska, a vast landscape of rich cultural traditions and thriving ecological diversity. It is located on the traditional homelands of the Iñupiat and Gwichʼin peoples.

“Approximately the size of South Carolina, the refuge has no roads or facilities. The lands and waters are a critical home to migratory and resident wildlife, have unique recreational values, and contain the largest designated Wilderness within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Many people may know of the refuge by an abbreviation: ANWR (pronounced an-whar). The full name reminds us that the refuge is part of our national heritage, designated for wildlife conservation.

“A trip to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge can be an inspiring, life-changing experience. Whether you want to photograph, fish, hunt, challenge yourself with travel in the backcountry, or just spend quiet time in an immense and humbling landscape, this is a truly remarkable place.

“All refuge lands are open to the public, and there are no visitor fees or specific entry points. Visitors plan and arrange their own transportation, trip locations, and itineraries; careful preparation, and self-reliance are a must. There are no roads, established trails, or facilities of any type within the refuge’s 19 million acres. Most bring their own food and gear, and access the refuge by air taxi, flying in from nearby communities. First-time visitors may wish to participate in a guided trip. Even experienced visitors may wish to use the support of commercial recreational services (see Tours for information about authorized recreational guides, hunting guides, and air taxi operators). Although there is no cell phone coverage, satellite phones do work in many areas. Explore the Activities section and see Rules and Policies for additional helpful trip planning information.”

The underlined words are clickable on the website and there is also an interactive map.

I decided to cut and paste so much of the description because it will never be that way again.

With oil drilling taking place all over the place, areas will be closed to the public.

With drilling taking place all over the place, it will no longer be a safe refuge for the amazing wildlife of Alaska.

Shame on Donald Trump and his minions!

I naively thought that once a piece of land was designated as a national park, national forest, national seashore, national wildlife refuge, etc., it was safe from a future President destroying it. Of course, I also thought the East Wing of the White House was safe from destruction by a U.S. President.

Janet

Demolition of East Wing of White House

This is what the United States Liar-in-Chief said in July about the construction of his $250 million 90,000-square-foot ballroom at the White House: “It won’t interfere with the current building…. It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”

The demolition of the East Wing of the White House started yesterday.

In my search at 7:30 last night for a photograph of the East Wing that was in the public domain so I could share it on my blog, I ended up looking at what Wikipedia had to say about . (By the way, I didn’t find a photo I had the right to use.) I discovered that Wikipedia’s page about the East Wing had already been updates. It was worded in the past tense, as follows:

“The East Wing of the White House was a two-story structure that served as office space for the first lady and her staff, including the White House social secretary, White House Graphics and Calligraphy Office and correspondence staff. On the ground floor, the East Wing included the visitors’ entrance and the East Colonade, a corridor connecting the body of the East Wing to the Executive Residence. Along the corridor was the White House theater, also called the family theater….”

The East Wing of the White House was completed in 1942 to cover the underground Presidential Emergency Operations Center.

I have no words.

Well, actually, I have a lot of words, but I cannot put most of them in print.

Can anyone say, “Madman” or “Dictator?”

Trump has accomplished what the terrorists on September 11, 2001, were prevented from doing.

In case you think this cannot possibly be true, please check out the photographs and reports from six online news resources:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-begins-demolition-of-part-of-east-wing-for-trumps-ballroom/ar-AA1OQbUI?ocid=BingNewsSerp

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/part-of-white-house-demolished-in-trump-ballroom-construction/ar-AA1OQCFH?ocid=BingNewsSerp

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/demolition-begins-to-replace-white-house-east-wing-with-trump-s-ballroom/ar-AA1OQuy5?ocid=BingNewsSerp

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2025-10-20/trump-begins-demolition-to-prepare-for-white-house-ballroom

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ced6np51532o

https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/trump-demolishes-part-of-white-house-as-he-builds-his-tacky-ballroom/ar-AA1OPTDI?ocid=BingNewsSerp

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/portions-of-white-house-east-wing-being-demolished-amid-ballroom-construction/ar-AA1OQdUj?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Janet

Some good news from Massachusetts Institute of Technology!

I rarely have good news to blog about, so I’m delighted to dedicate my entire post today to some good news that came from President Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) last Friday.

Photo of the seal of the Massachusetts Institute of Technoloy
Photo by Mohammed Shonar on Unsplash

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has recently invited nine colleges and universities to sign a compact to change admissions policies and the way they hire faculty. 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.

Photo at one of the iconic buildings on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Photo by Muzammil Soorma on Unsplash

On Friday, October 10, 2025, in a letter to Secretary McMahon, MIT President Sally Kornbluth rejected the promised preferential treatment and refused to sign the compact. It was reported that in her letter, Kornbluth indicated that MIT disagrees with principles set forth by the Trump Administration in the compact and signing it would restrict the school’s freedom of speech and independence.

MIT is the first of the nine colleges to respond to Secretary McMahon’s offer of preferential treatment. Other schools that received McMahon’s offer for preferential treatment in return to selling their souls to the Trump Administration include are Brown University, Dartmouth College, the University of Arizona, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University.

It seems to me that most of the people who have stood up to President Trump have been women. My mother would be so proud of them!

Here’s a link to the ten-page “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”: https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/compact-for-academic-excellence-in-higher-education-10-1-68de9071401bf.pdf .

I think any school that signs the compact needs to remove the word “university” from its name.

Janet

This is why there’s no compromising in the US Congress

Last Friday, October 10, 2025, my blog post was “My Congressman sent a newsletter,” and as much as I hate giving him free publicity, I will blog today about his October 11, 2025, newsletter.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, I believe his October 11, 2025, newsletter illustrates the current standoff between Democrats and Republicans in the United States Congress.

By the way, Representative Harris still has not responded to my email to him on October 4, even though I requested a response and his newsletter on October 11 states, “We are always here to serve YOU!”

Photo of The US Capitol Building
Photo by Andy Feliciotti on Unsplash

These are the opening statements in U.S. Representative Mark Harris’ October 11, 2025 newsletter to his constituents in the North Carolina 8th District:

“Dear Janet,

“Week three of the Schumer Shutdown, and the radical Democrats are still holding America hostage!

“House Republicans have already done our job by passing a clean, no-fluff, no-strings-attached spending resolution to fund the government. But the Left, obsessed with its woke agenda, is refusing to fund the government unless they get free healthcare for illegal aliens and funds for transgender surgeries. This is an assault on American values!

“Enough is enough! If Democrats want to play dirty, we’ll use this opportunity to continue advancing the America First agenda by cutting wasteful federal departments and programs. If they’re not critical now, they don’t belong in our budget. 

“I applaud the OMB Director Russ Vought for already slashing and exposing the waste, fraud, and abuse in our government. He’s already cancelled $8 billion in Green New Scam funding. He also halted $18 billion in New York City projects tainted with unconstitutional DEI principles. This is what draining the swamp looks like!

“If Chuck Schumer and his cronies keep stonewalling, we’ll keep cutting. Director Vought should continue to use this opportunity to cut wasteful programs and departments.

“But I want to make it clear, despite the shutdown, my office is open and still working for YOU. If you have questions about this issue or need assistance, please contact my office! We are always here to serve YOU!”

Those opening remarks were followed by a section titled, “Obamacare is a scam!” Next was “Bring them home. End the War” about the war in Gaza. That was followed by a section called, “Here are some other news stories of what I’ve been up to lately” which included seven links.

Rep. Harris continued Saturday’s newsletter with “Constituent Corner: This week, I had the profound honor of preaching at GraceWay Baptist Church, right here in the heart of North Carolina. It was a truly uplifting experience to worship alongside a congregation so deeply devoted to their faith, reflecting God’s love and obedience in their daily lives. Their commitment to living out Christian values was inspiring, and I am grateful for the warm fellowship we shared.”

My thoughts

What Mr. Harris does on his own time is not my concern, as long as it’s not illegal. After all, the founders of the United States wanted our Senators and Representatives to be citizens and not professional politicians. So, Mr. Harris preaching is not in and of itself a problem, as long as he did not use his sermon as a campaign speech.

I worry about the blurring of the lines between church and state. The separation of the two is a foundation and strength of our country. Americans are free to practice any faith or no faith. Our government does not have the right to make laws regarding the practice of religion.

Out of curiosity, I visited the website of the church at which Mr. Harris preached last week. I immediately noticed they offer no Sunday morning groups for single adults ages 30 through 54. Everything for those ages is labeled for couples. Any church that sees its mission as providing activities/support only for married people in any age category is lacking in its vision. I don’t recall that Jesus Christ held gatherings just for married people, but I digress from the point of this blog post.

Janet

It was an interesting Friday

When I planned my blog’s editorial calendar for 2025, I thought I would be writing today about the 233rd anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the White House.

I thought I would write about the construction of the White House; how it survived the flames at the hands of the British on August 24, 1814; and its current transformation during the Trump Administration.

That’s what I thought until Friday. So much happened on Friday, I decided to ditch my earlier plans and focus today on more pressing concerns. I also want to catch you up on some of my writing projects.

Ramifications of the federal government shutdown

Photo of a sign that says, Sorry. We're closed."
Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

More than 4,000 federal government employees were fired on Friday by the Trump Administration as the White House continues to blame the Democrats for the shutdown. President Trump announced that the “layoffs” would be “in Democrat programs” and the Democrats need “a dose of its own medicine.”

I’ve always thought that federal programs were for all Americans, regardless of their political leanings or voter registration. In 2025, though, it appears that the programs and services provided by the federal government are being labeled as “Democrat” and “Republican.”

The ones seen by President Trump as being “Democrat” are now fair game for being slashed and the employees who implement those services will be fired.

I thought it was against federal law for government employees to be fired based solely on the existence of a government shutdown, but I guess I was misinformed.

As the federal government shutdown continued and neither side showed the will to compromise, we entered the weekend anticipating something we usually don’t see during a government shutdown: 1.3 members of our military not getting a paycheck on the 15th of the month. However, President Trump said on Saturday that he had found the money somewhere to pay the military.

Democrats in Congress attempted to bring a bill to a vote on Friday for the military to be paid, but Republicans blocked the vote. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said the Republicans voted three weeks ago on the budget, which would have provided pay for the military. Johnson’s paycheck not being affected by the shutdown, he seemed unable to consider the hardship his actions/inactions would cause most military families.

The weekly newsletter I received from my U.S. Representative on Saturday plainly illustrates the standoff between the two political parties in the U.S. Congress. I will share that newsletter with you in tomorrow’s blog post as we sink deeper into this shutdown and all the uncertainties and hardship it causes.

The Nobel Prize for Peace

Photo of letters spelling PEACE on a quilted white fabric background
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

President Trump will whine about the Nobel Peace Prize for the rest of his life. He claims Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan woman who won it on Friday, called him that day and told him he “really deserved it.” He claims to have ended eight wars since January 20.

A detail that seemed to be missed by Trump was that nominations had to be submitted by January 31, 2025. That was just ten days into his second term. He has campaigned to receive the Nobel Prize all year. Most people who are awarded the prize don’t do that. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of anyone else who has openly begged for it.

True to form, a few days ahead of the announcement of the award, Trump said that it was rigged and he probably not receive it. After the announcement on Friday, Trump said that the Nobel Committee “put politics above peace” in awarding it to Maria Corina Machado. He also once again claimed that President Barack Obama received it “for doing nothing but destroying our country.”

Has anyone ever seen a 79-year-old be such a sore loser?

Qatari Air Force coming to Idaho

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made a stunning announcement on Friday. He said that Qatar is going to build an air base at Mountain Home, Idaho. These was shocking, especially in light of the fact that in 2027 President Trump called  Qatar “a big funder of terrorism.”  

A few hours later, on Friday night, Hegseth had to clarify his announcement – which had been heard around the world. Actually, Qatar is NOT building an air base in Idaho or anywhere else in the United States. They will send fighter pilots to the U.S. Air Force Base in Idaho to train.

Whew! That’s a relief!

We knew there would have to be a payoff after Qatar gave Trump that $400 million plane that the U.S. taxpayers are paying $1 billion to rehabilitate so Trump can take it with him if he ever moves out of the White House. Perhaps this is the beginning of the payoff.

I don’t think Hegseth majored in communications in college.

President Trump’s semi-annual annual physical

Photo of a white clinched fist coming out of a solid black background because Donald Trump often raises his fist deviantly.
Photo by shahreboye on Unsplash. (I tried to find a picture of an x-ray of a fist. That would have been more appropriate!)

President Trump had his second “annual” physical exam on Friday and was once again pronounced to be “in excellent health” even though he doesn’t appear to be and he doesn’t speak like a person in “excellent health.”

Additional tariffs on China

President Trump announced tariffs imposed on China amounting to 130%. Since most things American buy were manufactured in China, the coming months or years should be interesting.

I’m fortunate because I already have everything I need. I shouldn’t need to buy anything but food and medicine for the foreseeable future.

As an aside, I noticed last week that the cereal I often eat for breakfast came from Germany instead of Canada. It’s been coming from Canada for years. I’m still trying to figure out how it can be cost effective for a box of cereal to be shipped all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps it is grown in Germany and packaged in the United States. It is a wheat product. I don’t have anything against Germany, but I’d prefer to get my wheat from farmers in the United States or Canada. It just makes more sense.

A Quote from Sunday

If I hadn’t heard it, I wouldn’t have believed it. The 4th Congressional District of Ohio must be so proud of their U.S. Representative, Jim Jordan. Yesterday on TV, Representative Jordan said, “I think the ICE agents are doing the Lord’s work.”

What a horrible thing to say about Jesus Christ!

The Christ that I worship would never condone masked men going around snatching people on the street or out of their beds in the middle of the night, pepper spraying a Presbyterian pastor who was praying for them and their detainees, detaining people for months on end, then deporting them (or not – perhaps just detaining them indefinitely) to random countries where they don’t speak the language.

I think Mr. Jordan needs to read the New Testament. He has been misinformed if he thinks ICE agents are doing “the Lord’s work.”

My writing projects

I continue to try to spread the word about my devotional book and the companion Journal and Diary on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. I Need The Light! 26 Weekly Devotionals to Help You Through Winter AND I Need The Light! Companion Journal and Diary are available on Amazon and from your favorite bookstore. We need all the help we can get as we navigate the next six months.

Photo of the front cover of I Need The Light! 26 Weekly Devotionals to Help You Through Winter by Janet Morrison
I Need The Light! 26 Weekly Devotionals to Help You Through Winter, by Janet Morrison

Photo of the cover of I Need The Light! Companion Journal and Diary, by Janet Morrison. It features a clump of bare trees on a hilltop covered in snow. The sun is shining through the top tree limbs.
I Need The Light! Companion Journal and Diary, by Janet Morrison

I edited several of the historical short stories I have written for my upcoming book: Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories. My sister and I are doing one more proofread. I created a bookmark for the book on Bookbrush.com. I also created an information sheet about it to distribute to independent bookstores and the public library system here in Cabarrus County.

Want to see what part of the cover looks like?

This is a partial image of Janet Morrison's upcoming book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories
Partial cover of Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories

I hope to have the book ready to self-publish through IngramSpark and Kindle Direct Publishing before the end of October, so stay tuned!

See – I don’t spend ALL my time tracking the political news. Each of us must find a way to put one foot in front of the other every single day as we navigate unchartered ground.

Janet

My Congressman sent a newsletter

I continue to read the newsletters my U.S. Representative sends me. I don’t know why I keep subjecting myself to them. Why are we tempted to turn our heads and look when we pass an accident on the highway? My reading these newsletters falls in that same category.

Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash

In part, last Saturday he wrote, “Congressional Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, have officially forced the federal government into a shutdown. 

“Even though House Republicans passed a continuing resolution to fund the government two weeks ago, Senate Democrats are holding the federal government hostage.

“Like you, I believe your hard-earned tax dollars shouldn’t go towards [sic] absurd expenditures, like healthcare for illegal aliens, transgender surgeries, and payments for deceased individuals on Medicaid rolls. Yet these are among the absurd demands Democrats are making.”

He also wrote, “I am leading a dozen lawmakers in demanding accountability for the FDA’s approval of a lethal abortion drug…. The government shutdown is the perfect opportunity to clear out bureaucrats who are not aligned with the values of this Administration and the American people.”

My response to my Congressman

I copied my response to Congressman Harris. Unfortunately, I deleted it before I had a chance to paste it into this blog post.

I was respectful, but I told him I find his newsletters offensive. I told him in my 70+ years he is the first U.S. Representative I have ever had who continually blames the other political party for every problem in our country.

I told him I am offended that the Republicans, at the lead of President Trump, call Democrats, government employees, and journalists “enemies of the people.” I told him I don’t consider myself “an enemy of the people.”

I told him that he in no way represents me.

I told him that even though his newsletter usually mentions Christian values, I do not see any Christian values reflected in his newsletters or in anything President Trump says or does. I told him I see nothing in the Trump Administration that reflect the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I wish I had thought to point out to him that it is against the law to fire federal employees just for the fun of it during a government shutdown, so it’s not the “perfect opportunity to clear out bureaucrats who are not aligned with the values of this Administration and the American people.” Of course, that won’t stop Trump from doing it.

I told him “I see our country crumbling, and it is a sad and horrifying thing to see.”

Here’s the response I received from Representative Mark Harris

[This section of my blog has been left blank because I have not received a response from Representative Harris.]

In conclusion

It’s a bad feeling when you know your President sees you as less than human (i.e., last Saturday’s “gnat” comment) because you’re a registered Democrat. It’s starting to feel like my Congressman agrees with him.

I miss the “good old days” when Americans were Americans and not seen as liberals or conservatives, Democrats or Republicans, human beings or “gnats.” States were just states. They weren’t “red states” and “blue states.” Just states. Just the United States.

I dream of the day when we can go back to just being Americans.

Janet

Happy 250th Birthday to the U.S. Navy

It is time for President Trump’s diehard supporters to honestly listen to the way he talks, and then tell me if you think he is all right.

After being nearly an hour late arriving in Norfolk, Virginia, last Saturday to speak at the 250th birthday celebration of the United States Navy, President Trump rambled through a political and largely incoherent speech. I cringe to think how embarrassing the nation’s 250th birthday will be next year with Trump at the helm.

As far as I know, he is the first U.S. President to treat a gathering of military personnel like a political rally. Of course, this was not the first time he has done that. He does it on a regular basis, including his speech to 800 Generals and Admirals at Quantico, Virginia, on September 29, 2025.

Photo credit: Sven Piper on Unsplash.com

While making a flicking motion with his hand last Saturday, Trump said, “We have to take care of this little gnat that’s on our shoulder called the Democrats.” He said Democrats “want to give all our money to illegal aliens.” I imagine there were some Democrats in his audience that day. His name calling needs to stop. He is 79 years old, not seven years old.

Trump referred to sorties as “sortays.”

Photo credit: Sachin Nayak on Unsplash

He said we would have won the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan “but we got politically correct. We are not political correct any more. Now we win.”

He said the Navy blowing up drug cartel boats in the ocean “is an act of kindness.” He bragged that we’ve been so good at blowing up boats that there aren’t even any fishing boats out there anymore.

Trump told the sailors that he could have prevented the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. I’m quoting part of his speech verbatim, in case there is still any doubt in your mind that our President cannot make a coherent statement. On Saturday, he said,

“I wrote about Osama bin Laden exactly one year ago, one year before he blew up the World Trade Center. I said, ‘You gotta watch Osama bin Laden. And the fake news would never let me get away with that statement unless it was truth but, I said one year before to Pete Hegseth, I said one year before, in the book, I wrote — whatever the hell the title, I can’t tell you, but I can tell you there’s a page in there devoted to the fact that I saw somebody named Osama bin Laden, and I didn’t like it, and ‘You’ve gotta take care of him. They didn’t do it and a year later he blew up the World Trade Center. So we’ve got to take a little credit because nobody else is going to give it to me.'”

I find it hard to believe that Donald Trump discussed Osama bin Laden with the then 20-year-old Pete Hegseth in the year 2000, but that’s what he said last Saturday in Norfolk. Either that, or he thinks the World Trade Center was blow up this year and he talked to Pete Hegseth about Osama bin Laden last year.

Most of his speech last Saturday was inappropriate for a captive audience of U.S. Navy personnel.

Photo credit: Y S on unsplash

To the sailors’ credit, they were silent while the president waited in vain for booing from them when he asked if they had heard of President “Barack Hussein Obama.” He never misses a chance to include President Obama’s middle name as a blatant jab at the name which has roots in the Middle East. The insinuation is always that President Obama is a Muslim, which he is not.

It was jarring, though, to see the young sailors seated behind Trump react with laughter when he called Democrats “gnats.” It is troubling that they have not been trained in the military tradition demonstrated by their Admirals on September 29. Is their training lacking? Were they not reminded in preparation for Trump’s speech to not show approval or disapproval for political remarks he might make.

Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash

We have a U.S. President who regularly treats speeches to our military personnel as a political rally.

The United States military being non-political is a bedrock foundation of our country. If we lose that, the citizens of the United States will no longer trust our military to protect us.

He is abusing the National Guard by sending them from one state to perform law enforcement duties in another state. Surely, the Governor of Illinois and the Mayor of Chicago will win their lawsuit against Trump for sending the Texas National Guard to Chicago this week. If the courts let us down on this case, our democracy is surely doomed.

Janet

Just another week in America

It is heartbreaking to have to write about the state of things in the United States. If you are reading this in another country, it must be confusing. Trust me, most Americans are just as confused as you are.

U.S. Government Shutdown

The Republicans blame the Democrats. The Democrats blame the Republicans. But in 2011, Donald J. Trump said if the federal government shutdown, it would be the fault of the President of the United States.

Thousands of federal employees are in limbo. Thousands of others, like air traffic controllers, are expected to continue to work without pay. I seem to recall a Trump slogan: “Make America Safe Again.” Do you feel safe yet?

Trump’s tariffs have hung the American farmer out to dry. Between abruptly ending USAID and getting in a tariff war with China, the soybean market has all but disappeared.

Photo of letters on wooden blocks spelling out: USA Tarriffs.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

No one in the White House or the U.S. Congress appears to care if thousands of farmers lose everything they have while the political games play out.

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

Every single American depends on the American farmers every single day. Where does Trump think we will get our food after all the farmers go bankrupt? They cannot bounce back from bankruptcy like he has. He does not have a clue what a farm is or how it functions.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi please the audience of one she was performing for yesterday before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, but I don’t think she impressed the nation.

If the majority of Americans thought she behaved professionally, then we are in deeper trouble than I thought.

It was a horrible display of sarcasm and dodging every question. She is the poster girl for RUDE.

The FBI, Southern Poverty Law Center, & Anti-Defamation League

Photo of the seal of the FBI
Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash

The Associated Press reported: “FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau is cutting ties with two organizations that for decades have tracked domestic extremism and racial and religious bias, a move that follows complaints about the groups from some conservatives and prominent allies of President Donald Trump.

“Patel said Friday that the FBI would sever its relationship with the Southern Poverty Center, asserting that the organization had been turned into a “partisan smear machine” and criticizing it for its use of a “hate map” that documents alleged anti-government and hate groups inside the United States. A statement earlier in the week from Patel said the FBI would end ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization that fights antisemitism.”

I found it odd that the Trump Administration is cutting ties with the Anti-Defamation League while simultaneously punishing universities it claims are discriminating against Jewish students. It appears that the U.S. Department of Justice can’t decide whether to help Jewish people or persecute them. As President Trump often says, “We’ll have to wait and see.”

The FBI has worked in partnership with prominent civil rights groups for decades, but I guess Kash Patel doesn’t want any part of it. Or, perhaps he’s just following Trump’s orders. The Southern Poverty Center and the Anti-Defamation League have provided research on hate crimes and domestic extremism to the FBI in the past, but it seems some conservatives think they are not fair.

Meanwhile… President Trump breaks the law by sending the Texas National Guard to Chicago, uninvited and unwanted

Trump is also talking about invoking the Insurrection Act. Funny how he did not invoke it or even call up the National Guard on January 6, 2021, when The Capitol was under siege by his angry mob.

In the last four days, Trump has called Democrats “gnats,” “low IQ people,” and “Somalians.” I guess he got tired calling us “the enemy of the people” and “left-wing lunatics.”

Students of history, can you name a dictator from Germany who used those same tactics in the 1930s to dehumanize the citizens?

Janet

FEMA Emergency Management Performance Grants

Although Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emergency preparedness grants (Emergency Management Performance Grants) have always been distributed to states based on U.S. Census population figures, last week states were notified that they cannot access those funds until they adjust their population counts to reflect this year’s deportations of illegal aliens.

Photo of the FEMA sign and seal on the outside of a building
Photo by Andy Feliciotti on Unsplash

States were notified last Tuesday, September 30, that they must submit certification of their population as of that date. They must include their methodology and confirm that individuals deported by the United States are not included in that population count.

Keep in mind that the taking of a census is a function and responsibility of the federal government and states are not set up to conduct population counts. Funds will not be released to states until FEMA has reviewed and approved the methodology used and the population certification.

The opening paragraph on FEMA’s website last Friday (https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/emergency-management-performance), which could not be updated to reflect the new policy due to the federal government shutdown, stated the following:

“The Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) provides state, local, tribal and territorial emergency management agencies with the resources required for implementation of the National Preparedness System and works toward the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation. The EMPG’s allowable costs support efforts to build and sustain core capabilities across the prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery mission areas.”

This new policy flies in the face of the purpose and objectives of the EMPG.

This new policy applies to all states but, reading between the lines, it is particularly aimed at states like North Carolina that have Democrat governors for those states are more likely to have so-called “sanctuary cities.”

However, North Carolina is growing in population and my hunch is that even after undocumented immigrants who have been deported are removed from the 2020 U.S. Census tally, North Carolina will be able to prove a net growth in population. In that case, this new Trump Administration policy just might backfire.

FEMA has not issued any guidelines telling states how these unprecedented state-conducted censuses are to be conducted or reported, which means the states are left to guess at how to go about this.

It leaves FEMA free to arbitrarily deny methodology used or to challenge population figures submitted. That is a probability coming from an administration that is accountable to no one.

Any administration that repeatedly withholds funds that were approved by the U.S. Congress cannot be trusted to ever release funds to Democrat-led states since we have been labeled “the enemy within.”

Janet