I write southern historical fiction, local history, and I've written a devotional book. The two novels I'm writing are set in Virginia and the Carolinas in the 1760s. My weekly blog started out to follow my journey as a writer and a reader, but in 2025 it has been greatly expanded to include current events and politics in the United States as I see our democracy under attack from within. The political science major in me cannot sit idly by and remain silent.
The fourth story in my new book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories, is “Making the Best of a Tragedy: Elizabeth Steele’s Story.”
I learned of Elizabeth Steele (sometimes spelled Steel) a few years ago while doing research for the writing of my historical novels. What a fascinating woman!
I must choose my words carefully, because I don’t want to ruin the short story for you.
She was a Patriot during the American Revolution. In fact, she met General Nathanael Greene and the generous gesture she made for the American cause in the dining room of her tavern in Salisbury, North Carolina, as he was on his way to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse just might have made a difference in the ultimate outcome of the Revolutionary War.
The story tells of a tragedy that befell her husband at Fort Dobbs. A lesser woman would have been crushed by the trauma, but not Elizabeth Maxwell Gillespie Steele!
I can’t wait for you to read her story and become as enthralled with her as I am! She plays an important role in my first historical novel (tentatively titled The Heirloom) and she will have a part in the subsequent novels I have drafted and planned.
Grave marker for Elizabeth Steele at Thyatira Presbyterian Church in Rowan County, NC
It was an emotional experience for me when I visited her grave at Thyatira Presbyterian Church in Rowan County, North Carolina. I have spent so much time with her in my imagination and writing that I feel as though I know her and she is my friend and mentor. She, no doubt, has influenced some of my political rants on my blog!
If a woman on the frontier in the backcountry of North Carolina could do what she did in the 1700s, why should I do less for my country in the 2020s?
Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories, by Janet Morrison
You can find the paperback at Second Look Books in Harrisburg, NC, or ask for it at your local independent bookstore. Bookstores can order it from IngramSpark.
In addition to the Western Hemisphere, the document addresses Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa – in that order.
Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash
Asia
As only a document coming out of the Trump White House can say, the Asia portion of the strategy begins with the words, “President Trump single-handedly reversed more than three decades of mistaken American assumptions about China: namely, that by opening our markets to China, encouraging American business to invest in China, and outsourcing our manufacturing to China, we would facilitate China’s entry into the so-called ‘rules based international order.’ This did not happen. China got rich and powerful, and used its wealth and power to its considerable advantage. American elites—over four successive administrations of both political parties—were either willing enablers of China’s strategy or in denial.”
That’s rich, coming from Trump who had so much of his Trump brand merchandise manufactured in China! And his daughter had her line of jewelry made in China! The Trump family took full advantage of the “mistakes” of precious U.S. Presidents and got richer and richer at the expense of the American factory worker.
The document goes on to state, “… the Indo-Pacific is already and will continue to be among the next century’s key economic and geopolitical battlegrounds. To thrive at home, we must successfully compete there—and we are. President Trump signed major agreements during his October 2025 travels that further deepen our powerful ties of commerce, culture, technology, and defense, and reaffirm our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. America retains tremendous assets—the world’s strongest economy and military, world-beating innovation, unrivaled “soft power,” and a historic record of benefiting our allies and partners—that enable us to compete successfully. President Trump is building alliances and strengthening partnerships in the Indo Pacific that will be the bedrock of security and prosperity long into the future.”
Several hundred words later, the Asia section of the document ends with, “We will also harden and strengthen our military presence in the Western Pacific, while in our dealings with Taiwan and Australia we maintain our determined rhetoric on increased defense spending. Preventing conflict requires a vigilant posture in the Indo-Pacific, a renewed defense industrial base, greater military investment from ourselves and from allies and partners, and winning the economic and technological competition over the long term.”
It appears that Australia was thrown into that last paragraph as an afterthought.
Europe
The European section of the National Security Strategy begins by throwing Europe under the bus, as Trump likes to do. He is critical of every country, including his own. Nothing is good enough. After laying out some supposed statistics (I say supposed because, sadly, I don’t believe anything the Trump Administration says), the document says if the current trend in Europe continues, “the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less. As such, it is far from obvious whether certain European countries will have economies and militaries strong enough to remain reliable allies.”
The paper goes on to address the threat Russia poses with its nuclear weapons and the need to “reestablish conditions of strategic stability across the Eurasian landmass, and to mitigate the risk of conflict between Russia and European states.
I find the following statement in the NSS interesting, considering the Trump Administration’s propensity to make it more difficult for U.S. citizens to vote and its blatant efforts to prompt states to gerrymander Congressional district lines to assure him of retaining the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
That statement: “A large European majority wants peace, yet that desire is not translated into policy, in large measure because of those governments’ subversion of democratic processes. This is strategically important to the United States precisely because European states cannot reform themselves if they are trapped in political crisis…. Not only can we not afford to write Europe off—doing so would be self-defeating for what this strategy aims to achieve. American diplomacy should continue to stand up for genuine democracy, freedom of expression, and unapologetic celebrations of European nations’ individual character and history…. Our goal should be to help Europe correct its current trajectory. We will need a strong Europe to help us successfully compete, and to work in concert with us to prevent any adversary from dominating Europe…. We want to work with aligned countries that want to restore their former greatness.”
The document then addresses NATO and its future as “certain NATO members will become majority non-European.”
The Middle East
This section of the NSS begins by addressing energy and how the Middle East is not as important in that arena as it was for decades. It touts the fact that the U.S. is now an energy exporter. It also boasts that Trump has “revitalized” U.S. alliances in “the Gulf.” It says the threats to peace in the Middle East are not as strong as the news headlines indicate. It brags about the U.S. June 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer attack on Iran’s nuclear program.
Africa
The NSS document starts this section by criticizing past American policy in Africa as spreading liberal ideology. Instead, the Trump Administration seeks to partner with “select countries” to create trade to replace the foreign aid of the past.
This section of the document ends with, “The United States should transition from an aid-focused relationship with Africa to a trade- and investment-focused relationship, favoring partnerships with capable, reliable states committed to opening their markets to U.S. goods and services. An immediate area for U.S. investment in Africa, with prospects for a good return on investment, include the energy sector and critical mineral development. Development of U.S.-backed nuclear energy, liquid petroleum gas, and liquified natural gas technologies can generate profits for U.S. businesses and help us in the competition for critical minerals and other resources.
In other words, what’s in it for Trump? He can only see the world through the lens of business. That lens only sees how he can personally benefit financially.
I hate to have such a distrust for and poor perspective of a U.S. President. I don’t enjoy writing any of this.
Francisco Bravo Cabrera graciously featured me and my new book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories on his e-zine in Spain (LatinosUSA (English Edition/Masticadores) this morning at 8:00 a.m. Madrid Time!
Francisco Bravo Cabrera is a bit of a Renaissance man. He is an artist, a poet, a writer, and a musician. He is based in Valencia, Spain, but has also lived in Miami, Florida. His blog, JaZzArt en Valencia, can be found at https://paintinginvalencia.com/, and his work can also be found on https://www.fineartamerica.com.
I cut and pasted Francisco’s magazine article about my new book below, but two of the photographs did not copy. Here’s the link, if you want to see the original for yourself: https://latinosenglishedition.wordpress.com/?p=8436.
New Historical Fiction by Janet Morrison (Editor Francisco Bravo Cabrera)
(Photo: Janet Morrison/provided by Janet Morrison)
As a big fan of history and novels, there is no genre that fascinates me more than «historical fiction,» therefore I would like to feature today a historical fiction writer from North Carolina (US), Janet Morrison, who has just released a new book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories. I am sure it can easily be found in Amazon or in your neighbourhood book store.
I have asked Janet to bring us a synopsis of the 13 stories included in the book. And although she thought it a bit tricky, I think she has covered them in a concise way.
Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories, by Janet Morrison, will transport you from 17th century Scotland to 20th century America! The more than one dozen short stories are set in Scotland, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Each story includes author’s notes, so you will learn what inspired the story, how the story is based in history but is a work of fiction.
There are stories set in Colonial America and the American Revolutionary War Era. One story is the fictitious letter an American Civil War soldier wrote to his parents. Another story follows a slave who contemplates escaping. A couple of the stories are set in the southern Appalachian Mountains – one during a blizzard in the 1870s and involves a dog and a bear during The Great Depression. There is one ghost story. In another story, a girl in foster care discovers the dignity a suitcase can bring. The final story in the book is told by an old farmhouse that remembers the family it sheltered in the 1800s.
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Janet Morrison’s educational background is in political science and history. She has worked as a local government administrator, a travel agent, and a newspaper columnist. She enjoys writing historical fiction and local history at her home in North Carolina. Her vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina was published in 2015. Since then, she has published two local history books, a devotional book, and a cookbook. Janet uses her blog, https://www.janetswritingblog. com, as a platform to write about the books she reads, events in history, and politics. The most rewarding thing about her blog is that it has made it possible for her to make friends around the world. When she has spare time, she loves researching her genealogy and learning to play the dulcimer. Be sure to visit https://www. janetmorrisonbooks.com to learn more about her books and to subscribe to her newsletter.
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I would like to thank Janet so much for her participation in today’s episode and to remind her that she is welcome here any time. I am sure that we will all enjoy reading this historical fiction book as well as the other books she has written.
AND
If you are a writer, a poet or an artist (in any of the arts) and would like to appear in our magazine LatinosUSA (English Edition), please contact me, Francisco Bravo Cabrera, editor: ArribaPamplona@gmail.com
I’m not able to participate in a “No Kings” Protest today, but I will be there in spirit. I will continue to voice my protest via my blog.
Photo by Megan Watson on Unsplash
The Republican Congressional leaders attacked the demonstrations in advance, calling today’s demonstrations “The Hate America Rally.” Nothing could be further from the truth. It sounds like something a dictator would say.
In America, we have a First Amendment right of freedom of speech. We are free to demonstrate and protest.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Isn’t that what the insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, said they were doing: exercising their First Amendment right? Of course, they went beyond protesting when they tried to kill police officers and broke into the U.S. Capitol as they tried to prevent the certification of the November 2020 Presidential election.
Whatever bizarre or nasty thing Trump says, the Cabinet members all have to repeat. Even Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent jumped on that bandwagon to toe the party line.
The President said participants in “The Hate America Rally” are paid. He said their signs look professionally made and that is proof that they are being paid to protest.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said the participants are members of ANTIFA. Since ANTIFA is an acronym for Anti-Fascist, it seems to me that every American should be ANTIFA. Do you not find it worrisome that the U.S. President and Congressional leaders are against anti-fascists? It indicates to me that they are pro-Fascism. But we aren’t supposed to call them that. It makes them angry and they are offended when they are called Fascists although they claim to hate anti-Fascists.
The “Hate America” rally was held at Donald Trump’s urging on January 6, 2021. That’s the day his followers tried to stop the certification of the November 2020 Presidential election because their guy whined and said he won even though he didn’t win. He convinced them that the election was stolen. And now, almost five years later, he wants that election investigated again. He is so small, he cannot stand to be a loser.
Photo credit: Andra C. Taylor, Jr. on unsplash
The rioters that day physically attacked the police officers the Republicans claim they love and respect so much. They defaced the U.S. Capitol. They erected a gallows and chanted “hang Mike Pence!” They smeared their defecation in the halls of the U.S. Capitol and broke into the offices of U.S. Representatives. They broke things. They stole things. They made a wholesale attack on our form of government
That was the official “Hate America” Insurrection. I watched it live on TV in horror. I can’t imagine the level of hate for the United States those people held in their hearts. Then, the nail in the coffin was when Donald Trump pardoned them.
That is all I need to know about Donald J. Trump, Sr.
The people demonstrating today are doing so out of love for America. They are horrified to see how our democracy being chipped away daily with a sledgehammer.
They are horrified to see the National Guard used as a political pawn and weapon by their President.
They are sick and tired of being called “left wing radical lunatics” and worse by their President.
They are horrified to see masked ICE agents violently attacking people – citizens and non-citizens – and hauling them off to detention centers.
Photo by Mitchel Lensink on Unsplash
They are horrified that their President is ordering boats in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea to be blown to smithereens because they might be transporting drugs to America, and now their President threatens to launch a land attack on Venezuela – ignoring The War Powers Act.
They don’t like that their President is bailing out Argentina to the tune of $20 billion while the American farmer goes bankrupt due to the dismantling of USAID and the tariffs he has issued on China and other countries.
They are furious that public education and public health programs are under attack by the Trump Administration.
They are horrified to see the blatant hate for people of color, the objectifying of women, the homophobia, and the hate for transgender individuals demonstrated by the Trump Administration.
In anticipation for the peaceful “No Kings” demonstrations being held today, the Governors of Virginia and Texas mobilized their states’ National Guard members yesterday.
It’s a shame that the National Guard wasn’t called up to defend the members of Congress and the U.S. Capitol and our form of government on January 6, 2021.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt showed her true colors this week when she said, “The Democrat Party’s main constituency is made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.”
The White House, Washington, D.C.
The fact that President Trump did not make a statement to reprimand her or disavow her comment, indicates that he agrees with her.
We have reached a dangerous time in our country when the person who was elected to be President of the United States – president of all 50 states – president of all citizens of the United States – thinks it is acceptable to call the citizens who are registered Democrats “Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.”
I resent being called a Hamas terrorist, an illegal alien, and a violent criminal, but the worst part of this is that such a thing can be said from the official communicator and spokesperson of the White House and no one in the Trump Administration or the Republican Party speaks out to condemn the remarks.
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America
And that, my friends, is one more reason why millions of Americans are protesting today. They are sick and tired of being sick and tired and being on the receiving end of a fire hose of attacks since January 20, 2025.
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 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 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.”
In case you were getting optimistic about the U.S. Congress (and let me be clear, I have no idea why you would have been), let me share with you a portion of the email I received on Saturday from the man who “represents” my district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
I said “from the man who ‘represents’ my district” because I cannot say “from the man who represents ME in the U.S. House of Representatives.” He does not represent me in any way, shape, or form.
The United States Capitol Photo by Kyle Mills on Unsplash
His hate-filled newsletters and emails do not reflect any of my core values, even though he is a preacher. In fact, that makes his name-calling and prejudiced statements seem that much more vile.
I know from my experience working in local government that electing a minister to a county commission or city council can go sour very quickly. The U.S. Congress is no different. Politics brings out the worst traits in people.
There is an important reason why our country was founded on the idea of separation of church and state. It’s part of the First Amendment – you know, that Amendment that was openly attacked last week by the Trump Administration.
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America
Back to Mark Harris’ September 22, 2025, email…
The Biden Administration
This is what U.S. Representative Mark Harris remembers from the four years of the Biden Administration: “Under the Biden administration, the FBI spent more time and resources targeting Christians and churches than violent criminals. But the era of weaponizing our justice department is over!”
What is he talking about?
FBI Director Kash Patel
I watched FBI Director Kash Patel appear before the House Judiciary Committee last week. What I saw was a defiant, rude, nervous man fumbling with a hundred little pieces of paper. What I saw was a man who refused to answer “Yes” and “No” questions. I saw a man who lashed out at members of Congress. I saw a man who performed that day for an audience of one on Pennsylvania Avenue.
This is what U.S. Representative Mark Harris saw: “This week, FBI Director Kash Patel appeared before the House Judiciary Committee, and his testimony made one thing clear: law and order have returned. Joe Biden’s FBI targeted parents at school board meetings, Catholics, pro-lifers, and everyday Americans. But President Trump and Kash Patel put an end to all of it!”
In closing
The icing on the cake was the next sentence in Mr. Harris’s email to me: “America is a safer place than it was 9 months ago.”
Why don’t I feel safer?
He feels safe because he is voting the way Trump wants him to vote and he is saying the things Trump wants him to say. He will feel safe until he learns that his loyalty to Trump is not reciprocated. Trump will eventually turn on Mr. Harris because Trump turns on his supporters when he no longer needs them. Isn’t that what mob bosses do?
And why didn’t Mr. Harris address the fact that freedom of speech is under siege in the United States?
“Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” ~ Brandon Carr, Federal Communications Commissioner, September 17, 2025
I guess Mr. Harris wasn’t paying attention on September 17. He was too busy doing Trump’s bidding and basking in his newfound sense of security.
I have emailed Mr. Harris with various concerns. His responses only serve to remind me that he and Dear Leader are right and I am wrong. Nevertheless, I will keep reminding him who he works for and to what document — not to which man — he pledged his allegiance when he took the oath of office.
“No taxation without representation!” It is 1775 all over again.
As usual, what I started to write for my blog today grew much longer than I anticipated. It is overwhelming to realize how many things I’m sick and tired of. You’ll be glad to know that before publishing this post, I deleted several items.
I love my country, but it has gone off the rails in a myriad of ways. I’m old enough at 72 years old to remember the 1950s and 1960s. We’ve been through some contentious times in my lifetime, but the 2020s have a different feel.
We are in a whole different era of vicious name-calling and a whole different era of too many people thinking the only way to settle a disagreement is by using a gun.
Things are coming to a head on many fronts, and it is impossible to know what the future holds.
Photo by Richard Lee on Unsplash
Here are a few of the things I’m sick of.
I am sick and tired and beyond disgusted at what the Trump Administration is doing to our country and the world. I’m sick of waking up every morning and dreading to turn on the TV or the computer and hear what he and his minions have done under the cover of darkness.
I am sick of seeing his orange face and hearing his word salad speeches that make no sense. I’m sick of him calling people names. I’m sick of his stupid red MAGA caps. I’m sick of seeing how he has defaced the Oval Office with gold doo-dads and gaudy picture frames. I’m sick of seeing the orange and white striped picnic table umbrellas and concrete he had installed to deface the White House Rose Garden.
I’m sick of all the misguided people who appear on news shows and defend Trump. I’m sick of the hate they spew. I’m sick of the smirks on their faces as they talk about immigrants as if they aren’t human. I’m sick of them saying it’s okay that there are more guns than people in the United States now.
I’m sick of all three of the men who “represent” me in Washington, D.C. going along with everything Trump wants, which makes them complicit.
I’m sick of the majority of Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court not standing up against Trump’s power reach.
I’m sick of the rewriting of history to fit Trump’s agenda and narrow views.
I’m sick of politicians like J.D. Vance blaming North Carolina Governor Josh Stein for the August 23 murder of Iryna Zarutska by Decarlos Brown, Jr. on a light rail train in Charlotte after Gov. Stein said we needed more law enforcement officers. Gov. Stein does not control how many security officers the private company that operates the light rail hires, so let’s not blame him for Iryna Zarutska’s murder just because he is a Democrat.
I’m sick of the Trump Administration taking advantage of Iryna Zarutska’s murder to take attention off the Epstein Files. The President of the United States is calling for Decarlos Brown, Jr. to get the death penalty. Since when is having Schizophrenia a capital offense?
I’m sick of Trump’s followers claiming that every Democrat is rejoicing in Wednesday’s assassination of Charlie Kirk and that they “should all burn in hell forever.” (Yes, that’s a quote from a Facebook post by a Christian I know.) Some of the loudest conservative talking heads were quick on Wednesday afternoon to proclaim that “we are now at war.”
I’m sick of the liberals who said Charlie Kirk got what he deserved. No one deserves to be murdered for their beliefs!
I’m sick of Trump only being concerned about “beautiful” women. He put his condolences to Charlie Kirk’s “beautiful wife” on social media, which tells me that he wouldn’t have felt bad for her if she were not beautiful. I’m sick of the demeaning language that Trump and his ilk think is the only way to refer to a woman because what else could give her value as a human being except her looks? Erica Kirk had just lost her husband and the father of their two young children. Was that tragedy made worse by the fact that she is “beautiful?” I don’t think her looks will ease her grief or magnify it. Few of us can imagine the depths of her grief.
I’m sick of him saying crime only happens in cities that have a Democratic mayor.
I’m sick of him saying the American consumer is not paying for the tariffs he has placed on every country in the world except the country he loves best: Russia.
I’m sick of him saying the abuse of teenage girls by Jeffrey Epstein and his friends is a “Democrat hoax.”
I’m sick of women not being believed.
I’m sick of people only getting upset when white children are kidnapped, especially if they have blonde hair.
I’m sick of white men, who have had privileges they don’t even recognize, much less acknowledge, saying that every woman of color who is educated and serving in a position of power is there only because DEI gave them a free pass. It is those white men who often got free passes into whatever career they wanted solely because they were white males.
I’m sick of politicians offering nothing but thoughts and prayers after every school shooting.
I’m sick of people saying, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” It seems to me that guns certainly make it easier for people to kill people, and it is far too easy for people in the United States to obtain guns.
Photo by Tom Def on Unsplash
I’m sick of them saying Joe Biden was unfit physically or mentally to be President while Trump is in the background speaking unintelligently about who knows what and is unable to say a complete sentence or walk in a straight line.
I’m sick of them saying there is nothing wrong or alarming when the President of the United States says and then demonstrates daily that he wants to be a dictator.
I’m sick of them saying it doesn’t bother them at all that Trump pardoned the insurrectionists and cop killers who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
I’m sick of them saying it doesn’t bother them at all that Trump tried to get the State of Georgia to “find” him 11,780 votes.
I’m sick of them saying they think it is wonderful for Trump to militarily take over the country one city at a time in the name of saving us from crime.
I’m sick of the attacks on medical and scientific research.
I’m sick of the attacks on vaccines.
I’m sick of the attacks on public education.
I’m sick of the attacks on universities.
I’m sick of the attacks on the Smithsonian Institution.
I’m sick and tired of being lied to.
I’m sick of one hundred different curve balls being thrown at us every single day to the point that we cannot keep up with what is happening, which of our rights are being trampled, and which government program has been dismantled. It is exhausting.
After reading the above list, I hope you understand why I continue to blog about the Trump Administration and societal issues in America. I don’t enjoy doing it. Life is short, and there are many things I’d rather be writing about or doing.
I cannot see injustice, the failing of societal norms, and governmental wrongdoing and say nothing.
I do believe the right-wing conservative Christians would call Jesus “woke.” In a round about way, they are doing exactly that.
Two evangelicals have published books in the last year claiming that the Democrats are carrying empathy too far… and furthermore, that’s a sin.
I won’t name them here, because I don’t want to give them or their books free publicity. I’ll just share my thoughts on the subject.
Early in the second Trump Administration, Elon Musk stated, “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.” It’s sad to see people who profess to be Christians jumping on that bandwagon.
Is that why all the right-wing conservative Christian “faith leaders” who gather in the Oval Office for photo ops with Trump remained silent when his Administration dismantled USAID?
There was great fanfare when Trump established a so-called Faith Office in the White House, but what has the office done except hold an expensive banquet for themselves and their ilk – all the big names in tele-evangelism and such?
Where was that Faith Office when USAID was destroyed?
Where was that Faith Office when medical research funding was slashed?
Where was that Faith Office when childhood cancer research was halted?
Where was that Faith Office when ICE agents arrested 20-year-old nursing student Allison Bustillo and held her for more than six months in a detention center 350 miles from her home and never gave her due process. Her “crime” was fleeing violence in Honduras as an eight-year-old child, coming to America, studying nursing at a university, and caring for her younger brother who has autism. With no grounds for deportation, the U.S. Justice Department just kept her in limbo in a detention center for months on end.
The silence from the so-called Christians in the White House has been deafening.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think there should be a right-wing Christian “Faith Office” in the White House or in any other government building. There’s a reason the Constitution of the United States of America does not establish a State Religion.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
But if you establish a Faith Office in the White House and fund it and advertise it and brag about it, maybe it should put its money where its mouth is and speak up for common decency that most world religions claim to be rooted in.
If you think Jesus is in favor of taking food and medicine away from sick and starving children, I believe you need to start reading a different version of the Bible. None of the versions I have paint that picture of Jesus.
Today is National Dog Day. It falls on August 26 every year, but without being aware of the “holiday,” my sister and I adopted a rescue dog named Silas on August 26, 2013.
Silas just days after he adopted us.
Silas kissing me the day “our” vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, arrived on July 23, 2014.
Silas died on Feb. 14, 2022, after a valiant struggle with several health problems, including insulin shots every 12 hours.
I still miss him every single day, so on this National Dog Day I remember Silas on my blog as I repurpose my blog post (My Little White Dog) from the week after he died:
2/21/22 Blog Post: “My Little White Dog”
My little white dog died last Monday. He was the perfect dog for my sister and me, and we will forever miss him. It’s been a difficult week, but each day gets a little bit easier as we deal with our loss.
Those of you who are “dog people” understand. Those of you who aren’t, I can’t explain to you how sad it is to lose one.
Notice his Carolina Panthers pillow in the background.
He was a rescue dog, and we’ll never understand how his former family turned him out to fend for himself in a city until he was picked up by the county’s animal control personnel. He was rescued from the animal shelter by a dog rescue organization, and it was through that organization that this sweet little white dog adopted my sister and me.
He took us on as his project. I guess we were his “purpose.” He helped us do everything and was our constant companion and caregiver. I think he thought we were helpless, and that’s why it was so hard for him to let go last Monday afternoon.
He was so proud the day in 2014 when my vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina arrived!
I tried to determine if the poem, “My Little White Dog,” by Nell Gay White was in the public domain, but I couldn’t find any information about Ms. White or her poem. I’m going out on a limb here and sharing that poem with you today. I copied it years ago because it touched my heart. I didn’t even have a little white dog at that time, but the one pictured in this blog post has given my sister and me joy every single day of the last eight and one-half years.
My Little White Dog, by Nell Gay White
“I wonder if Christ had a little white dog,
All curly and wooly like mine,
With two silly ears and a nose round and wet,
And two tender brown eyes that shine?
“I’m sure if he had, that little white dog
Knew right from the first he was God.
He needed no proof that Christ was divine –
But just worshipped the ground where he trod.
“I’m afraid that he hadn’t because I have read
That he prayed in the garden alone;
For all of his friends and disciples had fled
Even Peter, the one called a stone.
“And, Oh, I am sure that a little white dog
With a heart so tender and warm,
Would never have left him to suffer alone
But creeping right under his arm.
“Would have licked those dear fingers, in agony clasped,
And counting all favors but loss,
When they took him away, would have trotted behind
President Trump just can’t help himself, and I’m going to keep talking about it on my blog as long as I can. The day may come when I don’t have the freedom to do that.
This week has been brutal!
Let’s stop training mental health counselors
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
Even though every time there is a “lone wolf” terrorist attack or mass shooting in the U.S., there is an outcry for more mental health facilities and more mental health counselling.
So why did Trump stop a $10 million grant program to train mental health counselors?
Trump says he won’t run for a third term
Section 1 of the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution seems straightforward to me: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”
Trump announced on Tuesday that he does not plan to run for a third term as U.S. President.
That’s big of him!
It isn’t known whether he plans to move out of the White House at the end of his second term, or whether he plans to just never leave office.
Anti-Science Trump
Trump has ordered NASA to destroy two satellites that provide detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. Just because Trump thinks climate change is a hoax does not make it so.
Farmers, scientists, oil and gas companies, among others, depend on the data gathered by those two satellites.
The American taxpayers paid $750 million for those satellites.
Trump on human biology
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Trump was truly on a roll Tuesday. He appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box and talked about how he believes undocumented immigrants are naturally made for farm work and people who live in inner cities can’t do it.
You can’t make this stuff up!
Here’s a quote from the show:
“We can’t let our farmers not have anybody,” Trump added of undocumented farm laborers, primarily of Hispanic origin, who are being targeted for deportation by his Department of Homeland Security. “These [are] people that you can’t replace them very easily – you know, people that live in the inner city are not doing that work. They’re just not doing that work. And they’ve tried – we’ve tried, everybody tried. They don’t do it. These people do it naturally, naturally.”
I love how Rolling Stone summed up the incident: “It should go without saying that no group of people feels an intrinsic urge to cultivate the land for sub-livable wages and at constant risk of detainment and deportation, but the president doubled down.”
mRNA vaccine research cancelled
Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced on Wednesday that the Trump Administration is cancelling $500 million in mRNA vaccine research. Kennedy, a lifelong vaccine-denier, claims there is a more high-tech way to develop vaccines. He also said there is no proof that mRNA vaccines work against respiratory viruses. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) beg to differ, saying the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine saved an estimated 14.4 million lives.
Twenty-two different research projects are being halted, including those studying the possibility of using mRNA vaccines in the treatment of cystic fibrosis and pancreatic cancer.
Who put RFKjr in charge of vaccines? Oh yeah… Donald Trump and the United States Senate.
This decision could wreak havoc with our health and our economy.
Trump pulls United States out of UNESCO
The White House announced yesterday that Trump is withdrawing the United States from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Trump considers UNESCO to have a “woke” and politically divisive agenda.
This outrageous!
When I wrote The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina for Arcadia Publishing in 2014, I proudly included the following: “The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization named Grandfather Mountain a member of the international network of Biosphere Reserves in 1992 because it supported 42 rare and endangered species.”
If Trump thinks by pulling the United States out of UNESCO he can erase that, he is wrong. My book stands as is, and I will not edit Grandfather Mountain’s UNESCO designation out of it!
How can one person encapsulate such a level of hatred for the beauty and wonder of the world?
ICE having trouble with recruitment?
Photo by Logan Weaver |on Unsplash
It warms my heart to learn that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is having trouble recruiting people to be Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, but Secretary Kristi Noem has come up with a solution. She announced the lifting of the maximum age cap and the lowering of the minimum age to 18.
Until this week a person could be no older than 40 years old to apply for the job. According to Noem, there is now no age limit and she welcomes teenagers to apply.
What could possibly go wrong with 18- and 80-year-old ICE agents?
Ex-Acting FBI Director Fired
Brian Driscoll was Acting Director of the FBI at the beginning of Trump’s second term, but Driscoll refused to give Trump a list of the FBI agents who worked on the January 6, 2021 attempted coup.
Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash
Kash Patel was eventually named FBI Director, but Driscoll had returned to serve in the agency in another position. That was until yesterday when Trump fired him.
All federal employees take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. But Trump demands loyalty to Donald J. Trump alone. If you remain loyal to the U.S. Constitution, he will fire you.
This is not the way things are supposed to be. Will Americans wake up before it is too late?
Breaking the Constitution to have another census
To add a measure of legitimacy to the rigging of the 2026 mid-term elections, Trump is calling for a federal census to be taken this year in which only U.S. citizens will be counted.
Under the law, the census has been taken every 10 years since 1790 and everyone has been counted – not just U.S. citizens.
I guess I need to dust off my passport application and get it submitted as soon as possible, in case my birth certificate does not prove I’m a citizen.
You see, in Texas the Republicans are trying to redraw the U.S. House Districts before the 2026 Congressional election and gerrymander the map to take away five predominantly Democratic districts and convert them into predominantly Republican districts. The bottom line is that Trump does not want to lose the Republican majority currently in the U.S. House.
There has been quite a stir over this very issue in Texas this week, and the U.S. House of Representatives hangs in the balance.
“Why Jefferson, Madison and the Founders Enshrined the Census in our Constitution”
“The U.S. Constitution empowers the Congress to carry out the census in “such manner as they shall by Law direct” (Article I, Section 2). The Founders of our fledgling nation had a bold and ambitious plan to empower the people over their new government. The plan was to count every person living in the newly created United States of America, and to use that count to determine representation in the Congress.
“Enshrining this invention in our Constitution marked a turning point in world history. Previously censuses had been used mainly to tax or confiscate property or to conscript youth into military service. The genius of the Founders was taking a tool of government and making it a tool of political empowerment for the governed over their government.
“They accomplished that goal in 1790 and our country has every 10 years since then. In 1954, Congress codified earlier census acts and all other statutes authorizing the decennial census as Title 13, U.S. Code. Title 13, U.S. Code, does not specify which subjects or questions are to be included in the decennial census. However, it does require the Census Bureau to notify Congress of general census subjects to be addressed 3 years before the decennial census and the actual questions to be asked 2 years before the decennial census.”
Also: “Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution mandates that an apportionment of representatives among the states must be carried out every 10 years. Therefore, apportionment is the original legal purpose of the decennial census, as intended by our Nation’s Founders. Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states, based on the state population counts that result from each decennial census. The apportionment results will be the first data published from the 2020 Census, and those results will determine the amount of political representation each state will have in Congress for the next 10 years.”
That’s a long explanation, but it is really rather simple that the census be taken every ten years. If Trump thinks it will be simple for every U.S. citizen to produce documented proof of citizenship, he is woefully mistaken.
Someone needs to tell him that the U.S. Congress controls the taking of the U.S. Census – not the temporary occupant of the White House.
Resurrection of Confederate statues
Americans will never be able to move on from it’s 1861-1865 civil war as long as people like Donald Trump keep stoking the fire.
The National Park Service, which is operating with a skeleton crew after Trump eliminated thousands of park staff this year, apparently has enough employees left to reinstall the statue of a member of the Ku Klux Klan on the grounds of the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department.
There had been requests made to Congress since 1992 to have the 11-foot statue of Confederate Army Gen. Albert Pike removed, but it stayed in place until the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Pike once wrote about the white race, “white race, and that race alone, shall govern this country. It is the only one that is fit to govern, and it is the only one that shall.”
It sends a chilling message that the Trump Administration is having Pike’s statue put back in place. It sends a strong message to all people of color: Racism is alive and well in the White House.
But that’s not all…
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in response to Trump’s “Executive Order On Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” is having a 32-foot bronze “Confederate Memorial” rebuilt and reinstalled in Arlington National Cemetery.
Sponsored by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the statue was installed in 1914 and depicts slaves supporting Confederate soldiers. The statue perpetuates the myth that slaves supported the Confederacy during the Civil War.
But Hegseth didn’t stop by just quietly having the Confederate Memorial reinstalled in Arlington National Cemetery. Apparently not knowing when to stop talking, Hegseth said, “It never should have been taken down by woke lemmings. Unlike the Left, we don’t believe in erasing American history—we honor it.”
That’s rich, coming the week after Trump’s two impeachments were removed from the Presidential Impeachments exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History.
You can’t make this stuff up!
Price of prescription drugs
Photo by Ali Rezaei on Unsplash
If someone in my family or circle of friends said that the price of drugs will decrease by 1,500%, I would assume that person had either had a stroke or had some form of dementia.
So why is it that the President of the United States can say that he is decreasing the price of prescription drugs by 1,500% and no one blinks an eye? He has said this several times.
I fear we have become so accustomed to Trump’s lies and nonsensical proclamations and rantings that we just accept it as, “That’s just the way he is.”
This is not something an adult with any level of intelligence or mental capabilities would say. Any fourth grader knows a 1,500% drop in the cost of a candy bar is a mathematical impossibility.
In conclusion
That’s just eleven things the Trump Administration did this week that I thought you might not have heard about.
I’m sorry this post is so long. Don’t blame the messenger.
Janet's Writing Blog 
