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.
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.
I was having a pretty good Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t raining and it was warm. My fibromyalgia pain was lessening with the dry day and temperatures in the high 70s. The incessant wind had brought some of the smoke from the wildfires in Manitoba to the southern piedmont of North Carolina, blocking the sun, but I was inside doing Saturday chores and catching up on some filing and correspondence.
Then, I made the mistake of clicking on the newsletter from my Representative in the US House. I use “Representative” loosely because he does not represent me at all.
Photo Credit: Andra C. Taylor Jr on unsplash.com
I have had Republicans represent my district in the US House, and I have had Democrats represent me in the US House. I have read their newsletters and emails through the years, but I must say the newsletter I received today from Representative Mark Harris (that’s the Rev. Mark Harris) is by far the most partisan, biased, and lie-filled communication I have ever received from any of them.
I will let Rev. Harris’ May 31, 2025, newsletter speak for itself, so no one can accuse me of slander. I hate to give Harris any publicity, but his newsletter is so off-the charts for someone who is supposed to serve all his constituents, I just have to share it.
Here it is, in all its glory and entirety, minus all the photographs because they would have copy and download into WordPress:
“Dear Janet,
Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have diligently worked to identify waste, fraud, and abuse, ensuring responsible use of taxpayer funds. Now, it’s time to make DOGE’s reforms permanent.
“Rescission authority” allows the President and Congress to cancel previously allocated spending which would solidify DOGE’s efforts.
Next week, the White House is scheduled to submit a rescissions package to Congress, incorporating many of DOGE’s proposed cuts, including frivolous expenditures such as:
$45 million for diversity scholarships in Burma
$6 million for tourism promotion in Egypt
$9 million for gender norm initiatives
$47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia
These extravagant pet projects are unjustifiable. American taxpayers should not be footing the bill for the Left’s wish list. I promise to fight to cement DOGE’s legacy and rein in the Swamp’s out-of-control spending habits.
Defunding NPR
Let me be very clear: there’s nothing in the First Amendment that requires taxpayer dollars to prop up Left-wing propaganda.
In addition to making good on DOGE’s diligence, the upcoming rescissions package from the White House is set to include measures to cut government funding for NPR – a mouthpiece for radical progressive ideas.
For decades, these institutions have dispersed left-wing narratives on the taxpayers’ dime. NPR’s reporters and editors purposely created and promoted news articles designed to damage President Trump during the 2016 and 2020 elections, including promoting the Russian collusion hoax.?NPR even went as far as to refuse to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story due to fears it could help President Trump’s 2020 reelection bid. As recently as 2023, NPR put out an article denying the clear athletic advantage biological males have over girls in sports, attacking young women who have spoken out about this issue.
It’s time to separate partisan propaganda from the taxpayers’ wallets.
President Trump is Restoring Justice
The Biden administration’s Department of Justice unfairly targeted Christian organizations, pro-life grandmothers, and even the current President, all while overlooking violent acts by radical groups like Antifa as well as alleged misconduct by figures such as Hunter Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
That era of politicized justice has ended. President Trump is restoring integrity to the Department of Justice.
Following recent unprovoked attacks on peaceful Christian gatherings in Seattle, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has pledged to prosecute groups engaging in targeted violence against religious communities.
Similarly, the FBI is reopening investigations into high-profile cases previously ignored under the Biden administration, including the 2023 discovery of cocaine in the White House and the leak of the Dobbs Supreme Court opinion, which incited threats against conservative justices.
President Trump and Republicans are committed to upholding law and order across the nation.
Joining Bo and Beth Weekly
Are you interested in hearing regular updates about what I am working on for you? Tune in every Friday at 7:20 am on WBT Charlotte News Talk as I join Bo Thompson and Beth Troutman to discuss the latest from Washington and what I am doing to serve the people of North Carolina’s Eighth District! You can listen live on their website at this link here or tune in on 99.3 FM.
Here are some other news stories about what I’ve been up to lately:
I was absolutely blown away by my tour of Conn-Selmer’s Ludwig plant. Crafting a wide range of musical instruments for the students of North Carolina’s Eighth District, they’re truly “making some noise” and inspiring creativity in our community.
During my visit to the DaVita Kidney Care Facility in Monroe, I was impressed by their commitment to providing top-notch care for their patients. Thank you for your outstanding work in serving the healthcare needs of North Carolinians—keep it up!
Serving YOU!
My team is currently working to resolve cases for nearly 150 people across our district. If you or someone you know is unable to get answers from the federal government, please do not hesitate to call my district office. Whether you need help with the IRS, VA, Social Security, or even getting a passport for an upcoming trip, we have a team of constituent service representatives ready to serve you. You can call us at 704-218-5300 or visit my website at https://markharris.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency.
If you want to keep up with what I am doing every day on your behalf, you can follow all of my social media links down below!
If your friends, relatives, or neighbors would also like to sign up for these weekly updates, they can do so by sending my office a quick email or simply by signing up here. For more up-to-the-minute updates, you can follow my press team on Facebook and Twitter.
Sincerely,
Mark Harris Proudly Serving North Carolina’s Eighth Congressional District
What I want to say
What I want to say, I cannot put in my blog.
Suffice it to say that I live in one of the most-gerrymandered districts in a completely gerrymandered state, and I am not represented in Congress by Mark Harris, Ted Budd, or Thom Tillis because they only represent the man who lives in the White House. Rev. Harris has obviously never watched PBS.
Mid-term election for Harris and end-of-six-year-term election for Tillis on November 3, 2026. That day can’t come soon enough!
It could be worse
At least I don’t live in Marjorie Taylor Green’s district in Georgia. Regarding that “big, beautiful bill” she voted for last week, Green posted on X: “Full transparency, I did not know about this section on pages 278-279 of the OBBB that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years. I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in….”
On the other hand, Mark Harris probably still doesn’t know it.
Until my next blog post
I hope you have a good book to read, and I apologize for ruining your day by inflicting Mark Harris’ newsletter on you.
Make sure your voter registration is in proper order and intact well before November 3, 2026.
Remember those of us who have taxation without representation, just like we did 250 years ago. That time it resulted in a revolution.
Remember the people of Ukraine and western North Carolina.
As we continue through another week of the Trump Administration, I’m blogging again today about some of the things that are going on here in the United States. I wish I did not need to do this. It is not what I ever had in mind for my blog. With the free press continually under attack by Trump, though, I believe I’m doing what I must do.
Yesterday’s ambush of South Africa’s President
In another embarrassing and bizarre ambush, yesterday Donald Trump blindsided President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa in the Oval Office with a video and stack of papers claiming widespread genocide of white farmers in South Africa. I had flashbacks of how he ambushed Ukrainian President Zelensky in February.
At least once, Trump made a mistake he has made before when he said, “Africa and other countries.” Apparently, the private education Trump claims to have received did not include geography.
Before the day was out, Agence Frances Presse was rightfully calling yesterday’s meeting: “The Ambush Office: Trump’s Oval becomes test of nerve for world leaders.”Perhaps other world leaders will not request meetings with Trump or accept any invitations that come from him.
With ambush as the US President’s modus operandi, it is unlikely any other nations want their presidents or prime ministers to visit our country.
Emboldened by his week of being praised in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Trump is full of himself and showing his true colors. He just can’t help himself.
The flying palace
The US Secretary of Defense accepted the $400 million airplane “gift” from Qatar yesterday, so now the American taxpayers are on the hook for the estimated $1 billion it will cost to gut it and rebuild it to Air Force One security standards. All this, so Trump can take it to his future presidential library, which is an oxymoron if there ever was one.
States’ rights
I read on Sunday that although Trump brags about being all for “states’ rights,” there is a provision in his budget bill that bans state and local governments from regulating Artificial Intelligence for 10 years. States can’t make laws about AI. No state laws about facial recognition, AI surveillance, or the misuse of date AI collects.
Miscellaneous Research
In the name of eliminating waste in the US Government, thousands of studies being conducted at state-supported colleges and universities have been cancelled by the Trump Administration. Without taking the time or even making the effort to analyze what they are cutting, they decided it would be easier to just de-fund anything and everything remotely associated with diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI).
The Charlotte Observer published a report about 17 grants totaling $469,069 that had been awarded to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte that have been cancelled by Trump, while WSOC-TV reported that UNCC has lost $14 million in federal funds.
The 17 grants that the newspaper wrote about were cancelled, some of which were already in progress, included such things as the spread of online misinformation; encouraging girls and black youth to pursue careers in computer science; youth with disabilities transitioning into independent living; autoimmune disease (pemphigus) research; and black youth suicide detection and prevention.
It is obvious that any studies or programs that had anything to do with diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI) were the grants being cancelled. Grants to study or help African Americans were obviously targeted, while 74% of patients with the potentially fatal autoimmune disease pemphigus are white and 61% of them are women.
UNC-Charlotte is just one of the 16 institutions that are part of the UNC system. What UNC-Charlotte has lost is a drop in the bucket compared to the federal grant losses at UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University at Raleigh.
This has happened in every state and at countless colleges and universities, both state-supported and private.
Our apologies to France
In a 51 to 45 vote, The US Senate confirmed Charles Kushner as US Ambassador to France. He is the father of President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. In 2005, the elder Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison for 18 counts, including tax evasion and witness tampering. He pleaded guilty to the tax evasion and making illegal campaign contributions.
Ashli Babbitt Settlement
US taxpayers learned on Monday that the Trump Administration is paying the family of Ashli Babbitt nearly $5 million. Ashli Babbitt was the insurrectionist killed at the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Yes, you read that correctly.
Ms. Babbitt was shot as she tried to breach the barricaded House Speaker’s Lobby. President Trump has called her a “martyr” and a “patriot.”
Making America Safe Again?
There was a glimmer of hope after the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas in 2022. There was bipartisan support for investing in mental health support for students. But then the Trump Administration came along in 2025.
The US Department of Justice cancelled hundreds of grants that funded local government and community organizations’ gun violence prevention programs.
Heather Mount on Unsplash
Then the Trump Administration blocked $1 billion in grants for student mental health because this was no longer in “the best interest of the federal government.”
The latest example of the Trump Administration’s “Make America Safe Again” mantra is the legalization of “forced reset triggers.” I’m no firearms expert, but the best I can tell from reading and hearing the news reports is that this device enables a semiautomatic weapon to become even more deadly as it makes the shooter able to fire hundreds of rounds in a minute.
So when US Attorney General Pam Bondi said last week that this “will enhance public safety,” what did she mean? I guess I’m just stupid, because I don’t understand any of this.
Venezuelans losing Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
On Monday, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump Administration. The Court granted emergency application to the Department of Homeland Security to proceed with the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who had been given TPS by the Biden Administration. This ruling overruled a district court order.
US loses its AAA bond rating
And then there’s this, which sent stock markets around the word into a loss on Monday.
Shall I say something good that Trump did?
To be fair, I will point out that on Monday President Trump signed into law the Take It Down Act. The bill, which was championed by First Lady Melania Trump, sets stricter penalties for the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery online and “revenge porn.” The bill had overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress.
Finally, something most Republicans and Democrats can agree on!
Trump’sUS Interior Department loves plastic
The US Department of the Interior was recognized last June for its ongoing efforts to phase out the use of any and all single-use plastics. That was Joe Biden’s Department of the Interior.
Donald Trump’s Department of the Interior has rescinded the order behind that phase-out. So much for curbing pollution in our national parks. All bans on plastics on all federally managed land are being lifted.
US Secretary of Homeland Security’s Misunderstanding of Habeas Corpus
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem got tripped up in a Congressional hearing on Tuesday when US Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire referenced White House advisor Stephen Miller’s comment earlier in May that the Trump Administration was “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus.
Senator Hassan asked Secretary Noem, “What is habeas corpus?”
Secretary Noem’s response was jarring. She said, “Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country, and suspend their right to –”
Senator Hassan jumped in to cut her off. “That’s incorrect,” Hassan said. She went on to explain to Noem what habeas corpus is.
As I stated in my May 14, 2025, blog post, The New American Dream?: “Habeas corpus is a legal procedure by which a report can be made to a court alleging the unlawful detention or imprisonment of an individual, and requesting that the court order the individual’s custodian to bring the prisoner to court, to determine whether their detention is lawful.”
I also referenced habeas corpus in my May 19, 2025, blog post.
Senator Hassan and Secretary Noem’s exchange did not stop there.
“So, Secretary Noem, do you support the core protection that habeas corpus provides, that the government must provide a public reason in order to detain and imprison someone?” the senator asked.
Noem’s response was lame and telling: “I support habeas corpus. I also recognize that the president of the United States has the authority under the Constitution to decide if it should be suspended or not.”
In case we needed any more proof, we now have a member of President Trump’s Cabinet and his close advisor both stating in public that the suspension of habeas corpus is under consideration.
Meanwhile
Against my better judgment, I signed up for my US Representative’s newsletter. This former Baptist preacher does not disappoint. This week’s newsletter sang the praises of Trump ad nauseum. He is pushing for congress to codify into law every Executor Order Donald Trump has signed.
Here’s just one paragraph from his long newsletter of Trumpian praise: “It doesn’t matter if we have to vote seven days a week. The Republican Congress needs to be passing bills that codify the executive orders that have been advancing the America-first agenda. That’s why I joined 16 of my colleagues in calling on Speaker Johnson to prioritize codifying President Trump’s wins into law.’
In case you missed my May 19, 2025, blog post, I gave a little background information about Representative Harris and the election fraud that landed him in court in 2018.
Mr. Harris has not responded to my email to him a couple of weeks ago about my distress over the fact that the United States is on the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist for a narrowing of civil liberties.
He is a prime example of why I am frustrated with people who claim to be Christians but support Donald Trump. There is a disconnect there that I will never understand.
Until my next blog post, which I hope won’t be until next week…
I hope you have a good book to read and time to read it.
Remember the people of Ukraine and western North Carolina.
Janet's Writing Blog 