Posted inDonald Trump International issues Uncategorized

Trump wanted a fellow authoritarian to continue ruling Hungary. Hungarians voted differently today. Yay!

Thank you, Hungarian voters. You brought a big smile to my face when I learned that Viktor Orban, the authoritarian who has ruled Hungary for 16 years, had conceded to Peter Magyar -- the leader of a party that is expected to win 138 of the 199 seats in Hungary's parliament, which gives Magyar's party a 2/3 supermajority that will allow them to revise the Hungarian constitution that Orban had meddled with to keep himself and his cronies in power. It was a sweet victory for those of us here in the United States who detest Trump and J.D. Vance.…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics Uncategorized

Photos and videos of 2026 Salem No Kings rally

Yesterday I attended the first No Kings rally of 2026 at the capitol mall here in Salem. Per usual, the signs were music to my Trump-hating ears. My wife got there before me, but I ran into Laurel and her sign before entering the crowd of attendees, who totaled about 5,000. Salem Mayor Julie Hoy got called out for her Trumpian MAGA love. This sign laid out the situation clearly. There was a No Kings dinosaur. And the iconic blow-up frog. Nice blend of Iran war and Epstein files. This woman was on crutches. "I run better than the government."…
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Posted inDonald Trump International issues Uncategorized

“Iran’s Long Game” in Foreign Affairs shows how Iran can win the war while losing militarily

Whether or not you favor Trump's war against Iran, I highly recommend that you read a terrific March 26 article by Narges Bajoghli in Foreign Affairs, "Iran's Long Game." I liked it so much, after being able to read it as a guest, I just subscribed to Foreign Affairs -- so that gift link should enable you to read it also. In case the link doesn't work, here's a PDF link of the article. Iran’s Long Game | Foreign Affairs Bajoghli has some solid credentials. She is an anthropologist and Associate Professor of Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins…
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Posted inJulie Hoy Uncategorized

Mayor Hoy’s excuse for not signing a letter criticizing ICE is akin to “the dog ate my homework”

Back in the not-really-so-old days, students turned in homework assignments that were -- shock! -- written on paper, not a screen. (Maybe this still happens in our digital age; I'm clueless about modern homework practices.) The classic excuse for not turning in an assignment was "the dog ate my homework." "The dog ate my homework", or "my dog ate my homework", is an expression which carries the suggestion of being a common, poorly fabricated excuse made by children to explain why they have failed to turn in an assignment on time. The phrase is also referenced outside of an academic…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics Uncategorized

ICE just murdered a woman for no reason. Trump and Noem are lying about the killing.

Today the always-cruel Trump administration outdid themselves by murdering a 37 year old Minneapolis woman whose "crime," if you can even call it that, was using her car to block a road being used by a convoy of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents. The killing was captured on video, thankfully, because otherwise Trump and Noem (she's the head of Homeland Security) might have gotten away with their absurd claim that the woman, Renee Nicole Good, was a domestic terrorist who tried to kill ICE agents by running them over with her car. A Politico story describes who Good actually…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics Uncategorized

Add “war crimes” and “murder” to the long list of Trump administration atrocities

President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth are adept at lying. But truth needs to have the last word, especially when the facts are so obvious about war crimes or murders being committed by the United States military at the behest of the Trump administration. Fact 1: There is no evidence that the boats in the Caribbean supposedly containing cocaine that the U.S. has been hitting with drone-fired missiles are heading to our country. For one thing they are too small to make it to the United States. Also, I've heard that most cocaine from Venezuela goes to Europe or…
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Posted inNational politics Uncategorized

Charlie Kirk didn’t deserve to be killed. But he spewed falsehoods and hate.

I'm sorry Charlie Kirk, a well-known right-wing activist, was killed by an assassin in Utah last Wednesday. No one deserves to die for expressing their political beliefs. However, I'm amazed at how the Trump administration reacted to his death as if he was a former president. The vice-president flew to Utah on Air Force Two and transported his body back to Arizona, where Kirk lived. The FBI director went to Utah to oversee the manhunt for his killer, even though Kash Patel has no experience in this area. Flags were flown at half-staff. Praise of Kirk from Republicans made him…
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Posted inDonald Trump National politics Uncategorized

Oregon’s Covid vaccine problem shows how destructive Trump is

It's starting to feel a lot like The Handmaid's Tale, that gripping series about how the United States was taken over by religious zealots who forced women into being raped in order to have children at a time when infertility gripped the world. I came to The Handmaid's Tale late, but watched it every day until I was able to write about how the conclusion inspired resistance against Trump's autocracy. In the series, the only states who remained free of the zealotry were Alaska and Hawaii, if I remember correctly. I have the impression that the West Coast states also…
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Angry men used to just complain. Now they shoot people.

Recently there's been three shootings of people who made an innocent mistake and were shot by an angry man. That got me to thinking about Mr. Wilson of the Dennis the Menace comic strip. (Yeah, I'm old.) Dennis irritated Wilson, but back then cranky men just swore and complained. These days, given how awash our country is with guns, all too often angry men start shooting. We don't have a mental health problem. We have a gun problem. I wrote about this on substack. Now that I've tried writing several posts on substack, I probably won't be doing so again,…
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I demolish more myths about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Today is the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The United Nations General Assembly marked the occasion by overwhelmingly backing a resolution condemning Russia's invasion and calling for the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine and an end to the fighting. There were 141 nations on the side of freedom and democracy; 32 countries abstained; 7, including Russia, voted against the resolution.  I'm commemorating Ukraine's incredible brave fight against the Russian aggression, and war crimes, by once again demolishing myths about the war that keep being sent to me by someone who clearly has bought into lies being spread about…
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350 Salem OR’s TOP TEN Climate Action Strategies

Nicely done, Salem branch of the 350 climate action organization that advocates for reducing carbon pollution as much and as rapidly as possible. Below are the top ten climate action strategies that 350 Salem OR submitted to the City Council as a public comment in advance of last Monday's work session on the Salem Climate Action Plan. This is how their web site introduced the strategies. To meet the Salem City Council’s goal of a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2035 it is critical that the City focus on the most effective reduction strategies immediately, particularly related to…
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Vote for Oregon Democrats, because the Republican Party is Trump’s party

Today Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of all power after the election. Instead, Trump said that he wanted to get rid of mail in ballots. If that happens, Trump added, there will be a continuation of his presidency. Well, yeah. If you get rid of mail in ballots, and most Democrats plan to vote that way because of the COVID-19 crisis, then Trump steals the election. Which is exactly what an authoritarian would try to do.  That's just one of many reasons why I say... I want to be clear that it's important for people in the…
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City Council needs to start work on Climate Action Plan

Hopefully, tomorrow the Salem City Council will take a big environmental step forward by approving $50,000 in the FY 2020 budget (begins on July 1, 2019) to start work on a climate action plan. The $50,000 was discussed at length at the council's June 10 meeting. Councilor Tom Andersen made a motion to amend the proposed FY 2020 budget to include what amounts to a down payment on a full climate action plan, since $50,000 apparently wouldn't be enough to complete the plan. Draft minutes of the June 10 meeting show a curious division of votes on Andersen's motion. Four…
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Three journalists talk about the Oregon Legislature

"Journalism is a public service, like being a fireman or policeman." I heartily agreed with what one of the three journalists shown below said at today's Salem City Club program, The Oregon Legislature Through the Eyes of Journalists." (From left to right: Aubrey Wieber of the Salem Reporter; Connor Radnovich of the Statesman Journal; Claire Withycombe of the East Oregonian and Salem Reporter -- who was filling in for Hillary Borrud of the Oregonian, whose editor called her away at the last moment for some other duty.) Before I  talk about the substance of what Wieber, Radnovich, and Withycombe said, I…
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Tell the Salem City Council, “The plan for a new Costco sucks.”

OK, don't take the title of this blog post literally. Actually I don't recommend that you email the City Council prior to their Monday, December 10 meeting and tell them that the plan for a relocated Costco in south Salem sucks.  (email address under that link is citycouncil@cityofsalem.net) Rather, express yourself with synonyms. Like, really bad idea; traffic nightmare; White Oak killing spree; doesn't fit with residential neighborhood. Check out two neighborhood appeals of the Costco plan for more specific ideas.Download SNGA Appeal Letter dated November 7 2018Download Anuta Appeal Letter Dated November 7 2018 I'm a Costco member. So…
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Battle of the Books continues with Salem Public Library on defense

There's something both marvelous and disturbing about the vigorous debate happening now (geez, I sound like CNN) between Jim Scheppke, an ardent supporter of all things library'ish, and Sarah Strahl, director of the Salem Public Library, regarding tens of thousands of books being removed from the core collection.  Marvelous, because I love it when someone who cares deeply about an issue here in Salem takes on the Powers That Be with fierce intensity. In this case, literally, because as you can read below, Scheppke takes issue with what Steve Powers, the City Manager, is saying about the library's severe cutting…
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Gallup says Oregon is non-religious, liberal, and dislikes Trump

OK, the "headline" of this blog post isn't surprising news.  Still, political junkies like me love to pour over the statistics Gallup shared in a State of the States report, which is based on 2017 data. Below are screenshots for Oregon, the nation as a whole, Washington, and California.  Here's some key takeaways: Trump approval. Only 36% of Oregonians approve of  Trump, just a bit less than the 38% for the nation as a whole. Of the three West Coast states, California is the least approving of Trump at 29%, with Washington at 34%. Republican vs. Democrat leaning. Only 36%…
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City of Salem’s Creekside crony capitalism clown show continues

Whenever I think the Creekside Golf Course water rate giveaway attempt, a.k.a. IrriGate, can't get any sleazier and more ridiculous, it does! Thanks to some good reporting by Tracy Loew in the Statesman Journal, we've learned "Creekside water deal off again." For those who haven't been closely following this Crony Capitalism Clown Show, here's a recap of the episodes to date, as told through my blog posts: Scene 1: The Water-Wastewater Task Force (appropriate acronym, WTF) gives the Creekside Golf Course a requested $60,000 rate cut on its irrigation bill after the golf course owners say that otherwise they'll go…
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“Speak Up” or “Shut Up” — choice for voters in Salem’s May 17 election

Here's the important choice Salem voters will make in the May 17 election for Mayor and four City Council seats. Do we want a Mayor and City Councilors who encourage us to SPEAK UP?These candidates are Carole Smith, Mayor; Cara Kaser, Ward 1; Matt Ausec, Ward 5: Sally Cook, Ward 7. Or do we want a Mayor and City Councilors who prefer that we SHUT UP?These candidates are Chuck Bennett, Mayor; Jan Kailuweit, Ward 1; Brad Nanke, Ward 3; Warren Bednarz, Ward 7. I've heard each of the SPEAK UP and SHUT UP candidates speak at debates and forums. I've perused…
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Why Salem Political Snark? SO MANY REASONS!

(1) Keeping Them Honest. There's a whole lot of sleaze going on in politics these days. Too many public figures think they can say or do outrageous stuff, and people won't notice. Or, care. Well, Salem Political Snark does! Like the saying goes, we're doing the Speak Truth to Power thing. (2) Standing Up For the Little Guy/Gal. In Salem, as elsewhere, the folks who already have money and power try to get more by buying elections, manipulating the media, and making backroom deals. This town has its own version of the 1%, which does its best to keep on top of…