Month: April 2025

In physics class one learns that for every action, there is a reaction. The action of 36% of eligible voters neglecting to cast a ballot resulted in the election of Donald Trump to a second term. That is if he didn’t get help “rigging” the election as he claims (yes, he actually admitted that and it’s on video tape in the oval office). But absent rigging, it’s likely that a slight majority of voters who were either unaware, racist or misogynist, or concerned over the price of eggs ushered in the cruelty, chaos and corruption we are experiencing on a daily basis. However, reactions to Trump’s tyrannical actions have been swift.

In a few short months, Trump has nearly crashed the world economy with ill-conceived tariffs, dismantled government agencies and fired government workers, revoked student visas without legal cause, intimidated media outlets, ended corporate DEI efforts, extorted law firms and Universities, and threaten the sovereignty of Canada, Greenland, and Panama. He has kidnapped immigrant Venezuelan men off the streets, ignoring court orders and sending them to a prison (concentration camp) in El Salvador without any due process and then refused to bring them back. Immigrant children are literally being arrested at school and forced to represent themselves in deportation court hearings because this Administration is denying them representation. This week, his FBI agents arrested a judge, accusing her of attempting to thwart ICE’s arrest of an illegal immigrant in her courtroom. It’s true that sometimes morality (doing the right thing) has a cost attached to it.

This is where we are. We are saddled with an Administration that we know is sloppy, vengeful, corrupt, lawless, cruel, and incompetent. But they are also short-sighted. Turning this judge into a martyr will only embolden and encourage others to take the moral high ground. And I pray that many of us do. Saving our freedoms, preserving the environment, and defending others from ruin is worth getting into “good trouble”. But we also see their short-sightedness through their constant mistakes and backtracking. Notice how they fired some folks only to realize their mistake and then scrambled to rehire them. The tariff announcement crashed the market, imperiled businesses, and emboldened China to retaliate in ways that will harm farmers and empty our shelves in a matter of weeks. And with all the pain caused by DOSE, they haven’t uncovered the waste, fraud and abuse that was supposedly so rampant. In fact, thus far they have spent more money than they have saved. We see the real waste and abuse in the amount we are spending on golf trips, UFC fights, and an upcoming military parade.

The reality is that Trump cannot see past his ego and greed. His emotional insecurity demands that he be worshipped and obeyed no matter how ridiculous his commands. Musk can’t see past his insecurities and need to dominate. JD Vance can’t see past his ambition. And Speaker Mike Johnson can’t see past his desire for Taliban-like rulership. Not one of them can see past their racism and misogyny.

It may be our saving grace that Trump has filled his Administration with drug or alcohol-addicted nut cases who not only have weird ideas based on disproven conspiracy theories, but who are also incompetent. His second-class lawyers look to skirt the law or hide from it, showing up to court lacking information or legitimate arguments only to find themselves on the verge of disbarment and criminal contempt charges. Trump appointed ruthless loyalists to head law enforcement agencies because cruelty without due process can only be accomplished by people without a conscience. It is clear that the DOJ under Pam Bondi and the FBI under Kash Patel are not interested in justice but in shielding the Administration’s lawless behavior from prosecution while investigating Trump’s enemies for revenge.

In service to this tyrannical ego-driven agenda, this Administration has expelled the actual experts on constitutional law and government ethics along with the experts in science, economics, public health, climate, military strategy, and environmental protections. Not surprisingly, they have replaced actual experts with Trump loyalist who lack basic subject knowledge. Without thoughtful consideration they simply roll back regulations and fire public servants at agencies designed to protect our health, national security, and the environment. It’s as though they don’t believe we need clean air and water to survive or that climate driven natural disasters are real. Just last week, the Administration refused Arkansas FEMA funding for a devasting tornado, and they removed fishing restrictions designed to preserve fish species for future generations. Our national security has become a joke under Pete Hegseth, and our reputation around the world is ruined. And on top of all that, the Administration acts as though education is not important but is an impediment to their power. It is.

The short-sighted decisions to sideline experts, defund Universities, and revoke thousands of international student visas will lead to a brain drain. The most brilliant international minds will soon leave, and new international students and scholars will no longer come to the United States to study, teach, and conduct research. U.S. professors and researchers will find opportunities to continue their important and innovative research in other countries. Offers are already coming in. The most academically talented American students will follow the best professors outside the country to pursue their education. The United States will soon become known for its xenophobia and grossly inferior educational system. We are already becoming broadly viewed as those backward thinking, crude and dumb Americans. Without the most talented human minds to teach and mentor the next generation of teachers, scholars, doctors, scientists, and researchers, it will not be long before our children grow up sickly and illiterate.

Thankfully, the reaction to the attacks on education and student visa cancellations was swift. Campus protests and numerous lawsuits over cancelled student visas forced the Administration to reverse course on the matter. They restored the student visas a few days ago. But I contend that it is too late. The damage to the U.S. reputation as a preferred destination for international students has been done. Our government is seen as hostile to higher education, teachers, and to science. This has opened the door for China, Europe, Canada, and Australia to become the beneficiaries of the world’s most intellectually talented. This is how we benefitted from the likes of Eistein and other scientists who fled Nazi Germany.

Despite all the negativity, I have great hope because the short-sighted actions of this ridiculous Administration are sparking fierce reactions everywhere. April 19th was another day of protest across the country and a weekend boycott of big business. The Target and Tesla boycotts are having a real effect on profits with Target meeting with Al Sharpton and Tesla profits down 71%. Additionally, the lawsuits are piling up and the Administration has lost about 95% of them so far. People are speaking up at Republican town halls to let Republicans (and Democrats) know what is expected of them. Republican offices are being bombarded by emails and letters and phone calls with complaints. Tourism to the United States is dramatically down as countries issue travel warnings and Canadians are pissed off. Even in my social media feed, I can see that China isn’t backing down in the trade war and is actively trolling the Administration and exposing luxury brand retailers who have their items mostly made in China.

Each of us has a part to play. I write, boycott, post on social media, and donate to civil rights organizations and candidates. For those willing to take to the streets, there are big protests scheduled for May 1st and another one that begins on May 1st in Washington DC at Freedom Plaza where people plan to set up camp to provide consistent and persistent protest until Trump is removed from office. It is called the Mayday Movement. My point is that every harmful action by this Administration must continue to be met by an equal or more forceful reaction. We can’t let up until our united actions lead to the outcome we really seek: an end to the Trump Administration and its lawlessness.

In desperate times like these, average citizens must take action. Anyone who cares must use their voice to oppose the fact that public safety net programs are being crippled, that people are being abducted and sent to foreign prisons without any due process of law, that women’s rights to reproductive healthcare and voting are threatened, that medical and environmental research are being defunded, that books and history are being banned, that government workers are being fired, that the department of education is being dismantled along with FEMA, that the rule of law and the Constitution are being ignored, that trans people are having their rights taken away, that ludicrous tariffs are causing prices to rise and tanking the economy, and that the nation is becoming a pariah in the world.

What is your chosen voice of opposition? Is it protesting in the streets? Is it boycotting? Is it in the arts? Is it showing up at the office of representatives or a Tesla dealership? Is it making social media posts? Is it donating to opposition organizations? Big numbers in peaceful opposition from every corner and in every way is required to meet this moment.

One of my ways to express my opposition is emailing or writing letters to political leaders (like the one I share here.) I also sent a letter yesterday to house minority leader Hakeen Jeffries, encouraging him to speak and act more boldly in opposition to the corrupt and evil Republican agenda that harms our democracy and ruins the lives of many people.

April 12, 2025

Dear Speaker Mike Johnson,

With each passing day, I have less confidence that you and the Republican lawmakers are motivated to help average Americans in their pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.  I watch you condone the cruelty, lawlessness, corruption, and unconstitutional executive orders coming from Trump and I see you abdicate your congressional duty as a co-equal branch of government, elected by the American people to represent them and to uphold the Constitution.  Your refusal to hold Trump accountable and your endorsement of policies and actions that harm Americans and human beings who have migrated here for a better life is repulsive to me.  I want my tax dollars to provide a safety net for Americans, to protect the environment for future generations, and to build an infrastructure that enables Americans to work hard, innovate, and thrive.  

On another note, I deeply resent Trump’s plan to spend $100 million dollars on a military parade to celebrate his birthday.  It’s vulgar!  We do not have a king and the great majority of us do not want a king. And if we did, he would not be worthy of the position with his sloppiness, corruption, lack of empathy, and blatant incompetence.  He is a bully and a thug and sadly, you continue to empower him. Shame on you!

I once thought you had the welfare of the American people in mind, but no longer.  I see that you are about power, money, and installing a ruthless theocracy that is similar to the Taliban: oppressive, cruel, incompetent, devoid of empathy and incapable of harnessing the talents and gifts of its people.  Like Trump, you deal in oppression, discrimination, lies, and fearmongering to advance your evil agenda while lining the pockets of billionaires at the expense of the average Americans.  You want to erase history, multiculturalism, basic human rights, and to silence Americans who disagree with your unconstitutional vision for this country.    

But even more important, I’m deeply disappointed in your distortion of Christianity.  You give God and His Son a bad name with your cruel and ruthless legislative agenda.  Jesus told us that we will know a tree by the fruit that it bears.  Your agenda proves that you are one of those people Jesus spoke about in Matthew 7: 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Then in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus says: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them, one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  The King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”  Jesus goes on to declare in verse 40, “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to Me.”  And then in verses 45-46 He describes the eternal punishment that awaits those who did not help those in need.  

Your legislative agenda will inflict harm upon the poor, upon women, and upon the immigrant.  It will disempower women, the educated, and talented who drive this nation forward. I see no compassion, no empathy, and no understanding of the struggle many Americans face when it comes to accessing the necessities required to thrive. There seems to be no regard for the basic freedoms of every American. We are headed to be like North Korea or Afghanistan.  We will soon be a nation filled with terrified, ignorant, sick, and hungry people, isolated from the rest of the world.  You and your friends will be drunk with power and money as you rule over ashes. I wonder if you will even notice.  I predict this country will be incapable of producing the talent and productivity the world once admired. Trump is already pushing the most intelligent scholars in the world to other countries with his anti-immigration policies. The brain-drain away from the United States is already happening. The masses in this country will soon be in survival mode and no innovation or real productivity comes from that. This country will soon fall far behind other nations who welcome immigrants, value their people, protect them, educate them, and empower them.

I can’t imagine that this is the future you desire for our country, but it is the future that awaits us if you do not change course by first doing your job as a co-equal branch of government and a member of Congress who took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.  At this point, you aren’t even doing your duty as a Christian. Both God and history will not look kindly upon you if you fail to change course.

Sincerely,

Dr. Juanita Hall, Voting Citizen

I’ve been glad to see the Town Hall contentious interactions with Republicans lawmakers. I was also elated to see the massive street protests across the country yesterday. I hope the resistance continues to grow to the point they can no longer be ignored by MAGA and the Republicans who fear Trump. Noticeably absent from the Town Halls and the street protests are people of color, specifically black faces, and I understand why. We feel that we did our job sounding the alarm prior to election day and then we voted in mass for Harris. We are protesting on social media and with our wallets through various boycotts. We recognize that this power struggle over the direction of the country belongs to white people even though we will be disproportionately suffering from the cruel and reckless Trump policies if the indecent white folks win. Our greatest responsibility is to protect ourselves.

There are a few people I watch and listen to when it comes to my wellbeing with regards to my finances, health, political participation, and gardening. For example, after the election, I followed Warren Buffet in a move to cash, divesting enough cash from the market in late 2024 and early 2025 to last seven years. I put that money into a high yield savings account and certificates of deposit. I also reduced my monthly stock market investments by 75%, limiting my remaining investment to a single index fund. And I made a commitment to not look at the stock market. And then we looked to reduce future spending.

In anticipation of a Trump induced financial turndown with his threatened tariffs (now reality), we made household upgrades. including an expansion of our food pantry and then purchased food staples, stocked up on everyday household items and then expanded our produce garden. We purchased seeds as opposed to seedlings (a fraction of the price) and learned from YouTube videos how to grow produce from seeds. I stockpiled clothes, crafting items, birthday gifts, and Christmas gifts for 2025 and 2026, purchasing these items during black Friday and the after Christmas sales.

When it comes to protecting our health, we listened carefully to the information and experiences surrounding Medicare advantage versus Medigap plans and chose Medigap for our medical care needs. Medigap plans may be more expensive, however, they offer greater protections and access to healthcare when it is really needed. On another note, I have very little confidence in this Administration’s public health decisions, so I’m paying special attention to maintaining my health. We’ve received all the recommended vaccines and doctor’s checkups, including dental visits. Part of this added attention to our health includes avoiding big crowds and wearing a mask in public. Since the fires and living in an earthquake zone, we upgraded our emergency kit to include a solar-powered generator and additional items. Under this administration, we anticipate that less aid will be available following a disaster. At this point, I’ve decided I’m not comfortable flying. However, we did renew our passports as a precaution.

Our mental health is important to us. We decided to spend our discretionary funds investing in ourselves, our relationships, helping the needy and helping to fund the political fight to save our country and the freedoms of our children and grandchildren. Our priority is maintaining our mental and physical health and that of our family members. Beyond that, we donate to political candidates and to organizations fighting in the courts on behalf of our rights. We continue to donate to fund medical research, food charities, and scholarships because we are all in this together.

We’ve noticed that the news is always disturbing these days, so we limit ourselves to small bites of news each day and limit our discussions of Trump and his latest act of cruelty. My husband has taken to watching cartoons and crime stories while I listen to music a lot more. I’m walking and stretching and doing breathing exercises to relieve stress. These practices also improve my physical stamina and flexibility. We’re both spending more time in the backyard enjoying the flowers and the birds and doing a lot of gardening. I’m making our favorite foods. We rely on pictures and videos of our grandchildren to make us laugh and smile throughout the day. Their futures are a huge motivator for us.

In this time of national distress, we cannot do nothing. While some people are taking to the streets to protest, I prefer to make my political posts each morning to encourage others to also stay in the fight for our decency, democracy, and our rights. We are participating in the Target boycott. We haven’t shopped in Target since January 31st. We frequently engage in conversations with busy family and friends to keep them informed and I frequently write to lawmakers to share my thoughts as well. And of course, I write this blog.

Horrible things are happening every day to innocent people. The cruelty, lawlessness, lies, and incompetence makes us angry. We find ourselves in a perpetual state of distress that no one asked for (not even a lot of Trump voters). So, it is imperative that we take additional steps to care for ourselves and our loved ones. In addition, it is required of us as patriots to do our part to resist the forces that seek to undermine our freedoms, destroy the rule of law and crash our economy.