Dedicated hard working federal employees deserve our respect, dignity and American support.

In defense of federal employees: Echo opinion letter published in the Las Vegas the Courier Journal: 

https://www.recordcourier.com/news/2025/apr/09/april-9-2025-r-c-letters-to-the-editor/

Editor:  First, full disclosure, I’m a retired federal employee. I worked for the Air Force as a Financial Manager for 25-plus years. (Maine Writer- Thank you!)

What Trump and Musk are really doing to destroy our country reported in Slate

Outraged❗ The attitude about federal employees can be traced almost directly to the Republican Congress, using them as a scapegoat for their failure to properly monitor, fund, change regulations or responsibilities of those agencies. 

What Congress doesn’t want you to know is that these agencies are only doing what Congress authorizes them to do. They can limit activity by appointees of one administration, but usually don’t do that because they don’t want those activities limited by the other party when administrations change. 

They just create political theater by calling agency leadership to congressional hearings that don’t produce anything substantive because agency leaders generally aren’t doing anything illegal.

There isn’t one agency or organization that is part of the federal government that wasn’t created, funded, and approved annually by Congress. That extends to the civilian and military employees of those agencies. Most federal employees aren’t political, as a matter of fact, there are laws that prevent political activity by those employees. Some senior leadership at most agencies are specially created and approved as political appointees; they regularly change with the change in administration, by design. These are the positions that set the agenda for the agency and can change agency political direction based on the party in the White House. Again – by design by Congress. When Congress creates a new agency, it defines what that agency can do, what its responsibilities are, etc. Most times, Congress intentionally makes those rules pretty flexible, to allow for changes in policy depending on elections. Congress also has the responsibility to monitor activities and performance in those agencies by calling them to testify before different committees in the House or Senate.

This administration’s, and especially Musk/DOGE’s random and indiscriminate firing of federal employees, most of the time without even knowing what functions they support in the agencies affected, is cruel and really ignorant. It is not getting rid of fraud, waste, inefficiencies – there’s no what they could have done the intense analysis required to find those things. And I guarantee you ❗the 19 year old tech bros don’t understand the mission about the agencies they’re attacking, much less the service these employees provide to the American public. It’s insulting and cruel – these are people that have families, mortgages, just like us. Many are truly dedicated, patriotic, and want to build life long careers in these agencies because of their personal beliefs and interests. Many have worked long and hard to get their jobs, just to have them eliminated for some cruel political stunt. Too bad we don’t have a Congress that take back their Constitutionally assigned power and reverse this senseless activity.

From Deborah Huelsman in Gardnerville, Nevada

Hands Off Social Security! Elon Musk and Republicans creating fear among beneficiaries who earned their retirement!

Worried About Social Security❓ #FireElonMusk❗

Opinion letter published in the Las Vegas The Record-Courier:

Editor:  Elon Musk’s recent statements about Social Security should scare everyone.😱😰😨 Musk is pushing debunked claims that the program is “rife with fraud” while insisting, without evidence, that there’s massive waste to cut. 

On Fox (Fake❗)Business, Musk declared entitlements like Social Security is “the big one to eliminate.” 

These horrible scare tactics have zero factual basis: government watchdogs find less than 1 percent of benefits are paid improperly, and experts call Musk’s allegations blatant misinformation.

Now those false claims are used to justify harmful changes to the Social Security support system. The Donald Trump Republican administration’s new Department of Government Efficiency (is rolling out policies that hurt everyday beneficiaries. As of March 31, 2025, Social Security recipients must verify their identity online or in person, phone verification is no longer allowed. This creates huge obstacles for seniors, people with disabilities, and rural residents who often lack internet access or reliable transportation.

Meanwhile, severe budget cuts are undermining Social Security services. The agency has already lost 7,000 employees, and six of its ten regional offices are set to close. Local Social Security field offices are also disappearing; the Las Vegas office is already closing, and Reno may be next. Closing offices and slashing staff will only make it harder for millions to get the benefits they’ve earned.

The future of Social Security is at stake, and we must not stay silent. Now is the time to push back against misinformation and demand our leaders protect this vital program for everyone who depends on it.

From Beth Mancl in Genoa, Nevada

Vote President Joe Biden to save American democracy in 2024

Echo report published in the Daily Beast by Matt Young:

President Joe Biden Lists Why a Second Trump Presidency Would Be a ‘Nightmare’

President Joe Biden took aim squarely at Donald Trump Sunday as he ramped up his campaign efforts and took his pitch to the voters of Nevada just days before the Democratic primary, describing the upcoming 2024, election as a “battle for the soul of our nation.”

The president attended two campaign events in the battleground state, beginning with a fundraiser in which the Associated Press described the president focusing “on Trump’s ample history of provocative statements.” Trump’s comparison to January 6th rioters as “hostages” and his infamous promise that he would be “dictator” on Day One of his presidency were among those to feature.

Dump Trump!

Then, speaking to a crowd at the Pearson Community Center in a predominantly Black community in Las Vegas—the historic Westside neighborhood—Biden started swinging at Trump almost immediately, vowing to “make Donald Trump a loser again.”

Describing the “mess” he was left after Trump left the White House–including a raging COVID-19 pandemic and a floundering economy– Biden warned, “imagine the nightmare if Donald Trump is re-elected,” to a chorus of chants of “No!” from the crowd.

“Look how far we’ve come because of you,” Biden said, thanking followers for staying with him despite concerns of a flagging popularity base.

“I know, we know, we have a lot more to do,” Biden said. “Not everyone is feeling the benefits of our investments and progress yet.”

But, he urged, “we have to win. I give you my word, we have to. There’s not much of a choice here.”

Vote Blue 2024

Referring to Trump back-and-forth within his 30-minute speech, Biden criticized him on gun control, abortion and the economy, among other talking points. At one point, Biden referred to a 2020, report on the then-President Trump reportedly calling fallen Americans who died in World War II “losers” and “suckers.”

“That’s how this guy thinks. Who the hell does he think he is?”

Responding to Biden’s speech to the Associated Press, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said Biden “has been a nightmare for this country in just three short years in the White House, and no amount of gaslighting will make Americans forget about all the misery and destruction he has brought.” 

Steven Cheung

Nevada will hold its Democratic primary on Tuesday, following Biden’s win in South Carolina last week, though the competition isn’t exactly fierce.

One of his most vocal opponents, Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, missed the filing deadline and won’t even appear on the ballot. His other challenger–self-help author Marianne Williamson—is not expected to make a dent against the president.

Immigration is American history!

Echo opinion published in the Las Vegas Sun: 

Immigration reform is the right thing to do
By Selena Torres

Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022

Nevada is a state where almost everyone is from somewhere else — it is a state of opportunity both built by immigrants and fueled by a largely immigrant labor force. In fact, the Census Bureau's Racial and Ethnic Diversity Index puts Nevada as the third most diverse state in the country, behind only California and Hawaii. 

According to the Census Bureau, there is a 68.8% chance that two Nevadans chosen at random will be from different racial and ethnic groups.Aug 16, 2021

According to the American Immigration Council, 1 in 5 Nevadans are immigrants, and 1 in 6 “native-born” U.S. citizens have immigrant parents. These Nevadans are our neighbors, friends, colleagues, nurses, or maybe your child’s teacher.

For years, activists, Dreamers (DACA) and advocacy groups have been fighting to create a pathway to citizenship for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and other undocumented immigrants. While President Joe Biden’s plan to add immigration into his Build Back Better bill is currently not looking like a promising vehicle, there are still opportunities to pass desperately needed protections for undocumented immigrants who have lived in our country for an average of 20 years.

Despite some disappointing setbacks, including rulings made by the Senate parliamentarian, expanding protections for undocumented immigrants in Nevada and across the country must be a priority for our leaders in the Senate. They should explore the various options available in order to secure protections for undocumented immigrants through this legislation.

As our late former senator, Harry Reid, told The Hill in October, “Americans want legal status for immigrants who have worked hard, paid taxes and made their lives in the United States.”

He’s right. Data shows that the immigration provisions in the Build Back Better Act are supported by 75% of Americans overall, including 88% of Democrats, 81% of independents and 58% of Republicans.

As an assemblywoman, it is my duty to advocate for all those in my community who need it, and I stand with the Dreamers, Temporary Protective Status holders and other undocumented immigrants who have stood with us in difficult times.

It is well past time for us all to stand with them. Nevadans deserve better, Americans deserve better.

I know Nevada Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto care about solving this issue. We are lucky to have leaders who listen to us, and I urge them to push their colleagues to take any and all steps necessary to ensure that this gets done now.

We are tired of empty promises when there are lives and livelihoods at stake, vulnerable to deportation and separation — when the chance to relieve them of their worries is here. 

Congress must pass robust immigration relief, whether in the Build Back Better Act or in any vehicle necessary to deliver for millions of American families and help keep our economy recovering. 

As the late Harry Reid said about immigration relief, “the time is now.”

Assemblywoman Selena Torres
Party: Democratic

Selena Torres was elected to the Nevada Assembly in 2018, and re-elected in 2020. She serves District 3.

Republicans are hypocrites and the leadership are cowards

Echo opinion letter published in the Las Vegas Sun, in Nevada

Ken Kolman in Henderson Nevada

Marjorie Taylor Greene Wants People to Know that She's Not Just Crazy, but she's also a bigot.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (aka, a wooden dummy come alive!) of California is showing his true colors. 

Kevin McCarthy may offer proof for the "dummy is alive" syndrome!

First, he condemned #FormerGuy Trump for starting the Jan. 6th Capitol insurrection, and in his next breath he flew out to Florida to suck up to the almighty one and kiss the ring.

Then, he got Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., removed from her position in the House and replaced her with another Trump suck-up.

Now, he will not take any action against rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., (a GQP crazy!) ridiculously claiming that mask mandates are the same as the Holocaust, when Jewish people were made to wear a yellow star and sent to concentration camps. McCarthy has not said a word about these insults to the Jewish community because Greene is another Trump suck-up.

One member gets removed for telling the truth, but another keeps ridiculing ethnic groups and nothing happens to her. When it comes time to re-elect Greene, I hope that Georgians in her district think long and hard about having a lunatic making these statements. Their vote is their best tool to stop this lunacy, since McCarthy will not do anything to stop her. 

Nevada echo opinion letter - Donald Trump must be voted out of office

Published in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.

This letter is from Marnin Spigelman in Henderson, Nevada.

Donald Trump's irresponsible foreign policy

The ramifications of antagonizing Iran, as well as abrogating the allied treaty that would limit its ability to delay the creation of a nuclear arsenal, are now being felt based on the irresponsible action by Donald Trump’s reimposing trade and other sanctions. As a result of his misguided posture, the world is now more at risk of a nuclear holocaust.

Trump’s political ignorance and misguided actions, together with his vile language and autocratic intentions, have resulted in the most dangerous time for our country since 9/11. His photo-ops and praises for the worst dictators in the world, in addition to creating dissension among our allies, has seriously diminished our country’s credibility.

Despite his “love letters” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, there still is a nuclear crisis scenario developing in the Far East. Trump’s camaraderie with Russian President Vladmir Putin has virtually ensured continued disruption of our electoral process. The issues with China potentially could explode into a full-blown trade war to the detriment of our citizens. Further, his romance with Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines almost validates that dictator’s killings without judicial due process.

Now, Donald Trump is trying to further the GOP control of government with his quest to include a census question that would ensure Republican dominance. 

The time has come for voters to finally realize that a coup is in the air, and we must be vigilant before making a serious mistake by re-electing this unstable president.

Falling in love with love and Kim Jung Un

If this were a Ripley's feature we'd be saying "Believe it Or Not".

Trump’s fawning over North Korean tyrant is a national security issue ~ Editorial echo published in the Nevada newspaper The Las Vegas Sun (with MaineWriter prologue: Falling in Love With Love is Falling for Make Believe by Frank Sinatra)

Falling in Love With LoveCaring too much is juvenile fancy
Learning to trust is just
For children in school
I fell in love with love one night
When the moon was full
I was unwise with eyes
Unable to see

Donald Trump says he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un “fell in love” after their meeting this summer, which is incredible when you think about the kind of people Trump has vilified.

That group would include Democrats, the media, women, the European Union, Canadians, immigrants and many, many others~ including the National Football League and Mexicans.

So let’s see, on one hand there’s the leader of a nation that is attacking the U.S. in cyberspace, is working to disrupt our elections, starved its own people and condemned entire families to lifetimes of hard labor in gulags.

On the other are individuals who are loyal to democratic values but simply disagree with Trump on his approach and behavior.

Trump loves one and hates the others.

From this, there’s an important lesson we should all understand: Our enemies don’t need to threaten us with weapons. Instead, all they need to do is weaponize praise for Trump.

Trump’s gushing toward Kim will have a direct impact on U.S. efforts to push North Korea toward denuclearization.

For Kim, it’s a clear sign that Trump won’t be inclined to take a hard line in negotiations, which only threatens to strengthen North Korea’s resistance to abandoning its nuclear weapons program.

The timing of Trump’s remarks couldn’t have been worse, either, given that he made them on the same day North Korea’s foreign minister told the United Nations that there was “no way” his country would give up its nukes unless the U.S. eased its sanctions.

Ri Yong Ho told the General Assembly that North Korea had taken such “significant goodwill measures” as dismantling its nuclear test site and stopping missile tests but had seen no “corresponding response” from the U.S.

“Without any trust in the U.S., there will be no confidence in our national security — and under such circumstances, there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first,” he said.

Now, with Trump expressing his man-crush for Kim, why wouldn’t North Korea strengthen its demand to an end of sanctions? Trump can correctly say that his administration has not given ground on sanctions, and that he backed off from sending U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to North Korea because there had been insufficient progress in negotiations, but meanwhile his glowing words about Kim can only boost North Korea’s resolve.

So much for the art of the deal, at least on Trump’s end. Kim, on the other hand, appears to have played Trump magnificently, no doubt by stroking his ego and feeding his narcissism.

Trump would love for Americans to believe that he and Kim have formed a bond of trust that has made the world a safer place, as Trump famously declared when he tweeted “There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea” after his June meeting with Kim.

That wasn’t true then and isn’t true now. And as long as Trump keeps blowing kisses at Kim, there’s no reason to believe North Korea will respond to any pressure to move forward.

No doubt, Trump’s supporters will say he’s being brilliant somehow, perhaps by suggesting he’s keeping friends close and enemies closer. Or maybe they’ll turn to the old excuse for his behavior, and say Americans shouldn’t focus on Trump’s words but rather the actions his administration is taking.

But it’s clearly evident that Trump trembles with pleasure at praise from any enemy. All someone like Kim or Vladimir Putin needs to do is fluff his ego and feed his narcissism with the most florid and preposterous praise, and he responds like a puppy.

Trump’s neediness puts our national security at profound risk, and his behavior toward Kim demonstrates this as starkly as anything could. Never have we had a president so easily manipulated.

Ad free transcript of "Alt-Right" speech by Hillary Clinton

Transcript: Hillary Clinton's full remarks in Reno, NevadaBy POLITICO Staff  08/25/16 
"If he doesn’t respect all Americans, how can he serve all Americans?"- Secretary Hillary Clinton, Reno Nevada

Secretary Hillary Clinto in Reno Nevada "Alt-Right" speech

Although the "alt right" lock step Donald Trumpists have cluttered Hillary Clinton's speech sites with their right wing Nazi salute ads, I've made it a point of posting the transcripts ad free on my Maine Writer blog here:

Hillary Clinton Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
in Reno, Nevada
Thank you, Reno! It’s great to be back in Nevada…
My original plan for this visit was to focus on our agenda to help small businesses and entrepreneurs.

This week we proposed new steps to cut red tape and taxes, and make it easier for small businesses to get the credit they need to grow and hire.

Because I believe that in America, if you can dream it, you should be able to build it.

We’ll be talking a lot more about our economic plans in the days and weeks ahead.

But today, I want to address something I hear from Americans all over our country.

Everywhere I go, people tell me how concerned they are by the divisive rhetoric coming from my opponent in this election.

It’s like nothing we’ve heard before from a nominee for President of the United States.

From the start, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia.

He’s taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America’s two major political parties.

His disregard for the values that make our country great is profoundly dangerous.

In just the past week, under the guise of “outreach” to African Americans, Trump has stood up in front of largely white audiences and described black communities in insulting and ignorant terms:

“Poverty. Rejection. Horrible education. No housing. No homes. No ownership.

Crime at levels nobody has seen… Right now, you walk down the street, you get shot.”

Those are his words.

Donald Trump misses so much.

He doesn’t see the success of black leaders in every field…

The vibrancy of black-owned businesses…Or the strength of the black church… He doesn’t see the excellence of historically black colleges and universities or the pride of black parents watching their children thrive…And he certainly doesn’t have any solutions to take on the reality of systemic racism and create more equity and opportunity in communities of color.

It takes a lot of nerve to ask people he’s ignored and mistreated for decades, “What do you have to lose?” The answer is everything!

Trump’s lack of knowledge or experience or solutions would be bad enough.

But what he’s doing here is more sinister.

Trump is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters.

It’s a disturbing preview of what kind of President he’d be.

This is what I want to make clear today:

A man with a long history of racial discrimination, who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far reaches of the internet, should never run our government or command our military.

If he doesn’t respect all Americans, how can he serve all Americans?
Now, I know some people still want to give Trump the benefit of the doubt.

They hope that he will eventually reinvent himself – that there’s a kinder, gentler, more responsible Donald Trump waiting in the wings somewhere.

After all, it’s hard to believe anyone – let alone a nominee for President of the United States – could really believe all the things he says.

But the hard truth is, there’s no other Donald Trump. This is it.

Maya Angelou once said: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

Well, throughout his career and this campaign, Donald Trump has shown us exactly who he is. We should believe him.

When Trump was getting his start in business, he was sued by the Justice Department for refusing to rent apartments to black and Latino tenants.

Their applications would be marked with a “C” – “C” for “colored” – and then rejected.

Three years later, the Justice Department took Trump back to court because he hadn’t changed.

The pattern continued through the decades.

State regulators fined one of Trump’s casinos for repeatedly removing black dealers from the floor. No wonder the turn-over rate for his minority employees was way above average.

And let’s not forget Trump first gained political prominence leading the charge for the so-called “Birthers.”

He promoted the racist lie that President Obama isn’t really an American citizen – part of a sustained effort to delegitimize America’s first black President.

In 2015, Trump launched his own campaign for President with another racist lie. He described Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals.

And he accused the Mexican government of actively sending them across the border. None of that is true.

Oh, and by the way, Mexico’s not paying for his wall either.

If it ever gets built, you can be sure that American taxpayers will be stuck with the bill.

Since then, there’s been a steady stream of bigotry.

We all remember when Trump said a distinguished federal judge born in Indiana couldn’t be trusted to do his job because, quote, “He’s a Mexican.”

Think about that.

The man who today is the standard bearer of the Republican Party said a federal judge was incapable of doing his job solely because of his heritage.

Even the Republican Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, described that as “the textbook definition of a racist comment.”

To this day, he’s never apologized to Judge Curiel.

But for Trump, that’s just par for the course.

This is someone who retweets white supremacists online, like the user who goes by the name “white-genocide-TM.” Trump took this fringe bigot with a few dozen followers and spread his message to 11 million people.

His campaign famously posted an anti-Semitic image – a Star of David imposed over a sea of dollar bills – that first appeared on a white supremacist website.

The Trump campaign also selected a prominent white nationalist leader as a delegate in California. They only dropped him under pressure.

When asked in a nationally televised interview whether he would disavow the support of David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, Trump wouldn’t do it. Only later, again under mounting pressure, did he backtrack.

And when Trump was asked about anti-Semitic slurs and death threats coming from his supporters, he refused to condemn them.

Through it all, he has continued pushing discredited conspiracy theories with racist undertones.

Trump said thousands of American Muslims in New Jersey cheered the 9/11 attacks. They didn’t.

He suggested that Ted Cruz’s father was involved in the Kennedy assassination. Perhaps in Trump’s mind, because he was a Cuban immigrant, he must have had something to do with it. Of course there’s absolutely no evidence of that.

Just recently, Trump claimed President Obama founded ISIS. And then he repeated that nonsense over and over.

His latest paranoid fever dream is about my health. All I can say is, Donald, dream on.

This is what happens when you treat the National Enquirer like Gospel.

It’s what happens when you listen to the radio host Alex Jones, who claims that 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombings were inside jobs. He said the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre were child actors and no one was actually killed there.

Trump didn’t challenge those lies. He went on Jones’ show and said: “Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down.”

This man wants to be President of the United States.

I’ve stood by President Obama’s side as he made the toughest decisions a Commander-in-Chief ever has to make.

In times of crisis, our country depends on steady leadership… clear thinking… and calm judgment… because one wrong move can mean the difference between life and death.

The last thing we need in the Situation Room is a loose cannon who can’t tell the difference between fact and fiction, and who buys so easily into racially-tinged rumors.

Someone detached from reality should never be in charge of making decisions that are as real as they come.

It’s another reason why Donald Trump is simply temperamentally unfit to be President of the United States.

Now, some people will say that his bluster and bigotry is just over-heated campaign rhetoric – an outrageous person saying outrageous things for attention.

But look at the policies Trump has proposed. They would put prejudice into practice.

And don’t be distracted by his latest attempts to muddy the waters.

He may have some new people putting new words in his mouth… but we know where he stands.

He would form a deportation force to round up millions of immigrants and kick them out of the country.

He’d abolish the bedrock constitutional principle that says if you’re born in the United States, you’re an American citizen. He says that children born in America to undocumented parents are, quote, “anchor babies” and should be deported.

Millions of them.

And he’d ban Muslims around the world – 1.5 billion men, women, and children –from entering our country just because of their religion.

Think about that for a minute. How would it actually work? People landing in U.S. airports would line up to get their passports stamped, just like they do now.

But in Trump’s America, when they step up to the counter, the immigration officer would ask every single person, “What is your religion?”

And then what?

What if someone says, “I’m a Christian,” but the agent doesn’t believe them.

Do they have to prove it? How would they do that?

Ever since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, America has distinguished itself as a haven for people fleeing religious persecution.

Under Donald Trump, America would distinguish itself as the only country in the world to impose a religious test at the border.

Come to think of it, there actually may be one place that does that. It’s the so-called Islamic State. The territory ISIS controls. It would be a cruel irony if America followed its lead.

Don’t worry, some will say, as President, Trump will be surrounded by smart advisors who will rein in his worst impulses.

So when a tweet gets under his skin and he wants to retaliate with a cruise missile, maybe cooler heads will be there to convince him not to.

Maybe.

But look at who he’s put in charge of his campaign.

Trump likes to say he only hires the “best people.” But he’s had to fire so many campaign managers it’s like an episode of the Apprentice.

The latest shake-up was designed to – quote – “Let Trump be Trump.” To do that, he hired Stephen Bannon, the head of a right-wing website called Breitbart.com, as campaign CEO.

To give you a flavor of his work, here are a few headlines they’ve published:

“Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.”

“Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?”

“Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement’s Human Shield”

“Hoist It High And Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims A Glorious Heritage.”

That one came shortly after the Charleston massacre, when Democrats and Republicans alike were doing everything they could to heal racial divides. Breitbart tried to enflame them further.

Just imagine – Donald Trump reading that and thinking: “this is what I need more of in my campaign.”

Bannon has nasty things to say about pretty much everyone.

This spring, he railed against Paul Ryan for, quote “rubbing his social-justice Catholicism in my nose every second.”

No wonder he’s gone to work for Trump – the only Presidential candidate ever to get into a public feud with the Pope.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, Breitbart embraces “ideas on the extremist fringe of the conservative right. Racist ideas.

Race-baiting ideas. Anti-Muslim and anti-Immigrant ideas –– all key tenets making up an emerging racist ideology known as the ‘Alt-Right.’”

Alt-Right is short for “Alternative Right.”

The Wall Street Journal describes it as a loosely organized movement, mostly online, that “rejects mainstream conservatism, promotes nationalism and views immigration and multiculturalism as threats to white identity.”

The de facto merger between Breitbart and the Trump Campaign represents a landmark achievement for the “Alt-Right.” A fringe element has effectively taken over the Republican Party.

This is part of a broader story -- the rising tide of hardline, right-wing nationalism around the world.

Just yesterday, one of Britain’s most prominent right-wing leaders, Nigel Farage, who stoked anti-immigrant sentiments to win the referendum on leaving the European Union, campaigned with Donald Trump in Mississippi.

Farage has called for a ban on the children of legal immigrants from public schools and health services, has said women are quote “worth less” than men, and supports scrapping laws that prevent employers from discriminating based on race -- that’s who Trump wants by his side.

The godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism is Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In fact, Farage has appeared regularly on Russian propaganda programs.

Now he’s standing on the same stage as the Republican nominee.

Trump himself heaps praise on Putin and embrace pro-Russian policies.

He talks casually of abandoning our NATO allies, recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and of giving the Kremlin a free hand in Eastern Europe more generally.

American presidents from Truman to Reagan have rejected the kind of approach Trump is taking on Russia.

We should, too.

All of this adds up to something we’ve never seen before.

Of course there’s always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, steeped in racial resentment. But it’s never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it, and giving it a national megaphone. Until now.

On David Duke’s radio show the other day, the mood was jubilant.

“We appear to have taken over the Republican Party,” one white supremacist said.

Duke laughed. There’s still more work to do, he said.

No one should have any illusions about what’s really going on here. The names may have changed… Racists now call themselves “racialists.” White supremacists now call themselves “white nationalists.” The paranoid fringe now calls itself “alt-right.” But the hate burns just as bright.

And now Trump is trying to rebrand himself as well. Don’t be fooled.

There’s an old Mexican proverb that says “Tell me with whom you walk, and I will tell you who you are.”

We know who Trump is. A few words on a teleprompter won’t change that.

He says he wants to “make America great again,” but his real message remains “Make America hate again.”

This isn’t just about one election. It’s about who we are as a nation.

It’s about the kind of example we want to set for our children and grandchildren.

Next time you watch Donald Trump rant on television, think about all the kids listening across our country. They hear a lot more than we think.

Parents and teachers are already worried about what they’re calling the “Trump Effect.”

Bullying and harassment are on the rise in our schools, especially targeting students of color, Muslims, and immigrants.

At a recent high school basketball game in Indiana, white students held up Trump signs and taunted Latino players on the opposing team with chants of “Build the wall!” and “Speak English.”

After a similar incident in Iowa, one frustrated school principal said, “They see it in a presidential campaign and now it's OK for everyone to say this.”

We wouldn’t tolerate that kind of behavior in our own homes. How can we stand for it from a candidate for president?

This is a moment of reckoning for every Republican dismayed that the Party of Lincoln has become the Party of Trump. It’s a moment of reckoning for all of us who love our country and believe that America is better than this.

Twenty years ago, when Bob Dole accepted the Republican nomination, he pointed to the exits and told any racists in the Party to get out.

The week after 9/11, George W. Bush went to a mosque and declared for everyone to hear that Muslims “love America just as much as I do.”

In 2008, John McCain told his own supporters they were wrong about the man he was trying to defeat. Senator McCain made sure they knew – Barack Obama is an American citizen and “a decent person.”

We need that kind of leadership again.

Every day, more Americans are standing up and saying “enough is enough” – including a lot of Republicans. I’m honored to have their support.

And I promise you this: with your help, I will be a President for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. For those who vote for me and those who don't.

For all Americans.

Because I believe we are stronger together.

It’s a vision for the future rooted in our values and reflected in a rising generation of young people who are the most open, diverse, and connected we’ve ever seen.

Just look at our fabulous Olympic team.

Like Ibtihaj Muhammad, an African-American Muslim from New Jersey who won the bronze medal in fencing with grace and skill. Would she even have a place in Donald Trump’s America?

When I was growing up, Simone Manuel wouldn’t have been allowed to swim in the same public pool as Katie Ledecky. Now they’re winning Olympic medals as teammates.

So let’s keep moving forward together.

Let’s stand up against prejudice and paranoia.

Let’s prove once again, that America is great because is America is good.  Thank you, and may God bless the United States.

More Trumponian turmoil: As the Trump turns in campaign 2016

"....more turmoil resulting from Donald Trump's unstable personality...." John Easley

"And it's all about me, me, me, me, me

And we don't give a dang, dang, dang, dang, dang

About nobody-e-e-e"

Regardless of how Republicans try to intimidate Secretary Hillary Clinton's candidacy, the fact is, Donald Trump's campaign is obviously in turmoil. Reports now about more turmoil and cancelled campaign trips to important campaign states Colorado, Nevada and Oregon, just announced Monday Aug. 22, 2016.
Trump changed his campaign schedule, apparently, because he can.

Trumpeeeeeee-e-e! It's all about Trumpeeee-e-e

PoliticusUSA reports:
Republicans In Turmoil As Trump Abruptly Cancels Campaign Events In Three States
By Jason Easley on Mon, Aug 22nd, 2016 at 6:09 pm

Donald Trump abruptly canceled scheduled campaign events in Colorado, Oregon, and Nevada as questions grow over what is going on inside the GOP organization (chaos!).

After cancelling a heavily promoted speech on immigration in Colorado, the Trump campaign announced that they were canceling a scheduled rally in Nevada.  

(Hello? Under the acronym #YCMTSU) Trump blamed the flooding in Louisiana for canceling a rally and fundraiser that was scheduled in Portland, OR. #no_seriously

(In other words, you can't make this stuff up!)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump canceled his Aug. 3,  rally and fundraiser in Portland OR.

Trump’s Oregon campaign director, Jacob G. Daniels, said scheduling changes surrounding Trump’s trip to tour flooding in Louisiana forced the cancellation.

Trump replaced the Colorado event with another hour long appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show. (Oh so boooooring, Trump will spew venom to the right wing choir!)

At this point, although there's no evidence, the greatest irony of all would be if Trump had to cancel these events because he wasn’t healthy enough and lacked the stamina to campaign on a full schedule.

A more realistic assumption is that the schedule shakeup is just more turmoil and drama coming from Donald Trump’s unstable personality.

At a time when the Republican nominee should hitting swing states, Nevada is actually fairly close according to the polls, and Republicans once dreamed of winning Colorado, Trump is canceling events in swing states.

The Trump campaign is spending very little on ads, has no serious field operation, and now Trump is campaigning less.

One has to wonder if Donald Trump is still trying. Maybe the reality television billionaire is on the verge of taking his ball and going home. Either way, Republicans are trapped in more Trump turmoil.

Clearly, Donald Trump has only one political message and it's this: "me, me, me, it's all about me, me, me....!"