Evidence about Donald Trump being infected with hallucinations and delusions

Echo letter to the editor published in the Pen Bay Pilot Talk section, a Rockland and Camden Maine Midcost newspaper.

Donald Trump's utter disconnect from reality

Mon, 03/03/2025 - 7:25pm
Jim Matlack

In the wake of Donald Trump's repeated delusional assertions that the U.S. will "take over Gaza" after some two million Palestinians are summarily evicted (also known as genocide!) so that he can carry out his biggest real estate and renovation deal a remarkable AI video appeared on Trump's Truth Social site in support of this cruel genocidal fantasy.

It provides a vivid illustration of Trump's utter disconnect from reality (also known as "crazy) and the scale of his self-imagined projection into grandiose worldly success.

In place of near-total destruction in Gaza the Trump video portrays a massive makeover into a successful tourist mecca with high-rise buildings, a large Trump Gaza Casino, and a photo-shop image of Trump and Netanyahu sun-bathing on the beach together.

Gone are the Palestinians! But they never will or should relinquish their claims to their lands in Gaza, despite brutal conditions imposed by Israeli attacks and cut-offs of humanitarian supplies. Trump will never transform this killing field into a vacation playground.

The most extreme illustration of Trump's self-indulgence and ego enhancement is embodied in an image featured in the AI video--a giant statue of businessman Trump flanked by palm trees and tall buildings (also known as hallucinations!). Against a glowing sky an immense replica of a resolute Trump stands at least 50 feet high and is covered in gold (or solid gold?). There could be no better example of his self-worship to offset his actual psychological insecurity.

In the Biblical story of Exodus, the Children of Israel make their way out of Egypt and into the area of present-day Gaza, where they betray their spiritual heritage by worshiping a golden calf. 

"thou shall not have false gods before me" is found in Exodus 20:3, and is often referred to as the first commandment

The MAGA followers of today should learn from their Scriptural example. (MAGA followers who are Bible Thumpers seem to skip over the place where God directs the Isrealites not to worship strange gods).

Jim Matlack lives in Camden, Maine

Those who ignore history are doomed to fail and repeat - Trump and Neville Chamberlain

An echo essay published in The Brunswick News, in Georgia:

September 30, 1938

Hitler made inflammatory speeches demanding that Germans in Czechoslovakia be reunited with their homeland, war seemed imminent. Neither France nor Britain felt prepared to defend Czechoslovakia.

On Friday, Donald Trump and President Zelenskyy proved that diplomacy, like laws and sausages, should never be made in public. 

Similar negotiations between the leaders of the United States, Russia and Great Britain were difficult during World War II. Still, more reasoned minds conducted deliberations behind closed doors and then joined together with a unified message. As a result, they won WWII. The United States and Ukraine should do the same.

Is President Zelenskyy right to push for a just and lasting peace, one defined by security guarantees? Yes. To do otherwise, to weakly engage with Vladimir Putin, would not bode well for Western Europe, the United States or Ukraine. This is not a case of holding on to the stereotypes of the Cold War. Any serious student should realize that the Russian people are people of vast contrasts and contradictions. However, the Ukrainian conflict is not one with the Russian people. It is the product of a three-year rape of a peaceful nation by one man, Vladimir Putin, who, as a former KGB Colonel, is an artifact of the Soviet era and desires to remain so.

In his book The Gathering Storm, Winston Churchill described his predecessor Neville Chamberlain as “an upright, competent, well-meaning man,” while not ignoring the fact that he was also a leader sadly deceived by overconfidence, lacking both foresight and experience in diplomacy. Churchill’s analysis was well-founded, for Chamberlain was greatly responsible for the ill-fated Munich Agreement, which allowed Nazi Germany to annex part of Czechoslovakia, a betrayal of the first order. 

Chamberlain hoped this humiliating sacrifice inflicted on part of a country he did not lead would finally satisfy what Adolf Hitler referred to as his last major territorial demand, thereby avoiding a larger war. He was wrong, for Hitler quickly annexed the remainder of Czechoslovakia and then invaded Poland, continuing his conquest of Europe.

If President Zelenskyy or his successor is forced to sign an unfair agreement with Vladimir Putin — especially one without adequate security arrangements protecting Ukraine’s sovereignty — peace may be achieved, but at what price and for how long? 

President Zelenskyy has every right to be skeptical of Mr. Putin, who, like Adolf Hitler, has certainly demonstrated no evidence of peaceful behavior as Ukraine has previously signed several agreements with Russia that Moscow conveniently broke.

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan fully understood this dynamic and openly supported those who desired freedom over oppression. Reagan believed that peace should not be bought “by committing an immorality.” He understood that “every lesson of history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement” and that appeasement ultimately “gives no choice between peace and war, only between fight or surrender.” Reagan would have embraced the approximately 800,000 Ukrainian military service members who have valiantly struggled against the Russian invaders rather than a brutal totalitarian autocrat, one who, unprovoked and in violation of international law, invaded a sovereign nation, causing the largest military and refugee crisis in Europe since WWII.

Ukraine isn’t Trump’s to give away, but it is certainly his to lose. Making false statements about the Ukrainian leader, such as being a “dictator without elections” and that Ukraine “should have never started the war,” certainly does not advance the process. It is my prayer that our president will remain strong, not by appeasement but by proceeding honorably in support of Ukraine. If not, the United States can no longer claim that it is the last best hope for freedom in the world, for we will have sacrificed our global standing by taking a knee before an international criminal and one of our country’s biggest adversaries.

Alex Atwood (BS, MA, JD, L.LM.) has served in many roles, including as a Marine officer, in the judiciary, three terms in the Georgia General Assembly, and as a state commissioner in the Kemp Administration. Mr. Atwood now writes and teaches in the School of Business and Public Management at the College of Coastal Georgia. He can be reached at: jatwood@ccga.edu. Mr. Atwood’s views are his own and may not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of College of Coastal Georgia, faculty or administrators.

Donald Trump is a failed dealmaker who had President Zelensky ready to sign an agreement but then the meeting was a disaster

Echo editorial published by The Boston Globe editorial board:
Trump’s opening gambit on Ukraine peace already a loser
No good dealmaker gives away the store from the get-go.

So the guy who literally wrote (it was ghostwritten❗ ) a book on “The Art of the Deal*” somehow thinks it’s a smart negotiating tactic to cozy up to President Vladimir Putin of Russia and insult President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, all while bombs are still landing in Kyiv.

Only in Donald Trump’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass” world, where down is up, would the week’s events make any sense. 

In Trump World, Zelensky “started” the war — which was, in fact, precipitated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory.

Whatever Trump thinks he’s accomplishing, the US goal ought to be to bring the war to an end without rewarding Putin’s aggression. 

And there should be no concessions until then.

No further concessions, anyway. Putin, who has succeeded in playing the American president like a balalaika, has already won some — like a 90-minute phone call with Trump, a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, and the reestablishment of embassy staffing in Washington and Moscow. All such direct contacts had rightly ended three years ago when Russia invaded Ukraine.

It was surely no accident that the Russian delegation sent to Riyadh included Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, who brought a list of the “total losses” — of more than $300 billion — to American business attributed to US disengagement from Russia.

Lavrov told reporters after the meeting that “there was great interest” in the room “in removing artificial barriers to the development of mutually beneficial economic cooperation” — hinting at the possibility of getting American sanctions lifted.

But even as the US-Russia talks were going on, the bombardment of Ukraine by Russian drones and missiles continued. By Wednesday Russia had once again zeroed in on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure.

So the great dealmaker has accomplished what exactly?

Or is Trump waiting for Zelensky to sign on to that deal to give up half his nation’s mineral resources to assure continued US support — or perhaps to pay for past military support? It was unclear which.

What is clear is that the war goes on — and job one for Trump and his team is to stop the fighting, the killing, and the destruction. And the way to do that isn’t to give away the store to Putin before there is a path to a cease-fire.

Trump has shown a preternatural desire for a summit with Putin — which would be a huge concession absent a cease-fire.

It is certainly not unknown to have lower-level dual track bilateral meetings — rather like the ones that ultimately led to the Israel-Hamas cease-fire — as a starting point. But the bumbling efforts thus far by Rubio in Riyadh and Keith Kellogg, the special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, seem not even close.

Rubio promised following the Riyadh meeting that there would be “engagement and consultation with Ukraine, with our partners in Europe, and others. But ultimately, the Russian side will be indispensable to this effort.”

Nevertheless, there can be no progress on long-term peace efforts until a cease-fire is in place.

Then and only then should there be any talk of easing economic sanctions on Russia — as Lavrov and Dmitriev seem intent on accomplishing.

To do otherwise is to reward Putin for continuing his war of aggression.

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Charles Kupchan argued in a 2023, essay in Foreign Affairs, that the West could “offer some limited relief from sanctions in return for Russia’s willingness to abide by a cease-fire, agree to a demilitarized zone, and participate meaningfully in peace talks.”

But, they added, “Western governments could promise to fully lift sanctions against Russia and normalize relations with it only if Moscow signed a peace agreement that was acceptable to Kyiv.”

That approach recognizes, of course, that Europe and the NATO allies — who have thus far been left out of the talks initiated by the Trump administration — would have a critical role to play. After all, they have provided about a third of the military hardware used by Ukraine to fight the war and have imposed their own sanctions on Russia — often at great sacrifice.

Already on the table and part of the discussions among Europe’s leaders is providing troops to serve as peacekeepers, policing those possible demilitarized zones, assuring the safety of civilian populations, and in the process attempting to keep Russia honest.

Such a plan also leaves the disposition of land under Russian occupation to some future agreement. And, as Trump has already indicated, if even a path to NATO membership for Ukraine is off the table, then some kind of security pact with the United States or members of the European Union, preferably both, would be critical to guarantee Ukrainian sovereignty.

And then there is the matter of the rebuilding of Ukraine, a nation shattered by war — something to which the United States and its European allies have always been committed, that is, until the Trump administration upended the diplomatic world as we know it.

This opening gambit on ending a three-year war that has brought misery to Ukraine and its people and economic privations to ordinary Russians who have paid the price for Putin’s aggression has been less than impressive.

The fake ❗dealmaker-in-chief hasn’t helped the situation in recent days with his flurry of lies and vitriol toward Ukraine. A good deal is one that will bring lasting peace — one that is fair, that doesn’t reward Russian aggression, and that guarantees Ukrainian sovereignty. Anything less will be seen for the sham that is.

*Tony Schwartz (born May 2, 1952) is an American journalist and business book author who is best known for ghostwriting Trump: The Art of the Deal. New York, New York, U.S.

Republicans must impeach Donald Trump because he is a Russian asset who is putting US national security in danger

Trump proves he is a Putin puppet- Russian asset mut be impeached.
Echo opinion letter published in the Ventura County Star VC Star (below).

Kermit Zarley blog:  Last Friday’s February 28 meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House was most disturbing, to say the least.

Trump and Vance berated this brave Ukraine president whose nation has been attacked by Russia that is destroying it for three years.

They repeatedly accused Zelenskyy of having a bad attitude in not expressing his thanks to the U.S. for its military support of Ukraine, which frankly I consider quite lame under the circumstances. 

It wasn’t Trump but President Joe Biden who gave Ukraine that military support. In actuality, Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. many times publicly in front of television cameras in the U.S., in Europe, and was even doing it right then while Trump was yelling at him and both were talking over each other. This televised event looked like a planned ambush (David Remnick editor of the New Yorker called it a "mugging") of Zelenskyy even though it had been billed as a discussion about Ukraine giving rare earth metals to the U.S. as part of a proposed peace agreement with Russia

Letter to the Ventura County Star:  Donald Trump is negotiating an end to the Ukraine war with Putin, but without Zelensky. He’s pulled out of the Paris Agreement to mitigate climate change. He’s threatened to pull out of NATO, which is effectively unilateral disarmament. Alliances depend on the reliability of their members. Threatening to pull out is saying, “You can’t depend on us.”

He’s installed an anti-vaccine advocate to head Health and Human Services, just as bird flu threatens to cross over to humans. He’s alienating our largest trading partners with tariffs and threats of military annexation. He’s installed Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, thus ensuring that no friendly nation will share intelligence with the U.S. lest it be transmitted to Moscow. At the same time, he’s sending Kash Patel to purge thousands of FBI agents.

Isn't it perfectly clear that Trump is a Russian asset❓ Maybe he’s been a mole or maybe he’s been flipped by an offer of a hotel in Moscow. But either way, Trump is a Putin puppet.

From Brent Meeker, Camarillo, California

President Zelensky survived a horrible experience with gaslighting in the Oval Office with evilism Trumpziism

An intriguing analysis has been circulating online regarding the psychological aspects of Zelensky’s meeting with Trump and Vance, conducted using ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched in 2022.

Published on Facebook by Yuliia Vyshnevska.

President Trump Hosts Ukrainian President Zelensky At The White...Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, JD Vance
February 28, 2025

From this analysis, it becomes evident that we have witnessed a true masterclass in gaslighting, manipulation, and coercion on the part of Trump and his entourage. Let’s break down the key points:

1. Blaming the victim for their own situation. Trump explicitly tells Zelensky: “You have allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.” This is classic abuser rhetoric—blaming the victim for their suffering. The implication is that Ukraine itself is responsible for being occupied by Russia and for the deaths of its people.


2. Pressure and coercion into ‘gratitude’
Vance demands that Zelensky say “thank you.” This is an extremely toxic tactic—forcing the victim to express gratitude for the help they desperately need, only to later accuse them of ingratitude if they attempt to assert their rights.

3. Manipulating the concept of ‘peace’
Trump claims that Zelensky is “not ready for peace.” However, what he actually means is Ukraine’s capitulation. This is a classic manipulation technique—substituting the idea of a just peace with the notion of surrender.

4. Refusing to acknowledge the reality of war
Trump repeatedly insists that Zelensky has “no cards to play” and that “without us, you have nothing.” This is yet another abusive tactic—undermining the victim’s efforts by asserting that they are powerless without the mercy of their ‘saviour.’

5. Devaluing the victims of war
“If you get a ceasefire, you must accept it so that bullets stop flying and your people stop dying,” Trump says. Yet, he ignores the fact that a ceasefire without guarantees is merely an opportunity for Russia to regroup and strike again.

6. Dominance tactics: Trump constantly interrupts Zelensky, cutting him off: “No, no, you’ve already said enough,” and “You’re not in a position to dictate to us.” This is deliberate psychological pressure designed to establish a hierarchy in which Zelensky is the subordinate.

7. Forcing capitulation under the guise of ‘diplomacy’
Vance asserts that “the path to peace lies through diplomacy.” This is a classic strategy where the aggressor is given the opportunity to continue their aggression unchallenged.

8. Projection and distortion of reality: Trump declares: “You are playing with the lives of millions of people.” Yet, in reality, it is he who is doing exactly that—shifting responsibility onto Zelensky.

9. Creating the illusion that Ukraine ‘owes’ the US
Yes, the US is assisting Ukraine, but presenting this aid as “you must obey, or you will receive nothing” is not a partnership—it is financial and military coercion.

10. Undermining Ukraine’s resistance
Trump states that “if it weren’t for our weapons, this war would have ended in two weeks.” This is an attempt to erase Ukraine’s achievements and portray its efforts as entirely dependent on US support.


Conclusion: Trump and his team employed the full spectrum of abusive tactics: gaslighting, victim-blaming, coercion into gratitude, and manipulation of the concepts of peace and diplomacy. This was not a negotiation—it was an attempt to force Zelensky into accepting terms beneficial to the US but potentially fatal for Ukraine.

Vermont protesters against JD Vance came out in the cold at multiple site demonstrations

Congratulations to the brave Vermonters who gave JD Vance a "you are not welcome here" reception during his family's ski trip.

Echo report published in the Vermont Digger (vtdigger) by Greta Solsaa.

In the wake of Vice President JD Vance’s ski trip to Sugarbush resort this weekend, the Mad River Valley was transformed into a hotbed of protests against the administration of President Donald Trump.

In the largest planned demonstration Saturday morning, Vermonters and visitors stood along a stretch of Main Street by the Mad River Green in Waitsfield toting protest signs and flags that expressed concerns ranging from the state of democracy to climate change to LGBTQ+ rights.

A stream of vehicles sporting similar signage drove by honking and waving, joining in on the morning rally. Protest organizers estimated the turnout in Waitsfield ranged between 1,000 and 3,000 people.

Along with other Indivisible groups around Vermont, Geri Peterson from 50501, a national decentralized protest movement, joined the coalition of organizers to ensure the safety of everyone, given the large expected turnout.

Katayoun Lam, another 50501 organizer, said the Trump administration’s policies regarding LGBTQ+ rights and immigration motivated her to get involved with the Waitsfield protest.

‘Nobody’s supposed to be above the law’: Tisa Rennau, a protest organizer from North Fayston with the group Indivisible Mad River Valley, said many Vermonters were outraged to learn Vance was coming to the region to recreate and vacation after the Trump’s administration’s widespread federal funding cuts and worker layoffs in recent weeks.

Rennau added that Trump and Vance’s clash in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday morning undermined America’s position on the international stage and motivated more people to show up that day.

Ginny Sassaman, a protest organizer from the Indivisible Calais group, said many Vermonters are fearful under the Trump and Vance administration’s policies and she feels “democracy is in peril.” However, Sassaman said protesting is a central form of resisting, along with voting and legal actions.

“People are angry, especially after what occurred in the White House yesterday between Trump, Vance and President Zelenskyy, where we absolutely humiliated our Ukranian ally,” Rennau said. “We are no longer the leader of the free world. What has happened❓ This is not the America we expect to be.”

Many protesters donning the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag lined the streets, and Rennau held a flower bouquet of the same color scheme herself. 

Among the Waitsfield protesters was former Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, who carried a handmade sign that read “efficiency, sure, but not carnage, hate and lies.” Zuckerman said the current administration’s stated goal of efficiency has negatively affected farmers’ loan programs and people’s health care and food access.

“I think you have many folks who feel despair in Vermont right now, including myself,” Zuckerman said. “They’re not following the rules, and nobody’s supposed to be above the law.”

In the neighboring town of Warren, a coinciding protest Saturday morning drew a smaller crowd at the Pitcher Inn, where Vance had originally planned to stay until he canceled those plans.

Meanwhile on the ski mountain:  A handful of protesters also perched by a lift where Vance was rumored to be skiing. Montpelier resident Dan Vidali said he decided to demonstrate at Sugarbush resort because it is important to protest “where the people in power are.”

So Donald Trump lied again when he denied calling President Zelensky a dictator! Who knew? Gaslighting is same as lying

‘Gaslighting’* Donald Trump Tries To Bury A Comment; Critics Dig It Right Back Up:  Echo report published in the Huffington Post by Lee Moran.

Donald Trump’s brazen bid to memory hole his derogatory comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew disbelief on social media Thursday.

Trump— while taking questions from reporters — was asked if he still thought Zelenskyy is a “dictator.”

“Did I say that?” Trump replied.  “I can’t believe I said that,” he added, before calling for: “Next question.”

Critics online pointed out that, yes, Trump has indeed called Zelenskyy a dictator on multiple occasions, even on his own Truth Social platform.

They brought receipts and also suggested Trump was either knowingly lying or in cognitive decline.

Trump also has recently falsely blamed Ukraine for starting its ongoing conflict with Russia, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin launching the invasion of its neighbor in 2022.

Trump, during the 2024, campaign, vowed to end the war on his first day back in the White House. That didn’t happen. He has brokered peace talks between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, but Ukrainian officials were furious about not being involved in the meeting to discuss their nation’s future.

Sarah Rumpf posted on X/com (formerly Twitter): Trump is either lying or suffering from some type of cognitive impairment. He did call Zelensky a dictator, it was public, it’s not in dispute in happened, and it wasn’t very long ago. No honest person with a basic level of cognitive function would answer this way.

*Gaslighting is a manipulative technique where an abuser makes their victim question their own reality.

Ukrainian leadership is Zelenskyy Strong! Americans are thankful to the brave Ukrainian President for his leadership

Senator Angus King reacts to clash between President Trump & President Zelenskyy published on WABI-5:

Senator Angus King released the following statement:

“First, much was made in the Oval Office meeting by both the President and the Vice President that President Zelenskyy wasn’t thankful enough for US support. In every meeting I have had with President Zelenskyy and anyone associated with Ukrainian leadership, including a meeting with their intelligence services just this week, they (including Zelenskyy) have always begun with profound and heartfelt thanks for our support. It’s hard to believe that this did not happen in the private meeting that preceded the session in the Oval Office.

“Secondly, if you listen carefully, the point that Zelenskyy was trying make is that, based on history, Russia cannot be trusted to honor its commitments and therefore any deal must include some form of security guarantee to insure the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Unfortunately, our President insisted on talking over this point and refused to acknowledge it.

“Aside from the unpleasant tone toward any partner whose country has been fighting and dying for our values, President Trump’s concluding comments to the effect that we will abandon Ukraine if they don’t accept whatever deal he strikes with Putin (with Ukraine excluded from the process) completely ignores our vital interest in deterring unprovoked aggression, whether in Europe or elsewhere.

“I hope this unfortunate meeting will not detract from the pursuit of an agreement that ends the bloodshed, recognizes and protects the sovereignty of Ukraine without appeasing the territorial ambitions of a murderous dictator.”

American National Security Risks raised by former Secretaries of Defense: Urgent!

Former Defense Secretaries Call Trump’s Firing of Military Leaders ‘Reckless’:  Echo report published in The New York Times by Helene Cooper:

Retired Marine General Jim Mattis, who served as defense secretary during President Trump’s first term, was among those who asked Congress to hold “immediate hearings to assess the national security implications of Trump’s dismissals.”

The five men asked the House and the Senate to hold hearings “to assess the national security implications of Trump’s dismissals.”

Five former defense secretaries condemned Trump’s firing last week of senior military leaders as “reckless” and urged Congress not to confirm their successors.

In an extraordinary letter to lawmakers on Thursday, the five men — including one who served under Mr. Trump during his first term — asked that the House and the Senate hold “immediate hearings to assess the national security implications of Mr. Trump’s dismissals.”

The letter is signed by defense secretaries who served under both Democratic and Republican presidents since 1994: William J. Perry, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Lloyd J. Austin III and Jim Mattis, Mr. Trump’s first defense secretary.

In a purge of the military’s senior ranks last Friday,  Trump fired Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., a four-star fighter pilot who was only the second African American to be the Joint Chiefs chairman, saying he would be replaced by a little-known, retired three-star Air Force general, Dan Caine. In all, six Pentagon officials were fired, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of Naval Operations, and Gen. James Slife, the vice chief of the Air Force; and top lawyers for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Trump’s dismissals raise troubling questions about the administration’s desire to politicize the military and to remove legal constraints on the president’s power,” they said in the letter. “Talented Americans may be far less likely to choose a life of military service if they believe they will be held to a political standard.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the firings are within the president’s right to choose who he wants in these positions.

The five former defense secretaries urged Congress to “hold Trump to account for these reckless actions and to exercise fully its constitutional oversight responsibilities.”

Helene Cooper is a Pentagon correspondent. She was previously an editor, diplomatic correspondent and White House correspondent.

Elon Musk is a non-elected super rich narcissistic South African immigrant

Democrats must unit to gleefully but forcefully resist❗
Echo letter to the edtor of teh Penn Bay Pilot newspaper in Rockland Maine:

"stagecraft of Elon Musk’s hyperactive dancing with his obscene chainsaw"

Gleeful cruelty is the despicable scene being played out as Trump and his minions pursue their evil DOGE initiative.

Their purpose claim of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse is undermined by their indiscriminate and illogical actions:

• Providing lifesaving food and medical care to starving children and families around the world is not waste.·

• Supporting medical research for cancer treatments, other diseases, and in studying preemptive strategies for evolving potential future epidemics is not fraud.

• Upending the lives of dedicated civil servants and the consequential impacts of restricted or unavailable vital services is not efficient or humane.

• The withdrawal of funding for low-income Medicaid services so that tax breaks are extended for corporations and the wealthy is not efficient or humane.

This depressing list of DOGE’s recent targets could go on, but these attacks simply represent gleefully cruel and evil abuses of executive power informed by a non-elected, super-rich narcissist leading Trump around by the nose.

The stagecraft of Musk’s hyperactive dancing with his obscene chainsaw while MAGA loyalists clap and cheer tells us all we need to know about motivation and intent.

In this moment of anxiety and trauma we need more than ever to have bipartisan leadership stand up, say no, and assert their constitutional authority. While Maine’s congressional delegation is mostly on board with this, Senator Collins remains unresponsive.

In DOGE world, it is not simply vital agencies and personnel that are being fed into the ‘woodchipper’, it’s the treasured soul of our democracy.

Gleefully but forcefully resist❗

From Neal Guyer who lives in Thomaston Maine