A Trip to the Library

 The Three Stooges of Payson politics — Steve Otto, Charlie Bell, and Jim Ferris — remain the darlings of the local Tea Party crowd. The Stooges understand their audience well. They know how to play the Hoopleheads like a fiddle, and nothing excites the simple minded faster than screaming the word “pornography.”

That is where Ferris found his favorite hobbyhorse. According to Ferris, the local library is apparently one dirty magazine away from the collapse of civilization. The latest outrage is a sex education book for young people, the book Sex Is a Funny Word. Ferris and the outrage machine want people to believe the book is some kind of underground porn operation hiding between the cookbooks and the western novels.

Of course, here comes the hypocrisy train rolling down the tracks.

Ferris voted for and supports Donald Trump, a man found liable for sexual abuse, a man whose own recorded words included “grab ’em by the pussy,” and a man who has spent years swimming in scandals involving pornography, affairs, and allegations involving young women. Apparently none of that bothers the morality police in the Tea Party circus. Suddenly standards disappear when the offender wears a red hat.

That is the real trick of modern MAGA politics. Outrage is never about principles. It is about theater. If a library carries a book that explains bodies, consent, puberty, or awkward adolescent questions in a factual way, the Stooges scream “pornography!” loud enough to whip the crowd into a frenzy. But when their political hero behaves like a walking tabloid scandal, silence falls over the room like a church service.

The book itself is not some secret Playboy manual hidden in the children’s section. It is an educational book designed to help kids understand their bodies, relationships, and feelings in a healthy and age-appropriate way. What truly terrifies the culture warriors is not pornography. It is education. Education creates people who ask questions. The Tea Party machine survives on people who do not.

Ferris understands this perfectly. Fear works better than facts. Yell “protect the children” enough times and nobody notices the contradictions standing right in front of them.

And that is why the Three Stooges continue their act. Otto nods solemnly. Bell follows along. Ferris waves the latest culture-war prop in the air. The Hoopleheads clap on command. Meanwhile the real issues facing Payson — roads, water, housing, public services, and economic development — sit ignored while the council stages another performance about books in the library.

The sad part is that none of this is really about books. It is about power. Keeping people angry, frightened, and distracted has become the entire business model of MAGA politics. In that sense, the Three Stooges are not unusual at all. They are simply the local franchise.

Fun with the MAGA cowards

I have a bad habit: teasing the MAGA dingers.

The Hoopleheads admire Trump’s style of lying and try to imitate it. My first real encounter with organized MAGA dishonesty involved a man named Gary Morris.

Years ago, I got into an argument with a group of Republican activists at Republican headquarters. They called the police and I was cited for trespassing. The dingers never tell the end of the story. When the case finally reached court, the prosecutor dropped the charge and all records connected to it.

That was the beginning.

At the time, Gary Morris was head of the local Republican Party. Morris dug through the internet looking for anything he could use against me. Eventually he found an old Facebook post I had made. It was satire. In the picture I wore a MAGA hat and joked that I “wanted to see what it felt like to be stupid.”

Ironically, Morris reposted the photo himself, complete with the insulting caption directed at the Hoopleheads. To this day the dingers still circulate the picture, but somehow the caption always disappears.

Then Morris decided to escalate things.

He filed a restraining order against me and falsely claimed I had a gun. In the satirical Facebook post I had joked about “cleaning my gun.” In reality, I have never owned a handgun. The entire point of the joke was to poke fun at simple-minded gun worship.

At the time, I did not bother fighting the restraining order because I viewed it as a minor annoyance. Later I realized it was part of a pattern Morris would use repeatedly.

I had no idea what kind of lying rat Morris really was until I learned he was telling people I had twice been arrested for assault in North Dakota.

Here was the trick: Morris found another man with the exact same name as mine living in Stanton, North Dakota, who actually had assault charges. I never lived in Stanton, although I once lived about fourteen miles away. That was enough for the Hoopleheads to spread the lie endlessly.

Morris also found a YouTube video involving Senator Cramer. In that incident I confronted Cramer over a young woman with a disabled baby. I wanted to give the senator money to pass along to help her, but he refused to take it. I finally stuffed the money into his shirt pocket.

The story spread wildly, and suddenly the Hoopleheads were claiming I had “assaulted” Senator Cramer.

One major problem with that story: Senator Cramer himself publicly stated on a radio program that I did not assault him. Morris ignored that inconvenient fact and kept spreading the lie anyway.

I cannot prove it, but there is considerable evidence that Morris or one of his allies made a false report to Senator Cramer’s office while pretending to be me. Whoever made the call stirred things up enough that Capitol Police investigators flew all the way to my home in Payson to question me.

Two investigators interviewed me for roughly an hour. My guess is they checked my phone records, realized I had never made the call, and quietly concluded the entire thing was political theater. I never heard from them again.

But Morris was not finished.

Angry over his constant lying, I confronted him at a Tea Party meeting. Morris refused to discuss any of it and instead claimed that merely confronting him amounted to assault. Once again he filed for a restraining order.

This time I fought back in court.

Morris claimed under oath that I had spit on him. That was false. A friend who witnessed the entire encounter was prepared to testify that no such thing happened.

During the hearing, I asked Morris where the spit supposedly hit him. He answered, “It was a spray.”

That was lie number one under oath.

Next I asked him where he obtained the information claiming I had assault charges in North Dakota. Morris claimed it came from a Washington Post article.

Another lie.

The article actually said the opposite.

That made lie number two under oath.

I even had video footage of the confrontation with Morris, but the judge refused to allow it to be shown. Interestingly enough, the judge was a Republican whom Morris had helped elect. Funny how that works sometimes.

Morris continued spreading the false assault story for years afterward. One day I heard him repeating it on KMOG radio. I called in to confront him, though at the time I did not realize he was the guest on the program.

Not long afterward, police arrived at my home, arrested me, and hauled me off to jail.

Another political setup.

The second courtroom encounter with Morris turned out very differently from the first. This judge was from Scottsdale and, unlike the earlier experience, actually seemed interested in facts.

I argued that Morris was a pathological liar. This time I brought witnesses who testified directly about Morris’s dishonesty.

In court, Morris was exposed as a liar.

The following week he resigned from his position in the Republican Party.  

The lying Morris started became a tradition in the local Hooplehead community. Michael Heather picked up the lie, and when I confronted him he fled just like the rest would. The man who is now Mayor of Payson and the darling of the local Tea Party , Steve Otto spread the lie. When Gary Morris lied on KMOG radio the radio station broadcast a retraction the next day. In the presence of the people at town hall waiting for the meeting to begin, I confronted Steve Otto about his lying. He refused to talk and claimed I assaulted him. 

On Facebook the Hoopleheads continue to lie although public records are available to prove them wrong. Some of the liars are Denise Alexander, Paul Frommelt and others. I have offered to meet all the liars in a public forum to debate the lies, but they want no part of it. Frommelt says he carries a gun, but he still uses the standard line of the liars that I might hurt him. To explain the entire story of the Republican liars is too long for today, but in closing I will say Trump has made lying a sport among his followers. 

One thing that explains MAGA liars and how they function. If an honest person tries to attend a Hooplehead Tea Party meeting and ask questions that embarrass the liars on stage they will be prohibited from coming again. If the Tea Party or Republican Party has one of their featured liars at a meeting normal people are stopped at the door. On the other hand anyone is welcome and allowed to speak at the Democratic meetings. Try to tell a MAGA the truth and they claim assault and lie on line like its going out of style. 

Anyone can search public records, I had a Bill Butcher and Associates Dectective agency give me a notarized copy of a search of all records in the United States that involved me. There is no record I have ever been convicted or hurt anyone. However, Denise Alexander, Paul Frommelt, and the rest of them go on lying with no shame. I checked my own public records I found a couple traffic tickets, and the case that was dismissed when they drummed up the arrest at Republican Headquarters, but they still go on lying. It is the same with some of Denise Alexanders current lies. I was arrested for being a Democrat and put in jail. One big problem for Denise, and Paul, the charge was thrown out before I ever went to court. That is the way the Republicans in Payson work. They falsely accuse you of something, get you arrested, and then when you go to court the charges are dismissed. However, they lie on line claiming you were guilty. Like Trump they don't have an once of decency, and cheating, lying, and stealing doesn't bother them at all. To take the cake they pray before they lie. 

The liars will not show up.

 A favorite excuse for Denise Alexander and Paul Frommelt to not answer the call for a public debate is I would hurt them. Imagine attacking these lying cowards on a public stage. I told the dolts they can bring a gun and I will come armed only with the truth. In Payson the police have been weaponized just like Trump has done with the presidency. Republicans have filed false charges against me several time. I have actually been jailed as a result of their tactics. However, Frommelt, and Denise Alexander never mention the false charges were thrown out in court. I have a surprise cooking for these liars. I am not sure I can reveal it at this time, but it will expose their game once and for all. Every one of these Tea Party liars is the same. I walk up to them and ask them to defend the lies they have been spreading, and what do they do? Gary Morris, and Steve Otto claim I assaulted them when I asked them in person to stand behind their lies. Of course the most recent ones playing the game do not have an once of courage. I have invited them to come to Democratic headquarters and discuss their lies. All they can do is make up some silly excuse. As the record shows I have never assaulted anyone. At one time I did shove 23 dollars down the shirt of Senator Cramer in Mandan. The money was for a woman with a baby that has birth defects. Now who would be afraid to have money shoved down their shirt? Cramer himself said on Rob Port's radio show I did not assault him, but the liars have spread this story endlessly. Gary Morris was the man who cooked up the original lie. Anyone can search the court records and find out for themself. There is no record that I ever assaulted anyone in the United States, however it gives the cowards a way out of public debate. The truth is long and complex. It all started in 2017. To explain the circumstances to the lairs would take a little time. The key to Republican lying is to leave out most of the story, particulary the end. Recently I encountered one of these liars in a local park. The incident went to court. The prosecutor saw the lying was so ludicrous he threw it out instantly. However Paul Frommelt, and Denise Alexander only tell the part where I was set up. Trump their hero want to give your tax money to the people who lie for him. This is the modern Republican party that pardons drug dealers and pays the people who attacked the Capitol for Trump. One thing that amazes me is these people will lie in court. I asked Gary Morris where he got the notion I was arrested twice in North Dakota for assault. This was in front of a judge. Gary Morris said it was in the Washington Post. Yes, there was an article that said no one was arrested when I shoved the money down Cramer's shirt. The liars recently cited that article again. Of course they only show part of it. That is the game, only tell part of the story. Lying comes naturally to these people. If you go to a Tea Party meeting you will find a stage with one person lying, and a group sitting in front of them believing the lies. No one is allowed to show up at the Tea Party who does not go along with the lying. On the other hand when the Democrats meet the microphone is passed to anyone who wants to speak. No one has ever been turned away from a Democratic meeting. On the other hand the local news reporter was thrown out of a Tea Party meeting, and numerous people are not allow to attend their functions. Judge for yourself who is telling the truth. 

In this explanation of MAGA liars I would comment two women I respect. Inga, and Shirley Dye. I disagree with both of them politically, but these two women met with me and heard my side of the stories that are told. That is the fair thing to do and both of these women have far more integrity than the lying gang. Inga and I had a nice discussion, and Shirly came to my house and we also met at the Golf Course. This blows a hole in the excuse the other liars use. 

Inviting the liars.

MAGA liars are special. Trump has show the MAGA crowd the power of lying. The local liars love Trump because he has shown them the power of lies. Locally we have the Three stooges on town council. Steve Otto is the mayor and he like to tell a whooper now and then. The town is cursed with the Tea Party which is like a liars fan club. Then you have the facebook liars. They are almost too numerous to count. The tactic they love is telling part of a story. Two classic liars in this regard are Denise Alexander and Paul Frommelt. Both cite instances where the local police were used to harass me. It all started with Gary Morris, a man who doesn't hesitate to lie under oath in court. Gary made false claims on restraining order against me. In court the lies fell apart. Recently a MAGA liar named Tom Hall lied to the police. The case was dismissed even before it was started. The MAGA liars always tell the beginning, but never the end. No one denies Trump lies. Strangely every Payson liar loves Trump. I have invited all the liars to meet me in public and defend the lies they tell. Of course none of them have the courage. 

What is a Dinger

A word of description Kadizzle cannot resist is dinger. Well, what is a dinger? The use of the word comes from old vaudeville shows. When a performer was terrible or performing badly someone would ring a bell. The performer would have to leave the stage. Maybe a stage hook would be used. In Payson we have a club full of dingers. It is called the Tea Party. 

We The People.

 You see the words in a lot of places " We the people". Sadly it has never happened, any black or poor person can tell you that. The real people who own and run the government are the billionaire class. The tax rate on the rich has gone down by a staggering amount. Now the top few people have most of the wealth. Voting with money does not represent "We the people".

Start another week

 Here we go, start another week. The weather in Payson has been excellent. Winky was up at the Grand Canyon trying to do some volunteer work, but Cliff got sick and that fell apart so Winky is coming home early. The gathering under the Willow tree in Green Valley Park has commenced. Almost every evening a group sits under the Willow tree and shoots the breeze waiting for the sun to go down. Come join the group. The conversation varies from politics to any subject you want. 

Kadizzle has tried to separate his political rants from just every day BS. If you want todays political rant about the worthless Eli Crane go over to the other blog. https://naftaoh.blogspot.com/

Have a nice ebike ride

Up very early Kadizzle and Winky headed to Fort McDowell to bike. The county part has excellent bike trails and with our new ebikes it was a pleasure to go 21 miles gliding through the desert. Out trips there have enabled us to meet new people enjoying the exercise. The trails suit old goats very well. Kadizzle has been promoting trails for the older crowd in Payson. Get on board. 

Two factions

Payson has two major factions. One faction planned poorly for retirement, and the other faction planned well. Those who planned want progress and a clean prosperous town. Those who are squeaking by just want to be comfortable until they die. The Tea Party and Trump represent the faction living on the edge with nothing by a social security check. The Tea Party faction just wants to keep the cost of getting to the graveyard low. Those who planned want to enjoy the trip to the graveyard with a nice town full of amenities.  Progressives are doing just that trying to make progress. The conservative faction just wants a good fantasy that justifies their existence. Fortunately the prosperous are in the majority. Sadly the vocal people on the edge of poverty are steering the ship. It is time for the majority to take control.

No encomprehende

 Milo and Kadizzle have been working together. Milo speaks little English. It seems to be a lesson in how people of different tribes used to communicate. The phone is a savior translating. The phone is not perfect and sometimes makes some odd mistakes, but we get the job done. 

Simple minded Hoopleheads

Rolling Coal on Peaceful Protesters: Weakness Disguised as Toughness

There is a certain kind of man who believes owning a lifted pickup truck gives him authority over everyone else. He rumbles down Highway 87, chest puffed out, certain that horsepower is the same thing as character. Then he sees peaceful protesters exercising their constitutional rights, and suddenly he has found his mission: stomp the accelerator, belch black diesel smoke, and imagine he has struck a blow for freedom.

What he has really done is advertise insecurity.

“Rolling coal” on peaceful protesters is not courage. It is not patriotism. It is not strength. It is a childish tantrum performed through an exhaust pipe. When someone uses a machine to intimidate people standing with signs, he is not defending America—he is mocking the very freedoms he claims to support.

Peaceful protest is woven into the history of this country. Workers marched for fair wages. Women marched for the right to vote. Civil rights leaders marched for equality. Veterans have marched for justice. Protest is as American as the flag itself. Trying to smother that tradition under a cloud of diesel smoke is an insult to every generation that fought for liberty.

The irony is hard to miss. Many of these same men complain endlessly about “respect,” “law and order,” and “free speech”—until someone they disagree with speaks. Then respect disappears, law becomes harassment, and free speech becomes something to be choked out with pollution.

There is also something deeply pathetic about mistaking noise for power. Real strength is debating ideas. Real confidence is hearing opposing views without losing control. Real masculinity is self-command, not childish rage. Anyone can mash a gas pedal. It takes maturity to act like an adult.

Communities deserve better than grown men using public roads as stages for petty political theater. Highway 87 should be for travel, not for bullying displays from people who confuse aggression with principle.

If your best answer to peaceful protesters is a cloud of black smoke, then the protesters are not the ones who look foolish.

Twisting

 The guy who wants to close the library acts like he cares about young people. Jim Ferris on the town council of Payson is a relic from the stone age. Ferris is one of the three stooges that represent the Tea Party at town hall. Ferris tried to deprive the library of funding claiming the library promoted pornography, classic right wing crap. 

A bunch of good people got together and built a moutian bike course on city property. For the grand opening there he was the guy who has done everything in his power to ruin the life of the young people in Payson showing up for the opening. As if that was not puke sickening enough Laurie Miller the hack for Eli Crane was also there making points for Eli. Miller presented the head of recreation with a certificate from Crane for building the course. Crane turned down 17 million dollars he could have used to help his district, another phony Trump whistledick trying to suck the blood of the good people. Hopefully the Tea Party gang will be defeated in the mid term elections. 

Sam the Hooplehead

Kadizzle did not write this, but it is excellent. 

Sam is 61 years old and lives in a town where the Applebee’s closed in 2014 and people still mention it like it was a natural disaster. The old factory shut down years ago, but Sam keeps his faded employee badge in a kitchen drawer because he considers it proof that America peaked sometime around 1987, right between the release of Top Gun and the invention of low-flow toilets. He firmly believes the country began collapsing the moment they stopped letting people smoke in restaurants and started putting kale in things.

He wakes up every morning at 5:12 a.m., not because he has anywhere to be, but because decades of shift work, untreated sleep apnea, and permanent low-grade outrage have hardwired his body into a permanent state of agitation. He shuffles into the kitchen wearing camouflage pajama pants and a T-shirt that says “I Stand for the Flag” even though he has not stood up quickly without groaning since 2009. He pours himself coffee strong enough to power farm equipment and settles into his recliner to begin his daily ritual of becoming personally offended by things happening hundreds or thousands of miles away. Within half an hour, he is enraged about crime in Chicago, drag queens in Seattle, wind turbines in California, and a college professor in Vermont he has never heard of and never will again.

Sam spends most of his time marinating in an ecosystem of Facebook memes, talk radio, Fox News, chain emails, YouTube clips, and badly designed websites with names like Patriot Eagle Freedom Truth News. By noon, he has shared seven posts warning that America is under attack by socialists, immigrants, vegans, pronouns, electric stoves, and people who use the phrase “lived experience.” He believes every story because every story confirms what he already feels: that the country has been stolen from people like him and handed over to people he does not understand.

Sam is absolutely convinced he is one of the last remaining “real Americans,” despite living in a county entirely populated by people who also think they are the last remaining real Americans. He misses the America of his youth, which in his memory was a magical place where every man had a factory job, every woman made tuna casserole, every child respected authority, and nobody had tattoos, gluten allergies, or opinions about gender. He is nostalgic for a version of the country that mostly exists as a combination of old pickup truck commercials, Toby Keith songs, and stories his grandfather exaggerated after three beers.

His truck is the size of a military vehicle and has never once carried anything heavier than mulch and emotional baggage. His pickup truck is so large that small birds alter their migration patterns to avoid it. The truck has never hauled lumber, gravel, or equipment, but it does haul an enormous amount of political anxiety. The back is covered in bumper stickers warning that he is armed, angry, and deeply suspicious of the federal government, except for when it comes to Medicare, Social Security, highways, farm subsidies, police funding, veterans’ benefits, and keeping its hands off his lawn. He likes to tell people he is “not political,” which is impressive considering his entire personality has become an endless loop of cable news grievances.

He cannot attend a barbecue, church picnic, football game, or grandchild’s birthday party without eventually bringing up inflation, Hunter Biden, gas stoves, “the border,” or how nobody can say Merry Christmas anymore even though literally everyone still says Merry Christmas.

Then Trump arrived, descending from his golden escalator like a casino-themed prophet sent by God to sell steaks and grievance. Sam had finally found his perfect candidate: a billionaire from Manhattan with multiple mansions, gold-plated bathrooms, and a private jet, who somehow convinced Sam that he understood the pain of a man screaming at the self-checkout machine in Walmart.

Trump was loud, angry, theatrical, and constantly under investigation, which only made Sam admire him more. Every lawsuit, scandal, or indictment was not evidence of wrongdoing. It was proof that Trump was fighting the deep state, the media, the elites, the globalists, the FBI, the Democrats, the RINOs, and possibly the ghost of George Soros.

Every scandal, every lawsuit, every indictment, every accusation became proof that Trump was fighting the corrupt establishment on behalf of “real Americans” like Sam.

At this point, Sam does not support Trump because of policy details. He supports Trump because Trump has become the human embodiment of his anger, nostalgia, confusion, and Facebook feed. Trump says the world Sam remembers can come back, that the people Sam dislikes can be punished, and that all of Sam's frustrations are someone else’s fault.

To Sam, Trump is no longer just a politician. He is a lifestyle brand. He is a martyr, a warrior, a stand-up comedian, a victim, a patriot, and the lead singer of a traveling grievance festival. Sam owns at least three Trump hats, two Trump flags, a Trump coffee mug, a “Never Surrender” T-shirt, and a giant “Let’s Go Brandon” sign in the garage that he insists is “not political, just funny.”

For Sam, that is not politics. That is therapy. Trump is not just a candidate anymore; he is an emotional support billionaire.

He is a spray-tanned security blanket with a private jet. He is the gold-plated, fast-food-fueled mascot Sam clings to whenever the modern world feels confusing, threatening, or insufficiently patriotic.

Trump gives him a ready-made explanation for every disappointment in his life: it is not aging, bad luck, economic change, or his own choices; it is the immigrants, the liberals, the media, the globalists, the vegans, the people with pronouns, and whoever is ruining Christmas this week.

Supporting Trump lets Sam believe there is still someone out there fighting for him.

Sunshine is ending

 Soaking up a little sunshine as the day gets cloudy. Morning entertainment is battling the Hoopleheads. The level of hypocrisy among the unwashed is amazing. In Payson we have the three Stooges, Charlie Bell, Jim Ferris, and mayor Steve Otto. Little Trumpers they play the same game of lying and deceit their pappy does. Kadizzle was blown away watching Bell and Otto praise the library. Maybe they forgot Stooge number three Jim Ferris wanted to defund the library because it promoted pornography. Ordinary people can see right through the Stooges, and Trump, but the special Tea Party glasses show a hero when you look at a worthless lickspittle playing you for a fool. 

One percent own as much as 90 percent.

 

---

Reading The New York Times today, Kadizzle wasn’t surprised—but he should have been. One percent of Americans now hold as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent combined. That’s not a functioning democracy. That’s an aristocracy.

We like to pretend we still live in a land of opportunity, but the numbers tell a different story. In today’s America, having ten million dollars doesn’t make you rich—it barely gets you through the front gate. The real power sits far above that level, in a class so wealthy it writes the rules the rest of us live by.

And the political system? It follows the money. It always has. The people in power are tied to the same interests that benefit from this imbalance, and they have little incentive to change it.

Meanwhile, behavior that would destroy anyone else barely makes a dent at the top. Scandals come and go, headlines flare up and fade out, and nothing fundamental changes. Wealth shields power, and power protects wealth. It’s a closed loop.

So what do we do? Mostly, we look away. We normalize it. We cruise along as if this is just how things are supposed to be.

But it’s not normal. It’s not sustainable. And the longer we pretend otherwise, the harder the reckoning will be.

Wi Fi at 35,000 ft.

At last American Airlines has free wifi up in the skyfi. Here the Kadizzles sit on some kind of Airbus headed to Phoenix blasting away at the Hoopleheads. It makes a flight go quicker. Another bonus are the Airpods Kadizzle bought. They are excellent at noise suppression. 

Well tonight Trump will do his best to start World War Three. Who could possibly still support that worthless con man?  

Can we ever clean up the Trump mess?

The damage done during the era of Donald Trump isn’t the kind you fix with a policy memo or a change in leadership. It’s deeper than that. It’s structural, cultural, and psychological. It’s the kind of damage that lingers long after the headlines fade and the slogans stop echoing.

Some consequences hit fast. Gas prices, for example, can spike overnight and grab everyone’s attention. But the more dangerous effects are slower, quieter, and far more persistent. Inflation doesn’t announce itself with a bang—it seeps in. It erodes savings, shrinks purchasing power, and quietly locks younger generations out of homeownership. It’s not just that things cost more; it’s that the future becomes less attainable.

And then there’s the environmental toll. Policies that roll back protections don’t just disappear when administrations change. The air doesn’t clean itself overnight. Pollution accumulates. Climate patterns destabilize. Fires grow larger, storms grow stronger, and what used to be called “unusual” becomes routine. The cost of neglect shows up not just in dollars, but in the quality of the air we breathe and the safety of the places we live.

But perhaps the most lasting damage isn’t economic or environmental—it’s cognitive. Reality itself has taken a hit. A significant portion of the country now operates in an alternate version of truth, one shaped more by loyalty than by facts. In that world, contradictions don’t matter, evidence is optional, and belief outweighs reality. The merging of political identity with religious fervor has created something powerful and deeply resistant to correction. When a political figure and a religious figure become interchangeable in the minds of followers, debate becomes nearly impossible.

This distortion has consequences. It fractures communities, erodes trust in institutions, and makes cooperation feel like betrayal. It turns disagreement into hostility and replaces dialogue with slogans. Once that kind of thinking takes hold, it doesn’t simply vanish with a change in leadership—it persists, spreads, and hardens.

History shows that institutions can be repaired. Economies can recover. Even environmental damage, to some extent, can be mitigated. But rebuilding a shared sense of reality—that’s the hardest task of all. It requires time, education, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

The cleanup isn’t just about policy. It’s about restoring trust, reestablishing facts, and reconnecting people to a common understanding of the world. And that kind of repair doesn’t happen quickly. It takes years—maybe longer.

Because when reality itself has been bent, straightening it back out is no small job.

What does if feel like to be Stupid?

I got up this morning wondering what does it feel like to be stupid. I put on a MAGA hat, pasted a Trump sticker on a jacked up pickup truck, and then realized I was missing something, it was a huge American flag flying from the back of my truck. I felt like and idiot, but I knew how to make it worse. The Tea Party was the answer. I went to a Tea Party meeting and listened to Fox News conspiracy theories repeated. In a room full of redneck Hoopleheads I felt at home as an idiot. Right away I noticed no one was allowed to speak unless they agreed with Trump and the lies he told.  It hit me I was missing something, a gun.  If you want to be part of the network of idiots, you need a gun, concealed or carried in the open.  With my new look I took off to the grocery store. It worked, people looked at me and treated me as an idiot. All I needed to do now was join the Republican Party. 
 

Strange Twist on Trump

 

Trump: The Accidental Salesman for Renewable Energy

History has a strange sense of humor. Sometimes the very people who try to drag the world backward end up pushing it forward.

Take Donald Trump.

Between the chaos, the chest-thumping, and the ever-present threat of conflict, Trump may be doing something he never intended—accelerating the world’s shift to renewable energy.

War has always been about control. Control of land. Control of people. But most importantly—control of energy. Oil pipelines, shipping routes, gas supplies. These are the real chess pieces behind the headlines. And when a leader behaves unpredictably, when conflict becomes a daily possibility, the rest of the world starts asking a simple question:

Why are we still dependent on anything that can be taken away?

That’s where the irony kicks in.

You can’t embargo sunlight.
You can’t sanction the wind.
You can’t bomb a solar panel into submission across the entire planet.

Countries are beginning to understand that energy independence doesn’t just mean drilling more oil—it means eliminating vulnerability altogether. And nothing does that better than renewables.

Solar panels don’t care who the dictator is this week. Wind turbines don’t stop spinning because someone decided to flex military muscle. Renewable energy doesn’t answer to strongmen, oligarchs, or unstable governments.

And when global tensions rise, the math changes fast.

Every missile launched, every threat made, every supply chain disrupted—it all sends a signal to the rest of the world: Get off the grid that can be controlled.

Europe has already felt it. Parts of Asia are moving faster. Even countries that once dragged their feet are now sprinting toward solar fields and wind farms—not because they suddenly became environmental idealists, but because they became realists.

Energy security is national security.

That’s the part no one talks about enough.

Trump may rail against green energy. He may mock it, dismiss it, or try to prop up the fossil fuel past. But the instability that follows him is quietly making the case for renewables stronger than any climate activist ever could.

Because fear is a powerful motivator.

And nothing drives change faster than the realization that your entire economy can be held hostage by someone else’s decisions.

In the end, this may be Trump’s unintended legacy—not the slogans, not the rallies, not the bluster.

But a world that looked at the chaos and decided:

We’re done being dependent.

The sun rises every day.
The wind keeps blowing.

And no dictator can turn either one off.

Here we sit

Wild grandchildren are fun. Granny and Granpa are in New York with Evie and Quinn. Constant excitement. Quinn constantly shooting Grandpa with his foam darts. Evie dances, and fights with Quinn. Cold is a new thing for two old North Dakota people. It has been so long since we have been cold. Yesterday we helped build the new enclosed raised garden which will be the source of vegetables this summer.