What Does America Stand For in 2026?

If your curious about what America stands for these days, I suggest you get reactions from other countries while researching the question. For starters.

The Pew Research Center recently conducted interviews with the rest of the world on how America is viewed today.

Some talking points include;

* Europe and Canada view America as unpredictable and increasingly isolated from Democratic nations. Trump's agressive trade policies, tariff threats, and geopolitical rhetoric - such as acquiring Greenland one way or another - see the U.S. as transactional rather than a defender of global peace and stability.

* Views from Global South & Asian partners is remarkedly similar to Europe and Canada in that the polled countries feel the U.S. does not contribute to global peace and stability. In fact, 63% of the people polled feel America frequently interferes in other nations' affairs.

* A prominent consensus across online communities - such as Reddit's GlobalTalk - suggests a strong dualistic opinion globally: most people distinguish between warm, welcoming American citizens and the polarizing, often abrasive nature of Trump's foreign policies.

It's not unusual to see countries protesting Trump himself and not average Americans. Global confidence in the U.S. has dropped to historic lows, with international perception scores falling behind both China and Russia in global surveys.

The hyper-Polarization of American politics has observers viewing U.S. political institutions as deeply fractured and dysfunctional. Many countries view America as being imperialistic or self-serving.

At least a dozen countries have issued travel advisories or warnings against the United States, citing concerns over strict immigration enforcement, political protests, and gun violence.

Damn. It sounds like America is a third world country laboring under a dictator. We are globally viewed as bullies. In a nutshell, our country is no longer looked at as a symbol of freedom welcoming people from around the planet.

Trump has taken America to a low no one could have imagined two years ago. Our pathetic and cruel regime has succeeded in turning the U.S. into a pariah state that is more feared than revered.

As it Stands, I fear it's going to take another generation before America reasserts its democratic values and position of trust with the rest of the world. 

Reflections on the Reflecting Pool Controversy

Tourists in Washington DC this last week are wondering why the Reflecting Pool is being guarded like Fort Knox and why it's green and stinks.

National Guard troops packing weapons have been joined by US Marshals and local cops patrolling the pool around the clock. 

What's going on here? 

From the looks of the massive security surrounding the now controversial pool I expect Trump is going to declare a national emergency at any moment.

Let's back up for a moment.

Trump has been bragging about his beautification project on the Reflecting Pool for months. He went out and hired one of his Mar-a-Lago billionaire buddies to do the job and didn't bother to take other bids. 

The buddy was going to paint the pool blue so it would look cooler. It would only cost $1.8 million to do the job. But when the bill came in the cost had bloomed to $15 million.

Within a couple of days of the completed restoration the pool turned neon green. Algae, in quantities never seen before, bloomed brightly under the hot sun. So, workers were sent out with nets to scope up the algae and that didn't work. It got worse when workers poured gallons of hydrogen peroxide into the green stew.

Then disaster hit.

The American blue lining that Trump kept bragging about began deteriorating and pieces started floating to the surface where the wind blew them around making little waves.

When ABC reported the damage Trump lost whatever remains of his mind and tried to gaslight the public. He declared, without evidence, that a vandal slashed the coated blue covering with a knife (or box cutter) from end to end.

Trump's explanation for what happened to the pool was obviously bullshit and almost everyone in the country knew it. Experts talked about the cracks that had been covered up with the new coating that caused the water to quit circulating making it a dream location for algae.

Meanwhile Trump pushed the vandal lie to its limits and sent goons out to arrest tourists (or anyone) that dared to dip a hand into the green slime. ABC reporter Jonathan Karl dipped a hand into the pool and came up with a piece of the blue coating. Trump was so upset at being exposed he's suing ABC. 

Reports that there were six people arrested (!) for touching the green sludge offended the public. It was insane. Undemocratic. And a perfect example of how far Trump's insanity is affecting the country...and the world. Think Iran and the economy.

Trump's obsession with beatifying Washington DC has taken on more importance than solving the Iran war. Despite the fact that there is no evidence of vandals causing the problem in the pool, Trump keeps pushing that false narrative. When a reporter asked him about it, he suggested the media go talk to someone in the Department of the Interior because they would verify his claim.

The problem is no one at the Department of the Interior has been available to back up Trump's claim. Not even the Interior Secretary Doug Bergum whose currently AWOL.

It looks like everyone was given a sudden vacation because reporters couldn't find anyone to question. The entire department appeared closed. Coincidence?

As workers struggle to clean the mess up, their finding dead ducks in the fetid water. 

The state-owned propaganda station, Fox News, take on the whole controversy is weak. They wondered why such a big deal was being made over the pool by liberals. Forget the fact that Trump has been talking about the Reflecting Pool for months and he was obviously lying about what happened. 

There will never be proof of Trump's assertion, but it doesn't bother him because he regularly lies and gets away with it. The whole controversy has come about because Trump refuses to admit he was wrong about anything. That includes Iran and the economy.

As it Stands, while the cause of the duck deaths is still unknown, wildlife advocates have expressed concerns the ducks could have consumed cyanobacteria, often referred to as blue-green algae, which produces toxins that cause illness in humans and animals.

Will Trump Succeed in Rewriting American History?

One of the hallmarks of a dictator is rewriting history to conform to their twisted ideology.

Trump is doing his best to whitewash American history on issues like slavery. His racist motivation is no secret. He wants his MAGA followers to be happy with the United States history. 

Part of his solution involves threatening prestigious museums like the Smithsonian Institution if it didn't obey his demands

The Smithsonian's independence has been under fire by Trump for over a year. On Trump's propaganda website also known as Truth Social, he posted that "the Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been."

Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution has been pushing back at Trump's efforts to rewrite (and conceal) history. He's resisted J.D. Vance's and Carlos Gimenez's (R-FL) efforts to scrub so-called "woke" ideas in the museum. Both are on the Smithsonian's Board of Regents. 

In a failed effort to fire the director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Trump showed how serious he was about taking over the nation's narrative. His next step is getting loyalists on boards (there's currently openings) who will help reshape the museum to his liking.

The assault against truth doesn't stop with reshaping museums histories. Earlier this month a federal judge ruled against Trump's attempts to remove historic content that is featured at national parks. He specifically targeted content that discussed America's history of racism, including slavery.

It's now a matter of compliance with the judge's order to restore what the Park Service has already torn down.

I don't expect it to happen right away, however. If the resistance to a court order to take Trump's name off of the Kennedy Center is a hint, we can expect the same reluctance in the Smithsonian ruling.

For the sake of brevity, I won't going into the Trump regime's attempt to influence schools and libraries across the country with a revamped American history. That's for a future post.

As it Stands, one of my favorite authors is George Orwell whose quote here sums up this post, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."  

Trump Might Not Attend a World Cup Match: His Handlers Say Fans Are Being Mean

It's getting harder for Trump to attend big events anymore because Boo Birds are faithfully following his orangeness from one venue to another.

Leading up to the World Cup tournament FIFA president Gianni Infantino made up a fake award to curry Trump's favor - a so-called Peace Prize. A week later he started a war with Iran. 

There's a reason Trump hasn't gone to any soccer matches thus far despite the United States hosting the big event. Soccer fans are being mean to Donny even though he hasn't shown up at stadiums yet. 

Concern is running so high that serious questions are being raised about if Trump will even hand over the trophy at the July 19 final. This must be serious if his handlers are suggesting he pass up an opportunity to caress a trophy.

Fans from England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand have crafted songs that now ring out through bars before matches and reverberate around stadiums during games. There isn't a fan alive who doesn't know how fragile Trump's ego is.

So, when fan's began highlighting Trump's well-documented connection with Jeffrey Epstein, a notorious pedophile who he hung out with for years, the writing was on the wall. Trump's staff are in a crisis mode trying to prevent him from being exposed to the chants in person, and that includes matches with English-speaking teams.

Australian supporters were among the first to make headlines after footage of thousands chanting anti-Trump songs went viral on social media.

Trump's connection with Epstein is a story that just won't go away. Trump claims he did not do anything wrong but the ongoing debates over the disclosure of Epstein-linked court filings coupled with investigative materials just won't go away. No matter what he has to say, the Epstein files remain politically challenging.

It must be humiliating for Trump to see fans worldwide mocking his relationship with an international pedophile Epstein. Maybe that's why Trump hid over the weekend at Camp David where no one could reach him, instead of Mar-a-Lago or the White House.

After spending months touting the World Cup as proof of America's global stature and power Trump escaped to Camp David for several days to avoid international shame. For all we know, Trump's handlers still have him there in a rubber room under medication. 

As it Stands, Trump's minions claim he met with them after the Iran talks stalled, but they also admitted he was at Camp David for some "executive-time." 

For the record, Lesley Gore's song, "I'll Cry If I Want To," was playing during Trump's retreat from reality. 

Life Without Stephan Colbert Has been a Drag

My wife Shirley and I are still grieving the loss of Stepen Colbert from the late-night comedy circuit on TV. 

His show was a regular part of our early-morning routine for years. His comedic antics and hilarious takes on Trump helped us greet each new day with laughter. 

We didn't stay up late at night to watch Colbert live because we'd go to bed before the show aired. But watching the re-runs on YouTube the next morning became a habit in the last decade.

Whenever something that makes you laugh is suddenly silenced there's going to be a void in your life. We watch re-runs of Jimmy Kimmel in the morning over a cup of joe. He's funny. Just not as funny as Stepen Colbert. There. I said it. Sorry Jimmy. We still watch your show so that says something. Right?

If there's one thing Shirley and I have learned in 52 years of marriage is that humor helps us cope with the stress in society today. As corny as it sounds, laughter is the best medicine.  

We come to you dear reader, not to bury Stephen Colbert, but to give you hope. We all need hope. Shirley and believe a talent like his is a national treasure. 

If someone ever decides to build a museum featuring only American comedians from throughout our history, Shirley and I will be at the front of the line of visitors on opening day.

Just imagine if we did have a museum like that for America's 250th anniversary. The public could have voted for their 250 favorite comedic candidates. I'd put Colbert in the top 10 picks. We are talking about comedians and not dictators, so visitors don't have to worry about encountering a Trump dummy.

We haven't giving up on seeing Colbert again. He's just too talented not to have a media platform somewhere out there. 

I know that the MAGA controlled media empire considers him persona non grata. But in this day and age there's plenty of other media platforms that would love to have a popular funny guy like Colbert.

As it Stands, When Colbert's new gig airs we hope it's during prime time, but we're ready to embrace late-night TV performances again if necessary.

Trump: The Enemy Within

A couple of days ago Trump bragged to a group of reporters that he was more powerful than Hitler and Stalin ever were. I would add that he's more paranoid than either of those evil strongmen were; and that's saying a lot because both were notorious for their suspicious natures.

Trump who is currently spiraling deeper into dementia every day, is launching an internal purge to gut the CIA, with a focus on getting rid of bosses hired under President Obama and President Biden's administrations.

In Trump's ultra-paranoid state, he believes the CIA is spying on him. So, in his usual style he's decided to slip a political assassin into the CIA by appointing Bill Pulte the newly acting Director of National Intelligence.

This temporary assignment is a chance for Trump to move quickly and remove people he views as risks before a permanent intelligence chief could take over. He knew Pulte couldn't get confirmed so he did the next best thing and gave him temporary free reign to cause havoc in 18 intelligence agencies.

Pulte got his political chops by being Trump's attack dog while serving as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency where he transformed the position to go after Trump's perceived political foes.

Now it's a question of how badly this purge is going to hurt America's security at home and abroad. Getting rid of people with years of valuable experience is an invitation to destruction and inner chaos, just like Trump did with other government agencies since his return to the White House.

Trump's paranoia is clashing with his rapidly deteriorating brain cells and making him more dangerous every day. He's become a threat to all Americans and foreign nations. He started a war with Iran - for no good reason - and now he can't get out of the mess of his own making.

As it Stands, cartoonist Walt Kelly cleverly summed up our challenge of defending Democracy against Trump when he wrote, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

The American Experience: What it's like Living in Two Worlds

After WWII, when I grew up in the 50s and 60s, America was a beacon of freedom, and the Constitution wasn't under fire by an authoritarian malicious narcissist grifting off of the presidency.

There was almost a universal respect for the office of president. I studied the presidents in elementary school and had a working knowledge of democracy and American history. I was proud to be an American. Sadly, I'm not so proud being an American now.

I'm more embarrassed than proud. As I watch a convicted felon and sexual predator play president, I get increasingly disgusted at what he's managing to get away with despite violating every law of the land. The contrast between Harry S. Truman and Donald J. Trump are wider than the Grand Canyon.

The contrast between eras is striking and scary. My generation is faced with another version of America where the office of the presidency was respected, unlike now where it's reviled by a majority of Americans and foreigners who fear and loath Trump.

I remember a time when corruption wasn't rewarded unlike now. If a politician even had a hint of an extra-marital affair or was stealing from taxpayers that was the end of their career. Now being openly corrupt is no longer a problem as Trump ignores past precedents and appoints his minions to positions of power throughout the government.

We had (and still have) religious cults to deal with in the past, but now we have a cult in charge of our whole country. Currently our president is openly working on rigging our upcoming midterm elections. His loyalists in every state are doing their best to disenfranchise American voters. 

For someone who remembers John F. Kennedy campaigning around the country and encouraging all voters to exercise their rights, it's shocking to see what's happened to the presidency under Trump.

I'm not under the illusion that there were never wealthy individuals pulling the levers of power in past administrations. But now billionaires are openly running the country as they've assumed every position of power in the government with Trump's help.

I have a hard time seeing Jimmy Carter accepting a jet from a middle eastern country seeking influence despite it being an enormous emolument violation. But the generous gift from the Qatar government to Trump last year is now at his disposal. He openly accepts bribes from foreign countries who compete among themselves to give him golden goodies in exchange for favors.

As a nation we have lost our way and no longer can claim to be for freedom and equality for all. Watching this political and cultural transformation during the decade of Trump is the worst experience of my life, right next to serving in Vietnam as a Combat Engineer in 1970.

As it Stands, I'm not ready to give up on our country because I know what it could still be after Trump's exit from the White House.

Bottom Line: It's Looking Like American Taxpayers are Paying for the Ballroom

It was inevitable.

Trump is screwing Americans again. When the news leaked out that he illegally siphoned off taxpayer money from his One Big Beautiful Bill Act to make his golden ballroom dream come true Congress called foul.

The law stipulated the money may only be spent on Secret Service personnel, training facilities, technology and related costs, not construction.

Here's the rub, Congress explicitly refused to provide $1bn in funds for the "East Wing Modernization Project," the Trump regime's official name for a 90,000-sq-ft ballroom being built on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing.

So, Trump being Trump, he ignored the message and did a run around Congress's flank to sneak in taxpayers' money to fulfil his fantasy.

The whole project started out to be free for Americans because Trump's billionaire buddies were supposed to donate the funds because they were "patriots" who by the way expected a kickback from Daddy Warbucks.

There's a widening controversy about who is actually paying for Donnie's dream. The original estimated cost, made last July, was $200m. Trump described it as a "private thing" before the East Wing was destroyed in October.

That estimate doubled to $400m in late March. Trump still insisted it was tax-payer free. The Washington Post has recently reported total costs could reach $600m.

There are currently legal challenges, after a federal judge ruled in March that the regime had probably exceeded its authority in demolishing the East Wing without congressional approval.

Because Congress wouldn't pony up a billion dollars that stable evil genius wanted for his vanity project, he resorted to breaking the law and flipping Congress the bird. It's par for the course for our First Felon whose made it a habit to flaunt laws that get in his way.

You may have heard that Trump is trying to frame the whole devious project as a national security concern that can only be addressed by having a ballroom that's "drone proof" next to the White House. Americans did not ask for this monstrosity that's going to take their hard-earned tax dollars to pacify Don the Con.

As it Stands, there's no telling on how far this farce will go. Will the courts stand up to Trump's ambitious grift, or will they give Mr. Tiny Hands the greenlight to gaslight the American people?

Legos Take Over Politics and Beyond!

   Legos have become the stuff of legends. 

Lego parodies produced by the Iranians started popping up early this year online. The NO KINGS team quickly picked them up and generated new episodes. 

AI generated animated propaganda against the U.S.'s war on Iran, done in the style of Lego movies has gone viral on the internet. Homegrown Lego parodies are also flooding media platforms from Tik Tok to YouTube.

The videos have accumulated millions of views across the world. The political messaging on display in the videos is as blunt and cartoonish as the blocky Lego characters. The videos are also fluent in the language of conspiracy and online trolling.

Lego parodies (also known as "brickfilms") span a massive variety of pop culture remakes, covering everything from blockbuster movie trailers and TV show theme songs to political satire and are primarily produced by independent creators and viral animation channels.

Channels like Corey Pine Studios consistently drop Lego parodies of massive franchises, including Star Wars, Barbie, and Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse.

Channels like Explosive Media (Iran) have gained internet attention for creating detailed viral 3-D animations in a Lego style to parody and mock figures like Trump and Pete Hegseth.

Legos have been around for a very long time. Their inventor, a Danish carpenter named Ole Kristiansen, founded the company in 1932. Legos migrated to America from Denmark in 1961 by making an arrangement with Samsonite to begin producing and selling their products in America and Canada,

Fun Fact; LEGO is derived from the Danish phrase leg godt which means "play well."

Legos popularity is demonstrated by its widespread representation and use in many cultural works, including books, films, and art. It has even been used in the classroom as a teaching tool.

First launched in 1996, the Lego website has developed over the years and provides many extra services beyond an online store and a product catalogue. There are also moderated message boards that were founded in 2001.

Just to show how big Legos are there are ten Legoland amusement parks worldwide. Three of them are in the United States; Carlsbad, California, Winter Haven, Florida, and Goshen, New York. 

As it Stands, I never gave much thought to Legos when my kids were growing up and playing with them. I certainly didn't suspect they would someday become an effective tool to mock Trump and his MAGA regime.

Trump Assassination Attempts Will Stop When the Big Beautiful Ballroom is Built

Okay. What's going on here? 

Three supposed assassination attempts against Trump in the last month. Five in the last year. 

I know most people in the country (and around the world) hate Trump but these attempts on his life really gained traction when Trump told the courts not to block his ballroom because it was going to be his safety valve against people who want to rub him out.

A detail about the ballroom that keeps popping up is that it will be drone proof. Does that mean the White House isn't?

This latest threat came from a 19-year-old, Tycen Proper the group's leader, who was sick of government corruption and wanted all of the Epstein files released, and data centers to stop springing up beside where people live.

The guy was described as "ultra-religious" and "anti-government" by the FBI. His mother said he was convinced by 19 people online in his Tik Tok group to join in a plot to bomb government buildings and shoot people with snipers during Trump's UFC spectacle on the White House lawn.

On June 10th, four days before the MAGA cage match, the FBI arrested Proper and five "serious" members of the alleged criminal organization while they were still planning the attack. 

The part that strains my credibility is that this group was supposedly going to use drones in the attack! Wow! That's an awfully sophisticated weapon for a group of discontented all American losers online. And of course, no drones were discovered.

Wait a minute! I see the connection now. The ballroom is going to have protection against drones. Makes sense, doesn't it? And because there's been so many drone attacks by bad actors in the United States this protection is absolutely necessary.  

A California man named Alan Thomas was one of the alleged organizers of the White House terror plot. The FBI said he admitted he believes the U.S. government is run by elites who sacrifice and eat children, had involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, and are protected by Trump.

If this sounds familiar it's because the right-wingers against the Biden administration followed the same crazy conspiracy. I guess they just switched sides because they were bored and starting to feel irrelevant.

Early on Tuesday morning when the news broke Fox state media, via Kash Patel, put up a lurid headline claiming an explosive drone targeted the White House and a breathless host was acting like it just happened...despite being four days ago.

Trump keeps claiming the ballroom will safeguard our Nation's Capital, but a skeptical court is looking at why there wasn't a Congressional approval for the major project or an environmental impact report before they started digging a massive hole by the East Wing.

To be clear, I'm sure those clowns meant to inflict major causalities and jumpstart an American revolution. I doubt if they had the where with all to actually get an explosive drone, but it was on their wish list.

I also want to point out it was Poper's parents that turned him and his buddies into the FBI and Secret Service. The group was not on any law agencies radar up until then. 

That didn't stop Kash Patel and his MAGA cronies from broadcasting the story and taking all the credit for stopping the plot. In the Army, we called that false valor.

As for Patel, the Secret Service is furious with the idiot because he leaked ongoing information prematurely on 10 individuals who were yet to be taken in.

As it Stands, I suspect it's just a matter of time before another plot is exposed - with drones, that's important - to try and convince the judge that Trump's ballroom will save America.

It's Time to Drain the Swamp

The National Mall's Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is now a virtual swamp reflecting the Trump regimes corruption. 

It's a potent metaphor for the incompetence that Trump has brought into the White House in his second go-around. 

Visitors walking by the Reflecting Pool these days are treated to the sight of a full algae bloom with workers slowly walking through the green muck and scooping it up with nets. I can't imagine how many foreign visitors were impressed by this Trump beautification project.

A beautification project that started out supposedly costing $1.5 million magically swelled to $14 million with results less than satisfactory...to put it mildly. 

Tuesday Morning.

In a desperate measure park officials dumped gallons of hydrogen peroxide into the reflecting pool. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the 12 percent concentrate that the workers are pouring in is a level that can cause problems if inhaled and burns if the chemical touches the skin.

Officials say the process could pose a risk to some of the pool's frequent visitors, such as ducks or other birds.

MAGA minions quickly accused liberals of sabotage and vandalism to cover up for dear leaders' stupidity. The real problem is the pool's pipes and filter system. They have to be improved.

The whole boondoggle is reflective of the corrupt regime's pollution of government at all levels. 

Trump's other beautification projects in Washington DC have raised eyebrows and spawned court lawsuits. 

The most recent lawsuit involves West Potomac Park, an area that includes several memorials, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. He wants to build what he calls a "National Garden of American Heroes" on the site.

The swamp in the White House gets deeper daily as one Trump lawyer argued in court that he can bulldoze down the State of Liberty, if he wants to.

As it Stands, the source of this whole swampy scenario is Trump who ironically once coined the phrase "Drain the Swamp."