A Fourth of July Message to Americans Who Love this Country

A Holiday Message for my Readers;

Despite Trump's authoritarian seizure of the Fourth of July holiday there's millions of Americans who still honor our founders and new republic, rejecting the lies, hate, and twisted narrative that MAGA is trying to force upon the nation this year.

I refuse to let the bastardization of our nation go unchallenged. I'll be flying the American flag, but upside down because freedom is under attack by a felon and sex offender who is illegally squatting in the Oval Office.

It hurts - and hardens - my heart to see this decline in our democracy. 

Today I'm recalling past Fourth of July celebrations when my kids were growing up and more recently with my grandchildren. Great memories of children with sparklers, hot dogs, hamburgers, and potato salad will always hold me in good stead. 

I'm not going to allow Trump to ruin those memories. Instead of letting him get in my head I'll be thinking about the price of freedom in the coming days, months and years.

As it Stands, I'm proud to be an American who believes that we all deserve to be free and equal as spelled out in the Bill of Rights.

How the Trump Stole 4th of July

You can step aside Mr. Grinch because someone eviler than you have taken the spotlight.

"You're a mean one

You really are an ass

You're a liar

Without any class

Mr. Trump, you're cruel

Mr. Trump, you're crass."

(Apologies to Dr. Seuss)

It doesn't feel like 4th of July this year. 

I remember celebrating America's 200th anniversary in 1976. It was special. There was a series of celebrations and observances that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic.

The whole country embraced the activities. I was on a patriotic push and talked my long-suffering wife into decorating our house in red, white, and blue. I even bought a Bicentennial set of Commemorative coins. I displayed the flag outside our house proudly.

That was then. How things have changed in 2026.

Trump has managed to turn the holiday into a series of political events and tributes for himself. Each worse than the one before. Despite having a National State Fair at the Washington mall to celebrate 4th of July hardly anyone has shown up for the event which is slated to last 16 days.

It didn't help that Trump opened the fair with a two-hour-long political screed that saw a sparce crowd walk away by mid speech. The fair's failures to secure entertainers and the lack of shade (Washington DC is in the 100s right now) contributed to the small crowd. The state booths (only 40 states participated) were bland and often weren't staffed by anyone.

Like a political slap in the face, the organizers (Trump's Freedom 250 clowns) erected a facsimile of one of Trump's vanity projects - a triumphal arch like the one in France. His plans call for it to be by the National Mall. The only people it attracted at the fair were the few who used the little shade that it provided.

We have to look at the big picture. Trump has taken national holidays over and is desecrating them with his vile politics. America is split into warring fragments that refuse to unite. Even once safe national holidays have been poisoned.

It's particularly galling watching Trump and his cronies wrapping themselves in the American flag and claiming they are super patriots. They've appropriated national symbols, striping them down into a MAGA centric meaning that most Americans revile.

The takeover of Fourth of July is a continuation of an authoritarian government holding freedom hostage.

As it Stands, I'll still hang my flag out this year, but I'll skip buying any commemorative coins with Trump's mug on them.

It's a Mystery to Me: How Can Anyone Take Trump Seriously?

Trump must be gnawing on his pacifier.

Everyone is making fun of him. The Iranians have started a small industry of Lego videos featuring Trump and his MAGA buddies doing stupid things.

The news is crawling with jokes, memes, and cartoons about America's first felon president. Trump's beautification projects in Washington DC have been mocked and scorned in the print media and online daily.

One of Trump's beautification projects has spawned a series of memes and viral themes that will someday be put in a future Meme Museum. 

The Lincoln Reflecting Pool. There you go! You're already smiling. I bet you've seen a few. Let's view some examples.

- "Make Algae Green Again." Nice twist on Make America Great Again.

- "Drain the Swamp." Comedians and critics have seized the opportunity to ironically twist Trump's signature catchphrase "drain the swamp" to apply to the stubbornly algae-filled monument.

- "Vandalism." One of the most popular memes features an edited clip of artist Bob Ross dabbing globs of bright green paint onto a picture of the D.C. landmark. Comedians and critics poked fun at Trump's response to his alleged vandalism (evidence free rant) claim and mocked his idea of arresting people for "touching water."

All kidding aside for a moment. Here's a sobering reality; Trump is mentally ill. It's obvious to over 50% of Americans (latest Quinnipiac poll) and the rest of the world.

Particularly troubling is Iran's approach to dealing with Trump. They truly believe he's insane. They may joke about Trump's thin skin but beneath that humor they know he's not dealing with a full deck.

The Iranian negotiating team genuinely believes Trump is crazy. They factored this assessment into their official diplomatic strategy according to major news outlets.

During indirect peace negotiations, Iranian officials brought senior psychologists and psychiatrists onto their negotiating team to analyze Trump's cognitive and decision-making styles. The Iranian Psychological Society published open letters about Trump, calling for a scientific evaluation of his mental health to address concerns over his hostility and impulsivity.

Trump's latest medical evaluation involved 22 doctors (a record). There's little doubt that they are following his cognitive decline. It's getting worse. America and the rest of the world is aware of what a walking time bomb Trump is. 

As it Stands, watching Trump unravel is like watching a runaway train. You know nothing good is going to happen.

14th Amendment Victory: Supreme Court Actually Rejected Trump's Birthright Challenge

It doesn't happen too often in the Age of Trump where the Supreme Court stands up against Trump's attempt to dismantle the Constitution.

Today the 14th Amendment was upheld by SCOTUS. A hundred and fifty-year-old law regarding automatic birthright eligibility stood the test against Trump's assault on the Constitution with a 6-3 ruling. 

Justice Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito dissented.

I'm not here to praise the Supreme Court because the conservative majority has been going along with most of Trump's attacks against our freedoms.

Today they got it right. But for how long?

Precedent is no longer a guiding light for this Supreme Court. Chief Justice Robert has granted Trump complete immunity and made a mockery of the Executive Branch with unlimited powers.

The decision firmly rejected the executive order that Trump issued on the first day of his second term. 

The executive order never went in effect because every lower court judge who reviewed it concluded that it was "blatantly unconstitutional."

To put the challenge against the 14th Amendment in prospective it was part of Trump and Stephen Miller's immigrant purge.

Prior to today's decision Trump posted this on his Truth Social platform, "The United States of America cannot live with the shackles of Birthright Citizenship. It is not economically, or otherwise, sustainable, and no other Country in the World, of consequence, does it."

Today Trump wrote, "No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment necessary! Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP."

Trump is not going to get what he wants however, because it would take a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate (or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures).

The likelihood of that happening is minus zero on a scale of 1 to 10.

For the record, the case was Trump v. Barbara. 

As it Stands, you can bet the ketchup is flying in the Oval Office this morning!

Trump's Repeated Tours of Washington DC Monuments Causing Residents Grief

Whenever the pressure from his war on Iran gets to him Trump goes on a tour of monuments in Washington DC. His desire to make Washington DC his lifetime legacy is more important than the war he started in Iran or the failing American economy.

His interpretation of beautification falls short of normal standards. Whenever he has the chance, he redecorates things with gaudy gold gilding. The bronze horses near the Lincoln Memorial have been covered in a heavy 23.75-karat gold leaf that cost taxpayers $5 million.  

I wonder how American taxpayers feel about that? It's just one of Trump's multiple attempts to beautify DC for the country's 250th anniversary that is fleecing America. Funds to make the changes come from the National Park Service which has had to divert projects in national parks throughout the country to meet his demands.

Recently Trump has engaged in multiple high-profile, highly secured tours of the monuments and fountains causing rolling road closures and restricted public access. Needless to say, his tours are causing grief for local commuters and tourists.

Following his tours Trump goes on rants about his pet projects like the triumphal arch he wants to erect for Columbia Island at Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Memorial Bridge.

On Sunday Trump posted a 594-word diatribe praising himself for all the good work he's doing around town. Without any authorization he had plans drawn up for his Arc de Triomphe (already being called Arc de Trump) with an intensive construction schedule that involves crews working 20 hours a day (across two 10-hour shifts) year-round to complete the arch within two to three years.

That's years of pain-in-the ass commutes for local residents who never asked for such a stupid monument. The fact that their taxes are footing the bill is both galling and appalling.

As it Stands, at this point there's no doubt that Trump is living in another universe where nothing is normal.

Before You Donate to a 'Go Fund Me' Page Do Your Due Diligence

What began as an organic way to help average Americans raise money for good causes has morphed into a way to rip people off. 

The first GoFundMe page was officially launched on May 10, 2010, and was originally called "Coin Piggy" and later "Create-a-Fund" before becoming the platform it is today.

Created as a for-profit crowdfunding platform, GoFundMe allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses.

It wasn't long before bad actors found ways to abuse the platform. GoFundMe controversies fall into two distinct categories: platform-wide corporate scandals and individual criminal scams.

Here's four ways that individual grifters have managed to turn a good thing into a bad thing:

1. The "Good Samaritan" Hoax. Perpetrators fabricate a heartwarming story that urges people to donate to.

2. The Faked Childhood-Cancer Hoax. A parent falsely appeals for help for their terminally ill child. At some point they post that the child died and has been cremated.

3. The "Degenerative Disease" Hoax. Someone begins by telling friends, family, and online donors that they have a rare, terminal degenerative illness.

4. The Faked Animal Cruelty Hoax. This scam targets animal lovers by claiming their pet suffered a grievous injury, and they need help to pay for medical bills. 

These examples are the most common ways people get scammed donating to a GoFundMe site but are far from the only ways the platform has been abused.

Platform wide abuse has spurred government investigations for years.

One of the biggest abuses stemmed from 1.4 million GoFundMe pages created for fundraising and donations that were formed without the prior knowledge or consent from the charities they featured.

As of March 2026, a coalition of 22 state Attorneys General launched an investigation and issued a scathing letter accusing GoFundMe of "identity plagiarism."

Update: GoFundMe has removed unauthorized donation web pages and is now requiring prior consent for charity web pages as of June 3, 2026. You'd think after all of these years this problem should have been addressed a long time ago.

Then there's spoofing threats that are still happening. Beyond platform fraud, scammers regularly "spoof" real GoFundMe pages - copying text and imagery verbatim-and re-uploading them to unmonitored alternative crowdfunding sites that request untraceable payment methods like Bitcoin.

There are good alternatives to GoFundMe for families. For example, SupportNow doesn't charge any fees to participate, unlike GoFundMe that charges 2.9 percent from every donation and asks for an additional tip.

The bottom line is do your research before giving away your hard-earned money to anyone.

As it Stands, I'm waiting for the MAGA man who dressed up as Uncle Sam in Trump's Great American State Fair to start his own GoFundMe page after being arrested for perversion.