Apocalypse Now? Worldwide Threats to Humanity at an All Time High

The Doomsday Clock started ticking in January 1947 at seven minutes until midnight. It marked the beginning of the Cold War.

The Clock was a symbolic estimation of a human-made global catastrophe by the non-profit organization Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

The Doomsday Clock's origin can be traced to the international group of researchers called the Chicago Atomic Scientists, who participated in the Manhattan Project.

Since then, the Clock has been set backward eight times and forward 18 times. The Clock is a proxy mechanism for threats to humanity from unchecked scientific and technological advances. 

The farthest time from midnight was 17 minutes in 1991, and the closest is this year at 89 seconds. 

There are various elements taken into consideration when the scientists from the Bulletin decide what "Midnight" and "global catastrophe" really mean in a particular year.

They might include politics, energy, weapons, diplomacy, and climate science;" potential sources of threat include nuclear threats, climate change, bioterrorism, and artificial intelligence.

Not everyone takes the groups predictions seriously. Critics contend it's a "grab bag of threats and isn't helpful when it comes to policy or science." Still others call the group a cult.

Regardless of the diverse interpretations of the symbolic Clock and its credibility, there is one truth that can't be ignored. Mankind is destroying earth's environment at a pace never seen before.

With the Trump regime leading the way against all efforts to mitigate the climate crisis and denying science a new standard of stupidity has spread around the world, basically dooming the planet.

This year the group warned that world leaders have become unconcerned.

"Hard-won global understandings are collapsing, accelerating a winner-takes-all great power competition and undermining the international cooperation critical to reducing the risks of nuclear war, climate change, the misuse of biotechnology, the potential threat of artificial intelligence, and other apocalyptic dangers," the group's recent report stated.

This warning comes at a time when America has a rogue president with worldwide ambitions of conquest.

As it Stands, whether you agree with the group's findings or not, I think we can all see what's happening in America and around the globe...and it's scary.

Americans Don't Hate Canada - Trump Does

I'm having tea this morning instead of my usual coffee in honor of my deceased Grandma Baxter who was born in Canada where she met my British grandfather who later became an American citizen.

Maybe because I have some Canadian DNA, I take Trump's brutal treatment towards Canada personally. 

Since crawling back into the Oval Office like a cockroach, Trump has gone out of his way to disrespect one of our closest (literally) allies and fellow member nation in NATO. He brags about making Canada the 51st state when he's in his bullying mode... which is growing in frequency.

Trump's bluster against other nations lately is scary. I grew up during the Cold War, and it looks like I'll die of old age during this version of paranoid isolationism by Trump and his fascist cohorts. 

Speaking of bluster, Trump is upping the stakes against Canada by warning the country that the U.S. will send fighter jets frequently into Canadian airspace if they pull out of a deal on purchasing 88 American-made F-35 fighter jets. He also threw in the usual tariff threat of 100% against Canadian goods.

The U.S. ambassador to Canada warned that the arrangements involving the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) may have to change if Ottawa doesn't follow through on the $14.2 billion deal.

Why, you may wonder, is Canada hesitating from consummating the agreement? The F-35 has some major issues. For starters the control model is a problem. As is their functionality in cold weather. And Canada, is...COLD.

On top of the F-35s reliability issues in cold climates the reliance on US Software during a time when they can't trust Trump or American's military-industrial complex and you can see why the deal has gone sour.

This senseless assault on Canada is going to end up with both countries being less safe in the skies when, and if, an enemy strikes from above.

I know Americans don't hate Canada. We've been too great of neighbors to suddenly split like this. Tourism in both countries is suffering along with both economies because of Trump's tariffs.

Canada is a beautiful country. My best friend and I traveled across Canada and then down into Minnesota in the summer of 1969 after graduating from high school. Our trip back to California was a story of discovery in itself.

As it Stands, I sincerely hope that the damaged relationship with Canada ends soon before Trump goes too far.

What Will Happen When I Wake Up Today?

Americans are so shell-shocked by the Trump regimes assault on all of our freedoms we dread getting up in the morning.

Each day brings new atrocities, more lies, and more chaos into our lives. It's like death by a thousand cuts. Each one deeper than the last. 

Watching democracy die is a painful experience. The regime has pulled out all of the stops in a concentrated effort to subdue and control American citizens. 

It's got so bad lately that Trump's goons in ICE have been openly murdering American citizens. When video evidence of a crime is shown the regime tells us not to believe what we see with our own eyes.

When I open my eyes in the morning and get out of bed, I imagine a Jack-in-the-Box ready to violently pop open as I sip my first cup of coffee and end up spewing it when I see the latest atrocity in the news.

I was never a morning person, but I never dreaded them more than I do now... thinking things like, did Trump attack Greenland today?

Or, where's ICE going next? Are they coming to my town? Will I be called a domestic terrorist if I keep going to protests against ICE? Will goons show up and say my blog is a threat to the state and disappear me?

We all have fears about our future under the authoritarian regime Trump has installed. I can't help comparing Nazi Germany in the 1930s to what we are experiencing right now. Historians have made the same connection and have been warning us since Trump slunk into politics praising White Superiority.

Because of my PTSD I take enough medication to put an elephant into a coma before going to bed every night, I don't have dreams or nightmares. 

There is one exception. I'm a combat Vietnam veteran. When Spring rolls around I do get Nam nightmares. Doctors call it an anniversary date, like it's something benign.

When Trump took office last year my annual nightmare visits to the Nam had a new addition, Trump attacking and killing American citizens. Unless something drastically changes, I can count on dual nightmares again this Spring.

My nightmare from last year has unfortunately happened. In the last three weeks two American citizens have been executed in broad daylight by ICE goons.

As it Stands, by the time I have my second cup of coffee I'm ready to resist the regime by posting on my blog or going to an anti-Trump protest. 

The Real Reason ICE Invaded Minnesota

Under the pretext of looking for illegal immigrants the Trump regime surged over 2,000 ICE agents into Minnesota. Their real mission however was far more insidious. 

The plan was to hold the state hostage by releasing federal thugs on the local populace until the state agreed to Trump's terms of surrender. ICE's brutality hit new highs as agents murdered two American citizens and attacked innocent bystanders in just the last week.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi let the cat out of the bag when she demanded Minnesota turn over voter records and other data in exchange for pulling the ICE agents out of the state. It was a blatant threat sent directly to Gov. Tim Walz.

Along with voter records, the Trump regime also demanded that Minnesota repeal "sanctuary policies" and turn over information on welfare recipients, including Medicaid and SNAP (food assistance) data.

Senator Chris Murphy summed up the situation succinctly," This has never been about safety or immigration. It's pretext for Trump to take over elections in swing states."

And there you have it.

Trump's efforts to rig the midterms are ramping up daily. His misuse of the national guard and active military members are part and parcel of the effort to disenfranchise Americans before the midterms. Trump's methods are brutal and dehumanizing.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem who oversees ICE has refused to pull ICE out of Minnesota despite threats of impeachment. Her loyalty is to Trump. Not the rule of law.

On Sunday morning Gov. Tim Walz demanded Trump pull "untrained" ICE agents out of the state after the murder of an American citizen, Alex Pretti, by an ICE agent. Brian O'Hara, Minneapolis Police Chief, told reporters, "People have had enough."

The chief also accused federal agents of initially blocking both Minneapolis officers and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from accessing the scene of the crime. He said the incident has raised "serious questions" and warned that legal findings alone may not address public anger.

The local law agencies then filed a lawsuit asking for a federal judge to allow them to also conduct an independent investigation. The judge issued a preliminary injunction telling ICE and other federal agencies that they cannot destroy evidence while the lawsuit moves forward.

People know what they saw. There are at least six first-hand videos showing every possible angle of the unwarranted shooting. Yet Trump's minions are trying to tell Americans not to believe their eyes... again, since the murder of Renee Good. It just goes to show the contempt the Trump regime has for truth.

Meanwhile Trump state media outlets like Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN, are relaying the regimes lies and even doubling down on them despite visual evidence. 

As it Stands, another innocent American citizen is murdered while protesting the actions of a lawless federal agency. Trump's plot to rig the midterms has been revealed.

Murders in Minnesota: ICE Agents Shoot Another American Citizen

When is the invasion of Minnesota going to cease?

As Americans woke up Saturday morning, they saw ICE agents pump a dozen rounds into an American citizen who they had tackled and brought down to the ground. DHS says the 37-year-old male had a gun.

More than one agent shot the man (12 shots total) as he struggled for his life face down on the pavement. They took his gun from its holster and THEN murdered him.

Just in: the murdered man's name is Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old American citizen who works as an ICU nurse at the VA.

It was an execution. Watch video. Believe your own eyes.

While six agents pounded the man when he was down, they discovered that he had a gun on him. It turns out that he was legally carrying it and had no criminal record. His crime... walking out of a donut shop and helping a woman protestor who had been pepper sprayed and filming the ICE thugs in action. 

Because ICE and other federal agencies are NOT WORKING with local authorities on the investigation. They're busy covering the crime up. But this time local authorities refused to leave the scene of the shooting and are actively investigating it.

In the hours and days ahead, DHS will be pushing propaganda through state outlets like FOX News. Calling it a "righteous" kill.

After an ICE agent murdered Renee Good a few days ago, Gov. Waltz and local authorities warned that more killings would continue as long as ICE terrorized the city. Sadly, they were right.

Ever since Trump sought vengeance against blue states that didn't vote for him, he's been sending in his private army of federal goons to terrorize the citizens. Trump made ICE into a gestapo-like organization that has complete immunity against the law... so far. 

Judges have ruled against ICE's draconian tactics, but the Justice Department ignores court orders, confident Trump will shield their crimes.

Protests have sprung up across the nation ever since ICE surged thousands of agents into Minnesota and began killing American citizens. People are taking to the streets in subzero temperatures in the east to get their message out - "ICE Go Home!"

The impact of this invasion has affected everyone as doctors and their staffs warn that ICE agents are going after their patients.

Schools have shut down because authorities don't believe it's safe for their students with ICE agents snapping them up and denying them basic rights. Store owners are opening their businesses to shelter protestors pursued by federal agents throwing CS gas grenades and flash bangs.

Once again, the feds want us to NOT believe our eyes. The coverup is as insidious as the one the feds employed after the murder of Renee Good.

As it Stands, my condolences to Alex Pretti's family and friends. He was a true patriot.

The Legion of Doom and Titanic Temper Tantrums

For those of you who don't read comic books The Legion of Doom was a group of supervillains who originated in Challenge of the Superfriends, an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comic's Justice League.

The plot in each episode always revolved around the Legion of Doom's efforts to take over the world. Straight up. Bad guys versus the good guys. The bad guys eventually lose.

If only real life was like that.

The real world is facing a threat of titanic proportions with the formation of an international group started by Trump devoted to the furtherance of dictators and authoritarian leaders across the globe.

Ironically named the Board of Peace, the organization has thus far only attracted authoritarian governments. Russian president Vladimir Putin received an invitation, but no representative was present at the signing. 

The 19-member board will have representatives from Morocco, Argentina, Bahrain, Armenia, Azerbaijian, Bulgaria, Hungry, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

How's that for a line up? Of course, Trump appointed himself as Lifetime Leader. One of his first acts was to grift. It's in his bloodstream. He's charging a billion dollars for lifetime memberships. 

I'll let you guess where that money will go to. My guess is Qatar. He already has a bank account there where he's siphoning off the profits from seizing Venezuela's oil.

It doesn't take a political analyst to see Trump's Legion of Goons are trying to replace NATO. Fact: no democratic countries are jumping at taking Trump's invitation to his exclusive new club.

Meanwhile the man trying to take over the world spends his nights throwing temper tantrums on his Truth Social platform. It's not unusual to see rants at 2 or 3 a.m. while the rest of the world sleeps. He repeats old lies and invents new one's every pathetic nightly diatribe.

That's one of the reasons Trump falls asleep during meetings and events. His tiny brain is simply overloaded from clashing with windmills all night.

As it Stands, someday Trump will be gone. It's that thought that keeps me going.

A Kangaroo Court Report: GOP Attacks Facts and Makes Stuff Up...Again

A popular explanation for the term "kangaroo court" came about to describe frontier judges who would "hop" from one town to another, with little regard for making fair rulings.

Watching Congressional Republicans attack former special counsel Jack Smith during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee was a mockery of justice. A modern kangaroo moment. 

Playing to an audience of one - Trump - GOP members doubled up on right-wing theories to put a good show on. It was showtime after all. A pathetic attempt to rewrite history.

Another example of how low the House majority can go. Reality was forsaken in impassioned speeches by spineless GOP members trying to impress dear leader.

If you happened to tune into this political theatre, you probably noticed the Republicans couldn't challenge the hard facts that Smith calmly laid out so they depended on ill-conceived conspiracies.  

As Smith testified Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social, that he (Smith) "is being decimated before Congress." He was obviously pleased with his lackey's performance. Imagine that. Trump huddled in some dark corner of The White House like a troll, following his minions and making sure they stick to his script.

"The whole thing was a Democratic SCAM - A big price should be paid by them for what they put our Country through," Trump ranted online.

Make no mistake. This kangaroo court is just another chapter in Trump's vile attempt to rewrite history and justify his attempt to illegally seize the 2020 election. His craven cronies are continuing to back his lies with false narratives refuting reality.

When the biggest hypocrite and first-class liar in Congress, Rep. Darrell Issa accused Smith of "going after political enemies" my jaw dropped. The whole phony hearing was part and parcel of Trump's goal of going after his political enemies. Talk about hypocrisy. Issa has no shame. It's a MAGA trait.

If you're wondering what the whole point of this theatre of the absurd was... it's simple. Furthering Trump's Big Lie. The theatrics were staged to please him, not to expose some truths to the American people. The majority of Americans who watched Trump supporters almost steal the 2020 election aren't going to be impressed by the shit show the Republicans put on.

Jack Smith warned Americans, in his opening speech, not to take the rule of law "for granted." That's good advice for all of us who care about preserving our Democratic republic.

As it Stands, the big takeaway from this show trial is that it's just another distraction by Trump who is refusing to release the Epstein files. He's that desperate. We see this after his attempt to illegally seize Greenland was blocked by Western countries who wouldn't back down from a threat of war.

The World Suspected Trump Was Crazy: His Speech at DAVOS Proved It

Another day. Another twisted and sick speech. 

Yesterday Trump spoke to Americans on his one-year anniversary of the presidency. Talk about invoking the 25th Amendment quickly lite up the internet afterwards.

Today it was worse.

Trump's speech in DAVOS was just short of a declaration of war against any counties who oppose him taking over Greenland.

It was embarrassing watching the leader of the free world rant on like Hitler in his heyday. He mocked Canada and France. He threatened the UK. He took on all the members of NATO in a disgraceful display of bullying I never thought an American president would ever say.

I watched a short clip of Stephan Colbert interviewing Sen. Bernie Sanders who described what was happening in America today. "We're descending into barbarism," he said with concern in every word.

While putting Europe on notice of his intentions, Trump's regime has turned loose a private army of brutal thugs throughout America violating Constitutional laws with impunity.

Our concerned allies see what's happening at home and have recognized Trump is out of control. Any doubts about Trump being a loose cannon dissolved as world leaders silently watched him slur his words while threatening and insulting them.

It's official then. The whole world knows Trump is crazy. Now what?

As it Stands, I would like to close by telling the rest of the world that Trump DOES NOT represent the majority of Americans. 

Trump's Strangest Presser Yet

Did you happen to see Trump's presser today?

It was the most bizarre he's ever given. He barely spoke above a sinister detached whisper and slurred his words. It was a crazy show-and-tell session that featured him holding up ICE posters of immigrants and reading each one, listing their crimes.

He ranted about his supposedly successful regime by repeating the usual lies about how great the economy is and how the world sees the USA as the "hottest" country in the world.

As he shuffled through the posters, he trotted out economic statistics made up by his minions as if they were the gospel. The lies came in a steady stream as Sleepy Don's voice rose above a husky whisper. It was like watching Trump looking in a mirror and talking to himself.

In a creepy voice he droned on about everything he's been complaining about since slinking back into office a year ago. As the minutes passed his claims got crazier as he took credit for how GOOD the economy is - despite the reality Americans are experiencing.

It was like his lackeys gave him copies of his fantastic past claims to rehash for a silent audience watching him and wondering how he ever got elected. He droned on in a matter-of-fact voice that seemed like it was going to go on forever. Reporters in the audience shifted in their seats, wondering if they were going to get to interview Trump after his spiel.

Still Trump droned on and shared statistics and racist claims that were absurdly false and obviously from his dream world. Throughout his ramblings he attacked the Somali community in America and even their country. Somehow, he kept coming back to that racist theme.

I watched Trump's speech on YouTube, which constantly interrupted it with commercials because it was so long...and boring I might add.

I guess it was supposedly a State of the Union address. It came across as a madman defying reality while trying to start a war with NATO because he wants to seize Greenland.

You can imagine what the rest of the world was thinking as they watched him lie about their countries and world events during the last year.

The most pathetic moment was when he whined about not getting the Nobel Peace Prize after claiming he solved eight wars and other accomplishments that only happened in his sick mind.

The whole sick speech was a twisted alternate reality presentation flying in the face of fact. Afterward he allowed the press a few questions. The highlight of the day was when a Norwegian reporter asked him what he was going to do if Greenland continued to refuse his takeover.

The chilling answer was, "Whatever I have too." 

As it Stands, Trump's defiance of reality seems to be getting more dangerous daily... for the entire world.

Who's Going to Stop Trump from Starting a World War?

As a baby boomer I grew up experiencing a shadow war.

We called it the Cold War - a situation that just fell short of a full-out hot war. For early on I was concerned about the possibility of WWIII.

I can't believe that bugaboo has resurfaced in the 21st century. Yet here we are. Our president has essentially turned the world against us. We have a demented dictator destroying our democratic government and attacking citizens and immigrants in churches, restaurants, schools, and on the streets.

Like it or not we're standing on the precipice of a war that may basically destroy the world with nuclear weapons because of one crazed pedophile and felon whose fascist agenda threatens mankind.

To put it in Trump's words, "I don't think I have an obligation to think purely of peace." That's the message he's sent out yesterday to every nation on the planet.

It's hard to imagine one little arctic island - Greenland - is at the center of Trump's warlike ambitions, but's it's true. Trump warned Europe that his hostile campaign to seize Greenland is linked to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Norway's leader.

Talk about petty. Poison petty. An old man who dreams of personally owning the Western Hemisphere is unhinged and only feet away from pushing the Red Button that will seal all of our fates forever.

Europe isn't going to just stand by, however. Greenland is a territory of Denmark and a member of NATO which has already pledged support and is sending in combat units from throughout Western Europe as I write this.

Trump tried to bully the countries that didn't support his invasion of Greenland by imposing 10% tariffs against each nation. That didn't go well. In response the governments made it clear that they won't be blackmailed and that the limit has been reached.

The European Union is on the brink of imposing its "bazooka," an Anti-Coercion Instrument, which has never been used before. It will allow them to take retaliatory action against any rivals seen as threatening the bloc and could involve restricting American access to tenders and investment proposals.

After that, depending on Trump's reaction, there could be a hot war. As unthinkable as that is... there's the possibility.

My question is who is going to stop Trump from creating an apocalypse? Will the American people through Congress impeach him? It sure doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Would our military refuse to wage a senseless war that could be the downfall of us all? Would they take the Red Button away from the lunatic leading us down a road to destruction? Frankly, I don't see that as happening either.

Which leaves us in a very bad place.

As it Stands, I'm hoping someone close to Trump talks him out of waging war against the world.

Why Not? Laughing in the Face of Adversity

As dystopian as it feels in our world today there's a way to get through the day by laughing at the sheer absurdity of what's happening around us.

I didn't say it would be easy. You have to actively seek out the humor in a world of chaos caused by our First Felon. Speaking of Don the Con, he's a source of laughter that you can always tap for a hit of hilarity.

Just think about it. The president of the United States is fixated on getting rid of windmills (on land and sea) which he sees as a threat to humanity and to whales. And don't get him talking about low water flow in the shower!

By the way, try watching one of the many short videos of ICE agents falling on their asses in the frozen streets of Minneapolis. Find your favorite one and put it on an endless loop that you can pull up anytime.

Listen to a recording of Trump talking about American and World history. It's like watching episodes of Fractured Fairytales cartoons.

Examples:

HOME

- On Abraham Lincoln's Party. "Great president. Most people don't even know he was a Republican."

- Trump said that when President Andrew Jackson, who died in 1845, was really angry about the Civil War and implied Jackson could have stopped it.

- One of my favorites... was from a 2019 Independence Day speech where Trump claimed that the Continental Army "manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports" during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). 

 Abroad

- While discussing a "horrifying Ebola outbreak" in Africa he referred to Nambia, a non-existent country.

- One of my favorites...Trump praised the Great Wall of China for keeping out the Mexicans.

- Speaking of walls, Trump said at a 2020 rally, that he was building a "beautiful border wall between Colorado and Mexico."

Do you remember some of Trump's most absurd claims? They either make you laugh, or cry depending on the mood you're in. Here's a short roundup of subjects:

-Sharpiegate (Hurricane Dorian). Trump insisted that Hurricane Dorian was projected to hit Atlanta, despite national weather service data showing otherwise. 

Trump went on TV with a map and a sharpie pen and tried to tell Americans only he knew the way the hurricane was going. Of course, he was wrong.

- Injecting disinfectant. During COVID-19 Trump suggested using cleaning agents like bleach into the body.

- Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV. While attempting to prove his cognitive abilities in a 2020 interview, Trump boasted about repeating a sequence of words from a cognitive test treating it as a difficult intellectual achievement. He currently holds the record for presidential cognitive tests. Yes, there's a reason.

I look at Trump as a performing evil clown who hates democracy and loves himself so much, he puts his name on everything around him.

As it Stands, we have a choice. We can be scared of the lunatic in The White House, or we can laugh at him.