Freedom Isn't Free: There's Always a Price Attached - In This Case it's Trump

Americans have fought for freedom ever since defeating England and forming a society guaranteeing every man has rights and freedoms.

Men and women have fought to preserve those freedoms in two world wars and other military actions defending our democracy. Those brave members of the military have sacrificed their lives to defend this country and preserve our freedoms.

Since the start of the 21st century we've seen a gradual erosion of our rights and freedoms. It's our own fault. We've let the wealthy elite take charge and slowly strip away our rights with elections that featured far-right actors.

When Trump slunk into office in 2016 the slow drip of rights being taken away turned into a river of revenge where Trump introduced his authoritarian tendencies into the government.

By the time Trump lost the 2020 election and managed to get re-elected four years later the damage from his first time in office was evident. He sold a Big Lie about being cheated in his 2020 loss. The lie continues today and has actually grown legs since last year.

The American's who voted for Trump both times don't care if he's a world-class liar bent upon being our first dictator. Their emotional connection to Trump's lies blinds them from reality and the truth about what Trump is doing. They smile and fawn over him even after losing their healthcare and numerous rights. 

The damage that Trump's done to our democracy is far-reaching. He set the standard for future MAGA politicians. He coopted the Republican party and turned it into Nazi brownshirts that willingly take our rights away.

Some pundits say we now live in two Americas. One is controlled by bad actors and the other is the victims of this lawless regime.

The average American - those that don't belong to the MAGA cult - are fighting to retain their freedoms in the courts and streets with massive protests. A price is being paid daily as government agencies like ICE kill Americans and terrify immigrants, while they roam through the streets like an occupying Army.

Standing up to this corrupt regime requires Americans turning out in massive numbers this November and voting Blue. Meanwhile we have to defend the whole election process (again) and make sure Trump doesn't get away with fixing the midterms where Democrats are heavily favored to win the House and even the Senate. 

Along the way average Americans will take the brunt of Trump's assault against our freedoms, and more may even die defending the Constitution. 

Americans have always known that the price of freedom would be high and people would have to die. It's in the country's DNA. Today we have come to a crossroad that demands attention to the growing fascism in high places. Rights are dying daily. 

As it Stands, we are all on the front lines of this war. United we stand, divided we fall.

Democracy's Dirty Little Secret: Charisma Over Competence

It was September 1960 when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy debated about which one would be the best president if elected. It was the first time in history a live televised debate was shown.

Here's the takeaway; people who watched the debate thought Kennedy had won and Nixon looked terrible. But people who listened to the debate on radio thought Nixon had won.

Standing beside one another a tanned and fit Kennedy oozed charisma next to the sweating and pale Nixon. After Kennedy won the race political pundits pointed out that it was his charisma "that carried the day." 

Interestingly enough political pundits today say the same thing about Trump. His circus barker personality captured the attention of millions of Americans... despite his personal history. He's easily the worst president in American history but he got re-elected in 2024 - even after trying to steal the 2020 election.

Unfortunately, it often seems like the most qualified person running in an election doesn't get elected. Of course, when Nixon finally did get elected years later, he disgraced himself and the office and had to resign in shame.

It helps to understand that charismatic leaders leverage emotional connection to build trust and authority, which often blinds followers - as in Trump's case - to deficiencies in technical and strategic capabilities.

Political experts say there's a "Halo Effect" when a confident, magnetic personality creates a perception of competence even when it doesn't exist. People have a tendency to think a charming, articulate person is competent.

Fair warning. While effective in the short term, over-relying on charisma can lead to disastrous long-term results, including narcissistic leadership, poor decision-making, and organizational failures when the leader lacks the actual skills to back up their confidence. You know. Like Trump.

Relying solely on charisma can lead to "collective narcissism" and a culture where the appearance of success is more important than actual results. As in MAGA.

Charisma often overcomes competence because it targets emotional perception, which humans typically process faster and more intensely than rational evaluations of skill. It helps explain why Trump's followers blindly accept anything he says as the gospel.

Charisma is Democracy's dirty little secret where an idiot can get elected if he puts on a good enough show for the people.

As it Stands, finding someone with charisma, a sense of morality, and brains seems like an impossible task these days. All I can say is the Democrats better find someone like that in 2028.

Memories and Facts About the 1st Superbowl Game and Today's Game

                                        GAME DAY.

Millions of Americans will be watching today's Superbowl LX match between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.

I'm rooting for the Seahawks who happen to be the favorites in today's game which is being held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. We'll see if Seattle can win a 2nd Superbowl.

Fun fact: A Houston furniture store owner, Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, placed a $2 million bet on the Patriots to win today. Either he knows something everyone else doesn't or the guy is crazy.

The entertainment for Superbowl LX is Bad Bunny who is making history as the first artist to headline primarily in Spanish. He was a guest during the 2020 show with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.

The first Superbowl was held on Jan.15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum between Green Bay and Kansas City. Green Bay dominated, winning 35 to 10. 

I was a junior in high school and lived in Azusa, California which was not that far from the Los Angeles Coliseum. Despite the close proximity I didn't go to the game. My reasoning was simple.

One, I hated both teams and was a Ram fan who was sorely disappointed that they didn't make it to the big game.

Two, I didn't have the money to go. The price of a ticket, gas to get there, parking fees, and any snacks, was just more than I could afford on my minimum wage part-time job.

The two quarterbacks that day were Bart Starr for the Green Bay Packers and Len Dawson for the Kansas City Chiefs. Both are now Hall of Famers. Starr was named the MVP, throwing 250 yards and two touchdowns against a tough Chief's defense.

The halftime show consisted of six white girls prancing around and waving pom poms. Compare that with what today's halftime Superbowl shows.

As it Stands, Superbowl's have been a good cultural lesson in America bridging sports with music.  

Olympic Embarrassment: America's Standing with World Community is Diminished

When was the last time an American vice president was booed by an Olympic crowd? If you said "never" you're right.

Our current vice president, J.D. Vance and his wife were roundly booed during the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee media spokesperson requested that the audience not boo individuals and to be civil. But when they saw Vance, the boos reverberated around the venue. 

Just before the opening ceremonies skier, Gus Kenworthy, launched a blistering attack on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers by urinating the words "Fuck Ice" on the snow just before the games kicked off.

Kenworthy's comments are particularly notable given that ICE agents were in Milan as part of the security detail for Vance. I don't know what's going on with using ICE for security when there's a special secret service detail protecting him everywhere he goes. 

Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess spoke out on ICE agents' actions during the games; "Just because I wear the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the US," he told a panel of reporters.

There's been rallies recently against ICE in Milan and the Italian people are making it clear that ICE isn't wanted in their country. There's also been international protests against ICE and their presence during the Winter games.

Hundreds of protestors gathered in Milan to reject the presence of ICE in the city before the opening ceremony at the Milano Cortina Winter Games. The student-led demonstration featured banners reading "ICE should be in my drinks, not my city."

It's hard seeing Americans diminished in the eyes of the world community. Traditionally we've been viewed as the "good guys" and a beacon for Democracy.

More than 3,500 athletes from 93 countries are competing in this year's winter games, which is taking place over a large area of northern Italy spanning about 8,500 square miles.

As it Stands, there was a venue called the "ICE House" where Olympians and their families could hang out but the name was changed prior to opening day to the "Winter House." And there you have it.

Trump's Legacy of Being a Malicious Narcissist is Assured

The definition of a malicious narcissist combines intense narcissism with antisocial behavior, aggression, sadism, and paranoia.

In other words, Trump is a malicious narcissist. How do we know that? He actively seeks to cause pain and destroy others through manipulation, humiliation, and malicious smear campaigns to gain power and control.

Let's take a look at some examples.

Trump unlawfully froze $16 billion in funding for a major infrastructure project - a tunnel between New York and New Jersey. The price of unfreezing those funds is Senate Leader Chuck Schumer has to agree to rename New York's Penn Station and Washington's Dulles Airport after Trump.

It's blatant bribery and part of Trump's goal to name as many buildings, monuments, and products after himself as he can before leaving office. 

Officials in New York and New Jersey told ABC News that if Trump doesn't release the funds by today (Friday) the project would stop, leaving approximately 1,000 construction jobs in jeopardy.

Friday UPDATE 5:36 p.m. PST

US Judge unfreezes funding for $16 billion New York City tunnel project. A rare victory over Trump's corruption.

Over the past year, Trump has added his name on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Institute for Peace.

In December the U.S. Navy announced plans for "Trump Class" of battleships. And on Thursday Trump unveiled a new government website for prescription drugs called TrumpRx.

There's eight Trump Towers scattered around the world and four more are being developed as I write this.  There are eleven Trump golf courses from Scotland (Trump Turnberry) to Dubai's Trump International Golf Club.

In the United States there's a Donald J. Trump State Park in New York; a Trump Drive in Kalispell, Montana; a President Donald J. Trump Highway (a section of U.S. Route 287 in Oklahoma); The Donald J. Trump Justice Complex in Lyon County, Nevada; President Donald J. Trump, in Hialeah, Florida; and President Donald J. Trump Boulevard in Palm Beach, Florida.

There's a Trump Winery, a vineyard in Virginia, and a Bacardi-based cocktail called a Trumptini. Frankly, I could go on with more examples, but the complete list is too long to mention in this post.

As it Stands, when Trump's legacy is examined by future historians it's going to be a tale of the world's biggest malicious narcissist holding a nation (and world) hostage.

Buyer Beware: Trump Has Launched Another Scam

It's a bigly day for Trump today as he launches his new self-pay website - TrumpRx - that is supposed to save Americans money on their healthcare.

Warning: Before getting too excited let's take a quick look at another Trump scheme, his defunct Trump University where he was supposed to be helping people get a quality education. It was a scam that was taken to court where he had to pay $25 million back to the victims.

Here's what we know thus far.

- The online site will not sell drugs directly.

- The site is expected to point buyers to drugmakers' own direct-to-consumer sites.

- The regime is promoting TrumpRx as a way to cut costs for patients - but experts say the biggest savings are likely to be limited to people who are uninsured or paying entirely out of pocket.

- At least 16 drugmakers have negotiated agreements with the White House to participate on the platform. 

The fact of the matter is those deals have drawn widespread attention - and questions - because much remains unclear, including how long discounts will last and what the final deals with the drugmakers look like.

Last month, the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Trump regime for failing to provide documents related to the deals.

According to Trump's lackey's the regime negotiated price cuts in exchange for tariff relief. Experts say there's no clear advantages to using TrumpRx to purchase their medications.

What's more, what people with insurance spend through TrumpRx may not count towards their insurance benefits, which means it doesn't help them meet their deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.

Trump's bigly launch today is not exactly a unique approach. Direct to consumer prescription drug platforms have become popular in recent years. In 2022, billionaire investor Mark Cuban launched Cost Plus Drugs, an online pharmacy focused on offering lower cost generic drugs.

I've learned over the years to be suspicious of anything Trump does business wise. This latest ruse is more about getting Trump's name on something, whether buildings or products. There're already questions about this shady deal which hopefully we'll learn more about soon when Public Citizen exposes the particulars.

Trump will be speaking live about his newest scam at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time in case you want to watch the pep rally roll out. I guarantee you Karoline Leavitt will call TrumpRx an historic platform that will help millions.

It's all just another politically feeble attempt to address the mess that MAGA has caused by getting rid of the Obamacare extensions. I wonder if we'll ever see those deals Trump made.

As it Stands, this attempt to fool Americans into thinking Trump gives a shit about healthcare is a gross ploy. He thinks people are gullible enough to get excited about something that's been offered for years.

10 Years Later: Convicted Felon Still Hasn't Paid $354 Million Judgement

A convicted felon still hasn't paid a massive judgement against him after ten years of filibustering courts in his hush money scandal. 

That same felon who was convicted on 34 felony counts, but a funny thing happened on the way to justice... and he was re-elected president of the United States. Now we have a First Felon who is determined to destroy our Democracy and turn our country into an authoritarian state.

Trump hasn't given up yet.

A federal judge is set to consider moving Trump's conviction in his criminal hush money case in New York to federal court where Trump will have more power and can overthrow all of his 34 convictions.

Trump's lawyers will present the case to U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein who has already denied them twice, deciding that falsifying business records before the 2016 election in order to conceal a long-denied affair with Stormy Daniels had nothing to do with the presidency.

However, Trump's lawyers will continue to argue that he has immunity for acts taken in his official capacity. 

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Hellerstein to take one more look at the case. Meanwhile Trump is separately pursuing an appeal through the state court system.

It's apparent that Trump will continue to work the judicial system like he has throughout his corrupt career. 

If, by some miracle, he's forced to fork up the money I suspect he'll use taxpayers' money to satisfy the fine. He's already suing the IRS for $10 million and is working on schemes to get more millions by suing his own DOJ.

Sometimes I wonder if Trump will ever be held accountable for all the laws he's broken and for being a traitor to this country. 

As it Stands, I still tell myself that the day will come when justice prevails. It's karma, and I have to be patient. 

Trump Admits That He Wants to Cheat in the Midterms

The latest frontal attack on the Constitution isn't even being hidden from the public's view. 

Trump has openly declared he wants to take over the midterms by nationalizing 15 blue states to make sure his Congressional cronies running for election (or re-election) keep their seats allowing him continued free reign to cause chaos.

The Big Lie has been pulled out of Trump's archives and dusted off for a new round of elections.  The pathetic creature that's residing in The White House is crying about the stolen 2020 election... again.

It's a durable Lie. The kind of falsehood that has served the orange swine since he lost the 2020 election. He brought up the Big Lie in an interview with former Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino's podcast and said Republicans should push to nationalize elections.

"The Republicans should say: We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least - many, 15 places," Trump asserted. "The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting," he darkly declared.

Meanwhile Trump ordered the FBI to raid the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center Office in Georgia. Agents seized all of the ballots from the 2020 election that were stored there, despite pushback from local authorities.

In Trump's rant after the raid, he told reporters that the search was going to reveal how Fulton County officials cheated him in 2020. 

Talk about showing your poker hand. The examination of the ballots hasn't even started yet, but he knows what they are going to find. Kinda suspicious, eh? 

What's more, what was the National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard lurking around the raid site for and talking to Trump on the phone about the search as it unfolded live?

There was absolutely no good reason to have the head spymaster intruding into a political case where she has no authority despite Republican claims, that she was there assuring the integrity of the transfer. Pure bull hockey! She was there to report if there was any resistance by officials and to make sure all of the ballots were taken away.

Anyone can see the whole corrupt action is an excuse for Trump to cheat by fixing (or adding newly discovered ballots) to make his vile case against the voters in Georgia.

Robb Pitts, chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, told reporters that he does not know where the records were taken.

"All I know is that as long as those boxes had been in control of the county in this facility, they were safe and secure," he said. "I can no longer, as chair of the board, satisfy not only the citizens of Atlanta but the citizens of the world that those ballots are still secure."

I'll take a wild guess that the 2020 ballots surface weeks before the election in November with stunning news that Trump was right! He was cheated. See?

As it Stands, we can expect other dirty tactics to try to rig the midterms. That's a solid. Trump is misusing the power of the presidency. Now it's up to the power of the people to stop him.

The Entertainment Industry Versus Trump

If you happened to watch the Emmy's there was an unmistakable air of defiance against Trump and his regime throughout the show.

Host Treavor Noah really got under Trump's thin skin as he joked about Trump and Clinton not being able to go to Epstein's Island anymore and how he needed "a new hangout... Greenland!" 

"That is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland," the comedian quipped.

Trump was livid as guest after guest eviscerated him. As usual he was up all night texting and after watching the show he immediately began threatening Noah. 

In Trump's post on Truth Social, he said that he never visited Epstein's island, "nor anywhere close, and until tonight's false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media," he ranted.

Tiny fingers smashed text after text with Trump's threats. "It looks like I'll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$," he warned. As everyone knows Trump has a history of suing media over unfavorable or what he has claimed was defamatory coverage.

At least a dozen artists, including Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, used their acceptance speeches Sunday to criticize immigration and Customs Enforcement over the regime's aggressive - and in several cases fatal - deportation efforts.

Meanwhile Trump's war with the entertainment industry has been a steady theme for Trump and has resulted in the Kennedy Center (Which Trump took over and put his name in front of Kennedy's) is being shut down.

What happened you may wonder. In a nutshell, Trump fired everyone on the board and put his MAGA morons in charge and himself as the new director. In a matter of months most of the acts that were scheduled refused to perform there because Trump is so toxic. The non-profit Center was losing money for the first time as act after act canceled.

The Center's shameful performance humiliated Trump who decided to shut the Center down for two years so he could rebuild it into one of his twisted golden fantasies. It's just another case of Trump losing while he fools himself into thinking he's winning.

Building a gold gilded ballroom next to the White House is one of Trump's biggest entertainment goals. His hasty destruction of the East Wing and no approval from Congress or other agencies has resulted in a court battle. His dream of entertaining his billionaire buddies and foreign visitors isn't going to go away quietly. 

It's up to the court now. Trump got his rich MAGA followers to give him money to build the monstrosity that he has in mind (twice as big as the White House), and they expect a return on their investments.

As it Stands, it's important to know that Trump's tiny hands are already plunged deeply into the entertainment industry with some CEO's even pledging allegiance to him. This is a war with no winners.

2025 Was the Year of Lies- Let's Take a Walk Down Liar's Lane

Introduction: 

Based on analysis from fact-checkers and reporting from late 2025 and early 2026, the political landscape has been characterized by a high volume of false, misleading, and exaggerated claims, with PoliticiFact designating 2025 as the "Year of Lies."

Hello! My name is Dave and I'm your host today as we take a walk down Liar's Lane.

Our first stop is with Deputy Attorney General (and Trump's personal lawyer) Todd Blanche. Here's his lie for the day referencing the Epstein files; "We have nothing to hide. We never did, and our doors are open if they (members of Congress) want to come and review the materials that we produced." 

He used this line in both of his interviews today With George Stephanopoulos and Kristen Welker.

Our next stop is with House Speaker Mike Johnson who was also interviewed by Kristen Welker today. Welker asked Johnson if he has any "outstanding questions" about Trump's relationship with the convicted sex offender, given new allegations.

Johnson's reply, "I do not. I have spoken to the president privately and personally many times, and he has spoken very openly and candidly to the public. He says the same things privately that he does publicly. He's never had any concern about that."

If you want to stop the tour momentarily to vomit, please raise your hand. All of you? Okay. Let me know when you're ready.

The tour resumes.

This time we'll check in with the Liar of all Liars, Donald. J. Trump. During a roundtable discussion at the White House recently Trump claimed, "They have nothing to do with MAGA," referring to the J6ers, who he pardoned, and said were actually infiltrators' from Antifa.

The Lie that will never Die is resurrected regularly when Trump is on a rant.

This next stop is more emotional. Following the murder of Alex Pretti by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, 2026, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, claimed Peretti "brandished" a gun, "impeded officers, and "attacked" them.

Videos exposed her lie, but she continues to lie every time she opens her mouth and defends ICE's tactics.

Meanwhile let's go slumming and check in with Kash Patel who lied his ass off during a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing when Republican Senator John Kennedy asked him: "Who, if anyone, did Epstein traffic these young women to, beside himself?"

"Himself," Kask quickly replied. "There is no credible information, none. If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals. And the information that we have-against-is limited."

Weeks later we found out that there were millions of files that weren't released by the FBI and other evidence Epstein wasn't the only one molesting underage girls.

We're now approaching the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who influenced Trump to pardon drug trafficker and former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez who was imprisoned in the United States with a 45-year sentence for the crime of exporting and introducing 400 tons of cocaine into U.S. territory.

Rubio claimed he wasn't involved in the decision-making process to pardon Hernandez, and "I haven't looked at the case file."

The fact is Rubio knew Hernandez very well. The Canadian magazine Vice Reports ran a story that Rubio received more than $600,000 to fund Hernandez's election campaigns through the BGR Group in 2018.

By now you probably realize that Liar's Lane runs right through the White House and Congress. Make sure you take a shower when you get home.

As it Stands, here's a thoughtful quote by Al David, "One lie has the power to tarnish a thousand truths." 

Warning: A Daily Dose of Clickbait Keeps Reality at Bay

You have to be wary of stories/videos online because many have deceptive headlines that either have nothing to do with the story or you'll suddenly find yourself being attacked by malware.

As a newspaper editor I always took headlines seriously and made sure they were reflective of the article. It was just the right thing to do and made your publication more credible. There are no online editors monitoring the millions of stories and videos for authentic content.

It's the wild, wild, west in computer land where bad actors roam the net looking to deceive and cheat viewers. It's human nature to be curious when you see a sensational headline. Even if your brain tells you to be suspicious you find yourself taking a sneaky peek to see the rest of the story.

While surfing platforms like YouTube, you'll find a dazzling array of clickbait examples; one video shows Trump in MAGA hat and looking ragged. The headline said, "Send Him to Walter Reed!!" So, who wouldn't want to find out if Trump had some serious ailment? Therein lies the struggle.

Clickbait examples use sensational, vague, or fear-inducing headlines to get clicks, often promising shocking reveals or secrets, like "You Won't Believe What the Child Star is Doing Now? Or "This One Weird Trick Will Save you 70%!"

Common tactics include numbered lists (15 Ways to Lose Weight), unfinished thoughts ("Before You Do That, You Have to Know This...") or exaggerated claims, aiming to create artificial urgency or curiosity that often doesn't match the actual content. They also offer vague promises: "The Answer Will Blow Your Mind!" or "They Didn't Know...Then This Happened."

The goal is to pique curiosity by withholding information, using sensational language ("Shocking, "Unbelievable") to provoke an emotional response, and the heart of clickbait is driving page views and advertising revenue.

Depending on the goal of the scam, one click could result in a new slew of email or text spam, malicious data mining, or even a monthly charge on your phone bill. 

According to the Better Business Bureau consumers need to be beware with the IQ tests, and quizzes that require you trade information.

The best defense against clickbait is knowledge. Similar to the plague of fake news circulating online, clickbait is getting more sophisticated and deceptive in appearance, which means that users must be even more sophisticated in understanding how to sidestep these digital traps.

Make sure your devise is protected. There're too many bad actors out there who will exploit your data with one click. Be aware of the dangers I listed above. It's your discernment and ability to hold onto your clicks that will protect your viewing experiences.

Here's a video that will help (don't worry I checked it out); What is Clickbait

As it Stands, full disclosure, I have been a victim of clickbait (years ago) and have been hyperalert ever since.