Thank you for the heart(s)! n/t

The global rule of law is not collapsing - Trump is the lone problem and he can be defeated; Simon Tisdall

I've copied and pasted snippets of this article. It's a good read. The question is -- will we do it?

"Donald Trump is a monster, and a stupid one at that – as his foul slander of British soldiers who served in Afghanistan shows. His bid to seize loyal ally Denmark’s sovereign territory; his norm-shattering, profoundly ignorant speech in Davos last week; and his contemptuous bullying of UK and EU leaders have definitively demonstrated what an existential, unappeasable, unspeakable menace the 47th US president truly is."
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"Trump and Trump alone is the principal, pressing problem. And Trump is a made-in-America monster. It’s up to Americans to un-make him and set things straight – which they surely will, sooner or later."

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"For the sake of their friends, for the sake of global order, for their own sanity, the US’s silenced majority must now move with speed, determination, unity – and, if required, an unaccustomed degree of constitutional flexibility – to curtail his despotic reign before matters deteriorate further.

Citizens of the Republic! Impeach Trump. Declare him unfit. Rise up, rebel and overthrow him as, 250 years ago, George III was overthrown. Do whatever you must to peacefully rid the world of this gaudy, gormless usurper and dethrone this would-be king – but do it fast. Spike his guns. Shut him down. Lock him up. Exorcise the monster."

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/25/global-rule-of-law-donald-trump-approval-ratings

FB post from Andy Borowitz regarding the censored report regarding inhumane deportation of Venezuelans to CECOT

I'm trying to copy and past this FB post from Andy Borowitz regarding the 60 minutes - Inside CECOT - Bootlegged version not aired in the US.

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From Andy Borowitz's FB post:

When Bari Weiss and CBS decided to censor the report on El Salvador’s brutal prison, they didn’t realize that bootlegged copies would surface. I’ve included a link to the segment in the comments section. Please share it with everyone you know and drive these fascists crazy.

The bootlegged version can be found via this Reddit thread and needs to be shared everywhere.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Trumpvirus/comments/1ptgexq/60_minutes_inside_cecot_bootlegged_episode_not/

City Council defies Trump with 'Protect Portland Initiative' against federal overreach

Source: Oregon Live (Oregonian)

The Portland City Council unanimously approved a pair of proposals Wednesday night that seek to oppose or limit federal actions targeting Oregon’s most populous city amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and attempts to deploy National Guard troops.

In a 12-0 vote, councilors passed a sweeping resolution that its sponsors billed as “a safeguard for Portlanders targeted by the Trump administration’s aggressive federal overreach.” They also gave the green light to an emergency ordinance that will codify the city’s sanctuary status as federal law enforcement continues to ramp up its arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Read more at he link....

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2025/10/portland-council-passes-rapid-response-plan-for-ice-raids.html

From Daily Kos: Timothy Snyder Gives Some Excellent Advice About What We Can Do Now

Timothy Snyder, Yale professor and the author of On Tyranny, gave a Zoom talk last night to the organization Red, Wine, and Blue, and he had some very good ideas for how to fight back in these terrible times. Here’s some of his advice:

- Nothing about this will be easy or fast.

- Focus on supporting one or two candidates instead of dividing your efforts. Find candidates who share your vision, people who are pushing back, like AOC, Jamie Raskin, Jasmine Crockett.

Link to rest of the read here:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/5/2308160/-Timothy-Snyder-Gives-Some-Excellent-Advice-About-What-We-Can-Do-Now?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

Are any of you on the Oregon Health Plan or the new(er) Oregon Health Plan Bridge Plan?

My spouse (age 68), myself and our youngest daughter (23) are on OHP; my husband has Medicare/Medicaid coverage. I'm trying to wrap my head around a few things and wonder if any of you can offer me insight.

1. My spouse is looking into starting his social security benefits soon (TBD). Once that happens our household income goes up and we may/may not be eligible for OHP. But here's one of my conundrums. The OHP/OHP bridge program is for ages 19-65. So if my husband is 68, how does his social security decision impact me, or my daughter's OHP eligibility? I'm 63, so 2-years out from Medicare (assuming it even exists in two years).

2. Our daughter recently graduated from college. This will be the first year that when we do our taxes she will most likely not qualify as being a dependent (based on the fact that she was not enrolled in college in 2024 and earned more than the allowable amount...even though she lived with us rent free and we paid for 90% of her food.) So with that in mind, does our household drop down from 3 to 2 and thereby reducing our monthly maximum income eligibility requirements? She's looking for a job. When she finally does get into the work place either; she continues to qualify for OHP, she makes too much and goes into the market place or her place of employment has healthcare coverage. When all that happens, does her income affect my OHP eligibility? She'll eventually find a place of her own, once she gets her financial footing, but that could take some time. Also, she's trying to save up $$ for grad school, so who knows -- she might live with us and contribute to utilities and groceries.

I know -- I need to talk with someone about all of this -- but I thought that some of you might already be experiencing this and could offer some insight. Thanks so much!

Thinking of becoming an expat

Are any of you expats or planning on being expats?

If so, where do you reside or where will you go? Been giving a lot of thought to México. Any of you live there? If so where? And why that location?

Who here is an expat or plans to be?

If so, where do you reside or where will you go? Been giving a lot of thought to México. Any of you live there? If so where? And why that location?

The A, B, Cs inspired by the SNL cold open... Forgive my silliness this morning, trying to keep positive and maintain joy

The A, B, Cs inspired by the SNL cold open…
Please forgive my silliness, but I am trying to keep my mind busy throughout the day and thought I would have a little fun with this.
Feel free to do your own A,B,Cs!

A is for all of us-ala
B is for the bombala
C is for calmala or carry-onala
D is for democracy for all-ala
E is for everyone-ala
F is for fight-ala
G is for good vibes-ala
H is for hope-ala
I is for I will vote-ala
J is for joy-ala
K is for Kamala (what else?) and KEEP CALM-ALA and CARRY-ONALA
L is for love-ala
M is for momala
N is for NO MORE TRUMP-ALA
O is for organize-ala
P is for peace-ala or party over country-ala
Q is for quickly count the votes-ala
R is for respect for all-ala
S is for speak the truth-ala
T is for turn the page-ala
U is for unite-ala
V is for victory-amala
W is for WHEN WE FIGHT WE WIN-ALA
X is for Gen X-ala
Y is for you and me-ala
Z is for zippy do da-ala

Don't Forget To Vote - New Will Ferrell ad. It definitely made me chuckle

Watch here: