Tag: Donald Trump

Own Goal

by earlthepearl137

In soccer, the most humiliating mistake a player can make is the own goal — kicking the ball into the net you’re supposed to be defending. For Republicans, their own goal was Donald Trump.

Terrified of his MAGA voting bloc, Republican congressmen abandoned their constitutional duty of checks and balances. They kissed the ring, rubber-stamped his Cabinet picks, and confirmed judges without scrutiny. In doing so, they surrendered their power — not to the people, but to one man.

The result was a Cabinet filled with incompetence. Loyalty tests replaced qualifications. Pete Hegseth, among others, became emblematic of this rot — a figure whose reckless decisions may one day be judged in the harsh light of accountability. Meanwhile, scandals were buried, Epstein files delayed, and oversight abandoned, all to avoid the wrath of Dear Leader. This wasn’t governance. It was capitulation. And like any own goal, the damage was self-inflicted.

The consequences of this submission are now plain. By elevating loyalty over competence, Republicans enabled chaos, and did nothing to lower the cost of living for working-class people. Families struggling with rent, groceries, and healthcare found no relief from a party too busy protecting Trump’s ego to protect their constituents. The GOP’s obsession with appeasement left ordinary Americans footing the bill for dysfunction.

And then came the moment that crystallized the absurdity: Nobel-snubbed Donald Trump accepting the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize.” A made-up gold trophy, a medal, and a certificate — handed to a man whose tenure was marked by division, not diplomacy. It was a parody of statesmanship, a photo op masquerading as honor. The image of Trump smirking beside a bewildered FIFA official will live on as the perfect metaphor for the GOP’s descent — a party so committed to the illusion of victory that it mistook satire for achievement.

Now, the scoreboard is shifting. Miami just elected a Democratic mayor for the first time in 30 years. That victory is more than symbolic; it is a crack in the dam. Gerrymandering won’t save the GOP in 2026 when voters connect the dots: Republicans chose to confirm incompetence, cover up corruption, and ignore the economic pain of working families. The floodgates are opening, and history will remember not just Trump’s failures, but the complicity of those who enabled him.

The irony is rich. In their desperation to protect themselves from Trump’s base, Republicans scored against their own team. They weakened their brand, alienated moderates, and set the stage for a blue wave in 2026 and a blue tsunami in 2028. Miami is the first ripple, but it won’t be the last.

The GOP thought they were defending their net. Instead, they kicked the ball straight in. And history will record the Trump era not as a victory, but as the greatest own goal in American politics.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

Pay to Play

by earlthepearl137

In 2025, President Trump issued a wave of controversial pardons that raised eyebrows across the political spectrum. While presidential clemency is a constitutional power, the pattern of recipients suggests a troubling trend: those with wealth, influence, or political loyalty were far more likely to receive mercy than those without.

The Donors and Allies Who Walked Free

  • Juan Orlando Hernández: The former president of Honduras was convicted of trafficking over 400 tons of cocaine into the United States. His pardon followed lobbying efforts by Trump ally Roger Stone. Roger Stone, by the way, was pardoned by President Donald Trump on December 23, 2020. He received a full and unconditional pardon for his conviction related to charges of lying to Congress, witness tampering, and other offenses connected to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Stone had been sentenced to 40 months in prison, but his sentence was commuted and then fully pardoned by Trump.
  • David Gentile: Orchestrated a $1.6 billion Ponzi-style fraud targeting over 10,000 investors. Praised by Trump’s pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson.
  • George Santos: Convicted of wire fraud, identity theft, and campaign finance violations. A vocal supporter of Trump.
  • Changpeng Zhao: Founder of Binance, convicted of money laundering. Binance had promoted Trump family crypto ventures.
  • Trevor Milton: Founder of Nikola, convicted of securities fraud. His business aligned with Trump’s economic messaging.
  • Rod Blagojevich: Former Illinois governor who attempted to sell Obama’s Senate seat. A former contestant on Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”
  • Devon Archer: Convicted in a $60 million bond fraud. His ties to Hunter Biden were used by Trump to fuel political attacks.
  • BitMEX Co-founders: Pardoned for violating anti-money laundering laws. Their crypto influence aligned with Trump’s push for digital finance.
  • Henry Cuellar and wife: Facing federal bribery charges. Trump framed their case as DOJ overreach.
  • Michele Fiore: Convicted of charity fraud involving police memorial funds. A vocal MAGA supporter.
  • Scott Jenkins: Involved in a “cash-for-badges” scheme. Tied to Trump-aligned law enforcement circles.
  • Let’s, also, not forget the 1600 MAGA-merch-wearing insurrectionists who were pardoned by Trump for their attack on the Capital and Capital Police. He called them heroic patriots.

These pardons share a common thread: political loyalty, economic influence, or usefulness to Trump’s narrative. While no direct bribes have been proven, the optics suggest a system where clemency is granted not based on justice, but on proximity to power.

Meanwhile, over 80 Venezuelan boatmen—accused of drug smuggling but never tried—were killed in U.S.-led maritime strikes. They had no lobbyists, no campaign donations, no celebrity connections. They didn’t “Pay to Play.” They paid with their lives, and Trump and Hegseth should pay for their “Kill them all” war crimes with Impeachment and prison.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

No Kings, the Rally Heard ’round the World

by earlthepearl137

Yesterday’s No Kings Rally wasn’t just a protest — it was a reckoning. A mosaic of causes, signs, and voices, all bound together by one unifying thread: We the People have been stirred to action. Not by policy differences. Not by party loyalty. But by the cruelty, the malignant narcissism, and the corrosive influence of Donald Trump.

Fascism began as a Roman metaphor: a bundle of sticks (fasces) symbolizing strength through unity. One stick breaks easily. A bundle resists. Mussolini twisted that into authoritarianism. Hitler weaponized it. And Trump? He tried to make the bundle serve only him — demanding loyalty, punishing dissent, and mocking the vulnerable.

But yesterday, we reclaimed the bundle. Not as a tool of domination, but as a symbol of democratic resistance. Many years ago, Chief Tecumseh taught the same lesson with arrows. The Founders echoed it with E Pluribus Unum. And yesterday, the signs told the story.

The signs and speeches were about:

  • Protecting reproductive freedom
  • Defending LGBTQ+ rights
  • Expanding healthcare access
  • Preserving Social Security and Medicare
  • Combating climate change
  • Supporting veterans and mental health
  • Raising wages and strengthening unions
  • Reforming immigration and criminal justice
  • Fighting voter suppression and gun violence

These weren’t isolated chants. They were verses in a shared anthem: We the People demand better. And we demand it together — because cruelty in power has a way of clarifying what really matters.

And then came the sign that stopped me cold: “They’re eating the Epstein files.”

It wasn’t just funny. It was surgical. A jab at the elite’s appetite for secrecy, distraction, and self-preservation. As the files trickle out, the public appetite for truth grows — and so does the suspicion that someone’s chewing through the evidence.

This wasn’t a rally of factions. It was a rally of fusion. The bundle is back — not in the hands of tyrants, but in the grip of citizens. We’re demanding accountability from Government, and we’re doing it together.

So next time someone asks what the rally was about, tell them this: It was about E Pluribus Unum. It was about We the People. It was about refusing to be ruled by cruel tyrants ever again.

Be there for the next rally.  Courage is contagious.

Peace & Love and all of the above,

Earl

The Department of Vengeance

by earlthepearl137

As America prepares for the No Kings Rally — a celebration of democratic resistance and constitutional humility — it’s worth asking: what kind of kingdom are we resisting?

Recent headlines suggest we’re not just dealing with a president. We’re dealing with a monarch-in-waiting, armed not with a crown, but with a blacklist.

He’s already renamed the Department of Defense the Department of War — now he’s eyeing the Department of Justice for a makeover: the Department of Vengeance.

Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire to punish his political enemies. He’s called himself “your retribution”. He’s floated criminal referrals for Letitia James, who dared to hold him accountable for civil fraud. He’s targeted James Comey and John Bolton, not for crimes, but for defiance. And he’s done it all while testing the waters of public appetite for vengeance — a campaign strategy that doubles as a loyalty test.

This isn’t justice. It’s grievance cosplay.

The so-called Department of Vengeance isn’t a real agency, but it might as well be. Trump’s allies have proposed purges of federal institutions, loyalty oaths for civil servants, and even a new “Department of Government Efficiency” — a euphemism for gutting agencies that don’t kiss the ring.

Let’s be clear: this is not about restoring order.  It’s about rewriting the rules so that dissent becomes disloyalty, and accountability becomes treason.

And yet, the system resists. Grand juries refuse to indict political targets. Judges push back. Juries — those pesky peers — still ask for evidence, not vendettas. The machinery of democracy may be creaky, but it hasn’t collapsed.  Journalists, too, are standing up.  They walked out of the Pentagon after they refused to sign agreements that they would only write approved stories.

So, as we gather for the No Kings Rally, let’s remember: the crown isn’t just a metaphor. It’s a warning. When a leader builds a Department of Vengeance, he’s not just settling scores. He’s auditioning for tyranny.  Trump is a wannabe Fascist, but like John Bolton once said, “To be a fascist, you have to have a philosophy. Trump’s not capable of that. You know, Adolf Hitler wrote a profoundly troubling book called Mein Kampf — My Struggle. Donald Trump couldn’t even read his way all the way through that book, let alone write something like it.”

Nonetheless, Dumb Donnie wants his revenge fantasies. We just want to keep our republic.  Join the rally and help us.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

Don’t Believe Me, Just Watch

by earlthepearl137

Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, is most often associated with the quote: “If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself.”  Goebbels’ propaganda strategy was repetition, emotional appeal, and the manipulation of public perception.

Jen Psaki recently aired a chilling montage: 36 Sinclair-affiliated newscasters in 36 different cities reciting the same exact script, word for word. It wasn’t a blooper reel—it was a broadcast strategy to “flood the zone” with their message.  “If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it.”   Ironically, their message was “We’re concerned about the troubling trend of false news…” Obviously, the irony was lost on them.  What are the odds that 36 different opinion influencers in 36 different cities all had the very same word-for-word opinion about a current problem?  You have better odds of hitting the Powerball Grand Prize. When 36 newscasters in 36 different cities say the same exact thing, it’s not journalism—it’s choreography.

This isn’t just lazy journalism. It’s tactical repetition—a propaganda technique.  Joseph Goebbels believed that if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes truth, not through evidence, but through echo.  The modern Republican messaging follows this blueprint with eerie precision. When a false claim emerges—whether about elections, vaccines, or climate—it’s not debated. It’s deployed. Within hours, the same phrases surface across Fox News, congressional tweets, and local radio. It’s not persuasion. It’s programming.  This isn’t about disagreement. It’s about manufactured consensus. The goal isn’t to win an argument—it’s to flood the zone with noise until truth becomes indistinguishable from fiction.

  • It starts with Centralized Messaging: GOP operatives distribute talking points like marching orders. The purpose is Repetition Over Reason: The same phrases—“weaponized DOJ,” “rigged election,” “woke indoctrination”—are repeated ad nauseam.  Then comes the Emotional Anchoring: Lies are tied to fear, patriotism, or outrage, bypassing logic and triggering tribal loyalty.  The final step is to Flood the Zone. Currently, the Republicans are blaming the government shutdown on Democrats. Not with nuance, not with evidence, but with a synchronized chant: “Democrats are shutting down the government to give billions in healthcare to illegal aliens.” It’s an outrageous lie. A loud, coordinated, cynical lie. But it’s everywhere—on cable news, in press releases, across social media. The goal isn’t persuasion. It’s saturation. “If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself.” 

This isn’t new. But the scale, speed, and shamelessness of its practitioners are unprecedented.

When truth becomes optional, democracy becomes ornamental. Plato warned that unchecked rhetoric leads to tyranny. Goebbels promoted it. And today’s Republican echo chamber is actually proving that it works in real time.  They were able to get a twice impeached, convicted rapist and felon elected to the highest office by spreading lies without caring if they were true or not, “They’re eating the dogs!”

We don’t need censorship. We need media literacy, moral clarity, and the courage to call the repetition of lies what it really is: a weapon.

“Don’t believe me, just watch.”

Bigger than Kimmel: Psaki shows what’s really behind the comedian’s suspension

If you don’t want to hear the entire story, fast forward 5 minutes into the video to get to the reveal.

If you’re disappointed that this post was all about Propaganda instead of Bruno Mars, I included the Bruno Mars video to make you feel better.

Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk (Official Video) ft. Bruno Mars

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

Candygram for Earlthepearl137

by earlthepearl137

It happened just after dusk. I was halfway through reheating last night’s chili when the knock came — firm, rhythmic, and suspiciously polite. I figured it was U.P.S. with my Bourbon order. I opened the door to find two masked men, dressed like extras from a dystopian reboot of The Blues Brothers, holding a ribboned box and wearing jackets labeled “I.C.E.”

“Candygram for Earlthepearl137,” one of them said, eyes wide with bureaucratic innocence.

I blinked.  I wasn’t surprised — I’d just published a blog post titled The End of Free Speech: A Love Letter to Monitored Comedy.  I knew the drill. Say something morally clear, challenge selective outrage, and suddenly you’re on the compliance radar.  Satire, when done right, makes some people nervous.

In my latest post, I questioned the double standards of speech policing — how moral clarity gets labeled “aggressive,” while actual harm gets a pass if it’s wrapped in patriotism or profit. I used examples from club signage, media pivots, and the way certain phrases get flagged not for content, but for who’s saying them.

Apparently, that was enough to trigger a “courtesy check.”

The I.C.E. agents didn’t arrest me, though. They didn’t even enter. They just stood there, box in hand, waiting for me to acknowledge the delivery. It was performance art — a compliance ritual dressed as concern. And like all good satire, it left me wondering: who’s really afraid of free speech?

I reached for the candygram, and the masked man winked. Not a friendly wink. The kind that says, We know where you live.

And then I woke up.

I wonder if it was a dream or a premonition.

“No Kings Day” – October 18th. Be there and bring a friend.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

Wanted in 125 Countries, But Welcomed in Alaska

by earlthepearl137

I almost got kicked out of a diner once for trying to order a Jim Beam milkshake with my breakfast. The waitress said it violated “company policy.” I said it violated my taste buds to drink anything without a little rebellion in it. We settled on a root beer float and a mutual understanding that rules are only flexible when the manager’s on break.

Which brings me to Alaska.

Whoever is running this country must be on a break. This Friday, two men—one a convicted felon, and one wanted in 125 countries for war crimes—will meet at a Hotel in Alaska to discuss peace, war, and possibly who gets custody of Crimea. Donald Trump, who is the only U.S. President with felony convictions, will host Vladimir Putin, a man wanted by the International Criminal Court for abducting Ukrainian children. He is wanted in 125 Countries, while Donald Trump is unwanted everywhere he goes.

Now, before you ask, “How is this legal?”—let me remind you: the United States isn’t part of the ICC. We opted out, presumably to keep our own war crimes tidy and domestic. So while 125 countries would slap cuffs on Putin faster than you can say “borscht,” Alaska rolls out the welcome mat. Probably one with a bear on it.

I imagine the summit will be held in a Bail and Breakfast place, with moose jerky appetizers and a ceremonial exchange of MAGA hats and Kremlin lapel pins. Trump will declare peace in our time, Putin will drink Vodka and nod solemnly, and somewhere in The Hague, a judge will throw a gavel at the wall.  Or maybe one of Putin’s political opponents will vigorously protest by “accidentally” throwing himself off a 30th-floor balcony.

This is not diplomacy. It’s dinner theater.

And yet, there’s something heartbreakingly American about it. We love a good outlaw. Jesse James. Al Capone. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, not to mention the guy who invented the McRib. We don’t mind criminality as long as it comes with a slogan and a side of fries. Trump and Putin are just the latest duo in our long tradition of “bad boys with branding.”

But here’s the rub: this isn’t a sitcom. It’s real. Ukraine is bleeding. Children have been taken. Democracy is being bartered like a used snowmobile. And while the rest of the world tightens its grip on justice, we’re hosting a summit meeting between two known criminals.  The only result anyone expects is for Putin and Trump to issue a joint nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize—submitted in black Sharpie and sealed with a vodka stain.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

From Fort Sumter to Los Angeles: Echoes of Tyranny in Two Presidencies

by earlthepearl137

History has a way of repeating itself—not in the details, but in the echoes. As I watch the current administration deploy Marines and National Guard troops into American cities to confront protests over ICE raids and immigration policy, I can’t help but feel a chill. It’s not just the uniforms or the optics. It’s the precedent. And for me, that precedent begins not with Donald Trump—but with Abraham Lincoln.

Yes, Lincoln. The man most Americans revere as our greatest president. But I’ve long questioned that legacy. Lincoln, in my view, was a stubborn, hardheaded leader who plunged the nation into a war that cost over 650,000 lives. A war he believed would be over in months. A war he arguably provoked.

Let’s rewind to Fort Sumter. No one died in the initial bombardment. The only casualties came when a cannon exploded during the surrender ceremony—one Union soldier died. Yet Lincoln used that moment to summon 75,000 troops, escalating a regional standoff into a full-blown civil war. He suspended habeas corpus, jailed political opponents, and silenced dissent in border states like Maryland. All in the name of preserving the Union.

Fast forward to today. Trump, facing protests over immigration enforcement, has summoned federal troops into cities like Los Angeles—against the wishes of governors and mayors. He’s accepted a $400 million jet from Qatar, raising serious constitutional questions about foreign influence and the Emoluments Clause. He’s used executive power to reshape the judiciary, roll back civil rights protections, and stoke division at every turn.

And yet, like Lincoln, he claims to be saving the nation.

The parallels are uncomfortable. Both men faced divided nations. Both used federal power to suppress opposition. Both were hailed as heroes by some and tyrants by others. When John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln, he shouted “Sic semper tyrannis”—thus always to tyrants. That wasn’t just a madman’s cry. It was a sentiment shared by many in the South who saw Lincoln not as a liberator, but as a despot.

Today, many Americans—especially those on the political left—see Trump in the same light. A man willing to tear the country apart to preserve his own power. A man who, like Lincoln, may be remembered not just for what he did, but for what he destroyed in the process.

This isn’t a defense of Booth, or of violence. It’s a plea for perspective. We must stop mythologizing our leaders and start scrutinizing them. Lincoln’s war may have ended slavery, but it also ended hundreds of thousands of lives. Trump’s war—if it comes—may not be fought with muskets and bayonets, but with executive orders, surveillance, and militarized streets.

History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes. And right now, the tune sounds all too familiar.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

Internal Combustion

by earlthepearl137

Trump won the election claiming that immigrants were drug smuggling, rapist, pet eating criminals, and he would get rid of all of them.  Instead of putting criminals in jail, on his first day in office, he let 1500 J6 rioters out of jail, including violent criminals who assaulted police officers, leaders of terrorist organizations like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, king-pin drug dealers, and child pornographers.  I guess he’s hoping that these thugs will rally to his defense again when he needs to stage his next coup attempt.

Trump also won the election claiming that he would end the war in Ukraine on Day One.  He didn’t, and now it’s Day 4.

Trump also won the election saying that he knows how to hire the best people, but he nominated some of the absolute worst possible people to his cabinet and to head the Department of Defense and other government offices.  The only qualifications he seemed to care about were sycophantic loyalty to him and a Fox News employee I.D.

Now I hear that Donald J. Musk and Elon Trump are engaged in a jealous power struggle.   How sweet.  I hope nobody breaks up this fight.

To all those Americans who are worried and afraid of this administration, I offer hope.

Trump claims that God saved him in an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.  But, will that same God save him from attacks from within.  History has shown us that sometimes the greatest attacks come from that direction.  Trump hates real sharks, but he is now surrounding himself with a vicious hoard of deadly land sharks, that would make his buddy Hannibal Lecter nervous.  He has hand-picked a group of advisors who have no moral compass, and many are heavily armed gun nuts.  He hasn’t learned from history, because he is too stupid to even study history.

Philip II of Macedonia: He was assassinated by one of his bodyguards, Pausanias of Orestis, in 336 BC.

Xerxes I: The Persian king was killed by his Royal Guard commander, Artabanus, in 465 BCE.

Caligula: The Roman Emperor was assassinated by members of his own guard in 41 AD.

Laurent Kabila: The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo was shot by one of his bodyguards in 2001.

Salmaan Taseer: The Governor of Punjab, Pakistan, was killed by his bodyguard in 2011.

Indira Gandhi: The Prime Minister of India was assassinated by her own bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Her bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, were both Sikhs. This tragic event occurred in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, a military operation ordered by Gandhi to remove Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Trump has surrounded himself with predators who will do anything to feed their own narcissistic fever dreams.  Alex Jones is a right-wing conspiracy theorist and talk show host known for his controversial views and clashes with various public figures, including Elon Musk.  Steve Bannon is also going after Elon Musk.  When they’re finished with him, or he is finished with them, there will eventually be a power struggle with Trump himself.  Trump’s friends don’t always stay his friends.  Just look at his fixer lawyer Michael Cohen.  They hate each other now.

Cannibalism is present in the animal kingdom.

Praying Mantises: Female mantises sometimes eat their mates during or after mating.

Black Widows: The female black widow spider is notorious for eating the male after mating.

Lions: Occasionally, a new dominant male lion will kill and sometimes eat the cubs of the previous male.

Hamsters: In certain stressful conditions or if resources are scarce, mother hamsters might eat their young.

Sharks: Some shark species practice intrauterine cannibalism, where the larger embryos consume their smaller siblings within the womb.

Polar Bears: These bears sometimes resort to cannibalism, especially when food is scarce.

So, keep the faith that Trump’s evil oligarchy will not last.  It’s survival of the nastiest in the Trump world, and they will eventually start eating their own.  In the meanwhile, organize to flip the Congress in 2026, so that we can quickly fix whatever damage Trump causes.  In the immortal words used by Abraham Lincoln, “This too shall pass.”  As Trump surrounds himself with vipers, he should also be aware of the immortal words of the very mortal Caesar, “Et tu, Brute?”

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

Oli, Oli, Oligarchy

by earlthepearl137

Aristotle, in his work “Politics,” discussed various ways to address and potentially overthrow oligarchies.  He believed that oligarchies were unstable forms of government because they often led to factional conflicts and corruption.  He identified several causes of factional conflict, including:

  1. Arrogant behavior of rulers.
  2. Realization of potential profit from rebelling.
  3. Fear of punishment from those in power.
  4. Disproportionate growth of one class over another.
  5. Corrupt election procedures.
  6. Infighting and impoverishment within the ruling class.
  7. Formation of an inner elite circle.

Aristotle suggested that gradual reform and constitutional change rather than violent upheaval should be the solution.  He believed that positive change has to come from the middle class.  They must:

  1. Build alternative sources of power.
  2. Form intentional coalitions.
  3. Understand and exploit system weaknesses.
  4. Develop political virtue
  5. Cultivate strategic patience.

With the exception of #4, this is pretty much what the Republican Oligarchs have done in the last few decades, and we will have to hone those skills ourselves to overcome the Trump/Musk/Thiele Oligarchy that is taking over our democratic Republic.

Aristotle said that the signs that change is near are:

  1. Public dissatisfaction, when the people stop believing that government is working for them.
  2. Internal division within the ruling class.
  3. Emergence of new leaders and voices.

In addition to it being Inauguration Day, this Monday is also Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  So, taking all of the above into consideration, I believe that the public will peacefully show their dissatisfaction with the Trump Presidency in the 2026 midterm elections.  New leaders and voices will take office on January of 2027, and Trump will be impeached for the third and final time in March of 2027.  I have a dream.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl