Saturday, January 18, 2025

January 20, 2025, A Felonious First


Let the raping and pillaging begin

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

In three days, for the first time in American history, the first convicted felon will be inaugurated President of The United States. He will take an oath with his hand on a Bible he has never read to defend the Constitution, a document he has never read nor understood or respected. He will, as usual, make a speech filled with gibberish, accusations, lies, and promises he does not intend to keep.

So now he is being inaugurated for his second term. His goal was not to “Make America great again”, as his branded slogan asserts, because America has always been kind of great. He doesn’t want to unite the country because his campaign was formulated to divide it with “us” versus “them.”

He has no intention of making life better for the poor and middle class, the workers, the aged, and the infirmed. He doesn’t care about voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, the climate, or the economy. He doesn’t care about crime, the rule of law, or democracy.

He has two main goals: to stay out of prison and to bring unprecedented wealth to himself, his family, and his fellow millionaires. To achieve his goals, he plans on being the exalted and feared leader of an authoritarian government, in the style of his idol Vladimir Putin.

He did not win the election in a landslide, as he has proclaimed. He does not have a mandate from the American people, as tens of millions stayed home instead of voting. People who did not want a Black woman as president and those glued to Fox News voted for him. With those votes and hundreds of millions of dollars, Elon Musk was able to purchase the Office of the President for his puppet, Donald Trump. No doubt Putin also had a hand in the win. Trump will be President in name only.

During Trump’s campaign, he promised his MAGA followers that he would do many things on day one of his presidency if elected. According to NBC News, they are as follows:

  1. Begin a mass deportation program.
  2. End birthright citizenship.
  3. End Biden-era policies.
  4. Pardon the January 6 defendants.
  5. Ending the war in Ukraine.
  6. Implement tariffs.
  7. Cancel the electric vehicle mandate.
  8. Drill, Drill, Drill.
  9. Made in America auto industry.
  10. Limiting transgender participation in women’s sports.
  11. End gender-affirming care practices.

None of these, if carried out, will help bring down the price of eggs, groceries, or gas. They were promised to stir up the racism and bigotry of the far right.

Remember these promises and see how many are implemented on day one, as he promised. You can keep score if you wish. Trump has evaded prison time. He now will concentrate on enriching himself and his cronies and staying in power. He doesn’t need MAGA anymore. They are now only his subjects to be tossed aside.

I’m moving to Substack. Please join me in Stephen Sovie’s World newsletter.

Friday, January 17, 2025

I Think It’s Time to Move On Over to Substack


It may not be the answer, but it beats stagnating on Medium

Photo by Handiwork NYC on Unsplash

It’s already been over two weeks since Medium began its death spiral; things haven’t gotten better; they’ve gotten worse. At the beginning of January, my reads and views more than doubled and tripled compared to previous months. But my earnings rapidly declined to where they are now, about 2 cents a day.

Every writer on this platform experienced the same devastating earnings and was searching for some answers that never came. Medium staff sent out a few emails that created more confusion. According to Medium, they were working on eliminating scammers, spammers, and other non-genuine members. This didn’t explain the extreme drop in earnings, though.

I cut back on publishing stories in hopes the situation would change for the better. They haven’t. In the past few days, my reads and views dropped significantly. My earnings amount to 1 cent per day.

What is annoying is the change in the number of notifications I receive daily. I now receive over a hundred notifications each day. The vast majority of these are “also highlighted” notifications. But I am getting more and more followers from people who haven’t read or interacted with my stories and have not published anything. I am also getting more replies to my older stories, asking me to “please read my work.” They must have escaped Medium’s spammer net.

I moved to Medium after spending years writing blogs that made little money and attracted only a few followers. I put in a lot of work and got little in return. Now, I have come to a complete circle on Medium. I have tried numerous strategies to increase my readership, including starting a newsletter on Kit in hopes of increasing readership. Unfortunately, most subscribers ignored my newsletters and didn’t open the emails.

I now see only three options left for me. Firstly, I can stay on Medium and do nothing but wait, hoping to survive on this site. Secondly, I can try to make a go at publishing on Substack. Or, as a last resort, I can return to my blogs, where I continue to maintain my custom domain. For now, I have decided to move over to Substack.

I am uncertain whether or not any of my followers or subscribers on Medium would see value in spending money for a paid subscription to my articles. Subscriptions to my Substack newsletter, Stephen Sovie’s World, are free. Hopefully, if enough people subscribe, I can offer a paid subscription in the future.

I apologize to my followers who have stuck with me for all the confusing changes I have subjected you to in my efforts to make my content more available and profitable. Once again, I am asking you for your support. If you would like to continue to read my articles, please subscribe. Thank you.

I’m moving to Substack. Please join me in Stephen Sovie’s World newsletter.

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

It’s Official: The Insurrection is Complete


And Trump got away with everything!

Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash

Today, January 6, 2025, the House of Representatives certified Donald Trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential election. Unlike in 2024, when Trump refused to accept he lost the election to Joe Biden and organized and led an attack on Congress, there were no objections, no false slate of electors, no riotous mobs, and no one was killed or injured.

In the four years since Trump’s insurrection attempt, there have been many legal battles to hold Trump accountable for his treasonous acts, as well as other felonies he has committed. He was found guilty of fraud in one case and has been adjudicated a rapist in another, both state charges.

Trump has not been held accountable for his actions on January 6, 2021, or his mishandling and concealment of classified documents, which are more serious charges. It is doubtful he will ever be held accountable for any of his crimes.

A rogue, corrupt, far-right SCOTUS and an incompetent federal judge who sided with Trump during legal actions against him effectively shielded Trump from any serious legal actions. SCOTUS ruled that Trump was basically above the law and could not be prosecuted for any crimes committed in association with the duties of his office, even murder.

I must point out that five people died in connection with the January 6th insurrection, and no one has ever been held accountable. According to SCOTUS, even if there was irrefutable proof that Trump was responsible, he could not be prosecuted. He would get away with murder. He has previously bragged that he “could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose any voters.” It turns out he was right.

We would never have gotten to this point in time if Attorney General Merrick Garland hadn’t been such a blatant coward and investigated not only Trump but the many sitting members of both the House and Senate who actively participated in the planning and execution of the insurrection. Even the wife of a Supreme Court Justice who financially supported the insurrectionists was allowed to evade any questioning.

The House Select Committee on the January 6 attack uncovered solid evidence against Trump and members of Congress but lacked the power to do anything. Those members of Congress with intimate knowledge of the insurrection refused to testify and ignored subpoenas issued to them. Garland and the Department of Justice did nothing.

Garland, the Justice Department, and even Biden were so afraid of being accused of being “political” that they allowed Trump, members of his administration, and numerous members of Congress to get away with treason and even murder.

Even though there were many inconsistencies in the 2024 election, Democrats chose not to investigate or litigate. I am not suggesting they should have acted like Trump and his supporters. They should have been more forceful in prosecutorial work long before today. Instead, they rolled over and waved the white flag. Once again, they brought a knife to a gunfight. I don’t expect much meaningful resistance from them in the next four years.

The attempt to take over the government began on January 6, 2021, and successfully ended on January 6, 2024, without a raised voice or a shot fired.

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Tuesday, January 7, 2025

January 20, 2025, The End of a Dream


And the beginning of a nightmare

Photo by Ehsan Eslami on Unsplash

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

“The land of the free and the home of the brave.”

These are all phrases that should be familiar to all Americans and many people all over the world as well. With the second inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, they will no longer be relevant.

On November 5, 2024, millions of people didn’t vote or could not accept a Black woman being President and voted for Trump, thus handing over our country to a group of white supremacist oligarchs who have promised to demolish the democracy we all know.

The government of the people, by the people, and for the people will become the government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich. A government of freedom and inclusiveness will become one of hatred and divisiveness.

Even before the new administration begins, the leading players, Elon Musk, the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, the titular head of the government, and Stephen Miller, the new Deputy Chief of Staff or Minister of Propaganda, have set the priorities for the next four or more years.

They have left little doubt that they will attack transgender people and immigrants on day one of the administration. Trump’s entire 2024 campaign centered not on policies that would help people but on eliminating transgendered people, abolishing LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, and deporting non-white immigrants.

All you need to do to see the face of hate is to look at the face of those in the Trump administration. The only differences between the Ku Klux Klan and the white Christian nationalist administration are the hoods. Thanks to the GOP, people are now free to hate and discriminate.

Stephen Miller Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff

You can see the hate in their eyes. The similarities between these two are not only obvious but alarming. We know what happened under Joseph Goebbels and Miller has signaled what will happen with him advising Trump. And these are only two of the White supremacist Christian nationalists who will be running our government and determining our future if we are to have one.

Joseph Goebbels Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda

If this country does not correct itself in the midterm elections in 2026, if elections are allowed, and Democrats don’t grow spines, we are doomed to become a nation devoid of any values and morals where we, the citizens, exist as servants of the wealthy white male oligarchs. Will that country last as long as our democracy did? It isn't very likely. When there are none of us left to hate, hate will then destroy the haters.

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Friday, January 3, 2025

So Many People Pray During Difficult Times


But does it ever really help?

Photo by Ismael Paramo on Unsplash

In times of need and grief, most people turn to prayer. After each of our mass school shootings, politicians ask for thoughts and prayers. After natural disasters, community leaders ask for prayers. If we or a loved one is seriously ill, we pray to God for assistance. But there is something about this phenomenon I don’t understand.

I was raised a Catholic and attended Catholic schools. We constantly prayed for world peace, and people still do. People have prayed for world peace for thousands of years, but it has never happened.

People are still dying from mass shootings and natural disasters, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, as people continue to pray for their safety. People pray for their favorite sports team to win and continue to pray, even when they lose.

Perhaps the situation that is most perplexing to me is when people pray for their loved ones who have been diagnosed with a fatal disease. It is a shock for anyone to hear that a loved one or ourselves has been given a diagnosis that could end our life. Understandably, many people turn to prayer to spare one’s life from a deadly disease. A person would believe God could make the disease disappear if they prayed hard enough.

What I don’t understand is that God gave the disease to the sick person in the first place. Shouldn’t people pray that God doesn’t give us a disease instead? And if we are diagnosed with a fatal disease, shouldn’t we accept it because it is what God wants?

I feel the same about natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes. God created them, so He must want them, regardless of whether or not they kill people. There is no use in praying for the victims because God wanted them to happen.

After every mass school shooting in this country, people pray for the victims and also pray that it doesn’t happen again, but it does. If it keeps happening, maybe it’s what God wants. But why doesn’t He want it to happen in other countries?

I know that some people reading this will say what all clergy and religious people always say when they can’t explain something about religion, “It is God’s will.” This leads me to ask, “Why should people pray if it is God’s will?”

Maybe we should be praying to God for help at all. Perhaps we should be doing something about the problems, like living healthier lives or taking better care of our environment. Maybe we should stop playing politics and bowing down to the almighty gun lobby to save the lives of our children instead of praying that God save them for us.

I am not really sure prayer helps other than giving desperate people hope. Yes, even though I am not religious, I still sometimes pray, in case it does work. I believe in the old saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” I also think we should help each other as well.

I am not entirely sold on religion, and I will always have questions about some aspects of Christianity and other religions. I only wish people would believe in each other as much as they believe in what they can’t see or understand.

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Thursday, January 2, 2025

I Checked My Social Schedule for the New Year


And I realized I am officially a senior citizen

Photo by Diogo Cardoso on Unsplash

It’s only the second day of the new year, so I checked my calendar for upcoming events. I never did this when I was younger because I had no problem remembering what I had planned for the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Back then, my social schedule consisted of my Mother’s and Father’s days, my parents and brothers’ birthdays, term paper due dates, the occasional wedding, and maybe a concert or two. I had no problem remembering the dates of keg parties, beer blasts, or other drinking events, primarily because they happened almost every weekend.

Today is different. Looking ahead to the next 264 days, I found one wedding anniversary party and one air show my husband has booked in advance. However, plenty of other appointments are scattered throughout the next 12 months.

Each of those appointments is a doctor’s appointment or appointment to have my blood drawn. I have appointments with my primary care physician, cardiologist, urologist, pulmonologist, and gastroenterologist.

I can’t remember having a doctor’s appointment other than a yearly or employment physical when I was younger. As I aged I acquired a series of badges of the old age process, I began to have fewer social events and more medical-related appointments.

To make things a bit more confusing about having so many doctors’ appointments in our “golden years,” we also have more of a problem remembering those appointments. If I don’t write it down immediately, there’s a good chance I’ll forget it. Fortunately, my healthcare system does an excellent job of keeping track of my appointments and reminding me of them as they are near.

Checking my social schedule has become a tradition for celebrating the New Year. I am not complaining because to remain healthy, it has to be done. The time to worry is when I check the schedule and see an appointment for the undertaker!

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Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Happy New Year 2025


The year of the billionaire

Photo by Jacob Vizek on Unsplash

New Year’s Eve celebrations are many of us have made our New Year resolutions for 2025. Some have chosen to lose weight, some to stop drinking, some to join a gym, and others to work harder. In a few weeks, those resolutions will all be broken and abandoned. Oddly, these resolutions are the only parts of our future we can control.

Because almost half of all Americans thought a racist old white millionaire felon and former President would improve their lot in life more than a Black woman, they gave their future to Donald Trump. In reality, their future is in the hands of Elon Musk, who purchased the presidency and allowed Trump to be president by name only.

Trump’s choices for his new cabinet are all billionaires or, at least, millionaires. Musk, aiming to be the first and only billionaire in modern history, has already flexed his newly purchased muscle.

He attempted but failed to have Congress shut down the government and significantly shut down the government. However, he did succeed in eliminating money for research into childhood cancer and raising the salaries of Congressmen.

Musk’s latest endeavor is to significantly increase the number of H-1B Visas. This is something that Trump was dead set against during his campaign, but he has since come into complete agreement with Musk. Musk has a history of laying off workers at Tesla and hiring H-1B visa holders at a lower pay rate, who cannot ask for a raise or unionize.

American workers can now expect a somewhat shaky employment future, knowing foreign workers can easily replace them, something Trump promised he would not allow. So much for Trump’s promises.

Speaking of promises, Trump said, during the campaign, he would lower gas and grocery prices. He has since walked back that promise, admitting he couldn’t do that. This doesn’t bode well for the future many of us will be experiencing soon.

Musk and Rivik Ramaswamy, Trump’s picks to head DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, a non-existent agency to cut government spending. The billionaires naturally have targeted government spending essential for the most vulnerable Americans, such as Social Security and Medicare. By cutting these two programs, the government can give much-needed tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires.

Don’t think for a minute your healthcare will get better or cheaper. Cost reductions in some drugs, such as insulin and asthma inhalers, passed by the Biden administration, are future targets for President Musk and his loyal servant, Donald Trump.

The traditional greetings for the new year include, “Have a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!” Thanks to the idiots who voted to return to office the worst President this country has ever had, the new year will not be healthy for millions, nor will it be prosperous, except for the uber-wealthy, so I hope you’ll be happy for the choice you’ve made.

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It's Been Awhile, But I'm Still Here

  Mount Denali May 2025 It's been quite a while since I posted on this blog, but don't worry, I'm still here. I took the vacatio...