The trashing of our once beautiful Peoples House by Trump is so upsetting, so sickening to me that I can hardly stand it! The destruction of Jacqueline Kennedy’s Rose Garden, the bulldozing of the East Wing, along with the gold tat that has been placed everywhere you look, is horrifying! A place I was once so proud of, so excited to have our children see when we were in Washington, D.C. when they were little is an embarrassment! From what I can see in photos, drone video it now looks a combo of a Bordello/Carnival…nothing coming close to the residence of the leader of the United States…it is a perfect representation of this country under Donald J. Trump…an ignorant clown with all the slavishly devoted clowns who comprise this regime! Rome had “Bread & Circuses” at the end of the Empire…and we have Donald Trump and his cage fight! You are absolutely spot on Jack because this is exactly where we are at this moment…the sun is setting on the “American Century,” and I think that history will lay the responsibility for this rapid decline and fall at the feet of the Republicans, MAGA and ultimately Donald John Trump!
You've written something far more moving than my piece deserved.
The detail about wanting your children to see the People's House...and what that pride has become...is EXACTLY the loss that's so hard to put into words.
I appreciate you reading...and even more...I appreciate you caring this much!
Well written, Jack! Thank you for a precise description of this abomination! Even as a stand alone event rather than a continuation of the decline of our country, it is disgusting and embarrassing!
I grieve right along with them. Years ago, when my husband was teaching JROTC, we toured the WH with 40 of his students. They were in awe, as was I. I kept thinking of all the people who had walked those same halls: the presidents, the cabinet members, the artists, the families, the leaders of foreign governments, and there I was shepherding a gang of teenagers through it. I think of the Secret Service guy I chastised because he was a jerk to the students, and remain surprised I was not escorted out. It is OUR house, and this, this piece of crap is demeaning it, destroying it. There is not enough sage in the world to clear it of the evil there now.
It’s pretty sad that he has to throw his own birthday party. The greater the spectacle the greater the attention. He has an unending need for attention that will never be satisfied. This “show” is pretty pathetic. It’s all a performance that makes him look weak.
This is well written, so well written that even before the event, I’m embarrassed for our country. The history books will give this decline more than a couple pages, if we’re lucky because it really is a cautionary tale of a declining man and his greed. Hopefully this will never be repeated. It would seem that the only direction from here is back up but who knows?
“According to reports…military personnel hoping to attend must meet specific fitness and body-composition standards.”
Why does this requirement remind me of Hitler and Nazi propaganda posters?
Everyone, aside from Trump, has to meet a certain look and standard for the cameras. I’m also thinking this would help in propagating further AI photos of the event later on with the similar images placed next to empty spots by the actual attendees in the crowd.
The description is spot on Jack...And sadly this will still not satisfy him. Nothing will ever satisfy him. I was reading that he wants to turn the Lincoln Memorial around because it was accidentally set up the wrong direction??? The military that can pass inspection to come to the event have to pay there own way, meals and a place to stay and transportation there. He will probably charge them an entrance fee...always the grifter. I agree with the others..I just want this to stop! He fell asleep in again in the oval office during a meeting and the picture of it one the best. There is no denying he had not a clue what was going on. My hope the turn out is worse that his last term birthday celebration when the troops just walked along no marching like the Chinese or Koreans. Just suturing along and waving to people.
I remember when I first heard about the plan for this ridiculous spectacle, I hoped it wouldn’t actually happen. Who could imagine an actual UFC Cage Match on the White House lawn? It’s disgusting and embarrassing and the whole world is watching… I will not be watching any of it.
Today it feels like my heart is breaking for our country and I’m just so tired of it all.
I’m old enough that I remember the real CELEBRATION on our country’s 200th birthday. I’ll have to hold onto those memories because for me, there will be no celebrating this.
Love this article! I think the entire point of Trump 2.0 is grift, grift and more grift. Their oath reads, ‘Do you, fellow RepubliKKKan swear to do the whole grift, the total grift, and nothing but the grift, so help you God?’ To which, they say, ‘I do!’
Didn’t this cage fighting organization’s owner or somebody high up in its management donate bigly to this horror of a “chief executive?” Reckon she’s getting her money’s worth?
Jack, as we all know, some are so shallow that they feel its "better to seem, than to actually be." That's where the SEEMING strong but ACTUALLY being very weak comes in. Being a retired senior leader, I used to see and combat this a lot in the corporate setting.
I would push back a bit on the idea that the cage match and all its trappings have become normalized. I think a lot of people--the majority, actually--don't feel this spectacle and the hundred before it are "normal" in any way. What I do feel is that our country is being taken from us and we are increasingly shut out of it.
I truly don't know what to do. The avenues open to us in terms of making our voices heard (that *is* how democracy is supposed to work, right?) are slow, cumbersome, and contain no promise that we are actually heard. It's the political version of spitting in the wind, which is why it seems useless. We do our five calls. We leave messages. We write emails. Three weeks later we receive boilerplate emails from our reps saying "I am responding to your message." Moving things along at glacial speed. It feels like every fire we might have started under these LAME ASSED elected representatives has been summarily extinguished. The process is supposed to be that they represent us, we tell them what we want and they deliver the message to the administration. So what the fuck happened here? Corruption is rampant and the will of the people is being quashed every day. Not normal, no way no how. The grift and crime being committed has so radicalized these people that they think they are untouchable. Trump is the golden idol they worship.
I will not give up, and I'm sure tens of thousands of regular Americans feel the same way. This vile, disgusting, low-life, incontinent FRAUDSTER who is president and all of his criminal friends and family have been supported, shielded, and defended by the GOP. He is not doing it alone. This, to me, is the biggest betrayal of our country. I work hard to keep the hate and vitriol I feel toward these evil people under control. I don't ever want to become "that person." That said, it's difficult when people are dying due to the cancellation of USAID, the dismantling of Roe and other programs. I don't want to become like them in any way but believe me when I say that they--Republicans and VERY MANY DEMOCRATS--deserve every shred of hate and resentment that's being generated toward them from me and from others.
I fear the cage won’t come down when this event has passed. We will be tormented with the shame and dystopian horror of the symbolism as they dream up more evil to curse us with, Roman gladiator-style. Will it be "strong men" fighting to the death or immigrants fighting each other — maybe thrown in with lions or bears? The somatic revulsion I feel is real.
And there you have it... The Emperor and his $$ puppeteers, being entertained by Gladiators, next it will be fight to the death by us commoners... Fucking pedo cancerous pos!
The trashing of our once beautiful Peoples House by Trump is so upsetting, so sickening to me that I can hardly stand it! The destruction of Jacqueline Kennedy’s Rose Garden, the bulldozing of the East Wing, along with the gold tat that has been placed everywhere you look, is horrifying! A place I was once so proud of, so excited to have our children see when we were in Washington, D.C. when they were little is an embarrassment! From what I can see in photos, drone video it now looks a combo of a Bordello/Carnival…nothing coming close to the residence of the leader of the United States…it is a perfect representation of this country under Donald J. Trump…an ignorant clown with all the slavishly devoted clowns who comprise this regime! Rome had “Bread & Circuses” at the end of the Empire…and we have Donald Trump and his cage fight! You are absolutely spot on Jack because this is exactly where we are at this moment…the sun is setting on the “American Century,” and I think that history will lay the responsibility for this rapid decline and fall at the feet of the Republicans, MAGA and ultimately Donald John Trump!
Christie...thank you for this.
You've written something far more moving than my piece deserved.
The detail about wanting your children to see the People's House...and what that pride has become...is EXACTLY the loss that's so hard to put into words.
I appreciate you reading...and even more...I appreciate you caring this much!
-Jack
Basuras Blancas todo
Always has been…the entire family…all the way back to Germany!
Well written, Jack! Thank you for a precise description of this abomination! Even as a stand alone event rather than a continuation of the decline of our country, it is disgusting and embarrassing!
BG...thank you so much.
This means a lot, especially coming from a paying subscriber. Comments like yours are exactly why I keep doing this work.
I'm glad the piece landed the way I hoped it would.
-Jack
Well said!! Disgusting for sure!
Thank you, Vivian. Indeed. Very disgusting.
-Jack
Agree!!
I think of Abigail Adams, and Dolley Madison, and Jackie Kennedy and I know they are weeping.
What a way to put it, Roberta!
Those were women who understood the house as a TRUST to be handed on...not a stage to be decorated. You're right...they'd grieve.
Thank you for reading.
-Jack
I grieve right along with them. Years ago, when my husband was teaching JROTC, we toured the WH with 40 of his students. They were in awe, as was I. I kept thinking of all the people who had walked those same halls: the presidents, the cabinet members, the artists, the families, the leaders of foreign governments, and there I was shepherding a gang of teenagers through it. I think of the Secret Service guy I chastised because he was a jerk to the students, and remain surprised I was not escorted out. It is OUR house, and this, this piece of crap is demeaning it, destroying it. There is not enough sage in the world to clear it of the evil there now.
Definitely!!
It’s pretty sad that he has to throw his own birthday party. The greater the spectacle the greater the attention. He has an unending need for attention that will never be satisfied. This “show” is pretty pathetic. It’s all a performance that makes him look weak.
Lori R...thank you.
I think you've put your finger on the paradox: the bigger the spectacle...the more it gives the game away.
A confident leader wouldn't need ANY of it. NONE.
Appreciate you reading and weighing in.
-Jack
This is well written, so well written that even before the event, I’m embarrassed for our country. The history books will give this decline more than a couple pages, if we’re lucky because it really is a cautionary tale of a declining man and his greed. Hopefully this will never be repeated. It would seem that the only direction from here is back up but who knows?
Mary Ann McGee...thank you...that means a great deal.
I share your hope that the only way from here is back up...even if none of us can see the route...YET.
And...if it ends up a cautionary tale...rather than a turning point...at least it will have been worth recording.
Grateful to have you reading, Mary Ann.
-Jack
“According to reports…military personnel hoping to attend must meet specific fitness and body-composition standards.”
Why does this requirement remind me of Hitler and Nazi propaganda posters?
Everyone, aside from Trump, has to meet a certain look and standard for the cameras. I’m also thinking this would help in propagating further AI photos of the event later on with the similar images placed next to empty spots by the actual attendees in the crowd.
What a throwback Thursday thought!
#HoldFast
CC...that instinct is worth trusting.
The impulse to curate the crowd into a uniform image...is exactly the aestheticizing of power...that AUTHORITARIAN movements have ALWAYS reached for.
The underlying read...on the AI thing...that the optics are being engineered...feels right to me. Certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Thank you for the sharp eye.
#HoldFast
-Jack
AND they have to pay for their own transportation. I can’t EVEN with this hot mess.
Right, Rae?! HOT MESS is it.
-Jack
The description is spot on Jack...And sadly this will still not satisfy him. Nothing will ever satisfy him. I was reading that he wants to turn the Lincoln Memorial around because it was accidentally set up the wrong direction??? The military that can pass inspection to come to the event have to pay there own way, meals and a place to stay and transportation there. He will probably charge them an entrance fee...always the grifter. I agree with the others..I just want this to stop! He fell asleep in again in the oval office during a meeting and the picture of it one the best. There is no denying he had not a clue what was going on. My hope the turn out is worse that his last term birthday celebration when the troops just walked along no marching like the Chinese or Koreans. Just suturing along and waving to people.
#HOLDFAST
Teri
I wrote my remark before I read yours, Teri. I agree with you, as usual. They’re just extras on his screen set.
Hope it rains
🤣
How about an epic downpour… 💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧
YAAASSSSSSS!!
Thank you, Jack. Excellent article.
I remember when I first heard about the plan for this ridiculous spectacle, I hoped it wouldn’t actually happen. Who could imagine an actual UFC Cage Match on the White House lawn? It’s disgusting and embarrassing and the whole world is watching… I will not be watching any of it.
Today it feels like my heart is breaking for our country and I’m just so tired of it all.
I’m old enough that I remember the real CELEBRATION on our country’s 200th birthday. I’ll have to hold onto those memories because for me, there will be no celebrating this.
#Holdfast
~Susan
Love this article! I think the entire point of Trump 2.0 is grift, grift and more grift. Their oath reads, ‘Do you, fellow RepubliKKKan swear to do the whole grift, the total grift, and nothing but the grift, so help you God?’ To which, they say, ‘I do!’
Sucks bigtimr! #HOLDFAST
Didn’t this cage fighting organization’s owner or somebody high up in its management donate bigly to this horror of a “chief executive?” Reckon she’s getting her money’s worth?
You're correct about the donation. The owner of the UFC is Dana White, who is a male. 🤷♀️
Jack, as we all know, some are so shallow that they feel its "better to seem, than to actually be." That's where the SEEMING strong but ACTUALLY being very weak comes in. Being a retired senior leader, I used to see and combat this a lot in the corporate setting.
I would push back a bit on the idea that the cage match and all its trappings have become normalized. I think a lot of people--the majority, actually--don't feel this spectacle and the hundred before it are "normal" in any way. What I do feel is that our country is being taken from us and we are increasingly shut out of it.
I truly don't know what to do. The avenues open to us in terms of making our voices heard (that *is* how democracy is supposed to work, right?) are slow, cumbersome, and contain no promise that we are actually heard. It's the political version of spitting in the wind, which is why it seems useless. We do our five calls. We leave messages. We write emails. Three weeks later we receive boilerplate emails from our reps saying "I am responding to your message." Moving things along at glacial speed. It feels like every fire we might have started under these LAME ASSED elected representatives has been summarily extinguished. The process is supposed to be that they represent us, we tell them what we want and they deliver the message to the administration. So what the fuck happened here? Corruption is rampant and the will of the people is being quashed every day. Not normal, no way no how. The grift and crime being committed has so radicalized these people that they think they are untouchable. Trump is the golden idol they worship.
I will not give up, and I'm sure tens of thousands of regular Americans feel the same way. This vile, disgusting, low-life, incontinent FRAUDSTER who is president and all of his criminal friends and family have been supported, shielded, and defended by the GOP. He is not doing it alone. This, to me, is the biggest betrayal of our country. I work hard to keep the hate and vitriol I feel toward these evil people under control. I don't ever want to become "that person." That said, it's difficult when people are dying due to the cancellation of USAID, the dismantling of Roe and other programs. I don't want to become like them in any way but believe me when I say that they--Republicans and VERY MANY DEMOCRATS--deserve every shred of hate and resentment that's being generated toward them from me and from others.
Okay so I pushed back kinda hard.
I fear the cage won’t come down when this event has passed. We will be tormented with the shame and dystopian horror of the symbolism as they dream up more evil to curse us with, Roman gladiator-style. Will it be "strong men" fighting to the death or immigrants fighting each other — maybe thrown in with lions or bears? The somatic revulsion I feel is real.
And there you have it... The Emperor and his $$ puppeteers, being entertained by Gladiators, next it will be fight to the death by us commoners... Fucking pedo cancerous pos!
Now the White Trash House