Claude Berreckman

[Sarrah Bellus @sarrah_bellus]

This is an amazing video. We should be learning from our history and each other. Worth a listen!

[CathyNotToday2 🌿 @Cathy2NotToday]

🎯From a friend:

“It Is Time.

I'm 79 years old. I've lived through Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton, Obama, presidents I agreed with and presidents I fought against at the ballot box. I have never before felt the compelling obligation to say what I'm about to say.

For a long time, my objection to this President was political. I disagreed with his policies, his rhetoric, his priorities, just as any citizen disagrees with a president from the other side. That is not what this is about anymore.

Looking honestly at the evidence in front of us, not one isolated bad day, but a sustained pattern, I've come to a different and more serious conclusion.

This is no longer a case of a President I dislike.

It's a case of a President who is no longer capable of discharging the duties of the office, and who has lost focus on the domestic problems actually facing this country: the economy, healthcare, infrastructure, global stability, the daily concerns of the people who elected him.

Grievance has replaced governance. Loyalty tests have replaced policy.

Incompetence is the norm. Instability has become domestic and foreign strategy.
I want to be clear this isn't just my gut reaction as a layman. Over the past several years, several mental health professionals, many psychiatrists and psychologists with real clinical training, have gone on record publicly raising similar concerns about erratic judgment, grandiosity, and a diminished capacity to separate personal grievance from the responsibilities of the office. I know that field is divided on this, and I know many clinicians rightly object, on ethical grounds, to diagnosing someone they've never personally examined. But when informed professional voices say out loud, consistently, what many ordinary citizens have been quietly thinking and experiencing, that conclusion carries weight.

The damage isn't abstract. Markets flinch at every erratic announcement. Allies who've trusted Washington for eighty years are now hedging their bets. Adversaries have learned that unpredictability from the American President is an opportunity, not a deterrent. An ideological war fought on narcissistic instinct rather than strategy doesn't just disrupt a news cycle; it unravels decades of alliances and stability built through generations of sacrifice.

I don't see any tangible benefits to set against that cost.

This is why I now believe the 25th Amendment needs to be invoked, now. Not as a partisan weapon, not to relitigate an election, but as the constitutional safety valve it was instituted for. I no longer see this as a close call. The cabinet and Congress have a duty to look at the pattern in front of them and act on what it actually shows: an incapacitated President.

I don't say this out of hatred for the man. I say it out of respect for the country I've spent nearly eight decades in, and fear for what more years of this pattern could mean for my grandchildren.

Stability isn't a partisan value. Neither is sanity in the exercise of power. I hope enough people in both parties are willing to say so and act before more damage is done. 🇺🇸”

[Norm Clark @Normsmusic]

Jason Duchin
We want our fucking country back. Your neighbor is not your enemy. The teacher down the street. The farmer in Iowa. The Black mother in the Bronx. The white guy driving a pickup truck in Kentucky. The immigrant pouring concrete in August. The boy holding another boys hand. The MAHA mom reading the ingredients on a cereal box. None of them is your enemy.

We have been sold a magnificent steaming pile of bullshit. We have been told that America is two hungry tribes crouched on opposite sides of a river, sharpening knives, waiting for the opportunity to wade across and murder one another.

The great political scam of our time was convincing 340 million people who share a country, schools, roads, rivers, grocery stores, hospitals, fears, children, mortgages, illnesses, dreams and funerals that we have nothing in common. That we are enemies.

There is an enormous amount we agree on. We want clean water. Clean air. We don’t want corporations filling our children’s bodies with poison. We don’t want plastic in our oceans, our soil, our blood and our babies. We want food that is actually fucking food. We want our children educated. We want to be able to go to the doctor without wondering whether the bill will bankrupt us.

We want a decent job. We want Social Security when we’re old. We want politicians to stop using public office as an ATM. We don’t want political violence. We don’t want our government owned by billionaires. We want our votes to matter. We want a country where the law applies to the rich bastard in the penthouse as surely as it applies to the poor bastard standing before a judge.

And while we’re being made afraid of one another, somebody is picking our fucking pockets. The billionaires figured something out before the rest of us did: Anger, fear, loneliness, and resentment are business models. And Donald Trump understood the product better than anybody. Grievance. Barrels and barrels of grievance. Bottle it. Brand it. Sell it.

Tell a man whose factory disappeared that an immigrant stole his country. Tell a struggling mother that some other struggling mother is getting something she isn’t. Tell rural America the cities despise them. Tell the cities rural America wants to destroy them. Tell white people Black people are coming for them. Tell Black people every white neighbor is secretly waiting to put them back in chains.

Keep everybody suspicious. Keep everybody angry. Keep everybody separated. Rape us one by one. Then watch as Trump and the billionaires walk through the wreckage taking everything. We all see it.

Democracy will be saved by finding the places where we already agree and building from there. Citizenship is not a subscription service. Democracy is not something delivered to your doorstep. You don’t get to order it from Amazon. You don’t get to complain that democracy is dying while sitting on the toilet scrolling Instagram. Democracy requires something from us. Time. Courage. Attention. Neighbors. Argument. Forgiveness. Work.

And sometimes the willingness to stand up and say No. No, you will not make me hate my neighbor. No, you will not make me afraid of somebody because they pray differently or vote differently or love differently or were born somewhere else. You will not convince me that cruelty is strength. You will not convince me that corruption is patriotism. You will not convince me that billionaires need another tax break while teachers buy their own fucking pencils. No, you will not divide us and then sell off the pieces to the oligarchs.

Reimagine the country. Rebuild the democracy. Rework the communities. Find each other again. Fight like hell for the enormous territory we share. Because beneath all the noise and bullshit and algorithms and campaign advertisements, there is still a country here. Ours

[Kristen @kristengough]

Totally normal right @Republicans ??? 🤡🤡🤡

[Olena Rohoza @OlenaRohoza]

USA 🇺🇸🤔😭
Bruce Springsteen donated $500,000 to the family of a young woman who was killed by an ICE agent, leaving behind her six-year-old son.

[Annie @AnnieForTruth]

💯💯💯

[Olena Rohoza @OlenaRohoza]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🧐🤔“AND YOU STILL DARE TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH…”

Sasha Legerman: This is too accurate not to share.

This Australian’s response to Trump’s rant that “NATO does nothing for America” is absolutely devastating:

“Mate. You run a country where 600,000 homeless people will sleep on the streets tonight.

A country where 40% of adults can’t cover a $400 emergency without borrowing money.

A country where insulin costs more than a car payment, and people ration it just to stay alive.

A country where medical debt is the number one cause of bankruptcy.

A country where women die in hospital parking lots because doctors are too afraid of abortion laws to treat miscarriages.

You imprison more of your own citizens than any country on Earth.
More than China. More than Russia. More than North Korea.

In the land of the free, 2 million people sit in cages, and a quarter of them haven’t even been convicted of anything.
They’re simply too poor to afford bail.

Your life expectancy is declining. You’re the only developed nation where that’s happening.

Your infant mortality rate is worse than Cuba’s.

Your children practice active shooter drills between math and English classes while you sell defense stocks to your friends.

Your minimum wage hasn’t changed in 15 years.

Your teachers work two jobs, your veterans sleep under bridges, and you just spent a trillion dollars flattening a country that never attacked you.

And now a convicted criminal — found liable for sexual abuse, defending a pedophile, sleeping with a porn star, and running the biggest dumpster-fire campaign since the Taliban — is thanking you for yet another disaster.

And you call Greenland badly governed?

Greenland has universal healthcare. Free education. One of the lowest incarceration rates in the world.
Nobody there goes bankrupt because they got sick. Nobody dies in a waiting room because insurance refused treatment.

‘NATO wasn’t there when we needed them.’

When exactly was that, champ?
September 11?

Because NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in history FOR YOU.

Soldiers from dozens of countries deployed, fought, bled, and died in Afghanistan FOR YOU.

Australia wasn’t even in NATO, and we still showed up. For twenty years.

And then you left at 2 a.m. without telling anyone and left everybody else to clean up the mess.

You don’t care that a great nation is being terrorized by your friend, and you haven’t shown it a single ounce of sympathy.

So maybe before calling other countries badly governed, take a look at your own backyard, you aluminum siding salesman with a spray tan.

The only thing badly managed in this picture is your damn mouth.

And you still dare to lecture the rest of the world?”

[Willie Ross Jr. Knee Deep @RossKneeDeep]

By David Abbruzzes:

This Australian's reply to Trump's rant about “NATO not being there for America” is perfect.
"Mate. You run a country with 600,000 homeless people sleeping on the street tonight. A country where 40% of adults can't cover a $400 emergency without borrowing money. A country where insulin costs more than a car payment and people are rationing it to survive. A country where medical debt is the number 1 cause of bankruptcy. A country where women are dying in hospital car parks because doctors are too scared of abortion laws to treat a miscarriage.
You lock up more of your own citizens than any nation on earth. More than China. More than Russia. More than North Korea. The land of the free has 2 million people in cages, and a quarter of them haven't even been convicted of anything. They're just too poor to make bail.
Your life expectancy is going backwards. You're the only developed nation where that's happening. Your infant mortality rate is worse than Cuba's. Your kids do active shooter drills between maths and English while you sell the gunmaker's stock to your mates.
Your minimum wage hasn't moved in 15 years. You've got teachers working 2 jobs and veterans sleeping under bridges and you just spent a trillion dollars flattening a country that didn't attack you.
And you’ve got a convicted felon, adjudicating raping, paedophile protecting, porn star shagging insurrectionist running the biggest dumpster fire war campaign since the Taliban thanked you very much for losing again.
And you're calling Greenland poorly run?
Greenland has universal healthcare. Free education. One of the lowest incarceration rates in the world. Nobody goes bankrupt there because they got sick. Nobody dies in a waiting room because their insurance said no.
'NATO wasn't there when we needed them." When exactly was that, champ? September 11? Because NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in history FOR YOU. Soldiers from dozens of countries deployed, fought, bled, and died in Afghanistan FOR YOU. Australia wasn't even in NATO and we still showed up. For 20 years.
And you pulled out at 2am without telling anyone and left them to deal with the mess.
So maybe before you start calling other countries poorly run, have a look at your own backyard, you spray-tanned aluminium siding salesman. The only thing poorly run in this picture is your f----- mouth."

Very well stated.

[Olena Rohoza @OlenaRohoza]

🇺🇸🇮🇹Donald Trump attacks Giorgia Meloni — and she delivers a fiery speech he’ll never forget.
Donald Trump thought he could easily score political points by calling Giorgia Meloni “an insult to Jesus,” accusing her of “not being woke,” and claiming that God does not discriminate. Unfortunately for “Don Dementia,” this time he picked the wrong target.
Standing at a historic location, Giorgia Meloni didn’t just respond — she delivered a full moral reckoning.
“The President of the United States just said that I insult Jesus,” Giorgia Meloni declared. “Do you want to know what really insults Jesus? Taking healthcare away from the sick while cutting taxes for billionaires.”
And that was only the beginning.
“Do you want to know what else insults Jesus?” she continued. “Deporting foreigners and separating children from their mothers.”
Then she went even further, touching on war, corruption, and hypocrisy.
“Do you want to know what insults Jesus? Bombing innocent schools in Iran and sending our brave men and women to die in yet another endless war… hiding the Epstein files and then refusing to prosecute anyone involved.”
This wasn’t politics as usual. It was a full moral indictment.
Giorgia Meloni, targeted by Trump for supporting transgender people and for saying that “trans children are children of God,” completely turned the tables. Instead of backing down, she grounded her message in the very teachings Trump tried to weaponize.
“I am not a perfect Christian,” she said. “There was only one perfect man, and two thousand years ago he was crucified.”
Then came the line that hit the hardest:
“Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourselves… Can we imagine war in heaven? Can we imagine hatred in heaven? Can we imagine poverty in heaven? Then why do we tolerate these things on Earth?”
This is how you respond. Not with insults. Not with fear. But with clarity and conviction.
Trump tried to discredit her. Instead, Giorgia Meloni delivered a sermon that now echoes far beyond that hall.
Please share Giorgia Meloni’s inspiring words.

[John Pavlovitz Official @johnpavlovitz]

I think it’s time to stop saying that we need to understand these people. We do understand them:

We understand that they have dug in their heels so deeply, they will not be moved by anything: not facts or data or truth or their own eyes.
We understand that there is no political scandal massive enough, no post reckless enough, no legislation predatory enough to alter their allegiance.

We don’t need to convince or coddle or win over hatred, and we don’t need to outdo it either.

We need to outnumber it.
We need to outlast it.
We need to outlove it.
We need to outvote it.

And we will.

https://t.co/xNxVsHZOwA

[Mia Bryant 🇨🇦 @MiaBryant374659]

Definitely worth reposting….

[Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 @joncoopertweets]

Imagine Trump ever being invited to join a photo like this — not in a million years.

Four presidents. Zero drama. Just smiles, respect, and a shared love of country. 🇺🇸

[John Pavlovitz Official @johnpavlovitz]

Dear Former President Barack Obama and Former First Lady Michelle Obama,

I’ve watched you and your children attacked with a ferocity and cruelty that defy any sense of decency and that certainly have no precedent.

I’ve watched your birthplace called into question, your personal faith ridiculed, your patriotism mocked, your gender contested, and your very humanity discounted.

I’ve watched you endure the incessant, bitter venom of those for whom the color of your skin was always going to be a problem.

And through all of it, I’ve watched you be the better humans, always going high despite their sickening depths.

In the face of a sustained, spitting, violent, raw-throated hatred, you’ve never responded in kind.

You never allowed yourselves to be defined by the bigotry of your critics, and you never dehumanized them or let them win by becoming them.

[Maria Shriver @mariashriver]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the extraordinary outbursts of the President of the United States against female journalists... well, actually against journalists in general and journalism. But it feels like he saves his most childlike behavior and irrational language for female reporters, calling them all kinds of names that kids in kindergarten are given times out for. It’s stunning to me to witness such behavior from any leader, any CEO, any person of influence or importance. I’ve never witnessed someone like this raging, this weekend with @meetthepress host @kwelkernbc, just last week in the Oval Office with @cnn’s @kaitlancollins, calling women stupid or piggy, telling them to “smile”, calling them darling, demeaning their credibility. Every good man should denounce this behavior. Every person should be able to stand up for their colleagues and say “No more.”

Imagine this man screaming like this at your daughter, your wife, your sister, your mother... would you stand for it? No, you wouldn’t! And neither should any of us. It’s unacceptable and undignified. Period. End of story.

[Suzie rizzio @Suzierizzo1]

These are all programs that Trump has cut funding for and I’m curious where all this money went! Why aren’t we asking questions. Why isn’t Congress asking questions! 🤬

[Gianl1974 @Gianl1974]

2/2
Obama didn't personally and publicly attack Supreme Court justices for ruling against his policies.

Obama didn't pardon over 1,600 criminals who attacked our Capitol.

Obama didn't incite an insurrection against our free and fair elections.

Obama didn't publicly attack his political opponents with childish personal names and insults.

Obama didn't try to politicize the United States military.

Obama didn't publicly celebrate the death of opponents.

Obama didn't mock the deaths of people who didn't support him.

Obama didn't call Republicans "the enemy of the people" or Fox News "a network that hates the country."

Obama didn't attack former First Ladies.

Obama didn't call his predecessors "traitors" and accuse them of treason.

Obama didn't go after and try to primary any member of Congress who voted against him.

Obama didn't run his 2012 campaign claiming that if he was going to lose, it would be because it was "totally rigged."

Obama didn't say of POWs, "he likes people who weren't captured."

Obama didn't desecrate Arlington National Cemetery by staging a photo-op there he used in a campaign ad, which goes completely against the policies of that sacred place.

Obama didn't say he deserves a Congressional Medal of Honor.

Obama didn't constantly whine about wanting a Nobel Peace Prize.

Obama didn't constantly demand "loyalty" and attack anyone who had stances in opposition to his.

Obama didn't get accused by nearly 30 women of sexual assault.

Obama didn't cheat on all of his wives.

Obama didn't build a business reputation on screwing over small businesses and contractors.

Obama didn't go around saying everything he's done is better than it's ever been done.

Obama didn't constantly float the idea of trying to run for an unconstitutional third term.

Obama didn't create a crypto business in which he has used to funnel billions into his personal net worth by donors that are completely anonymous.

Obama didn't shill merchandise from an online store to make himself money.

Obama didn't spend hours every day sharing conspiracies, self-serving nonsense, and personal attacks against opponents on social media.

Obama didn't try to withhold disaster funding from "red states" when natural disasters struck.

Obama didn't publicly state he "hated" anyone who didn't vote for and support him.

The list is seemingly endless of horrible things Trump has done that Obama never came close to.

As I've said before, I don't oppose Trump because he's a Republican. He could support every policy I support and I still wouldn't support him.

I loathe and reject Donald Trump because he's a lowlife piece of crap, a horrible person, a terrible husband, a pathetic excuse for a father, a corrupt businessman, and one of the worst human beings on the planet.

I thought he was a disgusting person long before he became a politician.

For me, this isn't about politics. It's about my rejection of a terrible person, and Donald J. Trump is an absolutely terrible human being.

So, I don't want to hear any of these MAGA folks try to claim that their hatred of Obama is the same as ours for Trump — because that's total bullsh*t.

They hated Obama because he was a well-spoken, articulate black Democrat. We hate Trump because he's a lowlife piece of crap and a national embarrassment...

[Gianl1974 @Gianl1974]

1/2
I'm sick of hearing Trump supporters say something along the lines of, "How you all feel about Donald Trump is how we felt about Obama!"

That's bullsh*t.

Most of them hated Obama for two main reasons.

1. He's a Democrat

2. Because he's half Black

When Obama was in office, Republicans went after him for the dumbest crap I've ever seen. I saw segments mocking him shopping for Christmas gifts for his daughter. There was one where they belittled him for wearing a helmet while riding a bike. They pushed conspiracies about whether or not he was an American that were completely unfounded. They called him a Muslim, even though he had a well-documented history of Christian church attendance — unlike Trump. Many still believe Michelle Obama is actually a man and called her a communist for trying to encourage Americans to work out more and eat healthier. You know, what Trump supporters today call "MAHA," proving, once again, that they don't really have any real values other than opposing whatever Democrats support.

Then we can't forget the unforgivable — tan suit. No president will ever do something as scandalous as wearing a tan suit.

Yes, it's normal for Republicans to oppose a Democrat. But don't even try to compare why we all oppose Trump to how Republicans were against Obama.

Obama never publicly and personally attacked judges when they ruled against him.

Obama didn't sue his own IRS, of which he is the executive, for $10 billion, only to have his Department of Justice "settle" the lawsuit for $1.8 billion in a slush fund he planned to personally control.

Obama didn't name his personal attorney the acting attorney general.

Obama didn't defend the killing of unarmed American citizens by federal agents, labeling those unarmed Americans as "domestic terrorists."

Obama didn't sue universities that taught material that he disagreed with.

Obama didn't sue media outlets for reporting stories about him he didn't like.

Obama didn't gut funding for medical research.

Obama didn't appoint his top political donor, and the richest man in the world, to a very powerful position within our government.

Obama never tried to put his name on U.S. currency, get a new piece of currency produced depicting his face, put his face on passports, put banners of himself on government buildings, or push for the construction of ballrooms or arches he wants named after himself.

Obama didn't even come up with "Obamacare," that was Republicans trying to slander the former president. The bill's actually the Affordable Care Act. So, even his signature piece of legislation, he didn't name after himself. But Trump did name his online prescription site and child savings accounts after himself.

Obama didn't constantly call for media personalities to be fired for criticizing him.

Obama didn't have his FCC go after networks for not firing those individuals.

Obama didn't order the Department of Justice to go after his enemies.

Obama didn't fire attorneys general for not bowing down and doing everything he told them. He damn sure didn't call files related to child predators a "total hoax," as Trump's called the Epstein files.

Obama wasn't out blatantly manipulating the markets and engaging in insider trading.

Obama didn't accept a $400 million plane from Qatar he then used hundreds of millions of U.S. tax dollars to fix up, which he plans to take with him when he leaves office.

Obama didn't call elections that didn't go his party's way "rigged."

Obama didn't order "blue states" to unethically redraw congressional maps, trying to give Democrats an advantage in midterm elections.

Obama didn't constantly attack our allies while kissing the ass of dictators like Vladimir Putin.

Obama didn't start a war with Iran he promised he wouldn't start.

Obama didn't run up record deficits, he actually reduced them.

Obama didn't try to take over the Kennedy Center and put his name on it.

[Gianl1974 @Gianl1974]

*BRITISH WRITER PENS THE BEST DESCRIPTION OF TRUMP*
Someone asked "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?" Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.
So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump's limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.
Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever.
I don't say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.
But with Trump, it's a fact. He doesn't even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty. Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.
And scarily, he doesn't just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness. There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It's all surface.
Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don't. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He's not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He's more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.
And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.
There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless or female – and he kicks them when they are down. So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy' is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:
• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and most are.
• You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.
This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.
After all, it's impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

[Gianl1974 @Gianl1974]

A message to all sane Republicans:

He pardoned 1,600 violent criminals.
You said nothing.

He bulldozed the East Wing.
You said nothing.

He interfered with the release of the Epstein files. You said nothing.

He took over the Kennedy Center and renamed it after himself. You said nothing.

He accepted a $400 million airplane as a personal gift. You said nothing.

He threatened Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Greenland, Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. You said nothing.

He tariffed just about everyone but Russia, causing inflation and instability worldwide. You said nothing.

He attacked a nation during mediated negotiations. You said nothing.

His ill-conceived war killed 175 children on day one. You said nothing.

He alienated and insulted our allies. You said nothing.

His ICE Army terrorized and murdered U.S. citizens. You said nothing.

He committed murder on the high seas. You said nothing.

He co-opted the Justice Department and directed it to prosecute his political enemies. You said nothing.

It’s time to start talking.

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: HELL YES! Vietnam veterans hit Trump with a massive lawsuit to stop his hideous and “disrespectful” Triumph Arch from being erected in D.C.

They didn't mince words about that draft-dodging coward...

"We know how authoritarian dictatorships work. There's no rule of law, there's no consent of the governed, and there's monuments for the leaders there," said veteran and retired diplomat Jon Gundersen.

"I think what we're doing is being loyal to the country. And loyalty can be measured in different ways," Gundersen added. He's suing the Trump administration along with veterans Shaun Byrnes and Michael Lemmon. Their lawsuit is joined by the ethics watchdog group Public Citizen.

The arch, which Trump has admitted is being built to honor himself, is slated to go up between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, our country's most hallowed resting place. At over twice the size of the Lincoln Memorial, the 250-foot-tall eye sore would cut off a clear view between the memorial and cemetery — inserting Trump's ego smack dab in the middle of our national soul.

"It's more about the duty I feel towards my colleagues and friends who did not come home to stand up against this project, regardless of who's in charge," said Byrnes. "I think it's just disrespectful to those that I served with who didn't come back, and then, of course, to all those who are lying in Arlington National Cemetery."

He explained that he has always hoped to be buried at Arlington when he dies but if Trump's arch goes up he'll be forced to "reconsider" his options.

The lawsuit argues that not only is Trump's vanity project arch illegal because he failed to obtain congressional approval, but it's also a disastrous design decision because it disrupts the intended sightline between the cemetery, which lies on land seized from Robert E. Lee, and the Lincoln Memorial, which was erected in the wake of the Civil War.

Tellingly, the administration has yet to unveil a price tag for the arch. While Trump previously claimed that it would be fund by private donations (meaning corrupt pay-to-play bribes) he also said the same thing about his ballroom and is now seeking $1 billion to build that.

“Even if you took private donations, is that how we want to build monuments?” said Gundersen. “To the oligarchs who give money for favors?"

More to the point, what "triumph" is Trump celebrating? His Iran War is a world-historic debacle that will almost certainly end with Iran in direct control of the Strait Hormuz, cementing themselves as a preeminent world power. On the domestic front, it has been one defeat after another for the United States. Trump gutted Medicaid, destroyed our education and scientific research systems, and devastated our economy with harebrained tariffs and costly military adventurism overseas.

The only Trump-related triumph will belong to the American people when we finally kick him and his entire party out of power.

Please ❤️ and share if you oppose Trump's arch!