Culture Warriors category archive

Via the Charlotte Observer, Jodi Bondi Norgaard expresses concern over the ethnic and national slurs, invective, and insults that have become routine under Donald Trump and his maladministration. She has qualms about what this behavior may portend.

Methinks her concerns may not be misplaced. A snippet:

Children model adult behavior; when cruelty becomes normalized, so do bullying, misogyny, racism and xenophobia. Marginalized communities absorb the harm first and worst through fear, trauma and harassment. And democracy itself corrodes. Cruelty becomes a brand. Authoritarian swagger becomes a leadership style. Governance loses the possibility of compassion.

So we must ask, as citizens and as humans: What kind of society do we want?

Writing at The Sacramento Bee, Erwin Chemerinsky, dean and professor of law at the UC Berkeley School of Law, reminds us that mean for the sake of mean seems to have become the overriding Republican family value. Here’s how he opens his piece:

Although there is much to lament in the unconstitutional and illegal policies of the Trump administration, not enough has been said about its lack of compassion and basic human decency.

The entire article is worthy of your attention.

Who’s making money from the racist crackdown by the New Secesh? Truthout follows the money. A snippet:

In the wake of the major operations in Louisiana and North Carolina, Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies collected and analyzed data from USASpending.gov on more than 50 businesses headquartered in those states who are receiving CBP and ICE contracts for fiscal years 2025-2026. The contracts for companies based in Louisiana and North Carolina total more than $341 million.

Michael in Norfolk decoded de code:

Seemingly, the Felon’s concept of “make America great again” boils down to promoting racism and white supremacy while pushing an agenda aimed at enriching the Felon and his billionaire friends.

For some fool reason, I seem to hear a rhyme in this statement of the Commander of the U. S. S. Gravely upon its return from patrolling the Caribbean against the dangers posed by Venezuelan fishing boats (emphasis added):

Since September, the U.S has struck 23 small boats, killing at least 87 people. The Trump administration has said without providing evidence that the boats were carrying drugs. The Gravely’s captain, Cmdr. Gregory Piorun, wouldn’t elaborate on the destroyer’s role.

“I follow the news. I also follow the orders of the Secretary of War and the President of the United States, and so that’s what we carry out,” he said.

__________________

*Mark Twain.

The writer of a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette details the duplicity of Donald Trump’s blaming all members of a minority for the action of one. Here’s a bit:

If we extend Trump’s “logic” — punishing entire groups for the wrongdoing of a single individual — he should also punish all white men, since they commit most political and mass murders.

Who bombed the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995? Who carried out the 2024 assassination attempt on President Trump? Who murdered Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband in 2025? Who murdered Charlie Kirk? Who attempted to kill Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro?

All white men.

From the Youtube page:

Today, in Congressional hearings, heartless harpy Kristy Noem made no apologies for deporting decorated American war heroes, if they were brown and had, at any time in their lives, had a traffic ticket or an unpaid parking violation. Thank God that in order to appease Trump’s white supremacist base, keep her private government jet, and carry on her affair with Corey Lewandowski, Kristy would gladly step over dying children or wounded veterans.

My father fought in Europe in World War II.

He would likely be–er–less than pleased to hear a fellow American refer to Adolph Hitler as “f***ing cool.”