No Kings

My support of the No Kings protests is not about policy agreement with a platform or allegiance to a particular political party. It's simply this: our current president (and his administration) are choosing to act in ways that clearly indicate a desire for an imperial presidency that is not constricted by social norms or constitutional guardrails. 

And that is decidedly bad for our country... and, due to our outsized influence in world affairs, everyone else.

“Not that I don’t have the right to do anything I want to do. I’m the president of the United States." 
Donald Trump in an August 2025 Cabinet meeting (talking about use of the military inside the U.S.)

In his first 10 months in office, Mr. Trump has 

• pardoned 1,500+ rioters who breached the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021
• given free reign to Elon Musk and the DOGE group to pry into private information as well as destroy life-saving development support around the world and vital scientific research here in the U.S.
• allowed RFK Jr to undermine our public health system, particularly support for vaccines
• dithered away precious lives and resources trying to coax Putin to stop attacking Ukraine rather than taking action
• openly campaigned and whined about not getting the Nobel Peace Prize
• orchestrated the prosecution of political enemies for dubious causes
• ordered the unprovoked attack on five boats of suspected drug smugglers in international waters without any evidentiary proof given
• more recently, he acknowledged giving the CIA the green light to conduct covert operations in Venezuela and also mused about air strikes
• teased his intention to run for president in 2028
• imposed multiple and conflicting destructive tariff plans
• blatantly ignored the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution
• just as blatantly ignored the Hatch Act
• refused to enforce the law dealing with TikTok and the potential security risks of the app
• pushed various mass deportation actions that have deprived both U.S. citizens and migrants with legal status of their rights
• federalized national guard troops to explicitly target cities with Democratic administrations
• utilized flimsy excuses to invoke "emergency" authority in order to accomplish his desires

The prior list is decidedly not exhaustive - I could continue writing at greater length and in greater detail. 

“The line is that I’m a dictator, but I stop crime. So a lot of people say, ‘You know, if that’s the case, I’d rather have a dictator.’”

“Most people say … if he stops crime, he can be whatever he wants.”

Donald Trump in an August 2025 Cabinet meeting (talking about use of the military inside the U.S.)

Look, I'm not arguing or campaigning for a president of a different party - I want a president of a different character. Someone who would respect the law, not simply pay people to find loopholes. Someone who chooses to champion the hard work of passing bills to effect change rather than issuing blizzards of executive orders. Someone who values smart people who disagree with them over loyalist lap dogs. Someone who sees their role as an opportunity to serve others rather than profit themselves.

And I want Congress to do their dadgum job: holding the president accountable for his actions, writing laws that reign in the power of the Executive branch, and actually taking care of the needs of their constituents rather than performing for social media likes and viral camera moments.

We don't need a king, a "dictator for a day", or even an imperial president. We need men and women of character to lead our country. When we choose leadership based on our tribes or the willingness of a candidate to say the stuff we want about our pet issue, we get the kind of leadership we deserve.

"In 2016, I declared: I am your voice. Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution."

Donald Trump (March 2023 at CPAC)

"If I happen to be president and I see somebody who’s doing well and beating me very badly, I say go down and indict them, mostly they would be out of business. They’d be out. They’d be out of the election."
Donald Trump (November 2023, interview with Univision)

Put another way, we've been warned about kings and character before.

Fed up, all the elders of Israel got together and confronted Samuel at Ramah. They presented their case: “Look, you’re an old man, and your sons aren’t following in your footsteps. Here’s what we want you to do: Appoint a king to rule us, just like everybody else.”

When Samuel heard their demand—“Give us a king to rule us!”—he was crushed. How awful! Samuel prayed to God.

God answered Samuel, “Go ahead and do what they’re asking. They are not rejecting you. They’ve rejected me as their King. From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they’ve been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they’re doing it to you. So let them have their own way. But warn them of what they’re in for. Tell them the way kings operate, just what they’re likely to get from a king.”

So Samuel told them, delivered God’s warning to the people who were asking him to give them a king. He said, “This is the way the kind of king you’re talking about operates. He’ll take your sons and make soldiers of them—chariotry, cavalry, infantry, regimented in battalions and squadrons. He’ll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. He’ll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. He’ll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. He’ll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. Your prize workers and best animals he’ll take for his own use. He’ll lay a tax on your flocks and you’ll end up no better than slaves. The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don’t expect God to answer.”

But the people wouldn’t listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We will have a king to rule us! Then we’ll be just like all the other nations. Our king will rule us and lead us and fight our battles.”

Samuel took in what they said and rehearsed it with God. God told Samuel, “Do what they say. Make them a king.”

1st Samuel 8:4-22 MSG

These six things the Lord hates;

Indeed, seven are repulsive to Him:

   A proud look [the attitude that makes one overestimate oneself and discount others],

   A lying tongue,

   And hands that shed innocent blood,

   A heart that creates wicked plans,

   Feet that run swiftly to evil,

   A false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths],

   And one who spreads discord (rumors) among brothers.

Proverbs 6:16-19 AMP

Whitewashing bad people and throwing mud on good people are equally abhorrent to God.

Proverbs 17:15 MSG

Those who sow injustice reap disaster, and their methods of oppression will fail.

Proverbs 22:8 VOICE

A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding and common sense [and his wickedness shortens his days], But he who hates unjust gain will [be blessed and] prolong his days.

Proverbs 28:16 AMP

--

pictures above:

• top row (left to right)
• the President welcoming Putin to Alaska with red carpet
• screengrab from AI-generated video of Gaza makeover shared by Mr. Trump on Truth Social
• the President sharing the Liberation Day tariff rates
• middle row (left to right)
• declassified screengrab of Venezuelan boat destroyed by U.S. military
• Mr. Trump meeting with Democratic senators to avoid government shutdown with "Trump 2028" hats on his desk in the Oval Office
• courtroom drawing of former FBI director James Comey
• bottom row (left to right)
• January 6, 2021 as rioters attempt to breach the U.S. Capitol
• signage for the now closed "Alligator Alcatraz"
• Mr. Trump & Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of prodigious amounts of gold ornamentation added by the President to the Oval Office

Accurately Handling the Word of Truth (Part V)

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.[a] Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.”

Isaiah 6:8-10 (NIV) 

There’s a Bible verse I think about sometimes. Many times. It goes, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me.’”

U.S. Homeland Security "hype" video posted on X (transcript source)

-----

I started this series of posts back in 2020 - calling out a variety of politicians on both sides of the divide for their misuse of Scripture to justify policies and positions:

• then-Vice President Pence (August 2020)
• then-President Biden (August 2021)
• Governor DeSantis (September 2022)
• then-candidate Trump (April 2024)

I get it. I understand rhetorical flourish and echoing classic passages of literature to evoke emotion.

But we as followers of Christ are called to "be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB). What DHS (the department of Homeland Security) did yesterday is not accurately handling Scripture.

Zach Lambert (a pastor and author) summed up my feelings brilliantly last night in a X (Twitter) thread:

Using Bible verses to justify violence against immigrants is not only the opposite of what Jesus teaches, it’s also a direct contradiction to the passage cited in this video.

“Here am I, send me” was the prophet Isaiah’s response after being called by God to deliver a message to the people and their leaders. What was the message?

“Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.” Isaiah 1:23

What were these corrupt and rebellious leaders doing?

“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?” Isaiah 10:1-3

God is sending Isaiah to warn the people, and more specifically their leaders, that if they do not turn from their corrupt ways and begin caring for the most vulnerable among them, they will suffer God’s judgment. Isaiah answers that call by saying, “Here am I, send me.”

For a corrupt government to use these verses to justify the very marginalization and oppression being condemned in this passage is the height of blasphemy.

-----

I wanted to come up with something wise and convicting to close this post with... I wanted to turn on my "pastor mojo" and finish with marching orders to my fellow followers of Christ.

But I'm tired. So tired of watching Biblical truth being used as a prop... by both political parties.

So, I once again leave you with this.

Pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed.

Ephesians 6:18 (VOICE)

Heroscape News: Zed Nesbitt Soars into View Whilst The Good Folks At Renegade Deal With Tariffs

Welcome, Heroscape friends (and those who don’t play/collect the game but actually like reading my oddball takes on board games laced with pop culture references and other nonsense)! We’ve got two items to deal with today.

First, I’ll give a quick review/recommendation about Air Marshall Zed Nesbitt, the newest BIG figure that released this month. Second, we’ll talk a little bit about tariffs and the workaround (of sorts) for summer 2025 Herospace releases from our friends at Renegade Game Studios. It’s a distinct possibility that I may insert a bit of personal political opinion into the second discussion. 

Zed Nesbitt: Any Landing You Can Walk Away From Is a Good One

The first thing you’ll notice about Zed is how large the zeppelin is… seriously, look at it!

For comparison, the only figure larger than the Air Marshall (from the last year of Heroscape) is the golden dragon, Xenithrax the Vineweaver. However, due to the unique shape of the figure (see the picture above), the airship is a lot more maneuverable than other recent “biggies” like Queen Maladrix or the Iron Lich.

Beyond his rather obvious flying powers, Zed can also Skyhook up other small & medium Vorid figures and carry them with him. I think this will be especially helpful once the Tanuki Trickster common squads are released this summer. Zed can also Crash Land – taking a wound to his figure and getting a FIVE dice attack on every adjacent figure. (I’ll note from personal experience that this is [a] lots of fun to do, and [b] needs to be used judiciously, as the airship can quickly be set upon by those figures who survive the impact.)

I’m pleasantly surprised how well this figure turned out – this was always one of the most fanciful designs of the HasLab version of Age of Annihilation. It’s actually better balanced than Xenithrax – though I would be careful about knocking it over mid-game as it is big enough to rearrange a number of smaller figures when it goes down.

Tariffs and Heroscape

In late April, the good folks at Renegade Game Studios let those of us here in the U.S. know that the next wave (Boiling Tension – releasing around GenCon in August) will be affected by the ridiculously high tariffs currently in place.

The recently imposed tariffs came after we had already started manufacturing on August Heroscape titles. They significantly increase what we pay to bring these releases to life. Unfortunately, an increase of up to 145% to our manufacturing cost is not something we can fully absorb. We are doing our best to absorb part of them with the hopes that they at least come down to a more manageable level in the future. We waited until the last possible minute to make this decision but now we are at a point where we must ship the next wave or miss our release date. 

So, due to tariffs, Heroscape items will have the following new MSRPs:

• Scavorith, Lord of Ruin UNPAINTED – $30
• Scavorith, Lord of Ruin PAINTED – $40
• Imperator Kayne UNPAINTED – $30
• Imperator Kayne PAINTED – $40
• Revnan Acolytes & Grave Grim UNPAINTED – $40
• Revnan Acolytes & Grave Grim PAINTED – $60
• Molten Crustaceans & Tanuki Tricksters UNPAINTED – $40
• Molten Crustaceans & Tanuki Tricksters PAINTED – $60
• Heroscape Glyph Pack – $30
• Heroscape Lava Fields of Valhalla – $70

Here’s the good news:

• They are still on track for August and the Fall releases.
• All Gen Con events, Store Championships, local tournaments, and Valkyrie Trials support remains unchanged. 

More good news from my perspective – the tariff bump is only $5 for each item.

I’ve written about the foolishness of tariffs more than once on my personal blog – most recently with an extensive series of quotes from game publishers. W. Eric Martin and BGG News are doing a great job of keeping us informed about how this unbelievably short-sighted (and quite possibly unlawful) imposition of these tariffs is damaging our hobby. Please do yourself a favor and keep informed about this – and reach out to your congressional representatives to let them know your opinion.

It’s hard to get a good picture of Zed himself due to the airship blocking overhead light – but I made sure you got one!

I received review copies of the new Heroscape material – Wave 1, Wave 2, and Wave 3. Back in the day, I did receive some promo figures, a couple of Volcarren Wasteland boxes, and a wave of figures as a “thank you” for my work as a playtester. (I also received a very cool Heroscape T-shirt which fit 42 year old Mark but isn’t as kind to 60 year old Mark. But I still have it hanging in my closet.)

A version of this review originally appeared on the Opinionated Gamers site.

Please note: any political commentary about tariffs and/or the current administration is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Renegade Game Studios.

Penguins and Publishers: Talking About Tariffs and Board Games

In the past, I've written about my activity/hobby/obsession - the collection & playing of board games. With over nine hundred games in my game room (and adjoining office), it's not like I desperately need any more board games. (That, of course, hasn't stopped me from buying & backing them.)

Over the years, I've been privileged to meet (and sometimes befriend) designers, developers, and publishers in the board game industry - and in a number of cases assist with playtesting and proofreading games. Additionally, I've had the opportunity to write extensively about board games - and even appear on some gaming podcasts as "special guest". 

I realize that this hobby of mine is exactly that - a hobby - and the money I spend on it is certainly discretionary spending. I also realize that the current tariff policies created by the order of President Trump are doing real damage to companies and individuals that are a part of this hobby.

Right Here, Right Now

It's Monday evening, April 7th - and the President has "threatened to impose additional tariffs on China for retaliatory measures it took after Trump announced his plans last week." According to ABC News, "A senior White House official told ABC News that this would be in addition to the 34% reciprocal tariff Trump announced last week and the 20% already in place, making for a potential total of 104%."

One of my game designer friends said it succinctly:

"It’s literally a shot in the back of the head for the American toy and game industry."

That includes game designers who have welcomed me into their homes, game publishers who've generously donated not only for conventions and invitational events but also to support families in need, and game store owners who've provided places of friendship and community.

Penguins?

As tempting as it is, I'm not going to waste your time by reposting any more of the truly funny penguin-oriented memes that began cropping up as people realized that our government had chosen to put reciprocal tariffs on two islands near Antarctica that are only inhabited by those flightless birds. (I will note that imposing tariffs on uninhabited islands pretty much sums up the careful thought and in-depth consideration that was taken by Mr. Trump and his administration.)

Instead, I'm going to focus on sharing some dark but thoughtful commentary on these so-called "economic policies" from board game publishers. (All of these quotes were posted prior to the 104% threat.)

Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games

I’m still reeling from the news. Yes, this was a likely hypothetical (as I discussed in detail in December), and 20% tariffs have been in place for a few months, but the reality of a 54% tariff is devastating. There is no math that makes it work. There is no silver lining. It is a lose-lose-lose situation for everyone involved except the US government (which, in the long term, will also not benefit from the repercussions of the tariffs).*

So yes, it’s really bad. A mix of the above strategies may help mitigate the negative impact of these tariffs, and if you have anything to add to the list, please share it in the comments.

My heart goes out to my fellow creators, designers, publishers, gamers, and everyone else in the tabletop industry and community. Creating a game is so much more than manufacturing–in fact, most of the people involved aren’t printing and assembling the game. If you’re passionate about US manufacturing, that’s great–I am too–but (a) there’s a lot of other US-based jobs beyond manufacturing that deserve your passion too, including all 7 of my coworkers, and (b) please don’t let that passion turn into racist, xenophobic zeal: In every country, there are companies that treat their employees well and companies that treat their employees poorly. This isn’t about nations–it’s about companies and people. Our manufacturing partner, Panda, takes great care of their employees.

*If the government was serious about increasing American manufacturing, instead of penalizing companies for manufacturing overseas, reward them heavily for manufacturing in the US, especially for the first few years when the risks are highest. Do this with deliberation and intention, providing plenty of advance notice–even companies that have the option of US production can’t switch overnight.

Meredith Placko of Steve Jackson Games

Some people ask, "Why not manufacture in the U.S.?" I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn't meaningfully exist here yet. I've gotten quotes. I've talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren't.

We aren't the only company facing this challenge. The entire board game industry is having very difficult conversations right now. For some, this might mean simplifying products or delaying launches. For others, it might mean walking away from titles that are no longer economically viable. And, for what I fear will be too many, it means closing down entirely.

Tariffs, when part of a long-term strategy to bolster domestic manufacturing, can be an effective tool. But that only works when there's a plan to build up the industries needed to take over production. There is no national plan in place to support manufacturing for the types of products we make. This isn't about steel and semiconductors. This is about paper goods, chipboard, wood tokens, plastic trays, and color-matched ink. These new tariffs are imposing huge costs without providing alternatives, and it's going to cost American consumers more at every level of the supply chain.

Note: I'm not sure I agree with Meredith about the efficacy of tariffs - I've written about this last fall when I tried to convince folks not to vote for the current President. 

Mike Mihealsick of Game Trayz

Mike’s Monthly Book Report: Why Board Games Won’t Be Manufactured in the US Anytime Soon

“Surely this will be the last straw,” every comments-section on the internet whispered in one voice. “This will be the event that finally lets us make games right here in the USA.”

"No,” Mike said. “Stop that. Why would you even think that? Just… no.”

Manufacturing and world economy are big topics, but the one little corner of it I know a bit about is the part pertinent to the board game industry.

Today there are definitely factories right here in the USA that will take quotes and make games for you. In my personal experience, those quotes are typically 4x-10x higher than what we see from manufacturing partners in China. To be specific, the last quote I got from a US factory was $6.81 per unit for a game that would have cost $0.98 to make overseas.

In a vacuum, if you don’t know the first thing about anything else, then it might feel like there’s a numbers-based carrot-and/or-stick solution that will push US publishers to manufacture in the US. Unfortunately, in reality there are a lot of other barriers.

Let’s talk about a few of them:

The “Finishing Factory Problem”

Board games require agile manufacturing, meaning that every game is different and they often have unique components made from different materials. There’s no one factory that makes all this stuff anywhere in the world. In fact, the manufacturers we know and love in games are print and finishing factories–meaning that they’ll print components like boxes and cards, but just about anything else is coming from a different factory down the road.

For example, if we want dice or wooden cubes in our game, we’ll ask Longpack to include them and quote us a price. But Longpack might not make those themselves–they’ll generally ship big orders of them in from a partner, then pick and pack them on site.

This is important because it’s the same process that our existing US game manufacturers use with one really big difference: there is no “factory down the road” in the US. When US game manufacturers run into components they can’t make in-house, they literally import those components–usually from China.

In fact, as I’ll talk about in the next bullet point, the limited manufacturing capabilities of US game manufacturers mean that they would need to import most if not all of the components to make just about any hobby board game out there at the same quality.

Quality

Right now, there’s nowhere that you can find the quality of product you find in China at a better price. In fact, it’s not even close. On top of that, CN manufacturers are professional and generally excellent at what they do, and their offerings are improving every year.

In contrast, US game manufacturers have very limited scope and quality, and they’re not bringing anything new to the table. Our existing manufacturers are suited to serve their existing domestic partners, and those partners are almost exclusively aimed at the mass market. If you think about the quality of components you find in a pack of playing cards at a gas station, the offerings you see from US manufacturers don’t really get much better.

I can order cards from CN in any dimension, in a variety of configurations between material and finish and density and core and everything else. US manufacturers have a fraction of a percent of the options, and if you want anything else–you guessed it–they have to import it.

Volume and Order Quantities

If the US embargo’d the world tomorrow and board game demand stayed the same, the existing US game manufacturers wouldn’t be able to come close to covering that demand (even if they could still source components they couldn’t make in house). There just aren’t nearly enough facilities to process those orders.

Also, weirdly enough, all the US manufacturers I’ve spoken to have very high minimum order quantities. I can order 500 units of a game from CN, but a lot of US manufacturers won’t get out of bed for less than 5,000 or 10,000 units. Unless those practices changed fast, small indie publishers forced to manufacture in the US would just die on the spot.

Equipment and Process

The processes (and often the equipment) used in manufacturing are developing every year, and most of them are proprietary. This means that, to serve the needs of the modern hobby game industry, US manufacturers would need to cover that gap by buying or developing those assets on their own.

Labor

While there are some unskilled jobs in manufacturing, there are also a lot of skilled jobs. This includes operators for all those proprietary processes and equipment. The US is not a place where those skill sets have been incubated over the last 75 years, so again this is another thing that a US manufacturer would need to acquire or develop.

Additionally, the cost of living in China is a quarter of what it is here in the US. Even though the wages are lower, even the unskilled laborers in the game manufacturing process make the equivalent of a pretty solid wage. They make more (adjusted) than I do.

As a disclaimer, yes there are definitely instances of exploitation in CN labor. We should absolutely be vigilant regarding these human rights abuses and they should absolutely be eradicated, but I’ve never seen any evidence of it happening anywhere in or adjacent to the game industry.

Materials Sourcing

Trees don’t just grow on trees. Materials are a competitive market, and US game manufacturers currently do not have a horse in that race. While we could source some of those materials domestically, we would almost certainly need to import a lot of it anyways, which would put us at a distinct disadvantage.

Lack of Investors

If you look at the last 6 items, you’ll see that general infrastructure is one of the big missing links. Infrastructure is something you can in theory just build out of thin air with enough money and time. 

I personally guess that the amount of money is “billions of dollars” and the amount of time is “5-20 years,” but that’s just speculation on my part. I imagine it as being a whole process, like gathering the Infinity Stones over the course of 10 years worth of Marvel movies. In any case, it won’t be cheap or fast.

The only reason it would make sense for an investor to commit enough money and time into establishing that infrastructure is if it were a savvy financial decision to do so. The problem is that it would not be a savvy financial decision to invest in game manufacturing–and it won’t be anytime soon.

In Summary

Right now, the future is unclear. We don’t know where the tariffs will go from here, but nobody has any reason to expect they’ll persist beyond the current administration. If you dropped a zillion dollars to build factories and those factories were made obsolete as soon as tariffs were lifted, you’d probably have a big zillion dollar lemon on your hands.

The US government made a conscious choice and effort to source manufacturing offshore that dates back to the 1950’s in an effort to globalize the US dollar. As a result, other countries and partnerships became staked in our success, and the USD became a major fixture in the world economy.

Americans have been reaping the rewards and eating that cake for the last 75 years, but now American wants to have that cake too. Unfortunately, at least for the game industry, that’s just not going to happen any time in the foreseeable future.

Note: Mike's "book report" appeared as a part of the Kickstarter update for Forsaken.

And finally, Connor Alexander of Coyote & Crow Games...

Not to make this all about Coyote & Crow, but yesterday's news from the US Gov may have some devastating impacts on C&C Games as a whole. A cumulative 54% import tariff on goods from China will essentially kill my company (and the games industry). 

Two Final Thoughts

Jonah Goldberg (The Dispatch)

If you want me to offer ideas about how we can do better at manufacturing chips or building ships, or to contain China, I’m happy to think about that or have that conversation. But you’re not going to get me to agree that because we should do those things, declaring economic war on Mexico, Canada, Japan, the EU, and the U.K. makes sense. You won’t convince me we need to save manufacturing by making bananas and avocados more expensive. Nor will you get me to say, “at least he’s trying.”

Me:

If this hellscape is true for the board game industry, how many other American companies and individuals are being ground up in service of the President's inability to understand basic economics and his advisors and fellow Republicans unwillingness to speak truth to power?

Finite Disappointment and Infinite Hope

I'm not the first to notice the jarring juxtaposition of celebrating the life & work of Martin Luther King Jr. on the same day as the inauguration of Donald Trump. I've written extensively about my concerns & fears about Mr. Trump's fitness for public office and his "moneychangers in the Temple" attitude toward the Christian faith. 

Let me share some thoughts on this day and what it means to those of us who claim a faith in Jesus Christ.

• "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." (MLK Jr)
• It may be difficult to hear those words over the noise of inauguration news coverage, but there is justice. It just may not be on my timeline - or in my lifetime. 
• "When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice; But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh." (Proverbs 29:2 AMP)
• "Again, my loved ones, do not seek revenge; instead, allow God’s wrath to make sure justice is served. Turn it over to Him. For the Scriptures say, “Revenge is Mine. I will settle all scores.” (Romans 12:19 VOICE)
• You are not the first person of faith to cry out to God and wonder why injustice prevails...
• "How long, Lord, must I call for help and You do not listen or cry out to You about violence and You do not save? Why do You force me to look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted." (Habakkuk 1:2-4 HCSB)
• I found myself drawn to the book of Habakkuk this weekend - which is not unusual throughout my life. His struggles with evil and injustice - and how God chooses to deal with those things in real time - echo the battle in my own heart & mind.
• In 2020, I wrote the following words which ring true this morning: "The fact that I can't see how God is working in the world does not mean God has stopped working in our lives."
• Praying for our political leadership is not simply "God bless 'em" - there is Biblical precedent for accountability and justice.
• "The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live." (1 Timothy 2:1-3 MSG)
• "What sorrow awaits the unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws. They deprive the poor of justice and deny the rights of the needy among my people." (Isaiah 10:1-2 NLT)
• "Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows." (Isaiah 1:17 NLT)
• Whether you are mourning or celebrating today, your obligation as a follower of Christ is to do justice... to live out the path set before us in Scripture.
• "...people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8 NLT)

I'll let Martin have the final word today...

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

Unpacking

Over the past couple of months, I've written a number of posts about the multitude of reasons I believe that President-elect Trump is a spectacularly bad choice to lead the United States for the next four years. The fact that he was elected last week does not lessen my concerns.

What follows is a hodge-podge of thoughts and quotes... a virtual download of my fears and frustrations. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this victory for a convicted felon... and, when I'm honest with myself, attempting to trust God with it as well.

Moreover, it's not as simple as "love God, hate Trump" or "it's the end of the world as we know it" - so much depends on how we choose to live and act. Heck, so much depends on how I choose to live and act.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Hoping I'm Wrong... And Right

As you'll see as you work your way through the rest of this blog post, I take seriously the words that Mr. Trump has spoken over the course of the last four years. In many cases, the promises he's made have immense potential to cause financial havoc, ballooning national debt, trade wars with both enemy & allied nations, and warp the American sense of justice and law enforcement for generations to come. 

So, I hope I'm wrong about any number of these things. I pray that the President-elect will back away from and/or forget many of the proposals he has floated.

At the same time, I'm really struggling with the desire for Mr. Trump to follow through on some of these things and for those who voted for him to see the downstream impacts of their decision. I'm striving against that instinct - it makes me feel petty and mean and vindictive. But I also know that the most effective teacher is often natural consequences.

The really cynical part of me is resigned to the reality that Mr. Trump is a past master at finding someone (besides himself) to blame for pretty much everything that goes wrong... and that the tendency of those who've supported the President-elect to let him off the hook.

There are two kinds of Trump voters. Those who voted for Trump BECAUSE of what he said he would do, and those who voted for Trump DESPITE what he said he would do.

For example, Trump said he would lock up his political opponents like Liz Cheney. The BECAUSE voters genuinely hope he will imprison Cheney. The DESPITE voters thought it was all bluster and Cheney is not at risk.

The BECAUSE/DESPITE split applies to many other issues. In 2025, I expect one of these groups will be very disappointed.

When engaging with a Trump voter, it's helpful to discern which type you're talking to. Most in my circle are DESPITE voters. I suspect that's the case nationally as well. God help us if I'm wrong about that.

Skye Jethani

A Not Exhaustive List of Stuff That is Likely To Happen

• Donald Trump will never be held responsible by a court of law for the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election (including January 6, 2021) or the refusal to return classified documents (including hiding them and lying about them).
• The majority of those in jail for federal offenses related to the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol will have their sentences commuted or be pardoned for their crimes. 
• Working with the likely majorities in both House & Senate, the tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will be extended. 
• This will result in increasing the federal debt load.
• While the wildest numbers that Mr. Trump floated seem unlikely, he is primed to lean into increasing tariffs against China as well as any country who does not build production facilities in the U.S. 
• I wrote extensively about Mr. Trump's inability to understand and/or explain how tariffs work - and the potential fallout of these kind of decisions.
• Some attempt will be made to begin mass deportation/"remigration" of illegal immigrants.
• The combination of tariff/trade war behaviors and increased efforts to deport large numbers of individuals will have an negative economic impact - including the raising of prices on food and construction.
• Both pro-life and pro-choice folks will be frustrated by the lack of federal action on the issue of abortion.
• If RFK Jr is given a health care role with power in the Trump administration, there will be serious damage to the FDA and CDC. The biggest question will be how vast the negative effect of his leadership on vaccination and the subsequent health crises (measles, polio, etc.) from the loss of herd immunity, esp. among school age children.
• At some point during the Trump administration, the President will attempt to pressure Ukraine into negotiating a deal for peace with Russia that gives Russia pretty much everything it wants. Ukraine will refuse that deal, even if it means a complete loss of U.S. financial and weapons support.
• This is based on the proposed deal floated by Mr. Vance, suggesting that Russia would keep all of the territory it has gained from the unprovoked attack as well as receive a promise that Ukraine would not join NATO. This offers literally no security to Ukraine and will be rejected outright.
• The Trump administration will vacillate between loud support for Israel in its battles with Hamas & Hezbollah and peace-making attempts in order to placate Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations with whom the President-elect and his family are attempting to do business.
• China will continue to increase pressure on Taiwan - and that situation will grow increasingly difficult if/when the Trump administration acquiesces to Russia regarding Ukraine.
• Mr. Trump will continue to denigrate those who oppose him in wildly inappropriate ways - and evangelicals in particular will continue to excuse these behaviors by likening him to Old Testament biblical leaders like David, Cyrus, or Jehu.
• The Trump administration will slow roll or outright deny aid/assistance to those states whose governors and/or legislatures do not support his agenda.
• The President-elect will test the boundaries of the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision.

A plea to everyone who supports Trump.

He won.

• If he tries to say he can run for a 3rd term, please stand up and say no.
• If he attacks Americans with the military because they’re “the enemy from within”, please stand up and say no.
• If he lets RFK discourage vaccines that have eradicated diseases like polio, please stand up and say no.
• If he tries to hurt journalists, please stand up and say no.
• If he tries to seize control of the media, please stand up and say no.
• If he tries to jail his political enemies, please stand up and say no.

We’ve debated if he would do those things, you’ve been certain he wouldn’t. If you’re proven wrong, your fellow Americans need you to care about their wellbeing more than winning.

Taylor Dartt

Vox populi, vox Dei?!

In Latin, it means "The voice of the people is the voice of God" - and though that sounds pretty darn pro-democracy, it was actually first used negatively by Alcuin of York in a letter to Emperor Charlemagne in 800 A.D.:

“And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is always close to insanity.”

In our current political situation, it's the tendency to defer to "the wisdom of crowds" - or to ascribe deep political meaning to the number of people you can turn out for a political rally.

Here's the deal: the voice of the people can be wrong. Richard Nixon was elected in a landslide in 1972 (60.7% of the popular vote, 520 electoral votes out of 538)... and yet resigned as president less than two years later to avoid being impeached.

I am not suggesting that the results of the 2024 election are incorrect - Donald Trump was elected president. What I am suggesting is that I can both assert the fairness of our election system and question the wisdom of choosing such a flawed candidate to lead our country.

Even in a well-established and long-functioning democracy, even in the exceptional United States of America, even in the enlightened 21st century, the majority can be wrong.

This shouldn’t be a controversial or startling statement. It’s self-evidently true...

In a democracy, the people rule. Which is good! And the majority decides. Which is right! But we don’t therefore surrender to the majority our right, our duty, to make our own judgments about the wisdom of their decisions...

We need to be able to say that it was foolish and short-sighted, and maybe worse, to judge that Joe Biden’s economy was so terrible that Donald Trump’s bigotry and demagoguery counted for nothing. We need to be able to say it was wrong to embrace change if change means the deportation of millions of residents living here peacefully, or abandoning tens of millions of Ukrainians fighting for the survival of their nation and their liberty...

...it is worth being reminded that respecting the decision of the people doesn’t mean surrendering one’s judgment to them.

William Kristol

Stop Bashing Democracy

In all of this, I find Jonah Goldberg's take on the demonization of the other side to be both thought-provoking and convicting:

I completely understand why some folks are so upset about Donald Trump winning. But that’s really no reason to trash-talk democracy, America, or the Americans who democratically voted for Trump. I am not backsliding or changing course here; I still think Trump is unfit for office. That doesn’t mean, though, that everyone who voted for the guy is a fascist, sexist, racist, or idiot. 

There are many reasons this kind of talk is objectionable and ill-advised, but I’m going to focus on the one that matters the most: It’s not true.  

Let’s start with the claim that everyone who voted for Trump is an idiot.

Did some idiots vote for Trump? Of course. But I guarantee you that Harris got her share of the idiot vote, too. Idiots are pretty well distributed across the political spectrum. And you know what? So are smart people. Lots of smart people voted for Trump. And lots of smart people voted for Harris. I find the tendency of people—smart and dumb ones alike—to think that “smart” and “right” and “dumb” and “wrong” are interchangeable terms to be one of the most exhausting analytical errors out there. 

In fact, it’s almost as exhausting as thinking that “wrong” is synonymous with “fascist” or “bigot.” Fascism and bigotry are wrong, but not all wrong people are fascists and bigots. Are some Trump voters fascists and bigots? Yeah, sure. But I don’t think he cornered that market either.  

More importantly, for every voter who wants Trump to be a “fascist”—or racist, or authoritarian, etc. the labels here really don’t matter—there are probably dozens, or hundreds, or, most likely, tens of thousands of Trump voters who think it’s unfair to call him an authoritarian, never mind a fascist. Why? Because they don’t think he is one and don’t want him to be one. Those people might be wrong (I have opinions!), but that doesn’t mean they’re idiots or fascists themselves. It just means they’re wrong. And convincing them they’re wrong doesn’t get easier by calling them idiots and fascists. 

There are people who voted for Trump believing that he was lying about some things just to get elected. There are other people who voted for him believing that he was telling the truth about that stuff but definitely lying about other stuff. Now that he’ll be president, we’ll find out which things were lies and which weren’t. If he pardons all of the January 6 rioters, some people who voted for him will be very happy, others will be disgusted, and many others will fall somewhere in between. If he puts RFK Jr. in charge of health care, some will be horrified, some will be happy, and others just won’t care—at least not until their kids start getting measles. We’ll just have to wait and see.  

But treating fellow Americans like they are “enemies within” is wrong and destructive when Donald Trump does it. And it’s wrong and destructive when his enemies do it. Wait for the facts. Have arguments over the facts. That’s what politics and democracy are for, no matter who wins an election. And if you win the argument, you’ll win the next election.  

Jonah Goldberg

God Is In Control (And Other Things That Aren't Very Comforting)

Finally, a theological musing.

I understand that many of my fellow followers of Christ who voted for Mr. Trump intend their words to be a consolation - or at least a statement of theological truth. For some, they are a barely concealed "get over it already", wrapped in pious theological language.

The effect, regardless of intent, is to dismiss the feelings of frustration, anger, and sadness of those of us who've opposed the return to the presidency of Mr. Trump. I'll point out that the Bible is filled with laments... and even an entire section entitled the "Book of Lamentations". 

Equally tone deaf are the attempts to police reactions to this loss - making fun of folks (both famous and obscure) for the way they are processing their grief in public. This is not the way of Christ - this is not the fruit of the Spirit ("love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" - Galatians 522-23).

I'll close with a thoughtful take on this from pastor Jeb Barr:

“GOD IS ON HIS THRONE”

I’ve seen many people post to this the last couple of days.

“God is on His throne” is a true statement, but it is an incomplete theology.

“God is on His throne” does not mean all is ok or that His perfect will is being accomplished.

God is on His throne during every evil even in human history.

God is on His throne, and genocide still happened.

God is on His throne, and clergy sex abuse still occurred and was covered up by His followers.

God is on His throne, and Hitler still sent millions to gas chambers after rising to power with the support of most German Christians.

God is on His throne, and still millions of Africans were kidnapped and brought to the Americas as slaves, and many Christians used Scripture to justify and defend the practice.

God is on His throne, and our nation still tore itself apart as North fought South, both sides believing God was on their side.

God is on His throne, and in His sovereignty He allows evil, sin and suffering to take place, and He rarely stops us from hurting one another.

God is on His throne, and one day He will return to see all things right and enact perfect justice, but today is not that day.

“God is on His throne” too easily becomes the platitude of the privileged who believe they will benefit from the current circumstances. All is ok because they are ok.

“God is on His throne” can quickly become an abdication of our responsibility to be His stewards over creation and His hands and feet to the hurting.

God is on His throne, and He’s commanded us to hear the cries of the poor, to advocate the cause of the oppressed, to welcome the stranger, to visit the prisoner, and to feed the hungry.

God is on His throne, but are we carrying out the commands and the priorities of the King?

Jeb Barr

How To Get Tossed Out of a Gaming Group - Actually a Post About Politics (Classic)

This post was originally written for Election Day in 2008... and I present it again with some edits because it still applies. 

I know that some of you have been thinking, "Hey, I get to game on a regular basis with folks who put up with my foibles & quirks... I wonder if there's a good way to make sure they hate my guts & either boot my rear end out of the group and/or change meeting places & times so that I can never find them again?"  

Well, I'm planning to answer the question for you. In fact, I'm so concerned that you not overly tax your mental faculties (seeing as how many of you spent last night watching pundits & posers pontificate & predict - hopefully with less alliteration than I'm using), I've broken the way to get tossed into bullet points: 

• When you win a game, gloat.
• When you lose a game, whine & accuse the other player of cheating.

That's it. A steady diet of this behavior will have you on the outs in no time - and if they choose not to kick you out, they'll secretly detest your presence. Trust me on this one.

So, how did this pithy bit of wisdom end up here? Come on, if you're reading this blog, you have enough sense to come in out of the rain & enough smarts to figure out a metaphor when it bites you on the hind end.

Yesterday, a number of candidates & propositions won or lost. Some of you have been victorious in a battles you've fought with your keyboards & your hearts... others of you know the stale taste of defeat - and you've fought just as hard as those who win.

Regardless (or is that "irregardless"?), you have the opportunity now to respond with grace & dignity.

• If your side/candidate wins, don't gloat.
• If your side/candidate loses, don't whine. Don't accuse others of cheating without real & obvious cause... using an actual standard of proof, not "the guy on TikTok said it" or "somebody posted this on Facebook."

I want to speak specifically to those who declare themselves as followers of Christ. We have a huge responsibility tonight - if we're gonna call ourselves "biblical Christians", then we better live like it when it comes to election results.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6, NIV)

if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. (1 Peter 3:15-16, NLT)

The most important thing today is not the election of a particular candidate - no one person will usher in the Kingdom of God. (Well, one will, but He's not running this year.) Nor is it the passing of a proposition - law can compel moral behavior but it has no power over the heart. It is far more important that the world around us see followers of Jesus living in the grace & power of Jesus Christ.

Note: I am preaching this sermon to myself most of all.

Classic: Fruit Cakes, Red Dawn, and "Stealing" An Election

The best man at my wedding (the wonderful Tim Formby, who is substantially more fit at age 60 than I will ever be) grew up in the east Texas town of Corsicana. (If you've heard of Corsicana, it's probably because of Collin Street Bakery... which ships fruitcakes all over the world.)

Kids my age grew up during the Cold War... where pretty much every bad guy on TV shows were Soviet spies and movies like RED DAWN informed our worldview. For Tim & his friends, that meant long discussions about how to defend Corsicana in case of the U.S.S.R. sending troops to invade the U.S. of A. Questions like "which bridges get blown up?" and "how do we cache the proper weapons?" led to plans, notes, and even hand-drawn maps. 

I bring up this bit of semi-ancient history to ask for the same kind of thoughtfulness from those who are supporting President Trump in questioning the legitimacy of the election results. I know that presenting well-researched fact checks doesn't seem to quell their doubts, so I'm hoping this might assist. 

Here's what I propose... grab a piece of paper and write out a detailed plan for stealing the presidential election. Take into account what would need to be done and who would need to be involved. List all of the different county, state, and federal entities that would need to be compromised in some format to explain margins of 20,000+ votes in multiple contested states. Determine what kind of expertise you would need and what kind of resources & communications protocols would be necessary. 

Operational security is going to be an important consideration - how are you going to keep all of those involved from leaking information and/or getting caught? The more individuals that are a part of the conspiracy, the more difficult this will be. If you choose to operate in individual cells to foster secrecy, you will need to account for coordination and control.

Chuck Colson, Richard Nixon's hatchet man who became a follower of Christ and the founder of Prison Fellowship, noted that his belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ was supported by his experience inside a cabal around the President.

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

I'm guessing by now you have a lot of notes (and your plan is unlikely to involve blowing up any bridges). This leads to an important philosophical principle (which I've posted about previously): Occam's Razor. The Latin aphorism is commonly rendered as "the simplest explanation is most likely the right one."

So, does your plan make sense? Is it plausible? Moreover, is it inside the realm of possibility outside of an X-Files episode? 

I am not doubting that there are irregularities in the voting process and even occasional attempts to steal elections. (The most recent major attempt was done in 2018 on behalf of a Republican candidate in North Carolina.) But none of those are large enough or expansive enough to explain the result of a presidential election. In the words of one of my favorite L.A. bands, Adam Again:

When I touch you with Occam's razor

I will cut you between truth and lie

Meanwhile, talking about Collin Street Bakery reminds me of how good the pastries are at their retail store in Corsicana. And writing about Tim makes me want to get Fortress America (the board game) to the table again.

This post was originally written in November 2020... I've revised it slightly and put it back out there again for... reasons.

Why Not?: Ukraine, NATO, and Taiwan

This is the tenth in a series of posts on the reasons I will not be voting to return the former president to the White House. My focus here is not to support his opponent but instead to explain why I believe that Donald Trump is manifestly unqualified for the role.

Weirdly enough, this was the first post I started in this series... and it's likely the last before Election Day. Originally, it was an epic roll through the Trump Tower Moscow, the first Trump impeachment, etc... but I finally decided it was more powerful to keep it simple.

Ukraine

It's not a difficult question. 

You have said you would solve this war in 24 hours. You said so just before the break tonight. How exactly would you do that? And I want to ask you a very simple question tonight. Do you want Ukraine to win this war? 

[David Muir asking Donald Trump a question during the presidential debate on Sept. 10]

Yet the final answer the former president gave was boiled down to:

I think it's in the U.S. best interest to get this war finished and just get it done. All right. Negotiate a deal.

Reminder: Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022... with the ambition of overthrowing a democratic government. And our best choice is to negotiate a deal?!

NATO

I did the same thing with NATO. I got them to pay up. NATO was busted until I came along. I said, “Everybody’s going to pay.” They said, “Well, if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?” I said, “Absolutely not.” They couldn’t believe the answer. And you never saw more money pour in to Secretary General Stoltenberg. I don’t know if he is anymore, but he was my biggest fan. He said, “All these presidents came in, they’d make a speech, they’d leave. And that was it.”

And they all owed money, and they wouldn’t pay it. I came in, I made a speech, and I said, “You got to pay out.” They asked me that question. One of the presidents of a big country stood up, said, “Well, sir, if we don’t pay and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?” I said, “You didn’t pay. You’re delinquent?” He said, “Yes, let’s say that happened.”

“No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.” And the money came flowing in. And Henry would know this. If I said, “Yes, I will. You don’t have to pay. Yes, I will.” Most politicians have said to that, “Yes, we will protect you under any circumstances.” Well, then they’re never paying up. I said, “No, no. You have to understand you don’t pay your bills, you get no protection.” It’s very simple. Hundreds of billions of dollars came into NATO, and that’s why they have money today because of what I did."

(Donald Trump at a rally in South Carolina, February 2024)

For more information about the 2% guideline, read the actual NATO policy. (In other words, the former president didn't get any nation to send "hundreds of billions of dollars" to NATO.)

Separate of the obvious issues with the veracity of the anonymous president questioning Mr. Trump (a favorite trope of his storytelling), the fact that he is bragging about telling Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" (his words) is chilling.

Taiwan

“Taiwan. I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business. I think Taiwan should pay us for defense. You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything. Taiwan is 9,500 miles away.”

(Donald Trump in a Bloomberg interview, July 2024)

In Short

The former president is fixated on money as a measure of loyalty. He's obsessed with a "pay to play"/"protection racket" ('nice country you got there; hate if something happened to it') view of the world. It's like he watched too many gangster movies and was schooled by his father and Roy Cohn to see the world with dollars as the scoreboard - rather than human lives and human freedom.

Important reminder: I am not attempting to defend the Biden administration or the Harris candidacy. I am simply pointing out that Donald Trump's protection racket foreign policy does not deserve and will not receive my support.

The first post in this series focuses on tariff policy - at this point, Mr. Trump's belief that tariffs are a "magic wand" that can cure all sorts of problems - child care, grocery prices, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., etc. They're not.

The second post in this series focuses on immigration policy - the dehumanizing language, the abject lies, and the unbelievably foolish promises of mass deportation.

The third post in this series focuses on Mr. Trump's narcissism and potential cognitive decline.

The fourth post in this series focuses on the unbelievable record of lying by Mr. Trump.

The fifth post in this series focuses on the former president's support for those who brutally attacked police officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The sixth post in this series focuses on the extraordinarily odd decisions on the part of so many voters to support Mr. Trump despite his obvious disdain for their opinions and needs.

The seventh post in this series focuses on the opposition of many of his former staff to his re-election as well as his possible choices for government positions of unqualified (at best) individuals. (This post was written prior to the release of more extensive reporting of John Kelly's rejection of Mr. Trump.) 

The eighth post in this series focuses on the former president's desire for harsh laws and law enforcement against others but extreme leniency for himself.

The ninth post in this series focuses on the former president's obsession with dictators and dictator-like behavior.