TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The United States of America is more divided than it was before the first Civil War. The economy is in shambles. Most Americans are struggling with escalating inflation. America’s healthcare is the least effective and most expensive in the world. The federal government is corrupt and totally incompetent. Women’s rights have been moved backwards to the mid-twentieth century. The Supreme Court is complicit with right-wing extremists in their attempts at voter suppression. With the leader of white supremacy occasionally residing in the White House, racism and bigotry have reached levels not seen since the 1920’s and 1930’s. All of this is directly attributable to one man, Donald John Trump, and yet, Trump is telling the Chancellor of Germany to “fix his broken country.” I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried. ATTEMPTING TO DEFEND THE INDEFENSIBLE: HIS WAR ON IRAN “The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart This week has been interesting. Two very old men, one 77, and one who will be 80 in just six weeks, met for tea in our White House. The biggest differences between them are that one man is a King, and the other is supposed to be a public servant. One has no real power, and is loved by most of his people. The other is power-mad, and despised by three-quarters of the people he was elected to serve. One man’s speech was articulate, and humorous at times, while the other man rambled on about nothing and no one could understand his gibberish. King Charles rose to his position when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, passed away. He was first in line to receive the crown. He made no promises, and simply accepted the honor that was his by birthright. Trump won a second controversial election with the assistance of Vladimir Putin and the United States Supreme Court. He made many promises, more accurately false promises, in a desperate effort to win the election. His most impor...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart I was a junior in high school in 1962. As my family always did, we turned on CBS to watch the evening news every evening as we ate dinner on our TV trays. Our small, one bedroom apartment did not have a dining room. There was a new man sitting behind the news desk. His name was Walther Cronkite. From that day forward, we never missed his broadcast. He earned his reputation as “the most trusted man in America.” In those days the only national broadcast networks were CBS, ABC, and NBC. There were local stations in Los Angeles, channels 5, KTLA, channel 9, KCAL, and 11, KTTV. Our most watched networks were CBS and channel 9. Channel 9 had a slogan, “MAYFE,” Movies Are Your Finest Entertainment. Old movies were shown every Friday night, including John Wayne’s westerns and his WWII movies. I believe that CBS has been my favorite network all of my life, until October 2025. This was when Trump sycophant, Bari Weiss was given control of CBS’ news division. A decision ha...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Most of you know that I am a proud pacifist. As an original Baby Boomer, born in 1946, I have been curious about history for most of my life. The most important facts I learned involved the history of wars: their origin, the loss of life, and what was accomplished. I will not bore you with all of what I learned over decades, but I can summarize the facts in a concise manner. WHY MEN RESORT TO WARS Any man or woman with average intelligence is aware that any military conflict between nations must be the last resort, or a defensive measure after one of the nations wages a military assault on the other. Early in recorded history, the three reasons for declaring war were based on acquisition of land, disputes involving personal relationships, religious beliefs, and the male ego. THE VERY EXISTENCE OF THE UNITED STATES BEGAN WITH A WAR [Settlements in the New World began with the Spanish in 1492/1493, followed by the English, who established Jamestown in 1607. ] Most...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart There is no record of Trump accomplishing anything of value or importance in his nearly 80 years. Throughout the 2024 campaign, Trump made many promises, although he obviously never intended to keep them. Everyone remembers the big ones: “ending inflation on day one,” “ending the war in Ukraine on day one,” and “never placing our nation at war again.” Lie, lie, and a huge lie. ONE PROMISE COULD HAVE BEEN KEPT WITHOUT ANY EFFORT AND WAS WIDELY POPULAR: HE DID NOT Daylight Savings Time has been a highly contested issue throughout my adult life. The practice of moving our clocks ahead one hour every spring, and back to the original time every fall is unnecessary and dangerous. On the Monday after the clocks are moved forward, there are more automobile accidents than on any other single day in the year. Everyone loses an hour of sleep, and this situation is dangerous for some. Trump promised to end daylight savings time. I seem to remember changing my clocks ahead o...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Because you both need an education about America and its history, this is for you, Donny and Melania. In 1954, Steve Allen co-created the “Tonight Show.” He left the show in January of 1957, replaced by Jack Paar who hosted the show until 1962 when Johnny Carson accepted the job. Carson became the longest host, leaving the program in 1992. He was followed by Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Leno again, and Jimmy Fallon who replaced Leno in 2014 and remains the host today. Every one of these men, along with their writers, told jokes about the man who was president. The lesson here is, if you don’t want to be laughed at, don’t run for the presidency. The President of the United States is the most visible person on the planet, and fair game for both criticism and laughter at his or her expense. WE KNOW THAT DONNY AND MELANIA DO ONE THING TOGETHER When Melania stood before the television cameras on Monday and whined about one of the popular late-night comics, Jimmy Kimmel, ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Trump has used the same, old, tired tactic for nearly 80 years. When he is asked a question he does not want to answer, or when a reporter demands an explanation for his remarks or actions, he attacks the person asking the question. The truth is his greatest enemy. When a situation requires deliberation and compromise, he lacks the ability to discuss the issue intelligently, and reverts to his only choice, “my way or the highway.” No one could be less presidential than Donald John Trump. SOME GOOD, SOME BAD, ONLY ONE WAS VERY GOOD, AND A FEW WERE VERY BAD Over my nearly 80 years, presidents have come and gone. Of the 14 I experienced, the best way to describe most of them is “good riddance.” Only one of our nation’s leaders was so impressive when performing his presidential duties that he can be referred to as “great.” That man was John Fitzgerald Kennedy. On the reverse side, I have had the misfortune to suffer through the three worst presidents of all time. In...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The study of history is of far greater importance than any other informative publication compiled by any individual or group in our nation’s history. Ignoring the lessons learned from past events is extremely dangerous and confirms a lack of intelligence and common sense. Mistakes from past actions and events are the greatest lessons any individual or nation can examine and analyze to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. The damage inflicted upon our nation over the last 10+ years by one man and his fascist political party is far greater than the events of the Civil War, the cowardly attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and the slaughter of 2,977 innocent American citizens on September 11, 2001. The harm Trump has done to our nation will require decades to undo, and some is irreparable. The culprit is one old, obese, malignant narcissist in collusion with one political party whose only goal is absolute power over a nation of 340 million people. STOP BELIEVIN...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The Fourth Estate no longer exists. After Trump won his second rigged election on November 5, 2024, his 989 oligarchs/billionaires achieved complete control over our nation, and surrendered their souls to their Fuhrer. Every major news outlet, television or print, is owned by one of Trump’s cronies. Therefore, any negative reference to Trump and his Nazi Party is omitted. Since 1981, facts and the truth have become the enemies of all right-wing politicians. History proves that the men and women who call themselves “conservatives” are in fact radical extremists who accept the basic ideals of fascism. It is also a fact that they are incapable of successfully governing 340 million people. WHEN IT ALL BEGAN TO FALL APART 1968 was an important year in my life. This was the first general election in which I could vote, having become 21 years old in 1967. My excitement and joy disappeared in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968 when Robert Kennedy was murdered. I was confused. ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Today was another “TACO Tuesday” for your illegitimate president. His incapable negotiators were on their way to Pakistan when Trump ordered their return. Is Trump opposed to the end of his war, or is he incapable of making a decision and sticking to it? Maybe, just maybe, his lack of experience and unwillingness to take his job seriously was exposed for everyone to see. There must be a better word than “incompetence.” THE SCHOOLYARD BULLY IS EXPOSED The reported demands from Trump are completely one-sided. He is offering nothing to Iran’s leaders, while demanding virtual surrender from his counterparts. This is the act of a schoolyard bully, not from an experienced diplomat, once again proving that Trump is unfit for the office he holds. WHAT IS TRUMP’S IQ? In 2017, Trump had his academic records sealed. There is no way of knowing what his test scores, grades, or his IQ might have been. However, by his own rambling speach, and a failure to master the English la...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart I know the title and question is asinine and I admit that I’m being sarcastic. The person who has been in front of television cameras the most over the last 10+ years is Donald Trump. He has chosen to tell lies and avoid the truth for nearly 80 years. It works for him, and many politicians use his success as a guideline. GOVERNOR JOE LOMBARDO AND THE BILLIONAIRES WHO SUPPORT HIM If you live in Nevada, it is highly probable that you have seen Joe Lombardo’s costly campaign ads on television. He is up for reelection in November. Paid for by his billionaire supporters, they want you to believe that his efforts over the last four years have improved our state’s three greatest problems: affordable housing, a failing school system, and healthcare which is subpar and too expensive for most of our state’s families. I know the truth. I don’t watch television news. Unlike Trump, I can read. I offer you the facts, which offer proof that Lombardo is just another Trump sycop...

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s, there were two slogans I heard frequently: “Made in America,” and “Only in America.” Both inspired patriotism and pride in our nation. This was post WWII and our nation had been a major component in the defeat of fascism. I remember the many products began to display the label, “made in China,” and we believed that the influx of products created in foreign nations was somewhat exciting. What this young man did not understand was this was the beginning of outsourcing in America. “Only in America” inspired patriotism and the unique qualities offered by life in what politicians called “the greatest country in the world.”. Free thought, and the freedom to be yourself if your actions did not infringe upon the rights of the majority were perfect examples of why our country had become the most respected in the world. The United States had embarked on a path to create the first “great nation,” a nation which would place its peo...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Campaign promises, campaign promises broken. This is Trump’s legacy. The biggest problem in America today is the economy. For the majority of our nation’s people, it’s all about “Greedflation.” Trump promised to end the problem on day one, but it has become far worse over the last 15 months. His unilateral decision to wage war on Iran has become a very serious problem, and the reason everything is more expensive. Gas prices are outrageous and will continue to increase. The second biggest problem began its escalation ten years ago. Although right-wing politicians made attempts to create fear in the United States about the danger of terrorist attacks like 9/11, the greatest danger to all Americans comes from within. It is known as domestic terrorism. WHY HAS OUR GOVERNMENT IGNORED THE UNNECESSARY INCREASE IN MASS SHOOTINGS? From 2017 until today, there have been more mass shootings in America than days on the calendar. On March 2, 2021, former FBI Director, Christ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart On fact no one with average intelligence can deny, Trump’s cabinet, closest advisers, and leaders of critical agencies including the EPA, are the least qualified and incapable men and women in our nation. However, one slightly stands out from the rest. A COMPARISON BETWEEN PETE HEGSETH AND JAMES, “MADDOG,” MATTIS We know the stories about disgraced former Homeland Security Director, Kristi Noem, and her counterpart, Attorney General Pam Bondi. We have watched the failures and incompetence of HHS Director Robert Kennedy and FBI Director, Kash Patel. However, Pete Hegseth is in a critical position as Secretary of Defense to cause greater harm to America and the world than any of the others. (I will never call his position “Secretary of War,” because the American people are opposed to all wars.) To understand how dangerous Hegseth is, lets compare his resume to that of James, “Maddog,” Mattis, Trump’s first Secretary of Defense between 2017 and 2019. JAMES MATTIS: ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart What we don’t know about Trump’s war on Iran. It’s a war. No, it’s not a war. We won, and the war is over. The war will be over soon. The Strait of Hormuz is fully open. The Strait of Hormuz is closed again. I will not extend the ceasefire. The ceasefire has been extended by 10 days. The TACO man is at it again. He has no idea what he is doing. WE, THE PEOPLE, DESERVE BETTER I have lived through 14 presidents and watched their actions with feelings of hope and trust. I don’t remember Truman; I was born in 1946. However, I watched some of Dwight Eisenhower’s second nomination at the Republican National Convention in 1956, and my interest in politics began. My opinion about most of our presidents can be summed up with one word: adequate. Only one of them can be called “great.” Sadly, I consider three of them to be the worst in American history, and Nixon is not one of them. I rate presidents solely on their accomplishments for all Americans and their successes or ...