The most recent January 6th televised hearing, showed numerous clips of Trump’s lawyers, DOJ Barr, and White House aides, who all testified that Donald Trump knew he’d lost the 2020 presidential election; he’d told Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, “we can’t let the word out that we lost, that’s too embarrassing”. Several close to Trump, such as Bannon & Stone, knew & told others that Trump planned to emphatically declare himself the winner on election night; then Trump set in motion extensive efforts to overthrow election results. We learned that ‘Oath Keepers’ were in contact with some Secret Service agents, weeks before Jan 6th; that agents were alerted to threats by ‘Proud Boys’ to “kill people & erect gallows”. So, why weren’t more defensive maneuvers established to thwart violence? Clearly some rogue agents & officers were in sync with GOP plans to overthrow the election.

Trump knew that many followers were armed & wearing tactical gear, yet he demanded they be allowed into the ellipse area, roaring, “They are NOT here to hurt me, let them in!” Trump was apoplectic, when restrained from storming the Capitol, with the mob. Returned to the White House, he gleefully watched the medieval-style warfare with the Capitol police; his followers breaking into the Capitol, disrupting the electoral certification. He refused urgent pleas from advisors, associates & family members to call off the rioters, and to call for our National Guard. Trump had the ‘troops’ he wanted on duty.

The videos showed McConnel, Thune & Scalise huddled with Pelosi, Schumer & others as they watched the monitors showing the mob breaking in, urinating & defecating in the halls, and calling out death-threats for specific legislators. With no help forthcoming, House Speaker Pelosi called Virginia & Maryland governors, asking them to send their National Guard troops to the Capitol. As the legislators heard that Donald Trump was coming to the Capitol (no president is allowed to enter the Capitol building unless they are specifically invited), spunky ‘badass’ Nancy Pelosi, was shown on video, exclaiming, “if Trump comes to the Capitol, I’ll punch him in the face, I’ll punch him out, go to jail, and be happy!”

Trump led a violent rebellion against our country, our fair elections, the will of the majority, and our peaceful transfer of power. The Jan 6th hearing committee ended with the unanimous vote resolution to subpoena Donald J. Trump, before their committee to answer questions. We know he’s a no-show, though TRUMP MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE for January 6, 2021, and all his other crimes!

Trish Forsyth Voss

America is indeed at a crucial inflection-point. We must AWAKEN and face this melding of QAnon & MAGA forces dangerously morphing into a strange Christian nationalist movement taking shape in our nation. ‘Q’, anonymous online ‘conspiracy-prophet’, began in 2016, telling ‘followers’ that JFK & JFK Jr, were still alive, and that Bill & Hillary Clinton were running a child-sex-ring from a Washington D.C. pizza parlor basement; which led a crazed gunman to terrorize the business in his attempt to self-investigate the supposed rumors. The once merely wacky conspiracy group is now a huge lunatic-fringe political movement, as religious dissidents join with folks in dire need of mental health services to praise their self-proclaimed ‘savior’, Donald John Trump. Trump’s ‘SAVE AMERICA’ rally in Ohio on 9/17/22, looked more like a megachurch service, with praise, song, chanting, as the attendees swayed in unison to the QAnon theme-song playing, their right arms lifted to the sky, their index fingers pointing to the heavens, signifying “ONE …. where we go one, we go all”.

Trump’s fundraising machine, called ‘Save America’, is backing many state-wide & federal GOP candidates, who along with many pastors are telling people that “to vote wrong is to be unfaithful to God”. One pastor, Mark Burns, at a rally in Post Falls, Idaho, said, “I’m coming to declare war on every demonic, demon-possessed Democrat that comes from the gates of Hell!” As many churches are at an all-time low for attendance, this Christian nationalism is serving as a blasphemous alternative for people’s need to express their fervor for something. History has witnessed this kind of misplaced fervor before, with the brown-shirts hailing Hitler as their ‘savior’. That Christo-fascist movement ended with the deaths of nearly 80 million human beings!

Political rallies are serving as megachurch services for multitudes. I suggest you read, “Donald Trump’s bizarre altar call in Ohio”, by Rev. Nathan Empsall, Episcopal priest, (CBS news online 9/20/22). Rev. Empsall said, “instead of worshipping the divine, crowds are heralding the malign, with Donald Trump’s hateful, intentionally-divisive politics, which is leading & has led to real-world violence. Under Christo-fascism, the only thing that matters is that conservative Christian leaders & their allies hold power. There is need neither for democracy nor for equal rights.”

A South Texas evangelical church pastor has given a church office, to ‘first Mexican-born immigrant, GOP, U.S. Congresswoman’, Mayra Flores, to proselytize her message from, in her reelection bid in November. Her campaign poster reads, “Make America Godly Again”, MAGA.

Trish Forsyth Voss

****** Post-pandemic, with all the folks who’ve quit church attendance, and all the folks who’ve never attended church, even with the partial break for in-person schooling & subsequent online schooling, there seems to be now an even wider gulf or fracture that needs mended, a rift in society, a separation to be filled, for connection & continuity among humankind. People are starved for like-minded community to belong to; it’s a basic human need, for people to belong to something they feel is greater than themselves. People want to belong to something that holds their attention & speaks to them emotionally, that charges them up, that makes them feel alive. A lot of things or groups can do that. Churches can do that; school can be that for students.; military service can do that for soldiers; political office & social services can be that, for those who are service-minded, or for the power-hungry. The QAnon/MAGA ‘philosophy’ gives an emotional message, it gives some folks a clear-cut, understandable ally & enemy, a challenge & mission, a group to be part of, amidst an ever-increasingly disconnected worldview. It’s going to take a miracle to rein this energy in & turn it toward benevolence, for all humanity. For those who believe in prayer, I urge us all to pray for a MIRACLE for America, for the world, and for planet Earth, Gaia, and to send loving energy to all beings. We can all join in positive thought to hold this intent for our nation and our world!

I urge all you readers to read “Politics shaping more people’s religion, professor’s research finds”, written by Duane Bonifer, published in 10/9/22 issue of the Register-Mail newspaper of Galesburg, IL. The article speaks to this very divide, how a study & survey by Audette & Hafner “found that 52% of the survey’s respondents had shopped for a church”, once or more, on how people are “church-shopping”, based on political views, placing their political views above their religious views, or showing how political views are impacting & reshaping their perceived religious views, how our political views are pushing people farther to the Left or Right, and dividing “our social institutions in a political way”. The article stated, “a recent Pew Research Center poll indicated that 44% of church-goers have switched religion or stopped attending church altogether”. Monmouth political science professor, Andre Audette, suggested that we may experience ‘cognitive dissonance’ as we sit through church sermons, trying to align the lessons thereof with our worldview, in our heads & hearts, and what we believe at our core about humanity, our beginnings, and our current place in this world.

I would ask, “Do you feel you are here ‘on purpose’, on a mission, for a purpose; what could it be?” And concerning this entire line of thought, I conclude with this image I saw recently, a huge banner waving from a porch, it read: “Jesus is my savior, and Donald Trump is my president”. The homeowner obviously merging ‘his’ religion with his political views, infusing his favored political candidate with a definite religious fervor. This is the illusion or reality of our times. Trish Forsyth Voss

The month begins with “lots of flowing energies ricocheting off each other”; it’s important to stay grounded, so walking, dancing, swimming, yoga stretches, meditative breathing techniques will help in that endeavor. This is a time of sorting through the possibilities & opportunities available, with many pathways beckoning to us; this is where grounding will be necessary — to choose which energies to flow with, and when. It’s important to not force, but to flow with what feels right for us. “It is not a time to follow the crowd, nor to listen to sales-pitches or influencers”, as deceivers abound, attempting to waylay many. “With Mars in Gemini creating a grand trine to Saturn in Aquarius (and eventually the Sun, Venus, and Mercury in Libra) throughout October, humanity will experience a plethora of visions, messages, and apparitions. Discernment in all things will be necessary to remain wisely on one’s soul-heart path. Even our ego-attachments & desires can create deception & illusion with personal, relationship, and career choices, and many other decisions, expectations & perceived limitations. Let go of all, that no longer resonates with your true inner being.”

“On Oct 9, 2022 at 12:56 pm PST, the full moon in mid-Aries with the Moon conjunct Chiron in Libra creates a T-square to the Sun and Venus in Libra and Hades and Kronos in Cancer. This configuration enhances visions of new forms of healing, wholeness and balanced reciprocity possible within & without individually, collectively, and planetarily in more nurturing, supportive, and balanced reciprocal ways. This is a time to go within to balance the head and heart with one’s soul-heart destiny rather than seeking to do or be what society, family, or friends have projected on to you.” We can consciously seek to remove the layers of false projections heaped upon us from our earliest experiences, to reveal our own inner truths, and in so doing, we will draw to ourselves the opportunities that are right for us to consider, however, “keep in mind that this is not yet the time to overcommit in any direction whatsoever”.

Mercury in late Virgo opposite Neptune in Pisces presents a situation wherein things seem cloudy, “then clarifying, and then clouding over again”. Communications may seem difficult, though our paths may become clearer as we progress through October. Keeping a journal for “ideas, drawings, messages, and experiences allow for a pattern to emerge and show itself”. Examining our belief systems about ourselves & others is crucial work in this present time. Forgiving and releasing is the task at hand. “The grand air trine between Mars in late Gemini opposing the galactic center, Saturn in Aquarius, and the Sun and Venus in Libra, gives way to imaginings of all sorts”, making it necessary to stay grounded in order to “receive the great number of timeline options and possibilities for the near future, and this requires great focus, attention, awareness, and clear observation”.

“October 25, 2022, at 2:50 am PST, a new moon eclipse in early Scorpio conjunct Venus (with three of the four points of avatar is activated), the Moon’s north node in Taurus conjunct Uranus, Saturn in Aquarius, and the Moon’s south node in Scorpio; these alignments signal a time to seek all avenues open to transformation, change and new directions, and will remind the human kingdom of its agreements and commitments to evolution for herself, the cosmos, and Earth. This includes where they have been breached, twisted, and perverted, and what must be done to rectify the situation for the continuation of the balanced reciprocity energies, which are life-affirming on planet Earth. All kingdoms will cease energizing humanity’s created fear-based energies; all those depending on these for survival in the personal, business, or global realms will discover their sources of energy, seeming control, and power waning during the final months of 2022.”

“The stellium in Scorpio, of the Sun, Moon, Venus, and the Moon’s north node on this transformational new moon creates a portal of flow for those desiring departure from their current physical vehicle. Staying committed & grounded — aligned with the Earth and balanced reciprocity in all actions, words, and deeds — will facilitate revelations as to one’s future path and soul-heart destiny. With Mercury in Libra trine Mars in Gemini, a multitude of options & possibilities may be downloaded & communicated the day before, the day of, and the day after this powerful new moon. Keep notes, messages & drawings, though they may not make sense in the moment. All will be revealed.”

“October 31, 2022, All Hallows Eve, is the cosmic equinox with a stellium of alignments with the Moon’s south node, Venus, and the Sun and Mercury in Scorpio, setting in motion great transformational energies the day before, the day of, and the day after. With the continuing activation and T-square of three of the four points of avatar, the Moon’s south node in Scorpio, Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus, and the Moon’s north node in Taurus, cosmic destiny is coming home to roost for all humanity. With the Moon conjunct Pluto in Capricorn, the visions of heaven’s manifestation on Earth flow profoundly. This is a time to envision with the energies of your soul-heart the new expressions of power and self-responsibility in balanced reciprocity with Earth, all elements, all beings, and the self.” Within this transformation, “many healing aspects required to engender the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine sacred marriage within will be revealed”. Hold thought for the highest & best outcomes for all humanity now & going forward.

“Due to powerful conjunctions taking place in water & earth signs on this cosmic equinox Halloween (with the Sun and Mercury in Scorpio, Neptune and Jupiter in Pisces, the Moon and Pluto in Capricorn, and the Moon’s north node and Uranus in Taurus) emotions and feelings may run extremely high, especially for those unfocused & ungrounded, who seek direction in the world around them without checking in with the inner truth center soul-heart. The potential for necessary earth and water movements are set in motion this day in all dimensions and will manifest between All Hallows Eve and the spring of 2023.” Seek harmonious alignment in 5D consciousness.

*** The above was quoted or paraphrased from: Mary Elizabeth Hoffman, “Align with Your Inner Destiny”, October 2022, magazine article, Sedona Journal of Emergence, with added comments from Trish Forsyth Voss. *** The info below was quoted or paraphrased from: Donna Taylor, “Open Your Heart”, magazine article, October 2022, Sedona Journal of Emergence, with a few added comments from, Trish Forsyth Voss. ***

Love, joy, truth & beauty are the domain of Venus. “We can expect relationships and how we get along with others to be the theme of this month; we need to have love residing within for everything and everyone. The good news is that October will offer a download of loving energies that will help us take a quantum leap into 5D living, the pinnacle arriving around Oct 25, under a solar eclipse that has Venus right at its heart. This is rare, and in the people sign of Libra, it is a wonderful omen for a more loving vibration to wash across the planet.” However, we all need to prepare to receive the higher vibrational energies, which will be difficult to receive if “we’re caught up in negative states, such as fear, anger, judgment, stress, anxiety or depression, or if we’re overly busy and filling our days with one activity after another”. We need to allow ourselves some quiet meditative time to receive & process the downloads from the universe. “My first suggestion is to devise a daily ascension practice, which could begin with a morning meditation; it could also include limiting contact with people, places, or activities that pull you down. Venus is the planet of refinement, and the more refined we are, the harder we find it to tolerate discord, ugliness, loud noise, frantic busyness, and other aspects of the old 3D life. The more we feel overwhelmed or overstimulated by noisy, discordant crowds, take this as a sign that your body & soul is pulling you toward the 5th dimension.” Attuning to joy is a beneficial process to help us fully embrace a 5th-dimensional existence. “Let go of old attachments, if they no longer feel joyful.”

“The full moon in Aries on Oct 9, as Chiron accompanies it, suggests hidden wounds may be revealed around this time, but the opportunities to heal them is great, and the healing process may require some level of acceptance. Be alert around the start of the second week — for a little weakness to make an appearance”. With awareness, we may be able to affect a change in a long-standing behavior, growing & evolving. “When Pluto squares the Sun-Venus conjunction around Oct 18 – 21, we may face our shadow-selves emerging, in the guise of intense emotions, compulsive desires, obsessions, jealousy, power struggles, and intrigues. Pluto asks us to transform these shadow areas when possible by surrendering to that which we cannot control and breaking 3D codependent patterns of living.” These issues bubble up to our awareness, so we can work on healing them, with acceptance, allowance, forgiveness & releasing them. “There are many ways that parts of us are still stuck in the old ways, but our souls need us to move beyond these issues in order to live at a higher frequency. So it’s really important to prepare as much as possible the first 3 weeks of October, so that by the time we reach Oct 25, our hearts will be open enough to receive the higher vibrational energies that will be flooding the planet around this time. We may wish to focus on our spiritual practice through meditation, yoga, prayer, inner work, and chakra balancing. If you feel your heart is blocked or if you’re not feeling the love, try taking some holly flower essence for a week or two, to see whether that makes a difference.”

“If ever there was a download of Divine Feminine energy, then this eclipse is it. Venus is exactly conjoined with the Sun and Moon, and in the feminine powerful water sign of Scorpio, it feels like a very deep and profound moment, so try to find a chunk of space on Oct 25, to tune into your heart. If you are quiet, not only will you be able to receive the loving and transformative energies, you will also be able to hear the promptings of your heart whispering exactly what you need to do to step into a higher vibrational frequency.” Then follow your heart leanings and allow intuition to guide your path forward in joy, harmony, balance, truth, and love for all the kingdoms on Earth.

I enjoyed the 9/14, Guest column by John Hallwas, brilliant, retired English professor & historian at Western Illinois University; he’s written over 2 dozen books; writer & speaker for the McDonough County Voice. I graduated from WIU back in the 90s. I mainly took Independent Study courses, so I never met Professor Hallwas in person; he had edited & compiled the textbook on “Early Illinois” for the course he taught, and I relished. He had studied many old manuscript writings, and brought to life so many fascinating characters, who had played their parts in Illinois’ early history & founding.

In his guest column, he made the crucial point that our childhood & young adult experiences form the basis of our development into adults. Early experiences color all our perceptions of the world in which he live, strengthen or debilitate us, motivate or disable us, form our mindsets & opinions, and become our perceived memories of “The Way We Were”, another course I enjoyed, a look back at the 1950s, and how we nostalgically remember it, in many ways better than it was, or how it was for some of us.

Mosher’s 9/14 opinions are interesting in this regard, how he “was raised in a simpler and less divisive time” (while applauding Insurrectionists now), and I’m quite sure that many people would agree with him. Most of us were likely raised with little awareness of the political backdrop of our times, and the realities of how others, maybe even nearby, were suffering, starving, being unjustly imprisoned, enslaved, beaten, raped, incested, prematurely-impregnated. Mosher stated, “we need to put the unhappy times in limbo where they belong”. However, that ‘state of limbo’ is never far from our consciousness. It’s much healthier to work through negative, unhappy memories, make sense of them & release them. I pray for healing for all.

Mosher’s memories of “Trump’s reign” are mainly good ones. We easily discern that Mosher & other MAGAs infuse Trump with qualities he doesn’t, cannot hold, and cast their beloved fuhrer in a glowing light of strong leadership, while embellishing & outright lying about his ‘recent accomplishments’, while ignoring & denying all his grossly illegal corruption. The world is changing, and many are understandably afraid that they can’t fit in that new world order; some would rather blow it up, than try. Truth is the world has always been changing. I agree with Mosher on one opinion, “we have too many people living in a parallel universe, with blinders on.” Cast off the blinders & WAKE UP, MAGAs & QAnoners! Awaken to a brave new world!

Trish Forsyth Voss

It’s been reported that a large percentage of military, former military, and law enforcement types were arrested for participating in the Jan 6th Insurrection. Many of those extremists are members of Oath Keepers, Proud Boys & other militia-style groups. Over 80 people who were running for or served in public office have been identified since early August as election-deniers, being voted into significant offices. President Biden spoke on 9/1/22, in Philadelphia, the birthplace of our democracy, and spoke of the accomplishments FOR the American people, that Democrats, so far, have been able to advance, with little to no help from the GOP; and of the threats facing us as a country. He talked of the ‘new MAGA Republican extremists’, how they are NOT your father’s Republican party. “The MAGAs do not respect the Constitution, don’t believe in the rule of law, refuse to accept the results of free & fair elections, and don’t recognize the will of the people.” He alerted: “they are working to give power to decide elections, in state after state, to partisans & cronies, empowering election-deniers to undermine democracy, and are fanning the flames of political violence, which is a threat to our rule of law, our pursuit of justice, our peaceful transfer of power, and to the very soul of this country. They see their MAGA failure to stop the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election, as a preparation for the 2022 & 2024 elections.”

Biden cautioned, “MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards, where there’s no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love. MAGAs represent a clear & present danger to our democracy.” Biden advised, “We are at an inflection point, and Americans must choose to move Forward or go backwards, to build the future or to obsess over the past”. He asked Democrats, Independents & mainstream Republicans to “remember who are, and to come together to save American democracy, which can only endure if we respect the guardrails of our republic, and if ‘We The People’ accept the results of free & fair elections”. Biden admonished, “You can’t be pro-Insurrection, pro-violence, and pro-American; they are incompatible!” He warned that, “democracy is at stake; we’re in a continued battle for the Soul of our Nation”. He pledged, “I will defend our democracy with every fiber of my being!” Our president asks us, “What are you willing to do for Democracy?” VOTE BLUE!

Trish Forsyth Voss

The search warrant executed at former president Trump’s Florida residence Mar-A-Lago, was unprecedented, but so was the theft of 40-some boxes of classified documents taken by Trump & associates, and Trump’s failure to fully comply with a June subpoena to return all remaining government property improperly taken. Well, as far as most of us knew, the theft was unprecedented, then we learn that corrupt, former president, Richard Nixon, also absconded with boxes of government documents, having them sent to his San Clemente home, just before his forced-resignation, forced by his own party, in response to his corrupt acts. President Gerald Ford communicated with Nixon, getting him to agree to place all the materials taken in a large safe-deposit unit, which would only have two keys, one which he, Nixon, could retain, the other to be held by the National Archivists. Upon discovering this situation, Congress was aghast, and passed ‘The Presidential Records Act of 1978’, mandating the preservation of all presidential records to the National Archives.

Donald Trump admired president Nixon, wrote to Nixon, and the two struck up a winsome-correspondence during the 1980’s. Trump even adopted Nixon’s ‘Law and Order’ campaign slogan, and they had plenty in common, plenty of corrupt-tendencies, at least. Nixon wasn’t about Law & Order, neither was Trump; the ideology of law & order ‘for some groups’ just seems to play well with Americans. President Nixon & his friend, Bebe Rebozo, toured the ‘government owned’ Mar-A-Lago mansion & grounds on 7/7/1974, a month before he resigned his presidency on Aug 9, 1974. In another piece of irony, 8/8/1974, was the date president Nixon announced his impending resignation, which was televised (many of us remember viewing that); it was the 48th-year anniversary of Nixon’s announcement, when Trump’s Mar-A-Lago property was ‘raided’ by FBI agents to retrieve stolen govt-property. I will outline more parallels, at a later date, between the presidencies & personalities of Richard Nixon & Donald Trump.

In contrast, former president Dwight Eisenhower, when writing his presidential memoirs, “Going Home to Glory”, had to file a request from our government for EACH classified document he wanted to review, to make notes & confirm dates of events for his book. He had to travel to Fort Ritchie, where he’d meet with an officer, with briefcase handcuffed to his wrist, containing the documents that Eisenhower was permitted to review; the trusted, respected, former supreme Allied Commander had to read them in the presence of the officer, whom collected & returned them.

Trish Forsyth Voss

The month begins with several planetary alignments signaling a great transformation for humanity; the Uranus retrograde in Taurus that began on 8/24, continues with renewed momentum, as Uranus and the Moon’s north node conjunct the Taurus point of avatar, facilitates change. “The old, rigid structures and organized ways of being and perceiving the rules & regulations that have long been accepted will continue to crumble dramatically, breaking down systems, and ways of living & being in the world.” September begins with Venus in Leo, opposing Saturn in Aquarius; and all our relationships will show whether we can harmoniously align or whether we need to change or part ways. Energetic arrows are sent to us to assist humans “to flow with the energies & adjustments necessary to function, live and work in life-affirming ways”. Be receptive to the messages of the universe.

There is a full moon on Sept 10, in mid-Pisces, with Mercury retrograde occurring from Sept 10 to Oct 2, 2022, and a grand water trine with planetary alignments between Pisces, Scorpio & Cancer; passions & emotions may run high, causing some chaos. This full moon is a time for fully releasing many patterns, beliefs, & behaviors that no longer serve us well. Be mindful that we can ask our angels & guides to assist us each & everyday in expressing ourselves in the wisest & highest ways possible, for the best interest of the entire cosmos. Sept 22, brings a visionary equinox around the globe, wherein we can all access visions, messages & oracles regarding the shift in space/time. Be mindful of all relationships between Sept 20 – 22nd, and of sales pitches & manipulations, as this is a time of scams, strife & power struggles. Regressive frameworks will begin “dissolving, bringing about much shift and change in 3D time & space. Major shakeups, confusion and restructuring on a global scale — financially, economically, environmentally, and socially, may be influenced by humans as well as natural situations and circumstances”. Earth calamities may occur, affecting many people worldwide. New pathways are open to us, and we can ask to be guided into taking the correct actions for our soul purpose.

There is a new moon in Libra on Sept 25; intuitive wisdom of the Cosmic Mother is sent & available to all; healing & transformation of old wounds is possible for all timelines. Blocks & restraints are lifted off us, in proportion to our receptivity, and we are able to attract and receive abundant blessings. Release resistance, fear & limiting beliefs in order to step into these opportunities that come for us at this time. Being grateful for all we have received, and receptive to receiving more opens us up to miracles and an abundance of good in our everyday experiences. “Surrendering to our inner truth center and soul-heart path will draw energetically that which the soul-heart in love desires and thus bring in the seeming miracles.” Abundant blessings await our receptivity.

The above information was quoted or paraphrased from: Mary Elizabeth Hoffman, “Change is the Order of the Day”, magazine article, September 2022 issue, Sedona Journal of Emergence, with added commentary by Trish Forsyth Voss.

The FBI carried out a lawful search warrant on 8/8/22, at Mar-A-Lago, necessitated by Trump’s refusal to turn over highly-classified documents pertaining to nuclear capabilities; supposedly an informant close to the Mar-A-Lago residence & private club gave information on where precisely the extra 25 boxes of classified files, were being stored, which enabled DOJ to get a warrant. (FBI agents with a subpoena went to Mar-A-Lago in June, to retrieve top-secret govt-property, but Trump lied about having any more documents; 15 boxes were recovered in January). In normal Trumpian-style, Donald immediately came out on his website “Truth Social”, decrying his victimhood in a “Witch Hunt”, even claiming that FBI agents had surely planted evidence against him. LIES, LIES, LIES!

Records of nuclear weaponry, ours or others, are the MOST classified, top-secret docs, and cannot even be declassified by a U.S. president alone; it would have to be signed off by other govt-department officials; specific statutes govern the handling of classified information. Any other information that COULD be declassified by a current president, declassification would have to be properly recorded in accordance with U.S. law. I’m wondering what Trump may have done with this classified information in the last 18 months. Ironically Trump, when president, made ‘mishandling of classified information’ an offense punishable by 5 years, instead of the 1 year, the sentence held previously.

Trump allies, in the days following the search & seizure of our most sensitive secrets, have come out vehemently in Trump’s defense, blasting the FBI, calling this “an unprecedented search of a former president”, and in their fervor, were all but anointing Trump’s next 2024 run. They were demanding that DOJ, AG, Merrick Garland, make a statement to the nation telling us WHY this action was necessary, and to make public the search warrant, which Trump could have done at any point. Garland responded midweek, upholding the FBI, as honorable men & women, who constantly defend Americans from harm. In a chess-play extraordinaire, Garland, unsealed the ‘face of the search warrant’ & inventory receipts on 8/12. The ‘affidavit for probable cause’ was not unsealed at that time. Trump is now under investigation for violating ‘the Espionage Act’; each violation of which can incur a ten-year sentence.

The rise in domestic-violence threats & wild-rhetoric leads to attacks on Americans, such as the shootout on 8/11, with FBI agents and Ricky Shiffer, who shot at agents, and ended up dead, after posting on “Trump’s Truth Social site”, about killing FBI agents.

Trish Forsyth Voss

The GOP held their annual CPAC rally of activists, kooks & dangerous extremists, from August 4-6; their rallies escalate, getting crazier each year. Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, who took Hungary from a democracy to an autocracy, kicked off CPAC on 8/4, with his inflammatory statements such as, “The globalists can go to hell; I have come to Texas! Hungary is the Lone Star State of Europe.” Orban is a far-right, European racist & anti-Semite, who was enthusiastically applauded by Texans. What is this current fascination & embrace of authoritarianism in America all about? Evangelicals certainly espouse regressive regimes and hope to inflict their notions of Sharia-like law on Americans. White-nationalists, domestic-terrorists & ‘Trumpets’ are obsessively-chanting pro-civil-war remarks.

The old party of Ronnie Reagan & H.W. Bush barely resembles today’s ‘Insurrection Party’, as the current proponents make little pretense toward supporting any legislation that helps working Americans. Today’s GOP is wholly purchased, lock, stock & barrel, by the gun industry, and by large corporations, which want those legislators in their breast-pockets. There’s plenty of pretense on other issues though. Rafael Eduardo Cruz aka Ted Cruz was extremely theatrical as he spoke to CPAC attendees, likening himself as senator to a gladiator, “it’s like the old Roman Colosseum where you slam on a breastplate and you grab a battle-axe, and you fight the barbarians; and as they say in the military world, it’s a target-rich environment”. REALLY?! What message could he be trying to send with those words? Steve Bannon called Biden an “illegitimate imposter” and called for “4,000 shock-troops to be sent to dismantle Washington, brick by brick; there can be no half measures anymore; we are at war”. There were numerous other dark, militant speeches, inciting extremists upon a “MAGA warpath”. One attendee interviewed said she “was adamant, that IF Trump doesn’t win the presidency again in 2024, I will be praying to God to end it all”, as if from her mouth to God’s ear, HE would act on her deepest desire, that God would hit the ‘GAMEOVER’ button on us all.

In July 2022, a new political third-party was born here, with many former Republicans, Independents & centrists seeking common ground. The ‘Forward Party’ was cofounded by Andrew Yang, former New Jersey Governor, Christine Todd Whitman, and ex-Repub, David Jolly. The ‘Renew America Movement’ and ‘Serve America Movement’ merged with ‘Forward’, which claims a shared commitment to actually solving problems. ‘FORWARD’ was also a FDR poster-slogan; I know because I have one.

Trish Forsyth Voss

The Democratic Senate passed a significant bill on 8/7/22, the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’, after a 27-hour marathon session of debates, in a vote-a-rama, reconciliation process, where Democrats worked very hard to compromise, passing the Act with a tie-breaking vote by VP Harris; and wherein all Republican senators voted “NO” on all these measures for the American people. The House of Representatives plan on returning Friday to pass the huge bill, and send it to President Biden’s desk. The bill makes a historic down-payment on the federal deficit to fight inflation; it invests in domestic energy production & manufacturing, will reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030, which is slightly over 7 years from now. There are initiatives for clean energy, solar & other renewables; and tax-incentives & savings for utility companies, rate-payers & homeowners to switch to electricity to power their businesses, homes & vehicles.

The bill extends subsidies for 3 years for those with health coverage under ACA, and it allows Medicare to negotiate for price reductions for some pharmaceuticals, over the next several years, which will eventually save government money on Medicare spending. (The V.A. has been negotiating for lower drug prices for 3 decades for veterans.) This is a ten-year package of spending & tax cuts. Cooperation is the name of the game; we must do more, but this is the bill that we could get the diverse Democrat party to cooperate on and vote “YES” to.

In addition, with MUCH hard work, the bill closes some loopholes which had allowed large corporations to hide profits & avoid paying taxes; 55 companies paid no net federal taxes in 2020. Now many more corporations will have to pay at least a 15 percent tax rate, and the plan imposes a 1 percent tax on stock buybacks. This revenue will pay for some of the spending in the bill.

In less than 2 years, several of Biden’s big initiatives have passed: American Rescue Plan, for COVID relief; the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act; a Gun safety reform law; CHIPS (China competition) Act; reinstatement of the PACT Act, a veterans’ healthcare law, funding for veterans exposed to toxic substances during military services; and then there was the drone-strike on Al Qaeda chief, Ayman al-Zawahri, for icing on the ‘BFD’ cake! How can a president who has accomplished so much in less than 2 years have such a low approval-rating? 55% disapproval rating! I don’t get it. For those who love to proclaim, “GO BRANDON”, Brandon, like ‘Barry’, is a freaking rock-star!

Trish Forsyth Voss