This tragic shooting, of two National Guard members in D.C., didn’t have to happen.
But when you threaten thousands of refugees and say that you want to send them back to Afghanistan, one of them might snap. And when you shut down the Refugee program so that they lose any hope of bringing their family members who are still in Afghanistan, one of them might snap. And when you stop issuing visas to anyone from their country, one of them might snap. And when you terrorize American cities and states with armed soldiers so that it looks more like the war-torn Afghanistan they fled than like America, one of them might snap. And when you shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, stop funding violence prevention programs, stop enforcing our gun laws, and allow guns to spread like wildfire, one of them might snap and find a gun.
That makes you responsible for this tragedy. It would not have happened but for your misguided actions and failures, as our President. Our President who doesn’t even care.
[sent to White House Nov. 28, 2025]
U.S. Army Soldiers from the District of Columbia National Guard position vehicles outside Union Station in D.C. as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, Joint Task Force District of Columbia on Aug. 15, 2025. Approximately 800 National Guard service members comprise JTF-DC to support the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. These National Guard service members provide critical support such as crowd management, presence patrols and perimeter control in support of law enforcement. D.C. Guard Soldiers and Airmen are proud to say, “we live here, we work here, we serve here.”. (U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Tech Sgt. Andrew Enriquez, 113th Wing)
Happy with Trump’s sadistic brand of fascism, his corruption, his thoroughly unqualified appointees, and the devastation he has brought to our government, our economy, our national security and our health and safety, OR
Not happy with these travesties but just plain bewildered or terrified of doing or saying anything against him.
**You decide which one is true, and let me know once you’ve decided.
Sincerely, Chuck Redman
P.S. My Dad was from South Dakota. He was a Republican. I shudder to think what he would have thought of your “leadership”.
[sent to the above Senator and others Oct 31, 2025]
On March 15, 2025, Donald Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation titled “Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua”
The Proclamation asserted that the TdA (Tren de Aragua) is “based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking.” The Proclamation ordered various actions, particularly detention and removal, against “all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older” who are members of TdA and are in the U.S. without permanent status.
The Trump administration itself thereby acknowledged that TdA members could be as young as 14, and that the gang engages in human trafficking.
Beginning on or about September 2, 2025, the U.S. military has aerially firebombed at least seven vessels in the Caribbean, alleging that the boats were South American drug smugglers heading to the United States. The attacks killed upwards of two dozen individuals. How could the U.S. have known for sure that those boats were involved in anything illegal? But even if they were gang-operated, those boats that were fireballed by U.S. forces may have contained innocent victims of human trafficking. In addition, some of the murdered gang members themselves may have been juveniles as young as 14, possibly themselves victims of duress or trafficking.
Even the summary execution of adult drug smugglers is murder, under U.S. and international law. How much more unlawful and immoral is the murder of innocent victims of human trafficking or the summary execution of adolescent gang members?
(Note: The Presidential Proclamation, by its own terms, did not apply to international waters, and did not explicitly authorize the use of lethal force.)
If you agree that the U.S. may have committed murder under international or domestic law, please sign my petition to the U.S. Congress for a full investigation of these deadly and unprecedented attacks: https://c.org/HkTRmn9Nsv Thank you.
We know that Trump is corrupt, but what does that mean? “Corruption” is kind of a vague term. But specifically, it can include some things that are dishonest that aren’t technically illegal, AND it can definitely include quite a few things that are TOTALLY illegal.
The CRIMES of corruption include: Bribery, Extortion, Fraud, Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Theft (including Theft of Personal Identity Information), Embezzlement, Money Laundering, Racketeering, Insider Trading, Perjury, Witness Tampering, Obstruction of Justice, Contempt, and Conspiracy. It can also include crimes of violence. (Please sign and share my petition at: https://chng.it/jdMDPC44hT )
Trump has done many of these things, even in just the last few months. None of these crimes are “official or core duties” of the President. These are his “extracurricular” activities. There is no immunity for such criminal enterprises. He can, and hopefully will, be brought to justice when circumstances catch up with him. Americans don’t like corruption. Especially when they find out all the sordid little things that are part of it.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” — It’s called INNUENDO. Trump and his cronies have perfected the art of mafia-style innuendo. But we know that implied threats are just as real, and just as illegal, as the more prosaic variety.
Our Courts understand the criminal intent behind such innuendo. Section 2905.11(A)(6), Ohio Revised Code: “”Threat” includes a direct threat and a threat by innuendo.” Therefore, he who threatens by subtle means will be punished just as surely as he who lacks a poetic bent. And both will be punished in no uncertain terms.
No, Comrade Trump, President Zelenskyy cannot end the war, because he didn’t start it. Putin started it, he’s the only one who can end it if he wants. And you haven’t done a single thing to stop Putin or make him end this war. You are basically complicit in Putin’s crimes.
I’m not sure about now, but in the past the L.A. County Jail cooperated with ICE in the following way: ICE Deportation officers could review the lists of County Jail inmates and could interview any inmates who were foreign-born to determine if they were deportable for being unlawfully present or for their criminal convictions. If the Deportation Officer determined they were deportable, an immigration hold would be placed on them so that, when their County custody ends, they would be turned over to ICE and placed in Deportation (Removal) proceedings. They would have a case before an Immigration Judge, and would have all the due process rights set by statute, including the right to hire counsel, the right (in most cases) to request bond or release, and the right to a full adversarial Deportation hearing. If they are not proven to be deportable, or if they have a valid claim to some form of lawful status, then they will be allowed to remain lawfully in the United States. If they lose their case, they have the right to appeal.
The system was very fair and orderly. Our agency (DHS/ICE) only sought to enforce the immigration laws fairly and objectively, and to see that justice was done. If we believed that the decision should be in the alien’s favor, we would so inform the Immigration Judge, and generally the Judge would defer to our recommendation.
Under the above system, it made sense for the County Jail to cooperate with the Immigration authorities. But today, our federal Immigration agencies have been politicized and some individuals in the agencies are acting in corrupt and lawless ways. I don’t believe that state and local law enforcement should assist the federal authorities who engage in such lawless conduct. Local law enforcement should abide by the Constitution and laws, even if federal agencies do not.
Donald Trump didn’t invent corruption, but he has normalized it to new heights of flagrancy and impunity. This was easy for him because he has no shame, he enjoys being a villain, he enjoys shocking people, and our political system had been growing more and more corrupt every year even before he discovered it to be the ultimate money machine. The corruption will grow, and grow, and grow, until we the people throw them all out of office. And in jail.
That is so great that you are going to turn Mar-a-Lago and all your other golf courses and properties into residential developments for 100,000 or more Gaza refugees, while you rebuild their land for them, as you promised. That is really nice of you to make that personal sacrifice.
And that’s so nice of Elon Musk to promise to pay for a brand new Gaza. Although that will cost him 200 billion, he will still have 250 billion left to live on. You can stay with him on the weekends if you get bored in the White House. He will probably let you look at the plans for the Gaza Beach Trump Resort and Golf Course. Oh—just make sure he has a plan for excavating all the human remains of dead Gazans before landscaping the golf courses and planting the fairways and putting greens.
It is so cool and so fun being the richest guy in the world. And did I mention being cool? I mean, I got to sway an entire election with my money and my influencer stuff. What a gas. It’s like I snap my fingers and presto change-o, my guy wins the whole contest. And now I get to hobnob with all the big shots. That’s a trip, dude. I mean, I can tank any bill or policy just by making a few mildly threatening phone calls or a few tweets, no biggies. And I’m like a total new kid on the block, only I bought the block and everybody on it.
And I’m basically top gun. I got the whole country in the palm of my hand. What a rush, man. I’m having the time of my life. It’s the coolest thing ever.
I cut the little loose thread on the sleeve of my hoodie. It’s a cool morning and I put the sweatshirt on as soon as I got up. I really shouldn’t have bothered, it probably wouldn’t have unravelled and even if it had I’ve got other sweatshirts.
But what, I thought, if I have to make a run for it when they come for me and the sweatshirt I have on is all the bed or blanket I will have for months, or maybe years, of desperate flight. Because maybe they won’t come after people who speak up against them like they insinuate, but maybe they will. Maybe they will be as vindictive and ugly as all the stuff they said in their campaign. And we can’t afford loose threads when we’re racing to outrun fascism.
Maybe this talk is absurd, maybe I’m loonier than they are. How paranoid is it sane to be?
We’re going to need heroes. A whole lot of them. We had some last time, after what happened four years ago. But we’re going to need more this time. Thousands of heroes, maybe millions.
We had Michael Fanone and Aquilino Gonell and Harry Dunn and Caroline Edwards. We had Rusty Bowers and Cassidy Hutchinson. We had Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. We had Brad Raffensperger and Gabriel Sterling. We had B.J. Pak and Al Schmidt and Chris Stirewalt. We had Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. We had Mike Pence. Heroes all. There were unsung heroes, too. We don’t know their names. But we’ll need more this time.
We’ll need generals who remain loyal to their oath and the American people, not to one man in an Oval Office. We’ll need soldiers and police officers and government agents who refuse to carry out unlawful orders intended to punish the innocent or violate civil rights. We’ll need lawyers and trial judges and appeals court judges and Supreme Court Justices who follow the law, not the dictates of an oppressive regime. We’ll need scientists and teachers who spread truth, not superstition or prejudice or illusion or fabrication. We’ll need representatives and senators who work for the common good, not special interests or personal gain or the advantage of one party or faction. We’ll need heroes.
We’ll need all fair-minded Americans to step up. Speak up and stand up, to do the right thing, to say no to hate and cruelty and greed and injustice. Heroes all. We need all of us. We all need all of us. We can be heroes. Together we can be.
An Attorney General needs three basic qualities. She or he needs to be a leader. Someone who has the maturity, temperament and expertise to run the world’s foremost law enforcement agency, from preliminary investigation to complex litigation.
She or he needs to be respected. He needs to be respected by his vast workforce, which includes the agents of the FBI, ATF and DEA, Immigration Judges, U.S. Attorneys, subject-matter attorneys in all areas of federal law, Bureau of Prisons, and officers responsible for monitoring sex offenders and preventing Violence Against Women. He needs to be respected by the federal bench, before whom his Department will appear and argue its cases, if the interests of the United States are to be effectively prosecuted or defended. He needs to be respected by opposing parties and opposing counsel. This includes opposing parties who are foreign states and foreign nationals who may be subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
Finally, the Attorney General needs to have personal and professional integrity. Just like a Justice of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General must be beyond reproach in terms of integrity. There must be no trace of bias or personal interest in any of his words or actions. He must serve only the interests of the American people and their Constitution and laws.
Can we say, with a straight face, that the person whom President-elect Trump wants to be our next Attorney General possesses any of these three qualities? Rarely has a negative answer to such a question been so embarrassingly obvious.
Saw my therapist yesterday. She gave me some very important political advice. That guy, the one who’s going to be moving himself and his ego into the White House in January. His whole purpose is to crush our spirits so that we’ll just lie down and give up, and then he can do whatever mischief he wants to do without any resistance. And then he’ll have really won.
But he’s a bully and a coward, and if we stand up to him tall and loud and proud, he will lose his cool and he will be on the defensive and his silly sycophants will start edging away from him and there is no way he will be able to do all those sick, destructive things he talked about doing. And then we will have won, in a way that he, in his moral emptiness, could never understand.
There will always be uneducated, uninformed or easily-misguided voters. But there will not always be a Trump base: sixty million Americans who not only can stomach a racist, misogynist predator but actually like that brand of filth. You see, the guy has a rare talent, he knows how to exploit a certain human character flaw. It’s the rotten part of our soul that loves to hurt others and he exploits it for everything he can get.
We would like to think that our civilized society would discourage those impulses, but in this case civilization has failed. A guy came along who has lived his whole life by those savage tendencies and knows exactly how to awaken them in others. Hence, we have a terrible, terrible specimen of our species as President-elect, a man who would, and will, sell his country to the highest bidder. The “hope” is that, when the next reactionary demagogue comes along, he won’t be quite as talented as this one.
There’s a certain thing in so many of his supporters. It’s way down deep in their gut, they don’t even know it’s there. But it’s there. It’s a mean little sadistic thing. It likes when he talks dirty. It likes when he targets innocent groups. It likes the idea of blaming and punishing someone else for all the problems. It likes being part of a mob and getting a vicarious thrill out of all the venom. It’s an ugly smoldering thing. And without it fascist demagogues would never win elections. And it makes me sick to my stomach.
Prosecutorial discretion can be a complicated thing. It can get really complicated when the suspect is a person by the name of Donald Trump.
In the wake of Trump’s Impeachment trial, state and federal prosecutors are now in the spotlight. They need to weigh all kinds of factors, including the nature and gravity of the offenses, and various policy considerations. Prosecutors decide whether charges should be filed and what particular charges should be included. Once charges are filed, there are myriad discretionary decisions that will be made about how to conduct the case.
Today, the Senate failed to convict him of the Impeachment charge, but Donald Trump is still suspected of committing a wide range of criminal offenses, from Tax Fraud, to Conspiracy to Interfere with an Election, to Seditious Conspiracy Against the United States, and even aiding and abetting the Murder of a Capitol Hill police officer. So he is still subject to criminal prosecution in the courts, and the crimes themselves are about as serious as serious gets.
Mitigating circumstances? It is hard to imagine that Donald Trump, rich, powerful, Commander-in-Chief, had any mitigating excuses for these crimes that are under investigation.
How about policy considerations. This is where it gets really complicated. At first glance, that is. Prosecutors have the simultaneous duties to enforce the criminal laws and see that justice is done. But they have the inherent discretion to take other factors into account. So, when Donald Trump is the potential criminal defendant, the policy factors they need to take into account have national and international significance. On the one hand, they might worry that trying Donald Trump for serious crimes could cause a violent backlash. They might conclude that prosecuting him would somehow lead to more human suffering than it would prevent.
On the other hand, they must consider what effect it would have if Trump were never held accountable, what would that do to our principle that no one is above the law. How would such impunity affect our democracy, how might it embolden other would-be tyrants? How would it influence the opinions or actions of other nations? If Trump is able to escape justice through his personal status or his connections, could it have possibly devastating effects on our nation’s morale? Our country is already suffering from inequalities based on race, religion, gender, and other social factors.
If Trump evades prosecution and punishment, will he not continue to pose a threat to our democratic political system, and to our national security? Those are concerns which the House Impeachment Managers emphasized zealously.
Can Donald Trump get a fair trial in the criminal courts? That is a policy question that has to be looked at as well. But the Courts provide due process, including procedures for selecting an appropriate venue and a fair jury. He will enjoy all the constitutional rights of any criminal defendant.
Finally, prosecutors can and should consider humanitarian factors. Has the suspect already suffered enough? Is he remorseful, has he demonstrated that he is motivated to atone for his crimes, to repay society for the harm he has done? Is he using his words, actions, or resources to make the world a better, safer place? Did he appear at his Impeachment trial and admit what he had done and show that he has learned from his mistakes? Were there ever questions that deserved a more resounding “No” than these crucial questions in the context of Donald Trump’s behavior?
Prosecutors will have to make their own discretionary choices. We hope that they will exercise their authority wisely. It is not easy being a prosecutor and figuring out what is the right thing to do, in every case. I don’t envy them dealing with the pressure of having to sort out all the positives and negatives of prosecuting Donald Trump. But I think we will see them do the right thing. I think we will see some degree of justice achieved. That is an achievement that all rational Americans should desire and support. And rational thinking is what this country needs right now, more than anything, from all its citizens.
“Mr. Doe, you’re a U.S. Senator and a loyal Trump supporter, is that correct?”
“I stand with the President 100%.”
“And you agree with Mr. Trump that the election was somehow rigged against him?”
“It most certainly was.”
“What would it take to satisfy you that the election was free and fair?”
“Well, there would have to be a full investigation of every allegation of fraud.”
“Well, Sir, state election officials have done those investigations and found no fraud. The U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have also found no fraud. And the Courts have reviewed Mr. Trump’s claims and found no evidence of fraud. So doesn’t that address all your concerns, Senator?”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“I see. So what WOULD satisfy you that the election was free and fair?”
“Well I don’t know, there has to be proof that there wasn’t any hanky-panky going on.”
“What kind of proof?”
“How should I know, I don’t work in the election office. I’m a Senator.”
“So you’re saying that the people running the election are the ones who would know the actual facts.”
“Of course, that’s just basic horse sense.”
“And those officials have all confirmed the accuracy and fairness of the election, correct?”
“They said it, but they could be wrong.”
“All the state and local election officials across the country could be wrong? And you think you and Mr. Trump are right.”
“Yes I do.”
“And that’s based on . . ?”
“I told you, the election was rigged, there was fraud everywhere.”
“Senator, you’re up for re-election in 2022. Why should the people of your state send you back to Washington in two years?”
“The people of my state know I have always done everything humanly possible to improve their lives in every way.”
“Uh-huh. How much Covid relief for families, workers and small businesses are you voting for, Senator?”
“Well, we’ll have to see about that. This Covid thing has been way overblown. Very few people have died, it’s nowhere near as bad as what the . . .”
“Are you all right, Senator?”
“Yeah I just got a little dizzy there. Feels like there’s a weight or something on my chest, all of a sudden.”
“Gee that’s a deep cough you have there, Senator. How long have you had that?”
“Just the last couple hours, I . . .”
“Senator, the video output of your computer is a little blurry, but you don’t look so good. Do you have someone there who could take your temperature?”
“My wife Elaine is here but she’s in bed. She’s had the worst cold all day, can barely breathe.”
“Senator, my network is gonna call 9-1-1 for you. Okay?”
“9-1-1?”
“Yes, you know. One of those public services that you’re always saying will take us down the road to socialism.”
“I hardly know the lady.”
“Sir, she’s your wife, she’s the First Lady of the United States because she’s married to you.”
“Can you prove that ridiculous allegation? I don’t see any evidence.”
“Mr. President, you’ve been married to Melania for many years. You have a child together. She’s traveled all over the world with you.”
“You see, this is exactly what I’m talking about. You liberal media guys are just mouthpieces for the Democrats.”
“Mr. President, I’m with The National Review.”
“Yeah? Well I don’t like smart alecks. Sit down and shut up or I’ll take your White House press pass away. You there, with the big cross and the NRA cap. What’s your question?”
“Mr. President, I interviewed you and Mrs. Trump just last month. My paper gave your campaign a big check and a special commemorative assault rifle. When Mrs. Trump said she’s afraid of guns you pulled the trigger just to show her it wasn’t loaded. The problem is, Mr. President, now you say you barely know her and, uh, it kinda, you know, makes my paper look bad.”
“What the—”
“Mr. President, are you trying to distance yourself from Mrs. Trump because of—”
“I didn’t call on you, you’re very rude and out of—”
“—because of her statement today that she’s worried about you, that you’ve been talking Russian in your sleep and—”
“Security, I want that woman removed from this—”
“—and that you’ve been choking your pillow and calling out Rudy Giuliani’s name?”
“I don’t know that Giuliani guy. I think I saw him once at one of my country clubs, he was trespassing and double bogeyed the tenth hole.”
“Sir, over here Sir. In 2016 you said you would jump off your penthouse balcony if Melania asked you to, that’s how much you love and depend on her.”
“I never said that. Melania who?”
“Nice try, Mr. President. Every network has news footage of you saying that, Sir, and giving her a big sloppy kiss right afterwards.”
“It’s fake. They used computer tricks.”
“Mr. Trump, the whole world is watching this news conference as we speak. Do you realize that you are destroying any shred of credibility that you might still have had left?”
“That’s right, Mr. Trump, you can’t deny what the whole world sees and hears and what these cameras preserve for the record.”
“You guys think you’re so smart. Well how do I know that this is really me talking? How do I know that some Democratic conspiracy hasn’t built a fake me and put him up here at this podium to say things that make no sense? Maybe this whole room is a fake. Maybe all of you are hoaxes. Maybe you’re all holograms. Maybe the whole government is a hologram. Which means I’m a hologram. Which means I’m not the me that said that I’m me because I’m the me that someone else said was me before they realized that I’m a lot smarter me than that other me and I’m also twice as rich as that other me, and a hell of a lot better looking or why else would all those magazines and TV shows keep flashing my picture everywhere and why else would all those sexy broads keep flirting with me and make me do things that only a hologram could do and maybe I should ask for a better hologram, one with better hair, although really my hair is perfect, it was a perfect haircut, it was a beautiful haircut, there was nothing wrong with that haircut, there was no quid pro quo for any kind of investigation into anyone else’s haircut. Speaking of investigations, did you ever notice that it begins with the word ‘invest’? If they didn’t want rich people to own investigations and make money from them, they should have called them something else. Am I right? Any suggestions? Why do I see holograms wearing D.C. Department of Mental Health uniforms? Why are they coming towards me and smiling like Newt Gingrich? Why is Mike Pence coming towards me. Did you ever see a hologram with such a ridiculous smile?”
Now we know what Trump and Putin were talking about in their private meeting in Helsinki. Space Wars. Maybe they already have a board game designed and the whole summit was set up so they could try it out without anyone looking over their shoulders. Maybe they had a couple of those lightsabers from last year’s Star Wars convention and were jousting all over Gothic Hall in Helsinki’s Presidential Palace while their highly-paid advisors were standing outside in the hallways looking lost.
Because if Trump is so gung-ho about creating a Space Force, a sixth branch of the military, you better believe Putin is just as gung-ho about the plan. What better way for the two bullies to distract attention from real issues, award giant contracts to their friends in the military arms industry, and, at the same time, have a heck of a lot of fun acting out their science fiction fantasies.
Nevermind that our space programs already have cost billons and billions of dollars with little real benefit to our struggling species here on earth. Nevermind that we already have plenty of terrestrial wars and genocides and terrorist attacks to keep us busy day and night just adding up the number of deaths of innocent victims.
Maybe Trump will appoint William Shatner as Commander of the Space Force and Harrison Ford as Chief of Star Battles. On second thought, he’ll probably appoint his sons. Their birthdays are coming up.
Chuck Redman 