Near sixty years on, and the shame of My Lai is still fresh. A president visiting to apologize for the massacre will never happen. I can think of only one man who might have been elected who would even consider it: John McCain.
Hopefully, this regime, capable of committing even worse crimes against humanity than My Lai
will soon end. Hopefully, men like Hugh Thompson will come forward and denounce Trump, Christian Nationalism, and Maga and America will finally understand the threat that confronts us. I find hope for a peaceful end to Trump’s regime in more frequent subtle and not so subtle criticisms of him and his administration in articles from various news services. Below are some examples from a Tribune News Service article I read this morning (8/26/25 p. A2) in my local newspaper, “The Daily Gazette,” headlined, “President suggests that Americans ‘like a dictator.’”
The article contains many awkward quotes from Trump that reveal his stupidity, authoritarian tendencies, and inconsistencies: Trump said “A lot of people are saying: ‘Maybe we like a dictator. I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense and a smart person.” The article goes on to state, “before winning a second term in November (he said) he would be a ‘dictator on day one.’”
Who are the people saying they like a dictator? Which “dictator” doesn’t Trump like? Is it Putin or Orban? Unlikely. Does he actually mean he doesn’t like dictators generally or is he referring to a specific dictator?
Following, is another example of a quote from the article that sounds so stupid and awkward we have to wonder if we are under the rule of an “idiocracy;” Trump said, “When I see what’s happening to our cities, and then you send them, and instead of being praised, They’re saying, ‘you’re trying to take over the Republic’. These people are sick.” It also reveals his need for constant praise and affirmation of his "greatness."
The article goes on to point out that Trump ignores SCOTUS decisions he doesn’t like. Sounds like a dictator who considers himself above the law to me. Trump signed “an executive order to investigate and prosecute people who burn the US flag—-despite a 1989 ruling by the Supreme Court saying the act is protected by freedom of speech laws.”
They write that he said “‘I love Black People’” before calling Abrego Garcia an “animal.” Saying “I love Black People,” is condescending and contrary to his past acts and statements clearly revealing a strong prejudice against people of color, Brown and Black.
Finally, there is this observation of Trump’s idiocy and rage, “Trump called his Democratic predecessor Biden a ‘moron’ and dismissed Vladimir Putin’s brutal 2022 invasion of Ukraine as being the result of ‘big personality conflicts.’” The latter observation reflects Trump’s inability to think deeply and seriously about world problems.
This was NOT on the editorial page and not presented as an opinion column! The interpretations and opinions expressed in the comment are mine.
I was a freshman in college at the time of the My Lai massacre. I was appalled and ashamed at the time, and I am equally appalled and ashamed by the actions being taken today in the name of the United States government. I wish that the protests today would be as loud as they were back then!
As usual, Steve provides more info on My Lai than I remember. I was 12 at the time and vaguely remember hearing about it on Huntley/Brinkley News on NBC. I don't remember them talking about rape and mutilation. I remember it just being a few guys that killed maybe a dozen or so in a ditch. All the info Steve brings out was not disclosed back then. Only Calley was in trouble, his soldiers were "just following orders" from what I recall of the time. Thanks for providing more horrible details we needed to know back then!
Wait … isn’t ‘controlling the means of production’ the actual definition of SOCIALISM? Where’s the screaming and shouting that should be emanating from the actual conservatives/republicans?
I want to know how the 10% and the rest of the taxpayer dollars not being spent on saving lives, feeding people, research, etc is being divided among the prez and his lackeys.
Steve, this piece was tough to read. I remember when the news of the massacre broke, the jingoistic “rallies for Calley,” and the shameful travesty of justice that followed. Back then it felt like America was being torn apart. I can only hope that there are still individuals in our National Guard and military with the courage and integrity of a Hugh Thompson, who will act, if, God forbid, need be.
Is the Colin Powell mentioned in this great article the same one who in the 2000 election went with the well-known draft-dodger/war-monger "W" Bush, and then lied to the world about "nukes in Iraq"? Just asking.
My apologies. My post is totally off topic, but the matter is urgent. I recommend that everyone peruse Dr. Angela Rasmussen's most recent Substack essay "What Vaccines Can I Get This Fall?" [August 26, 2025]. (Dr. Rasmussen, as you know, is a preeminent virologist and a member of the Save America Movement steering committee.) Her essay is a sobering analysis of the current state of America's immunization program, which this so-called administration is systemically dismantling (with a hatchet!). Dr. Rasmussen urges readers to take advantage of vaccines while they still can. She writes, "There is a very strong likelihood that some of these vaccines won’t be available next year [...] A future without these vaccines is bleak."
Trump is a distraction. We have lost focus on the people who elected him — and equally as terrible — the politicians and minions advancing an evil agenda that seeks to enslave women and the less fortunate.
Beautifully written and heartbreaking 💔 I'm terrified of tRump and what he will do. I used to say this isn't what our country is like but I'm wrong. We are the worst and the best and right now we're fucked 💔
This is an example of the history that the regime wants to bury. Sadly, there is a long and sordid history of seemingly good people brutalizing the “others” amongst us. Yet it is heartening to realize there are still those among us who will run toward the fire and demonstrate a profile in courage.
Within a Jewish or Christian context, these words take on a more, or rather, most, serious coloration.
The words should never, never be used lightly.
“I Am”: these are two words, in short, that claim the divine.
Few phrases carry the charge of “I am.”
In Exodus God’s reply to Moses—often rendered “I am that I am”—declares self‑existence; in the Fourth Gospel the Greek ἐγώ εἰμι (“I am”) becomes the language by which Jesus signals more than identity: he claims divine presence and prerogative.
John uses two registers.
Predicative sayings—“I am the bread of life,” “the light of the world,” “the true vine”—link Jesus’ person to salvific functions; by asserting roles only God could fulfill, they imply divine status.
The absolute, unqualified “I am” (e.g., John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am”) is the Gospel’s most charged moment. Narrative cues—the shocked reactions, attempts to stone him—invite readers to hear an echo of Exodus and to treat the utterance as a claim to YHWH‑like being.
Greek ἐγώ εἰμι can be merely idiomatic (“it is I”), but John exploits that ambiguity: context, scriptural resonance, and interlocutors’ responses convert some instances into overt divine self‑identification.
Theologically, these sayings anchor John’s high Christology, portraying Jesus as preexistent, life‑giving, and uniquely one with the Father.
Scholars debate whether the sayings reflect historical speech or St. John’s theological shaping.
Regardless, the evangelist intends readers to perceive more than a pious metaphor: “I am” is a revelatory claim that stages a human voice as the locus of divine being.
Two words.
Two words.
They are compact and performative, and they force a decision—whether to accept a man’s word as God’s name.
Near sixty years on, and the shame of My Lai is still fresh. A president visiting to apologize for the massacre will never happen. I can think of only one man who might have been elected who would even consider it: John McCain.
Hopefully, this regime, capable of committing even worse crimes against humanity than My Lai
will soon end. Hopefully, men like Hugh Thompson will come forward and denounce Trump, Christian Nationalism, and Maga and America will finally understand the threat that confronts us. I find hope for a peaceful end to Trump’s regime in more frequent subtle and not so subtle criticisms of him and his administration in articles from various news services. Below are some examples from a Tribune News Service article I read this morning (8/26/25 p. A2) in my local newspaper, “The Daily Gazette,” headlined, “President suggests that Americans ‘like a dictator.’”
The article contains many awkward quotes from Trump that reveal his stupidity, authoritarian tendencies, and inconsistencies: Trump said “A lot of people are saying: ‘Maybe we like a dictator. I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense and a smart person.” The article goes on to state, “before winning a second term in November (he said) he would be a ‘dictator on day one.’”
Who are the people saying they like a dictator? Which “dictator” doesn’t Trump like? Is it Putin or Orban? Unlikely. Does he actually mean he doesn’t like dictators generally or is he referring to a specific dictator?
Following, is another example of a quote from the article that sounds so stupid and awkward we have to wonder if we are under the rule of an “idiocracy;” Trump said, “When I see what’s happening to our cities, and then you send them, and instead of being praised, They’re saying, ‘you’re trying to take over the Republic’. These people are sick.” It also reveals his need for constant praise and affirmation of his "greatness."
The article goes on to point out that Trump ignores SCOTUS decisions he doesn’t like. Sounds like a dictator who considers himself above the law to me. Trump signed “an executive order to investigate and prosecute people who burn the US flag—-despite a 1989 ruling by the Supreme Court saying the act is protected by freedom of speech laws.”
They write that he said “‘I love Black People’” before calling Abrego Garcia an “animal.” Saying “I love Black People,” is condescending and contrary to his past acts and statements clearly revealing a strong prejudice against people of color, Brown and Black.
Finally, there is this observation of Trump’s idiocy and rage, “Trump called his Democratic predecessor Biden a ‘moron’ and dismissed Vladimir Putin’s brutal 2022 invasion of Ukraine as being the result of ‘big personality conflicts.’” The latter observation reflects Trump’s inability to think deeply and seriously about world problems.
This was NOT on the editorial page and not presented as an opinion column! The interpretations and opinions expressed in the comment are mine.
I was a freshman in college at the time of the My Lai massacre. I was appalled and ashamed at the time, and I am equally appalled and ashamed by the actions being taken today in the name of the United States government. I wish that the protests today would be as loud as they were back then!
As usual, Steve provides more info on My Lai than I remember. I was 12 at the time and vaguely remember hearing about it on Huntley/Brinkley News on NBC. I don't remember them talking about rape and mutilation. I remember it just being a few guys that killed maybe a dozen or so in a ditch. All the info Steve brings out was not disclosed back then. Only Calley was in trouble, his soldiers were "just following orders" from what I recall of the time. Thanks for providing more horrible details we needed to know back then!
My text sounds like I don't care but I should have written it with more respect than I did.
Wait … isn’t ‘controlling the means of production’ the actual definition of SOCIALISM? Where’s the screaming and shouting that should be emanating from the actual conservatives/republicans?
I want to know how the 10% and the rest of the taxpayer dollars not being spent on saving lives, feeding people, research, etc is being divided among the prez and his lackeys.
Steve, this piece was tough to read. I remember when the news of the massacre broke, the jingoistic “rallies for Calley,” and the shameful travesty of justice that followed. Back then it felt like America was being torn apart. I can only hope that there are still individuals in our National Guard and military with the courage and integrity of a Hugh Thompson, who will act, if, God forbid, need be.
Is the Colin Powell mentioned in this great article the same one who in the 2000 election went with the well-known draft-dodger/war-monger "W" Bush, and then lied to the world about "nukes in Iraq"? Just asking.
Yep
My apologies. My post is totally off topic, but the matter is urgent. I recommend that everyone peruse Dr. Angela Rasmussen's most recent Substack essay "What Vaccines Can I Get This Fall?" [August 26, 2025]. (Dr. Rasmussen, as you know, is a preeminent virologist and a member of the Save America Movement steering committee.) Her essay is a sobering analysis of the current state of America's immunization program, which this so-called administration is systemically dismantling (with a hatchet!). Dr. Rasmussen urges readers to take advantage of vaccines while they still can. She writes, "There is a very strong likelihood that some of these vaccines won’t be available next year [...] A future without these vaccines is bleak."
Horrific.
Just a little reminder that it only takes a handful of key people to day NO, THIS IS WRONG AND WE WONT STSND FOR IT.
We need to persist with our protests and try to stop this crooked administration.
I don't believe there are currently a handful Republicans ready to stand up for the country
(they're not really Republicans, they are sheep, the Republican party really doesn't exist anymore, they simply hijacked it)
Great piece
Trump is a distraction. We have lost focus on the people who elected him — and equally as terrible — the politicians and minions advancing an evil agenda that seeks to enslave women and the less fortunate.
Beautifully written and heartbreaking 💔 I'm terrified of tRump and what he will do. I used to say this isn't what our country is like but I'm wrong. We are the worst and the best and right now we're fucked 💔
This is an example of the history that the regime wants to bury. Sadly, there is a long and sordid history of seemingly good people brutalizing the “others” amongst us. Yet it is heartening to realize there are still those among us who will run toward the fire and demonstrate a profile in courage.
Within a Jewish or Christian context, these words take on a more, or rather, most, serious coloration.
The words should never, never be used lightly.
“I Am”: these are two words, in short, that claim the divine.
Few phrases carry the charge of “I am.”
In Exodus God’s reply to Moses—often rendered “I am that I am”—declares self‑existence; in the Fourth Gospel the Greek ἐγώ εἰμι (“I am”) becomes the language by which Jesus signals more than identity: he claims divine presence and prerogative.
John uses two registers.
Predicative sayings—“I am the bread of life,” “the light of the world,” “the true vine”—link Jesus’ person to salvific functions; by asserting roles only God could fulfill, they imply divine status.
The absolute, unqualified “I am” (e.g., John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am”) is the Gospel’s most charged moment. Narrative cues—the shocked reactions, attempts to stone him—invite readers to hear an echo of Exodus and to treat the utterance as a claim to YHWH‑like being.
Greek ἐγώ εἰμι can be merely idiomatic (“it is I”), but John exploits that ambiguity: context, scriptural resonance, and interlocutors’ responses convert some instances into overt divine self‑identification.
Theologically, these sayings anchor John’s high Christology, portraying Jesus as preexistent, life‑giving, and uniquely one with the Father.
Scholars debate whether the sayings reflect historical speech or St. John’s theological shaping.
Regardless, the evangelist intends readers to perceive more than a pious metaphor: “I am” is a revelatory claim that stages a human voice as the locus of divine being.
Two words.
Two words.
They are compact and performative, and they force a decision—whether to accept a man’s word as God’s name.
Take care, any who would use these words lightly.