March 29, 2026 (Vol. 20 No. 13) - Millions and millions of Americans took to the streets yesterday in support of democracy. In fact, protesting is one of the most pro-democracy things one can do. We live in a country where First Amendment rights to speak freely and to redress our grievances against the government are revered. I attended one of the No Kings rallies yesterday in Lawrence, Kansas. It had an almost festive atmosphere. However, the message my fellow citizens and I delivered was deadly serious: Donald Trump's descent into autocracy with congressional republicans' blind adherence to their dear leader is the greatest threat American Democracy has ever known. This is the time to make our voices heard in the halls of government, the streets of our towns and cities, and in the voting booths. The good news is that the Lyin' King and the members of his Turd Reich have never been more unpopular than they are now. And considering the current trend of public opinion ratings, Metamucilini's numbers will likely go lower. However, Democrats should not take anything for granted. General Liesenhower has shown a willingness to do anything to change the subject - even go to war. There is also the very real threat that he will try to "fix" and possibly cancel November's midterm elections to maintain power. I find Flabio's conduct of the war with Iran especially troubling. It is plain to see that the only strategy he had going into this debacle is to "blow stuff up." While I have no problem administering a beat-down on the Iranian terrorist regime, we needed to more clearly define our goals, explain them to the American people, and gain congressional approval before the first bomb was dropped. Despite the heavy damage and casualties the U.S. has inflicted upon the Islamic Republic, there are troubling signs this weekend that the war is widening. God help us if Uncle Scam decides we need the proverbial "boots on the ground." It seems we haven't learned the lessons of Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. As Pete Seeger once put it, it won't be long before we are Neck Deep in the Big Muddy. It is always easier to start a war than end one. The war was among dozens of reasons me and my fellow Americans took to the streets yesterday. It is not only our right, but our solemn duty to oppose Dictator Tot and to help reenforce the sacred American values of equality, truth and justice for all. As in the quotation widely attributed to British politician Edmund Burke,, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.

March 25, 2026 (Vol. 20 No. 12) - Hope springs eternal - especially if you are a baseball fan. And the more things changed, the more they stay the same. And that's the real charm of baseball.

The Major League Baseball season officially opens tonight with the New York Yankees visiting the San Francisco Giants in a game being telecast on Netflix. For the streaming platform, it's a first. Netflix joins ESPN and MLB.com in this nontraditional distribution approach, as will Peacock later this season. There's a new television contract this year, one that spreads the grand old game over a number of networks, including Fox and NBC. Things are also different for local broadcasters, but for a less positive reason. The failure of the a major distribution network has left several MLB franchises scrambling to find a television home for their games. If you are wondering where your favorite MLB team's games are being broadcast, click here.

Much is being made of the introduction of the ABS (Automated Balls and Strikes) system this season. Through the use of sophisticated radar imaging, an umpire's balls/strike call can be challenged. MLB is limiting each team to two challenges per game. Only pitchers, catchers and batters can challenge the call, and it must be done immediately. From what I have seen during the preseason, the system works very well. There isn't much lag between the appeal and the decision being flashed on the scoreboard. It has also shown that umpires are more often correct in their calls than the fans would believe. That adds to the credibility of game results. For those fans who decry the introduction of technology into the game, let me remind them that the introduction of the pitch clock a couple of years shorten the playing time of games by nearly a half-hour. That's a good thing.

For all the changes that have taken place in recent years, such as inter-league play and expanded playoffs, the game is essentially the same game I learned to love while growing up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the 1960s. I was, am and will always be a fan of the Baltimore Orioles. The 1960s was the era of Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer and Frank Robinson (pictured above in a 1966 photo). Those were heady days. They went to four World Series in six years, winning in 1966 and 1970. They went to another World Series in 1979. They won it all in 1983. I painfully remember the 1988 Orioles, who opened the season 0-21. However, true Birds fans did not give up hope. I also remember the 1989 "Why Not?" Orioles who came within a game of winning the division. That took us into the 1990's and the amazing saga of Cal Ripen, Jr. (below) who broke a consecutive games record that most people had thought would never be broken. His accomplishment became a national celebration.

After lean years in the 2000s, the Orioles returned to prominence winning the AL East in 2014 and 2023. And as this season begins, this Orioles fan is full of optimism for the future. I only hope they will win the World Series all at least one more time before my time on earth runs out. That's why hope spring eternal. At the start of every season, every fan's team has a chance - at least theoretically - of being the next World Champion. In a time of social and political unrest, isn't that expression of hope a good thing? That's it for now. Fear the Turtle. And Let's Go O's!

March 15, 2026 (Vol. 20 No. 11) - Noted and widely respected attorney David Boies published a widely read commentary in the Wall Street Journal this week entitled "Partisanship on Iran is Dangerous for America." I encourage you to read it, although it is behind a paywall. For those not wishing to subscribe to the WSJ, the subhead of the article gives you its gist. "Trump is doing the right thing for America, and we Democrats should judge the war on its merits." To put it another way, Boies is arguing we should support the war even if Trump is doing the right thing for the wrong reason.

While I generally agree with Boise's thesis, I think his commentary is based on a false premise, that patriotism is a form of blind allegiance that says we support the actions of our nation whether they are right or wrong. Patriotism, like most things in life, has many layers. It is possible to judge this war on its merits and be opposed to it while, at the same time, supporting the goal of disarming Iran's nuclear program. My opposition to carpet bombing that kills civilians is not an indictment against our troops. In this case, my opposition to this war is based on my love for and desire to protect the Constitution. No president should be allowed to go to war on a whim.

Under our system of laws, only Congress can declare war. Boies correctly points to earlier examples of presidents unilaterally taking military actions. "Many Republicans supported Mr. Clinton's military actions and President Obama's surge into Afghanistan and (at least initially) Iraq," Boies wrote. "More Republicans than Democrats probably supported President Lyndon B. Johnson's action in Vietnam."

That may be true. But in each of these cases, the president either sought prior authorization or the actions were brief reactions to a provocation. Neither of these conditions existed when President Trump attacked Iran. This is especially true since the Administration claimed to have "obliterated" Iran's nuclear capacity during a brief bombing raid last summer. If that was true, where's the urgency to attack now? Trump and his cronies have fumbled all over themselves trying to come up with a justification for this war. However, I believe that Secretary of State Marco Rubio accidentally told the truth when he stated that we attacked because Israel forced us to. There's also another widely believed reason, Trump's need to distract from the ever-widening Epstein files scandal.

There's another part of Boise's commentary to which I take exception. He said that every president since Clinton had declared Iran should not have nuclear weapons, but none of them had done anything. That is false. President Obama had reached a negotiated agreement with Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. And by most independent accounts, Iran was doing so. Donald Trump, the proverbial bull in a China shop, unilaterally tore up that agreement. That left Iran little choice but to resume its nuclear ambitions. In light of this history, if you were in Iran's shoes, would you be willing to negotiate with the United States? The current war with Iran is virtually the same as Mr. Trump sending in the fire department after he stated the fire.

I support our troops. I favor the goal of achieving a nuclear-free Iran. But I do not like Donald Trump's trashing of the Constitution at the beck-and call of the corrupt Benjamin Netanyahu. (By the way, opposing Israel's actions does not automatically make one an antisemite, either.) Nor do I like the lack of planning and the failure to recognize the unintended consequences of Trump's Operation Epstein Distraction. (Have you bought gasoline lately?) I believe it is my patriotic duty to oppose the conduct of this war. That means I will engage in public protests against our wannabe king and will encourage my fellow citizens to vote these rascals out this November. That's my right and responsibility as a patriotic American. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.

March 8, 2026 (Vol. 20 No. 10) - Against my better judgment, I watched Secretary of Defense, wannabe warrior Pete Hegseth, interviewed on tonight’s edition of 60 Minutes. Not that I had high expectations for enlightenment coming out of the interview. I was just curious as to how he might handle himself when being interviewed by a legitimate journalist, Major Garrett, as opposed to the Trumpian sycophants that now inhabit the Pentagon’s press room. He did not disappoint: Puffed-up Petey was as vapid and nonsensical as I had expected. But don’t take my word for it. You can watch the interview here.

There were two particular aspects of the interview I found objectionable. The first was his repeated insertion that the United States has the ability to bomb the Iranians into submission. People smarter than I say that isn’t true. Nazi Germany’s Blitz didn’t bring Britain to its knees during the Second World War. Nor did the Allies’ bombing of Germany force the Nazis to quit. The same was true in Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm. A determined foe doesn’t wilt under aerial bombing, no matter how withering it is. Victory doesn’t occur until there are boots on the ground - something that I doubt TACO Trump has the stomach to do. That takes me to my second point.

Puffed-up Petey also circled around Garrett’s question about what the “unconditional surrender” President Bonespur is demanding would look like. He clearly thinks that the bombing will do the trick. That ignores two realities. First, the Iranians - and not without cause - hate our guts, even more than they hate the Islamic regime that has ruled the country with an iron fist. Second, and probably an even more important reason is the fact that Iran has more than 650,000 soldiers in uniform and another 350,000 reservists on standby. Do the math: That one million folks standing ready to spill a high volume of American blood. And while this USA Today analysis clearly demonstrates that the United States is more powerful than Iran, I again question how much pain the Trump administration is willing to accept in what is already, at its outset, an unpopular war. And that doesn’t take into consider other conflicts in which we are currently engaged (Venezuela and Ukraine) or are considering (Cuba). No one in his right mind believes that Iran is going to fold like a cheap lawn chair.

Here are a couple of cogent points not covered in the interview. First, how are we going to pay for this adventure? At a billion dollars a day in a failing economy, how long can this nonsense last before the economy totally craters? Second, if you saw tonight’s broadcast, you will know that CBS dedicated most of the hour to a report on a secret microwave weapon used to harm American diplomats and security people both overseas and at home. You may recall that Trump bragged about a use of a “secret weapon” at the time we kidnapped the Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro. He called it a “discombobulator.” This may have been no more than Trump telling the tall tales for which he is famous. However, if such a weapon exists, I wonder if that’s what Trump was referring to? Just speculation on my part. However, you know how careless Trump has been in the past when it comes to state secrets.

Donald Trump and his Clown Cabinet have put us in peril in so many ways. And now we have this Iranian adventure - one with no rationale and no end game. I think Fearless Leader has bitten off more than he can chew. Unfortunately, he’s not the one who will play the price. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.