6/19/2026

 Friday, June 19, 2026

1865 Union General Gordon Granger declared all slaves free in Texas; now the date the end of slavery is celebrated across the US as Juneteenth

1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed 73-27

2025 

In bed at 9:35, awake at 4:15, up at 4:35; 0500 142/75/54 112. 205.2, 0510 136/74/53; 55/49/72/54, mostly sunny day, cloudy later, rain late.

Morning meds at 8:30 a.m., and Eliquis at 7 a.m. and  6:35 p.m.

LTMW at the birds, thinking of G. M. Hopkins, Pied Beauty

Glory be to God for dappled things –

   For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

      For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

   Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;

      And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

   Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

      With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

                                Praise him.

 

 

Judas, Brutus, Quisling, Trump.  With his infamous "Iran deal," our current president has joined the long line of history's infamous traitors, those who have betrayed those who were formerly their friends, allies, or compatriots.  Among the betrayed, I think first, as the most egregious example, the State of Israel, Trump's partner in commencing this war-of-choice back on February 28th.  Trump has now thrown Israel, and his good friend, Bibi Netanyahu, under the bus.  A premature ceasefire followed by an agreement that places no restrictions on Iran's ballistic and other missile program that puts Israel, and all of the Middle East, at risk.  Equally important, Trump demanded nothing in terms of Iran's support of terrorist armies committed to the utter destruction of the State of Israel and enmity towards Israel's sole supporter, the U.S.  Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are left free to re-arm, reorganize, and savage Israel.  Finally, there is no real deal about Iran's nuclear weapons program, only an agreement to engage in a negotiation in which "nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to," and there will be no "everything agreed to" except on Iran's terms.  Also among the betrayed are all the Persian Gulf states that are considered allied with the U.S., at least defensively against the Iranian aggressors, including those states in which the U.S. has land, air, and naval bases.  Trump has promised to remove U.S. forces from 'the vicinity of' Iran.  So, in addition to enabling Iran to act more aggressively toward its neighbors, especially its Sunni neighbors, we have also agreed, only in return for the 60-day opening of the Strait of Hormuz, to withdraw our defensive forces.  Also betrayed are the Iranian people who have long suffered under the theocratic, oppressive rule of the mullahs and the Revolutionary Guard.  Trump said, Help is on the way!, and encouraged the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow their heavily armed, powerful regime.  Only a fool would rely on Trump's word.  And how about the American people, and the Congress, and even the foolish, craven, wretched congressional Republicans, especially those up for election this Fall.  All betrayed in one way or another by Trump (and Vance). 

Madame Nhu, the de facto First Lady of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963, once said: “Whoever has the Americans as allies does not need any enemies.” This statement was made on November 2, 1963, following the assassination of her husband, Ngô Đình Nhu, and her brother-in-law, President Ngô Đình Diệm.  I think of the 'swamp Arabs' in the south of Iraq who were misled and betrayed by George H. W. Bush and of the Kurds in Syria who were betrayed to the Turks by Donald Trump in his first administration.  This is only a small sample.  What a sorry record of treachery by the United States government.  What a wicked, nasty human being Donald John Trump is.  Will we ever recover from him?

Day's activities.  Andy picked me up at 11:30 to retrieve Drew from his drumming class at MUHS and then have lunch at Maxfield's.  Then the family packed up the Infinity to drive to Canada to vacation for a week on a lake north of Toronto with Truc and John Price, Vi and Joey Officer and their boys, and Hung.  Later I drove up to Walmart in Saukville to pick up birdseed, ink cartridges, eye drops, parchment paper, and some freezer bags.  After that, I was a bit out of it and fell asleep while listening to Mrs. Dalloway.  I noticed some mild CHF symptoms today, SOB and lightheadedness.