As a kid in the 80s, I bought wholeheartedly into the image of the United States as a force for good in the world. As I got older, I became aware of America’s dirty deeds. But those were nasty things that America did but it wasn’t who we were. We had also been an engine for growth, advancement, and a bulwark against tyranny. We made mistakes, but we always were striving to be better.

# I stand with Ukraine What Trump and his stooge did to Zelenskyy was depraved and disgusting. Everyone already knew that Trump is a narcissist who demands that foreign leaders kiss the ring. What everyone didn’t know—and is abundantly clear now—is that established relationships, allies, treaties mean nothing to him. # Budapest Memorandum The USSR had a lot of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Those would have made Ukraine one of the strongest nuclear powers in the world.

This is not a news site. I’m not going to aggregate or discuss every new twist and turn that happens either around the globe or in the Trump administration. Partly, because that would drive me insane. I’d rather focus on things that are positive. Partly because there’s going to be a non-stop barrage of bad news for the next four years (at least) and that’s all I’d ever have time to write about.