I’m very sorry that you had a bad reaction to the covid vaccine, that sucks. It is still true that vaccines are one of the greatest achievements of medicine and a key part of public health policy. Fast tracking the covid vaccine was one of Trump’s best decisions, although they did have to short circuit some standard guidelines. A lot of lives were saved. Kennedy’s efforts to undermine vaccines are very harmful, and seems to be part of a general anti-science stance by the Trump administration. He calls global warming a hoax, because he knows better. Please! I would agree that unfortunately warming is over-hyped as an urgent threat and has really distorted the progressive agenda, but the science is rock solid and uncontroversial (I’ll add here that this is a topic that I know something about professionally, unlike the rest of it). What’s really inspiring is the way that concern about this global impact has mobilized scientists all over the world to work on ways to reduce and even reverse greenhouse gas accumulation in ways that will really move society ahead. Musk can take a victory lap on selling us on electric cars, and I’ll be applauding. Why Trump wants to scuttle that progress is beyond me. Luckily it is an international effort that won’t really be hurt if we don’t participate. Trump can slash science and education funding all he wants, and it only hurts the US. Although it’s hard not to wonder what might have been. In general his gutting of expertise and promoting of incompetents is apparently part of the plan. Economists of all persuasions were alarmed at his tariff policies. But he knows better. I do appreciate that he obeyed the court on reversing his previous tariff plan, I haven’t seen that mentioned but it is a big deal to me.

I didn’t mean to waste your time responding to a laundry list of policies, I think what i was really after was to see if any of this stuff also bothered you. I have so much admiration for you, your accomplishments and appreciation for your contributions to music and especially the KT legacy. I got the impression that you wanted a discussion of this stuff and I wanted to respond, because it really does matter. One of the features of fascism is the focus on a central figure who can do no wrong, and that seems to be happening here. I’m used to having people in office who you sometimes agree with and sometimes don’t, it’s just not that personal. Trump insists that it’s about him, and you’re with him or against him, all in or all out. He has enemies and wants them dead. That’s very anti-democratic. Elections are only fair if he wins. i think the boat in the ocean is a good example, especially because I assume this was done on his personal authority, at his order, and he brags about it. The correct answer is not a) do nothing or b) blow it up , it is c) interdict, arrest and prosecute. Blowing it up is illegal, unjust, and immoral, and it is murder. Judge, jury and executioner, because you can. Wrong answer! No one should agree with that policy, and those who do are either sadists or following their leader and looking the other way. Maybe there is another interpretation I’ve not thought of. Hegseth’s comments today (3/4/26) about the attacks on Iran and the “historic” ship (and people) torpedoing made me puke. The glorification of power and militarism is another hallmark of fascism. Bingo.