5/28 

A QUESTION OF DYING

Secretary of State Little Marco Rubio has stated that “No one has died because of USAID” being cancelled. He asserts that reports of deaths in Myanmar and South Sudan are “false” and that “No children are dying on my watch.” If he is correct, and that is by no means certain, it is only because several US courts have substantially reinstated the program. 

The truth is that Donald T**** craves the ultimate power of life and death. If he had his way, Rubio could not make that statement. That is because millions of people worldwide will lose their primary and in many cases sole source of food if the US aid program is allowed to lapse. 

The linear, Aristotelian nature of the logistic syllogism is irrefutable:

People need food or they will

If you take away their source of food people will not 

have food.

People who do not have food will die. 

It is important to note that the overwhelming majority of the affected people are Black and Brown. It is also important to remember that Donald T**** is a bigot and racist. In all likelihood he is not concerned about these people’s existence.

It’s almost as if he wants them to die. 

LIES, BETRAYAL AND DONALD T****

Back in his first term, Donald T**** claimed that he didn’t want to admit refugees from sub-Saharan (Black) African nations, referring to them as“shithole” countries. He said that he’d much prefer immigrants coming from Nordic countries like Norway. His current two-handed migrant shuffle is accomplishing just that. 

During his campaign T**** promised Venezuelans in Florida, some 350,000 of whom are here under Temporary Protection Status (TPS), that they could stay here. Now, in a cruel act of betrayal, he says he will revoke that status and deport them.

In his fevered desire to deport everyone he can, he is also planning to revoke the refugee status of Haitians, Cubans, and Nicaraguans who have been given shelter here.

T**** is also planning to revoke the TPS status of some 14,500 Afghan refugees, many of whom were flown out during that war’s final hectic days. He will also do the same to deport a similar number of refugees from Cameron. 

Donald T**** is making a targeted effort to deport Black and Brown Hispanics from Cuba and Central America, Black Haitians and Cameroonians, and Brown Moslems from Afghanistan. And he is doing this with treachery and the betrayal of promises made by this country and by him personally.

At the same time, and for reasons based wholly on right-wing racist, conspiratorial lies, he is rolling out the red carpet for White “refugees” from South Africa. These represent a privileged class who, according to all independent observations, are neither singled out or targeted for persecution by their country, their culture or their leaders (See below).

In all this, and not for the first time, Donald T**** is exposing his true, despicable self for what he is: a depraved and shameless bigot and racist. And by doing so in these instances, he is in our name making bigotry and racism official American policy. 

Well, not in my name. These actions by our president are neither right nor righteous, and these abhorrences do not sit well with me. If they do not sit well with you, then, to paraphrase Dylan Thomas, do not go quietly into that long goodnight.

There is one way out. There is One Path Forward. 

RESIST

Note: President T*****’s claims of genocide against White farmers in South Africa are no more than Right-wing conspiratorial lies. Crimes against White farmers in that country represent a tiny fraction of the country’s overall crime rate. From April 2024 through December 2024 that country recorded 19,696 murders. Just 36 of these murders, a minuscule 0.2% of the country’s total, were linked to farms. Furthermore, only seven of the 36 victims – 0.035% – were actual farmers themselves. South Africa has White and Back farmers, but the official data is not broken down by race. The other 29 victims included farm employees, who tend to be Black. No matter what you may see, read or hear, White farmers in South Africa are not being massacred by Blacks abnd they are not victims of genocide. 

THE BERNHARD PERSPECTIVE

5/23

With his announcement of a new round of tariffs against the European Union, it has become increasingly obvious that this T**** tariff business is not about the tariffs themselves at all. In this case it’s because the EU won’t play ball with him, but the way he slaps tariffs on then rips them off has rendered them all but meaningless. 

I think T**** admitted what the real reason was when he bragged that countries were lining up and sending “top men” to come make deals with him. He once claimed that he had made deals with more countries than there are countries to make deals with. 

No, it’s not about the tariffs. As usual, it’s all about him. It’s about showing who’s the boss, and that he has the power to disrupt the world economic order with a wave of his hand. It’s about feeding his fragile, narcissistic ego by having the rest of the world’s leaders approach and kiss his ring. 

The thing is that when narcissistic control seeps into leadership, it distorts truth, erodes trust and destabilizes institutions. This is what we see happening now. Authoritarian leaders rely on states of volatile uncertainty, and that’s what this tariff business is really all about. 

When outcomes aren’t just unknown but constantly shifting and unpredictable, it prevents other countries from being able to anticipate and prepare, keeping them off-balance and unable to mount a practical response.

Awareness of this dynamic works like a vaccine, gradually building immunity against further harm. The thing is to withhold what these leaders consistently demand, what they need and what they desire. In childish minds like T****’s, it makes them easier to control. Ultimately, this will dilute their ability to maintain the kind of control they crave, and reset the the world stage.  

I suspect that the EU, and to a lesser extent China, have realized this, and that the best way for them to deal with our pathetic little man-child is to not play his game. And indeed, this is the way you always have to deal with petulant narcissism, in small children as well as powerful autocrats. 

Like Donald T****.

THE BERNHARD PERSPECTIVE

5/21

ANGEL OF DEATH

Following new regulations, Donald T****’s Food and Drug Administration will limit approval for seasonal COVID-19 shots to seniors and others at high risk pending more data on everyone else. Under this new rule, some people who want a vaccine this fall will not be able to get one.

Top officials for the FDA laid out updated standards for COVID shots, saying they’d continue to make them available to adults 65 and older, children and younger adults with at least one high-risk health problem.

Previous federal policy recommending an annual COVID shot for all Americans six months and older. Under these new guidelines, only about 100 million, about one third of all Americans, will qualify for what are described as “boosters.”

Since no good medical science behind these new rules has been offered, the real reason for them is not clear. Perhaps it has to do with DOGE budget cuts. They could easily be part of the agenda of our anti-vax H.S.S secretary, J.F Kennedy Jr. Time may or may not tell.

But there it is. Our own little petty tyrant and Angel of Death, President Donald T**** is more than willing to compromise with the health and lives of Americans. Does he care if people suffer or die? Clearly, he does not. 

An FDA spokesperson described this new approach as a “reasonable compromise.”

To which I reply: “Compromise this, a**hole.” 

#1PathForward

#progressive-commentary

#thebernhardperspective.com

THE BERNHARD PERSPECTIVE

No-one can rationally suggest or pretend that racism in America is a thing of the past. In truth, it is deeply ingrained in our nation’s history and culture. The question of slavery in this country was settled on the battlefield over a century and a half ago; Jim Crow was abolished in our lifetime.

Today, however, systemic racism exists when policies, practices, and institutions create or maintain racial inequality. Overt prejudice is not a factor in this equation. It is seen in disparities across key areas of society like education, housing, employment, healthcare, and criminal justice.

For example: Black Americans are more likely to attend underfunded schools due to a history of redlining and school funding based on property taxes. They’re more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, abused, convicted and sentenced harshly in the criminal justice system. In healthcare, studies show Blacks have less access to affordable healthcare, have higher maternal mortality rates and shorter lifespans. In employment, Blacks are still often the “last hired and first fired,” and résumés get fewer callbacks when the names sound like the applicants are African American.

These patterns aren’t explained by individual racial choices alone. They reflect structures that disadvantage some while privileging others. Systemic racism isn’t necessarily about intent, it’s about outcomes. And when inequality is predictable by race, it signals an ingrained system that has been part of the nation’s history and culture almost since its inception.

President Donald T*** is not interested in promoting equality of opportunity in America. His obsession with the term “DEI”” and efforts to wipe away all traces of programs designed to promote DEI objectives are clear evidence of this.

For in truth, Donald T**** is a racist bigot. This was clear as far back as the 1970’s, when allegations that he and his father refused to rent apartments to Black tenants led to a federal lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice. This resulted in a consent decree settlement.

More recently, T****’s racism was highlighted when he referred to Black, sub-Saharan African nations as “shithole” countries, expressed his desire for immigrants to come from white Nordic countries, and more recently when he offered an invitation for a million specifically white South Africans to migrate to America, saying he wanted to “save” them from mass slaughter. That claim is a lie, yet 59 white Afrikaners arrived yesterday.

Following T****’s lead, Conservative bigots actually use the phrase “DEI hire” as a racist dog whistle. They draw a direct correlation between race (ie: being Black) and competency. Their racist nod is that there is no résumé a Black person could have that would qualify them for high-level government appointments.

The clear, understood yet mostly unspoken implication among MAGA Conservatives from top down is that the country should be run primarily by white people.

The fact that America is being governed by unabashed and unashamed bigots and racists is patently offensive. History shows that the country has won this battle against racism and bigotry before.

And we can do it again.

UH…….ER…….UMM……….

Here’s something. Recent reports have revealed the administration was planning to send migrants to Libya. Three officials said Tuesday that the U.S. could start deporting people to Libya as early as next week.

Yet when asked yesterday whether his administration would be sending migrants to Libya, T****’ reply was, “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Homeland Security, please.”      

This is just wrong. T**** has repeatedly accused former President Biden of being unaware of his own policies while in office. He goes on endlessly about believing Biden is in cognitive decline and not aware of what was going on during his term.

But T****? Well, he’s got plenty of time to watch late night movies and play golf, but here he is flat out telling us that he doesn’t know what is happening on his watch. And somehow that’s OK? I don’t think so. 

You have to ask, just who the hell is running this country? Because it’s clearly not Donald  

THE BERNHARD PERSPECTIVE

Martin Niemöller was a prominent Protestant pastor in Germany who was an early Nazi supporter but emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler. Niemöller’s poem, also known as “First They Came,” was written after the end of World War II and the defeat of Nazi Germany. It serves as a reflection on the failure of German society to resist the Nazi regime and its incremental persecution of targeted groups. Today, I suggest as different take.

“First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. 

Then they came for…..……”  — Marton Neimöller, 1946.

The infamous words of Neimöller’s poem illustrate the essence of Edward Burke’s warning that the only thing needed for evil to rise is for good people to do nothing. History suggests to me a contemporary take on Neimòller’s warning. I submit: 

“First he came for the undocumented immigrants and I spoke out even though I am not an undocumented immigrant.

Then he came for the Muslims and I spoke out even though I am not Muslim.

Then he came for LBGTQ+ people and I spoke  out even though I am not lesbian, bisexual, gay or trans. 

Then he came for those who had spoken or worked against him and I spoke out because I have done both. 

Then he came for me, and I will never stop speaking out against him even if there is no-one left so speak for me. — Andrew J Bernhard, 2025. 

And one more famous quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” – George Santayana. 

With the rise of Donald T****, we must believe Burke’s wisdom, take heed of Santayana’s warning and rise above Neimöller’s weakness. There is only one way to synthesize  these three quotations. Only one way to protect and preserve the freedoms our Founding Fathers so hopefully bequeathed to us. Only One Path Forward.

  SPEAK OUT     RESIST

THE BERNHARD PERSPECTIVE

In his first 100 days, Donald T**** has attacked at least five pillars of American democracy. With just a few examples, they are:

Separation of Powers: by showing a complete distain for the judiciary, violating orders and threatening to impeach judges.

Equal Justice: using federal prosecutors and agents as an extension of his political operation and using federal prosecutors and agents as an extension of his political agenda.

Due Process: from the firing federal workers without the 30-day notice that the law requires to the deportation of 238 immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador. 

Government for the People: from taking secret donations to his inaugural fund to using government resources to benefit his companies and his manipulation of the crypto markets, he and his circle enrich themselves at the nation’s expense.

Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press: buy suing ABC, CBS and the Des Moines Register over coverage he does not like, and issuing executive orders to punish people for things they’ve said. 

Whether or not one supports  T****’s policies is not at issue here. Good people can disagree. But these things that he has and is doing are outside presidential authority, the law, and any Constitutional mandate. In these 100 days he has overstepped his bounds; we are a democracy, not an oligarchy. 

These past 100 days have wounded this country, and there is no guarantee that we will either fully recover or that the knife won’t be driven in deeper. But giving the nation over is not an option

For these reasons it is the patriotic duty of all Americans to oppose Donald T****.

The best way is to build the largest possible coalition in defense of our Constitutional principles. It is to build a coalition of Americans who may disagree about our country’s way forward yet believe that these differences must be decided through debate and constitutional processes, not the dictates of a single man.

The United States Constitution has been under attack from within before. The post-Reconstruction era, the scourge of Jim Crow and the Red Scare are among those times. It recovered because Americans of good faith fought for this country’s ideals, for its very soul. That is our duty today.

The survival of our American democracy was not inevitable then, nor is it now. We do have one way to  struggle. One way to preserve what we cherish so dearly. We have One Path Forward.

STAND UP   SPEAK OUT    RESIST

THAT OLD TIME RELIGION

The Supreme Court decision Roe vs. Wade was passed in 1973. Once women had access to both birth control and abortions, they were able to stop living as first and foremost reproductive units, and were able to participate more fully in society than as primarily wives and mothers. 

I don’t think the conservative power structure, at that time for the most part older white men, could ever accept this new reality which shattered the old, so-called “double standard.” Back in those days men were, with a wink and a nod and a little macho bluster, allowed to have as much sex as they could get; it was a male privilege. At the same time, society imposed severe cultural and moral sanctions on women who did the same.

I believe that is why so many conservatives have been working hard to take away those rights ever since. They just liked it the old way. It’s nice, and easy, to feel all powerful and dominant over half of humanity when culture and law are your side. Especially if you yourself are just one more powerless nobody. And now, after the present Supreme Court overturned Roe, they have contraception clearly in their sights.

In truth, it has never been about “saving babies.”

And yes, it is true. Today, many Christian Evangelicals, 89% of whom are white, are known to subscribe to another outdated concept called” complementarianism”. This belief system alleges that men and women have different but complementary roles, and is supported by their interpretation of the Bible. It says that men are the providers and protectors, and women the nurturers and child-rearers who must submit to male domination. 

Today, in fact, support for this cave-man theology comes straight from the highest level of  government. Throwing the First Amendment to the wind, Donald T****’s new White House Faith Leader Paula White-Cain is an advocate of this theory. 

I maintain, however, that if this submission was natural, there wouldn’t be thousands of sermons every week reminding women they must submit. Nature doesn’t need constant reminders in order to run its course. Indoctrination, however, depends on constant reinforcement.

So if someone insists that I have to respect their religion and their beliefs regardless, I reply: If your religious convictions call for indoctrination which supports the oppression or submission of other human beings, I have only response:

  “The hell I do.” 

#1PathForward

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

You are meant to feel powerless. That is what a strongman wants: make you feel as if nothing can stop his taking over of your country. This is Donald T****’s strategy, it is what he is counting on. Our country and our way of life hangs in precarious balance. 

Our democratic institutions rely on the compliance of its citizens and leaders with and within the law. They are not capable of dealing with the existential threat of tyrannical defiance. Our Founding Fathers presumed and relied on the intentions of good men to hold the reigns of power and authority. But Donald T*** is not good man.

The 1st Amendment guarantees our right to free speech and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. It is time to exercise them, to continue to fill the streets across the country and make our petitions with loud, strong language. It is not necessary to be nice; Donald T**** not a nice man.

This is our one, our strongest weapon in defense of our country, our liberty and our freedom: ourselves, our voices and our righteous anger. T**** wants us to feel powerless to stop him. 

He must see that we are not. 

We must forcefully demonstrate that it is the people and only the people who are sovereign in this country. He does not make laws for us nor is he above them. And if he endeavors to become so, we can and will bring him down.

And we have the way to do that. We have the way to fight against his lust for power. We have the ballot box. And we have the One Path Forward.

STAND UP       SHOUT OUT        RESIST  

#1PathForward

#progressive-commentary

thebernhardperspective.com