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At this point the constant attempts to appear strong by the Trump/Project 2025 actors would be humorous if those in the dress up games weren’t driving such cruel policies. Pete Hegseth’s and an overweight draft dodger’s angry lecture to a room full of decorated, high ranking military leaders was a ridiculously failed attempt to project strength. Trump, surprised that the generals weren’t fawning but rather enduring it with stone-faced silence, stopped and suggested they should be applauding him. Pathetic. Hegseth boasted that under his leadership the U.S. military would ratchet up violence, apparently equating brutality with strength.
Kristi Noem is an absolute caricature in her many carefully staged photo-op press events in which she plays tough girl while dehumanizing whoever is in her crosshairs. Her distorted ICE videos are so obviously propaganda rather than actual footage of U.S. strength they’d be laughable if not so ugly.
Pam Bondi’s arrogant smirks and belittling, dishonest digs at senators. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s disrespectful attacks on reporters. And oh my God, Stephen Miller. What is he so angry about? He recently had an intensely emotional meltdown when his false claims about violence in Portland Oregon were challenged on air.
All this posturing is so blatant it’s almost comical (no wonder South Park is having a heyday with this cast of characters). When a person genuinely possesses an admirable trait they don’t need to brag about it all the time. Real tough guys don’t go around telling everybody they’re tough.
A Course in Miracles makes the distinction between grandeur and grandiosity. Grandeur is innate strength and worth. Grandiosity is a cover for despair and an attempt to counteract a sense of littleness. Though Trump would like to be considered a “strongman” his bullying, petty, braggadocio behavior and constant need for external validation suggest exactly the opposite.
In my experience real strength doesn’t seek the spotlight. It is often quiet. We demonstrate real strength when we set aside our own agenda or busy schedule to offer kindness to someone who is struggling. Strength is being able to not take personally another person’s misguided insult. Genuine strength is about caring for and acting on behalf of something greater than ourselves.
America is currently suffering from extremely weak leaders who are doing tremendous damage. We will need genuine strength to recover from this. We will need a lot of people with strength to stay in it for the long haul, courage to stand up and speak out, again and again. Sometimes real strength does require hitting back and saying, “I will not accept that.” We will also need the kind of strength that enables a person to face difficulty and darkness without succumbing to despair.
More people are realizing the weakness behind the bluster. Trump’s poll numbers continue to slide, showing him as one of the most unpopular presidents of all time. Media companies have caved to public pressure and returned comedians to the air. The NFL made a bold decision and selected Bad Bunny for the Superbowl half-time show despite all the MAGA crying about the decision. Just today the Nobel committee ignored Trump’s wishes and bestowed the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Maria Corina Machada, who has been bravely battling dictatorship in Venezuela. This had led to additional MAGA and White House crying and ranting. Also today MIT rejected adopting the Trump/Project 2025 agenda in exchange for federal funding. Despite the regime’s best efforts they are losing the culture war.
Finally, I gotta give a shout out to my own state of Oregon. Kristi Noem recently visited Portland in an attempt to create a photo op showing out of control rioters. What she got instead was a group of peaceful protesters and a guy in a chicken suit. Other protesters have been showing up as dancing frogs, unicorns, and dinosaurs. Jack Dickenson, the “Portland Chicken” has said, the costumes, “dismantles their narrative a little bit, …. It becomes much harder to take them seriously when they have to post a video saying Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s, like, eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.” This Daily Show vid showing real footage of the Portland protests with frogs, unicorns and dinosaurs alongside clips of the regime describing crazy violence is hilarious and important.
You can’t make this stuff up. Way to go Portlanders!
The next big national day of action, No Kings Day, is set for Oct. 18th. Millions of us will take to the streets to demonstrate the strength of standing up to cruelty and working toward a healthier, saner society. This link provides a map showing protest locations across the country. Let’s turn out in huge numbers, stay peaceful and powerful, and take a stand for democracy.
Let’s Chat. Next Live Session set for Oct. 17th
Let’s discuss the goings on in our world, spiritual tips for peace and power, this magnificent planet Earth, dogs, whatever is on your mind and heart!
Live chats are for the growing community of TRANSCEND paid subscribers who make this work possible. Hope to get a chance to meet and hear from many of you.
We’ll chat via Zoom on the 17th at 12pm Pacific time.
Border Collies are a Lifestyle Choice!
It’s been a wild month in my household. You forget in between how much work a new puppy is!
Micki is a sweetie pie AND she bites like a crocodile, digs like a badger, howls like a wounded coyote when displeased. She is also a fast and skillful escape artist. It has been particularly difficult because Olive is not nice to strange dogs, so I needed to keep the two separated. On top of that, last week we travelled 1500 miles to compete in the big West Coast Open agility competition, and I had to keep them separated in the tiny trailer.
Fortunately, managing them in and around the trailer were easier than I’d expected and late Monday night, about an hour after we’d returned home, Olive got very playful with the pup on the other side of the metal pen. I decided to let them get together. And ….. it was game on, WrestleMania! They are now friends, and my life is much easier.
I’m still being careful with it and separating them during meals, or when Micki is super wound up and Olive seems a little sick of it.
Here is a vid of their first wrestling match.
Here’s when Livvy teaches the pup the pet door.
And here is a vid of our training session this morning. Be aware many of these breakfast training sessions show me in my bathrobe and slippers! For any of you who are really into dogs I am doing a Training Diary on Facebook sharing my journey of bringing Micki along as an agility dog. If you’d like to be in that FB group let me know and I’ll add you.
Finally, Olive rocked it at the West Coast Open. We finished 9th overall in the very competitive 20-inch class. Here is our finals run.
And we got into games finals and got to do our first night-time run under the big lights. This is our Gamblers run.
These guys may not pass a canine good citizen test, but they certainly are therapy for me.
Much love everyone!
Cylvia, Olive, and Micki
