At 10:00 am this morning, the official social media account of the United States Department of Education posted a video no other living or dead presidential administration would have ever even imagined publishing. While they were attempting to glorify Donald Trump and show the world just how powerful and feared he was, the clip they chose to make that point ended up saying something far darker than they seemed to realize, or more honest than they meant to be. Either way, no one at the agency responsible for educating America’s children appears to have stopped long enough to understand what they were actually posting or the ramifications for doing so.
Yesterday was a sad day with the Dolly Parton news. It was heavily reported on the news. I spent the day converting my abundant cucumber crop into pickle. Messy and hard work but rewarding.
What James Watson has done is so brave, he stood tall to be counted and my hope for America is many will follow his lead and stand beside him, not just the military but all citizens who believe what is going on in USA is lethally bad and dangerous.
You have concentration camps full of “illegal Immigrants”- have any gone to trial or had a hearing ?
Stand tall and protect the James Watson’s of this world and make sure he is heard and protected in the future.
I have tremendous respect for Major Watson’s courage. Whatever one ultimately thinks about the military rules involved—and I appreciate that you did not dismiss their importance—he understood the potential consequences of what he was doing. He put his career, his freedom, and essentially the life he had built on the line because he believed the oath he took to defend the Constitution required him to speak.
It made me think about how much easier it is for the rest of us to speak when the consequences are so much smaller.
I found my voice relatively late in life. I have strong opinions and I write songs about them, but I do so with a degree of anonymity. I can speak loudly while still protecting much of my private life. Major Watson did not have that luxury. He put on his uniform, attached his name and his future to his convictions, and accepted whatever came next. I don’t pretend that what I do requires anything approaching that kind of courage.
But I also want to acknowledge your courage, Heather.
Every day you put your name behind what you believe and help the rest of us understand a world that can sometimes feel almost impossible to make sense of. You don’t put thoughts into my head. More often, you give voice to thoughts that were already there but that I didn’t yet have the facts, context, or understanding to fully articulate.
That distinction matters to me. I often finish one of your essays realizing that an opinion I already held was underinformed, sometimes misinformed, or simply missing important context. You give me facts to test those opinions against. Sometimes they survive. Sometimes they change. Either way, I understand more than I did before I started reading.
Your writing has inspired songs in me, and almost every essay seems to leave another unwritten one behind. But more importantly, reading you has become part of how I educate myself.
You ended this essay with the idea of people refusing to stay quiet and saying what so many of us are thinking. You have an extraordinary ability to do exactly that.
Major Watson reminds us what speaking can cost when the stakes are enormous. Your work reminds me why speaking—and understanding what we’re speaking about—still matters.
I end most days reading your essay. I frequently come away better informed, more thoughtful, and occasionally forced to reconsider something I thought I understood.
For that, and for the courage it takes to keep doing this publicly every day, thank you.
Winston Churchill inspired the nation during the war with his inspired oratory. However, we learn for those who worked very close to him that he was a functioning alcoholic who had to be held in check to safeguard the military from his ill conceived interventions. But he held a nation together and was cheered everywhere he went his bowler hat, cigar and victory sign recognise by everyone In his early years he took part in one of the final cavalry charges, was taken a prisoner in the boer war and escaped back to British lines. Although coming from an aristocratic British background he was frequently hard up and worked as a newspaper journalist and author to make ends meet. At a general election in the closing months of the second world war he and his party were voted out of office and he graciously accepted defeat and retired to the back benches in the house of Parliament, a great statesman and a great man so go compare,
What a brave man Major Watson is, speaking out against the orange buffoon's illegal war. I do understand the logic behind his arrest but Major Watson's loyalty is towards upholding the Constitution and not to a deranged President who unilaterally declared war on Iran.
There’s a certain chill that overcomes the body when you go to the US Department of Education official posts on X (owned by Elon) a “fascism theme” After deleting the “tiger” post there’s this next one that posted. This sentence “Common sense is back” - Underneath is an illustration very similar in motif to a Norman Rockwell that was used mostly between the 1930s to the 1950s of a view of four young teenage girls in what appears as gym clothes walking into a stadium on a dirt track field. One with what looks like a letterman’s jacket that was given to indicate that the young teenage girl is going steady. A USA flag on a pole to the left and bleachers full of people on the right with smaller USA flags all cheering. At the top of the illustration is a banner of blue with a row of white stars, at the bottom just a large area of the color red. On the illustration itself are written these words “NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS” -
The mission of the U.S. Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages.
Think the mission statement needs to be updated when Congress established the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on May 4, 1980. Fourty six years later think the Education department is doing the “Time Warp” thing well before the 1980’s … May we all digress… “It's just a jump to the left - And then a step to the right - Put your hands on your hips - You bring your knees in tight- But it's the pelvic thrust - That really drives you insane - Let's do the Time Warp again - Let's do the Time Warp again” ~~ Rest In Power Tim Curry 1946-2026
Yes, moving on to our military personnel, hmm that “wokeness” was so very bad cause Sailors were not trying to jump overboard and forced to eat rotten food when all the DEI hires were in charge at the Pentagon. Now we got what we all could consider what.. fu€king smooth sailing with this “Warrior Ethos” sure…
Speaking of sailors who just got to the breaking point and did a cliff dive off the USS Abraham Lincoln, thank god he survived. That 19 year old isn’t getting you know psychological help. He’s now facing military disciplinary charges from the Navy… anyone wanna give Kegsbreath a thumbs up.. or select another finger..
There’s tremendous respect for Major Watson’s courage. He’s the epitome of “Aim High... Fly-Fight-Win"
Suggest another outstanding piece where our military who are overseas that are having enough.
They say a person who attains that position of being at the top of the executive branch occupying that Oval Office carrying the weight of leadership, decision making and due to stress ages drastically.
Think it’s not true these days, can say for a fact this is the first time many military personnel and their families along with 70% of the population in the U.S. are aging a lot quicker than the Fanta Führer and Yippy-Skippy Pete are..
There’s 68 days to midterms.. it’s going to get bumpy we all are aware. Some may have that “FEAR” — where it may be “Forgot Everything And Run” or “Face Everything And Rise”
Which are you?
Am this type.. “Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says 'Oh crap, she's up!” - VOTE
What a country the US has become!! A religious zealot who calls himself minister of war, and a president running around in diapers. With a crowd of religious nutters writing the orders. Reading suggested: the book published by congressman Jared Huffman.
Please look into the delay for the Camp LeJeune Justice Act, which continues to waste away on Jim Jordan's desk in committee. My husband already died waiting for justice. How many others must die waiting on the government to take responsibility for poisoning Marines, their families, and civilians. We need light to shine on this injustice. Please help!
More than ever, EVERYONE should pledge an oath to the Constitution and not to a single man, especially one intent on destroying the American way of life, setting neighbour against neighbour, one against an ‘other’ and strong against weak.
American society is on a knife edge and more need to make the choice between turning a blind eye and speaking up for what is fundamentally RIGHT!
Trump is WRONG about almost everything he puts his mangled mind to! Anyone who chooses not to recognise this IS choosing the wrong path.
When I was a rebellious teen growing up in NYC I was threatened with being sent to NYMA to straighten me out. In junior year in high school, our varsity soccer team played against NYMA, and although our opponents were in much better physical shape, they played dirty.
Appropriately, the Constitution we should all defend gives us the necessary opportunity to do so in the upcoming elections. I am sure all of Heather's readers will VOTE, and many will help bring others to the polls. The States, not the federal government as now misconstrued, will be in charge. Overwhelming repudiation of Trump and his minions will be irresistible, thanks to Heather and others with courage. What hope have they? What can they be thinking?
TJ says it perfectly- There’s 68 days to midterms.. it’s going to get bumpy we all are aware. Some may have that “FEAR” — where it may be “Forget Everything And Run” or “Face Everything And Rise”
FEAR must be the motivator as we approach the midterms! FEAR of America being dragged even further down Trump’s waste-disposal unit so that HE and his cronies/family/enablers/oligarchs/billionaires can take whatever they want and make everyone else pay for it!
Thank you for everything you do. It's heartening to see the fog being lifted. Major Watson is a true hero. Our constitution is being mocked and desecrated by a megalomaniac power hungry 1% of the country. It's about time we all wake up, rub our eyes and say out loud "WTAF". Don't forget to vote!
Yesterday was a sad day with the Dolly Parton news. It was heavily reported on the news. I spent the day converting my abundant cucumber crop into pickle. Messy and hard work but rewarding.
What James Watson has done is so brave, he stood tall to be counted and my hope for America is many will follow his lead and stand beside him, not just the military but all citizens who believe what is going on in USA is lethally bad and dangerous.
You have concentration camps full of “illegal Immigrants”- have any gone to trial or had a hearing ?
Stand tall and protect the James Watson’s of this world and make sure he is heard and protected in the future.
Heather, this one affected me deeply.
I have tremendous respect for Major Watson’s courage. Whatever one ultimately thinks about the military rules involved—and I appreciate that you did not dismiss their importance—he understood the potential consequences of what he was doing. He put his career, his freedom, and essentially the life he had built on the line because he believed the oath he took to defend the Constitution required him to speak.
It made me think about how much easier it is for the rest of us to speak when the consequences are so much smaller.
I found my voice relatively late in life. I have strong opinions and I write songs about them, but I do so with a degree of anonymity. I can speak loudly while still protecting much of my private life. Major Watson did not have that luxury. He put on his uniform, attached his name and his future to his convictions, and accepted whatever came next. I don’t pretend that what I do requires anything approaching that kind of courage.
But I also want to acknowledge your courage, Heather.
Every day you put your name behind what you believe and help the rest of us understand a world that can sometimes feel almost impossible to make sense of. You don’t put thoughts into my head. More often, you give voice to thoughts that were already there but that I didn’t yet have the facts, context, or understanding to fully articulate.
That distinction matters to me. I often finish one of your essays realizing that an opinion I already held was underinformed, sometimes misinformed, or simply missing important context. You give me facts to test those opinions against. Sometimes they survive. Sometimes they change. Either way, I understand more than I did before I started reading.
Your writing has inspired songs in me, and almost every essay seems to leave another unwritten one behind. But more importantly, reading you has become part of how I educate myself.
You ended this essay with the idea of people refusing to stay quiet and saying what so many of us are thinking. You have an extraordinary ability to do exactly that.
Major Watson reminds us what speaking can cost when the stakes are enormous. Your work reminds me why speaking—and understanding what we’re speaking about—still matters.
I end most days reading your essay. I frequently come away better informed, more thoughtful, and occasionally forced to reconsider something I thought I understood.
For that, and for the courage it takes to keep doing this publicly every day, thank you.
Let’s hope a better president will pardon him If a crappy one can pardon 1600 insurrectionists.
Winston Churchill inspired the nation during the war with his inspired oratory. However, we learn for those who worked very close to him that he was a functioning alcoholic who had to be held in check to safeguard the military from his ill conceived interventions. But he held a nation together and was cheered everywhere he went his bowler hat, cigar and victory sign recognise by everyone In his early years he took part in one of the final cavalry charges, was taken a prisoner in the boer war and escaped back to British lines. Although coming from an aristocratic British background he was frequently hard up and worked as a newspaper journalist and author to make ends meet. At a general election in the closing months of the second world war he and his party were voted out of office and he graciously accepted defeat and retired to the back benches in the house of Parliament, a great statesman and a great man so go compare,
What a brave man Major Watson is, speaking out against the orange buffoon's illegal war. I do understand the logic behind his arrest but Major Watson's loyalty is towards upholding the Constitution and not to a deranged President who unilaterally declared war on Iran.
Thank you Heather
There’s a certain chill that overcomes the body when you go to the US Department of Education official posts on X (owned by Elon) a “fascism theme” After deleting the “tiger” post there’s this next one that posted. This sentence “Common sense is back” - Underneath is an illustration very similar in motif to a Norman Rockwell that was used mostly between the 1930s to the 1950s of a view of four young teenage girls in what appears as gym clothes walking into a stadium on a dirt track field. One with what looks like a letterman’s jacket that was given to indicate that the young teenage girl is going steady. A USA flag on a pole to the left and bleachers full of people on the right with smaller USA flags all cheering. At the top of the illustration is a banner of blue with a row of white stars, at the bottom just a large area of the color red. On the illustration itself are written these words “NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS” -
The mission of the U.S. Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages.
Think the mission statement needs to be updated when Congress established the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on May 4, 1980. Fourty six years later think the Education department is doing the “Time Warp” thing well before the 1980’s … May we all digress… “It's just a jump to the left - And then a step to the right - Put your hands on your hips - You bring your knees in tight- But it's the pelvic thrust - That really drives you insane - Let's do the Time Warp again - Let's do the Time Warp again” ~~ Rest In Power Tim Curry 1946-2026
Yes, moving on to our military personnel, hmm that “wokeness” was so very bad cause Sailors were not trying to jump overboard and forced to eat rotten food when all the DEI hires were in charge at the Pentagon. Now we got what we all could consider what.. fu€king smooth sailing with this “Warrior Ethos” sure…
Speaking of sailors who just got to the breaking point and did a cliff dive off the USS Abraham Lincoln, thank god he survived. That 19 year old isn’t getting you know psychological help. He’s now facing military disciplinary charges from the Navy… anyone wanna give Kegsbreath a thumbs up.. or select another finger..
There’s tremendous respect for Major Watson’s courage. He’s the epitome of “Aim High... Fly-Fight-Win"
Suggest another outstanding piece where our military who are overseas that are having enough.
https://brentmolnar.substack.com/p/our-military-has-had-enough-trump?r=viplr&utm_medium=ios
They say a person who attains that position of being at the top of the executive branch occupying that Oval Office carrying the weight of leadership, decision making and due to stress ages drastically.
Think it’s not true these days, can say for a fact this is the first time many military personnel and their families along with 70% of the population in the U.S. are aging a lot quicker than the Fanta Führer and Yippy-Skippy Pete are..
There’s 68 days to midterms.. it’s going to get bumpy we all are aware. Some may have that “FEAR” — where it may be “Forgot Everything And Run” or “Face Everything And Rise”
Which are you?
Am this type.. “Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says 'Oh crap, she's up!” - VOTE
What a country the US has become!! A religious zealot who calls himself minister of war, and a president running around in diapers. With a crowd of religious nutters writing the orders. Reading suggested: the book published by congressman Jared Huffman.
Please look into the delay for the Camp LeJeune Justice Act, which continues to waste away on Jim Jordan's desk in committee. My husband already died waiting for justice. How many others must die waiting on the government to take responsibility for poisoning Marines, their families, and civilians. We need light to shine on this injustice. Please help!
More than ever, EVERYONE should pledge an oath to the Constitution and not to a single man, especially one intent on destroying the American way of life, setting neighbour against neighbour, one against an ‘other’ and strong against weak.
American society is on a knife edge and more need to make the choice between turning a blind eye and speaking up for what is fundamentally RIGHT!
Trump is WRONG about almost everything he puts his mangled mind to! Anyone who chooses not to recognise this IS choosing the wrong path.
When I was a rebellious teen growing up in NYC I was threatened with being sent to NYMA to straighten me out. In junior year in high school, our varsity soccer team played against NYMA, and although our opponents were in much better physical shape, they played dirty.
Appropriately, the Constitution we should all defend gives us the necessary opportunity to do so in the upcoming elections. I am sure all of Heather's readers will VOTE, and many will help bring others to the polls. The States, not the federal government as now misconstrued, will be in charge. Overwhelming repudiation of Trump and his minions will be irresistible, thanks to Heather and others with courage. What hope have they? What can they be thinking?
TJ says it perfectly- There’s 68 days to midterms.. it’s going to get bumpy we all are aware. Some may have that “FEAR” — where it may be “Forget Everything And Run” or “Face Everything And Rise”
FEAR must be the motivator as we approach the midterms! FEAR of America being dragged even further down Trump’s waste-disposal unit so that HE and his cronies/family/enablers/oligarchs/billionaires can take whatever they want and make everyone else pay for it!
STOP the FEAR - Vote BLUE!
Thank you for everything you do. It's heartening to see the fog being lifted. Major Watson is a true hero. Our constitution is being mocked and desecrated by a megalomaniac power hungry 1% of the country. It's about time we all wake up, rub our eyes and say out loud "WTAF". Don't forget to vote!
Please donate to the Majors defense fund. Be is BRAVER than ALL our elected officials. And our military