As situations worldwide and domestically get more precarious, I wonder if we’re on the precipice of something awful, ready to fall into WWIII and/or another Civil War in the States.
*** Are we becoming a world of hate? ***
Here at home in the U.S., as Trump and Hegseth play war games for real, I can’t help but see them as little boys playing with toy soldiers; or playing War Games with their Nintendo. They can pretend that the people they are killing aren’t real; simply characters in a make-believe story. Or maybe they really are cruel and don’t care who they hurt. Destroying Venezuela boats. Killing shipwrecked survivors, with no repercussions. Bombing and invading other countries. Threats to invade other countries. Breaking with NATO.
Note to President Trump: We don’t need Greenland for security reasons. Russia is closer to us via Alaska than they would be taking Greenland, and this wouldn’t even be an issue if you weren’t rattling sabers and breaking every peace accord on the world stage.
What’s been happening with ICE agents killing people nationwide and injuring others is likewise, beyond the pale. They act like thugs, not trained federal agents, and perhaps if they did the job of going after hardened criminals, not American citizens, there would be less protests and confrontations.
I was curious as to how much training an ICE agent receives and found out that recently training has been cut from sixteen to eight weeks, and the requirement to learn some Spanish has been rescinded. Since most undocumented immigrants, as well as a number of citizens, have Spanish as a first language, sending agents out to deal with the folks without even a rudimentary knowledge of the language makes no sense. How are people supposed to comply to orders, or answer questions, if they don’t understand what’s being said?
According to a report by Deuetche Welle, a German news outlet, concerns about the training of agents and the perceived politicization of ICE have grown in the wake of the death of Renee Nicole Good, which has sparked countrywide protests across the country and lead to the resignation of a dozen federal prosecutors in the state of Minnesota last Wednesday.
On the world stage, as much as I deplore what happened on October 7, 2023, the revenge that Israel has taken is extreme and inhumane. So many innocent people have died at the hands of an Israeli military that gives no thought to sparing anyone. They want war. They like war. That’s what they’re trained to do.
The Old Testament teaches an eye-for-an eye, but when does that viscous cycle of violence and hate ever get broken?
Not as long as each side keeps attacking, believing they have a sacred right.
Not as long as they continue to see each other as the enemy.
Then there’s Putin, with his need to take over parts of what used to be the Soviet Union because he deplores democracy and freedom for the people. He wants to go back to the good old days when a dictator ruled with impunity and not a shred of humanity. Since he invaded Ukraine in 2014 civilians have died in the bombings of cities and towns, with apparently no concern from Moscow.
All three of these world leaders, Trump, Netanyahu, and Putin are poised to be part of a new Board of Peace that Trump is proposing. By virtue of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, drafted by the United States and adopted in November 2025, the board’s job will be to support the administration, reconstruction, and economic recovery of the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the Gaza War. But the details indicate that the scope goes well beyond Gaza reconstruction. There are broader goals for global conflict resolution that are ambitious and subject to ongoing negotiation with invited nations like India and Russia.
Something I find particularly alarming about the Board of Peace is that Trump would be the board chair, and his term wouldn’t end along with his presidency. He would hold a lifetime position, not as president of the United States, but an ordinary citizen following the 2028 election, and would have the authority to name his successor.
*** Consider the implications of that. ***
Also consider the money that Trump and his family have been making this first year of his second term as president. After returning to office, Donald Trump’s net worth jumped to $7.3 billion, up from $3.9 billion in 2024, according to a tally that Forbes did in September 2025.
A report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) shows that in the nearly one year since Trump was reelected president, Trump and his family have amassed more than $1.8 billion in cash and gifts from leveraging the presidency for personal gain, including over $1.2 billion in crypto gains alone.
The rich keep getting richer while the average middle-class American struggles to stretch a dollar.
And the rich take more and more control of government, here and abroad.
It’s an oligarchs’ world.
Sorry to be so dismal today folks, but this has all been heavy on my mind and heart for quite a while, and it behooves us in the journalistic world to speak up and speak out. As always I welcome comments and debate as long as it is done with civility and respect.
Whatever your week ahead holds, I hope it has started off well. Be safe. Be happy. Be kind.
