Release the Epstein pedophile files. Maxwell interviewed, knows nothing, moved to a cushier prison. Justice for the victims, accountability for those they are hiding, we don’t care who it is.

How humiliating! Pete Hegseth talking to 800 of our military’s highest-ranking leaders as if they were in boot camp! The audacity! So unqualified with his history of disorderly conduct. He actually called them FAT, yes, the word fat, to their faces. No men in dresses.

Last I knew, military wore uniforms.Then they are forced to listen to Trump and his delusional ramblings.

Our own president wants our military to turn its might inward against our own citizens. He says we’re being invaded from within. Who’s invading us? I thought the aliens were friendly. After all, they gave him access to their medbed technology which he can dole out as he wishes to his followers, who need limbs replaced, cancer cured, youth restored. Oh yeah.

No, I think the enemy within he’s speaking of is Antifa. Everyone who supports democracy and is against fascism. So Antifa, which isn’t a thing, never declared an official organization, is a broad palate which he can now go after anyone with a sign peacefully standing on the sidewalk. We are now a terrorist group.

He wants the military to train inside our cities. He’s declared war on our own cities, the dangerous ones run by the liberal left democrats. He’s basing his info on 5-year-old videos.

Government is shut down again. They hung their closed for business sign up Tuesday night. Republicans control the government: the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Presidency. The Supreme Court leans in their favor. How do they figure that a shutdown is anything other than their responsibility?

Democrats have no power to fix things; voters didn’t give them that ability, so now don’t blame the Democrats. The Democrats held out for one thing and one thing only – to keep the Affordable Care Act as it was, to keep health care available for the millions that would lose it under that Big Awful Bill.

Border czar Homan was caught in an FBI sting selling access to government contracts. Will there be repercussions? Probably not. He’s taking care of Trump’s war on immigrants so he’s good. Yet, Trump threatens a RICO charge against a few gals who dared to yell at him in a restaurant. How in the world does that apply?

An escalator accidently was shut off. Immediately he declares it’s a conspiracy against him, especially since after that a teleprompter failed to work. Oooh, it’s a wonder he escaped safely. However, Fox commentators recommend the UN be bombed in retaliation. Oh, that’s acceptable to say that. Not funny.

OK, what else have we got. Jim Comey is indicted for refusing to kneel to Trump. He already had been investigated previously with nothing found to bring charges.

RFK Jr. has announced the cause of autism is Tylenol. How about that? I don’t know what the back story is with the company that makes Tylenol, but there must be one. Wonder what extensive studies led to that conclusion. Bet the brain worm revealed it to him. So now, children diagnosed with autism have their mothers to blame.

Trump recently gave the UN a good talking to. Bet they took away some warm fuzzy feelings toward the United States.

Then there’s stuff going on with Venezuela. The administration is accusing the head of their government, Nicolas Maduro of being the leader of a criminal gang and is offering a reward for his capture. While Maduro is cooperating with accepting deportees that Trump sends. The Navy attacked 3 Venezuelan boats, suspected of carrying drugs, killing 17 individuals. What proof?

So keen on renaming things, Gulf of America, Dept of War, I have a new name to give him. The White House will from now on be called the Gold House. The Gold House and the gilded ballroom will be his Neuschwanstein. Mad King Ludwig II “withdrew from affairs of state in favor of extravagant artistic and architectural projects.” (Wikipedia) Trump seems to be much more involved in decorating the people’s house to his own garish liking than in paying attention to what his appointees are up to.

If this article has seemed somewhat scrambled and hard to follow, that was on purpose. That is what we are hit with every day of this Administration. And by the way, there were no shutdowns under President Joe Biden.

We had four years of relative calm. And yet people will look back at his presidency and find fault rather than opening their eyes and facing the present. We’ve had all the warnings we needed, but we didn’t react with the force necessary to stop this steady rumble toward authoritarianism. Neglecting to address corruption, allowing big money into government, the rise of the Newt Gingrich and Mitch McConnell policy of non-cooperation that led to nothing being accomplished, discouragement in the people toward their government not listening or helping. Two sets of media pushing two different realities, leading to a crackpot grifter with an image of a successful businessman conning the folks on that side of the reality screen and getting enough votes to take over the presidency. Hitler was elected too; I need to keep reminding you.

Just as things are still working pretty normally in local politics, the government at the helm of our country is in the process of trying to betray us, to turn our long-standing constitution-based democratic republic into something else.

Be aware, do what you can to support your right to vote, to voice your opinion without fear, to stand on the corner and peacefully demonstrate. Next month is an election for local candidates, listen to what they have to say, vote accordingly.

We still have control of who leads our local governments so let’s exercise that control. Let our local representatives know how you feel. Call U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy who represents us in Congress.

There’s a man that I’ve been following on Facebook, he’s from Texas, and he’s a no-nonsense tough Democrat. He starts each visit on his porch wearing his Stetson and sporting a nicely trimmed white beard. Typical Colonel Sanders look. His name is Texas Paul Schroder, he starts out each conversation with a tip of his coffee cup and says, “I hope your coffee is as good as mine, I really do.”

So on this Saturday or Sunday morning, as you read the paper and drink your cup of coffee, trying to digest the news of the day, whatever it turns out to be, enjoy your coffee. If it’s a nice sunny morning as it has been lately, and we’ve been blessed with beautiful fall weather, enjoy that. I know how tough it is to stay informed and to try to understand what is going on. The U.S. is in a mess. Release the files.

Susan Bigler is a Sheridan resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com