The world needs to know the truth about Trump's health

 On the eve of America's 250th anniversary, it's truly sad to see that the country has sunk so low that it is being led by a cruel madman.  As a Canadian, I am terribly disappointed about how Trump has destroyed the friendly relationship between our two countries.  He has imposed tariffs which have hurt the Canadian economy and the economy of the United States.  He has insulted Canadians repeatedly and interfered with our sovereignty.  Whether Canadians like it or not, he seems determined to make Canada the 51st state.  But his territorial ambitions don't end there.  He also wants Greenland and Cuba, whether they like it or not.  

Let me be clear.  My quarrel is not with the American people.  My quarrel is with the Trump regime.  Americans and non-Americans alike deserve transparency.  We deserve to know the truth about the health of  a man who holds such power and control over others.  Enough of the lies.!  Come clean! That means you, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  You were shown a video of Trump falling asleep right beside you.  Yet, you denied what we see with our own eyes over and over again.  When questioned in Congress, you lied.  You said you have never seen him fall asleep in pubic.  Remember, Mr. Secretary, that this is a man who once referred to you as "little Marco."  He would not hesitate to throw you under the bus if it suited his own purposes.

Rubio

Secretary Rubio, it is obvious that you have presidential aspirations.  You hope to become the Republican candidate for president in 2028.  To achieve your ambitions, you have sold your soul and you have forsaken the welfare of your own country.  The American people are suffering greatly, as is the whole world, due to the actions and the erratic behaviour of the authoritarian despot in the White House.  An unstable America is not good for humanity.

Trump has ruined the American economy and he has hurt the economies of other countries with his tariffs and his illegal and unnecessary war with Iran.  His war is costing American taxpayers a great deal of money and fueling inflation.  Yet Trump's billionaire friends (hello there Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg) don't care.  They're doing quite nicely, thank you very much.  So is Big Oil.  Meanwhile, Trump continually blabs about building his ballroom and his other vanity projects.  

Unfortunately, Donald Trump seems incapable of transparency.  He will never admit the truth about his physical and mental condition because he believes it will demonstrate weakness.  He only cares about loyalty to himself, not to the United States of America.  Will the Republican Party wake up and show some loyalty to the Republic?   Republicans, by doing Trump's bidding, you are enabling the decline of your country,  Please, somebody, shout that the emperor has no clothes.

- Joanne

Mental Health and the U.S. Presidency

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, is widely believed to have suffered from periods of depression throughout his life.  Contemporary historians and mental health experts believe that Lincoln's "melancholy" would be categorized today as clinical depression.  Nevertheless, despite his personal hardships, Lincoln became one of the greatest American presidents and he preserved the union

Lincoln

Now, let's take a walk down memory lane to the 1972 U.S. presidential election.  The Democratic candidate that year was Senator George McGovern of South Dakota, a liberal who advocated for an immediate end to American involvement in Vietnam.  McGovern chose United States Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri as his vice presidential running mate.

A few weeks after the Democratic convention, on July 25, 1972, news reports revealed that Senator Eagleton had checked himself into hospital three times between 1960 and 1966 for clinical depression, receiving electroconvulsive therapy (shock treatment) twice.  He was later received a diagnosis of bipolar II.  

Eagleton acknowledged that the reports were true and McGovern stated that he would support Eagleton '1,000 per cent.  However, after consulting with prominent psychiatrists, including Eagleton's own doctors, McGovern was told that Eagleton's depression could possibly reoccur and endanger the country should he become acting president.  

At the time, a Time magazine poll found that 77% of the respondents said that "Eagleton's medical record would not affect their vote."  However, George McGovern feared that the media's constant reference to "shock treatment' would detract from his campaign.  On August 1, 1972, only 19 days after his nomination, Thomas Eagleton withdrew his candidacy, at McGovern's request.  He was replaced by Sargent Shriver, former U.S. ambassador to France, and former (founding director) of the Peace Corps. and the Office of Economic Opportunity.

McGovern

Eagleton

In the presidential election of November 7, 1972, Republican candidate Richard Nixon and his running mate, Spiro Agnew, won a landslide victory over the McGovern/Shriver ticket.  Then came the Watergate Scandal culminating in Nixon's 1974 resignation.  The Vietnam War finally ended in 1975.  As for Thomas Eagleton, he won reelection to the Senate in 1974 and 1980.  He declined to seek a fourth term in 1986.  He died in 2007 at the age of 77.

Now, fast forward to 2026 and the current occupant of the White House.  Donald Trump is not mentally or physically fit to hold the office of president.  Lincoln and Eagleton may have suffered from depression, but they did not behave like madmen.  They did not threaten their enemies and rant and rave.  They did not behave like authoritarians.  They did not encourage an insurrection to overthrow an elected government.  

Donald Trump is a very unstable man.  He is probably the most dangerous person in the world.  He should not be anywhere near the nuclear code.  If there is a nuclear disaster, all of Trump's sycophants and his billionaire supporters will be complicit.  They are unwilling to say that the emperor wears no clothes. 

- Joanne

Summer reading sugggestion

Those lazy, hazy days of summer are almost upon us.  Are you looking for some books to read while relaxing at the cottage or on the beach?  If so, I would like to suggest my latest novel The Roving Reporter: Scanning the Globe in the 1990.  It is the sequel to my previous book The Missing Reporter.  If you are interested, check out my author's web page,  Just click on the link below.

Joanne Madden – Author

You can also google joannemadden.ca to reach my author's webpage.  The books are available on Indigo and Amazon.

The Roving Reporter: Spanning the Globe in the 1990s is the sequel to my second novel, The Missing Reporter. It chronicles the further adventures of Sandra McKay, a spirited journalist from Prince Edward Island. The novel takes place from 1990 to 1997, just before the Millennium and the digital age. After being abducted by ruthless mob boss, Bruno Rossi, Sandra travels to France to recover from her ordeal and to visit her cousin, Dennis Casey, a man with a secret. Dennis' friend offers Sandra a job as a foreign correspondent based in London. She travels around the globe, accompanied by Colin Purcell, a crusty English photographer. During her seven years as a world reporter, Sandra covers major stories in Britain, France, Italy, South Africa, Japan, Hong Kong. Mexico and Australia. Meanwhile, she finds herself targeted by the mob.

The Missing Reporter is a story of intrigue and suspense, set in 1989.  What happened to TV crime reporter Sandra McKay?  Why did she suddenly vanish after starting a new job.  Is her disappearance linked to the death of prominent dental surgeon Lawrence Somerville, whose brother works for a mob boss?  Intrepid private detective Norm Trapper in on the case and he is looking for answers.

I hope you enjoy the books and I thank you for your support.  By the way, I have started working on the third and final novel of my "reporter trilogy."

- Joanne

Vocabulary Quiz: Words that begin with the Letter "M"

 

 
Number 16 Vocabulary Quiz #11

Test your knowledge of words that begin with the letter "M."  (Note: All definitions have been taken from the Merriam- Webster Dictionary).  Ready! Set! Go!

1.  Metrology

A.  The study of maps

B.  The study of measurements and weights

C.  The study of metrics

D.  The study of urban sprawl

E.  The study of particular weather patterns

2.  Misanthrope

A.  An unhappy person

B.  An angry person

C.  One who dislikes humankind

D.  One who is extremely cruel

E.  One who has many enemies

3.  Miscegenation

A.  A mixture of races, especially marriage, sexual relations or reproduction between a white person and a member of another race

B.  Migration of a specific ethnic or racial group

C.  Forbidding of marriage or reproduction of people of different races

D.  Friendship between people of different races

E.  None of the above

4.  Manumission 

A.  The buying and selling of slaves

B.  The disciplining of slaves

C.  The capture of a fugitive slave

D.  A secret gathering of slaves for the purpose of escaping

E.  Freeing from slavery

5.  Misandry

A.  Male stereotypes

B.  Dislike of, contempt or, or ingrained prejudice against men

C.  Male solidarity

D.  Male chauvinism

E.   A list of male attributes

6.  Mellifluous

A.  Sweet tasting

B.   Distasteful, sour

C.  Sorrowful, sad, doleful

D.  (Of a voice or words) sweet or musical to hear

E.  Artificially honey-flavoured

7.  Melancholy

A.  A short temper

B.  A carefree feeling

C.  State of sadness or depression

D.  Homesickness

E.   Illness

8.  Marauder

A.   A plunderer, a raider

B.    A landowner

C.   An explorer

D.   A liar

E.   A rodeo rider

9.  Marzipan

A.  A chocolate topping with hazelnuts

B.  A strawberry gelato

C.  A creamy banana dessert

D.  A sweet yellow or white paste of ground almonds, sugar and egg whites.

E.  A caramel topping with ground almonds

10.  Megalomaniac

A.  A person who is insane

B.  A serial killer

C.  A compulsive cheater

D.  One who speaks incessantly

E.  A person who is obsessed with their own power

ANSWERS

1.  B

Metrology (noun): the science of weights and measures or of measurement; a system of weights and measures

2.  C

Misanthrope (noun): A person who dislikes human kind and avoids human society.

3. A

Miscegenation (noun): a mixture of races especially: marriage, cohabitation, or sexual intercourse between a white person and a member of another race

4.  E

Manumission (noun): The act or process of manumitting, especially formal emancipation from slavery

5.  B

Misandry (noun): A hatred of men

6.  D

Mellifluous (adjective): Having a smooth rich flow; filled with something (such as honey) that sweetens

7.  C

Melancholy (noun):  A state of sadness or depression of spirits; dejection

8.  A

Marauder (noun):  One who roams from place to place making attacks and raids in search of plunder

9.  D

 Marzipan (noun): A confection of crushed almonds paste, sugar, and egg whites that is often shaped into various forms

10. E

Megalomaniac (noun):  One who suffers from a delusional mental illness that is marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur

- Joanne