(Note: The reader should be readily able to distinguish fact from fiction) The Purple Heart is the oldest U.S. military decoration. It is presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action. It must be earned, as almost two million brave military men and women have done since the Revolutionary War, quite often at the sacrifice of one’s … [Read more...] about Gracious Offers and Respectful Declines: Some Fact, Some Fiction
SOCIAL MEDIA HAS FIELD DAY RIDICULING TRUMP ACCEPTING NOBEL PRIZE FROM MACHADO (UPDATED)
Tantrums do work. Donald Trump made it clear this year that he passionately wanted the Nobel Peace Prize but he didn't get it. And so Reuters notes: "Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday during a White House meeting, in a bid to influence his efforts to shape her country's political … [Read more...] about SOCIAL MEDIA HAS FIELD DAY RIDICULING TRUMP ACCEPTING NOBEL PRIZE FROM MACHADO (UPDATED)
TRUMP’S MORALITY
Spoiler alert! Donald Trump doesn't have morals he man who has five children with three different women, has cheated on all three of his wives, who bangs playmates and porn stars, has cheated on his taxes, has 34 felonies for cheating on his business records, who has bragged that he likes to “grab them by the pussy,” who has sexually assaulted at least 25 women, ran a fake … [Read more...] about TRUMP’S MORALITY
GIVE TMV A GIFT FOR THE NEW YEAR (DONATE)
HAPPY NEW YEAR -- and please help make 2026 a great new year for The Moderate Voice. (DONATIONS RECEIVED ON THIS APPEAL: $50). TMV was started in January 2003 on BlogSpot and quickly evolved into a group blog that was on several platforms before settling on Word Press. MANY blogs have died over the years due to social media, in particular Facebook and Twitter. We' are still … [Read more...] about GIVE TMV A GIFT FOR THE NEW YEAR (DONATE)
12 ways the Trump administration dismantled civil rights law and the foundations of inclusive democracy in its first year
The second Trump administration has weakened federal civil rights law and is shredding the foundations of America’s racially inclusive democracy. imagedepotpro, iStock/Getty Images Plus Spencer Overton, George Washington University One year after Donald Trump’s second inauguration, a pattern emerges. Across dozens of executive orders, agency … [Read more...] about 12 ways the Trump administration dismantled civil rights law and the foundations of inclusive democracy in its first year
FREE IRAN
Donald Trump cares more about protesters in Iran than he cares about protesters in America I woke up shortly before 6 AM. I checked my blood pressure, took my meds, placed an order for a prescription in my pharmacy’s automatic phone system, checked my glucose (116), for which I only had to poke my finger three times this morning, and then I turned on my TV as the coffee was … [Read more...] about FREE IRAN
We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing
We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing by Nicole Foy and McKenzie Funk Immigration agents have put civilians’ lives at risk using more than their guns. An agent in Houston put a teenage citizen into a chokehold, wrapping his arm around the boy’s neck, choking him so hard that his neck had red welts … [Read more...] about We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing
Hegseth disguised military plane, making it appear civilian, before first boat strike
The war crime hits, they keep on coming. Despite President Donald Trump's assertion that he is limited only by his own "morality" when dealing with international relations, disguising your military assets is a war crime. Perfidy. Hegseth sent a disguised military plane into the Caribbean to blow the first small boat of "narco terrorists" out of the water. (Remember, it … [Read more...] about Hegseth disguised military plane, making it appear civilian, before first boat strike
A mass exodus from the totalitarian playhouse on the Potomac
As I tally the growing list of artists who have scraped Donald Trump off their shoes by exiting the MAGA Kennedy Center – the latest refugees are Nashville banjoist Bela Fleck and the entire Washington National Opera – I can’t help but recall so many entertainers took the opposite tack when the Nazis goose-stepped into Paris early in World War II. It may seem obvious to us … [Read more...] about A mass exodus from the totalitarian playhouse on the Potomac
DOJ criminal probe highlights risk of Fed losing independence — a central bank scholar explains what’s at stake
U.S. President Donald Trump with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on July 24, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) Cristina Bodea, Michigan State University The Department of Justice’s decision to open a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has reignited concern over the independence of the … [Read more...] about DOJ criminal probe highlights risk of Fed losing independence — a central bank scholar explains what’s at stake
TRUMP AND NORMS
Trump’s Venezuela Mistakes
The extraction of President Maduro and his wife flawlessly from Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, by the U.S. military is receiving plaudits from many Americans. On the other hand, many other Americans were against this foreign adventure by Trump in the first place, when there are domestic problems that are urgent and he needs to address. He ran for president on an America … [Read more...] about Trump’s Venezuela Mistakes
Trump DOJ threatens Federal Reserve; Sen. Tillis objects
President Trump denies knowing anything about the Department of Justice serving subpoenas to the Federal Reserve on Friday. According to Chair Jerome Powell, the DOJ is focusing on his June 2025 testimony regarding multi-year renovations of Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, DC. Powell believes the investigation has been triggered by the Fed's refusal to lower … [Read more...] about Trump DOJ threatens Federal Reserve; Sen. Tillis objects
Trump claims Renee Nicole Good was “disrespectful” and refuses to answer question about deadly force
Renee Nicoles Good's last words, that we are aware of, before being fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross were, "That's fine, dude. I'm not mad at you." Does that sound "disrespectful" to you? It doesn't to me. Neither was the tone. But President Trump refused to address the issue of deadly force when asked. That tells you all you need to know - he approves of his … [Read more...] about Trump claims Renee Nicole Good was “disrespectful” and refuses to answer question about deadly force
ICE SHOOTING
The 6-7 craze offered a brief window into the hidden world of children
There’s a long history of children revising, adapting and remixing language and games. Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive via Getty Images Rebekah Willett, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Amanda Levido, Southern Cross University, and Hyeon-Seon Jeong, Gyeongin National University of Education Many adults are breathing a sigh of relief … [Read more...] about The 6-7 craze offered a brief window into the hidden world of children
Minneapolis shooting of Renee Good sparks protests across the country
In at least 21 states plus the District of Columbia, citizens have taken to the streets to protest ICE Agent Jonathan Ross' shooting Renee Good three times in Minneapolis on Wednesday. The mass protests reflect public opinion: "Americans have turned sharply against ICE in Trump’s first year back as president." Today twice as many Americans -- 20% -- have a strongly … [Read more...] about Minneapolis shooting of Renee Good sparks protests across the country
ICE SHOOTING
From Kathmandu to Casablanca, a generation under surveillance is rising up
Amani Braa, Université de Montréal In 2025, youth-led protests erupted everywhere from Morocco to Nepal, Madagascar and Europe. A generation refused to remain silent in the face of economic precariousness, corruption and eroding democratic norms and institutions. Although they arose in different contexts, all the protests were met with the same playbook of responses: … [Read more...] about From Kathmandu to Casablanca, a generation under surveillance is rising up
