Donald Rettmann
@donaldrettmann.bsky.social
Retired, loves music, astronomy, astrophysics, archaeology, science, flying
“What a year it has been; in so many ways worse for our democracy and our sanity than we ever imagined. Donald Trump’s constant bombardment of offenses, lawlessness, cruelty, vulgarity, and ignorance has made it hard to keep up”.
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
The "Powerful" who Cowered in 2025
It’s time for the lists!
open.substack.com
December 21, 2025 at 8:43 AM
“What a year it has been; in so many ways worse for our democracy and our sanity than we ever imagined. Donald Trump’s constant bombardment of offenses, lawlessness, cruelty, vulgarity, and ignorance has made it hard to keep up”.
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens said: “We are led by the most loathsome human being ever to occupy the White House.”
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
The real threat in Trump’s madness
I hate to say this, but it must be faced
open.substack.com
December 21, 2025 at 7:39 AM
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens said: “We are led by the most loathsome human being ever to occupy the White House.”
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
The “Republican Party” today most resembles a cult—its members may be properly characterized as Trump idolaters, followers, zealots, sycophants, or devotees—but this gang of supplicants lacks not just a policy agenda but all other elements of a political party.
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
Words & Phrases That Have Lost All Meaning
The year a political party vanished
open.substack.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:25 AM
The “Republican Party” today most resembles a cult—its members may be properly characterized as Trump idolaters, followers, zealots, sycophants, or devotees—but this gang of supplicants lacks not just a policy agenda but all other elements of a political party.
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
Sleepy Donald Snoozes, America Loses
It’s bedtime for Bozo—and you’re paying the price.
The Nation
Jeet Heer
December 8, 2025
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
It’s bedtime for Bozo—and you’re paying the price.
The Nation
Jeet Heer
December 8, 2025
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
Sleepy Donald Snoozes, America Loses
It’s bedtime for Bozo—and you're paying the price.
www.thenation.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Sleepy Donald Snoozes, America Loses
It’s bedtime for Bozo—and you’re paying the price.
The Nation
Jeet Heer
December 8, 2025
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
It’s bedtime for Bozo—and you’re paying the price.
The Nation
Jeet Heer
December 8, 2025
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
Trump’s presidency is crumbling before our eyes
BY MAX BURNS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 12/10/25
thehill.com/opinion/whit...
BY MAX BURNS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 12/10/25
thehill.com/opinion/whit...
Trump’s presidency is crumbling before our eyes
Despite his big promises, Donald Trump just doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing.
thehill.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Trump’s presidency is crumbling before our eyes
BY MAX BURNS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 12/10/25
thehill.com/opinion/whit...
BY MAX BURNS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 12/10/25
thehill.com/opinion/whit...
Donald Trump — and American democracy — is getting exponentially worse
Andrew Coyne
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Andrew Coyne
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
The True Catastrophe of Trump, as seen from north of the border
A view from our neighbor
open.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Donald Trump — and American democracy — is getting exponentially worse
Andrew Coyne
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Andrew Coyne
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
U.S. military members fear personal legal blowback tied to boat strikes : NPR 12/12/25
www.npr.org/2025/12/12/n...
www.npr.org/2025/12/12/n...
U.S. military members fear personal legal blowback tied to boat strikes
Staff officers and at least one drone pilot have sought advice from outside groups over legal concerns about their own involvement — or potential involvement — in the strikes against suspected drug bo...
www.npr.org
December 16, 2025 at 9:50 AM
U.S. military members fear personal legal blowback tied to boat strikes : NPR 12/12/25
www.npr.org/2025/12/12/n...
www.npr.org/2025/12/12/n...
MS-13 AND TRUMP BACKED THE SAME PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN HONDURAS
MS-13 gang members told Hondurans to vote for the Trump-backed right-wing candidate or “we’ll kill you and your whole fucking family.”
theintercept.com/2025/12/09/a...
MS-13 gang members told Hondurans to vote for the Trump-backed right-wing candidate or “we’ll kill you and your whole fucking family.”
theintercept.com/2025/12/09/a...
MS-13 and Trump Backed the Same Presidential Candidate in Honduras
MS-13 told Hondurans to vote for the Trump-backed candidate or “we’ll kill you and your whole fucking family.”
theintercept.com
December 14, 2025 at 7:49 AM
MS-13 AND TRUMP BACKED THE SAME PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN HONDURAS
MS-13 gang members told Hondurans to vote for the Trump-backed right-wing candidate or “we’ll kill you and your whole fucking family.”
theintercept.com/2025/12/09/a...
MS-13 gang members told Hondurans to vote for the Trump-backed right-wing candidate or “we’ll kill you and your whole fucking family.”
theintercept.com/2025/12/09/a...
“It’s one thing to read about Trump’s mental decline — quite another to see it, which is why this video is particularly important”.
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Has Trump totally lost it? Watch!
It’s one thing to read about his mental decline, another to see it. That’s why this video is so important.
open.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:09 AM
“It’s one thing to read about Trump’s mental decline — quite another to see it, which is why this video is particularly important”.
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Senator Mark Kelly asks if trump cares about drug trafficking, why did he pardon the former Honduran president in prison for smuggling over 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S.? And he calls out hegseth over his incompetence.
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
Undaunted Veteran Stands Up to MAGA Bullies
Senator Mark Kelly is a national treasure
open.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Senator Mark Kelly asks if trump cares about drug trafficking, why did he pardon the former Honduran president in prison for smuggling over 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S.? And he calls out hegseth over his incompetence.
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
open.substack.com/pub/contrari...
“In the aftermath of the Trump presidency, so many things should all come under the heading “how do we stop this from ever happening again?” Pardon overreach chief among them”.
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
Pardon Me?
Trump's abuse of the presidential pardon is undermining the rule of law
open.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 11:10 AM
“In the aftermath of the Trump presidency, so many things should all come under the heading “how do we stop this from ever happening again?” Pardon overreach chief among them”.
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
“After more than 10 months of this catastrophic Trump regime, who has emerged as the worst person in it, other than Trump himself”?
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Office Hours: Who’s the Worst of the Worst?
Which Trump official has caused the most damage in the last 10 months?
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:23 PM
“After more than 10 months of this catastrophic Trump regime, who has emerged as the worst person in it, other than Trump himself”?
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Former federal judge Mark L. Wolf explains why he resigned from the bench to enable him to fight the lawlessness of trump and his administration.
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Winner of this week’s Joseph Welch Award
For standing up to tyranny. In honor of attorney Joseph Welch, who represented the U.S. Army in the Army-McCarthy Hearings of June 1954.
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:17 AM
Former federal judge Mark L. Wolf explains why he resigned from the bench to enable him to fight the lawlessness of trump and his administration.
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Trump condemns the press with an old line from Russian dictator Joseph Stalin, calling them “the enemy of the people.” That’s a label that should be reserved for actual threats to our country and our democracy. People like Trump and Hegseth.
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
Could The Boat Strikes Sink Hegseth?
Old-fashioned reporting is turning the screws on the Trump administration
open.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Trump condemns the press with an old line from Russian dictator Joseph Stalin, calling them “the enemy of the people.” That’s a label that should be reserved for actual threats to our country and our democracy. People like Trump and Hegseth.
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
Donald Trump is “the most openly corrupt president in American history”.
www.instagram.com/reel/DReWPuK...
www.instagram.com/reel/DReWPuK...
Rutger Bregman on Instagram: "Today I have to share something I wish wasn’t true:
The BBC has decided to censor the opening lecture of a series they invited me to deliver.
They removed the sentenc...
166K likes, 5,089 comments - rutgerbregman on November 25, 2025: "Today I have to share something I wish wasn’t true:
The BBC has decided to censor the opening lecture of a series they invited me to...
www.instagram.com
November 29, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Donald Trump is “the most openly corrupt president in American history”.
www.instagram.com/reel/DReWPuK...
www.instagram.com/reel/DReWPuK...
“We're in a hell of a lot of trouble. Us, America, but the world is in a lot of trouble because the most powerful man in the world is both evil and demented.”
youtu.be/9OtO-cypKmY?...
youtu.be/9OtO-cypKmY?...
'Trump will not make it to the end of this term compos mentis' | Psychologist analyses Trump
YouTube video by Times Radio
youtu.be
November 28, 2025 at 10:29 AM
“We're in a hell of a lot of trouble. Us, America, but the world is in a lot of trouble because the most powerful man in the world is both evil and demented.”
youtu.be/9OtO-cypKmY?...
youtu.be/9OtO-cypKmY?...
Dumbing Down Of America
It’s just this simple — and dangerous: The president and his far-right enablers don’t want an educated electorate. They want to limit information, which will curtail critical thinking and opposition to their authority for years to come.
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
It’s just this simple — and dangerous: The president and his far-right enablers don’t want an educated electorate. They want to limit information, which will curtail critical thinking and opposition to their authority for years to come.
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
The Dumbing Down of America
It’s as easy as G-O-P
open.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Dumbing Down Of America
It’s just this simple — and dangerous: The president and his far-right enablers don’t want an educated electorate. They want to limit information, which will curtail critical thinking and opposition to their authority for years to come.
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
It’s just this simple — and dangerous: The president and his far-right enablers don’t want an educated electorate. They want to limit information, which will curtail critical thinking and opposition to their authority for years to come.
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The demands for an investigation come after a ProPublica story revealed that the Noem-connected Strategy Group was secretly a subcontractor on the ad campaign.
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
The demands for an investigation come after a ProPublica story revealed that the Noem-connected Strategy Group was secretly a subcontractor on the ad campaign.
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The demands for an investigation come after a ProPublica story revealed that the Noem-connected Strategy Group was secretly a subcontractor on the ad campaign.
www.propublica.org
November 28, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The demands for an investigation come after a ProPublica story revealed that the Noem-connected Strategy Group was secretly a subcontractor on the ad campaign.
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
The demands for an investigation come after a ProPublica story revealed that the Noem-connected Strategy Group was secretly a subcontractor on the ad campaign.
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Journalist Dorothy Thompson warned America about Hitler.
Her warnings about how dictators rise to power are relevant today with Trump.
www.facebook.com/share/p/17qo...
Her warnings about how dictators rise to power are relevant today with Trump.
www.facebook.com/share/p/17qo...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Journalist Dorothy Thompson warned America about Hitler.
Her warnings about how dictators rise to power are relevant today with Trump.
www.facebook.com/share/p/17qo...
Her warnings about how dictators rise to power are relevant today with Trump.
www.facebook.com/share/p/17qo...
ICE Agent Arrested in Sex-Trafficking Sting Told Cops: “I’m ICE, Boys”
An employee for Immigration and Customs Enforcement was one of 16 men arrested in a sex-trafficking sting.
newrepublic.com/post/203376/...
An employee for Immigration and Customs Enforcement was one of 16 men arrested in a sex-trafficking sting.
newrepublic.com/post/203376/...
ICE Agent Arrested in Sex-Trafficking Sting Told Cops: “I’m ICE, Boys”
An employee for Immigration and Customs Enforcement was one of 16 men arrested in a sex-trafficking sting.
newrepublic.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:49 AM
ICE Agent Arrested in Sex-Trafficking Sting Told Cops: “I’m ICE, Boys”
An employee for Immigration and Customs Enforcement was one of 16 men arrested in a sex-trafficking sting.
newrepublic.com/post/203376/...
An employee for Immigration and Customs Enforcement was one of 16 men arrested in a sex-trafficking sting.
newrepublic.com/post/203376/...
There's nothing "dangerous" about telling our troops to ignore illegal orders. Their oaths to the Constitution demand that they stand up to their superiors if they're ordered to violate the law.
www.facebook.com/share/17gvoj...
www.facebook.com/share/17gvoj...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:41 PM
There's nothing "dangerous" about telling our troops to ignore illegal orders. Their oaths to the Constitution demand that they stand up to their superiors if they're ordered to violate the law.
www.facebook.com/share/17gvoj...
www.facebook.com/share/17gvoj...
The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, which was highly inappropriate.
www.propublica.org/article/andr...
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, which was highly inappropriate.
www.propublica.org/article/andr...
The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, records and interviews show. Experts said the intervention was highly inappropriate.
www.propublica.org
November 21, 2025 at 5:37 AM
The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, which was highly inappropriate.
www.propublica.org/article/andr...
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, which was highly inappropriate.
www.propublica.org/article/andr...