Progressive Thinking

Disinformation spreads because people want to believe it. The nation drowning in ignorance, anger, and fake statistics that sound believable only because they confirm what people already think.

LAKE GENEVA, WI - There is a line from an old Simon and Garfunkel song that says, “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” That one sentence perfectly sums up what has happened to truth in America. People don’t just fall for lies anymore. They run toward them, wrap themselves in them, and scream them from the rooftops as if ignorance is something to be proud of.

I saw one of those viral posts making the rounds online. It claimed that 43 percent of food stamps go to illegals, that 95 percent of murder warrants in Los Angeles are for illegals, and that 66 percent of births in California are to illegals on Medi-Cal. Every single one of those numbers is a flat-out lie. Not slightly off. Not debatable. Just plain false. But people keep sharing it because it fits what they already want to believe.

Here’s the truth. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for food stamps, regular Medicaid, or most federal programs. PolitiFact found that only about 15 percent of births in California involve undocumented mothers on Medi-Cal. There is no evidence that almost all Los Angeles murder warrants or half of all gang members involve undocumented people. These claims are fake, invented to stir anger and fear. And it is working.

Disinformation spreads because it feeds ego and prejudice. It gives people permission to blame someone else for their problems. It tells them they are right and everyone else is wrong. It requires no thought, no curiosity, and no effort. It is the fast food of information.

And too many Americans are stuffing themselves sick with it.

People don’t question anything anymore. They hear something that fits their bias, click “share,” and move on, thinking they have just done their patriotic duty. They haven’t. They have just become another cog in the machine that keeps ignorance alive.

This kind of willful stupidity is not harmless. It poisons our democracy. It divides communities. It makes enemies out of neighbors and turns compassion into contempt. The truth has been replaced by whatever version makes someone feel good about being angry.

If we want a future built on facts, then we have to stop rewarding lies. We have to stop confusing opinion with evidence. And we have to stop pretending that truth is something we can bend to fit our feelings.

The truth does not care what we believe. It stands there, solid and stubborn, waiting for us to grow up and face it.

Author's Note: I am so sick of seeing garbage statistics passed around like gospel. Lies dressed up as facts are poisoning this country because people don’t bother to question anything anymore. If something fits their bias, they believe it. If it feeds their anger, they share it. No checking, no thinking, no shame.

It’s time to stop rewarding ignorance. I just wrote a new blog called “The Truth Gets Lost in the Noise: How Disinformation Feeds the Willfully Ignorant.” If you’re tired of seeing false claims about immigrants, politics, or anything else being spread like wildfire, you need to read this.

Donald Trump’s latest $230 million lawsuit against the Justice Department proves once again that no one loves the courtroom more than he does. What it would be like if the rest of us could sue him for the stress, sleepless nights, and emotional trauma his chaos has caused?

LAKE GENEVA, WI - If Donald Trump ever decides to start his own religion, it will be called Sueism, the sacred practice of suing anyone who annoys you. The man treats court filings like most people treat Facebook posts. He has sued journalists, comedians, political rivals, banks, states, cities, and even the people who used to work for him. He has turned the American legal system into his personal complaint department. Somewhere in Washington, a tree is weeping because it knows it is about to become the paper for Trump’s next lawsuit.

His legal calendar must look like a Sudoku puzzle, with hundreds of tiny boxes filled with the names of people who dared to tell the truth. The man does not have an army of lawyers. He is an army of lawyers. If they ever stop billing him, they will probably sue him for emotional distress.

And just when you think you have seen it all, along comes his latest tantrum: a $230 million claim against the U.S. Department of Justice. You heard that right. The man who treats subpoenas like junk mail is now demanding hundreds of millions of dollars from the Justice Department because he believes he is the real victim. It is beyond belief, a lawsuit so ridiculous it could only exist in Trump World, where up is down, losing is winning, and accountability is persecution.

Sometimes I wonder, half seriously, if regular Americans could turn the tables. What if we could file a class-action lawsuit against him? I am not talking about treason or hush money. I am talking about the daily mental anguish of living in a country where every morning starts with the question, “What did he do this time?” I would like to claim punitive damages for loss of sleep, high blood pressure, stress eating, and the years shaved off my life every time he opens his mouth.

And I am not talking about a measly $230 million either. That would not even begin to cover the collective damage. I am thinking more like a trillion-dollar settlement fund for national therapy. Every American who has had to endure this endless chaos deserves compensation for emotional trauma, ruined dinner conversations, and the permanent side effects of hearing “witch hunt” shouted on repeat. Honestly, I want damages for every brain cell I have lost trying to make sense of his word salads.

If there were any justice, we would all get hazard pay for enduring his presidency, or whatever we are calling this political circus reboot. I would settle for reimbursement for therapy sessions and the gallons of Pepto-Bismol it has taken to survive his “truths.” Forget infrastructure spending; let us build a legal bridge straight from our collective trauma to the courthouse steps.

Maybe someday, when this is all over, historians will look back and realize that Donald Trump did not just break political norms. He redefined what it means to weaponize the courts. Until then, I will keep my imaginary lawsuit filed under “wishful thinking” and my sanity filed under “pending.”

Read my latest Don’t Blink! blog post, “The Most Litigious Man in America,” and join me in demanding more than a measly $230 million in damages for what we have all endured.

Read it now at LauraKiefert.blog

Seven million Americans marched for democracy, and Trump called himself king. Respect has to be earned, and Donald Trump has never even tried.

LAKE GENEVA, WI - On October 18, 2025, nearly seven million Americans marched in cities across all fifty states, carrying handmade signs that read “No Kings,” “We the People,” and “You Work for Us.” It was one of the largest peaceful protests in U.S. history. Teachers, nurses, veterans, and families filled the streets to remind a man who thinks he is untouchable that America does not do royalty.

For one day, the country looked united in something that was not rage or fear but a shared belief that the Constitution still matters. It should have been a powerful moment and a wake-up call for any leader with a trace of humility.

Trump’s response? He mocked them.

Within hours, his social media team posted a slick video of him flying over the crowds wearing a gold crown and dropping piles of what looked like, well, let’s just say it was not confetti. The caption read, “King Trump watches over his people.” That level of childishness might get laughs at a middle school talent show, but from a sitting president it was disgusting.

This is the same man who insists we should “respect” him. Respect what, exactly? The arrogance? The cruelty? The constant need to humiliate anyone who dares to disagree? You do not get respect for ridiculing millions of peaceful protesters who exercised their constitutional right to speak out. You get laughed at and called out for what you are.

The King Complex

Trump does not want respect. He wants obedience. Always has. He demands it from his staff, his party, and now the entire nation.

Early in his second term, reports surfaced that federal job applicants were being asked to describe their “MAGA awakening.” That is not a job interview question. That is a cult initiation. Skilled civil servants are being replaced by unqualified loyalists who know how to flatter him but not how to do the job. When you replace competence with devotion, you are not running a government anymore. You are running a fan club with executive power.

The Protest That Popped His Balloon

The “No Kings” rally was not some fringe gathering of elites. It was a massive rejection of Trump’s growing authoritarianism. The people who showed up were not radicals or extremists. They were everyday Americans who still believe presidents are public servants, not rulers.

And that scares him.

He can handle criticism from the press. He just calls them “fake” and moves on. But seven million ordinary citizens standing up together is something he cannot ignore. The video he posted was not just immature, it was defensive. It was the tantrum of a man who cannot stand to see that he is not adored by everyone.

When Respect Becomes a Joke

Trump’s followers love to say we should “respect the office.” Sorry, but respect is not automatic. It is earned. You do not get it for winning an election. You get it by leading with integrity and serving the people who put you there. And you certainly do not get it by posting videos of yourself wearing a crown and dumping sludge on protesters.

Real leaders listen to the people who protest them. Trump mocks them. Real leaders unite their citizens. Trump divides and then calls it patriotism.

Respect is about character, not control. If Trump’s crown-and-droppings video proved anything, it is that character is still missing from this White House.

The Power Trip Continues

Since his reelection, Trump has treated public service as his personal playground. Job applicants are screened for loyalty, not skill. Civil servants who question him are replaced. Whistleblowers are punished. Even his closest advisers whisper about walking on eggshells because they know one wrong word could get them fired.

He pardoned dozens of people convicted in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. That was not mercy. It was a message to his followers that if they commit crimes for him, he will protect them. It was a reward for obedience, not justice.

He signed executive orders targeting immigrants and stripping citizenship rights, pretending it was about “protecting Americans.” What it really protected was his ego. When you build policy around fear and loyalty instead of fairness, you are not protecting a nation. You are feeding a dictator’s appetite.

No Integrity, No Respect

Respecting Trump because he won again makes as much sense as respecting a con artist because he pulled off another scam. Power does not erase corruption. His only consistent quality is inconsistency. He lies one day, contradicts himself the next, and blames everyone else for the fallout.

A man who mocks judges, insults women, demeans veterans, attacks the press, and undermines democracy does not deserve respect. You cannot tear down every institution that holds you accountable and then demand to be honored for it.

The Bottom Line

Seven million Americans marched to remind the president that this country does not belong to kings. In return, he reminded them why they had to march in the first place.

Trump does not want respect. He wants obedience. He does not serve the people. He expects the people to serve him. And when they refuse, he throws a fit and mocks them online like a bored teenager.

Respect is earned through humility, honesty, and service. Trump has none of those qualities. What he does have is a gold crown, a fragile ego, and a desperate need for worship.

So no, I do not respect Donald Trump. I never will. And the next time he posts another video from his imaginary throne, I hope every one of those seven million Americans looks up, laughs, and keeps marching.

When justice turns into a weapon, democracy becomes the target. How the Department of Justice is being twisted into a tool for political revenge — and why it’s tearing down the rule of law in the process.

LAKE GENEVA, WI - Justice is supposed to be blind. Lately, it feels more like it’s winking. The Department of Justice has become the playground of power, where loyalty determines guilt, and revenge wears a badge. What once stood as a pillar of integrity now looks like a political hit squad dressed up in government suits.

Take James Comey. The man was out of the spotlight, minding his own business, when suddenly he’s hauled back into the headlines with an indictment for false statements about testimony he gave years ago. The timing isn’t just suspicious, it’s insulting. It screams of a political stunt, a grudge dressed up as a legal proceeding. It tells every public servant watching that if you cross the wrong person, they’ll eventually come for you, even if they have to dig up the body of an old investigation to do it.

Then there’s Letitia James. The New York Attorney General who had the guts to take Trump’s company to court now finds herself accused of bank fraud by the same Justice Department she once served beside. You can call it coincidence if you want, but it looks like vengeance to anyone with eyes. This isn’t accountability. It’s payback. It’s punishment for daring to hold power accountable.

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s “Weaponization Working Group” is the cherry on top. Supposedly created to root out political bias, it’s actually a weapon disguised as reform. It’s like hiring arsonists to investigate fires. Critics say it’s being used to track down Trump’s enemies, not to restore justice. Watching the DOJ investigate “weaponization” while actively weaponizing itself is enough to make you choke on the irony.

Trump has never been shy about using the Justice Department like it’s his personal law firm. He doesn’t hint, he commands. He publicly tells the attorney general who to prosecute, naming names like a mob boss giving orders. Comey. Letitia James. Adam Schiff. A “private” message meant for Pam Bondi accidentally went public, revealing what everyone already suspected: justice isn’t being served, it’s being ordered.

Meanwhile, ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising site, suddenly finds itself under investigation. Not the Republican platforms, of course. Just the one tied to Democrats. Selective justice is not justice at all. It’s manipulation dressed up as law enforcement, and it reeks of political theater.

Then there’s the FBI arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan, a sitting judge who just happened to criticize the administration’s policies. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but when critics end up in handcuffs, it starts to feel like intimidation instead of law. This is what happens in regimes, not republics.

Behind the scenes, career employees at the DOJ who dare to push back against these political orders are being reassigned, demoted, or outright fired. It’s called “realignment,” which is a nice bureaucratic word for purging anyone with a conscience. The message is clear: toe the line or lose your job.

Every democracy reaches a crossroads where people have to decide what they’ll tolerate. This might be ours. When prosecutors become soldiers in a political war, the country stops being governed by laws and starts being ruled by fear. When truth becomes optional and revenge becomes policy, the justice system doesn’t just break. It turns against the people it was built to protect.

Lady Justice used to wear a blindfold to stay impartial. Now she’s peeking to make sure she’s not about to indict the wrong team. And the rest of us? We’re supposed to sit quietly and pretend we don’t see what’s happening.

But we do see it. We see the hypocrisy. We see the abuse of power. We see the transformation of justice into a weapon of retribution. It’s not just shameful. It’s dangerous. Because once the law becomes a tool for vengeance, it stops being the law at all.

If this is what justice looks like now, then it’s no longer justice. It’s just payback, and America deserves better.

Donald Trump scolding James Comey for lying is like Al Capone scolding someone for tax evasion. A Wisconsinite calls out the King of Liars for his world-class hypocrisy.

LAKE GENEVA, WI - Donald Trump pointing his stubby finger and screaming that James Comey is going to be indicted for lying is the political equivalent of a fox accusing a chicken of theft. Honestly, it would be hilarious if it weren’t so pathetically transparent.

This is the man who has taken lying and raised it to an art form. Forget Picasso, forget Mozart — Trump is the Rembrandt of falsehoods, the Shakespeare of bullshit. He lies the way most people breathe — automatically and constantly.

Let’s run the tape. It started with the size of his inauguration crowd — a lie so obvious the photographic evidence alone made him look ridiculous, but he doubled down anyway. Then there was the infamous Sharpie-altered hurricane map, a preschool-level stunt to cover up a mistake.

He called his call with Ukraine “perfect,” even as the evidence showed otherwise. And of course, the hush money to Stormy Daniels — first denied, then admitted, then denied again, as if we couldn’t keep track.

His pièce de résistance was the Big Lie itself, the claim that “the election was stolen,” the fattest whopper of them all, one that continues to poison our politics.

And then came his stump tours — the traveling circus of deceit — where he stood in front of adoring crowds and spun fairy tales about jobs magically flooding back, Mexico footing the bill for his wall, and windmills somehow causing cancer. It was pure theater — entertaining for the faithful, maybe — but there wasn’t a shred of truth in it.

Trump doesn’t do rallies. He does improv comedy where the punchline is always a lie.

And let’s not forget, his own fixer — Michael Cohen — went to prison for lying to Congress on Trump’s behalf. Cohen admitted he shaded the truth about Trump Tower Moscow to match Trump’s fairy tale version of events. Why? Because lying is the Trump family crest. It’s the only glue that holds his empire of grift together.

But now, Trump wants us to clutch our pearls because James Comey supposedly “lied.” Please. Coming from him, that’s like Al Capone demanding people pay their taxes on time.

It’s laughable. It’s hypocritical. It’s projection so obvious you could see it from space.

The truth is, Trump can’t survive without lying. It’s his oxygen. It’s his currency. It’s his brand. And yet he still believes he has the moral authority to wag his finger at anyone else.

If irony burned calories, Donald Trump would be thin as a rail.

So forgive me if I don’t take the King of Liars seriously when he pretends to care about “perjury.” The man has lied so much, he could probably perjure himself just ordering a cheeseburger.