Frog Legs Are On The Menu

and the water is almost at boiling

I’ve been trying my best to stay calm amidst the chaos unfolding in Washington D.C., but it’s becoming harder with every passing day. As a retired military member, the news that Trump dismissed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Naval Operations yesterday, hit me particularly hard. To make matters worse, he’s planning to bring a retired three-star back to active-duty to take the JCS Chair job. By statute, anyone selected to fill this job is supposed to have served as a combatant commander, as the vice chairman of the JCS, or as the chief of one of the uniformed services. Apparently, Lt. Gen (ret.) Caine’s past actions, like wearing a red MAGA hat in uniform (a violation of military regulations), were enough to earn him Trump’s loyalty test.

This is just one example of the all-out assault on our democracy, and it is difficult to pick the most damaging. But what is clear is that a coup is taking place right under our noses. We are the proverbial frog in the pot of water, unaware that it’s not-so-slowly heating to a boil. By the time the majority of us realize how dire the situation is, it will be too late to escape.

While I’ve seen some outrage from Democratic leaders, I’m not seeing the kind of leadership this moment demands. What more has to happen to convince them the water is reaching the boiling point? Congress has capitulated, the judiciary’s rulings are being ignored, and Musk and his minions are bulldozing their way through our critical institutions — gathering our personal data, firing essential workers, and sowing chaos. Don’t even get me started on the damage this administration is doing around the world to our safety and security.

This morning I received an email from Mark Kelly, one of my Arizona Senators. He had strong words for Elon Musk, vowing not to back down from fighting for Arizonans. At the end of it though, he asked for a contribution — like many others are doing.

I get this is standard fare for politicians, but it infuriated me. Are you seriously asking for campaign donations at a time like this? Our country is at what I consider an existential crossroads, and you’re asking for money to help you get reelected? How about you just do the job I am already paying you to do? Hell, Kelly isn’t even up for reelection until 2028, and right now, I’m not sure our democracy will even make it to the 2026 mid-terms.

While I’ve read about the 75-plus lawsuits that have been filed against the Trump administration, I don’t have faith the judiciary will save us. Trump knows well how to do battle in the legal system, and with his now unlimited budget he can keep obfuscating, delaying, and appealing. As for enforcement of any judicial rulings Trump refuses to obey, who is going to do it — federal marshals working for the Justice Department?

I’m not responsible for finding solutions to our current crises, that’s what we have elected officials for. As I see it, we also pay them for leadership. If they aren’t as worried as the rest of us, why not? If they are, what are they doing about it? And, what do they want us to do about it? If we’re to keep Abraham Lincoln’s promise — that a government “of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from this earth” — we desperately need a leader who can chart a new course. We desperately need a leader or leaders, to tell us what it will take to save our democracy and ask us to make the sacrifices necessary. The water is almost at boiling and frog legs are on the menu.