Thoughts for the Day, April 13, 2026: Orchid to the Artemus II. Just when you think he can't get worse, he posts a picture of himself as Jesus healing the sick.

Artemus II

Watching the re-entry and the landing of Artemus II on Friday brought me so much joy, hope, and excitement. Seeing the three main parachutes employed after re-entry was a beautiful sight that brought back memories of 50 years ago.

As Anderson Cooper said on CNN, it was a brand-new experience for him and two generations of Americans. Cooper was asking questions of the astronauts on his show that showed his inexperience with splashdowns and recoveries. He was asking questions that I had 50 years ago. It added to the excitement of the night. I didn’t want the TV coverage to end. Just like 50 years ago, it made me proud to be an American.

My granddaughter Kaylen said it best. “Papa, I loved it when the three parachutes opened up. That was so cool.”

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Hope Comes from Hungary

Victor Oban’s defeat in Hungary gives me hope. I am not alone. From Mary Geddry today.

… even after sixteen years of packing institutions, bending the rules, and tilting the field, Victor Orbán still got beat. The AP quotes Steven Levitsky observing that oppositions can win despite a tilted playing field, and Ian Bassin adds the crucial takeaway for Americans: even a guy who rigs the system can be defeated when people unite and turn out against him. That is a warning flare aimed directly at every would-be American autocrat currently doodling executive fantasies…

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What he said on the campaign trail doesn’t matter.

While campaigning in 2024, Trump consistently said that he would make sure the U.S. did not get involved in foreign wars and he knew nothing about Project 2025.

Unfortunately, neither was ever going to be true. Project 2025 clearly laid out a strategy for dealing with Iran and the Middle East, however, most people who voted didn’t bother to do their homework. They made the mistake of believing Trump. Here is a summary of Project 2025 on its Mid-East strategy.

Project 2025 does not lay out a single, detailed “Middle East war plan.” Instead, it embeds the region within a broader America-First national security framework. When you isolate what it implies for the Middle East, a fairly consistent posture emerges:

1) Strong alignment with Israel

· The plan emphasizes unambiguous U.S. support for Israel—military, diplomatic, and strategic.

· It signals less tolerance for internal U.S. policy divisions over Israel.

· 👉 Practical implication:
The U.S. would likely back Israel more directly in regional conflicts, though not necessarily with large U.S. troop deployments.

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2) Hardline stance on Iran

· Iran is treated as a primary regional adversary.

The document supports:

· Re-imposing or tightening economic sanctions

· Blocking Iran’s nuclear development

· Countering Iran’s regional proxies (Hezbollah, militias, etc.)

👉 Practical implication:
Higher risk of confrontation with Iran, but primarily through:

sanctions

· Covert/indirect actions

· Regional partners
—not necessarily full-scale war unless U.S. interests are directly hit.

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3) Energy and economic priorities

· The Middle East is viewed partly through an energy security lens.

· However, with increased U.S. domestic energy production, the region is less central than it once was.

👉 Practical implication:
The U.S. may be more selective about involvement unless:

· Oil markets are threatened

· Or global economic stability is at risk

4) Counterterrorism remains—but more targeted

· The U.S. would continue operations against terrorist groups, but:

with narrower objectives

· fewer large-scale deployments

· 👉 Practical implication:
Think precision strikes and intelligence operations, not occupation.

Bottom line on the Middle East

Project 2025’s approach can be summarized as:

✅ Strong support for Israel

✅ Aggressive containment of Iran

✅ Continued counterterrorism

❌ No appetite for large, long-term wars

❌ Little interest in nation-building

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Just when you think he cannot stoop any lower, he does.

From Heather Cox Richardson: Trump responded to Orbán’s defeat with a long screed attacking Pope Leo XIV, who has spoken out against the religious justification for wars, a statement widely interpreted as commentary on the Trump administration’s claim that the war in Iran is a holy war. “God does not bless any conflict,” the Pope posted on Friday. “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

Trump tonight posted on social media, in part: “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.” Trump suggested the Pope was elevated to the papacy only “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.” He wrote “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”

Today is Orthodox Easter, and about 45 minutes after attacking the Pope, Trump posted an image of himself in the place of Jesus, apparently healing a sick man in a bed, surrounded by a soldier, a nurse, a woman praying, and an older man. Behind him are the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln Memorial, and a giant American flag, while in the sky are two eagles, three fighter jets, soldiers, and what seems to be a monster.

Amid popular revulsion at what people are calling heresy and blasphemy, former U.S. representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote: “It’s more than blasphemy. It’s an Antichrist spirit.”

A minute after posting the image of himself as Jesus, Trump posted an image of a Trump tower on the moon.

Trump has taken down the image, but I have it as my Image of the Day. See below.

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Tell it like it is Boss

Jess Craven of Chop Wood, Carry Water today called out rock and roll legend Bruce Springsteen’s opening last night at his concert in Los Angeles:

“Good evening, Los Angeles,” he said. “Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams tour. We begin tonight with a prayer for our men and women in service overseas. We pray for their safe return.

“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock and roll in dangerous times. We are here in celebration and defense of our American ideals, democracy, our Constitution, and our sacred American promise. The America I love, the America that I’ve written about for 50 years, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous administration,” he said.

“Tonight we ask all of you to join with us in choosing hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unrivaled corruption, resistance over complacency, truth over lies, unity over division, and peace over war.” This is my Quote of the Day

Just one more reason why I have been a Bruce Springsteen fan for 50 years.

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A parable

Years ago, I was told a story that reminds me of the current situation with the conflict of Iran and the closing of the Straits of Hormuz. The story centered around the importance of leaders understanding that no one person is more important than the rest of the team. I have been thinking about this parable a lot in the last week.

Here is the parable.

The human body parts were having a fight about who was the most important.

The brain said he was the most important because he made all the decisions.

The heart said she was the most important because she provided blood to all the organs and muscles they needed to function.

The lungs said they were the most important because they brought the oxygen that every organ needs to function.

The muscles said they were the most important because they provided the strength for the body to stand and move around.

In the meantime, the anus said nothing but started laughing. The anus decided to stop functioning. Within days the muscles, lungs, heart and brain started to get sick. Within a week, the body started to shut down. The muscles, lungs, heart, and brain begged the anus to start functioning again. They promised they would never make fun of the anus again. They promised to recognize the importance of the anus to the entire body. They promised to never think that any of them were better than the rest.

The anus agreed, and he opened up. Within days the body was fully recovered.

I can’t help but think of the Straits of Hormuz as the anus, and the world is struggling because it is shut down.

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Contact your Congressperson

Contact your congressman by following these easy steps This can be done in a few easy steps.

Step 1: find your congressman by clicking on this link, Find Your Representative | house.gov

Step 2: Put your zip code in the proper space.

Step 3: Click the button “find your representative””

Step 4: In the new page that comes up you will see a picture of your congressman. Click on your congressman’s name under the picture.

Step 5: In the new page that comes up, Click on Contact Me at the top of the page and then click on Email me.

Step 6: Fill out the information as required.

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Quote of the Day: “Tonight we ask all of you to join with us in choosing hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unrivaled corruption, resistance over complacency, truth over lies, unity over division, and peace over war.” Bruce Springsteen, while opening up a concert last week on his Hopes and Dreams tour.

Orchid of the Day: Artemus II

Second Orchid of the Day: The Detroit Pistons in two seasons went from a 14-win season in 2024, including the longest losing streak in NBA history, to a 60-win season in 2026. An amazing turnaround in such a short time.

Onion of the Day: No onions on days I give two Orchids

Question of the Day: The administration has spent 40 days complaining that the Straits of Hormuz were closed by Iran, and now Trump threatens to put a blockade on the Straits and not allow any ships to pass. What sense does this make? Can someone explain it to me.

Lyrics of the Day:She packed my bags last night pre-flight Zero hour 9:00 a.m.
And I’m gonna be high As a kite by then

I miss the Earth so much I miss my wife It’s lonely out in space On such a timeless flight

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time ‘Til touchdown brings me ‘round again to find I’m not the man they think I am at home Oh, no, no, no

Lyrics of the Day for April 8, 2026. Sweet Child O’ Mine, Guns and Roses

Video of the Day:

I write reflective, opinionated essays on leadership, politics, sports, and life—grounded in experience rather than ideology. If this perspective resonates with you, you can subscribe here for free.