Thoughts for the Day, December 16, 2025: The lack of pushback speaks volumes

More on Trump’s response

To the best of my knowledge only a small percentage of Republican members of congress have publicly spoken out against Trump’s response to the murder of Rob and Michelle Reiner. I find this appalling. The lack of pushback by the majority of Republican members of congress speaks volumes about the lack of courage when it comes to holding President Trump responsible for his behavior and comments.

On a positive note, many conservative commentators and media members have chastised Trump for his response. One of the best I have read comes from conservative Nolan Finley of the Detroit News. Here are excerpts from his editorial today.

It’s pointless to expect Donald Trump to apologize for his reprehensible response to the murder of Hollywood actor/director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele. Even though the American people deserve an apology, remorse is not in the president’s repertoire.

Trump’s horrid comments in the aftermath of the double homicide mark a new low for a president who has demonstrated his character is seriously low on humility and humanity. In a moment that demanded compassion, Trump offered cruelty.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed the killings were “reportedly due to the anger (Reiner) caused others through his massive unyielding and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”

Reading those words at the end of a weekend that saw an antisemitic massacrer in Australia, another mass shooting on an American campus and two U.S. soldiers killed in a Syrian ambush raised what must be the universal question: “What on earth is wrong with him?”

Pick a word: Delusional. Egomaniac. Callous. Anyone will do. And it’s not OK that every one of them apply to the most powerful man in the world.

No one expected Trump to honor Reiner with a flowery eulogy. They hated each other. He could have just said nothing….Instead, he wallowed in ignorance and insensitivity, as he does nearly every day now. His crudity is no longer funny, if it ever was. It’s juvenile and embarrassing.

…..Voices from across the spectrum are rising to condemn him.

The irony is Trump was among those who just a few weeks ago were threatening to punish those who openly celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. I was no fan of Reiner’s progressive political activism, but I believe him to be just as much a patriot as was Kirk. His death is also a loss for the nation. That’s something the nation’s leader should recognize and respect.

It’s tempting to dismiss this as just Trump being Trump. That risks normalizing behavior that is totally unacceptable, and that unfortunately is becoming an everyday occurrence. It should make us nervous that our president has such an extreme lack of self-control, few filters, and no sense of propriety.

Reveling in the butchering of another human being is not normal. Trump increasingly seems unhinged, distracted by old grievances and obsessively defensive of an administration that, so far, is not nearly as successful as he believes.

Add to that the slavish fawning he demands of his cabinet members, who must constantly affirm his brilliance, and it paints a picture of a president who is losing his grip on reality.

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The Pirates of the Caribbean

Mary Geddry is quickly becoming one of my favorite bloggers. Here are excerpts from today’s blog.

We begin offshore, where the Trump administration continues its shadow maritime war, now tallying at least ninety-five dead across twenty-five boats in the Eastern Pacific. Southern Command announced yesterday that three more allegedly drug-linked vessels were blown to splinters, killing eight men whom officials promptly declared “male narco-terrorists,” as though gender and geography provide the legal authority Congress never granted. They even posted the explosions on social media, a kind of Pentagon TikTok reel for an administration that now treats lethal force like content.

These are the sorts of missions that history books later describe as “controversial,” military lawyers describe as “indefensible,” and future tribunals describe as “Exhibit A.” And as pressure mounts from legal scholars, human rights groups, and even uneasy allies to classify these strikes as unlawful uses of military force, one cannot help but imagine a future where the service members carrying them out will wish they had listened to Mark Kelly’s warning, the one the administration is working so hard to criminalize.

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Poor use of words on my part

Yesterday, in the piece about U of M hiring a new football coach, I said U of M should remain patient before “pulling the trigger” on hiring a new football coach. One of the subscribers pointed out to me that the use of the term “pulling the trigger” was not appropriate considering my articles on the shootings at Brown University, Bondi Beach, and Syria. I agree.

I greatly appreciate it when subscribers give me feedback such as this. “Pulling the trigger” is a term I have used for most of my life, however in today’s day and age of daily mass shootings, it is a phrase I should remove from by vocabulary. I will give it my best.

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Quote of the Day: “At the end of a weekend full of sadness, it’s an inconceivable tragedy that we’ve lost Rob Reiner and his sweet wife. I miss Joe Biden, the great consoler. I miss Barack Obama, who sang Amazing Grace at the service for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, murdered along with members of her congregation at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina. I miss George Bush, who brought the nation together in the days following 9-11. I miss Jimmy Carter, the underappreciated humanitarian president. In a moment, today, where decency is called for, this president has none to offer. We’re in this together.” Joyce Vance

Orchid of the Day: The Detroit Pistons who are now 21-5 after their victory last night in a rough and physical game against the Boston Celtics at Boston’s TD Gardens. The Pistons have the best record in the Eastern Conference by 2.5 games over the NY Nicks. The Pistons have a 6.5 game in the Central Division over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Onion of the Day: Most of the Republican members of Congress. Their non-response to Trump’s comments about the death of Rob and Michelle Reiner speaks volumes to their lack of courage.

Question of Day: Did you know that only one of the seven dwarfs was Happy? A little humor to make you smile.

Lyrics of the Day:

Think of all the fun I’ve missed. Think of all the fellas that I haven’t kissed
Next year, I could be just as good If you check off my Christmas list

….I want a yacht, and really, that’s not a lot. Been an angel all year

If you think you know the answer, post your response in the comment section of the blog.

Lyrics of the Day for December 15, 2025. Someday at Christmas by Stevie Wonder.

Video of the Day: RIP Rob Reiner. Thank you for giving us one of the greatest scenes in movie history.

The court scene in a “Few Good Men” directed by Rob Reiner

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