Is This the End of Social Security & Hegseth Renames Military Base to Honor Racist Traitor
March 14, 2025
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Once again, I misread something and came up with a meaningful quote. Apparently, my blurred vision gives me more insight.
The End of Social Security?: A disruptive effect’: How slashing staff at the Social Security Administration is sparking fears the system could collapse: Trump promised Social Security was safe. Surprise: he lied.
Doctors Outraged Republican Congress To Allow Medicare Pay Cut: A lot of rural areas in red states will be devastated when their doctors move away and their clinics close. But it’s worth it if they can eliminate DEI.
Navy Vet Senator Fires Back at Musk’s ‘Traitor’ Insult: Musk calls a combat hero a traitor for supporting democracy.
Anger at Elon Musk turns violent with molotov cocktails and gunfire at Tesla lots: Reap the whirlwind, Elon.
Hegseth renames North Carolina military base Fort Roland L. Bragg and signals more change coming: In an effort to high-five racists, Hegseth renames a military base after a slaveholding traitor to the country—American exceptionalism at work.
Trump’s pick for US attorney for D.C. has history of inflammatory, racist comments: Looks like requirements for employment at the Trump administration include having accusations of sexual assault and/or posting racist comments.
‘More than brick and mortar:' DC begins removing ‘Black Lives Matter’ plaza near the White House: Republicans found another way to insult Black people and rewrite history.
No Comment Needed: A simple chart showing how Trump is tanking the economy.
Kareem’s Kvetching Korner: How Fox News Deliberately Misleads Its Audience: This is how you make fools of your audience. Will they even know or care?
Kareem’s Video Break: Otters chasing a butterfly. Enough said.
Kareem’s Sports Moments: A BMX rider does amazing things while hurling through the air.
Norah Jones Sings “Don’t Know Why”: One of our greatest jazz singers lifts spirits with this romantic and gentle song.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
I quit, therefore I am
Misread bumper sticker
A few newsletters ago, my daily quote was a line from a poem that I had misread. My misreading actually produced (to me) a profound idea. Today, here’s another example of the joys of getting old revealing something I otherwise wouldn’t have thought of. I was driving behind a car with a bumper sticker that read “I quilt, therefore I am.” But because we were moving (and because I’m old) I misread it as “I quit, therefore I am.” I laughed, looked closer, and read what it actually said. But my misread idea resonated with me long afterward.
All my life, coaches have been chanting sports slogans about never quitting: “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” “Quitting is tough, not quitting is tougher!” “You cannot fail unless you quit.” And, while that kind of motivation is helpful when the immediate goal is to win a game, it’s not always applicable to real life. It’s easy to determine the winner in a game, just look at the score. Not so easy in life.
Sometimes quitting is a smart, healthy, and productive choice. But we’ve trained kids over the years to believe that quitting anything shows a lack of moral character. That results in them hanging on in jobs, relationships, groups, and so forth even when those things are eroding who they are. Yes, we don’t want to get in the habit of treating people or jobs as disposable—we need to put the work in to make sure we aren’t quitting out of fear or laziness or insecurity. But we also don’t want to stifle the potential for change and growth in our lives out of misplaced loyalty to clichés like “There’s no quit in me.” That may just reveal stubbornness over intelligence.
“I quit, therefore I am” doesn’t say quitter to me, but someone who judiciously assesses life situations that seem to overwhelm them until it feels oppressive to the point of changing who they are or who they want to be. The act of quitting defines who they want to be. The 21 DOGE workers who quit out of protest. The Washington Post columnist who quit yesterday after her editorial criticizing Jeff Bezos was rejected. (FYI: I quit my subscription to the Post yesterday in support of the columnist: “A top 'Washington Post' columnist resigns, accusing publisher of killing piece.”)
Quitting is a way to maintain the integrity of who you are, whether it’s quitting a heinous job, quitting a combative relationship, or quitting an unsupportive family. Sometimes jobs, relationships, and even families suck and they don’t deserve you. It takes guts and strength to abandon the comfort of the known for the uncertainty of the unknown. But, as Kenny Rogers sang, “You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” I know when to fold ‘em, therefore I am.