Trump Wants to Use the Insurrection Act to Deploy Troops in the U.S. & Trump Posts Approval Rating that Doesn't Exist
October 9, 2025
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Mark Twain makes me wonder about our obsession with being special.
Before Trump Ordered In Troops, Federal Officers Called Portland Protests ‘Low Energy’: A small group of peaceful protesters spark Trump to call Portland “war ravaged” and order troops to be sent. Reality check?
Republicans Busted Using Stock Photos to Hype Trump’s Oregon Crackdown: Oregon’s GOP bolstered Trump’s claims that Portland was a war zone—by posting old photos from South America. How are voters still okay with them being in office?
Trump considers cutting US refugee intake to 7,500, focusing on white South Africans, officials say: Given the turmoil in the world, are white South Africans the most needy group to come here?
Trump Is Threatening to Use the Insurrection Act to Deploy Troops in the U.S. Can He?: Trump is no longer pretending that he has any other intention than seizing complete control of this country, by whatever means necessary.
Trump Celebrates Bogus Approval Numbers: Trump brags about approval numbers that don’t exist. He doesn’t care. He thinks you won’t, either.
Video Break: Eleanor Powell dances without Fred Astaire, but with a very talented dog.
What I’m Watching: Play Dirty is a fast-paced, entertaining action movie; One Battle After Another is a boring wannabe political satire without humor or depth; Chad Powers is a very funny and cringey sports sitcom.
Magical Moments in Sports: This bowling demonstration of a double strike is pretty impressive.
The Yardbirds Sing “For Your Love”: Founding member Chris Dreja died last week, so we pay homage to the group that produced three of the greatest guitarists in rock history.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
Mark Twain (1835-1910), American author
We spend a lot of time telling our children and everyone else that they’re “special.” The arc of our culture has been bent toward preaching that everyone is exceptional—in their own way. But “the day you find out why” you’re born—to me—is the day you realize you aren’t special or exceptional. Before you rush off to type an angry comment about my insensitivity, let me explain.
Our society’s insistence that everyone is special comes from a good place. We want everyone to see themselves as valuable. We don’t want our kids growing up with insecurities and anxieties, thinking that they are inferior to other kids because they didn’t win a trophy or score the highest on a test. We rightfully teach them that being the best at something isn’t the only criteria for judging a person’s worth.
The problem is that while we’re telling our kids that everyone’s special, we’re also endlessly celebrating achievements in sports, academics, arts, and more. Award shows are everywhere. We tried giving out participation awards to kids, but even they knew it was a pity prize.
Two things happened as a result of this “everyone’s special” campaign. First, kids grew into adults—all the while knowing they were being patronized and would never measure up to the actual special people our culture hoists on its collective shoulders.
Second, some kids grew into adults believing that special equals deserving. Because they are special just for existing, they think they are entitled to be praised and rewarded with the same riches and celebrity that others have earned through hard work. They need only look at the parade of wealthy incompetents in the Trump administration who publicly say the stupidest things, yet are rewarded with enormous riches and power. The message is, if they can run the country, certainly there is no criteria for excellence or intelligence.
The day when I recognized that I was not special was when I was born into the man I wanted to be. (Okay, there was no such single day, but a slow maturing awareness. But you get the metaphor.) Yes, I had achieved fame, championship rings, and other perks, but those didn’t make me special. It did not raise me above others. I did something special, but that didn’t define me as special.
For me, the goal is in recognizing the unspecialness in each other. That we all share the same fears and anxieties. We want to love and be loved. We want to raise strong, secure children. We want to live in peace and safety. We want enough to eat and a home to feel comfortable in. We want to walk into a room and have people be glad we arrived.
Biologically, we are born only to procreate and continue the species. Humanistically, above all else, we are born to be kind, to comfort, to enjoy.
We should continue to celebrate exceptional achievement because that inspires us all to reach higher. But we also need to separate the achievement from the achiever. A championship ring or billion-dollar bank account does not a saint make. And when those super-achievers go home and close the door, they are nothing special. Which is what makes them, and us, so valuable.