Trump's New Orders Allow VA Doctors to Discriminate Against Dems & Unmarried Vets & GOP Pols Claim Minnesota Assassin is Left-Wing Liberal (Huh?)
June 20, 2025
Veterans and military families gather at the Supreme Court on June 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C., to protest the the Army’s 250th anniversary military parade, which fell on President Trump's birthday.
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: This familiar song title has hidden depths.
‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans: Trump’s humiliation of veterans—and our country—continues.
Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, undeterred by protests. Targeted punishment of those who defy him also continues.
Kareem’s Video Break: Even pigeons need love.
Critics blast Trump phone rollout after Eric Trump said they’ll “eventually” be American-made. Another cash grab that is clearly unethical—in case anyone cares about ethics anymore.
Sen. Mike Lee called to resign for "disgusting" posts about Minnesota shooting. It’s hard to decide which is worse about this guy: that he’s so stupid that he doesn’t know what a Marxist is, or that he’s so lacking in human decency to post this abomination. You decide.
ICE Barbie Went on Bungled Raid Storming Pregnant Mom’s Home: Publicity hound Noem went on a raid and all she got was a t-shirt that said: “Shame.”
Kareem’s Kvetching Korner: Mexican flags at L.A. protests spark debate over symbolism. Does the presence of Mexican flags during protests hurt or help their cause?
Kareem’s Magical Moments in Sports: The best finish to a race I have ever seen.
Kenny Loggins Sings “Return to Pooh Corner”: A song that perfectly captures the innocent joys of childhood. Something we all need sometimes.
CORRECTION UPDATE: In the last newsletter, I mistakenly wrote Michigan instead of Minnesota as the state where State representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were assassinated.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Hal David (1921-2012), lyricist
NOTE: You might be questioning my sanity because I picked this lyric as my daily quote, but have a little faith.
This line from the popular Hal David/Burt Bacharach song of the same name is deceptive. The chipper 1968 song made famous by singer Dionne Warwick tells the story of a young person who came to Hollywood to become a showbiz star, fails, and decides to return home to his friends and family. It’s a familiar story told in many songs, including Gladys Knight & the Pips’ “Midnight Train to Georgia” (“L.A. proved too much for the man…He couldn’t make it…”) and Albert Hammond’s “It Never Rains in Southern California” (“Will you tell the folks back home I nearly made it?…Don't tell 'em how you found me.”).
What always struck me about the song title is that the protagonist is from San Jose (FYI: Hal Davis was stationed there while in the Navy), yet he asks someone else if they know the way there. On the surface, it doesn’t make sense because they would know it’s a straight five-hour drive on the I-5 freeway. No further directions needed.
But they are really asking something else: Do you know how I can quit this failed dream that has shackled me here, and return to a life that will be more rewarding?
Do you know the way to San Jose?
I've been away so long
I may go wrong and lose my way
Do you know the way to San Jose?
I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose
When they say they “may go wrong and lose my way,” they aren’t worried about getting off the freeway at the wrong exit, they’re worried they may never leave in the first place, or worse, turn around and come back. They may have lost their way in knowing what is the best path for them.
“Do you know the way to San Jose?” is shorthand for asking how do I know when to quit an unhealthy pursuit—whether it’s a career or a relationship? How can I break the cycle of unhealthy choices and return to a place—whether a real place or a state of mind—that is nurturing and joyful? In other words, to quote Kenny Rogers, “Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.”
The cool part of life is that we can have more than one dream. When chasing one becomes irrational or unbearable, we can switch to another because maturity teaches us that there can be equal or even greater fulfillment in multiple pursuits.
You might think that’s easy for me to say because I achieved fame. But I didn’t set out looking to be famous or admired—I set out to play the best basketball I could against the best players in the world. That was my dream. Fame was a byproduct. But if I’d failed, I would have become the world’s tallest history teacher and strived to be the world’s best history teacher.
I would have found my way to San Jose.
Quick Takes: Trump’s Vengeance Is Mine Edition
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: We’ve seen Trump gut the federal government of anyone who isn’t a loyal follower, which generally means vocally supporting him by lying and by doing a crappy job. But now he’s openly punishing huge groups of Americans based on their refusal to support him. That is another lit match to the American flag.
‘Extremely disturbing and unethical’: new rules allow VA doctors to refuse to treat Democrats, unmarried veterans (The Guardian)
SUMMARY: Doctors at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals nationwide could refuse to treat unmarried veterans and Democrats under new hospital guidelines imposed following an executive order by Donald Trump.
The new rules, obtained by the Guardian, also apply to psychologists, dentists and a host of other occupations. They have already gone into effect in at least some VA medical centers.
Medical staff are still required to treat veterans regardless of race, color, religion and sex, and all veterans remain entitled to treatment. But individual workers are now free to decline to care for patients based on personal characteristics not explicitly prohibited by federal law.
…Doctors and other medical staff can also be barred from working at VA hospitals based on their marital status, political party affiliation or union activity, documents reviewed by the Guardian show. The changes also affect chiropractors, certified nurse practitioners, optometrists, podiatrists, licensed clinical social workers and speech therapists.
MY TAKE: Far too often these days I have to read articles twice because I can’t believe what I’m reading. This is such a case. The executive order is comically titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” Notice how they start the title with “defending” rather than the more accurate “attacking” or “gutting.” So far, the Trump administration’s idea of defending women has been to systematically reduce their status and power as individuals and as Americans. Veterans who were interviewed warned that the impact of the new policy “would probably fall hardest on female veterans, LGBTQ+ veterans, and those who live in rural areas where there are fewer doctors overall.” So much for “defending” women.
Before Trump’s executive order, VA hospitals’ bylaws prohibited the medical staff from discriminating against patients “on the basis of race, age, color, sex, religion, national origin, politics, marital status or disability in any employment matter.” Trump’s order has now removed some of those distinctions, including “national origin,” “politics,” and “marital status.” Doctors are now mostly free to treat whoever they want—and reject whoever they want.
How many people this will affect: “The Department of Veterans Affairs is the nation’s largest integrated hospital system, with more than 170 hospitals and more than 1,000 clinics. It employs 26,000 doctors and serves 9 million patients annually.”
Even more concerning is that the new rules were implemented without consulting with the VA doctors, a standard practice until now. These are royal edicts issued without input from experts. We’ve seen how that practice has failed repeatedly so far in the Trump administration. In the meantime, veterans and their families will suffer. To Trump, the military are political props to parade around on his birthday or send in to Democrat-controlled states to punish them. Basically, servants.
Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, undeterred by protests (AP)
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump on Sunday directed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities, a move that comes after large protests erupted in Los Angeles and other major cities against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Trump in a social media posting called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials “to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.”
…At the same time, the Trump administration has directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels after Trump expressed alarm about the impact aggressive enforcement is having on those industries, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter who spoke only on condition of anonymity.
MY TAKE: Trump wants to come out swinging after his lackluster parade with poor attendance of about 250,000, though many left early. (Compare this to the approximate 800,000 who attended the 1991 Desert Storm Victory Parade hosted by President George H.W. Bush.) Embarrassed by the lack of attendance, as well as the 4-6 million who marched against him in the “No Kings” protests, Trump wants to assert his power by launching his version of a missile strike against democracy.
The result has riled even his longtime supporters like Joe Rogan, who went on a passionate rant against the ICE raids (“Joe Rogan, in shocking epic rant, tells Trump MAGA ‘a--holes: We don’t want you on the team’”):
“I see a lot of people online talking about this immigrant issue. And they either don’t have kids or they don’t think it could happen to their kids. Their idea is, ‘Hey, shouldn’t have f--king come over here.’ You get those kind of people. ‘You broke the law. Shouldn’t have come over here if you didn’t want to get your kids separated.’
…I don’t give a f--k if they broke the law. You don’t take parents and kids and separate them. You just f--king don’t. It’s disgusting. If you’re saying, ‘Well, they shouldn’t have broke the law,’ maybe they shouldn’t have broke the law.
You don’t get to do something that’s a thousand times worse than crossing a line in the dirt, that f--king imaginary line in the dirt, crossing [a border] is nothing in comparison to your crime of stealing a baby from its mother. That’s f--king insane.”
While it’s nice that Rogan finally addresses the issue, the real question is, what took him so long? The atrocities have been going on for months. Still, the point of all the protests was to bring awareness of the situation to those who might not understand the full story. In Rogan’s case, the protests seem to have worked.
While the ICE raids are extremely troubling, they might not be the scariest part of what’s going on. I’m even more frightened by the administration’s constant pattern of leaping in and making policies without any awareness of the outcome or ramifications. They fire people critical to the health and safety of Americans (like those in charge of nuclear facilities, weather forecasting during hurricane season, FAA air traffic control employees, etc.), only to be forced to hire them back out of necessity. His tariffs are so sporadic and inconsistent that he’s had to rescind many the next day, which is how he earned the popular nickname TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out).
Last week, he ordered ICE to exempt from their raids farm and hotel workers because those industries were being severely affected by the loss of detained and deported workers. A few days later, he reversed that order. Why? Who knows?
The scary lesson here is that decisions are being made on the emotional whims of a man with no impulse control and a lot of petty grudges, and with no understanding of future consequences. Unfortunately, he never has to suffer the consequences—we do.
Kareem’s Video Break
Love can come from the most unexpected source.
Kareem’s Department of “Try to Justify This”
Critics blast Trump phone rollout after Eric Trump said they’ll “eventually” be American-made (Daily Dot): “In a new twist on political merchandising, the Trump Organization revealed plans for Trump Mobile, a mobile phone service. It is paired with a gold-colored smartphone set to hit the market in September 2025.” Yup, through this licensing deal, Trump has found another way to exploit his presidency to bilk the public. Customers will get a gold phone (though not the one that appears on the website because that’s just a rendering, according to Wired). They will get a phone made in America (though not right away but “eventually,” according to Eric Trump). The only phone fully made in America costs $2,000. They will get a mobile plan costing $47.45. (Get it? Because he’s the 47th and 45th president.) That price is significantly higher than other similar plans. While launching the Trump phone, he’s placed a 25% tariff on all other non-U.S.-made phones. Ethical? Why bother asking? Legal? According to Trump, everything he does is legal.
Sen. Mike Lee called to resign for "disgusting" posts about Minnesota shooting (Axios): “Utah Sen. Mike Lee is facing outrage and calls for his resignation over social media posts that baselessly claim the man charged with targeting Minnesota lawmakers in shootings during the weekend has ties to the political left…Prominent right-wing figures, including Elon Musk, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, spread now-debunked claims that leftist politics motivated the shooting spree that left one Minnesota state representative dead and another wounded.” Lee specifically posted a photo of the assassin Vance Boelter with the caption: “This is what happens (w)hen Marxists don't get their way.” Boelter is a deeply religious, conservative Trump supporter. Aside from the insensitivity and lack of integrity in trying to turn this tragedy into a political asset, Utah’s residents should be disturbed that their representative doesn’t know what a Marxist is, because Boelter is clearly the opposite. As for Musk, Moreno, and Walker, their promotion of this idea should remove any doubt about their character—and hopefully tank their careers.
FYI: Speaking of politicians lacking integrity or common decency, Trump announced that he won’t make the traditional call that presidents usually make in such tragedies to Gov. Tim Walz, instead choosing to berate Walz as “whacked out” and a “mess.” This from a guy who sells his own Bible (that he clearly has never read).ICE Barbie Went on Bungled Raid Storming Pregnant Mom’s Home (Daily Beast): “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tagged along for a bungled ICE raid that netted no arrests but forced a pregnant mother and her children out of their Los Angeles home…Sabrina Medina is a U.S. citizen married to an undocumented Mexican national. Cameras in her home captured ICE’s raid, which included masked agents storming her Huntington Park house with rifles in hand.” Ten armed ICE agents raided this woman’s home looking for David Garcia. She told them her husband’s name was Jorge and showed them her tattoo of the name “Jorge.” An ICE agent then turned the outdoor surveillance camera away so they couldn’t be observed. Noem stood nearby in a bulletproof vest and Homeland Security cap. Shortly after the failed raid clearly designed to boost Noem’s political ambitions, she held a news conference where her security wrestled to the ground and handcuffed California State Senator Alex Padilla for asking questions about her misstatements to the public. In one day she proved her incompetence at her job and her authoritarian reaction in the face of being challenged.
Kareem’s Kvetching Korner
Mexican flags at L.A. protests spark debate over symbolism (AP)
One of the main criticisms of the anti-immigration protesters in Los Angeles and elsewhere is the prominence of Mexican and other Latin American flags being waved by the demonstrators. Predictably, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described those flying Mexican flags at protests as left-wing radicals that attacked law enforcement agents who were “removing violent criminal illegal aliens from the city.” (That’s a lie, as evidenced by all the legal immigrants and children they rounded up.) Even some anti-Trump politicians and those on the side of the protesters reject the protesters’ use of foreign flags.
Some wave a hybrid that combines the Mexican and American flags. Those defending the hoisting of Mexican flags claim they are celebrating their heritage. One spokesperson asked why it’s not called anti-American when some Americans fly Confederate flags next to the U.S. flag.
Actually, he’s wrong about the Confederate flag. Many Americans have complained about the use of the Confederate flag by state governments and others, causing many of them to be removed. Individuals still waving it aren’t gaining new support but alienating people. Before the election of Trump, all symbols of the Confederacy were rightly rejected by a majority of Americans as embarrassing reminders of traitors who were willing to sacrifice their own sons’ lives in order to keep slavery. Today, the Confederate flag is a symbol of irrationality, ignorance about history, and anti-American beliefs. To the GOP, it’s a symbol of voters who are easily manipulated. Rename a fort after a Confederate general and you’ve got their vote. Never mind that they cut your health care, caused inflation that steals your money but makes them richer, cut regulations that put your children at greater risk of disease and death. At least you’ve got your flag that celebrates a history of bad choices.
I have no problem with people flying flags that celebrate their heritage. I want to celebrate it with them. They should absolutely show pride in their heritage. But the purpose of a protest is to gather public support in order to force the government to change the policy that they are protesting. It’s not just to express outrage and frustration at injustice. It’s to actually bring about justice.
The fact is that the people they want on their side react negatively to seeing the Mexican flag waving because it’s not a clear symbol to them. They see it as announcing loyalty to Mexico over America. It doesn’t matter what the protesters intend it to mean, it matters only how the general public interprets it. If you’re doing something that has the opposite effect you intend and therefore hurts your cause, stop doing it. That’s from the handbook of How to Effect Change Through Protest (if there were such a book). Is waving the flag more important than stopping ICE raids?
Symbolism matters because it tells a story that can inspire support or create lack of support. Waving the American flag during protests is a clear indictment of the government’s failure to live up to the promise of the American Dream. It announces that the protesters are committed to fighting for America to make it better.
Just some friendly advice from someone who’s been in the trenches and who fully supports your cause.
Kareem’s Magical Moments in Sports
Oregon high schooler Brooklyn Anderson tripped during the 100-meter hurdles at the state championships. Here’s what she did to demonstrate the mindset of a true athlete.
Kareem’s Jukebox Playlist
Kenny Loggins: “Return to Pooh Corner”
The past two newsletters were tributes to artists who’ve recently died. I’m brightening up the mood today with a completely different music choice.
Kenny Loggins wrote “House at Pooh Corner” when he was 17 years old because of his love for A.A. Milne’s 1928 book The House at Pooh Corner, the first book he’d ever read. He was about to graduate from high school and he started comparing that feeling of leaving his childhood behind with Christopher Robin leaving Hundred Acre Wood. More than twenty years later when he was about to have his fourth child, he got to wondering that somebody should make an album for kids that adults would also like. That’s when he wrote a new verse for “House at Pooh Corner” which his oldest child, also a songwriter, named “Return to Pooh Corner.”
Yes, it’s a sentimental song perfect for kids, and when I hear it I think of my own children when they were young, and now my small grandchildren. I’m especially affected by this verse:
I've got to get back
To the House at Pooh Corner by one
You'd be surprised
There's so much to be done
Count all the bees in the hive
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Children are so busy with their version of important tasks, like counting the bees in the hive and chasing the clouds from the sky, that I feel reeled back to my own childhood when such things were everything to me. Oh, the adventures we have when we’re children.
I hope you enjoy today’s song in that spirit.
"But if I’d failed, I would have become the world’s tallest history teacher and strived to be the world’s best history teacher"
It is never too late - anytime you want to teach a lesson via zoom on civil rights to my year 10 history class in Australia just let me know.
Kareem - you are the world's tallest history teacher. Your classroom is your blog and you rock it!