One Tin Soldier Walks Away

Once upon a time, I thought only one political party had lost its way — hijacked from within, its values twisted for power and control.

But after enough time, enough forums, and enough arguments fueled more by frustration than facts, I came to see the truth:

Both parties were hijacked.

Itoldyouso

Not by some outside enemy, but by insiders who learned how to manipulate outrage, redefine loyalty, and silence dissent.

What followed wasn’t a revolution.
It was a slow repurposing of values — from service to performance, from principle to branding.

Today, Republicans aren’t really Republicans unless they’re MAGA.
And Democrats aren’t Democrats unless they’re WOKE.

The Elephant, once proud, now just mutters about how crazy things have gotten.
The Donkey, high on hashtags, barely notices the foundation cracking underfoot.

I used to pick sides.
Now I’m picking up what’s left.

What you’ll find here is a reflection — not of who I was told to hate, but of what I’ve learned to value again.
A reckoning — not with a party, but with myself.
And maybe — a reminder, for anyone still listening:

Silence and loyalty are not the same as integrity.

“Boring? Try Being a Moderate.”

·
But make no mistake: if it were Marxists or Leninists destroying us, I’d be saying the exact same thing. Sometimes you have to throw the punch across the line to be heard. That doesn’t mean

2026 – 2025 Fork

·
2025. the joke was on us, they flew at us so fast we couldn't keep up. The only way to respond was through satire and parody, but it may may be good or it may

250 Years, and you don’t know why we are celebrating?

·
Meanwhile the home-born, the ones handed this country at birth, the ones who never had to sit for a test or prove they earned it — half of them can't tell you what happened 250

A Beginner’s Guide to the Federalist Society

·
Influence: Huge impact on the judiciary. Many federal judges (including 6 current Supreme Court Justices with ties) are members or recommended by the group. Helped shape conservative legal thinking on issues like gun rights, free

A Call for Violence—Is That Really What You Want?

·
When you see the uniformed enforcers, remind them: their oath is to the Constitution, not the President. Ask them: Is this what you want for your children’s future? Ask them: Do you want a fight?

A Conservative Case for Restraint

·
It falls to Republicans to make a hard but patriotic choice: Preserve one man’s ego, or preserve the constitutional order. The conservative answer should be obvious.

A few Dark Money Examples, Oh Yeah’s to sleep well with.

·
You don’t have to take my word for it. Most of us have already seen this — we just didn’t always know what we were looking at. A Few “Oh Yeah” Examples of Dark Money

A Pivot Opportunity on America’s Mental Health Crisis – Redirecting Priorities from Endless War

·
You have the platform (X), cash, and disruption cred to make this viral and bipartisan—addressing blue-city street crises and rural opioid/mental health gaps without heavy ideology. It aligns with your existing views, scales like your

A Real-Time Example (Why Markets React Faster Than Voters) – Healthcare in America

·
Industry groups warn of potential disruptions when 2027 coverage renews in late 2026, though final rates will not be set until April. This adds pressure to an already challenging Medicare Advantage landscape, where many plans

About Here – How it started, and where it is going.

·
As time passed, I kept wondering: what happens if we impeach the Putz? And I’ll admit, I was hesitant to see the Vice President take over. Why? Because he doesn’t stand for America. He sold

Addressing Mental Health – “A Practical Approach:”

·
Part of the reason is that we’ve treated it like a political problem. Something to be argued over. Something funded or defunded depending on who’s in charge. Something that shifts direction every few years without

An Open Letter to Governor Tina Kotek and Mayor Keith Wilson: Portland’s Welcome Wagon for the Uninvited Guests

·
Commandeer the Food Trucks: Rally a squad of our iconic mobile kitchens—Voodoo Doughnut for the sugar rush, Nong's Khao Man Gai for that Thai soul food hug, and a fleet of taco wagons from the

Anyone Home?

·
Bottom line: Democrats, Independents, even RINOs — get a voice, and get it now. 2028 is just a little more than two Christmases away. Stay quiet, stay the same, and Trump's already got his Trump

Arabella Advisors (via the Sixteen Thirty Fund)

·
Distance from local impact National funding routed through professionalized networks can shape outcomes in local or state-level debates without local communities fully understanding where the support originated.

Back to that Daily Coffee.

·
So what is below is jumping into the middle of a discussion, but you should get the drift. We need to figure this stuff out, we need to act, not always react. You may say,

Balancing Green Ambitions with Real-World Energy Needs

·
Rather than vilifying fossil fuels entirely, we should demand smarter use. Cleaner-burning technologies, stricter emissions standards, and investments in carbon capture can reduce their impact while giving renewables time to scale. Likewise, green energy advocates

Ballot Access is Just the Beginning 07/18/2026

·
This week, we're spotlighting endorsements in two states where Forward Party has earned party status. It is not a fast process and requires meeting state-specific requirements for voter registration, petition thresholds at the organizational level,

Ballrooms and Breadlines: When Power Loses Touch With People

·
I can understand the conservative point of view here. I’m conservative by heart and by history. I believe in responsibility, not dependency. I’ve seen the waste, the abuse, the fraud that creeps into welfare systems.

BBQs, Candidates, and Grassroots support! 08/07/2026

·
​​ Hello Forward Friends- As the summer begins to wind down and sample ballots start to go out, I have the scoop you've all been waiting for: Forward endorsed candidates! Filing deadlines are past and

Behind the Scenes — The Secrets of Mediocrity and Old Age

·
I was chasing. And it was predictable. I was getting to where I could do half a dozen cartoons a week before the events even happened, because I had figured out the pattern. Which led

Bernie, Bernie, Bernie

·
I received a "look at what I am doing" email from Bernie Sanders and because I hate comments or sound bites taken out of context I decided to share the complete email — without the

Betting Against The Economy, why would Trump do that?

·
When leaders or high-ranking officials make financial moves that profit from economic decline, it undermines the very foundation of public trust. Reports suggest former President Trump and some government officials may have engaged in activities

Between Socialism and Capitalism: Finding the Compromise

·
Between Socialism and Capitalism: Finding the Compromise Margaret Thatcher once said that “the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” She meant that systems built entirely on redistribution can

Brother Donalds Traveling Grift Show

·
“You know, I once healed the economy — true story, everybody says so. They say I walk on tariffs, I turn deficits into wine. And I can save you, too — for a very small

Burn it to the ground or contain the threat

·
If the Epstein materials threaten individuals far more powerful than Trump, then Trump’s resistance to transparency might be driven by external pressure. In such a scenario, the political system — including members of both parties

But I always thought..

·
What's it going to cost to tear all that crap down? and what are we going to do with that pile of extra D's and T's?

Bye Bye MAGA Hat

·
Trump blew it on Jan 6th, 2020 - He proved it was all about Him.  Then I knew he was just a lying wanna be Dictator that would put America up for sale. Bash me

Christian nationalism isn’t really about Christianity at al

·
The GOP has a unified voice. You can agree with it or despise it, but you always know what it is. Democrats keep waiting for permission to find theirs. That's not a messaging problem. That's

Coda: What We Know Now – Healthcare in America Series 1

·
The purpose here was not to provide answers, but to establish a starting point grounded in reality rather than ideology. Any serious conversation going forward has to begin with what healthcare actually is: partially market,

Dark Money and Influence, It’s time to move on.

·
Not all dark money is a conspiracy and not all conspiracies use dark money.

Dark Money for Dummies — Part 1

·
“Dark money” sounds dramatic, like something illegal or conspiratorial. Most of the time, it’s neither. At its simplest, dark money is political spending where the true source of the money is hidden from the public

Dark Money for Dummies — Part 2

·
Once people understand what dark money is, the next question is obvious: If this creates so many problems, why does it exist at all? The short answer is not corruption or conspiracy.

Dark Money for Dummies — Part 3

·
The conspiracy's that aren't. Far cheaper Less crowded with competing messages Less scrutinized by media More consequential per dollar spent

Dark Money Today: From Montana to California and Beyond

·
Two months ago, we explored the Montana initiative as a test case for curbing dark money. The story didn’t end there. Today, states like California are building on that example, showing that structural solutions —

Dealing with the aftermath

·
Those who remain — especially those already planning to leave — should stand up now. Speak clearly. Let us know you are better than this administration, better than blind loyalty, better than silence. If you’re

Democrat Drops Out Setting Up Idaho Showdown 07/31/2026

·
Bill — This week, the disruption in Idaho’s Senate race opened up a new viable path for our independent to win. The Democratic nominee dropped out of the race, narrowing the field and leaving it

Different Strokes — How Many Chips Do You Want?

·
How many chips do you want? And while I'm telling you what I'm looking for in the next president, there's one more thing. I want a team from day one. Not a successor chosen in

Different Strokes — How Many Chips Do You Want? – Video

·
How many chips do you want? And while I'm telling you what I'm looking for in the next president, there's one more thing. I want a team from day one. Not a successor chosen in

Do you even Know what a Commie is? You Moron.

·
My message: RINO, Democratic Socialist, Democrat, or Independent, with or without an uppercase "I", we may really all want the same thing in the end. But the solutions will be different from each other, because

Electorial College or Popular Vote

·
Democrats overwhelmingly favor the popular vote. Republicans strongly prefer the Electoral College. Independents lean toward the popular vote but are more divided. Overall, most Americans favor switching to a popular vote system.

Elon’s New Party – MAGA rebranded?

·
The ideologies listed under this fictional or satirical "America Party" (AMP) — Neoliberalism, Economic Nationalism, Right-Wing Populism, and Libertarianism — aren't radically different from the forces already influencing American politics. Let’s break them down and

Fifteen Years later, Citizen United still is in the news and still the center of controversy

·
What can we do about it? As with anything thing in politics, the louder the voice, the more often it will be heard. You know where your phone is, you know where your email is,

Fires Everywhere

·
Trump isn’t just lighting political fires — he’s keeping them burning long enough to distract us from the real game. From DOJ slow-walks to federalizing D.C., from the Epstein fallout to filling Washington with loyalists,

Forward Party is Everywhere 08/21/2026

·
This week’s Fast Forward is building on the foundation we emphasized last week with the pursuits for ballot access, the expansion to 41 states, and the lasting infrastructure that will go beyond one election cycle.

Governing requires Thought not Fear

·
Governing requires thought, compromise, and foresight; dictating only needs instinctual levers: fear, greed, loyalty, and outrage.

Guest Post – Outrage Turned Us vs. Them Into Us vs. Us

·
That reality does not erase legitimate differences between left and right. It simply raises a different question: who benefits when citizens become so consumed by fighting one another that they stop paying attention to the

Healthcare – Closure of State Run Mental Facilities and Increase in Homeless Population

·
Overall, Oregon's closures are a microcosm of a national policy that prioritized deinstitutionalization without the necessary infrastructure, directly fueling homelessness by stranding vulnerable people. If you're diving deeper for your healthcare series, sources like HUD's

Healthcare in America — Series II: When Care Can’t Wait – Podcast Prelude

·
In the first episode, we’ll explore what urgent care actually is, and what it isn’t. We’ll see how immediacy changes the rules, compresses choices, and forces decisions that no one wants to make lightly. In

Healthcare in America Series II – Kicker: Why We Struggle to Talk About the Unavoidable

·
Most conversations about healthcare skip this moment. We jump to policy, budgets, and blame. We treat crises as exceptions rather than as signals. But the truth is that someone always absorbs the weight when care

Healthcare in America Series II, Part 1 – What Urgent Care Actually Is (and Is Not)

·
Urgency collapses options. Decisions that would normally take days, weeks, or months are compressed into minutes or hours. There’s no time to compare prices, shop for the best facility, or negotiate who sees you first.

Healthcare in America Series II, Part 2 – When Systems Built for Efficiency Meet Urgency

·
Most healthcare systems are built around averages. Schedules, staffing, and workflow all assume a level of predictability. Efficiency depends on forecasting, and forecasting depends on stability. But urgent care doesn’t follow a curve or a

Healthcare in America Series II, Part 3 – Who Absorbs the Consequences When Waiting Isn’t an Option

·
Urgency does not distribute impact evenly. Some patients are more vulnerable than others. Some families are better equipped to navigate complexity. And some communities have far fewer resources. The system doesn’t decide this intentionally. It

Healthcare in America Series II, Part 4 – How the System Is Actually Structured

·
Most of the anger and confusion people feel about healthcare doesn’t come from bad intentions or unreasonable expectations. It comes from assuming that healthcare is a single thing — a place, a person, or a

Healthcare in America Series II, Part 5 – Why Emergency Rooms Are Overwhelmed (And It’s Not “Abuse”)

·
Is this urgent care? Is it the emergency room? Is it safe to wait?

Healthcare in America Series II, Part 6 – Insurance Is Not Healthcare

·
One of the most persistent misunderstandings in healthcare is the idea that insurance and care are the same thing. They’re related — but they are not interchangeable. This confusion shapes expectations, frustration, and even how

Healthcare in America Series II, Part 7 – The Invisible Layer — Administration

·
Healthcare administration isn’t a single office or department. It’s a web of functions required to make modern healthcare operable:

Healthcare in America Series II, Part 8 – What Patients Are Expected to Know (But Don’t)

·
Which setting is appropriate? How urgent is urgent? Who coordinates what happens next? These expectations exist — but the instruction rarely does.

Healthcare in America Series III – Kicker: Security Is a Feeling. Risk Is a Structure

·
Healthcare debates often center on security. People want to feel protected — protected from catastrophic illness, from unexpected bills, from system failure. That desire is reasonable. It is human.

Healthcare in America Series III – Part 1 Risk Doesn’t Disappear. It Moves

·
When risk moves to individuals, it is often described in the language of responsibility. We hear phrases like “consumer engagement” or “skin in the game.” But exposure and empowerment are not the same thing. Responsibility

Healthcare in America Series III – Part 2 Invisible Risk Carriers

·
Clinical risk is inherent in medicine. But modern practice also carries moral and structural risk. Practicing under constraint — limited time, limited staffing, insurance limitations, documentation demands — forces tradeoffs. Liability exposure exists alongside ethical

Healthcare in America Series III – Part 3 When Risk Accumulates

·
At the community level, accumulation can reshape access entirely. When a hospital closes, travel times increase. Emergency response lengthens. Recruitment of clinicians becomes more difficult. Economic stability shifts. Healthcare infrastructure is not separate from community

Healthcare in America Structural Reform Playbook Part 1 Administrative Oversight & Waste Reduction

·
Administrative tasks — billing, claims processing, coding, approvals — are necessary, but studies show U.S. administrative costs are roughly double those of comparable countries. That’s hundreds of billions of dollars each year that could be

Healthcare in America Structural Reform Playbook Part 2 Price Transparency & Negotiation

·
Price transparency is not about “free market” ideology; it’s about clarity, fairness, and predictability. When patients see costs clearly, the system becomes easier to navigate — and wasteful practices are exposed.

Healthcare in America Structural Reform Playbook Part 3 Integrated Care & Coordination

·
Integrated models — like Kaiser Permanente or other vertically coordinated systems — reduce these frictions by aligning care delivery, records, and financial flows.

Healthcare in America Structural Reform Playbook Part 4 Incentive Alignment for Prevention & Chronic Disease

·
Chronic disease drives the majority of U.S. healthcare costs. Managing it is not just a clinical challenge — it’s also a matter of incentives. Even small changes in how care is reimbursed or structured can

Healthcare in America Structural Reform Playbook Part 5 Rural & Underserved Access

·
Rural and underserved populations are canaries in the coal mine for healthcare stress. Structural interventions — not political promises — determine whether access is preserved.

Healthcare in America Structural Reform Playbook Part 6 Technology & Telehealth Optimization

·
When combined with oversight, transparency, and coordinated care, technology turns abstract reforms into real-world improvements that patients can see and feel. The series shows that practical, achievable reforms exist, even without overhauling the entire system.

Healthcare in America vs Socialized Medicine Today- End of Series

·
Roughly half or more of U.S. healthcare spending already flows through government programs. We are not a pure market system. We are a complex blend.

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 1 The $4.5 Trillion Machine

·
American healthcare is not a single program. It is a layered payment network built over decades — employers, insurers, federal programs, state programs, hospital systems, physician groups, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, compliance divisions, coding

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 10 Reform Principles: Aligning the System

·
The U.S. healthcare system is enormous, expensive, and complex. But it is not irredeemable. By focusing on structure, transparency, and incentives, it is possible to reduce waste, improve access, and align resources with actual care.

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 2 Who Actually Funds the Machine?

·
Employers contribute a significant portion of the premium, but economists generally agree those costs are built into total compensation. In practical terms, health insurance premiums come out of wages — whether workers see the deduction

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 3 Where the Money Goes

·
Price negotiation occurs through insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, but patients often experience unpredictability in costs, especially for high-cost or specialty medications.

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 4 Following the Dollar

·
Even here, the dollar is split: part covers the premium contribution from the employee, part comes from the employer’s share. Often, employees never see this money — it’s folded into total compensation. This means the

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 5 Administrative Complexity: The Invisible Cost

·
Administrative complexity is invisible to most patients. You see your bills, your deductible, your co-pay — but rarely the thousands of small interactions behind them.

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 6 Insurance Design: Why It Feels Complicated

·
Network design can be narrow, meaning that not every local provider is covered. This protects insurers from excessive risk but can frustrate patients who assume all doctors are treated equally under their plan.

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 7 Chronic Disease: The Real Cost Driver

·
“The machine isn’t broken because of greed. It’s stressed because of chronic demand and misaligned incentives.”

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 8 Rural Healthcare & Consolidation: When the Machine Strains

·
Even when care is “available” virtually, the real-world friction remains: long travel times, delayed treatment, and fragmented services.

Healthcare in America, Follow the Money Part 9 Incentive Audit: Who Really Benefits?

·
Structural Takeaways Complexity, consolidation, and financial engineering create winners and losers. The system works for efficiency and risk management, but not always for access, affordability, or simplicity. Understanding incentives is essential before discussing reform: any

Here they come to save the day!

·
It may be time to realize you don't need a majority of a single party to guide the decisions. Wouldn't it be something if no party held all the power?

Here we are at a time of reflection, peace and compassion, what are we missing?

·
I'll keep is short because it's obvious, it's trust. We have nothing to trust. Especially our Government. When there isn't even an effort to disguise a lie anymore, when we are expected believe whatever we

Hey SCOTUS, it’s time to start doing what’s right.

·
It's time to put the Nation first and tell the Pumkin Head where to put it. Current Status Payments on Hold: Full November SNAP benefits are paused nationwide pending the 1st Circuit's ruling and potential

Hey Senator, the President didn’t Elect you, we did.

·
Stop pretending the party and the philosophy are the same thing “Rapid swings create unintended consequences — let’s slow this down.”

High‑Level Analysis: How a Bipartisan Containment Strategy Could Incentivize Both Parties

·
If the Epstein materials threaten individuals far more powerful than Trump, then Trump’s resistance to transparency might be driven by external pressure. In such a scenario, the political system — including members of both parties

How about some Real Free Speach

·
I'm thinking of a free speech challenge to Elon, is bot traffic free speech, is ad revenue theft free speech, is radical left or right hate bot meme attacks free speech or is an honest

How Citizens United Came to Be: From a Hillary Hit Piece to Unlimited Corporate Cash in Elections – Dark Money

·
Fifteen years later (and counting), the ruling birthed super PACs, record-shattering election spending, and ongoing calls for a constitutional amendment to overturn it. Polls show overwhelming public opposition across party lines. Was Citizens United a

How REAL Social Media FREE SPEACH Could Work

·
No child exploitation No credible threats of violence No doxxing of private individuals No coordinated foreign interference No impersonation or fraud #FreeSpeechTest #BotFree #SocialExperiment #HumanDiscourse #FreeSpeechTest #SocialExperiment

How to Protect your Voting Rights

·
Question what you are being told, check with your State, The State controls voting, not the Federal Government and especially not the current administration.  You will lied to and you will be threatened. Follow these

If There Are No Records, There Is No Legacy

·
If the records have no enduring value, then neither does the archive meant to hold them. Return the land. Cancel the project. Call it what it is.

If You Aren’t MAGA

·
In Remembrance of Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, who will be next?

If You Want to Fix It, You Have to Touch It

·
You don’t get to sit in silence while others vote, organize, or legislate — and then act shocked when the country veers hard left or right. If the future looks more like a police state

In My Opinion. Trump hasn’t lost it, he never had it.

·
The following is un edited, my question and the reponse.  And I asked for permission to use it. Question: Looking for an opinion, doesn't have to be fact and this is conversation, not fact checking.

Is it Time for a Time Out?

·
If that's really the plan, I've got one very big question I'd like answered soon. Who, exactly, is this Democrat? This Independent? This RINO? Take your pick. But whoever it is better make a stage

Is This You?

·
I must say terms like RINO are offensive and inaccurate. It should also be noted that the largest percentage of voters, over 45% align themselves as independents, maybe that's why both parties fight so hard

It isn’t funny anymore, so let’s get ready for tomorrow – Healthcare in America

·
. Not conspiracy theories, just a better understanding of the how and why. My goal wasn't to be partisan — it was to help readers better grasp the mechanics behind the curtain and make better,

It’s Not Which Side, It’s Looking In The Mirror

·
That's right, freedom — we fought for freedom. But somewhere in there should be a guarantee of protection. And I don't see anyone way up the ladder caring about protecting anyone anymore, except themselves. Have

It’s Not Which Side, It’s Looking In The Mirror – Video

·
That's right, freedom — we fought for freedom. But somewhere in there should be a guarantee of protection. And I don't see anyone way up the ladder caring about protecting anyone anymore, except themselves. Have

Leonard Leo has done more to reshape the American legal landscape than many senators, presidents, or judges.

·
No bombastic rallies, no orange spray tan, no obvious cult of personality. The media mostly sees him as “that judicial guy from the Federalist Society.” But under the radar, he’s weaponizing legal legitimacy, which is

Let’s Move Forward

·
I support the Forward movement because it is one of the few efforts trying to pull American politics out of the tribal trench warfare it has been stuck in for far too long. I don’t

MAGA – Is it too Late Getting Back on Track

·
So where do we go from here? We don’t need to abandon what we believed — we need to reclaim it. Not with rage, but with resolve. Not by burning everything down, but by rebuilding what’s

MAGA – What Trump Turned It Into

·
Trump didn’t build on the core of MAGA, he hijacked it. He turned a movement meant to restore dignity into one that demands loyalty over honesty, anger over results, and spectacle over service. He didn’t drain
 

Please Visit The Elephants BBQ on Substack
The Elephants BBQ
Help Support Our Efforts
AI Disclaimer
"Let's slow down and think this through."

 

Comments are Disabled