To President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,

The people of the United States owe you an apology. You’ve led your nation with courage, dignity, and unwavering resolve in the face of immense adversity. And yet, instead of the steadfast support and respect you deserve, you were subjected to humiliation, manipulation, and betrayal at the hands of an American president unworthy of his office.

Donald Trump does not represent the values of the American people. He does not embody our commitment to democracy, our dedication to justice, or our belief in the power of alliances.

Instead, he represents the worst of us: the corruption, ignorance, greed, cruelty, and cowardice we as a nation have struggled to overcome. His actions have not only disgraced our country but have also undermined those who stand on the front lines defending democracy—including you and the brave people of Ukraine.

His treatment of you, from his extortion attempt in 2019 to his most recent in front of Vladimir Putin was appalling. Instead of standing beside you as a true ally, he sought to use you as a political pawn, prioritizing his own interests over the security of your nation and principles of international law.

And now, he’s gone even further, publicly diminishing Ukraine’s struggle, parroting Kremlin propaganda, cutting off desperately needed aid and showing the world once again his loyalty lies not with the free world, but with its adversaries.

For this, we are deeply sorry. We are sorry for the disgraceful way you were treated. We are sorry America failed, in that moment, to be the ally you needed. We are sorry you were forced to navigate not only a brutal war, but also the reckless whims of a man who has no understanding of honor or sacrifice.

And we are sorry for those in our country who continue to empower him, despite the damage he has done and continues to do.

But please know this: millions of Americans stand with you. We see Ukraine’s fight as our fight. We respect your leadership, admire your resilience, and remain committed to supporting your nation’s struggle for freedom. The America that values its allies, defends democracy, seeks justice—that America is still here, and we will not let the monumental failures of one small, vile, ignorant man define us.

We pledge to continue standing with Ukraine. And we pledge to ensure our nation never again abandons its allies in their time of need. Slava Ukraine.

With deepest respect and regret, The American People Who Believe in Honor and Democracy.

The midnight hour

It sounds like something out of science fiction, but sadly it's not. The Doomsday Clock.

The DC is a symbolic clock face kept by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that has the joyful job of counting down the minutes to a worldwide catastrophe. Events like that can be caused by more things than anyone's comfortable with.

At the top of the list is global nuclear war, but ever since 2007, climate change is also up there.

Currently, the clock is set at three minutes to midnight, where it's been for the last couple years. That's alarmingly close, considering way back in 1991 it was set at seventeen minutes to midnight, the furthest it's ever been since its inception. That was because the US and USSR had signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), and in December of that year the Soviet Union was dissolved along with much of the threat.

But as Bob Dylan said, the times they are a changin'.

Nowadays (I'm bringing that word back), seems like every country regardless of size either has or is working on developing a device. The world's an increasingly dangerous place. Sure, you could get hit by a car crossing the street, but at least you wouldn't take the other three billion people with you.

But just for fun, let's say, hypothetically, between the Science and Security Board's last meeting to set the clock and their next one, we elected a temper-mentally, judgmentally, thin-skinned, ignorant, vindictive, arrogant, stupid, childish, unqualified individual for President. Someone who has no control over what comes out of his mouth, and complete control of the nuclear arsenal.

It's a scary thought, right?

In a scenario like that, it's fair to assume the scientists might tick the clock forward a minute or two, since a President like that would definitely be, without putting too much hyperbole on it, a threat to our very existence.

For all our sakes, let's hope the big hand on the clock stays where it is, or even pray for some development that allows it to move backwards a few minutes.

Because while the clock itself is metaphorical, the danger is very real.

The race is on

As of noon today, Donald Trump joined the President's Club. I know, I've been nauseous all day too. And as if that weren't enough to make you throw up like Mr. Creosote, this ignorant, unqualified, cesspool of a human being holds the fate of the entire world population in his tiny little baby hands.

Of course I speak of the nuclear codes. Boom.

This means that if someone tweets something he doesn't like, looks at him the wrong way, insults him somehow, his tiny little fuse (which came as a set with his hands) might go off. Then, with absolutely no checks or balances, he could launch a nuclear strike against them.

As if that weren't scary enough, Trump decided to raise the stakes by saying more countries should go nuclear. The more the better. With complete ignorance of policy, protocol, precedent, strategy or capability, Trump encouraged a nuclear arms race with the same tone you'd use to get people to join in a game of tag—except in this game you don't want to be it. This casual, uninformed attitude can't help but beg the question Tom Lehrer is asking in the above video.

Anyway, it's a done deal now. As I write this, Trump is at one of three inaugural balls he's attending tonight with his mail-order bride Melania, enjoying their first dance to the tune of Sinatra's "My Way."

While the rest of us are left with "Gimme Shelter."