Tyrants are unfit to be the rulers of free people
Hockey Hall of Fame delivers memories of Calder Cup and beyond
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Here are the facts about President Donald Trump on this Fourth of July, 2025.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation.
He has cut off our trade with all parts of the world.
He has transported us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses.
He has taken away our charters, abolished our most valuable Laws, and altered fundamentally the forms of our governments.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.
If you follow the news, I suspect you are nodding your head, but also wondering why the awkward syntax in my prose this July 4.
Here's the confession.
The words are stolen.
They were first written by Thomas Jefferson and published on July 4, 1776 from Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
For further context, Jefferson writes:
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
What follows are 27 charges of abuse in that July 4, 1776 document by the King of England.
Near his conclusion, Jefferson writes: "A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."
There it is.
Right there in the Declaration of Independence is an apt description of the actions of our current president over the past six months.
The King of England faced other much worse accusations, but if you pay attention to the news, you may believe, like me, those horrors are still to come from our current administration.
The legislation this Fourth of July holiday sets the stage for further atrocities for those of us in the North Country.
For many of you who are retired, who have saved your money, who have good health plans, you will not be affected.
But others less fortunate will.
Rep. Elise Stefanik voted twice for legislation that will put the financial viability of many rural hospitals in danger.
That will eliminate health care and nutrition for children.
Democrats have taken to calling it the "Big Ugly Bill."
Cute, but maybe it should be called "The Big Betrayal."
Media outlets in all corners of the North Country have reported over and over again that Stefanik has again voted for a spending plan that will take money away from hospitals and poor people in her own district.
Stefanik responded by doing what she does best - lying.
“Republicans want to strengthen and secure Medicaid for eligible citizens as it is an indispensable lifeline for our nation’s most vulnerable," it reads.
But it is a lie.
The facts show just the opposite.
After she voted for the bill the first time, she insisted that her vote was the deciding vote.
The voted was 218-214 this time around with only two Republicans voting against the bill.
Elise Stefanik should once again receive full credit for being the deciding vote against poor, struggling Americans in her district.
And she should be held accountable.
Hochul responds
Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized New York's Republican caucus in Congress by saying, “They had two chances to stand up to Donald Trump and fight for the people they serve,” Hochul said. “They failed both times, gambling with their constituents’ lives to pay for billionaire tax breaks.”
Plenty to say
Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries had plenty to say about what Dems are calling the "Big Ugly Bill."
He spoke for 8 hours and 45 minutes while trying to delay a vote as long as possible.
It was a new record in the House of Representatives for holding the floor.
Siena poll
Gov. Kathy Hochul has sizable margins over three possible Republican challengers in a poll released by Siena College last week.
Hochul holds a 47-24% lead over Elise Stefanik and Rep. Mike Lawler while bettering Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman 44-19%.
Hockey Hall of Fame
For the second time in my life I was face to face with the Calder Cup.
The first time came in the early morning hours at Dango's in Glens Falls after the Adirondack Red Wings had returned to Glens Falls from Newfoundland after winning the American Hockey League championship in 1992.
The Cup was filled with beer and I was given the honor of taking a sip.
This time the Calder Cup was behind glass at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. I looked closely at its base where the names of championship teams - including four times for Adirondack - were etched.
The Hockey Hall of Fame was not a destination for me and to be frank, I have not followed professional hockey closely since the Red Wings left Glens Falls in 1999.
But I was surprised how much I remembered about those stars of the past from Rangers goalie Ed Giacomin to Bruins center Phil Esposito and of course Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe.
But the biggest connection was with those great Detroit teams who were stocked with a handful of Adirondack alumni. That led to the Stanley Cup making the trip to Glens Falls after Detroit won the Cup in 1997 and 1998.
Since the Yankees lost twice to Toronto while was there this week, the Hockey Hall of Fame was the highlight of my trip.
Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.
I am just sickened by all of this. I have few words that haven't already been expressed. Power is in the hands of the ignorant, cruel and inhumane. These people are more than dictators and autocrats, we are living in a world of organized crime; threats, money flowing into the dirty hands of those who would kidnap, abduct, imprison and kill innocent people. History and the essence of our representative democracy is of absolutely no concern of those who are so terribly guilty. They understand nothing but power and money.
We retired folk will feel the cuts in Medicare. 500 Billion over the next 8 years. There isn't a person in this Country that won't feel this disgusting legislation. Can you imagine what we are going to see? 10,000 masked ICE agents - with limited or zero oversight? Can you imagine the horrible treatment of migrants in these concentration camps? What happens after all the immigrants are detained, deported or worse? Do these camps close? Does the money get reappropriated to the social safety nets? Rumors are already flying about the crackdown on places like this, Substack. I read yesterday that Stephen Miller is suing the LA Dodgers for prohibiting ICE on their property and DEI concerns. Will the MAGA faithful get pissed off enough when any of their favorite sports heroes get rounded up and detained? We are here. A place where fascism was never going to happen, it only happens over there we said. Now, what in hell are we going to do about it?