“Follow his example. It flows from there.” Reflections on Robert Mueller’s passing.

March 23, 2026.

Robert Mueller was an American hero long before he accepted the urgent but thankless assignment as special counsel to investigate Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election. Mueller epitomized a life of service to America. After a distinguished career as a prosecutor, President George W. Bush nominated Mueller, and he became the sixth Director of the FBI on September 4, 2001—one week before the terrorist attacks on 9/11. A week into his tenure, he quickly shifted the FBI’s focus from domestic crimes to anti-terrorism efforts. Mueller helped America navigate the combined shock, grief, and national security injuries suffered on 9/11.

Mueller performed his duties with such distinction and professionalism that, when President Obama asked him to stay beyond his allotted 10-year term, Mueller received unanimous support from the Senate—serving 12 years in total and becoming the longest-serving FBI director since J. Edgar Hoover.

But in the end, Mueller was willing to sacrifice the bipartisan reputational acclaim earned after a lifetime of public service. He did so by engaging in the simple but powerful act of speaking the truth about Russia’s attempt to interfere in the 2016 election. For that act of honesty and fortitude, he earned the enmity and hatred of Trump and his followers. In making that sacrifice, Robert Mueller stands in the rarefied company of patriots who can be recited by name by most Americans.

Upon Robert Mueller’s passing, Donald Trump issued an ugly, hateful comment, which I will not repeat in this newsletter. James Fallows said of Trump’s comment,

This is the most despicable public statement by an American public official in my lifetime.

It needs to be recognized as such.

Any head of state who can say this in public about a countryman, even about a political adversary, is a moral monster. Either he has no ability whatsoever to empathize with others; or he has no sense whatsoever of a leader’s duty; or he has no remaining cognitive ability whatsoever to “filter” what he says. Or all three.

See James Fallows, JF Breaking News (Substack), One Man a Hero. One Man a Monster.

Fallows lists Mueller’s many achievements before his role as special counsel and then posits the question of why a young man born into privilege and wealth would devote his life to public service on a government salary. Mueller provided his own answer:

I have been very lucky. I always felt I should spend some time paying it back. One of the reasons I went into the Marine Corps was because we lost a very good friend, a Marine in Vietnam, who was a year ahead of me at Princeton. There were a number of us who felt we should follow his example and at least go into the service. And it flows from there.

“Follow his example . . . And it flows from there.”

There it is. Patriotism as leading by example. We can’t all be Robert Mueller. But just as he followed a classmate’s example of duty and sacrifice, Mueller set an example for us all. We can do that. We can be the example for family and friends during a fraught moment for our nation.

It would be easy to glorify Mueller by ascribing to him preternatural abilities or uncommon valor. In truth, Mueller’s example is one of steadfast loyalty, integrity, and persistence. He did what was right every day. That simple formula is within the grasp of each of us.

Trump’s ugly comment on Mueller’s passing says everything about Trump and nothing about Mueller. But if, like me, you feel as though you have been personally assaulted by Trump’s attack on Mueller, here is a suggestion. Follow James Fallows’ suggestions:

—One week from today, the next “No Kings” mass protest will occur. The preceding one, last October, was the biggest one-day demonstration in the nation’s history. And that was before the ICE murders in Minnesota, the war-on-a-whim in Iran, the surge in gas prices, the “glad he’s dead” post. Next Saturday’s should be bigger. Find out more about it here.

—Call and write the White House and leave messages of outrage about this vile expression from a serving president. The address as always is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 20500. The main phone number is the same one I remember: 202-456-1414. They now have a comment line, 202-456-1111. Flood them with outrage.

—Call and write your Senators and Representative, especially if they are Republican. You can look them up on their websites. But the main Capitol switchboard number, as always, is 202-224-3121. They notice when people call and write.

There is one more thing you can do to disinfect your mind of Trump’s grotesque insult on Mueller’s passing: Devote ten minutes to reading this touching tribute and life history of Robert Mueller by the journalist who likely had more access to Mueller than any other reporter. See Garrett Graff in his blog, Doomsday Scenario, Remembering Robert Mueller. Reading about Robert Mueller’s life of service will help erase the vile comments of our current president.

Trump and Iran escalate the war

Trump is scrambling to find a way out of his illegal war on Iran that salvages some semblance of plausible deniability that the war has not been a debacle for Trump, the US, our allies, and the global economy. On Sunday, the Washington Post reported that the new aim of the US and Israeli efforts is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to the free flow of international shipping.

In short, Trump is now hoping that he will be able to put things back the way they were before he made the impulsive decision to attack Iran.

Don’t hold your breath. Over the weekend, Trump threatened to bomb Iranian power plants and water distribution facilities if Iran does not immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz. See Jerusalem Post, Donald Trump threatens to strike Iran power plants over Hormuz ultimatum.

Before discussing the lunacy of such attacks, let’s pause for a moment to recognize that targeting and destroying civilian infrastructure is recognized as a war crime under the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court. See Rome Statute, Article 8, defining prosecutable war crimes to include, “Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives.”

If attacks on civilian infrastructure lead to widespread civilian suffering and deaths, the acts would also be classified as “crimes against humanity.” See Rome Statute, Article 7. (Note: The US is one of a handful of nations that refuse to recognize the Rome Statute. However, the refusal of the US to abide by international law is not a defense to the war crimes or crimes against humanity.)

So, in a normal world, a US president threatening to commit war crimes or crimes against humanity should be a cause for a 96-point font headline in every newspaper in America. But for Trump, threatening war crimes is accepted by the media as “Trump being Trump.” Shame on the media for not holding Trump to the standard that the rest of the civilized world accepts.

Looking past the threat to commit war crimes, Trump’s statement drew the predictable response from Iran—that it would destroy the energy and water infrastructure of countries in the Middle East, thereby exacerbating the global oil crisis. See The Guardian, Iran vows to destroy Middle East water and energy facilities if US attacks power plants | US-Israel war on Iran.

To be clear, such a response by Iran would also constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. Neither the US nor Iran should be targeting civilian infrastructure. But in the present situation, the US controls what will happen because Iran has threatened to reciprocate attacks on civilian infrastructure if such attacks are initiated by the US—as Trump threatened over the weekend.

But Tehran has also escalated the war by using an intermediate-range intercontinental ballistic missile to attack the joint US-UK military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. See Wall Street Journal, Iran Brings Europe Into Range With Missiles Fired at Diego Garcia | Attack on base 2,500 miles away signals more-aggressive military posture for regime.

Prior to the attack on the Diego Garcia military base, Iran attempted to conceal the fact that it had intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching Europe. The fact that Iran used those missiles to attack a military base in the Indian Ocean is a significant escalation in the potential scope of the war.

In short, Trump’s threat to target civilian infrastructure has resulted in reciprocal threats by Iran and a show of force that was previously hidden by Iran.

In nearly every way possible, Trump’s reckless actions have led to dangerous escalations in his illegal war against Iran. It is time for Congress to stop the war. Democrats must not grant supplemental funding. And patriotic Americans must register their disapproval in every way possible, including a strong showing on March 28, 2026.

ICE Officers to fill in for TSA officers

The partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security continues. Democrats have offered multiple bills to fund TSA, the Coast Guard, and other federal agencies that are not involved in the ICE / Border Patrol mass deportation efforts. But Republicans have refused those partial funding bills.

As a result, TSA agents are resigning and calling in sick as they forego paychecks. Rather than ending the shutdown, Trump came up with the ridiculous idea of using ICE and Border Patrol agents to do the work of unpaid TSA agents. See HuffPost, Trump Says ICE Will Be In Airports, and The Hill, Tom Homan: ICE officers will not assist with airport security scanning amid TSA staffing shortage.

The obvious solution is to fund TSA, as Democrats have offered. Instead, we will have paid ICE agents standing at exits and entrances, while unpaid TSA agents perform luggage and passenger screenings. That is a recipe for disaster.

Republicans should stop the gamesmanship and accept the Democratic offer of compromise. While you are making your calls to your elected officials about Trump’s ugly comment about Robert Mueller, consider leaving comments about the Republican desire to force TSA to work without pay.

Concluding Thoughts

The New York Times Editorial Board has devoted an editorial to Trump’s continuous stream of lies about his illegal war against Iran. See NYTimes Editorial Board, Trump Is Hiding the Truth About the War in Iran. (Gift article, accessible to all.)

The Editorial Board starts by acknowledging that Trump lies about most things. But it notes the particular danger in lying about war:

Yet lying about war is uniquely corrosive. When a president signals that the truth does not matter in wartime, he encourages his cabinet and his generals to mislead the country and one another about how the war is going. He creates a culture in which deadly mistakes and even war crimes can become more common. He makes it harder to win by hiding the realities of conflict and by making allies wary of joining the fight. Ultimately, he undermines American values and interests.[¶]

Starting a war is the most serious action that a political leader can take. It ends lives and can change history. . . .Whatever short-term gain Mr. Trump thinks he is getting by lying about the war in Iran is far exceeded by the cost, for him, the country and the world.

As the Times’ Editorial Board notes, Trump’s lies about the war encourage generals to lie to him, to the American public, to Congress, and to themselves. Those lies are written with the blood of American service members, who are asked to fight a war that exists only in consultant-driven focus groups that are used to craft social media advertising campaigns. Unless Trump, the generals, and Congress are willing to acknowledge the truth, more Americans will die so that Trump’s fragile ego can be protected from negative stories.

Trump’s increasing desperation, as illustrated by his threat to commit war crimes against the Iranian people, is a sign that he understands the war is going badly. We must help him understand that the only way out is to immediately cease hostilities. If he wants, he can lie about achieving victory or saving the world or deserving the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the bombing of Iran. But the war must stop, now. As Congress flails, we must raise our voices by the tens of millions so that no one can pretend they do not hear us.

See you in the streets on March 28, 2026. Stay strong!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Daily Dose of Perspective

During our weekend trip to Joshua Tree National Park for an astronomy session, we were able to catch a few glimpses of clear sky. During one of those moments, I captured a five-minute exposure of the Whirlpool Galaxy.

My photo below shows the aftermath of a collision between the Whirlpool Galaxy and a smaller galaxy, NGC 5195, which has already passed through the Whirlpool Galaxy. If you zoom in on the photo, you will see a luminous bridge of stars between the galaxies, which are being tugged by the enormous gravitational pull of each galaxy.

Pro-Democracy Protest Photos

3/21/26, Enfield, NH

A few of us get together and protest to support our immigrant community in Hood River. We gather in front of Mercado Guadalajara, an amazing market in Hood River. If happens every Sunday afternoon. Lots of honks and thumbs up. Looking forward to a huge No Kings Day here.

From Rebecca E.

Every Sunday on the Bridge. We're here, every Sunday, even in the frigid wind-driven snow like today, On the Bridge in Waterville, Maine.

Dumfries, Rising Up As We Practice For No Kings Day

INDIVISIBLE RESISTERS CONTRA COSTA

Tinton Falls NJ

Tesla Takedown at Tesla Motors on Centinela, Los Angeles 3/22/26

No Wars Rally in NYC’s Times Square.

Here is a photo from an Engaged Defenders for Democracy demonstration today in the town of Elon, NC.

Beverly Hills, CA

Lynn, MA

San Luis Obispo, Friday

Lyons, CO 3/21/26 Over a year of Saturday demonstrations

ALPHABET RESISTANCE, SEATTLE

Chandler, AZ C/G Indivisible Bridge Brigade added an extra Saturday morning edition of the weekly Chandler/Gilbert Indivisible Bridge Brigade advertising the 3/28 NO KINGS Gilbert, AZ location.

Los Angeles, CA

Indivisible Highlands and Beyond (Wilmington, DE)

Our town may be small, but the spirit is mighty in Maynard, MA. This is our second monthly standout.

Saturday in Lake Oswego, OR.

Ocean Grove, NJ organized by NJ Blue.

Durham NC yesterday afternoon.This is part of the Engaged Defenders for Democracy Triangle Unified Bridge Brigade.

Indivisible 45 weekly protest in Brea CA. Great signs depicting exactly how I felt!!