Before leaving office, Biden offered preemptive pardons to Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley, and others. I guess I understand the need, given that Donald Trump has spent so much time making threats and promising retribution for perceived slights and wrongdoing by these faithful public servants. And he now appears to be having his way in tailoring the machinations of governance to his liking.

Which brings us to this sad place: Trump has turned around and pardoned 1500 of the January 6 insurrectionists, including the leaders of the Proud Boys and Oathkeepers, who are by no means remorseful, having seen the error of their ways. They’re still as angry as ever and vowing retribution.

Abuse of power, taken to a whole new level, making a shambles of the rule of law. An almost negligible majority of Americans voted for this?

Commanders-Eagles; Bills-Chiefs. My vote is for Eagles-Bills. But if Mahomes is healthy enough, KC will most likely get the chance to win 3 Super Bowls in a row. And Jayden Daniels is already performing like a seasoned veteran, so… who knows?

And who really cares? I guess, right now, we could use the diversion—take our minds off of Trump for a few hours.

There’s always the chance he finds a way to ruin the vibe by demanding some face time, though… saying or doing the next wtf thing, like commandeering the halftime show so he can sign a few more executive orders and hold ’em up like trophies.

On the one hand, a nave full of parishioners waiting to hear the sermon might be confused or disappointed when they recognize that the pastor is speaking to an audience of one—some guy in the front row who, for some reason, she mentions by title.

On the other hand, it’s a sign of the times that Bishop Budde singled out Trump in her remarks at a recent service at the Washington National Cathedral.

Yes, it is unusual, even unorthodox and uncouth, for a preacher to speak directly to one person in the congregation. But, once again, how many opportunities are we gonna get to put Trump on the spot, call him on his craziness, remind him of the dark paths he’s always choosing?

Oh, Trump has already demanded an apology, because of course he has. But he has to expect the occasional rebuff of his recklessness, his coldness, his ignorance and complicity in following someone else’s marching orders. He deserves everything he gets, in the way of pushback.

He should expect the opposite of carte blanche at just about every turn.

Trump’s official photo says it all. “Fear me,” it says. Menacing and ridiculous at the same time.

It’s the face of a spurned bully, a person with a chip on his shoulder, returning to exact revenge. Someone on a mission to wreak havoc, to intimidate, to burn everything down, to wield a pen and sign executive orders, as if it’s that simple.

We knew it would come to this. Many of us knew.

How can Trump sit at a desk and sign a piece of paper and unilaterally nullify our membership in the World Health Organization? Has he given any thought to the ramifications? Is there any allowance for follow-up responses from people who might think this is a bad idea? Is it always only transactional, only about the money? Is this one of the ways we trim $2 trillion from the budget? Seems, at the very least, short-sighted and ill-advised.

But this is what he does, and he’s just getting started.