# Messages of hope in a dark time **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 5, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793 "2026-05-05T00:17:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/61 "2026-06-13T14:36:52Z")
That tarp explains why they built the scaffolding up to the higher level. NPR has a still photo from the side of one of the workmen removing the P (I think). So it is happening. I suspect the tarp may stay up for a while, as there will probably have to be some repair work done to the wall where the letters were attached. There’s a [new link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SvjzURhZO0) to the current live feed, which just shows the tarp covering the scaffolding. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/62 "2026-06-13T15:02:33Z")
The tarp might be a safety thing. They don’t want the letters themselves, or any dropped tools or other debris, falling on spectators. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/63 "2026-06-13T15:18:22Z")
Or anyone taking shots or lobbing debris at the workers. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/64 "2026-06-13T15:30:11Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The tarp might be a safety thing. They don’t want the letters themselves, or any dropped tools or other debris, falling on spectators. That could be true. I wonder if a permit was pulled to put them up or take them down. Hahahaah. A permit wasn’t even pulled to destroy 1/3 of the white house. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/65 "2026-06-13T17:26:14Z")
As noted above, when the letters were installed they used cherry pickers and scissor lifts instead of scaffolding. And they had big blue tarps over the whole front, which were then pulled down for the dramatic reveal. I wish the removal could have as much theatricality, but instead it’s all very practical and mundane. Maybe that’s the way it should be. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/66 "2026-06-14T22:49:06Z")
> **[Map shows Trump’s approval rating in every state on his birthday](https://www.newsweek.com/map-donald-trump-approval-rating-every-state-birthday-12065769)** > > State-by-state polling shows how the president's ratings stand as he turns 80, and how they have shifted since his term began. > Trump is underwater in most states as he reaches his birthday, with a net approval negative across much of the battleground map > > - Kentucky has seen the sharpest decline since the start of his second term, followed by Montana and Idaho > - Several states that began his term in positive territory, including Florida, Ohio and Texas, are now net negative > - Deep-red states still form Trump’s strongest base, but many of those margins have narrowed sharply since January 2025 > - Younger voters, independents and women remain among the groups most negative on Trump in the latest national Civiqs tracker > > Nationally, Trump’s approval stands at 36 percent, with 59 percent disapproving All the South, except Alabama and West Virginia (if you might call that state part of the South) are now a net negative approval rating. Wyoming is his big happy place- +25, but only 3 EC votes, along with his other strongholds- the Dakotas. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/67 "2026-06-16T14:02:42Z")
[Bulwark: Trump’s Arrested Agenda](https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-is-stalled-out-ice-minneapolis-deportations-iran-war-habeas-corpus-miller-vance-arch-ufc-fight-white-house-ballroom) > [@](#): > > This period of Trump’s furious maximalism seemed to die in Minneapolis early this year. It has stayed dead since. Instead, Trump has spent the first half of 2026 mostly just fighting to keep stuff from sliding _away_ from him. . . . > > . . . these circuses aren’t just intended to trigger the libs and titillate his base—they’re designed to distract both camps from how little the president is actually getting done these days. Compared to where we were last year, it’s a damn good start. I think this is true. Courts are catching up to him. For a while, you could reasonably argue we were a plain old non-fascist dictatorship, but I can’t see us as anything worse than a hybrid regime this year. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/68 "2026-07-02T14:29:36Z")
Andy Borowitz is usually funny, but today he’s serious. > **[A New Declaration of Independence from Tyranny](https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/a-new-declaration-of-independence-17e)** > > We hold these truths to be self-evident ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/69 "2026-07-02T14:36:22Z")
[I haven’t read the thread] My mom visited a few days ago. I’m sick, and – let’s face it: she’s old (Sorry, Mom!), so we didn’t go “peak-bagging” (summiting mountains) or gravel biking while she was here. But we walked around the neighborhood a few times. And each time we did, we encountered quite a few of the neighborhood dogs, generally along with Their People. And dogs – overwhelmingly, and IMHO – radiate joy and contentment, particularly when they’re out for walks. And their people tend to beam when you ask if you can pet their dogs, and ask them _about_ their dogs. > _God made beer because he loves us and wants us to be happy._ –Ben Franklin Except he didn’t say it. And if he _had,_ my hunch is that he would have said it _about_ dogs. I don’t care if you’re a dog lover or not (well, of course I do, but I’m making a point here. Work with me). The next time you spot a neighbor dog out for a walk with its person/people, watch its gait. Watch its carriage and demeanor. Ignore whether or not you believe they _can_ smile. Watch as they make _you_ smile. Don’t cost nothin’. Woof. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/70 "2026-07-02T14:42:42Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > > _God made beer because he loves us and wants us to be happy._ > > –Ben Franklin > > Except he didn’t say it. No, but he came close. The actual quote was about wine, and compared the natural process of rainwater being absorbed by grapevines and converted to juice, and thence to wine, to the miracle of Cana. But he also wrote in praise of beer, in other places. And he’d probably agree with the sentiment for either beverage. I’m not sure off the top of my head what Franklin ever said about dogs. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/71 "2026-07-02T14:47:08Z")
I actually caught that (first) on Quote Investigator before posting 😉 [/slight digression] ---
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/72 "2026-07-02T16:06:02Z")
> The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs. - Charles De gaulle (Just bringing this a tad more on-topic.) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/73 "2026-07-02T19:26:59Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > The next time you spot a neighbor dog out for a walk with its person/people, watch its gait. Watch its carriage and demeanor. Ignore whether or not you believe they _can_ smile. Watch as they make _you_ smile. We have two dogs. Border Collie mixes. We have a big yard but they also go for walks ever day and there is a dog park not 1/4 mile from our back gate. They are very well trained. Lani heels on the left, Jax on the right. I always have leashes with me though. Otherwise, in open space, they prance and trot. It’s a joy to watch. We do have training collars for them though. We only use the vibrate mode (rarely). I just let them do their thing unless I think they are going to cause trouble. They have to be VERY distracted to not come back with a simple call of their name. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/74 "2026-07-03T02:06:02Z")
From The Hill: [Postal Service’s proposed restrictions on mail-in voting blocked](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5951135-judge-halts-usps-mailin-ballot/) > [@](#): > > A federal judge has halted the U.S. Postal Service’s [proposed changes](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5943390-usps-mail-ballots-trump-order-voter-data/) to its mail-in ballot delivery procedures, dealing another blow to [President Trump’s](https://thehill.com/people/donald-trump/)effort to restrict the practice he has long criticized. . . . > > Wednesday’s order is the second defeat for the Trump administration on this issue in as many weeks. > > A Boston-based federal judge [struck down](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5940622-judge-strikes-down-trump-election-order/) the executive order on June 25, finding that it infringed on the states’ constitutional authority to regulate the administration of elections. Because Democrats disproportionately vote by mail, this is big. Note that Trump is/was trying to get the mailing of ballots to the voter stopped. So even if you use a special purpose ballot drop box, that would not help. The only thing that will help is courts stopping the Trump executive order on mail ballots, and they are doing it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/75 "2026-07-13T17:59:37Z")
> **[Judge says Trump sued IRS for 'improper purpose'; refers his lawyer to bar](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/13/trump-irs-doj-lawsuit-blanche.html)** > > Trump's lawsuit against the IRS was settled by the Justice Department with an agreement to create a $1.8 billion "lawfare' fund that has since been scrapped. > - **A Florida federal judge in a blistering order said President Donald Trump had sued the Internal Revenue Service “for an improper purpose” — to gain the appearance of “judicial legitimacy” for a controversial settlement with the Justice Department, which the president effectively controls.** > - **Judge Kathleen William referred Trump’s lawyer in the lawsuit, Alejandro Brito, to the Florida bar for consideration on whether Brito should be disciplined in light of the findings in the new order.** > - **Trump had sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak of his tax information by an agency contractor.** > - **The Justice Department’s settlement of the lawsuit included the creation of a $1.8 billion “lawfare” fund that was ultimately abandoned after blowback by Congress.** ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/76 "2026-07-14T17:33:36Z")
More good news: > **[E. Jean Carroll finally gets Trump’s $5 million — plus interest](https://www.ms.now/news/e-jean-carroll-finally-gets-trumps-5-million-plus-interest)** > > Despite the president’s repeated attempts to block Carroll from receiving the money, $5,625,005.48 was disbursed to Carroll’s legal team this week. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793/77 "2026-07-18T16:41:04Z")
Citizens Bank ends their relationship with ICE prison contractors, thanks to protests! The bank’s statement is corporate-speak for “sorry we got caught in this embarrassment”, but I’ll take the win! [Citizens Comments on Certain Client Relationships – Citizens Bank](https://investor.citizensbank.com/about-us/newsroom/latest-news/2026/2026-07-17-a.aspx) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/messages-of-hope-in-a-dark-time/1029793.md?page=3)