The Mason Moment with John Oliver Mason, August 18, 2025

I speak on social and political issues, calling them as I see them. I speak today on funding public transit in Philadelphia, and how people are affected by legislators' poor decisions.

The Mason Moment, August 15, 2025

Greetings, Americans! The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its report about job growth on the first of the month—job growth in the United States in June was merely 73,000. Revised statistics from May and June showed job growth at 19,000 and 14,000, respectively. These dismal job numbers have been attributed to trump’s crazy trade and tariff policies (assuming they deserve that name). He’s always in the habit of raising tariff rates, depending on the nation, or group of nations, they’re aimed at. These up-and-down tariffs create anxiety among the Wall Street crowd, not knowing when and where it’s safe to invest. Personally, I’m not happy about our economic well-being being dependent on the spasms of tariffs or anything else; people’s livelihoods are affected by this. In spite of what tRump tells us, the exporting country doesn’t pay the tariff on its products—the company receiving the product pays the tariff, and passes the cost onto the consumer. Thus, when we go to the store, WE have to pay the higher costs for our coffee, meats, produce, gas, etc. It’s common economic sense, of which this regime knows nothing. (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08/12/business/cpi-inflation-tariffs-fed) (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-producer-prices-surge-july-123748185.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall) (https://www.npr.org/2025/08/01/nx-s1-5488807/jobs-employment-labor-trump-tariffs) (https://thehill.com/business/5431692-labor-market-stalls-july/) (https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/us-jobs-report-july-downward-revisions-worse-than-thought-rcna222442) So what is behind trump’s exorbitant tariffs? It’s not clear economic theory; trump’s slogan has been “America First,” never mind the rest of the world, the other nations use us and do nothing back for us when WE’RE in trouble, we must not bother with the impure world outside, we’re a pure noble nation and they’re not—I heard a lot of that as a kid. This nation had its origins in people escaping the wars and poverty of their homelands, hoping to get a fresh start. But our country’s history (which trump and his lackeys have been trying to edit) has not been so pure. The nation’s imperial power was advertised as being for bringing “freedom” and “liberty” to impoverished nations, while in reality these nations we’re trying to “liberate” have valuable resources—foodstuffs, ores— for our large corporations to enter the country and develop (for their sakes, not the country’s) these products for sale to the United States; and in turn, the country we’ve “liberated” becomes a market for the finished products, made from THEIR resources. And WE’RE the nation that’s used and abused? Racism (Yes, I WILL use that term!) is the gasoline fueling trump’s tariff follies (not a policy), along with other decisions he had made, along with his megalomania in wanting to be a DICtator, trying to be a “strong man” like Orban, Xi, and Putin. Trump, knowing that the Republicans would be beaten handily by Democrats in the 2026 Midterm elections, had ordered National Guard troops—yes, our fellow Americans, our friends and neighbors— to be mobilized in the District of Columbia, just like he did in Los Angeles, and has ordered the DC Metropolitan Police to be placed under federal control. Trump has complained about DC as being a crime-ridden hellhole, even though crime has been going far down. He had indicated that he would deploy the military also to New York, Oakland, Baltimore, and Chicago—all cities governed by African-American mayors, by the way—and place THEIR police forces under federal control. (They’re now just getting around to invading Philadelphia—YOUR city is next.) (https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/12/politics/trump-generals-national-guard-analysis) (https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/unpacking-trumps-order-authorizing-domestic-deployment-military) (https://phillyda.org/news/philadelphia-district-attorney-larry-krasner-faith-leaders-denounce-trump-threat-to-deploy-national-guard-to-american-cities/) Trump, just like in 2020 during the George Floyd protests, would order the troops (again, OUR fellow Americans) to shoot at protestors; so we must remind ourselves, and our fellow Americans in uniform, that the took an oath to defend the Constitution, not to the Commander-In-Chief, DAMN sure not to Donald trump; so we must remind our military siblings to remember to NOT obey an illegal order. (https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-12-15/trump-military-enforcement-service-oath) (https://www.military.com/daily-news/opinions/2024/04/04/military-personnel-swear-allegiance-constitution-and-serve-american-people-not-one-leader-or-party.html) SO, my military brothers and sisters, I leave you with some information in case the smelly fascist blob order you do declare war on your fellow Americans: (https://www.militaryandveteranslaw.com/blog/2024/02/lawful-and-unlawful-orders-can-you-tell-the-difference/) (https://www.justanswer.com/sip/military-law?r=ppc|ms|1|US%20-%20Law%20-%20SQR%20-%20All%20Device%20-%20Search%20-%20BMM|Law-Military-Law|&JPKW=legal%20advice%20military%20hotline&JPDC=S&JPST=&JPAD=&JPMT=b&JPNW=o&JPAF=txt&JPRC=1&JPCD=&JPOP=&pmt=bb&cmpid=283455688&agid=1247946066686117&pcrid=77996762610287&fiid=&tgtid=kwd-77997072237654:loc-190&dvc=c&msclkid=2192296364731c9fa11141fce6b86c07) And, I thank you for your service. Again, this military occupation of our cities is part of the “America First” mentality of trump; to him and his ilk, cities are full of impure ideas and peoples from foreign lands, and they must not infect the “pure,” “real” Americans that like in the countryside, which, as we have been taught, are “wholesome” and “virtuous—and just happen to be white, and therefore, is not part of THEIR concept of “America.” Organizing at the grassroots level—protests in front of ICE bases, mass demonstrations in our cities, arts ridiculing the Dear Leader (ahem!) and his minions— has been super-effective in pushing back against the regime’s push towards autocracy; they have shown that there are other who despise the regime as much as they do, and, as the saying goes, courage is contagious. SO, Americans, let’s start an epidemic of courage! Stay safe, stay strong, and stay together! Slava Ukraini! Am Yisrael Chai! Fuck Trump! America will be free! Bye!

The Mason Moment with John Oliver Mason, August 11, 2025

I speak on social and political issues, calling them as I see them.I speak today on the increased law-enforcement presence in DC, and trum[ trying to play tough-guy ahead of his meeting with Putin.

The Mason Moment with John Oliver Mason, August 4, 2025

I speak on social and political issues, calling them as I see them. I speak about the attemps at gerrymandering congressional districts by Greg Abbott, and of the need to fight back against the slide to fascism.