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First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 06.18.26 Trump attacked Iran to help his long-time friend and political ally, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. On Feb. 11, Netanyahu told Trump Israel intended to attack Iran with or without us. Trump’s Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio said: “We knew that would precipitate an attack against American forces. If we didn’t pre-emptively go after Iran before they launched those attacks, we would suffer hig

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 06.11.26 Donald Trump “lost the Iran War in March, and has spent months trying to delay that reality.” That’s the verdict of Robert Kagan in his Atlantic article, “Trump’s Endgame is Surrender.” Kagan worked for Reagan’s Secretary of State and as John McCain’s foreign policy advisor. He cites Trump’s response to March 18, when Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars facility, the world’s largest natural gas field. Caught off-guard, Trump pos

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 06.11.26 Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) found Trump “guilty of inciting an insurrection” after 2,500 rioters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to overthrow “a free and fair election.” Over 140 officers were injured. Officer Brian Sicknick (42) died. Officers Howard Liebengood (51), Jeffrey Smith (43), Gunther Hashida (43) and Kyle DeFreytag (26) were so traumatized they committed suicide. Trump tried to reward their attackers with your m

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 06.04.26 The EPA wants to roll back drinking water protections for PFAS — chemicals linked to cancer, thyroid disease and immune damage that never break down in your body or the environment. These aren’t abstract regulatory footnotes. They’re in your Brunswick County tap water. Your voice matters. Agencies, like the EPA, are legally required to consider public input, and the agency is accepting public comments until July 20, and holdin

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 06.04.26 Inflation hit 3.8%, a three-year high, thanks to Trump’s unconstitutional tariffs and unnecessary war. Trump foolishly caved to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said he has “yearned” to attack Iran “for 40 years.” Trump ignored warnings that Iran would retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz. One-third of the world’s fertilizer and one-fifth of its oil transits Hormuz. Gas prices skyrocketed. So did groceries, because f

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 06.04.26 As I write this on Memorial Day, I am grateful for the many selfless Americans throughout our nation’s history who made the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedom. Most recently, that includes the 13 Americans killed in the Iran War. Each loss was a tragedy for the fallen and for the parents, spouses and children they left behind. For 250 years, American presidents have regarded it as their sacred duty to remind us of our fa

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 06.04.26 John Bolton, Trump’s longest-serving National Security Adviser, accompanied Trump to multiple summit meetings. Bolton’s assessment: “Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and others think he’s a laughing fool. They’re fully prepared to take advantage of him. Trump’s self-absorption makes it impossible for him to understand that.” Trump’s embarrassing China summit proved Bolton right. China buys 90% of Iran’s oil. Hoping Xi

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.28.26 On May 5, I attended a Brunswick County Board of Education meeting in Bolivia. The meeting was called to order at the appointed time and began with a moment of silence which is common at many meetings. When the chair announced the moment of silence the five-person committee got up, put their arms around each other, and huddled in prayer. If you listen to the video of the meeting on YouTube you can hear very softly that someone

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.28.26 Conservative David Frum was George W. Bush’s speechwriter. Frum says Trump’s presidency is one giant grift. Trump accepted a Boeing 747, described as a “flying palace,” from the Qatari royal family. “This plane is going to be flying him around and his relatives and friends,” said Frum. “It’s a personal gift to Trump from the government of Qatar.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) called the $400,000,000 gift “rife with ethical and con

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.14.26 I want to highlight a Billion-Dollar Betrayal of Our Coast. The Trump administration just spent nearly $1 billion of our tax dollars to kill clean energy off the North Carolina coast. One billion dollars — not to build something, not to create jobs, not to protect our communities from rising seas and climbing electricity bills. To destroy a project that would have powered 300,000 homes. The Carolina Long Bay offshore wind leas

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.14.26 The April 30 issue’s first and last letters to the editor expressed opposing views. Brian Rupp, a candidate for Brunswick County’s Board of Education, warned against public school policies “privileging religious perspectives over non-religious ones.” Walter Carolus celebrated Abraham’s willingness to obey God’s command that he sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. How should societies deal with religious differences? Th

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.14.26 Trump’s Iran War is a strategic disaster. Iran’s regime wasn’t overthrown — its former leader’s son replaced him. It still has enriched uranium. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, blocking one-fifth of the world’s oil and one-third of its fertilizer. Gasoline soared from under $3.00 to over $4.50 a gallon. Trump is desperate for a deal. Everyone who reads his manic, erratic and cartoonishly violent posts knows it. Trump’s ex

It’s not always easy being blue. People sometimes shout hateful things at Democrats. Others believe we’re the anti-Christ. Nationally, the Democratic Party isn’t enjoying a moment. Many Americans are unhappy with the party’s performance as leaders of the opposition. We’re not listening, they say. We’re weak, not up to the task. And yet… The U.S. would be a very different place were it not for the historic accomplishments of the Democratic Party. In the decades since the Grea

by Mike Houston, BCDP Communications Team Sarah L. and her husband moved to Brunswick County from Ohio 26 years ago. "We fell in love with the gentle aura, the tranquility, and the natural beauty of this amazing place on the sea," she said. They still love their home but concede it's not all smooth sailing right now. "Overdevelopment has sapped much of our natural charm, displaced wildlife, and put undue stress on our infrastructure," Sara said. Water quality is also a concer

Photo courtesy Neil Gilbert. BCDP’s 9th Annual Golf Tournament is in the books, and wow, what a success it was! A good time was had by all at the sold out tournament, held at beautiful Brick Landing in Ocean Isle Beach on Sunday, May 17. The 50/50 raffle was our biggest yet, with first place taking home $2310! Thank you to tournament director Mark Allen, and the BCDP Golf Committee, for outdoing themselves yet again at our biggest fundraiser of the year! Special thanks to our

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.21.26 Hardly a day goes by without Trump calling someone “low I.Q.,” or “stupid and nasty” or telling a woman reporter, “Quiet, piggy.” He often bullies women. His supporters follow his lead. But when did it become OK to trash kids? Christian Mango attends a Christian school in Greensboro. His class was assigned to write a “persuasive essay” on any topic and send it to an influential decision maker. Christian wrote about tax incenti

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.21.26 Thanks to the brave men and women of the Secret Service, a gunman was stopped before he could shoot President Trump or others at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Violence is unacceptable. The next day, on the CBS show 60 Minutes, Norah O’Donnell asked for Trump’s reaction to this passage from the gunman’s manifesto: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” Trum

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.21.26 Trump and Netanyahu’s Iran War sent the national average price for regular gas from under $3 a gallon to $4.50. Their war of choice provoked Iran into doing something it never did before — close the Strait of Hormuz. That blocked one-fifth of the world’s oil and one-third of the world’s fertilizer. Prices soared. We need Iran to: 1.) open up the Strait of Hormuz: 2.) give up its near-weapons grade uranium; 3.) agree that “Unde

The Brunswick County Democratic Women's group (BCDW) is seeking applicants for an unrestricted $1,000 grant. Reflecting the commitment of BCDW to expanding access to educational resources and empowering women to achieve their academic and professional goals, any woman student currently enrolled in a community college or state college who is a Brunswick County resident, is a registered Democrat, is in good academic standing, and has completed one semester (minimum of 6 credit

First published as a Guest Column, Brunswick Beacon, 05.07.26 As of this writing, global oil supply is down about 12 million barrels per day — more than the combined losses during the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo and the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Trump’s Iran War exposed the folly of his efforts to kill renewable energy and make America even more dependent on fossil fuels. Trump went to war for regime change. He demanded “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” and said, “I have to be involved”