The truth can get through when people stand up. What are we standing up for?

If you’d like these posts delivered directly to you, subscribe to the Decisions newsletter now!

Freedom of Speech

At the beginning of Trump’s second administration, he signed Executive Order 14172, changing the names of two geographic features. [1]

Name changes happen all the time. Congress first established “the Mount McKinley National Park in the territory of Alaska" in 1917 which contained the tallest peak in North America, and the Congressional act specified that the park “shall be under the executive control of the Secretary of the Interior.” [2]

The “Mount McKinley National Park” was named after the 25th President, who was assassinated in 1901 in the first of his second term. [3] In 1980, the national park was renamed to Denali National Park and Preserve [4], but the United States Board on Geographic Names had not gotten around to changing the mountain’s name specifically from Alaska Governor Jay Hammond’s 1975 request, which followed up on a resolution passed by the Alaska State Legislature: [5]

The Governor then “formally requested that the Secretary of the Interior direct the United States Board on Geographic Names to change the name of “Mount McKinley” to “Denali.” Denali is the local Athabascan name for the mountain, which is the highest in North America and is located entirely within Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. The mountain was originally named after President William McKinley of Ohio, but President McKinley never visited, nor did he have any significant historical connection to, the mountain or to Alaska.” [6]

By 2015, after 40 years from the original request, the Secretary of the Interior made the name change to “Denali” under the authority to take actions in matters “wherein the Board does not act within a reasonable time.” [7]

For Trump’s Executive Order 14172, there are a few items of note:

It was the Obama Administration that eventually changed the name of highest peak back to its historic name of “Denali”
Trump pledged in 2015 to reverse the Obama Administration’s renaming when he first ran for President [8]
Other Ohio GOP politicians vocally opposed the renaming decision at the time, including Governor John Kasich, House Speaker John Boehner, Sen. Rob Portman, and Rep. Bob Gibbs. [9]
President William McKinley was from Ohio.
Vice President J.D. Vance is from Ohio.

Take into account the Trump-Obama-McKinley-Ohio-Vance connections, and we might see why this could have been a Day 1 priority.

$500

“500 Dollars, Federal Reserve Note, United States, 1934,” *National Museum of American History*

Here’s another odd connection between Trump and McKinley… William McKinley was the face of the $500 Federal Reserve Note (which the U.S. Government printed in 1928 and 1934, stopped printing in 1945, and discontinued their circulation in 1969). [10][11]

Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona introduced a bill in 2024 to reintroduce the $500 bill with Trump as its face. [12]

‘‘The Secretary of the Treasury shall print Federal reserve notes in the denomination of $500 and, notwithstanding section 5114(b) of title 31, United States Code, such notes shall feature a portrait of the 45th President of the United States.’’

“Gulf of America”

Trump’s Executive Order 14172, also changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. [13] Why? Admittedly, who really knows.

The Gulf of Mexico derives its name from Mexica, the Nahuatl term for the Aztecs [14] and has been designated by this name for hundreds of years. “The present name, the Gulf of Mexico, and the corresponding names, Golphe du Mexique in French and Golfo Mexicano in Spanish, appear to have been in use since the middle of the seventeenth century.” [15]

Why name this historic body of water, one that isn’t even fully within the jurisdiction of the United States, the Gulf of America?

As I mentioned before, these renamings happen regularly, and if within the powers authorized by Congress, these are the decisions that are made.

However, just because the United States decides to call an international body of water by one name doesn’t mean that others outside the U.S. government must recognize it, especially press outlets with international readership.

The Associated Press, one of the world’s largest media outlets, was banned from the Oval Office and Air Force One indefinitely to “punish a preeminent news outlet for its editorial decision-making.” [16]

“President Donald Trump said last month that the US government would rename the body of water the “Gulf of America.” The change has taken effect at government agencies. But other countries do not recognize the new name, and the AP has customers around the world, so it still refers to the Gulf of Mexico while also acknowledging Trump’s decree.” [17]

But for the Trump Administration, this isn’t enough. The White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich accused the AP as having a “commitment to misinformation” for not complying. The White House Correspondents Association, which represents the press corps, said the action against the AP “is a textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the president’s own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship.” [18]

Other media outlets, such as Axios, are bowing to this perceived pressure. [19]

History doesn’t support this name change; it’s just an exercise of power over others – seeing where levers can be pushed and who will comply.

There are reporters, such as Brian Karem of Salon, speaking truth to power and highlighting what the job of reporters really is.

“Your job is to ask questions of the president. Speak truth to power. You must put that ahead of your own job. You must put that ahead of your career.
You are the public’s representative. You’re not at the White House to be popular. You’re not there to make friends. If you need a friend, then get a dog.
Do your job. Be ready to go to jail, lose your job and your access to do it. Otherwise, you’re part of the problem. And right now we need solutions.” [20]

Asteroids

Two connection points – not related but just… interesting.

The Chicxulub crater was formed by an asteroid six miles in diameter and is thought to be the one that killed off the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The crater is located near the Yucatán Peninsula in… the Gulf of Mexico. [21]
A recently discovered asteroid, named 2024 YR4, has on average a 2% chance of hitting Earth in 2032. The asteroid is estimated to be 200 to 300 feet wide [22]

Not a planet killer (way smaller than six miles across) and low probability of impact, but Gulf of Mexico, asteroid… just sayin’…

The Rule of Law

More than fifty years ago, in 1973, President Nixon sought to fire the special prosecutor Archibald Cox investigating the Watergate break-ins.

Cox had subpoenaed the Nixon White House, and President Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox; Richardson refused and resigned. Nixon then directed Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to fire Cox; Ruckelshaus refused and also resigned. Nixon then ordered the third-most-senior official at the Justice Department, Solicitor General Robert Bork, to fire Cox; Bork carried out the dismissal as Nixon asked. [23]

So, in the events later described as the “Saturday Night Massacre,” three Department of Justice officials were fired or resigned.

Now, let’s review what happen this week. New York City Mayor Eric Adams had been under federal indictment on five counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals. [24][25]

In December, Trump signaled that he would consider pardoning Adams [26] and Adams met with Donald Trump before his inauguration. [27]. And now, the Justice Department is seeking to drop the charges against Adams. [28]

However, this isn’t without protest from career prosecutors that sought the indictment against Adams.

In late January, Adams’ attorney met with the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon -- who was appointed by Trump -- and Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who recently served as Trump's former defense attorney. [29]

On February 10, Bove sent a letter to Sassoon directing the “Dismissal Without Prejudice of Prosecution of Mayor Eric Adams” [30]

On February 12, Sassoon writes to Attorney General Pam Bondi, “Mr. Bove rightly has never called into question that the case team conducted this investigation with integrity and that the charges against Adams are serious and supported by fact and law Mr. Bove’s memo however which directs me to dismiss an indictment returned by a duly constituted grand jury for reasons having nothing to do with the strength of the case raises serious concerns that render the contemplated dismissal inconsistent with my ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good-faith arguments before the courts.” [31]

Sassoon also she “attended a meeting on January 31, 2025, with Mr. Bove, Adams’s counsel and members of my office. Adams’s attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed. Mr. Bove admonished a member of my team who took notes during that meeting and directed the collection of those notes at the meeting’s conclusion.” She mentioned that if Bondi was not willing to “reconsider the directive,” she was prepared to resign. [32]

On February 13, Sassoon and five other federal officials resign, refusing to drop Adams' case. [33]

On February 14, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten resigns and writes a scathing letter, stating that he was “entirely in agreement with her decision not to do so, for the reasons stated in her February 12, 2025 letter to the Attorney General.” [34]. In criticizing the actions of the Department of Justice in the matter of Mayor Adams, Scotten wrote:

“But any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way. If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.” [35]

For background, Scotten served in the Army for nine years, completing three combat tours in Iraq, and earning two Bronze Stars. [36][37]. Scotten also clerked under conservative Supreme Court justices Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts after graduating from Harvard Law School. [38]

It's worthy to note that dropping the charges “without prejudice” allows the Department of Justice to refile the charges if they want, as a threat to keep Adams in line to whatever the Administration wants from him.

A recent interview with Border Czar Tom Homan (where Adams appeared with Homan jointly), Homan issued a clear warning to the mayor if he decided not to comply with the president’s agenda in the future: [39]

“If he doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City, and we won’t be sitting on the couch. I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying, ‘Where the hell is the agreement we came to?’ ” Homan said.” [40]

As former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barb McQuade put it: “Sure sounds like a quid pro quo.” [41]

This isn’t the pursuit of justice; this is saying that we are OK with you being corrupt and committing crimes (because we won’t pursue these entirely legitimate and provable charges) as long as you do something we want.

There may be some people that things this is the way the world should work; I don’t, and we should have a higher bar. Many do have this higher bar – justice is applied fairly to all, and we have the expectation that everyone is equally accountable under the law. The friends of those in power should not get a “you’re above the law” pass while the rest of us have the law applied to us.

That’s not the rule of law.

Holding Elections

Our democracy is not healthy if we have one set of people for whom the law applies and another set for whom the law does not. In a democracy where we have constitutions and laws guaranteeing a republican form of government [42], the rule of law means we hold elections so that the people can determine who should be making public decisions on their behalf.

Those in power shouldn’t be able to hold elections when they think they will win and forgo them whenever they fear they won’t, feeling the need to control the outcome. Elections are how we engage in our own self-governance – the quest by some to hold power shouldn’t be used to mess with our elections. At the local level, this can come out through actions to keep and expand power that disrespects the role of elections in our self-governance.

A few years ago, I chronicled some of the anti-democratic events in my city, Thousand Oaks, California. [43] About a year ago, I submitted these essays to the Letter Review Prize, and I was notified at the end of last year that the book form of these essays was shortlisted for their honor in the category of Unpublished Books. [44]

I’m in the process of releasing the book titled “Local Democracy in America”; [45] I plan to have the book available for pre-order in Kindle form soon and later in paperback. Here’s what the front cover will look like when everything is ready to go.

I hope you’ll spread the word so that others can learn about and share these lessons.

Narratives

The book I’m reading or movie I’m watching

“Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary” - Directed by Garret Price

From the HBO Documentary website:

Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary chronicles the rise, fall, and rise again of the soft rock epitomized by artists such as Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, and Toto in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Retroactively dubbed "Yacht Rock," the easy-listening genre came to be gently mocked and even dismissed by rock lovers and critics. However, it has since reclaimed its place in music history and is celebrated in this groove-infused film.
Featured participants include Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald (Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers), Steve Porcaro (Toto), Steve Lukather (Toto), David Paich (Toto), Prince Paul (De La Soul), Brian Robert Jones (Vampire Weekend), Thundercat, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (The Roots), Mac DeMarco, Yacht Rock web series creator J.D. Ryznar and host Steve Huey, and comedian Fred Armisen.

One person mentioned within the documentary is Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, a guitarist for Steely Dan and the Dobbie Brothers. I met Baxter during my days supporting the U.S. intelligence community, as he found a second career there. His innovative and unconventional way of thinking became valuable to those in the business of defending the nation. In one quote from Baxter:

“We thought turntables were for playing records until rapper began to use them as instruments, and we though airplanes were for carrying passengers until terrorists realized they could be used as missiles.” [47][48]

The documentary was fun to watch, and it was a pleasant surprise to see Baxter via his integral part of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, while I had a connection to his second career.

GIF Game

Notes and Sources

[1] – Donald J. Trump, Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” January 20, 2025, Code of Federal Regulations, 90 FR 8629, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/31/2025-02096/restoring-names-that-honor-american-greatness

[2] – S. 5716, 64th Congress (1915-1917), “An Act To establish the Mount McKinley National Park, in the Territory of Alaska,” January 10, 1917, https://maint.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/64th-congress/session-2/c64s2ch121.pdf

[3] – “William McKinley Assassination: Topics in Chronicling America,” Library of Congress, retrieved February 15, 2025, https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-william-mckinley-assassination

[4] – H.R. 39, 96th Congress (1979-1980), “Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act,” December 2, 1980, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/96/hr39/text

[5] – Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior, Order No. 3337, “Change of the Name of Mount McKinley to Denali,” August 28, 2015, https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/elips/documents/3337%20-%20Changing%20the%20Name%20of%20Mount%20McKinley%20to%20Denali.pdf

[6] – Ibid.

[7] – “Public Lands: Board of Geographic Names,” Title 43 USC §364-364f, July 25, 1947, ch. 330, § 1, 61 Stat. 456. https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/uscode/uscode1958-00804/uscode1958-008043011a/uscode1958-008043011a.pdf

[8] – Timothy Cama, “Trump pledges to reverse Obama’s mountain renaming,” The Hill, August 31, 2015, https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/252380-trump-pledges-to-reverse-obamas-mountain-renaming/

[9] – Ibid.

[10] – “$500 Note (Green Seal),” The Bureau of Engraving & Printing, retrieved February 16, 2025, https://www.bep.gov/currency/history/historical-currency/500-note-green-seal

[11] – “Historical Currency,” The Bureau of Engraving & Printing, retrieved February 16, 2025, https://www.bep.gov/currency/history/historical-currency

[12] - H.R.8620 — 118th Congress (2023-2024), “TRUMP Act of 2024,” June 5, 2024, https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8620/text

[13] - Donald J. Trump, Executive Order 14172.

[14] – Petula Dvorak, “‘The Gulf of Mexico’s long history of colonization and varying names,” The Washington Post, January 13, 2025, https://img.washingtonpost.com/history/2025/01/13/gulf-of-mexico-name-history-colonization-explained/

[15] – Paul Simon Galtsoff, Gulf of Mexico: Its Origin, Waters, and Marine Life, Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of the Interior, United States Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1954, p 15, https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/fish-bull/fb55.2.pdf#page=15

[16] – Brian Stelter, “Trump White House bars Associated Press reporter for a second day. AP signals legal action,” CNN, February 12, 2025, https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/02/12/media/what-trumps-gulf-of-america-obsession-is-really-all-about

[17] – Brian Stelter, “The White House bans the AP indefinitely over the use of ‘Gulf of Mexico’,” CNN, February 14, 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/14/media/white-house-ap-ban-air-force-one-oval-office-gulf-of-mexico/index.html

[18] - Ibid.

[19] – Bill Grueskin [@bgrueskin.bsky.social], Bluesky, February 14, 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/bgrueskin.bsky.social/post/3li7vtl2kdk2a

[20] – Brian Karem, “Trump, sensing a lack of solidarity, pushes the press down a slippery slope,” Salon, February 15, 2025, https://www.salon.com/2025/02/15/trump-sensing-a-lack-of-solidarity-pushes-the-press-down-a-slippery-slope/

[21] – Emily Osterloff, “How an asteroid ended the age of the dinosaurs,” Natural History Museum, retrieved February 16, 2025, https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-an-asteroid-caused-extinction-of-dinosaurs.html

[22] – Ashley Strickland, “Asteroid 2024 YR4 could hit Earth in 7 years. Here’s what could happen — and what’s being done about it,” CNN, February 15, 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/15/science/asteroid-2024-yr4-earth-tracking/index.html

[23] – Evan Andrews, “What Was the Saturday Night Massacre?” The History Channel, December 4, 2013, retrieved February 16, 2025, https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-saturday-night-massacre

[24] – “New York City Mayor Eric Adams Charged With Bribery And Campaign Finance Offenses”, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York September 26, 2024, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-charged-bribery-and-campaign-finance-offenses

[25] – United States of America v Eric Adams, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 24 CR 0556, https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-09/u.s._v._adams_indictment_1.pdf

[26] - Bobby Cuza and Erica Brosnan, “Trump says he'll 'look at' pardoning indicted Mayor Eric Adams,” Spectrum News NY1, December 16, 2024, https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2024/12/16/trump-says-he-ll-look-at-pardoning-indicted-mayor-eric-adams

[27] - “Mayor Adams' Statement After Meeting With President-Elect Donald Trump,” NYC (Official Website of the City of New York), January 17, 2025, https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/035-25/mayor-adams-after-meeting-president-elect-donald-trump

[28] – Aaron Katersky and Katherine Faulders, “Justice Department moves to drop case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams,” ABC News, February 10, 2025, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/justice-department-moves-drop-case-new-york-city/story?id=118672417

[29] – Aaron Katersky, Katherine Faulders, Alexander Mallin, and Ivan Pereira, “Eric Adams' attorney meets with Justice Department over future of federal case: Sources,” ABC News, January 31, 2025, https://abcnews.go.com/US/eric-adams-attorney-meets-justice-department-future-federal/story?id=118322201

[30] – Eric Bove III, Memorandum for Acting United States Attorney, United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, “Dismissal Without Prejudice of Prosecution of Mayor Eric Adams,” U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Deputy Attorney General, February 10, 2025, https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/76308bc134b67d36/4cc46c59-full.pdf

[31] – ‘Read: Danielle Sassoon letter to Pam Bondi on Eric Adams case,” The Hill, February 14, 2025, https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5145387-danielle-sassoon-resigns-letter/

[32] - Ibid.

[33] – Ivan Pereira, “Timeline of how Eric Adams' bribery case led to resignations of federal prosecutors,” ABC News, February 14, 2025, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/eric-adams-federal-bribery-case-timeline/story?id=118824842

[34] – Hagan Scotten, Email to Emil Bove, “Subject: Re: United States v. Eric Adams, 24 Cr. 556 (DEH),” https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25536245-hagan-scotten-resignation-letter/

[35] - Ibid.

[36] – “Army Court of Criminal Appeals hears case at Harvard Law School,” Harvard Law Today, February 13, 2009, retrieved February 16, 2025, https://hls.harvard.edu/today/army-court-of-criminal-appeals-hears-case-at-harvard-law-school/

[37] – “On their way to the next adventure: A look at five new graduates,” Harvard Law Today, June 3, 2010, retrieved February 16, 2025, https://hls.harvard.edu/today/on-their-way-to-the-next-adventure-a-look-at-five-new-graduates/

[38] – Ross O'Keefe, “Eric Adams prosecutor resigns, says only a ‘fool’ would drop case in dramatic letter,” The Denver Gazette, February 14, 2025, retrieved February 16, 2025, https://gazette.com/eric-adams-prosecutor-resigns-says-only-a-fool-would-drop-case-in-dramatic-letter/article_268b5a45-db72-5214-9785-c4e91721113f.html

[39] – Cedar Attanasio, “Trump border czar and NYC mayor interview with ‘Fox & Friends’ on immigration commitments,” Associated Press, February 14, 2025, https://apnews.com/article/adams-resignation-sassoon-letter-rikers-2fb5bf918b40fca294daed75e7676098

[40] – “’Game Changer’: Homan and Adams collaborate on NYC immigration enforcement,” Fox & Friends, Fox News, February 14, 2025, https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368821459112, 19:39.

[41] – Barb McQuade [@barbmcquade.bsky.social], Bluesky, February 15, 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/barbmcquade.bsky.social/post/3liadhfelcv2p

[42] - United States Constitution, Article IV, Section 4, https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/article-4/

[43] - Mic Farris, “Democracy in Thousand Oaks: Why Democracy?,” , November 27, 2022, https://www.micfarris.com/articles/democracy-in-thousand-oaks-why-democracy.

Mic Farris, “Democracy in Thousand Oaks: The Integrity of Elections,” December 4, 2022, https://www.micfarris.com/articles/democracy-in-thousand-oaks-the-integrity-of-elections.

Mic Farris, “Democracy in Thousand Oaks: The Right to Vote,” December 12, 2022, https://www.micfarris.com/articles/democracy-in-thousand-oaks-the-right-to-vote.

Mic Farris, “Democracy in Thousand Oaks: The Meaning of Representation,” February 12, 2023, https://www.micfarris.com/articles/democracy-in-thousand-oaks-the-meaning-of-representation.

[44] - “The Letter Review Prize Winners (March – April 2024),” The Letter Review, https://letterreview.com/the-letter-review-prize-winners/

[45] - “Local Democracy in America,” https://www.micfarris.com/books

[46] – Garret Price (director), “Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary,” HBO, 2025, https://www.hbo.com/music-box

[47] - Thomas Quiggin, Seeing the Invisible: National Security Intelligence in an Uncertain Age, World Scientific Publishing, 2007, p 37.

[48] - Yochi J. Dreazen, “Rocker Jeff Baxter Moves and Shakes In National Security,” Wall Street Journal, May 24, 2005, https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB111689939107541385

Decisions with Mic Farris

Seek Truth. Honor Differences.

Standing Up