September 15, 2026 — Judges, Words, Decisions
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
In November 2025, my Thanksgiving Day blog thanked federal judges for holding the line on the protections provided by the U.S. Constitution regarding free speech and ICE tactics. Nov. 27, 2025 — “Thanksgiving: Thanking a Few Judges,” by IP attorney Timothy Trainer « Timothy Trainer. Sadly, this administration demonstrates daily that despite court actions finding that the U.S. Government violated the rights of people within the U.S., it continues to trample on our rights.
Given the U.S. Government’s deliberate actions to ignore court rulings regarding free speech and due process, it’s worth taking a moment to understand what judges are saying, the words they focus on, and why they decide the way they do. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a decision on August 28 that fundamentally finds in favor of protecting free speech using the rationale found in earlier cases: Memorandum-of-Decision-Stanford-Daily-Publishing-Corporation-et-al.-v.-Rubio-et-al.pdf. This decision is yet another example of what the courts are saying as they confront suit after suit where complaints about constitutional violations arise.
In the Stanford case, federal government agencies targeted students with visas. In other words, foreign students were legally in the United States, but expressing views the government disliked. As a result, the government initiated steps to strip students of their visas and threatened deportation.
It is no surprise that the judge in the Standford decision has to start with the basics by reminding all of us, including officials and agents of the federal government, of the words in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . or the right of the people peaceably to assemble[.]” One thing to note in the text of the amendment is that it does not use the word “citizens” but uses the broader word “people”. The judge in the case writes that “in the United States, freedom of speech belongs to the people. It is not the government’s to take.”
The decision informs us that the court received “testimony of 15 witnesses and 250 admitted exhibits, the court concluded that Secretaries Noem [DHS] and Rubio [State], and their subordinate officials and agents, by implementing the ‘mode of enforcement’ of the Executive Orders, ‘deliberately and with purposeful aforethought, did so concert their actions and those of their two departments intentionally to chill the rights to freedom of speech and peacefully to assemble of the noncitizen plaintiff members of the plaintiff associations.’ The court found that the government’s ‘ideological-deportation policy’ violated the First Amendment, and that this policy was arbitrary or capricious in violation of the APA [Administrative Procedures Act]”.
Anytime a court refers to “arbitrary or capricious” conduct, it does not bode well for the party acting in this way. It means that a party in the lawsuit acted without rational basis, ignored relevant factors or is simply making decisions on a whim, not reason. In the Stanford case, the judge noted that government officials could not define what it meant to “support a terrorist organization”. Government officials also failed to explain what actions constituted “anti-Semitism” as grounds for their actions to revoke visas and initiate deportation actions.
The judge made clear that if government officials could not give the court definitions or identify acts that constituted violations that subjected a person to visa revocation and possible deportation, how could the average person know what constituted a violation?
Ultimately, the court concluded that Trump’s Executive Orders and the manner of enforcing the orders as they related to the individuals involved in this specific case amounted to violations of their constitutional rights.
Today, citizens, noncitizens, documented and undocumented people are confronting a federal government, particularly the Executive Branch agencies, that feels emboldened to violate the rights of anyone anywhere within the United States given the lack of court-imposed penalties and punishment on those who repeatedly violate the rights provided by the Constitution. We can only hope that those who are victimized continue to have the courage to bring these court challenges and that the courts continue to protect and defend the Constitution and the rights afforded, given the government’s onslaught against the Constitution.
About Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights;the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Coming this Fall: The China Dilemma!
Click here to buy all of Tim’s books.
ReadJoin us Nov. 7 for launch party of Tim’s new novel: You are going to love book 3 in the series by IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer: “The China Dilemma”
When: Saturday, November 07, 2026 from 12-3pm
Where: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Get your free ticket: Nov7TheChinaDilemma.eventbrite.com
Our agenda for the brunch event:
- Noon: Meet, greet, and order food and drinks from Elaine’s award-winning menu
- 1pm: Our 45-minute interview begins, followed by a 15-minute Q&A with the audience to be produced on our popular podcast and video series
- 2pm: Guests talk with the author, buy all the books in the series, and get them signed!
Meet the Author: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
“He found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022,” shares Jeffery James Higgins, host of the Elaine’s Literary Salon show, noting Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff. “But fiction was a genre he always wanted to try.”
In 2019 his mission was accomplished when “Pendulum Over the Pacific,” was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains. In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection. Coming in the fall of 2026, be on the lookout for “The China Dilemma.”
Learn more: TimothyTrainer.com
About Jean Leconte uncovers a conspiracy of silence while working at an aviation production plant in Tianjin, China. His Chinese suppliers withhold critical parts unless his company shares confidential information. Efforts to get help from his company and government officials in Brussels fail, and he is warned not to disclose China’s practices.
Unwilling to acquiesce, Jean reaches out to Glo-Ex, a covert business alliance, for help. Kellie Liang and Carter Armstrong, known as the Colonel, take charge of Glo-Ex’s efforts to expose the broader implications of China’s dominance in rare earth minerals. Kellie and the Colonel initially focus on Europe but soon recognize China’s dominance in processed rare earth minerals as a major threat to U.S. military and civilian interests.
When they reach out to their contacts in Washington, D.C., they realize those who are willing to help lack information and those who have the information are actively trying to suppress disclosure. Can Kellie and the Colonel find a way to expose the looming danger without being silenced?
Click here to buy Tim’s books!
About The China Factor: It’s a year after Hong Kong reverted to China. Aaron and Kellie’s dual purpose in Hong Kong, their trip for business and pleasure, descends into chaos when Kellie fails to deliver the blueprint Chinese entrepreneurs seek in hopes of greater riches in the U.S. market. After a day-long meeting, she awakes across the border in southern China the next morning without her travel documents. Aaron, while waiting for Kellie’s return, is attacked in his hotel room. He panics.
Helpless, Aaron enlists the aid of Roger, a retired Customs attaché in Hong Kong. Roger questions the nature of the contents of millions of containers leaving Hong Kong and wonders how he can profit from it. Aaron and Roger cobble together a group of people to rescue Kellie from across the border. This small group of government and non-government people engage in questionable tactics to find Kellie. Can the group come together to save Kellie, or will their personal ambitions prevail?
The big news for 2025 is that the sequel, The China Factor, is now for sale. Here, Tim takes us back to the spring of 2005. The FBI foils a government employee’s attempt to provide confidential information to the Chinese. As the FBI struggles to understand why the information is valuable, its investigation entangles Capitol Hill staffer Kellie Liang and jeopardizes her nomination to a State Department position. Under scrutiny, Kellie thrusts herself into the FBI investigation. Seeking a voice of reason, Kellie reaches out to Aaron Foster only to learn that he is vacationing in Vietnam with his uncle, a war veteran. Surprisingly, Aaron believes he has found a Chinese corporate connection to information theft. From two sides of the world, Kellie and Aaron work to thwart China’s efforts and save Kellie’s nomination.
About the China Connection: It’s a year after Hong Kong reverted to China. Aaron and Kellie’s dual-purpose Hong Kong trip for business and pleasure descends into chaos when Kellie fails to deliver the blueprint Chinese entrepreneurs seek in hopes of greater riches in the U.S. market. After a day-long meeting, she awakes the next morning across the border in southern China without her travel documents. Aaron, while waiting for Kellie’s return, is attacked in his hotel room. He panics.
Helpless, Aaron enlists the aid of Roger, a retired Customs attaché in Hong Kong. Roger questions the nature of the contents of millions of containers leaving Hong Kong and wonders how he can profit from it. Aaron and Roger cobble together a group of people to rescue Kellie from across the border. This small group of government and non-government people engage in questionable tactics to find Kellie.
Can the group come together to save Kellie or will their personal ambitions prevail?
Find all of Tim’s books at TimothyTrainer.com • Check out this month’s podcast episode his show: Tim’s Travailsand videos on TimothyTrainer.tv • Follow Tim on Substack
WatchReunion 2026: Fred Hall and Tim Trainer share the importance of the annual gathering with several soldiers who served together in a rifle company in Vietnam in 1968-69
Remembering the past on Constitution Day, September 17, 2026 — Listen in on a conversation from September 2025 with Fred Hall and Timothy Trainer, author of “The Fortunate Son.”
Tim explains, “In this video, Fred and I explain the importance of our annual gathering that includes a week spent with several men who served together in a rifle company in Vietnam in 1968-69.”
The group will reunite in September 2026.
Watch
Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio
September 2026, Ep17 Tim’s Travails: This month we interview Keith Kupferschmid – Chief Executive Officer of the Copyright Alliance
About our guest: Keith Kupferschmid is President and CEO of the Copyright Alliance, a position he has held since 2015. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Copyright Alliance’s operations—including strategy, government affairs, communications, membership, and liaising with boards and committees.
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September 2026, Ep17 Tim’s Travails: This month we interview Keith Kupferschmid – Chief Executive Officer of the Copyright Alliance
September 2026 — This month on IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer’s podcast/video show Tim interviews Keith Kupferschmid, Chief Executive Officer of the Copyright Alliance.
Today’s Topic: Getting inside the practice of modernizing copyright law
About our guest: Keith Kupferschmid is President and CEO of the Copyright Alliance, a position he has held since 2015. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Copyright Alliance’s operations—including strategy, government affairs, communications, membership, and liaising with boards and committees.
Kupferschmid’s extensive work on the Hill has contributed to modernizing copyright law, culminating in the enactment of the Music Modernization Act (MMA), the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act), and the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act (PLSA), among others.
He has also raised the profile of the Copyright Alliance within the creator community and strived to garner additional rights and protections for creators across the country through education, advocacy initiatives, and speaking opportunities. Kupferschmid has testified before Congress and various federal and state government agencies on key copyright issues, has held leadership positions in the American Bar Association (ABA) and American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), serves on the boards of Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA) and the U.S. Intellectual Property Alliance (USIPA), and was selected to be a member of the Library of Congress’ Copyright Public Modernization Committee (CPMC).
Before joining the Copyright Alliance, Kupferschmid served as the General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Intellectual Property for the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) for 16 years. Prior to that, he worked at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner; the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; and the U.S. Copyright Office. Learn more: copyrightalliance.org
Photos of Tim by AnnaGibbs.com
About Tim’s Travails: In this podcast/video series, IP attorney and author Tim Trainer introduce us to experts around the country who have insight into the law, international trade, and more, to help us better understand our world in 2025 and beyond. Tim, himself, fits the bill for he worked for three decades for the US government and private law firms focusing on international trade, and has developed a deep understanding of global economics and politics. Writing books is his passion.
The author of seven books as of 2025, he has penned several non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2020. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff. Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2017, Pendulum Over the Pacific was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: “The China Connection.” In December 2024, he followed it with “The China Factor.” Coming in the Fall of 2026 is “The China Dilemma.” Learn all about Tim and his books: TimothyTrainer.com.
ReadSeptember 3, 2026 — “Political Labels: The Hypocrisy”
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image source: Britannica.com
Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, socialist, communist, anarchist, libertarian, fascist, environmentalist. You see these words, these political labels, and react to them positively or negatively. Democratic Party primary election victories by unexpected winners have resulted in the surge of labeling some of these winners as “democratic socialists”. Of course, it sounds like it’s coming out of left field because most people, including those who are attempting to attach something negative to the label, probably don’t know what the label means or identifies. Has anyone read the loose and somewhat convoluted definition of what “democratic socialist” means? Democratic socialism | Definition, Leftists, Social Democrats, Zohran Mamdani, & Facts | Britannica.
Suddenly, Republican/GOP members are trying to paint these unexpected Democratic Party victors as “communists”, a word that will get many voters’ blood boiling. Common sense should give us a hint that if socialist and communist were the same thing, there would be no need for two distinct words. Ironically, democratic socialism as explained by Britannica “reject Marxism-Leninism (i.e., communism) as a form of socialism” for an economy as massive as the U.S.
The GOP labeling tactic is a scare tactic. We don’t like “communism” when it’s in the U.S., but we don’t mind it, and we’re happy to overlook it when it pads corporate ledgers or helps the U.S. in trade dealings. There is a clear indicator that labeling a person a “communist” is nothing more than a scare tactic. Nothing says “manipulate” voters by labeling someone a “communist” more than looking at our Number 1 trading partner outside of North America. Recent trade data places China in this position: census.gov. China’s ruling political party is the Chinese Communist Party. Essentially, if one removes our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, from the list of our global trading partners, China is Number One.
A glance at that government data underscores just how much we embrace communist economies as non-threatening when it comes to our trade relationship. Overall, Vietnam is our fifth largest trading partner, third largest when our Canadian and Mexican neighbors are removed from the list. For the sake of clarity, we recognize and embrace trade with Vietnam, a country ruled by the Communist Party of Vietnam. https://vietnam.gov.vn/ political-system-68959.
We can count on political labels being thrown around to try and paint someone as threatening to the U.S. It is much better, however, to look deeper at the person using some of these labels and ask the question: what does the person using these labels stand for? Political labels are easy to throw around but when there’s no context to their use, when there’s no thinking about what these labels mean, they become a tool for manipulation. Political labels are used to evoke an emotional response, not to provoke critical thinking.
Here’s a reminder. For decades, the GOP was the supposed party of fiscal restraint and, yet, the GOP has, without hesitation, ballooned the national debt with no qualms and no indication of slowing the growth of that debt. The current majority party has done nothing to prevent the imposition of tariffs and raising consumer prices that cause average citizens to suffer from higher prices.
For decades, the GOP campaigned on the theme of law and order whereas we now have the most anti-law and order administration ever as it is the Executive Branch itself violating the fundamental rights of the people within the United States on a daily basis and has been chastised by numerous federal court judges for violating the rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.
Timothy Trainer • Photo by AnnaGibbs.com
About Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights;the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Coming this Fall: The China Dilemma!
Click here to buy all of Tim’s books.
ReadAugust 26, 2026 — The “Wannabes”
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Images: armyhistory.org • propublica.org
The U.S. Government appears to be filled with “wannabe” somethings. The Oval Office occupier is a wannabe tough guy. He’s a spectator on the sidelines of a cage match on the White House lawn. He’s the tough talker who hid behind his daddy’s wealth and ability to have some doctor write excuses to evade service during the Vietnam War. He’s also a wannabe successful businessman, but has a history of stiffing blue-collar workers and bankrupting casinos . . . who bankrupts casinos? Donald Trump’s trail of unpaid bills. Isn’t bankrupting a casino the ultimate sign of business incompetence? There is a string of court rulings that inform us that the wannabe businessman is a fraudster.
It isn’t surprising that the wannabe in the White House would find other wannabes for the highest positions in the U.S. Government. There’s the wannabe ultimate war fighter who occupies the job of Secretary of Tattoos, sorry, Defense. His desire to project that tough warrior image is so strong that he moved to shut down the Pentagon’s program that would aim to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties. Hegseth Cut Civilian Protections Over Objection of Top Commanders — ProPublica. Nothing says wannabe tough like ignoring the possibility of large numbers of civilian casualties as collateral damage. Engaging in warfare and looking the other way when women, children and elderly are included in the tally doesn’t project toughness as much as a willingness to commit war crimes. The irony of this is that the commanders who wear the uniform and order their troops to carry out the orders leading to injury and death disagreed with the wannabe warrior.
Maybe it’s worth recalling that decades ago Lt. William Calley, U.S. Army, and several soldiers under his command were court-martialed for committing murder against a village full of Vietnamese civilians: armyhistory.org.
When the U.S. is engaged in military hostilities, it does not give military members license to engage in murder. Hegseth’s (wannabe Secretary of Death?) statements, conduct, and desire to eliminate the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response(CHMR) office reflect his interpretation of “maximum lethality” as encompassing both military and non-military targets. Perhaps the uniformed officers who asked about the future of CHMR are more concerned about violating international law than the guy who should be concerned. At least we know who should be held to account.
In the aftermath of an unpopular war that included many low points for the U.S. military, the effort to rehabilitate the military’s image included years of reassessing the Army’s education of its troops. The Army “developed an ‘Army Ethic,’ which emphasized that soldiers must see themselves as ‘honorable servants of the Nation’ and that they must ‘reject and report illegal, unethical or immoral orders and actions.’ No doubt, with My Lai in mind, the Army Ethic stresses that ‘in war and peace,’ soldiers must recognize the ‘intrinsic dignity and worth of all people’ and treat ‘them with respect.’” https://armyhistory.org/my-lai/. Today’s wannabe tough guys with impressive job titles would undermine decades of work that have been invested in rebuilding the reputation of the U.S. military.
The wannabe leaders in Congress who are members of the majority party sit idly by and watch the demise of the country like spectators.
They exhibit a lot of fake outrage over Hegseth’s missteps that include the dismissal of numerous experienced general officers. They shrug or look the other way or ignore the misinformation from the wannabe health professional who has the title of Secretary of Health and Human Services as the U.S. experiences the largest measles outbreak in over 30 years. As measles outbreaks grow in the U.S., maps and charts show a record number of cases – CBS News.
From war to disease, the most visible aspirations of the GOP wannabes are that they want to enrich themselves and keep their vaunted jobs with great taxpayer-provided benefits. They want to hold on to positions of title but not exercise any power that would challenge the corruption of the man-child in the Oval Office. The army of GOP cronies demonstrates that staying in Trump’s good graces is more important than their duty to the country.
Timothy Trainer • Photo by AnnaGibbs.com
About Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights;the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
ReadAugust 22, 2026 — Quashing, Crushing Free Speech
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image: marshallfoundation.org
The headlines focus on what has been going on recently at Stars & Stripes. The reality is that Trump and his minions have engaged in an all-out attempt to quash and silence those whose words and opinions they don’t like.
Reuters reported earlier this month that “75 federal-judge rulings finding Trump’s government infringed on First Amendment rights, including freedoms of speech, religion, and the press.” Trump vowed to ‘bring free speech back.’ Judges in 75 cases ruled that he has stifled it | Reuters. This is not simply an attempt to intimidate and silence those who oppose what this administration is doing. This is an outright attack on the very Constitution and the rights of citizens that Trump and many others took an oath to protect and defend. This is clear evidence that he is an enemy of the Constitution and the laws that he took an oath to uphold.
When it comes to Stars & Stripes, the publication has a long history that dates to its origins in 1861 when a few Union soldiers “captured a newspaper plant in Missouri.” Marshall and the Stars and Stripes – The George C. Marshall Foundation. It produced only a few copies. It has been revived more than once but became a permanent publication during World War II.
In order to make clear that Stars & Stripes is to be treated as a source of news independent of government and military influence, one of the relevant provisions in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations states that “Editorial policies and practices of the Stars and Stripes shall be in accordance with journalistic standards governing U.S. daily commercial newspapers of the highest quality, with emphasis on matters of interest to the Stars and Stripes readership. Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, the DoD policy for the Stars and Stripes is that there shall be a free flow of news and information to its readership without news management or censorship. The calculated withholding of unfavorable news is prohibited.” 32 CFR § 246.4 – Policy. | Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute.
Given the language of the section above, there is little to no doubt that the efforts of Hegseth and others are to silence Stars & Stripes or to ensure that it is not published without undue influence. The notion of free flow of information is now subject to the kinds of filtering the regulation prohibits. While the regulation instructs that news that may be unfavorable shall be published, Trump and Hegseth act to violate the very foundation of the publication.
For those who continue to believe that there is any attempt by this administration to uphold the Constitution and the laws of these United States, this is another clear example that Trump, Hegseth, and others are dismantling, violating, and undermining the fundamental rights granted to the people of the country they took an oath to defend and protect.
Timothy Trainer • Photo by AnnaGibbs.com
About Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights;the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
Watch
Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio
August 2026, Ep16 Tim’s Travails: This month we interview journalist and children’s book author Karen Leggett Abouraya
About Karen's book, illustrated by Susan L. Roth: Zamzam is a young boy who enjoys life with his Egyptian grandparents in Alexandria, Egypt, and his American grandparents in New York City. He shares big and small differences in his daily experiences in each country—including phrases in Arabic and English—but ultimately realizes that the most important experiences are the same across cultures.
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August 2026, Ep16 Tim’s Travails: This month we interview journalist and children’s book author Karen Leggett Abouraya
August 2026 — This month on IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer’s podcast/video show we talk about the art of writing books for kids and adults with journalist and children’s book author Karen Leggett Abouraya
Today’s Topic: What it means to write well!
Tim asks:
- How did you go from being a broadcast journalist to writing children’s books?
- Your book talks about the similarities among all people — whether they live in New York or Egypt. What inspired you to tackle this topic?
- What do you want kids around the world to know based on this story?
- The book is for your grandson. How does he feel about being featured?
- What are you working on now?
About our guest: Karen Leggett Abouraya was surrounded by writing and books in her youth. Her father was a journalist and her mother a school librarian. Karen is an award-winning broadcast journalist, as she worked in the field for more than two decades. She began reviewing and discussing children’s books on ABC WMAL Radio in Washington, D.C. She has also reviewed children’s books and interviewed authors for the Washington Post, New York Times, the Baltimore Sun, Children’s Literature, Washington Parent and others. She is a widely published freelance author and actively involved in disability advocacy in her home state of Maryland. Karen graduated from Brown University (international relations). Karen has received a long list of awards for her books (e.g., Children’s Africana Book Awards for Best Books for Young Children, California Reading Association Eureka Silver Honor Award, Middle East Studies Association Best Picture Book) and journalism (e.g., Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association, Education Writers Association). Learn more: karenleggettabouraya.com
About Karen’s latest book, Zamzam: Zamzam is a young boy who enjoys life with his Egyptian grandparents in Alexandria, Egypt, and his American grandparents in New York City. He shares big and little differences in his daily experiences in each country – including phrases in Arabic and English — but ultimately realizes that the most important experiences are exactly the same across cultures. Illustrations by Susan L. Roth.
Click here to buy your copies of the book!
What critics are saying about the 2025 Children’s Africana Book Award for Best Picture Book:
“Educators have an opportunity to discuss their students’ own experiences with family members from around the country or the world and have them compare similarities and differences of their cultures.” — A Book and a Hug
“Page after page weaves a message of difference into a fabric of harmony, across continents and customs, contexts and cultures, showing a seamless, integrated life that is bridged by love in both directions…The sweetness of the text is well-matched by the whimsy of the art in a way that every child can enjoy. A true pleasure to see and share!” — Andrea E. Stumpf, author of Memoirs of an Arabian Princess
“Conveying that even though sights and sounds and language might be different, the love is the same. The book does a good job of not othering one set or making one seem better than the other. It also weaves in Arabic words and culture.” — Edelweiss
Photos of Tim by AnnaGibbs.com
About Tim’s Travails: In this podcast/video sereis, IP attorney and author Tim Trainer introduce us to experts around the country who have insight into the law, international trade, and more, to help us better understand our world in 2025 and beyond.
Tim, himself, fits the bill for he worked for three decades for the US government and private law firms focusing on international trade, and has developed a deep understanding of global economics and politics.
Writing books is his passion. The author of seven books as of 2025, he has penned several non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2020. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff. Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2017, Pendulum Over the Pacific was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains. In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection. In December 2024, he followed it with The China Factor.
Stay tuned for more episodes on InkandescentRadio.com and Inkandescent.tv, and of course, log in regularly for new blog entries and other information on Tim’s website, www.TimothyTrainer.com.
ReadAugust 13, 2026 — The Great Blind Spot: Immigrants
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image: britannica.com/topic/Project-Paperclip
Today, immigrants are one of our greatest targets for blame and our great blind spot. Immigrants live among us, work among us, and do a lot of jobs that native born individuals don’t want to do. They are everywhere. Given the political rhetoric and how that rhetoric has been embraced by many, many would like to deport them, many overlook them, many sneer at them, and many have no clue that our current hypocrisy toward the issue of immigrants, legal or otherwise, makes little sense.
Indeed, the U.S. has embraced foreigners if they contribute the “right” way. We’ve overlooked and ignored some egregious wartime activity of enemies in order to benefit from what they have to offer. As World War II ended, the U.S. Government sponsored World War II immigration of German and Austrian scientists and technicians to exploit their knowledge for military and industrial purposes as part of Project Paperclip: Operation Paperclip | Definition, History, & World War II | Britannica.
Perhaps the most famous and well-known rocket scientist brought to the U.S. was Wernher von Braun. Wernher von Braun and the Nazis | American Experience | Official Site | PBS. He was a member of the Nazi Party and an SS officer. He and his team of rocket scientists developed the V-2 rocket used to target London, Paris and Antwerp. He and his team were part of the German war machine that killed thousands of people. Nevertheless, at the end of the war, the U.S. overlooked his war time activity in support of Hitler’s Germany to bring him and his team of over a hundred to the U.S. and employed them. Wernher von Braun – NASA. He contributed to the U.S. space program by working for both the U.S. Army and NASA.
Today, if one listens only to the political drivel from the Administration there are no positive contributors among the tens of thousands of immigrants coming to the U.S. The State Department reported days ago that it has revoked 175,000 visas during this Administration’s time in office. State Department Revokes More Than 175,000 Visas – United States Department of State.
With the anti-immigrant sentiment that pervades, it’s easy to ignore or be blind to the contributions many have made. The notion that immigrants from countries that Trump has identified as the worst type of place to be from could deliver exceptional individuals may be difficult to accept, but it happens.
Nigerian born Philip Emeagwali came to the U.S. to study computer science and mathematics. In 1989, emulating the bees’ honeycomb construction, this Nigerian born immigrant used 65,000 processors to invent the world’s fastest computer that performed computations at a rate of 3.1 billion calculations per second. He was awarded the Gordon Bell Prize – the Nobel Prize for computation. Dr. Philip Emeagwali: Inventor of the World’s Fastest Computer — Famous Black Inventors.
Fazlur Rahman Khan was Muslim and from Bangladesh. He specialized in building skyscrapers and pioneered a structural system of frame tubes and was considered by some in his profession as the Einstein of structural engineering. The Muslims who shaped America – from brain surgeons to rappers | Islam | The Guardian.
Pakistan born Dr. Ayub Khan Ommaya developed a device to deliver drugs directly to the brain. Because of its groundbreaking technology, it changed treatment of brain tumors and enabled medical professionals to administer medication with precision. The device Dr. Ommaya created is now known as the Ommaya reservoir. Dr Ayub Khan Ommaya (1930–2008): The eventful life of a revolutionary neurosurgeon – PMC.
Of course, not all those who are born abroad and come (or brought) to the U.S. contribute like those above. It’s well-documented that Melania Trump, the “First Lady” (Slovenia, Yugoslavia at that time of her birth) was a model. Where is Melania Trump from? | Britannica.
As the political re-election season heats up in the coming weeks, the current anti-immigration campaign is likely to be an important talking point for the GOP. The one talking point that won’t be heard is about Congress’s own inability to do the hard work of reforming the U.S. immigration legal structure, though they might provide funds for immigration judges to deal with today’s unworkable framework. While there will always be some bad individuals crossing the border and entering the U.S., the scorecard on how immigrants contribute appears to favor the country trying to keep them out.
There will be little or nothing said about the nearly $100 billion that undocumented immigrant workers paid in federal, state and local taxes. While politicians will accuse undocumented workers of denying citizens services, they won’t clarify the point that these immigrants’ payroll taxes fund Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance which they are barred from accessing. Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants – ITEP.
As the Administration works to deny entry, prevent entry, deport people and revoke visas, the question must be asked: As we attempt to protect our borders to keep the criminal elements out, have we inflicted another wound on ourselves. Have we discouraged a generation of great contributors from coming to our shores and injecting new ideas and thoughts that are necessary to refresh and encourage progress?
About Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights;the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
ReadAugust 7, 2026 — Purple Heart Day
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image: T. Trainer, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster earned by author’s father for wounds received in Korea and Vietnam
August 7th is officially Purple Heart Day. On August 7, 1782, George Washington created the “Badge for Military Merit”. At that time, it wasn’t bestowed on those wounded or killed in action but presented to soldiers for meritorious action. George Washington creates the Purple Heart | August 7, 1782 | HISTORY. This original medal was awarded more in line with the requirements of today’s Medal of Honor. The original badge was made of silk. The silk badge was purple and heart-shaped with the word “Merit” stitched across the badge.
On George Washington’s 200th birthday in 1932, the U.S. War Department (the official agency name from 1789-1947) created the Order of the Purple Heart. George Washington creates the Purple Heart | August 7, 1782 | HISTORY. The Order of the Purple Heart, the oldest American military decoration for military merit, is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who have been killed or wounded in action against an enemy or may thereafter die of wounds received. A Purple Heart is authorized for the first wound suffered under conditions as prescribed, but for each subsequent award an Oak Leaf Cluster is awarded and worn on the Purple Heart Medal or Ribbon: hrc.army.mil. The Army’s website provides detailed criteria for awarding the Purple Heart.
Sadly, we’re adding hundreds of new recipients of the Purple Heart due to hostilities with Iran. Thus far, there have been 18 service members killed and over 600 injured. Pentagon says new Iran war casualties category tied to end of Operation Epic Fury. Information disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information Act request indicates that head trauma is disproportionately high among those who have been injured since the U.S. initiated the war earlier this year. Shrapnel, broken bones and head trauma: New records show how US troops were wounded in Iran war.
As this on-again, off-again war progresses, it is worth reminding ourselves of the tens of thousands of service members deployed around the world. We should be aware that at any given moment the U.S. or an adversary might initiate hostilities that result in death or injury to our troops. Service members and their families continue to pay a heavy price for their service. It is incumbent upon the rest of us to demand that the U.S. isn’t the one initiating hostilities unless there are clearly articulated reasons and objectives and a commitment to provide the best health care available to those who are injured.
“The Fortunate Son,” by Timothy Trainer
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights;the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
ReadAugust 3, 2026 — The Fauci Effect: Political Theater Actors
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image source: Wikipedia
It’s difficult to understand what all the GOP politicians are mad about. Last week’s hearing on Capitol Hill gives them more time in front of the spotlight, more air-time in front of television cameras, phone cameras and whatever other device can capture this new “outrage”. Of course, this new round exposes their anti-science, anti-common-sense approach to try and save lives. Did they want more people to die from covid? Did they want those who contracted covid to suffer longer? Did they want people to be hospitalized longer? The only thing that seems clear is that it’s a great diversion from a fellow GOP congressman fighting his sexual abuse allegations from an ex-wife or the U.S.-Iran war or how tariffs are raising prices on everyday U.S. consumers.
GOP elected officials are upset that Fauci invoked the 5th Amendment during last week’s hearing. Actually, the amendment is there for a reason and we all (should) know that the felon in the White House invoked it over 400 times during a deposition. Trump invokes Fifth Amendment nearly 450 times in N.Y. AG’s civil probe of his business practices. Given the GOP political class’s embrace of the felon who deftly used and relied on the 5th Amendment against self-incrimination, it’s surprising that Fauci isn’t receiving a medal from the GOP for having learned something from their cult leader and felon.
In the aftermath of last week’s hearing, it becomes apparent that many GOP politicians always wanted to be actors. They are now perfecting political theater to grandstand to make their statements in the hopes of headlines. Over the weekend, it was announced that “Louisiana will join Alabama & Florida in investigating Fauci and whether he committed any other offenses that could be pursued in our State courts.” Louisiana AG Liz Murrill to investigate Dr. Anthony Fauci following Senate hearing. Other offenses? What offenses has he already committed? Exercising a constitutional right is NOT an offense. These same people have no outrage toward their cult leader who took the fifth 400+ times.
But let’s move on. Some of the basic initial responses to covid: distancing and masks that so many opposed were some of the most basic common-sense recommendations. Over 100 years ago, with the Spanish flu and other illnesses that rampaged through the population, public health officials recommended basic steps to combat disease. “In the military camps, soldiers were instructed to eat five feet apart in the mess halls. Head to foot sleeping was also implemented to reduce the sharing of air space.” The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Response. Maybe, the public health folks were on to something.
The U.S.’s entry into World War I provided health officials with a unique opportunity to observe and react to illnesses when thousands of people were suddenly crammed into small spaces. It also provided health officials opportunities to test and develop new practices. “Respiratory disease is a major medical problem for military personnel living in close quarters. Crowded conditions are often found at military training barracks, classrooms, dining facilities, tent cities, and deployment staging areas.” https://ph.health.mil/resources/Barracks%20Layout%20Jan%202010.pdf.
The more one looks at what the public health community has learned from examining practices in the military, the more it becomes obvious that today’s political actors don’t want to understand what has been observed and learned. “To minimize disease agent transmissions, the normal sleeping space allowance for persons in basic training is prescribed at not less than 72 square feet of floor space per person . . . .” https://www.armymwr.com/application/files/5615/3675/0457/DA_PAM_40-11_Preventive_Medicine.pdf. These are things observed and learned well in advance of covid.
In a two-page fact sheet prepared by the U.S. Army Public Health Command, it states that respiratory diseases are transmitted when “infected people expel viruses when they cough, sneeze or talk” and “droplets are propelled a short distance and can either land on or be breathed in by another person”. https://ph.health.mil/resources/Barracks%20Layout%20Jan%202010.pdf. Given how these diseases are transmitted, it makes sense to either keep some distance and/or wear a mask. Interestingly, the military health officials identified the risks and ways to reduce those risks to maintain a ready force.
“When the COVID-causing pathogen emerged, it was a virus that was completely new to science, and authorities understood very little about its transmissibility or any other features. . . . In this environment of uncertainty and rapidly shifting available information, some emergency decisions were made that later proved to be errors and were corrected when frenetic research provided more information.” The Science Behind COVID’s Six-Foot Rule | Scientific American.
In view of the pre-covid era work by public health officials and their understanding of respiratory diseases and transmission, the idea that Fauci is somehow guilty of something worthy of wasting more taxpayer time and revenue is due only to politicians’ need for theater, more attention and the exercise of power. In the end, it looks more like Fauci and his colleagues erred on the side of being overly cautious to protect the public in confronting something that was new and unknown.
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights;the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
ReadJuly 28, 2026 — Trump Governs for Trump
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image sources: cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov • Thakur v. Trump
Some U.S. citizens have known this for years: the current White House occupant governs for himself. This is not truly an “administration” so much as it is about one person’s empowerment and one person’s self-enrichment. He does not oversee the country in a manner that helps those who voted for him. To say that he engages in any deep thought relating to decisions is giving him (and his advisors?) too much credit. He governs and makes decisions that are first and foremost about satisfying his needs, his cravings. Between his desire to project power (bullying?) and satisfying his pursuit of retribution politics, there’s no room to do anything that would equate to progress for the country.
There is now concrete evidence of this style of “self-governance”, and it exists in the administration’s court filing in recent days. In the case of Thakur v. Trump, the parties suing the administration argued that federal grants had been unlawfully terminated or suspended. The parties initiating the case also raised constitutional issues that their free speech and due process rights were violated. (Here’s a detailed summary of motions, procedures at Thakur v. Trump 3:25-cv-04737 (N.D. Cal.) | Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse.)
Because of a preliminary injunction imposed on the government by the district court judge and the judge’s decision to provisionally certify plaintiffs as a class, the federal government agencies appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Ninth Circuit provided a detailed discussion on the law supporting plaintiffs’ claim of free speech violations by the government. The Court of Appeals reached conclusions about the provisional class certifications by recognizing one class but not another. Ultimately, the Court of Appeals affirmed parts and reversed parts of the district court’s decision and remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings: cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov.
Case: Thakur v. Trump
Unfortunately for Trump, the Department of Energy acknowledged to the district court that:
- With one exception, the 284 terminated grants had a recipient location and/or at least one place of performance in a state that awarded its electoral votes to Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and has two Democratic-caucusing Senators (“Blue State” grants).
- The remaining approximately 340 grants proposed for termination were not terminated in October 2025, and they have not since been terminated. All such grants had a recipient location and/or at least one place of performance in a state that awarded its electoral votes to President Trump in the 2024 election or has at least one Republican-caucusing Senator (“non-Blue State”).
- DOE accepts that the inclusion of grants in the October notice tranche was based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state, i.e., whether the recipient’s location and/or place of performance was in a Blue State or a non-Blue State. DOE will not contend that it looked beyond the prime grantee(s) to consider the political identity or geographic distribution of downstream beneficiaries of the grant funds.
- DOE accepts that the differential treatment resulting in the October 2025 termination of Blue State grants and the non-termination of non-Blue State grants was not based on a rational connection between the recipient’s location and/or place of performance and DOE’s past or current agency priorities. gov.uscourts.cand.450653.211.6.pdf.
Read for yourself the documents and other statements that the government submitted and concedes regarding its actions against states voting for Trump’s political rivals.
Here’s an element of this approach that needs stating.
In every state where Trump’s political rival took the electoral votes, there are many individuals who voted for Trump. Yet, his actions, his instructions to his minions are to turn his back on the millions of his own supporters in states that have demonstrated a majority vote for someone other than him or his handpicked choice. It becomes obvious that he and his administration are incapable of considering the possibility that by taking punitive political actions like those exposed in these documents many who supported him become victims of his revenge tactics.
The Energy Department’s stipulations in court documents are clear evidence of Trump’s governing style that has been obvious from the beginning. Nothing he does is about governing. His actions are about the constant need to satisfy and mollify his personal needs. He is, indeed, the Commander-of-Corruption.
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights;the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
ReadJuly 23, 2026 — Mali: A Military Target or Is There Something Else?
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
No, really, no joke. Headlines on numerous news organizations’ homepages report that the U.S. is considering military action in another country: Trump administration weighs military options in Mali, officials say | The Washington Post. The Washington Post article characterizes the Mali government as a repressive military government. Maybe that’s what attracts our wannabe dictator to help those in power in Mali, as the article also states that we’ve increased our intel sharing with the repressive government.
Actually, the articles reporting on the possibility of military action aren’t all that clear as to the “why” except to say that there is “an al-Qaeda-linked group in Mali:” Trump considers military strikes in Mali — which would be the 8th country he’s attacked this term | The Independent.
Given the way this administration operates, it’s doubtful that it’s this simple. There are groups like al-Qaeda operating in many countries and we’re not bombing them … yet. We know how transactional this administration, specifically Trump, is.
It isn’t surprising that the U.S. (Trump) suddenly has an interest in Mali. One article highlights an interesting fact about Mali by underscoring that “Mali, one of the largest gold-producing nations in Africa”. Is that the attraction for Trump? His family? His friends? Is it pure speculation to think that Mali has something Trump and his family want. Or, what about some of the others in this administration who are finding that they can enrich themselves through government self-service?
Mali’s resources aren’t limited to gold. According to a May 2026 Al-Jazeera article, “Mali also has significant deposits of lithium, uranium, phosphates, iron ore, manganese and diamonds.” Mapping Mali’s gold and natural resource wealth | Interactive News | Al Jazeera. This short list of resources includes enough to attract attention given today’s competitive world and the U.S.’s need to find alternative sources for valuable natural resources that power many of today’s tech products.
The notion that the U.S./Trump would consider military action simply because of a terror group’s presence in a country seems unlikely. The terror group explanation might be the official government version to cover up the real reason: gold, lithium, uranium, etc. At this point, we, the people, should realize that basically all Trump actions and decisions are predicated upon getting something in return. What might Mali offer to the U.S. or Trump personally to encourage our military action?
Given the rising number of deaths on all sides in Iran, how many more military misadventures should we allow this one man to pursue? The Iran situation is concrete evidence of this administration’s inability to apply strategic analysis to possible actions that will be taken. This leaves us with only one thing to ask about what the administration might do: What’s in it for Trump?
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
ReadJuly 13, 2026 — Numbers, Really BIG Numbers
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image source: visualcapitalist.com
We’re going to defeat Iran for the umpteenth time as we’ve restarted the bombing campaign. Are we hallucinating, or were we told we’d won already? This military misadventure has caused this inept administration to ask Congress for billions more because of the price tag associated with military operations in the Middle East/Gulf region.
The U.S. defense budget for fiscal year 2026 was over a trillion dollars ($1,088.7 billion/$1,088,700,000,000): Unpacking the $1.5 Trillion FY 2027 Defense Budget Topline. It might be easier to think about that number in a different way. The 2026 defense budget equates to spending $34,522.00 every SECOND. It probably isn’t much of a stretch to think that many U.S. households would like to have a yearly income equal to three or four seconds of that defense budget to house, feed, clothe, and provide health care for the family.
Because defense is crucial to our national security, this administration seeks more, a lot more, for defense in its fiscal year 2027 defense budget request. Unable to operate and manage a trillion-dollar budget, it’s asking Congress to hand over $1,541.4 billion for fiscal year 2027 ($1,541,700,000,000). Given the length of that number, here it is broken down in seconds: $48,887 per SECOND.
Given the mismanagement and poor decision-making already demonstrated in the use of our military, it would be beyond irresponsible for Congress to approve a request for such a large budget increase. It raises questions about why such a large increase in the budget is necessary. Of course, one obvious reason for the increase is that we must now replenish depleted stockpiles of drones, bombs, and missiles. Attempting to dictate how the money is to be used is useless with this administration because it would simply ignore restrictions on the use of appropriated funds.
Numbers in trillions or hundreds of billions are difficult to comprehend. Thinking about what that number looks like on a per-second or per-minute basis puts into perspective just how much money we are giving any government agency or department. As this administration seeks to spend nearly $50,000 per second for the Defense Department, under its requested 2027 budget, there is nothing improper about asking questions about how all these billions will be spent, especially as the same administration cuts back on disaster preparedness, health programs, basic nutrition needs of citizens, education, and many other programs.
Ultimately, taxpayers, i.e., voters, need to “speak” out through contacts with members of Congress and in the voting booth. Handing over such a large defense budget to this Criminal-in-Chief may be viewed as permission to initiate more wars of choice.
Timothy Trainer in Washington, DC. Photo by AnnaGibbs.com
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
ReadJuly 6, 2026 — An Officer and an Oath
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Image: militarytimes.com
An interesting event occurred on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on July 3rd. A uniformed U.S. Air Force officer attended a Removal Coalition event that included a serving member of Congress. The Removal Coalition is an activist group. Apparently, the Air Force major believes that the Commander-in-Chief and the Vice President have failed to honor their oaths of office: Air Force Detains Officer Who Called for Trump’s Impeachment at Capitol – The New York Times. There’s that “silly” oath that every government official (elected officials and those hired into a federal government position) and members of the military swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
The catalog of laws and constitutional rights this administration has violated is easy to find. Courts at every level have issued opinions finding actions of this administration contrary to law or constitutional rights. Courts at every level have instructed the administration to correct its conduct to conform to the laws of the United States.
Major Watson is quoted to have said that “Congress remains unconvinced of the urgency and necessity for them [Trump/Vance] to honor their oath, so we must persuade them, with our unrelenting, uncompromising civil resistance.” He also advocated for Americans “to peacefully exercise your First Amendment rights.” Ultimately, he punctuated his attendance at the event by holding a sign reading “Impeach,” “Convict,” and “Remove.”
Active-duty military personnel should know that this conduct will result in some kind of punishment. Indeed, the Air Force secretary has issued a statement saying he expects “every Airman and Guardian to comply with all laws and policies governing personal conduct, political participation, and the wear of the uniform”.
The Air Force officer is likely to find himself the subject of a court-martial and see the end of his military career. It isn’t surprising that an officer who has sworn an oath to serve and support and defend the Constitution might be angered by what he sees as the daily violation of that oath by his ultimate commanders: the men who have the title of President and Vice President.
Many, perhaps most, will react with the view that if the officer wants to make or engage in such political activity, he should resign his commission. Indeed, if one disagrees to that extent with the person who is the Commander-in-Chief, the only viable action is to leave military service in order to avoid having to fulfill orders that one deems to be illegal or serve under a commander who constantly violates the oath.
What this event and its aftermath expose is the contradictory weight and seriousness of the oaths sworn to by members of the military vis-à-vis elected officials. Those who serve in uniform are to take their oath seriously and somehow live up to certain expectations. On the other hand, we have allowed elected officials who represent the people, propose legislation and sign legislation to make it the law of the land to treat the oath as a simple formality to be forgotten after the ceremony.
Unlike the sign on President Truman’s desk that stated, “The buck stops here”, indicating that he accepted the responsibility of his decisions and the weight of his office, we now have elected individuals who want the prestige of office, the celebrity of office, the fame of having a title, but take little or no responsibility.
The Air Force officer who has consciously decided to end his career by his actions reminds us that we have allowed elected officials to ignore their duty to the people and country.
While the Air Force officer is already facing confinement for his actions that violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice, we can only hope that the people of the United States will retain their ability to vote and hold elected officials accountable. It is, however, still a question whether elected members of congress, fearing that they might be held accountable, will take drastic steps to disenfranchise the voters and undermine the right to vote.
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
ReadJuly 4, 2026 — Independence Day: July 4 (U.S. Progress Stunted?)
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
It has been 250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The plan for the big party on the Washington Mall has changed. According to some headlines, a number of celebrities/entertainers realized that this year’s celebration would be too political and divisive. Many artists drop out of D.C. concert series for America’s 250th anniversary shortly after lineup announced – CBS News.
Two hundred and fifty years. There may be a handful of people who believe that the country’s efforts toward a more perfect union were stunted at the 240-year mark. In May 2016, there were enough Republican delegates supporting Trump for him to win the party’s nomination later in July of that year.
In Trump’s rambling June 2015 remarks announcing his candidacy, he may have inadvertently said something foretelling the future. “Hey, I have lobbyists. I have to tell you. I have lobbyists that can produce anything for me. They’re great.” Election 2016: Transcript – Donald Trump announces presidential candidacy – CBS News. Indeed, everything is centered on him, not citizens, not people, not the country, just him. The sad and unfortunate part of this foretelling is that those who would “produce” anything for Trump went beyond the world of lobbyists and include billionaire CEOs, an army of politicians, law enforcement officers, and many others.
That rambling 2015 speech included his statement that “We have to repeal Obamacare and it can be replaced with something much better for everybody. Let it be for everybody. But much better and much less expensive for people.” Election 2016: Transcript – Donald Trump announces presidential candidacy – CBS News. For millions of Americans, health care remains a distant dream as Obamacare (Affordable Care Act-ACA) subsidies expired. Just days ago, it was reported that the absence of any replacement program has caused approximately four (4) million Americans to drop out of ACA coverage. Millions dropped ObamaCare plans after subsidies ended. A GOP plan? What plan? At this point, health care in the U.S. means an expensive visit to the emergency room.
Trump’s promise of the American Dream and bringing it “back bigger and better and stronger than ever before” seems to be a distant goal for someone else to fulfill given the current state of the economy. A June 2026 report by the Joint Economic Committee found housing, energy, food and health care costs rising and taking a bigger bite out of household budgets. NEW DATA: Trump Says “I Love the Inflation,” As Families Have Had to Spend $3,100+ More on Everyday Essentials – NEW DATA: Trump Says “I Love the Inflation,” As Families Have Had to Spend $3,100+ More on Everyday Essentials – United States Joint Economic Committee.
The Oval Office occupant’s constant boasting about his wins and victories ring hollow. He said “I beat China all the time. All the time.” Election 2016: Transcript – Donald Trump announces presidential candidacy – CBS News. Really? China demonstrates its ability to respond to the economic threats expressed and tariffs imposed. China’s advantageous position in rare earth minerals provides it with significant negotiating power. China’s massive stockpile of oil has, thus far, allowed it to avoid negative economic side affects from the US-Iran conflict. China controls an estimated 80% of global solar manufacturing. China is moving beyond rare earths to restrict key goods needed by the U.S. – The Washington Post. China’s understanding that the U.S. is an unreliable trading partner caused China to invest in ways to become less dependent on the U.S. thereby strengthening its negotiating hand. The question is how much we have weakened our hand by gutting various government offices and firing China experts in relevant government offices.
And, when it comes to China, it is worth recalling that Trump’s own construction projects relied on less expensive Chinese provided steel and aluminum rather than those materials made in the U.S. How Donald Trump Ditched U.S. Steel Workers in Favor of China – Newsweek. Moreover, millions of dollars flow from China into Trump businesses, raising the question about how “tough” he really can be with China when he’s profiting from business with that country. Trump businesses took in nearly $8 million from foreign governments: House Democrats.
Trump campaigned saying “I will find – within our military, I will find the General Patton or I will find General MacArthur, I will find the right guy. I will find the guy that’s going to take that military and make it really work.” Election 2016: Transcript – Donald Trump announces presidential candidacy – CBS News. Has anyone ever noticed our military “not working”? The problem with Trump’s statement is it looks to the past, not the future. The world is different from the days of Patton and MacArthur. From Ukraine to Iran, new methods of warfare challenge old notions. The problem is not the military and the men and women at the top of each of the services. The problem is that the current Oval Office occupant and his minions heading the Defense Department keep removing highly qualified, experienced, and talented leadership. Perhaps all this firing is why he can’t find the right guy. Perhaps that “guy” is a woman.
The high hurdles confronting the U.S. citizenry exist because of one man’s obsessions. He is obsessed with the evidence free claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Trump administration widens its 2020 election probe as it obtains records from Arizona | PBS News. He’s self-absorbed, fighting in the courts regarding personal judgments against him where juries and judges have found him guilty of fraud and sexual assault. The Cases Against Trump: A Guide – The Atlantic. Trump’s campaign of retribution against his perceived political enemies has resulted in dismissals of cases against James Comey and Letitia James. Trump’s Retribution Push Has Expanded Even as It Hits Legal Barriers – The New York Times. A judge quashed subpoenas brought by the Department of Justice against Minnesota officials, finding the subpoenas to be an effort to silence dissent of federal policies. Judge Finds Justice Dept. Overreach in Subpoenas to Minnesota Officials – The New York Times.
Trump oversees an administration that violates the oath to protect and defend the basic rights guaranteed by the constitution. Through his appointees, Trump uses law enforcement agencies to deny people of free speech. See Trump’s assault on the First Amendment | International Bar Association. Courts have stepped in where this administration has denied individuals due process. Supreme Court finds Trump violated migrant due process rights with speedy deportations | Courthouse News Service.
The listing of ways in which this Trump-led government undermines the foundations of the country could go on and on. Ultimately, the public policies and personal pursuits of this administration tend to be free of any concern for the people or the country. Political appointees exist to placate the criminal who occupies the White House. As the U.S. counts down to its July 4th celebration, the question is whether the country can survive the onslaught against the Constitution. Will the country recover from the divisiveness the criminal head of government has created, and whether we, the people, believe in the kind of country the founders envisioned and outlined in the Declaration of Independence?
Timothy Trainer • Photo by AnnaGibbs.com
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books
Watch
Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio
July 2026, Ep15 Tim’s Travails: This month we interview Elaine Church who sits on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for the Semester at Sea program
What is the future of wine in the US? Learn all about it from our June 2026 guest: Elyse Kudo, Vice President, Spire Collection by Jackson Family Wines
Read
July 2026, Ep15 Tim’s Travails: This month we interview Elaine Church who sits on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for the Semester at Sea program
July 2026 — This month on IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer’s podcast/video show we meet
Today’s Topic: A Semester at Sea — for grownups
About our guest: A former principal of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PWC), Elaine Church spent her career 27-year working on Tax Quality and Risk Management, as well as tax policy and compliance issues. She educated clients on tax shelter regulations. Previously, she served as a legislative attorney with the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.
Elaine and the elephant
Before retiring, her travel interests merged with her involvement with Semester at Sea. With multiple trips and continued interest in education, Elaine’s involvement with the Semester at Sea program includes service on the Alumni Association Advisory Committee and the Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Tim asks:
- What inspired you to join the Semester at Sea program?
- What did you learn that you didn’t know before you boarded the ship?
- Is this a program that you’d encourage others to join?
Don’t miss it!
Photos of Tim by AnnaGibbs.com
About Tim’s Travails: In this podcast/video sereis, IP attorney and author Tim Trainer introduce us to experts around the country who have insight into the law, international trade, and more, to help us better understand our world in 2025 and beyond.
Tim, himself, fits the bill for he worked for three decades for the US government and private law firms focusing on international trade, and has developed a deep understanding of global economics and politics.
Writing books is his passion. The author of seven books as of 2025, he has penned several non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2020. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff. Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2017, Pendulum Over the Pacific was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains. In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection. In December 2024, he followed it with The China Factor.
Stay tuned for more episodes on InkandescentRadio.com and Inkandescent.tv, and of course, log in regularly for new blog entries and other information on Tim’s website, www.TimothyTrainer.com.
ReadJune 15, 2026 — Peace? Prosperity? Perversion?
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Images Sources (right) The New York Times, (below) BloombergNEF
We awake the morning of June 15, 2026, to news of some kind of deal between the U.S. and Iran to cease military hostilities. Does this mean peace? No one really knows and that includes the Criminal-in-Chief telling us he’s obtained a great agreement that, at the moment, seems to be short on the details (where the devil resides). The only thing that is somewhat certain is that we’ve entered a 60-day talking period. Thus, this isn’t a real peace. This is a temporary halt with the possibility of more military actions against Iran.
Despite the absence of details and the real possibility that we could return to hostilities by Labor Day, or sooner, if the Criminal-in-Chief changes his mind again, the markets in many countries shot upward on the announced development. With the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz about to occur and the flow of oil resuming, optimism of lower oil prices spurred markets with the hope that the global economy would slowly return to the new “normal” and companies will prosper (millions of consumers, well, maybe less so).
The world wants desperately to return to the pre-U.S./Israel-Iran war days. It is a return to a global environment when the U.S.’s Criminal-in-Chief created constant chaos by imposing tariffs, threatening to impose tariffs, threatening trade agreements, threatening to take over Greenland and undermining NATO. Indeed, after 100+ days of war and instability in the Middle East with soaring energy prices and the impact of those increased prices on the world’s economy, the acceptance of the perverse new normal is welcomed and embraced.
Source: Bloomberg article
The embrace of this new normal, perverse as it may be, might be hiding something. Underneath the surface, most of the U.S.’s major global trading partners had already embarked on rethinking their global economic and trade relationships arising from the U.S.’s international trade policy disruptions. What is also clear is that the 100+ days of war and chaos in the Middle East prodded a few governments to rethink energy security strategies.
As we know, under this administration, U.S. government policy decisions at the federal level are made to undercut renewable energy projects. Indeed, the 80-year-old Criminal-in-Chief has directed $700 million to coal-fired power plants.
Trump announces $700M in new support for struggling coal industry – NBC4 Washington. The administration has also rescinded over $2 billion intended to support clean hydrogen projects. Trump’s cuts to billion-dollar hydrogen hubs rattle… | Canary Media. Some of the administration’s efforts to shut down funding for solar and wind energy projects have been reversed by the courts. US judge scraps Trump policy restricting wind, solar tax breaks | Reuters. These actions demonstrate the inability of this administration to evaluate and assess security issues given how critical energy security is to the nation’s overall security—beyond the military.
The irony is that the U.S.’s war of choice against Iran prompted some to look at how our economic adversaries, especially China, are considering actions to improve their energy security and reduce reliance on the Middle East. With China as the U.S.’s greatest economic competitor, it’s worth noting that China may become the country all look to for technology developments in the area of green hydrogen energy (remember, China leads everyone in the area of rare earth minerals processing). According to China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, its objective is “Large scale green hydrogen use for coal substitution and green fuel production”. No, Iran War Won’t Boost Clean Hydrogen – Except in China | BloombergNEF.
The temporary end to hostilities between the U.S. and Iran returns the global economic environment to this perverse new “normal”, but with a twist. The U.S. Government seems blind to addressing energy security except to fund archaic energy sources like coal. Other governments are seeking to support new ways of reaching a higher level of energy security that reduces their dependence on the Middle East and on oil.
Given the attitudes of those in this administration, it is not a question of will we lose the race for energy-related technology and security but a question of how much of an advantage have we already surrendered.
Timothy Trainer • Photo by AnnaGibbs.com
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books
ReadMeet Meilin Moy: An Interview with a character in “The China Connection,” a novel by Timothy Trainer
Interviewer: Ms. Moy, are you comfortable conducting this interview in English?
Ms. Moy: Very comfortable. My English is limited only in the book. The author has given me permission to be fluent in English for this interview.
Interviewer: Knowing that The China Connection will receive an award in MWSA’s 2024 award season, it’s a pleasure to interview a character from an award-winning novel. As a character from the novel, how does it feel?
Ms. Moy: Well, it doesn’t mean much to me because I don’t really exist except on paper or on an ebook screen.
Interviewer: The author must’ve done a good job to receive any award, right?
Ms. Moy shrugging: I think he’s got lots of room for improvement but that’s just my opinion. He could’ve given my more lines, more scenes. You’d have to ask him what he thinks of the result.
Interviewer sensing a distant interviewee: What do you think about how you came across in The China Connection?
Ms. Moy takes a deep breath before responding: I wasn’t impressed by the way I first appeared in the book. I thought he could’ve done better. It worked out well in the end.
Interviewer: But aren’t you happy about having such a vital role in the overall story?
Ms. Moy listening to the question and answering without expression: Did you notice that I didn’t appear in the book until Chapter 4? When I finally appear in Chapter 4, I have no name. I felt like I wasn’t even as much as an afterthought. And look at me! I’m a figureless woman and he, the guy who created me, describes me as looking both boyish and bookish. How am I supposed to feel about that? It isn’t a very complimentary way of introducing me to the readers.
Interviewer taps his fingers on the arm of his chair thinking about his next question. Eventually, you had a key role in the book. Wouldn’t you say that it was equal to being the main character in the book?
Ms. Moy scoffs before answering: You don’t realize how many conversations I had with the author to get him to understand the importance of my role. I give him a little credit for listening to my complaints.
Interviewer, leans forward in his chair: I don’t understand that. Can you provide examples.
Ms. Moy: How many would you like? There was that scene where he finally allowed me to show my martial arts skills. I had the author rewrite that scene several times before I told him he finally got that right.
Pausing, Ms. Moy shakes her head then continues. Then there’s a scene where I was supposed to meet with my father, Roger, and Aaron in the hotel lobby. Well, I decided that the story would be better served if I just took off and didn’t show up. Sure enough, after I forced the author to think about why I didn’t appear at the meeting, he chased me down and got things going again. I got the story back on track.
Interviewer chuckles. How often do you talk to the author?
Ms. Moy: I had to take him aside and talk to him often. Sometimes, he’d be listening to music, and I’d interrupt him or keep him up at night and wouldn’t let him go to sleep until he got my message.
Interviewer: Really? You’re the character, he’s the author. I can’t believe that you can just interrupt him anytime you want. Aren’t you starting to overstate your importance?
Ms. Moy: Oh please. Do you really think we let these writers have that much control over us? Me, Kaili, Roger, and other characters are competing for page space. We’re in his head about something all the time. We make sure he’s hearing voices. He’s like other authors. He gets stuck and needs a shove in the right direction with me or any of the other characters. Once he’s got me going in a particular direction, he can’t slam on the brakes and have me do something inconsistent or too far out of character. I have to keep him on the right path and do right by me. You should interview a couple of the other characters. They’ll confirm what I’m saying.
Interviewer: Uh-huh. Do you have any favorite and least favorite scenes from the novel?
Ms. Moy: Absolutely. Without giving things away, my least favorite is that scene where the balaclava was put over my head. It smelled like it had been in a dirty clothes bin for days or weeks. That was awful and I had to keep it on for several pages. Yuck. My two favorite scenes were at very different points in the story. Like I said, the scene where I had to have the author rewrite the scene where I show off my martial arts skill and then toward the end of the book on that jet foil with Liwei. The jet foil scene would be great for a movie because I’d be able to do what I did over and over in different takes. Unfortunately, in the book it was a one-time shot. I really enjoyed doing what the author had me do in that scene, but I can’t go into it any deeper or I’ll spoil it for those who haven’t read it.
Book 3 coming soon!
Interviewer: Any future appearances in a novel?
Ms. Moy: Rumor has it that I’ll be in the next one.
Interviewer: Is it a reliable rumor?
Ms. Moy smiling: It’s more than a rumor. I’ve spent a lot of time in his head. He assures me that I get my page space.
Interviewer: Thank you and enjoy your future page appearances.
The China Connection published in January 2023 (Bronze Award from the Military Writers Society of America)
The China Factor published December 2024 (Bronze Award from the Military Writers Society of America)
Timothy Trainer • Photo by AnnaGibbs.com
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
Click here to learn about all of Tim’s books.
ReadJune 6, 2026 — Burden Sharing: Not So Much
Check out this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
Waking up on June 6, this page is blank. Memorial Day weekend is still visible in the rearview mirror when people in the United States remembered those who gave all in the defense of the country in all the wars that we have fought since the Civil War.
June 6 is different. It is a day when millions in many countries commemorate the day that thousands of allied troops stormed the beaches in France hoping that this would be the beginning of the end of the global war. Eighty-two years after D-Day, very few actual survivors of that day and that war remain.
In less than a month, the United States will celebrate 250 years since declaring its independence. Undoubtedly, there’ll be a lot of parades, fireworks and other celebrations. The flag will be the predominant symbol. We’ll see it on hats and other apparel, the flag will be fluttering in the breeze, hanging from lamp posts, fitted and displayed on front porches and in every other way imaginable. It’s the symbol of freedom.
Yet, interestingly, over the decades, the percentage of the U.S. population willing to bear the burden of serving in uniform to protect what millions profess to be our valued freedoms and rights has fallen.
As I write this on June 6, World War II likely marked the high point of service. With over 16 million serving in uniform, this represented 12 percent of the U.S. population.
Twelve percent of the U.S. population served in World War II. – History Facts. During the Vietnam War, despite its unpopularity, conscription (draft) resulted in roughly five percent of Americans serving in uniform. Statistics – Vietnam Veteran Project. Another source indicates that at the peak of the Vietnam War in 1968 about two percent of the U.S. population served on active duty. Which States Carry the Greatest Military Burden? | Security.org.
After the attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001, and despite the surge in military enlistments for the war on terror, today’s uniformed service members make up less than one (1) percent of the population. Which States Carry the Greatest Military Burden? | Security.org.
Like a sporting event, the sidelines are packed with flag-waving fans. I wouldn’t doubt that some shout in unison USA! USA! when they watch a clip of a US launched missile destroying a target. They’ll feel pride hearing news announcing that our troops have destroyed an enemy asset.
What 99% won’t see is the physical and mental price paid by those who are on the playing field wearing the uniform and doing the dangerous and life-threatening deeds.
Given all the solicitations to provide funding to help those who have served and suffered, do our commemorations of D-Day, Memorial Day and our celebrations on July 4 prod us to insist on better health care for those who do serve? Why are so many of the programs now in place to help veterans initiated by individuals and private or charitable organizations?
If we continue to have a system that places the burden of national defense on less than one percent of the population on active duty, it seems the rest of us should bear the burden of insisting that they are cared for through government programs that provide the physical and mental support necessary after they’ve served and sacrificed.
Any administration that wants over a trillion dollars for more weapons systems for wars of choice should be required to ensure that there are tens of billions made available for future care of those being placed in harm’s way.
Timothy Trainer • Photo by AnnaGibbs.com
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.
