Tuesday Stuff

This tells us that no guns will be let in at the upcoming NRA ammo-sexual convention (yes, I know it’s a Secret Service thing, but I still think it’s hilarious)…

Guns are banned during Mike Pence's speech at the NRA. Do these guys not see the irony??? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/wEgldvBz3J

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 30, 2018

…and from the ridiculous to the even more ridiculous, I give you this, where the Repug leader of voter disenfranchisement (word?), none other than Kris “Contempt of Court” Kobach, believes that he has the right to impart a civics lesson to students protesting our insane gun policy…



…and I know I didn’t have anything to say about the terror attack in Toronto, so I think I should do so now - definitely not intentional on my part and sympathies to the victims of course (And the “incel” movement? Another brand of murdering cowards)…



…and kudos to Bernie Sanders for making us keep our eye on the proverbial ball about the link between tax cuts and decreased funding for public education, among other economic casualties in the name of coddling the “one percent”…

We have a crisis of public education funding in this country. Twenty-nine states gave less money to schools in 2015 than they did before the recession. That is outrageous. @IPS_DC pic.twitter.com/mj43e1lQbA

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 27, 2018

...and Dubya's “Mission Accomplished” speech was 15 years ago today; what follows is a prior commentary on this from Keith Olbermann...



…and speaking of milestones, we recently observed the 50th anniversary of the debut of the Broadway musical “Hair.” (I once saw a great Showtime doc on The Cowsills – God, what a star-crossed bunch they were; another band of talented kids who, as far as I’m concerned, had a father who let celebrity go to his head).

Monday Stuff

(Russert had his issues, but there were plenty of times, like this one, where he was "on the beam" too.)

I guess, given all the kerfuffle at the “nerd prom” on Saturday, I’m almost obligated to comment on it somehow, so here’s a NowThis video on comedienne Michelle Wolf…

'You helped create this monster, and now you're profiting off of him.' — Michelle Wolf *grilled* the media at The White House Correspondents' Dinner pic.twitter.com/W1r1jeuNeD

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 29, 2018

…as well as Farron Cousins of Ring of Fire (more here, here, here, here, and here – basically, I’ve spent so much time and wasted so many calories – and probably killed a few brain cells – documenting wingnut outrage that I honestly can’t believe that there are some who claim to be on our side who keep falling for this con over and over...and how predictable is this anyway? And I thought this was noteworthy also.)…



(Oh, and as long as I’m on the subject, here’s a “hot take” I’m sure nobody cares about, but I’ll lay it on you anyway. I don’t know what the hell Joy Reid said in prior blog posts, and I don’t care...well, I care very little in the context of the good work Reid has done. The only slight qualm I have with her is that, when in doubt, she and her network tend to marginalize people like Cenk and TYT, Sam Seder, and Kyle Kulinski under the guise of allegedly being a progressive. However, she has to make a living at The Comcast Network, and I know that’s just the price of doing business, sadly. In her favor, she’s fought the good fight plenty of times, and if anybody out there has forgotten that, then they’re stupid. Besides, I GUARANTEE you that, if you’re enough of a masochist to go back through almost 8,000 posts at this site and about 936 at the Wordpress site, you WILL find something objectionable that I’m not proud of, and I’m sorry about that. When you put your opinion out there for better or worse, that’s the price you have to pay sometimes, and I wish Reid’s detractors would keep that in mind.)

…and speaking of Cenk and TYT, he talks with progressive Andrew Sneathern, running in VA’s 5th congressional district which includes Charlottesville – yeah, I think electing a progressive for that district is a great way to extend a middle digit on high to all of the tiki-torch-bearing neo-nazis and other crazies who protested last August…



…and if this isn’t a warning to Dems, I don’t know what is; try coming up with concrete policy proposals, please (and John Jackson is totally wrong, but this gives you an idea of what we’re up against…of course, if our utterly useless corporate media were doing their jobs instead of looking for the fainting couch in response to a woman comedian at that stupid dinner, then voters might know that, but we also can’t use that as an excuse)…

EXCLUSIVE: Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Democrats are losing ground with millennials https://t.co/gxITTfDF3i pic.twitter.com/t2dJiy2EYN

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 30, 2018

…and this CBC report tells us about the so-called “migrant caravan” on its way to this country (which of course will be met with the predictable outrage from the Gropenfuhrer and his pals, including the subject of this post)…



…and happy 85th birthday to the one and only Willie Nelson.

Friday Stuff

I didn’t think it was possible for Mr.-Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv to sink any lower than he already has, but somehow he managed to do it in getting rid of the Jesuit chaplain of the U.S. House (more here and here…and any word from this guy about it, by the way?)…



…and it looks like our Tiny-Handed, Treasonous Orange Dictator went on Fix and Fiends and made an ass out of himself yet again recently, as Michael Brooks of The Majority Report tells us (more here)…



…and The Guardian provides a primer on the 25th Amendment – I think we’re definitely “in the zone” for that, but it will never happen with anyone from the “party of Lincoln” currently taking up space in our nation’s capital; the grift is apparently still good business, good of the country be damned of course…



…and GREAT work by Arizona teachers here…

Arizona teachers formed a 15-mile long line on day 1 of the walkout pic.twitter.com/vHFe2uya7W

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 26, 2018

…and this video is at least a week old, but I think it’s instructive in pointing out how Arizona and other states have ended up in such dire fiscal circumstances, to the point where teachers have to take matters into their own hands (titled “When Tax Cuts Failed,” discussing Sam Brownback and Kansas – to me, that begs a question: when have tax cuts actually ever succeeded, in helping anyone but the ultra-rich I mean? And yeah yeah, I know some businesses made upgrades, but the whole damn scheme was still a flop - a related story is here)…



…and nice work by Dem U.S. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand, proposing post office banking for all, as John and Cenk of TYT tell us…



…and given the events of yet another bonkers week, Seth Meyers tries to sum up Generalissimo Trump’s thoroughly incoherent foreign policy (yeah, good luck with that)…



…and I know I’m overdue for some good new music, and I hope this will suffice from someone who I guess is a “gray beard” by now – still has his chops of course.

Thursday Stuff (updates)

Oh, and yeah, we know about the Gropenfuhrer’s recent antics while Emmanuel Macron visits our country, but the French president also gave a speech that I think we should all pay attention to – oh, for us to be governed by responsible adults again one day…



…and it looks like Generalissimo Trump’s mouthpiece is going to take the fifth in the civil lawsuit from Stormy Daniels (yeah, karma sure is a bitch, isn’t it, Number 45? And by the way, I recently noticed a YUUUGE billboard on 95 here near So. Philly advertising Daniels coming to Club Risqué…way too damn funny)……



…and I personally think legalizing pot isn’t a panacea, but if 64 percent of this country approves, then maybe that’s the direction we should go (DEFINITELY in favor of decriminalizing, though I want to emphasize that I have NO COMMON GROUND WHATSOEVER with these Fix Noise idiots…and it’s really telling how much the utter chauvinism of that network comes through even when they accidentally make some common sense - NSFW)…



…and o-ho the Wells Fargo wagon is a-comin’ down the street – to rip us off once again!...

The Trump tax cuts are rewarding Wells Fargo—the bank that defrauded millions of customers last year—with $3.7 billion. How does that make sense? pic.twitter.com/quWkIAUCsv

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 26, 2018

…and Farron Cousins tells us here that Lex Luthor Scott is being sued by kids in FLA over climate change – nice work…



…and happy 80th birthday to guitar legend Duane Eddy.



Update 1: The verdict is in.



You know, in the back of my mind, I thought he might actually beat the rap, but I believe justice needed to be served, and this it seems was the only way to do that (and as a Temple grad, I’m definitely not going to dance all over anyone’s misfortune here).

He’ll die in prison. And he knows it. And he’ll have a lot of time to think about Andrea Constand. And only he and God know if he preyed upon other women and did similar things, but if he did, he’ll have time to think about that too.

And of course, the Greek chorus of frauds and fools has to be represented by someone (here – and I don’t mean Markos or Mueller).

Update 2: I would be remiss if I didn't include this.

'It is not just a victory for the 62 of us publicly known Cosby survivors...It is also a victory for womanhood, and it is a victory for all sexual assault survivors, female and male.' — Lili Bernard after Cosby was found guilty pic.twitter.com/mMqOxnn7dQ

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 26, 2018

Update 3 4/27/18: Um, I think you're in a hole - you might want to stop digging.

Wednesday Stuff

Trevor Noah tells us about Number 45’s potential “bromance” with French President Emmanuel Macron; yes, we can focus on the “dandruff” thing and all of its absurdity, but trying to save the Iran nuke deal is a deadly serious endeavor, and one which, had we an executive branch that was actually sane and rational, we wouldn’t need to engage in of course…



...and Farron Cousins tells us about the doctor of the Gropenfuhrer accused of drinking on the job and over-medicating patients (nice – what else can we expect from an acolyte of Generalissimo Trump? And I thought this was the appropriate "take")...



…and who could actually STILL be supporting our current occupant of An Oval Office at this point (something to keep in mind considering this and this)? Well, probably too many elderly conservative life forms such as the character depicted in this video from 4/25/10…yeah, you guessed it – time for the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (and before he became part of the “Fix The Debt” scam, former Philly mayor and PA guv Ed Rendell was on the proverbial beam here)…



…and Kyle tells us about actress Natalie Portman declining to accept an award for recent events in Israel – good job by Kyle to remind everyone of Netanyahu’s conduct in 2014 which, as far as I’m concerned, constitutes war crimes (more BDS info is here) – NSFW of course…



…and speaking of strong women, I know I’m a little behind the curve on the video about this brave little girl standing up to bullying, but I couldn’t forget to include it (and kudos to the New York Yankees who replied in support, as well as actor Hugh Jackman)…

Bullying victim Cassidy Slater is getting some support from the NY Yankees ❤️ pic.twitter.com/p7OVHleUlP

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 21, 2018

...and I was tempted to put up that great song by The Grateful Dead as a bit of a reply, but I did that earlier, so I'm opting for this instead, which I also think is highly appropriate.

Tuesday Stuff

Gosh, it looks like Sarah Huckabilly Sanders is getting the vapors over the U.S. Senate Dems and their opposition to Mike Pompeo, who, as it turns out, was confirmed as Secretary of State to replace Rex Tillerson anyway (Farron Cousins provides what I would call the needed context)…



…and Pompeo was confirmed in no small part because of Rand (Fake Ophthalmologist and allegedly “principled glibertarian”) Paul, caving YET AGAIN here as noted by Rachel Maddow, with all of the requisite and thoroughly appropriate snark (at the end of the day, Paul is just another Repug)…



…and in case anyone out there thought that other Repugs weren’t going to try and imitate the Gropenfuhrer when running for office, you can think again…



…and The Blues Brothers first appeared on Saturday Night Live 40 years ago last April 22nd; I know this is from the movie, but this is a better quality video than anything I could get from the TV show.

Monday Stuff

Rachel Maddow tells us about the precedent for the Dems suing over the Russia entanglements with the regime of Generalissimo Trump; namely, that this was also done for Watergate and that was originally laughed off back then also (and I thought the bit about the presiding judge at the end was particularly interesting)...



…and it looks like voters in TN are finally waking up to the fact that they got utterly played by the Gropenfuhrer and his pals… c’est dommage, wingnuts!



…and Chris Hayes speaks with climate reporter Jacob Soboroff about the precarious state of the ice shelf in Greenland, something to remember considering that this clown was confirmed to head NASA (more here)…



…also, Kyle K. tells us that 78 U.S. House Dems voted to allow financial deregulation, seeing as how it worked so beautifully before when our economy crashed; one of them is Beto O’Rourke running against Ted Cruz in Texas – sheesh (NSFW)…



…and if you want to seize political power by legitimate means and you don’t have all the money in the world, you have to organize better than anyone else, which, to me, is one of the messages of this video…

90% of elected officials in the U.S. are white. This new PAC is devoted to changing that and building Black political power. pic.twitter.com/Wd2chLZrFC

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 18, 2018

…and congrats to Wills and Kate across the pond for their latest arrival, on St. George’s Day no less – this song came to mind just about immediately.

Friday Stuff

I thought this was a helpful video for students who are contemplating walking out of class today to protest the epidemic of gun violence in this country (more here)…

Planning to walk out of class today? Here's what students need to know about their rights pic.twitter.com/1UcgpWR77W

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 20, 2018

…and it’s taken me a few days to get around to this great video from The Guardian about the fight to keep energy interests from fouling the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil in which we grow our crops (I thought the Paul Douglas stuff was particularly noteworthy - I also agree with Dr. Charlotte Keys who believes climate change is caused by sin and greed…uh, yep...and I probably don’t have much common intellectual ground with Debbie Dooley, but she’s spot-on when it comes to the environment)…



…and in keeping with the environment, I think this is the most damning list of allegations I’ve seen yet against Scott Pruitt; as far as I’m concerned, he shouldn’t just be fired – he should be incarcerated also…

Scott Pruitt is hurting the environment and living in luxury on taxpayer dime — it’s time for him to go pic.twitter.com/HBhExJsy5x

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 19, 2018

…and Farron Cousins tells us that the Repug party is going broke during this election cycle, and they're blaming the Gropenfuhrer – heh (I’d love to think this will be the case in the fall, but I’m sure the typical flood of dark money will arise at the last minute, sadly – very happy to be wrong on that)…



…and timed for 4/20 day, Dem U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is trying to make pot legal on the federal level (I think Cenk in particular is being a little cynical here, though it's hard for me to argue with him I’ll admit – hopefully the Dems will stick with this because it’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s politically popular)…



…and again, given the date, I could opt for a pretty easy musical choice here, but instead I’m going to pass and note that today is the 70th birthday of keyboardist Craig Frost of Grand Funk Railroad – here is a selection for the occasion.

Thursday Stuff

Farron Cousins of Ring of Fire tells us that Michael Cohen, mouthpiece/fixer for Generalissimo Trump, might just flip on his boss, and there is some speculation out there that Cohen may have been wearing a wire, as it were, for Special Counsel Robert Mueller (oh, but HILLZ EMAILS!!! BENGHAZI!!!!)…



…and yeah, this is low-hanging fruit to be sure, you might say, but when it comes to Sean Inanity, I’d say this is at least part of the payback he deserves, courtesy of Sam Bee (NSFW)…



…and Chris Hayes tells us about the West Virginia Senate race and the Repugs running in their primary – one is a convicted criminal (Don Blankenship) and the other is a typical Trumpster who wants to “blow up Washington” (some idiot named Patrick Morrisey…yeah, time for more eliminationist rhetoric when all else fails, which it usually does with these life forms)…



…and I know I already posted on the Philadelphia Starbucks story, but I thought this was a good segment by Trevor Noah (liked the comedy bit at the end – an update is here; kudos to the retail chain for trying to do the right thing)…



…and the last time I saw Dem U.S. House Rep Sean Maloney of NY, he was going up against Mrs. Mitch McConnell (Puffy Chao just LOVES to be called that!), but this time, he’s going up against someone authoring a bill to make it harder for the poors to get food stamps...

‘The silence answers my question.’ — Rep. Maloney grilled his Republican colleagues for putting new restrictions on food aid for the poor pic.twitter.com/gzFvkT8p2U

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 19, 2018

…and I know I pushed the envelope, you might say, in my musical selection last night, but I think I’ll return to something a little more true to form here.

Wednesday Stuff

Rachel Maddow speaks with WaPo reporter Carol Leonnig about Generalissimo Trump’s decision to roll back the Russia sanctions – as I’ve said before, if it walks like a duckski, talks like a duckski and quacks like a duckski…



…and once again, when you’re trying to get to the no-BS heart of a story, then forget our corporate media, because you need a comedian (re, Trevor Noah and a $250 mil “message” to Syria)…



…and Kyle K. tells us about a lawmaker who cited a satirical site when criticizing pot – I think this has happened at least one other time recently, inadvertently citing a satirical site I mean (NSFW)…



…and I think that’s actually a pretty good segue into the latest chapter of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 4/17/08, in which America’s Finest News Source tells us the importance of bullshit in our elections (NSFW yet again – I’ll chastise myself later)…



…and God bless the brave people of Puerto Rico – if I were them, I’d say the hell with the United States and accept an offer from any other country willing to help; of all of the atrocities of the Gropenfuhrer’s ruinous reign, it’s not hard to lose sight of this, but we never should, to our shame – hey, you 62 million idiots and “Bernie or Bust” fools directly responsible for the rule of our Treasonous, Tiny Handed Orange Dictator, how does it feel to know that you’re largely responsible for this?...

BREAKING: All of Puerto Rico is currently without power pic.twitter.com/ZOF6xzaZG3

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 18, 2018

…and congratulations to rapper Kendrick Lamar for this; yeah, I’m trying to break through another musical wall here, you might say – very definitely NSFW also.

Tuesday Stuff

I think Kurt Eichenwald addressed the whole thing with Sean Inanity pretty well here, so I’m not sure what else can be gained by belaboring the obvious…



…and gosh, whaddaya know? PA’s own Charlie Dent is the latest life form to bail the sinking Repug congressional ship, as it were (here) – makes me recall this clip…



…and Sam Seder and co. at TMR give James Comey the treatment he deserves IMHO – I’m not questioning Comey’s integrity as former FBI director, but yeah, like just about everyone else in the Beltway, he’s a political animal to be sure, and if the Gropenfuhrer had given Comey what he wanted, well then, I don’t think we’d be hearing anything at all against Number 45…



…and isn’t it nice of KY governor Matt Bevin to sort-of-well-maybe-not-really apologize for saying that kids were home getting raped because KY teachers were protesting to be paid a livable wage; I honestly can’t imagine the mindset behind people who continually vote for cretins like Bevin who do nothing but try to screw them over every way possible (as noted on YouTube, though, the teachers are striking to make sure their pensions are fully funded by law, not for higher wages, though they probably have a right to strike for that too)...



…and with today’s tax filing deadline in mind, I thought this was a highly timely commentary from John Oliver (Tim Cook is a worthy inheritor of the legacy of Steve Jobs in that Cook is a corporatist weasel also...NSFW)…



…and we didn’t do quite as well as in years past when we filed, but it can always be worse I know.

Monday Stuff

Bill Maher makes a serious point with humor here – yep, I don’t see how you can trust even your local news stations any more to give you anything that approximates “news” for real that impacts what you could call your everyday life…



…and Dem CT U.S. House Rep John Larson is my hero of the day for this (with this in mind – yep, Mr.-Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv will NEVER stop trying to screw us over)…

‘How about we increase the benefits for the people of this country who need it?!’ — Watch Rep. John B. Larson go off on the GOP for calling basic health care an 'entitlement' pic.twitter.com/gFockPqFr6

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 16, 2018

…and I don’t think anyone should read too much into this item from Farron Cousins, but I guess it is interesting; on this issue, though I of course don’t condone the behavior, I’m inclined not to cast that first stone, you might say…



…and yeah, it looks like Larry Kudlow is learning that his boss doesn’t care if his underlings end up looking clueless, as Chris Hayes points out here…



…and given the recent Starbucks episode in Philadelphia, I thought it was appropriate to bring you the following video from Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross (it sounds to me like the manager at the Starbucks had, at best, shaky legal ground to call the police – I’m sure more will be coming out on this...more here and here)…



…oh, and what transpired put me in the mood to hear this song.

Friday Stuff

I know I have to be careful about giving Joe Scar much credit here, commenting on the Repug attacks on Special Counsel Robert Mueller, since, when the Dems eventually regain power, Scarborough will be one of the first to go right back to attacking everything they do, but for now he’s pretty spot-on (I can’t verify the Ted Kennedy “brown shirt” comment about Iraq; not saying Scarborough is wrong, but only saying I can’t verify it)…



…and Rachel Maddow talks about Trump pardoning Scooter Libby – typically stupid on the part of the Gropenfuhrer and thumbing his nose at the rule of law as usual; I have to admit that, to me, Nicolle Wallace was just another Never Trumper and former conservative who I was automatically supposed to feel sorry for, but after watching this, I have to give her props for this segment (similar to how I feel about Scarborough I guess - more on Libby here and here)…



Update 4/14/18: Charlie Pierce ended up having a similar observation as I did about Scarborough, Wallace and that ilk, but as you might expect, he did a much, MUCH better job of writing about it here (h/t Eschaton).

…and this was a good segment by Jimmy Kimmel I thought with his “doorman” (kind of flounders a bit in the middle, though it’s still funny, but the end is worth it - here; I know Cenk is right when he says we pay too much attention to this stuff at times, but I'm sorry - this train wreck of a "presidency" is too hideous to ignore)…



…and Seth Meyers gives us an update on Comey and the “pee tape” along with Lyin’ Paul Ryan bailing again (this stuff comes at us pretty fast and furious and it’s easy to get behind I know - glad to see him drag Sean Inanity again)…



…and with all the Trumpian insanity out there, it’s easy to lose track of stories like this, though we shouldn’t – Our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed Orange Delusional Lying Maniac of a preznit wants a judge confirmed who apparently hasn’t made up her mind on Brown v. Board of Education (just say “oops” and get out, Wendy Vitter)…



…and I usually take note of Friday the 13th in my musical selections, and I was tempted to do that again today, but I decided to say the hell with it this time and include this instead, which absolutely blew me away.

Thursday Stuff

Rachel Maddow talks with NBC national security and military reporter Courtney Kube about the Gropenfuhrer maybe lobbing missiles into Syria – yep, typical Repug distraction (and I think this is noteworthy)…



…and I think it’s kind of amusing to hear Michael Brooks of The Majority Report actually going to the trouble of criticizing Sean Inanity over the optics of his lunacy – I guess you can call this my attempt to make up a bit for ignoring all the Hannity/Kimmel stuff, as noted here (NSFW)…



…and I actually think this matters a bit (gives you an insight into what an utterly soulless monster Number 45 truly is), as one of our felines rubs my leg in an effort to feed his food bowl :-)…

Trump is the first president in 130 years to not have a pet pic.twitter.com/z6YRwK9tCk

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 12, 2018

…and here’s kind of a dreamy new tune for a sunny April day.

Wednesday Stuff

Well, well, it looks like none other than Mr.-Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv is the latest Repug to bail the sinking congressional ship (here and here); this makes me recall this recent video by Cenk of TYT on the abominable tax scam perpetrated by Ryan and his pals (I think Cenk takes his commentary a little far, though – he’s got to be kidding if he thinks unions carry anywhere near the weight of rich Repug constituencies)……

…and here is another example of “do as I say, not as I do” Repug non-governance under the current U.S. House speaker…

Paul Ryan just displayed a jaw-dropping level of hypocrisy pic.twitter.com/rIu4so7gAK

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 8, 2017

..and here is a reminder from John Oliver about Ryan’s supposed inspiration…



…and for someone who has dressed himself up as a person of alleged Christian virtue, I think this moldy oldie is completely appropriate.

Tuesday Stuff

Yeah, this reminds me of the time Obama’s personal lawyer was raided by the FBI, which happened at, ohhh, roughly about Never O’Clock…



…and Farron Cousins lays the blame right at the wretched feet of Sinclair Broadcasting for the existence of the Gropenfuhrer in An Oval Office (the last minute or so might be a bit harsh, but I can’t argue with it either)…



…and I kind of apologize for inflicting that utterly cowardly meat sack Ted Nugent on everybody, but I think he needs to be called in particular for this latest garbage…



…and it sounds like this is the end for Lindsey Buckingham with Fleetwood Mac, which is a shame of course – as I’m sure I’ve said before, I think it says something in particular that they’ll probably need two guitarists to replace him.

Sunday Stuff

I had to drop off the grid a bit over the last few days for unexpected family reasons and I may have to do so again over the coming days – not sure yet…

…anyway, here is our periodic reminder that we need sane, responsible gun laws in this country…

Gun violence now claims nearly 100 lives each day. pic.twitter.com/xItBSl9DHv

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 3, 2018

…and in a somewhat related story as far as I’m concerned, Mike Papantonio and Farron Cousins of ”Ring of Fire” talk about what I would call racism in reporting…



…and I don’t know what it says about lawmakers in Tennessee who apparently don’t realize that The Onion is a satirical web site – vote them all out so they’ll have plenty of time to read more about it, you might say…

This Republican cited the Onion while debating a bill pic.twitter.com/vs5Jy5YyQO

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 5, 2018

…and Kyle K. tells about another one of those evangelical frauds, Ralph Drollinger, who apparently forgot about the Bible passages saying we should be stewards of the earth (here – NSFW)…



…and as long as we’re talking about science a bit, I thought I should be a little more upbeat here and include this video about Prof. Stephen Hawking’s final gesture on earth (I have no doubt that he’s roaming the cosmos at this moment)…

Stephen Hawking's final gift to humanity was an Easter meal for the homeless pic.twitter.com/57IiY0ugcZ

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 5, 2018

…and I don’t know how many more times RT is going to come to the McCarter Theater in Princeton (his most recent one was his 20th since 1985), but he knocked ‘em dead again last Friday night (with guest Joan Shelley, who was also excellent), with a great set that included this recently-dusted-off number.

Wednesday Stuff

Did you hear the latest? Generalissimo Trump is claiming that he’s more popular than his predecessor based on a garbage Rasmussen poll – too funny (here)…



…and Ali Velshi breaks down the latest Trumpian garbage on DACA here (hey DNC? You want to stop playing patty cake with this cabal of outlaws and crooks and try messaging like this? You know – actually show a freaking spine for once! Try doing something besides putting the bite on me for $$ every other day!)…



…and I have no idea who Jess Phoenix is, but I’d damn well vote for her if I could based on this great ad (NSFW)…

Tired of what's going on in government? Me too.

Let's end the bullshit. It's time to roll up our sleeves & clean up Washington. Send me to Congress.

Donate now: https://t.co/C9HggzVQ9c#nomorebs #Jess2018 #RiseUp pic.twitter.com/943csz9eex

— Jess Phoenix (@jessphoenix2018) March 29, 2018

...and how could I NOT include this tune for today's commemoration?

Tuesday Stuff

Seth Meyers brings us an Easter-related update on the latest nonsense from the ruinous Trumpster regime (I think the look on the face of the Easter Bunny, that of utter shock, is perhaps the most apropos for what our country as a whole feels as these methaphorical train wrecks continue to unfold)…



…and I guess I’m not supposed to consider this “low-hanging fruit,” as it were (related somewhat to the pic), but maybe it is (Francis Faxwell is absolutely right about the double standard of hiding boobs vs. hiding guns)…



…and Chris Hayes tells us the latest on the striking teachers in Oklahoma and Kentucky (good job by Pedro Noguera in particular to link depressed teacher salaries and education budgets to “right to work” states as well as the ruinous austerity measures inflicted by Repug legislatures – this report could have run on for a least a few more minutes IMHO)…



…and yeah, color me NOT shocked to find out that the latest Repug tax scam meant bupkes in terms of actual money kicked towards the Doomsy household among millions of others in this country (I hope Farron Cousins is right about voters paying attention)…



…and it looks like Little Tommy Friedman poked his head out of his hidey hole here to say something else stupid recently; Sam Seder reminds us why Friedman shouldn’t be taken seriously – if anything, Friedman should be treated as a pariah – in this clip from 2014…



...and Marvin Gaye died 34 years ago yesterday (today would have been his 79th birthday).

Monday Stuff

So I want to get this straight – President Fergus Laing kills DACA, started under President Obama of course, then walks away from a deal the Democrats in the Senate stupidly offered him which included his stinking wall (here)…but somehow it’s still the Dems fault that he no longer wants to do something about DACA (more here and here)?

The bottom line is that Generalissimo Trump and congressional Repugs will NEVER agree to DACA funding without making taxpayers pay for his stupid $21 billion “wall” (might not agree to DACA even with wall funding), primarily because DACA came from Obama, and aside from the wall, all they care about is doing everything they can to avoid further legitimizing ANYTHING from Number 44.

I know this is not front-page news, but it still bears repeating – Number 45 is a lying, delusional idiot - makes me recall this Trevor Noah clip…



...and Ana and Mark Thompson of TYT give us the latest on Scott Pruitt (yep, take the "P" out of EPA under this guy - Thompson's "garage" metaphor at about 7:08 is perfectly apt; an update is here)...



...and Chris Hayes tells us about the woman on probation who voted in Texas and didn't know she wasn't supposed to do that and was sent back to prison for 5 more years (here…yep – pretty damn appalling all right; yes, she did wrong as Hayes notes, but how about a little perspective?)...



...and I couldn’t resist bringing this one back (SNL w/ Melissa McCarthy last Easter as you-know-who)...



…and speaking of TV, RIP Steven Bochco; watching “Hill Street Blues” used to be an event – never had a desire to watch another cop show after that one because I don’t know how it possibly could be topped…



…and happy belated 70th birthday to Jimmy Cliff; despite it all, I think there will always be a place for this song.

Happy Easter 2018

A little late I know, but may you all have a happy and blessed Easter. If you don't observe anything, may you have a happy and blessed long weekend.

Friday Stuff

I thought this was some pretty good push-back against that utter wingnut fraud Laura Ingraham, who of course tried to manufacture an issue against Parkland, FL mass shooting survivor David Hogg (and how dare this human stain invoke Holy Week as a supposed justification for her garbage!) - Ana and the TYT panel tells us about it (more here)…



…and the more I learn about the recent shooting of Stephon Clark, the more I’m sickened by it…

‘You’re killing us. It’s genocide.’ — Stephon Clark’s brother and a group of protesters shut down this Sacramento City Council meeting pic.twitter.com/LvF1BBq4rU

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 30, 2018

…and Rachel Maddow talks with Leo Shane of Military Times on VA privatization, which to me poses the potential for yet another cruel scam by this cabal of crooks and lowlifes (yeah, David Shulkin was supposedly fine as VA secretary – but of course, with our Treasonous Tiny-Handed Orange Dictator, ANYTHING is possible)…



…and Sam Seder tells us that September and October “scare the hell out of him” when it comes to that lunatic John Bolton trying something ridiculous at the behest of the Gropenfuhrer, like starting a war God forbid – that’s usually when they launch damn TV shows, which this administration of crazies thinks all of this is anyway…



…well, I’m going to try and lighten the mood a bit with this one, with Bill Maher basically just telling studio executives to throw a bone, as it were, to conservatives when it comes to TV and movies (though they tried that once, and I don’t think it was too successful – and in a related story, am I actually supposed to give a crap about Roseann Barr?)…



…and tomorrow marks what would have been the 110th birthday of legendary jazz vibraphonist Red Norvo (changing things up a bit again I guess).

Thursday Stuff

I thought David Pakman made an interesting connection here between the wingnut justification for the NRA accepting donations from Russia and their apoplexy when Planned Parenthood accepts funding from outside sources also; typical conservative double standard…



…and Mike Malloy gives us a NSFW analysis on last Saturday’s marches – he puts it in kind of polarizing, racial terms, but I think he’s right, at least about white people losing what they view as their position of privilege – “it’s because of the guns,” indeed…



…and John and Ana tell us about PA’s U.S. House Repug Ryan Costello, who has decided not to run again (more here)…



…and the prior video touches on the ridiculous gerrymandering in our beloved commonwealth – here is more on that (and no, the Dems aren’t innocent either – it’s just that some Dems are amateur crooks and the Repugs are professional ones...great video from the CBC)…



…and yeah, though I admit it’s kind of an interesting argument, I think the claim for religious protection by the so-called “cannabis church” is going to go up in smoke – heh (as Mike Papantonio and Peter Mougey explain)…



…and speaking of religion, even though it isn’t Sunday, that doesn’t mean we still can’t go to church as far as I’m concerned (particularly since it’s Holy Week, for the faithful).

Wednesday Stuff

RIP Linda Brown of Brown v. Board of Education, remembered by Joe Scar and company (in a way, I wish he and Mike Barnicle wouldn’t profane Brown’s memory by mentioning our current sorry political state, but on the other hand, I know they’re absolutely right – more here)…



...and Rachel Maddow tells us about the latest nonsense from Generalissimo Trump and his minions, and that is to play games with the 2020 census, despite the outcry from every official of either party who has had anything whatsoever to do with the census previously; Maddow speaks with former Obama Admin official Vanita Gupta (more here)…



…and of all of the unbelievable non-Trump stories out there, I have to admit that this has to be near the top of the list; kind of puts this in context as far as I’m concerned…

This Alabama sheriff bought a $750K beach house with money meant to feed people in prison — and he claims it’s legal pic.twitter.com/hwPX2OjQ0f

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 28, 2018

…and I’m sure that, as screwed-up U.S. states are concerned, Hosni Mubarak Walker would inflict the same thing on Wisconsin if he could; typical Repug – when you’re losing the game, pull every dirty trick you can to try and change the rules…



Update: Karoli at C&L is all over this here.

…and maybe this will go down as nothing more than grandstanding by former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, though I still think he needs to be commended for doing good (more here - hard to overstate how wrong-headed the Heller ruling by The Supremes really was)…



…and legendary bluesman W.C. Handy passed away 60 years ago today; here is a great cover of perhaps Handy’s most famous tune.

Tuesday Stuff

Yeah, I think these are pretty damn decisive numbers in favor of common sense gun laws, as Kyle K. tells us, and from Fix News no less (NSFW)…



…and I think it’s a pretty logical progression for the “ammo-sexuals” to look to a porn channel for their videos, as long as they’re apparently having trouble with YouTube – heh…

Gun videos are moving to Pornhub after being banned from YouTube pic.twitter.com/crWwgryaow

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 26, 2018

…and Cenk reminds us of what “Zig Zag Zell” Miller once said about President Obama, given Miller’s recent passing – yeah, Gorilla Glue is pretty mainstream stuff, but really, is Cenk so wrong to point out the problem with Miller’s insinuation here? Pretty sad that stuff like this (as well as his utterly despicable conduct towards John Kerry in 2004) is what Miller will be remembered for...



…and it’s also not that much of a stretch given that Bushco’s former defense secretary once compared Number 44 to a trained ape here on 3/25/14, and at the time, I put up K.O.’s first “Special Comment” as a response (yep, it’s time once more for This Day in Doomsy History, more or less)…



…and 23 U.S. House Repugs aren’t seeking re-election, as Farron Cousins reminds us (no doubt seeing the electoral handwriting on the wall, though we all still need to go out and make that happen)…



...and happy belated 70th birthday to Richard Tandy of ELO.

Monday Stuff

Sir Paul and Mrs. McCartney had the right idea, as noted here.

...and Joy Reid tells us about the March for our Lives on Saturday, with a GREAT ad from vets against AR-15 assault weapons; Joy Reid also speak with Dem U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar…



…and here is a NowThis report on the marches (a report on the Philly march is here; a report on the Doylestown march is here)…

Over 800,000 came out for #MarchForOurLives in DC, with hundreds of thousands more rallying throughout the nation pic.twitter.com/YXsZyGOeFd

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 24, 2018

…oh, and by the way, NRA, gun owners marched also, contrary to your propaganda…

Don't let the NRA fool you: Many proud gun owners believe in gun reform — and they attended the #MarchForOurLives to let the nation know why pic.twitter.com/hjBRUleYMZ

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 25, 2018

...and I'm not familiar with the singer Andrea Day, but I thought she spoke very eloquently here...

Singer Andra Day explains why she used her music to support student activists at #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/9ezo2tABXb

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 25, 2018

...and here is a report from iTV...



...and I thought this was an appropriate song for the occasion.