Friday Stuff

(Posting might get a little flaky in the coming days...we'll see.)

Once more, I think Chris Hayes is spot-on to warn us that those who are responsible for the treasonous 1/6 insurrectionists will try again, with Hayes reminding us in a manner somewhat like Kevin McCarthy (the actor) in the original version of “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers”...



...and with the prior clip in mind, Farron Cousins points out that some Repugs & their sympathizers are trying to make 1/6 an “inside job”...as ridiculous as it is to see what their latest lies are on this, they’ll just keep repeating this nonsense until it becomes the dreaded “CW” on the part of waaaayyyy too many people...



...and I thought this was a particularly good take from Beau of the Fifth Column about what that callow Repug U.S. House a-hole Madison Cawthorn said about those responsible for the treason on 1/6, pretty much comparing them to the VC (here)...



...and Ana and Cenk report on the ongoing misery in Texas over their broken-down power grid, dealing with freezing cold in the winter and now boiling heat in the summer (and paying attention to trans athletes instead – duuuuuhhh!!!)...and by the way, I know there’s a lot of stuff going on with that execrable slug Jimmy Dore and Ana/TYT, and I really don’t have time to say much about it except to point out that Dore may be the lowest of white trash, and if somehow he gets slapped down in a court of law, all the better...



...and speaking of human garbage, The Swanson TV Dinner Heir recently allowed Charles Murray to opine on his racist theories, all with that dopey fake-concern expression on Carlson’s face...and on the eve of Juneteenth no less (John and Viviana Vigil tell us more)...



...and on the topic of vulture predatory capitalism, this video from More Perfect Union tells us about Elon Musk firing Tesla employee Richard Ortiz for trying to organize a union at the CA plant; stuff like this is why I didn’t give a damn about Musk hosting SNL – tired of our media trying to mythologize these rapacious thieves (more here)...



...and Caroline Johnson of Rebel HQ tells us about the disgusting life form in Decatur, GA who allegedly killed a worker at the Big Bear market (more here)...the worker told the person to mask up, then the person left, came back, and allegedly killed the worker...the video also mentions the increased number of incidents of bad behavior over masks on airplanes...U-S-A! U-S-A!...



...and I need a selection to mellow out a bit - this should do it; hope it works for you too.

Wednesday Stuff

Joy Reid speaks with Dem U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse about trying to combat the billionaires trying to pretty much destroy the planet as well as ruining our lives every way possible (not just Charles Koch, though I’m quite sure he’s the worst)...



...and one of the ways has to do with the loss of economic opportunity through mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the wake of COVID-related job losses...



...and Cenk and Ana tell us another way our corporate overlords are trying to shorten all of our life spans, namely through domination of red states, run by completely bought-and-paid-for politicians (once more, love and kisses to the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR for this) prematurely cutting off unemployment insurance, starting with Alaska, Iowa, Missouri and Mississippi (likely to impact 3 million Americans...and 7.9 million fewer jobs after COVID, huh? Figures...and I wish I could disagree with that line about the only thing Biden may accomplish will be the rescue plan, but the way thing are looking...)...



...and this Now This clip tells us about Dem vet Lucas Kunce running against Mark “Mansion Man” McCloskey for the U.S. Senate from Missouri (more here)...



...and Mehdi Hasan reminds us that we’re not done yet with COVID and/or its variants, with Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Nahid Bhadelia (discussing the Delta Variant – 28% COVID vaccination rate in Mississippi...dear God)...



...and I started this by noting predatory gazillionaire Charles Koch and the influence of his brethren, and I would include Mark Zuckerberg in that group – kudos to Roger Waters for this (I know the issue has to do with “Another Brick In The Wall,” but when I think of “one percenters” like Zuck, this tune definitely comes to mind).

Tuesday Stuff

I would agree that the issue with U.S. Senate “Democrat” Joe Manchin is rooted in race and raw numbers, as Don Winslow points out in another well-done video...



...and John and Ana tell us about cops in Baton Rouge, LA who petitioned to have an associate professor named Thomas Frampton jailed for sharing bodycam footage (which was already public) of police strip searching a minor to the point where his genitals were exposed...yeah, watch us lecture other countries about bad behavior while we pull this garbage (more here)...



...and Chris Hayes makes a pretty good case here when it comes to holding those responsible for corruption and insurrection to account (featuring this story)...I have a feeling in the back of my mind that that won’t happen and we’ll continue down this perilous slide to fascism for real, but believe me when I tell you that I want to be wrong on that...



...and speaking of holding powerful people to account, last Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the New York Times publishing The Pentagon Papers (and FWIW, Neil Sheehan passed last January...may need to crank the volume a bit)...



...and Rick Strom of TYT Sports reminds us of ongoing political BS in “the land of the yellow rose”...



...and it looks like another sunny day in the venue of Le Manse Doomsy, so how's about a nice, upbeat seasonal tune?

Monday Stuff

Chris Hayes speaks with Dem U.S. House Rep Eric Swalwell about alleged spying that took place from the DOJ of Former Generalissimo Trump on Swalwell and Adam Schiff (with that ridiculous comment from here about “classified leaks” from Repug U.S. Sen Charles Grasshole – yeah, just go visit the Windsor Heights Dairy Queen again, why dontcha)...



...and Farron Cousins tells us that almost-completely-useless Dem U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin took some of that sweet dark $$ before he said he’d oppose the “For The People” Act (I’m sure the COC considers that to be some nice ROI, earning the WVA senator an FU)...



...and David Doel tells us about Democratic defections on the watered-down Biden infrastructure bill...God, I’ve seen this goddamn movie so many freaking times! The Repugs are like Lucy holding the proverbial football, a Dem president goes to kick it a la Charlie Brown, and then it gets yanked...



...and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about Dem PA State Rep Brian Sims getting his mic cut for bringing a “truth bomb” to the PA “lege”...name for me one thing Sims said that was factually incorrect...



...and RIP acclaimed character actor Ned Beatty, here portraying executive Arthur Jensen from the film “Network,” a flick with enough smarts for about five other movies also...



...and I offer this tune for the holiday, which will always be important for me personally (not much else to say about that).

Friday Stuff

I know some of this stuff gets more than a little repetitive at times, but I think it needs to be pointed out again and again; Thom Hartmann wonder If The Greedy Rich Will Ever Pay Their Fair Share (when it comes to taxes in particular...another important history lesson having to do with The Sainted Ronnie R)...



...and speaking of money matters, Ana of TYT tells us about the Senate blocking the Paycheck Fairness Act (and apparently Kirsten Gillibrand was a no-show – what’s that Dem Senate majority for again? And try not to gag while listening to Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao – typical lies once more...the U.S. Senate remains an utterly broken institution, Part The Infinity as Charlie Pierce might say)...



...and Emma V. tells us the latest concerning Dem U.S. House Rep Ilhan Omar, who once more spoke the truth but because she’s a brown Muslim woman the usual cretins started caterwauling in response...truly pitiable to share the same political allegiance with Nancy Pelosi and Debbie Wasserman Schultz who do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to defend a member of their caucus, and actually pile on in response (more of what Omar was talking about can be read about from here)...



...and this Now This clip tells us that the SCOTUS ruled this week that some TPS holders (stands for Temporary Protected Status) can’t apply for a green card; I need to learn more about this and it’s a little disturbing that the vote was unanimous – I believe it’s because they thought there should be a legislative remedy instead, but it’s still a depressing development (I think the phrase, “The bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate” should be etched in granite and put in front of the entrance to that chamber, once again, so lawmakers have to face their failure on this bill and so many others every damn day)...



...and speaking of people who are really up against it, you might say, David Doel tells us that the “poor people’s march” with the Rev. William Barber is coming to West Virginia to pay a call on Dem U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (kudos to them...mildly NSFW/H)...



Update: And apparently, the act of "Curtsy Kyrsten" is wearing thin in AZ too (here).

...and as a bit of comic relief, Kyle K. tells us that that big-headed white fool Matt Gaetz can’t even get hired by Newsmax and OANN... I wish I could disagree with Kyle's “there are no real rules” comment, but I can’t...very NSFW/H...



...and there’s no commentary to this Rebel HQ clip...just a lot of really STOO-PID life forms in this country who allegedly are human beings deciding to burn masks all over the place – so many reactions to this idiocy, such as wondering how much these masks would actually help people in the third world who need anything they can get in the way of PPE to try and prevent COVID transmission, to say nothing of vaccines...also, I know it’s WAAAY too much to expect these numbskulls to think logically and in any kind of a constructive manner, but those masks would also help in THIS COUNTRY if we have another COVID variant wave now or later this year...and yeah, that could affect “Senator Aqua Buddha” too – it would almost serve him right if it did...



Update 6/12/21: Uh, yep.

...and I hope you’re in the mood for some totally dumb musical summer escapism (I definitely am), because here it comes.

Thursday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about “Goober” Gohmert trying to get the earth to stop revolving around the sun, or something, when it comes to the issue of global climate (hard to get my head around the stoo-pid with this guy, as usual - mildly NSFW/H)...



...and Farron Cousins tells us that Repug U.S. House Rep Mo Brooks was finally served in a lawsuit by Dem Rep Eric Swalwell over the 1/6 insurrection (womp womp)...



...and this is an important question posed by The Lincoln Project (featuring that traitor Michael Flynn), but we should keep fighting and assume the answer is No (and yeah, I realize that they’re trying to get people to sign up, and I’m personally not encouraging you to give them your $$$, but that’s up to you if you do so)...



...and John and Jayar present Art Laffer (he of the “Laffer Curve” fantasy) “kicking the poors” again on Fix Noise (and yeah, Simone Biles is definitely an amazing athlete – good for her for whatever she gets)...



...and I know the first clip featured a ridiculous take on the climate crisis from The Stupidest Man In The Universe (though I'll admit that Tommy Tuberville is giving Gohmert a run for his money), but this is actually a good story in a similar vein; Rachel Maddow speaks with climate activist Bill McKibben on the death of the Keystone XL pipeline (or "near death"? And more on "Line 3" is here)...



...and Ray Charles left us 17 years ago today.

Wednesday Stuff

This CNN clip tells us about CA federal judge Roger Benitez, who overturned that state’s assault weapons ban, equating an AR-15 with a Swiss army knife; yes, I know I’m a little behind on this, but this one is too awful to ignore...and yeah, it’s a real shock that this guy is a gun-humper nominated and confirmed under Dubya, isn’t it (oh, but we like #43 now because he ate Michelle Obama’s jelly beans at John McCain’s funeral, or something – more here and here)...



...and speaking of legal bidness, Rachel Maddow tells us all the ways that Merrick Garland ISN’T cutting it as AG under President Biden...of all the appalling stuff, I think upholding the typical garbage from Bill Barr in the Jean Carroll suit is the worst, but there’s a lot to go around...



Update 6/11/21: OK, so this is progress.

...and as sort of a companion clip to the prior one, Robert Reich reminds us of the GOP’s threat to democracy (25 percent, huh? Actually, it’s always the effing 30 or so percent)...



...and Ana K. of TYT tells us about AOC going after Manchin, with a discussion of Manchin’s garbage alternative of a “voting bill”...and Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is actually right about the SCOTUS gutting the preclearance provision of the VRA, but he subsequently lies and deliberately reaches the wrong conclusion in his remarks after that of course...



...and John and Francesca of TYT tell us that Jeff Bezos wants to go into space, but unfortunately, he also wants to come back...this reminds me of the antics of that guy Steve Fossett who just wanted to attract attention with his aviation exploits until he died while in a light aircraft...and no, I definitely don’t wish that on Bezos...



...and here's a bit of a light, upbeat seasonal selection to hopefully get us over the hump day on our way to the weekend.

Tuesday Stuff

Rachel Maddow tells us that Joe Manchin is the only U.S. Senate Dem opposing the For The People Act – typical...might be time to go pay for billboards in West Virginia listing all of Manchin’s donors since he so obviously is acting against the will of his constituents (failing that, I guess it will be up to The Lincoln Project to run ads attacking Manchin and "Curtsy Kyrsten" since the Dems seem to be so bad when it comes to playing this game...more completely unsurprising information is here)...



...and Mehdi Hasan adds more fuel to the fire on Manchin and Sinema; the lives of these two should be made absolutely miserable by their awful actions...



...and John and Dr. Richey pile it on with AZ’s U.S. Senate mistake...



...and this More Perfect union video features Jason Kander discussing the importance of the For The People Act (and yes, this leads back to Chucky Koch once more)...



...and David Doel tells us about Jamaal Bowman being interviewed by CNN’s Erin Burnett, with Bowman piling on with Manchin once again over the infrastructure bill (sorry all of this stuff is repetitive, but we need to keep beating this drum until we can’t beat it any more – or hopefully won’t have to...mildly NSFW/H)...



...and somehow I missed the 80th birthday of Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones last week; hope it was a good one.

Monday Stuff

This Lincoln Project video tells us about “the real Antifa,” with yesterday’s commemoration of D-Day in mind...



...and as long as we’re mentioning our military, I should point out that Retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter had his mic cut recently when he committed the apparently unpardonable sin at a Memorial Day ceremony of acknowledging freed black slaves honoring deceased soldiers shortly after the end of the Civil War (an update is here)...



...and Farron Cousins tells us that 100 scholars recently warned us that the GQP is actively trying to destroy democracy (and how screwed up is it that just the For The People Act isn’t enough, and that’s assuming even THAT passes, which is doubtful as of now because of two people, including this bought-and-paid-for cretin)...



...and this Don Winslow video tells us about the other one...



...and I would call this a lesson in karma indeed; Ana, Francesca and Dr. Rashad Richey tell us about wingnuts harassing an LGBTQ pride boat, and then the harassers’ boat blows up, and the harassers get rescued by the LGBTQ folks (apropos for Pride Month I would say)...



...and I was looking for a new video that was kind of summery with a bit of a ‘70s feel, and I stumbled across this one (kind of an overload of primary colors, but yeah, I’m good with that).

Saturday Stuff

This Now This clip tells us about Texas state Dems walking out of the “lege” to protest that garbage anti-voting bill by Republicans, with commentary by Beto O’Rourke...but as O’Rourke says, as great as that was, it doesn’t mean anything if the Senate Dems don’t manage to get the For The People Act passed...



...and speaking of stupid voting tricks, Rachel Maddow speaks with PA AG Josh Shapiro about the three wingnut lawmakers from our beloved commonwealth who went to AZ to meet with the “Cyber Ninjas” nut jobs over the Arizona “fraudit” (don’t know why this video was edited in such a way as to not mention the three, which Maddow pointed out – more is here)...



...and all of this garbage is in the service of Our Former Orange Pustule-In-Chief...and Repugs can deny that Mango Mussolini no longer has a hold on the GQP Party, but if that were true, then why the hell are they trying to pass laws in complete, lockstep accordance with Number 45’s wishes? And speaking of Former Generalissimo Trump, Ana and John tell us that he couldn’t even be bothered enough to post content to his blog, and like he did with his other failed enterprises, he got bored with it and walked away...



...and David Doel informs us that a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation tells us that many people think you have to pay for the COVID vaccine, and that could be keeping us from getting to the now-heralded 70 percent vaccination number (which, as Doel points out, is a consequence of getting billed for services the way we do in the U.S.)...



....and speaking of communicable illnesses, today is the 40th anniversary of the first patient diagnosed with AIDS in the U.S. as noted here; acclaimed writer Randy Shilts discussed the response (if you can call it that) from the Reagan Administration...



...and with that in mind, I present this video; I usually wait until a little later in the summer, but I think now is as good a time as any to bring it back.

Friday Stuff

Thom Hartmann speaks with science journalist Peter Aldhous about the actual death count (as opposed to the erroneous initial count) from the Texas energy grid failure and why the information was wrong (a little wonky, but important)...



...and speaking of “the land of the yellow rose,” I thought this was a particularly good commentary from Beau of the Fifth Column about what Texas HS valedictorian Paxton Smith said about the Repugs in that state doing all they can to intrude on women’s personal health care decisions (more here - and yeah, now watch these troglodytes try to withhold her diploma, which will likely end up in court)...

via GIPHY

...and switching from the sublime (Smith I mean) to the ridiculous, Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about more performative bullshit from “Curtsy Kyrsten”...yeah, I’m sure Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is having a deep, hearty laugh listening to this utterly mindless harpie lecturing people on their behavior; I’d really like to see the IRS audit Sinema to find out just who is bankrolling her, and for how much (more here)...



...and Farron Cousins tells us that suicides among ICE detainees exploded in 2020...dear God (a particularly well-done commentary IMO)...



...and here’s some good news – David Pakman tells us that Biden (and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland) have suspended drilling in the ANWR (not completely sold on nuclear yet, but I definitely think it’s worth having this discussion)...



...and Rachel Maddow speaks with cyber security expert David Kennedy about Russian criminal hackers disrupting our fuel lines and food supply, including the JBS plants – terrific (I’m watching this clip and recalling how stoo-pid Kyle K. was for blowing off Russia and their intrusions in our government and industries)...



...and I guess I really should note Fix Noise and their BS about “critical race theory,” which, again, is more “Look over there!” nonsense instead of trying to help solve the problems that we need to address and are actually critical to our survival, such as anything related to climate change, voting, economic justice, guns, reproductive rights, etc...



...and since we're now past Memorial Day, I should probably start working in my summer selections, beginning with this one.

Wednesday Stuff

K.O. “brings the heat” on the subject of Trumpster traitor Michael Flynn (I can only imagine how much Merrick Garland has his hands full...wonder if he wishes he were still a judge right about now?...but yeah, the DOJ needs to make an example of Flynn – long past the point of coddling treasonous insects like this guy...mildly NSFW/H)...



...and this Media Matters video tells us how the cretinous bottom-feeders at The Roger Ailes BS Factory spun BENGHAZI!! versus the insurrection Flynn supported (and continues to support)...



...and I realize the wingnuts are going to be "working the refs" FOR-FREAKING-EVER!, but Francesca and Jayar give up the latest proof that their pathetic whining about "bias against conservatives" is not rooted in reality in any way whatsoever...



...and President Biden shows a bit of frustration with a couple of alleged “Democrats” in the U.S. Senate, namely @Sen_JoeManchin and @SenatorSinema; I’m inclined to side with Will Bunch here...I agree with the assessment that Biden going public like this is NOT a good sign...



...and David Doel tells us about an anti-masking sheriff who – and I’ll bet you’ll NEVER guess this next part...dies of COVID; even though the guy was a world-class a-hole, I’m sorry to hear the news, but as anybody with half a brain knows at this point, these are the stakes...



...and apparently “Pastor” Rick Wiles, who also denied COVID, now has it and is getting oxygen, as David Shuster tells us...



...and leave it to Chucky Koch snatching up properties from people who lost their homes due to the pandemic and fighting the foreclosure moratorium from the CDC; I can’t think of a concentric circle of hell subterranean enough for this guy (with Cenk and Ana – I had a similar video on the same subject from More Perfect Union on 5/24...by the way, not to nit pick, but the surviving Koch brother is the one with white hair and glasses)...



...and here’s a newer tune to help us get over the “hump day” for the abbreviated week.

Tuesday Stuff

Francesca and Jayar tell us about a French company paid by Putin claiming that the Pfizer vaccine has killed about 100 people...definitely agree with Francesca’s take that there should be an internationalization of sorts for the vaccine and of course the IP stuff should be waived...GREAT point by Jayar about people in dire financial straits who fall prey to these scams by sowing misinformation...



...and speaking of IP, it looks like Chris Coons is trying to hang onto vaccine patent protections – figures (with Cenk and Ana...and boy, are they right about what journalism is SUPPOSED to be)...



...and Thom Hartmann tells us about the political fault lines that seem to be emerging on who is getting the COVID vaccine and who isn’t (David Pakman had a similar feature about a week or so ago about Trump supporters not getting it while Biden supporters ARE getting vaccinated...good points by Thom about the financial burdens of this also, which I realize are secondary, but still important of course)...



...and Sam and Anna Lappe discuss the dangers of pesticides to farm workers in particular (didn’t learn a damn thing from “Silent Spring,” apparently...lots of $$ in a disinformation campaign, partly from Monsanto...shocking, I know – not, and definitely similar to what happened with cigarettes also of course)...



...and Chris Hayes tells us about an EU court getting Royal Dutch Shell to cut their carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030 (more here)...



...and RIP B.J. Thomas – I’ll bet you didn’t know the “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” guy also sang a great antiwar tune...well, he did, and it’s here (more info here...not that his other songs weren’t good also of course).

Monday Stuff

(And with the great Rob Rogers cartoon in mind, I'd also like to offer this.)

It’s no exaggeration to say that there are now so many mass shootings any more with them all running together that it’s hard to keep track of them all, but the latest took place outside of Miami, as Sam Brock of MSNBC recently reported (more here)...



...even though retired NYPD detective Pat Brosnan blamed mass shootings on the COVID vaccine – huh? (more here)...



...and Cenk, Jayar and Mike Doyle tell us about the truly awful anti-abortion bills that passed the PA “lege” (and once more, had Scott “Stomp Tom Wolf’s Face With Golf Cleats” Wagner somehow won in 2018, all of that monstrous insanity would be law)...



...and on an unrelated matter, Sean McCarroll, formerly of the Grosse Pointe school district, is a boss for this as far as I’m concerned, and I wish him all the best...



...and Trymaine Lee of MSNBC tells us about the Tulsa Race Massacre which took place 100 years ago today (sorry I forgot to note earlier the program that aired last night, but as mentioned, it's on demand on the Peacock channel - more here)...



...and Farron Cousins tells us that Arizona independent voters are getting PO’ed by the audit in that state (and I think the pledge is a great idea)...



...and I thought this was a well-done Lincoln Project video with today’s holiday in mind...



...and I’d like to offer the following as a tribute to all of those we’ve lost who have carried a weapon for this country (the theme of the ultimate sacrifice is universal as far as I’m concerned).

Saturday Stuff

Nothing to see here as far as the "party of Lincoln" and "Curtsy Kyrsten" are concerned of course - just the U.S. Senate telling the Capitol police force that their lives aren't worth the time and trouble of an investigation into a riot that could have killed them all...



...and this Now This clip tells us about all of the Senate a-holes who voted against the 1/6 commission, along with the same in the House...



...and Francesca Fiorentini and Dr. Rashad Richey tell us that the “Qanon Shaman” nut job’s latest defense is trying to prevent the theft of a congressional muffin...really? (no word as to whether or not he lives on Drury Lane)...



...and the last clip was pretty ridiculous, but this one is scary IMO - it has to do with just how many people out there believe the Qanon garbage and where they get their media (assuming they get any media at all - Cenk and Ana tell us more)...



...and speaking of our corporate media, Robert Reich tells us about the dangers of collective amnesia when it comes to the 1/6 revolt along with other important issues...



...and happy 60th birthday to Melissa Etheridge.

Friday Stuff

I have to admit that I didn’t really realize just how badly broken an institution the United States Senate is until today.

Yes, I strongly suspected that the attempt to form a bipartisan commission to look into the January 6th insurrection would fail (as noted here). But now that it has, for what it’s worth, I’m more enraged than I thought I would be (and yes, I’m just a guy and my lone opinion in the scheme of things isn’t worth anything I’ll admit).

The vote was 54-35 as noted here, but of course, since we’re talking about the U.S. Senate, 60 is the only number that matters (unless you’re talking about reconciliation, which is another discussion).

To be fair, here are the six Republicans who voted in favor of the commission (though of course they’ll stab us in the back soon again to make sure their wingnut base is kept at “full froth”):

Bill Cassidy

Susan Collins

Lisa Murkowski

Rob Portman

Mitt Romney

Ben Sasse

And here are the 9 Repugs and 2 Dems who were absent for the vote (here):

Apparently, Patty Murray had to return home early because of a personal matter. And it seems that there was also some typical BS in “the world’s greatest deliberative body” on a vote over a technology bill related to China yesterday that pushed the 1/6 commission vote until today.

Aside from Murray, though, as far as I’m concerned, every one of these thoroughly compromised frauds who bailed on today’s vote should be forced to explain why on the Senate floor (including this beyond-useless life form from PA, as well as you-know-who).

via GIPHY

There is now no excuse whatsoever to NOT abolish the filibuster. And I read a comment from someone on Twitter saying, “Oh, don’t pressure Manchin and Sinema too much, or they’ll flip to become Republican and we’ll lose our majority.”

To which I say – FUCK THEM! Knuckling under to blackmail is the worst thing we can do. Besides, unless they support utterly destroying the filibuster, they might as well be Republicans anyway.

And in case we needed a reminder about why all of this is so important, I offer the following...



...and also, in case anyone still has any doubts about what we’re up against on the other side, Farron Cousins tells us death threats against lawmakers have increased by over 100 percent (which, to me, is even MORE of a reason for the committee that just got voted down...and even though I think Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is the most contemptible life form on two legs, as much as I despise him, I know it’s wrong to incite violence against him – again, I’m just one guy and definitely not a big deal, but I feel I should say that)...



...and also, in case yet again you thought the other side would somehow find a spine and stand up to the Trumpist insanity that spawned what happened on 1/6...well, you won’t get it from FL guv Ron #DeathSantis for sure, as Francesca and Jayar tell us (and OF COURSE there are "carve outs" in this insane "de-platforming" bill for some, including a certain entertainment company that has a rodent for a logo)...



...and to present an example of the U.S. Senate actually doing something good, I give you this video of Dem Elizabeth Warren (mentioned in the prior clip) grilling JP Morgan Chase chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon on why his bank is still charging overdraft fees which a regulator recommended that they waive...which DImon says they did waive for people under COVID-related stress, or words to that effect, but personally I’d like more info on that because I don’t trust Dimon as far as I can pee...and yeah, as Ana says, “regulators” are supposed to FREAKING REGULATE! And when it comes to “QE,” this is what Ana is talking about (she's rocking it on these segments by herself IMO)...



...and returning to our regularly scheduled COVID plague, David Pakman tells us that our U.S. vaccination map is starting to look a lot like the 2020 electoral map, with the predictable indicators, you might say...



...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us about the recent protests on the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd...



...and I’ll admit that I’m a little overdue on this one, but this New York Times clip tells us how the rest of the world views the U.S. on the issue of climate change (and yeah, it’s pretty damn bad, and we deserve all of the ridicule for this issue in particular)...



...and I need a mellow tune as a bit of a "palate cleanser" because, to be honest, I feel like I'm reaching the end of my rope with all of this, so the timing for JT here is perfect.

Thursday Stuff

Someone should find a way to come up with some kind of a memorial for the victims of gun violence in this country, on the order of “the wall” for those lost in the Vietnam War, and allow plenty of room for expansion since I’m sure more names will be added in perpetuity, though I would LOVE to be wrong on that; such a memorial should stretch from the end of one of the chambers of the U.S. Capitol to the other so our lawmakers should have to pass it EVERY SINGLE DAY on their way to work as a testimony to their collective failure to address the epidemic of gun violence. I realize that’s a woefully insufficient solution, but maybe it’s high time that we start shaming these cretins (in response to another mass shooting, this time in San Jose, with reporting in the following video from Vaughn Hillyard and Pete Williams of NBC News...I mean, it’s just another day with a “y” in it, so of course we have another gun-related tragedy, right?)...



...and Chris Hayes gives us a segment on the Biden Administration looking into the “lab leak hypothesis” when it comes to the origins of COVID...I’m not sure how productive an exercise that actually is, but yeah, whatever...I think Hayes says at the end here (kind of diplomatically) that we shouldn’t let Fix Noise mislead us yet again with more of their BS talking points (and I don't wish COVID on anybody, but if I did, it would be this asshat...the Repug KY senator I mean)...



...and the Morning Joe people talk about Republican politicians not meeting with the mother of Ofc. Brian Sicknick, who wants these soulless life forms to support a commission to look into the 1/6 insurrection (to tell you the truth, I’m tired of hearing these explanations from people like Barnicle and especially Michael Steele who, as far as I’m concerned, helped build this Frankenstein monster of an alleged “political party” by not calling these people to account when they should have to prevent their rise to power)...



Update: Yep, nothing but bad faith actors - but we knew that, right? (here).

...and with the prior clip in mind, here is your periodic reminder that the "party of Lincoln" is composed overwhelmingly (but not exlusively) of utter cowards (including this numbskull from our beloved commonwealth)...



...and I think Beau has an interesting theory about Former Generalissimo Trump and Baby Newton Leroy Gingrich teaming up for an updated version on the “Contract on America”...nothing against Beau, but unfortunately he’s probably right...I take from this that the Repugs will have their BS messaging all ready in time for next year, and the Dems had better have the same thing (but good messaging I mean) – I think Beau is absolutely right about the mid-terms being an opportunity to root out Trumpism and us being stuck with these life forms for a while if we don’t (knowing, of course, that Trumpism is just the latest iteration of what the Repugs are all about anyway)...



...and David Doel tells us about the AP sacking Emily Wilder, most likely for her pro-Palestinian advocacy, proving yet again that the very worst thing that someone in corporate media can do is to piss off a conservative (in all likelihood, the militarist wingnut in the U.S. Senate from Arkansas, as noted here)...



...and Mehdi Hasan and Robert Reich give us their take on the “labor shortage” (no disrespect to Hasan or Reich at the end, but the discussion about that anti-Semitic lunatic Marjorie Taylor Greene...and I remembered the “e”...was pointless; none of this matters unless her constituents say “enough is enough”...and I don’t know about the politics “on the ground” in her district, but I’m tempted to say that her antics don’t phase them in the least, sadly)...



...and happy 76th birthday to Bruce Cockburn.

Wednesday Stuff

Ana and Cenk of TYT tell us that TX Repug Guv Greg Abbott is set to sign off on a bill allowing people to carry guns without a permit if they’re not already banned by state and federal authorities...what could go wrong (all kinds of loopholes to the federal background check system, etc...and yeah, as Cenk says, the cops want to be able to ask about the gun if the person possessing it is the “wrong” skin color)...



...and John and Adrienne Lawrence of The Damage Report tell us that Trumpsters are still going nuts (did they ever stop?), believing that Biden is illegitimate, but the clip also looks at the context of polls where Dems viewed Dubya and Trump the same way (I would argue that there are actual grounds FOR REAL on 43 and 45, but hey, that’s just me I guess...sorry the bar graph is hard to read)...



...though Farron Cousins tells us here that what passes for Republican strategists are apparently mad at Biden because #46 isn’t agitating their beloved, Fix-Noise-ingesting base enough (Biden should hold a press conference in a tan suit and ask for Grey Poupon for his hot dog...the wingnuts will be in a lather for months)...

...and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 5/25/10, in which we learn about the trash miniseries “The Kennedys,” which was due to air on The US History Channel that year (produced by utter scumbag Joel Surnow of “24,” pictured above) but was dropped due to commendable pressure from filmmaker Robert Greenwald and others as noted here...the program ended up airing on ReelzChannel in this country in February the next year, as noted here...



...and with our 35th president in mind, I should note that yesterday also marked the 60th anniversary of JFK launching his goal of landing a man on the moon before a joint session of Congress (here - speech in the clip with the same theme is an address to Rice University in 9/62)...



...and happy belated 63rd birthday to Paul Weller (of The Jam and Style Council).

Tuesday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen tells us that Peter Douchebag of Fix Noise recently tried to goad White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki into taking some kind of imaginary blame for COVID casualties in this country, despite this and this – yeah, unmitigated gall at a minimum by this lickspittle, meaning Douchey of course (and gee, nepotism much?)...



...and K.O. informs us that, collectively, the “party of Lincoln” doesn’t want to go along with a committee to look into what happened on 1/6 (some exceptions are here, with strings attached of course)...fine – let’s just go right to the special prosecutor, then (NSFW/H)...



...and this Don Winslow video reminds us of what happened on 1/6 before our corporate media tries to flush it down the memory hole, framed against the mind-numbing stupidity of the remarks from GA Repug U.S. House Rep Andrew Clyde...



...and John and Viviana V. tell us about this life form named Anthony Bouchard of Wyoming, who apparently is running for the U.S. House against Liz Cheney; most Repugs have some kind of baggage, and in Bouchard’s case, it’s a real doozy...seems he impregnated a 14-year-old girl when he was 18, so he’s basically guilty of statutory rape – oh, but the girl killed herself tragically...this guy has no business whatsoever in public life, and probably should be in prison at this point (and Bouchard called it a “Romeo and Juliet” romance – from what I remember from that play, Romeo killed himself – just sayin’)...



...and Lawrence O’Donnell speaks with Neal Katyal, Former U.S. Principal Deputy Solicitor General, who discusses the Biden Administration’s appeal of Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s decision to release the Bill Barr memo on not prosecuting Trump during the Robert Mueller probe (yeah, I think this is definitely disappointing by Biden also...I get it that presidents are loathe to do anything that could limit their power or authoritah based on past precedent, but the best I can say about this move is that it’s an unforced error)...



...and RIP Muscle Shoals drummer Roger Hawkins, who rocked it on many famous tunes, including this one.

Monday Stuff

Rachel Maddow tells us the latest on the infrastructure bill...and I don’t think Biden should cut anything to make idiot Republicans happy...OF COURSE the “party of Lincoln” doesn’t want broadband investment since that means that folks in rural areas would be able to get media aside from Fox, Sinclair and right-wing radio...



...and David Pakman tells that only half of rural voters know the COVID relief came from Dems...yet another example of crappy messaging on social media by team “D” (with the Repugs being typically lying dishonest actors as usual) though, as noted above, broadband access is critical for rural voters to find out what’s is going on since these folks mostly get their info from TV and radio, which is pretty much a dinosaur unless you’re talking about satellite vs. commercial...



...and Thom H. tells us how the Repugs have become the party of bullies (and I’m shocked to give props to Meghan McCain, but she’s right)...



...and John and Viviana V. of The Damage Report tell us that the Capitol police security bill BARELY passed 213-212 – kind of torn on “the squad” making a stand here, but they’re definitely right to wonder why this vote was scheduled NOW BEFORE any findings of the 1/6 commission (that has yet to be seated of course); the problem with what happened on 1/6 wasn’t because the Capitol police didn’t have enough funding...it was because Trumpsters like Chris Miller didn’t get help to the cops in time, and the complaint about funding the cops vs. providing relief where it’s needed to people who are likely to be stopped by police is also very spot-on...



...and Letitia James, the New York AG, has joined the criminal and civil legal effort by SDNY against the Gropenfuhrer (with the same, tired predictable response of course – Farron Cousins explains)...



...and more info on that is here..



...and this clip from More Perfect Union tells us that Don Mullen Jr., formerly of Goldman Sachs, is trying to make $$ off the COVID-19 housing crisis along with other scumbag equity firm managers at Pretium Partners and Ares Management (can’t think of a pit in hell deep enough for life forms like this guy)...



...and I'm not going to try and wax any of his lyrics to try and sound clever, but I'll just say happy 80th to "mistah Bob"; whether or not he chooses to actually enjoy it is up to him.

Sunday Stuff

Gee, it sure didn’t take “Bibi” too long to break the cease fire between the Israelis and Palestinians, did it (David Doel tells us that the Israeli security forces recently raided the al-Aqsa mosque)...



...and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us that Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy recently complained about the House mask mandate, which is being kept in place by Pelosi (and rightly so) because the idiots in McCarthy’s own caucus won’t get vaccinated...



Update: And speaking of idiots...

...and Rachel Maddow informed us a few days ago of the death of Ronald Greene of Monroe, Louisiana (very graphic stuff - more here)...



...and I think this is a cool new tune, but it might be a good idea to keep these people away from the water colors the next time they make a video.