Saturday Stuff

There are so many people of character IMO who didn’t make it to the century mark, but to me, it is an obscenity that “Dr.” Henry Kissinger has apparently managed to get there...this “Democracy Now!” report from Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez includes interviews with authors Nick Turse and Greg Grandin, with Turse focusing on Kissinger’s legacy in Cambodia and how our bombing helped to create a vacuum that was filled by the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot…I honestly didn’t know Kissinger recorded phone calls during his days with Nixon, but it doesn’t surprise me…kudos to Turse for putting human faces on the Biblical level of suffering authorized by Kissinger (and I felt like putting my fist through the monitor when I saw Kissinger swat away that question about being a war criminal, which he plainly is)…good point by Grandin about how we really don’t know what the hell he's done while running “Kissinger Associates”…and I always respected the late Anthony Bourdain, but I DEFINITELY did even more after hearing that quote (and in case you want to get MORE infuriated with Kissinger, this links to his “salted peanuts” remark to Dubya about drawing down and ending the utterly awful Iraq War II)….and there’s more on Reagan later in this post BTW…



Update: More from David Corn here...

...and returning to our current debt ceiling crisis (and leave it to those crazies running the U.S. House to just pack up and leave right in the middle of it), Chris Hayes tells us about the Repugs and their utterly deranged debt plan, including cutting development for COVID vaccines to combat what are likely to be future variants, as well as knee-capping funding for vax distribution around the world (and yeah, I know King Elon I and #DeathSantis pooped the metaphorical bed over the latter’s campaign kickoff for prez, but I’m not going to devote time and energy on that...sorry)...



...and I thought this was an instructive clip from Kyle Kulinski about how exactly the debt ceiling crisis is being reported, and as you can imagine, our corporate media is doing everything they can to give cover to the “R” party, because, as far as they’re concerned, the very worst thing you can do is piss off a conservative, and this is just another example...

...and by the way, I heard something the other day that I thought was merely a bad joke, but after doing some investigating, I found out that it was actually true, and that is that Wolf-Pac is trying to align itself with ALEC for a so-called Article V Convention to rewrite the Constitution, as noted here (I have a feeling I’m a little late to the party on this, since I also found an article about this from last August after doing some investigating over the last day or so). I should also point out that, to be fair, I don’t see Cenk Uygur’s name listed as a member of Wolf-Pac, so it’s possible that he isn’t involved in the group any more (though he has spoken out in favor of an Article V convention).

However, I should still add that this is utter madness. How many damn times does it need to be pointed out that WINGNUTS ONLY WANT TO PLAY US AND ARE NOT SERIOUS ACTORS WHEN IT COMES TO POLICY OR LEGISLATION??!! Uygur of all people should know that!...

...and I stumbled across this video form Leeja Miller, who gives us a fairly comprehensive history lesson on The Sainted Ronnie R (NSFW/H)...good job to tell the TRUE story of Linda Taylor, the “welfare queen” Reagan kept referring to; Taylor actually scammed about $8K instead of $150 per year as Miller points out...so many reasons to detest Reagan, one of which being the fact that, though he played an amiable dunce on TV, he was also a willful stupendous liar about government entitlements and a whole range of other subjects...one of my more infamous Reagan memories (there are many) is what happened to the Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry for the mentally ill (just referred to as Byberry for short, named for a road near the facility)...as if by magic, the place closed and a whole bunch of people needing treatment ended up on the street, and yes, this happened during Reagan’s term in 1987 (it was officially closed by 1990...more here...I’ll have to keep an eye out for more content from Miller)...



...and I’m probably overloading everybody with policy stuff with these clips, but maybe you can pass the time watching them on (hopefully) the beach or if you’re able to get some much-needed-for-us-all down time elsewhere over the next few days...here is another long but important video from Second Thought aptly titled “The Myth of Capitalist Peace” (“Violence doesn’t just go away with free trade; it turns inward” indeed)...



...and for a bit of humor (arguably I guess), The Daily Show asks “When Was America Last Great?” (kind of sad and telling that we have to think about the answer, truth be told)...



...and I can think of absolutely no other reason to include this except for Kissinger’s birthday...



(And by the way, speaking of song parodies, I think the following should be remembered here.)

...and as luck would have it, Kissinger’s birthday falls on the same day that we fete this guy also, who I’m sure couldn’t be more diametrically opposed politically...I can only think of this tune above all others from his library when I consider the shameful legacy of “the good doctor” (a cartoon image of Kissinger shows up for a second).

Thursday Stuff

Chris Hayes speaks with Peter Rogell of Flori-DUUUH! on the “torture” (Rogell’s word, not mine or Hayes’s as he notes) that Ron #DeathSantis inflicted on his family, forcing Deborah Dorbert (who I believe is Rogell’s daughter) to give birth to a baby who could not breathe and had no chance of survival...and as if that isn’t horrible enough, we learn about more anti-LBGTQ BS in that state, which is becoming more awful by the minute...



...and sticking with more “values” nonsense, David Doel tells us about Nikki Haley’s own version of anti-trans BS, which went over like a thud at this “eggs and politics” breakfast in New Hampshire (as if she actually has a shot at winning her party’s nomination)...so yes, there are some slivers of sanity form that bunch...and once more, it figures that Haley and her same-party pals went to New Hampshire – this may help Haley slightly in a primary, but it won’t do a lick of good in the general election, which she won’t get to anyway...this is a pretty comprehensive report from Doel with a lot of data points, and I admire his honesty at the end – I absolutely know how he feels (mildly NSFW/H)...



...and stories like this would get me, Doel, and other reasonably sane people discouraged also, and that is wingnuts losing their sh*t over pride clothing at Target...the planet is melting, we’re drowning in guns (mainly assault weapons), women are losing their health care, our life expectancy in this country is decreasing, the rich are getting richer at our expense, and THIS is the idiocy these life forms choose to preoccupy themselves with (as John and Jayar tell us – some serious drip going on with Jayar’s cap)...



...well, if you want an example of how our side can use power effectively for its constituents, Sam and Emma of The Majority Report give us the Minnesota Farm Labor Party at work...the clip also includes Uber drivers winning a wage increase – LOVE that clip of the workers chanting “Yes we can”....”When you get the power, you use it” indeed (and don’t get me started on how the D.C. Dems, notably Biden and the thoroughly useless Chuck Schumer, don’t fight on similar issues and, for the 1000th time, manage to lose control of the narrative because of lousy messaging...that doesn’t stop Team D from HECTORING ME RELENTLESSLY MULTIPLE TIMES EVERY DAMN DAY for money with phone calls, Emails and texts...I can’t believe you guys are losing out to these troglodytes running the U.S. House...please find a damn spine somehow!)...



...and moving a little further south geographically, Jesse Dollemore tells us about actor Jon Hamm making an ad for Dem Lucas Kunce of Missouri, running against incumbent Repug U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (with “running” being literal in Hawley’s case of course)...Hawley’s screeds about masculinity are an utter joke, particularly against a Marine vet like Kunce...



...and my anger at Biden that I noted earlier has to do with this debt ceiling nonsense, which could end up hosing the economy of the world and not just us...I don’t want to hear any of this “10 dimensional chess, smartest guy in the room” BS about #46 – it was plainly obvious that the other side was just going to engage in more and more hostage taking and refuse to be serious about negotiations, and “Dark Brandon” should have acted accordingly and minted the damn coin, invoked the 14th amendment, made sure the Gephardt Rule was reinstated before the Dems lost the House, etc...

...and another musical icon has departed...RIP Tina Turner (I went back and forth on choosing which of these tunes to add, but I finally said the hell with it and went with both).

Wednesday Stuff

Gee, it looks like South Carolina Repug guv Henry McMaster is trying to moonlight as a comedian or something, since he recently spoke at a Repug Party fundraiser over the weekend and said he looks forward to the day when Dems are so rare that they can be hunted like dogs, or words to that effect...funnier still to me (well, not really) is the response from his spokesman that “oh, the governor makes this joke all the time...Dems need to lighten up,” as if somehow that makes everything all right (more here and here).

This tells us that South Carolina is one of the worst states in this country to raise a family. And yes, I get it that the link is from 2019, but somehow I don’t think things have changed that much. However, just to make sure, this from 2022 (a little more recent) says that “the Palmetto state” ranks 43rd in education, this tells us that the state is the 8th worst in the nation for health care, and this tells us that an absolutely staggering number of kids (300K) in South Carolina live in poverty.

Try laughing at that, you asshats...



...and returning to our regularly scheduled idiocy over the debt ceiling (which, as a reminder, is a fight TO PAY FOR FUNDS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED BY THOSE IDIOTS IN THE U.S. HOUSE, PARTICULARLY FOR #45’s HORRIBLE DECEMBER 2017 TAX CUTS!), John and Brett Erlich of The Damage Report bring us some well-reasoned commentary from Dem Jamie Raskin (and good job by Brett in particular to point out how this utterly ridiculous nonsense helps China, a country Repugs claim to despise...more here from David Cay Johnston, one of the few people left on the "bird app" who actually has a brain)...



...and speaking of how we’re looked at internationally (considering China from the prior clip), David Pakman speaks with caller Ben in France who thinks that other countries think we’re bonkers over all of this “culture war” madness, and it’s hard to argue with that sadly (not totally sold on UBI, but if we can afford trillions in tax cuts for billionaires, then I think it’s a topic worth exploring at least)...



...and as a bit of a follow-up to the Pakman clip, Sam and Emma of The Majority Report bring us this Darcy Schoening goofball of Moms for Liberty...this woman is a few fries short of a happy meal, but tragically, a lot of her fellow travelers are taking her seriously...she does give away the game a bit, though, as Emma notes, because the whole thing about the Dems supposedly trying to indoctrinate our kids is ultimately a conspiracy as far as they’re concerned to make their kids vote for Dems (and to demonize teachers of course, trying to hurt their union and its political influence)...somehow I have a feeling the kids may very well vote for Dems anyway regardless of what their parents say or do, to say nothing of teachers, who wouldn’t be involved in that decision anyways despite what these crazies believe...and for a taste of this madness a little closer to home, I give you this...



....and David Doel brings us a clip of Discovery CEO David Zaslav facing a chant of “pay your writers” while giving the commencement address at Boston University...the plane flying the banner overhead was a nice touch also...any way these plutocrats can be lawfully humiliated is fine with me...of course, that assumes they understand the concept of shame, which is problematic I realize (and kudos to Adam Conover of course)...



...and they’re coming to the Anchor Rock Club in Atlantic City, NJ on June 10th and the Mann in Philly on June 29th as noted here, and I’m sure this selection will be included on both dates.

Tuesday Stuff

(Posting may get a little iffy as we approach the holiday...I’m not sure yet.)

Joy Reid and Ali Velshi give us a history lesson of sorts on the “party of Lincoln” and demonizing poor people, going back to Reagan, Rudy! and that alleged Christian Newt...on SNAP and Medicaid, timed for all this debt ceiling nonsense of course (and I thought this was timely information also)...



...and John, Cenk and Max Burns tell us about this J’Den McAdory nut in Maryland strolling around a school bus stop with an AK-47, protesting a gun law signed by Dem governor Wes Moore...this lunatic should be strapped to a chair and made to look at photos of the dead kids in Uvalde and elsewhere (I’m picturing something like “Clockwork Orange” with his eyelids pulled open; I don’t say that lightly, but I for one am getting fed up with these life forms, and I’m sure I have a lot of company)...



...and I know I got into that ridiculous RFK Jr. interview yesterday ("argle bargle, free market, argle bargle"), but here is more from the crew of The Majority Report, including Emma V. and Matt Binder (taking another look at Jr.’s vanity run for prez in ’24, the “winner of the gene pool” as Mike Figueredo put it yesterday...Jr. is also pretty lowdown for his lawsuit against Daily Kos...NSFW/H...and it was indeed Teddy Kennedy, God rest him, who tried to put the brakes on Cape Wind because it would block his view from the MA coastline; I think Cape Wind had other negative issues, truth be told, but I also don’t think the Kennedy thing by itself was a reason to shoot it down, which I think happened in 2017)...



...and kudos to Chris Hayes for going after turncoat-former-Dem Tricia Cotham, the North Carolina state rep, who helped the Repugs get a supermajority with that move...so OF COURSE they immediately instituted a 12-week abortion ban, overriding Dem governor Roy Cooper’s veto... somehow Cotham sleeps at night I suppose, though I can’t imagine how...



...and Hayes discussed yesterday the planetary danger of going over 1.5 degrees Celsius, and Beau echoes that again here...can’t say that enough, and to say we need a “whole of government” approach to this (to say nothing of our glorious private sector) is a huge understatement...part of me wishes Biden could pull a “Wag the Dog” or “Capricorn One” thing to convince everybody that the planet is heating because of a terrorist Islamist death ray or something, and then the money spigot would open and never shut off...



...so what is the outrage du jour for the Repug party instead of an issue that actually matters (as previously noted)? Well, Farron Cousins tells us here that Texas guv Greg Abbott is big mad at Dominion Voting Systems for getting The Swanson TV Dinner Heir fired...Abbott should be happy anyway that, despite it all, Dominion may go out of business as noted here...



...and Mike Figueredo of The Humanist Report discusses Marjorie Trailer Park Greene and her boyfriend (right-wing broadcaster Brian Glenn) in drag – after she said drag queens were domestic terrorists...well, that’s about par for the nutty course with this disgusting harpie (mildly NSFW/H)...



...and happy belated 75th birthday to Leo Sayer.

Monday Stuff

The Lincoln Project calls out “TNN” for that beyond-ridiculous “town hall” with the Gropenfuhrer (and I would say that Christiane Amanpour should be in charge of that network instead of that wingnut Chris Licht also based on this...I know this is a little old for the news cycle, but I think it bears repeating)...



...and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about Dem U.S. House Rep Jasmine Crockett clapping back against (I believe) wingnut Anna Paulina Luna on the issue of D.C. crime related to the rest of this country, particularly red states (mildly NSFW/H)...



...and John and Brett Erlich of The Damage Report tell us that, apparently, Governor Bully is going to declare again for preznit on the Repug side... yeah, that figures...still amazes me how this guy was able to skate over the G.W. bridge stuff and killing the Hudson River tunnel project, along with his relentless attacks against teachers of course...



...and Ali Velshi discusses a Missouri father of a trans kid speaking out against another anti-LGBTQ bill being sponsored in that state (utter hatred on display here against these kids...didn’t see Velshi speaking with Jasmine Crockett later...he also interviews Rabbi Daniel Bogard and Debi Jackson, both parents of trans kids)...



...and Mike Figueredo brings us a a pretty long clip of Krystal Ball interviewing RFK Jr., who, as far as I’m concerned, diminishes himself every time he opens his mouth...the ’24 “candidate” says we should have “single payer private insurance” which shoots down any alleged argument...he goes on and on restating the problem of chronic disease and lousy health outcomes WITHOUT OFFERING A DAMN SOLUTION! And that answer about climate change, Davos and “totalitarianism” is straight out of la la land, and of course the anti-vax stuff is wackadoodle time also...”make it make sense” indeed – NSFW/H)...



...additionally, Chris Hayes reminds us that climate change has completely disappeared from Repug Party talking points, particularly for presidential candidates emerging for ’24 (OF COOUUURRRSE! as Cenk sez)...



...oh, and Farron Cousins informs us that 5 Repugs who once yelled about earmarks in ’21 now are lining up for them, including Marjorie Traitor Greene, Bo-Bo Boebert (who wrote a column saying they were bad), etc...Cousins is right about earmarks – you can’t judge if they’re good or bad unless you know what they’re for...if they’re for projects in your district putting people to work and/or adding economically to your district, then they’re OK...



...and RIP bassist Andy Rourke of The Smiths.

Friday Stuff

John and Miranda Scholl of The Damage Report tell us about the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (maybe) banning the abortion drug mifepristone, and the specious reasoning behind such a potentially wrongheaded and catastrophic ruling...telling to me that the wingnuts have in some cases used the Comstock Act from 1873 as a supposed justification for such an attack on women’s health care – and that IS what we’re talking about here, truth be told...



...and the issue of abortion and African American women came up at a recent U.S. House hearing with that utter numbskull Marjorie Trailer Park Greene and Amy Spitalnick, a senior adviser on extremism at Human Rights First, as David Shuster tells us; the hearing was ostensibly about right-wing violence in this country, with that clueless meat sack Greene trying to allege that those peacefully protesting in the rotunda were engaged in something akin to the January 6th insurrection (more here...and when it comes to black women and abortion, I believe this should be considered by sentient individuals with some degree of brain matter, which excludes Greene I know)...



...and if Greene and her pals want to see an example of violence for real (and yeah, I know all of their nonsense is posturing and that’s about it), Jesse Dollemore brings us this clip of former cop (and now Louisiana Repug U.S. House Rep) Clay Higgins, who apparently hasn’t left behind violent tactics despite the fact that dunderheaded voters in his district saw fit to reward Higgins with a job in the federal government...



...and sticking with legal stuff aside from abortion, Thom Hartmann gives us some interesting history on the SCOTUS and Earl Warren in particular, and the reason why that unscrupulous pissant Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society (to say nothing of Chucky Koch and his pals) keep grooming these life forms like “I Like Beer” Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Island Baby Barrett and “Strip Search Sammy” Alito to do the bidding of the one percent at the expense of the rest of us...



...and in case you thought I was done with Ron #DeathSantis...well, don’t worry, because I’m not; Chris Hayes discusses “Mr. Pudding Fingers” turning Flori-DUUH! into his own little authoritarian kingdom, with the proverbial last straw for Hayes (commendably) being #DeathSantis’s decision to block gender affirming care for all minors...and as Hayes correctly points out, this is from the same bunch yelling about “parental rights” during the pandemic...



...and Brain Tyler Cohen tells us that, in #DeathSantis’s own backyard, Dem Donna Deegan won the mayoral election in Jacksonville, Flori-DUUH! (and aside from Daniel Davis who lost, another #DeathSantis-endorsed candidate apparently went belly up in a recent primary)...



...and this More Perfect Union clip tells us about the campaign for school lunches across the country, focusing on New Mexico, with some commendable good news in that state...really vile IMO to consider that kids would have to be burdened with meal debt when all they’re trying to do is learn in what is allegedly the greatest country on earth, one that somehow can’t do anything about gun violence, protect women’s health care or ensure a reasonable, non-completely-monetized quality of life for those of us who are K-12, to say nothing of the rest of us...



...and here’s an upbeat little number to help usher in the weekend – hope it’s a good one for everybody.

Thursday Stuff

I don’t recall hearing anything about this group DeSantis Watch last year when Ron #DeathSantis, governor of Flori-DUUUH!, was running for re-election, but better late than never I guess...this “DeSantis Watch” video tells us about the kickbacks campaign donations he’s taken from real estate developers and the insurance industry (and when it comes to #DeathSantis and elections, I remember all the fuss made over alleged illegality from the Dem candidate for governor Andrew Gillum..well then, isn’t this con-vee-nient, and done well after the media has moved on I’m sure)...



...and Ana, Cenk and Emma Vigeland tell us about the issue the Repug governor of “the sunshine state” has with his facial expressions, which to me indicates that he’s freaking nuts...I’ll remember this the next time I hear a male politician say that women either in office or staging a campaign are too emotional...



Update: More here (God, is #DeathSantis a nitwit!).

...and retired Army Major Richard Ojeda of Rebel HQ brings us the recent discussion between Mehdi Hasan and Ayman Mohyeldin of MSNBC about the wingnuts embracing Daniel Penny, the guy who choked Jordan Neely on the New York City subway, leading to Neely’s death - yeah, at a minimum, those claiming that Penny was the "good Samaritan" need to reacquaint themselves with "the good book"...



...and this clip from More Perfect Union discusses the attempt to hold the railroads’ “feet to the fire” to improve safety of the trains for workers, and cutting down on derailments (or trying to anyway, with Sherrod Brown typically leading the way against a whole bunch of resistance from corporate bad actors...more here, and I don’t trust J.D. Vance or his same-party pals Rubio and Hawley as far as I can pee, on this or anything else...and it’s no surprise whatsoever to me that Alan Shaw of Norfolk Southern is a lying sack of shit when it comes to two-person train crews, which should be the law)...



Update 6/14/23: I goddamn knew it about fake populist Vance! (here)

...and this video from Beau discusses some numbers on the question of people leaving organized religion, which is always a shame IMO even though people should be free to do what they want of course, but we’re finding out now that it’s because of “hating teh gay”...interesting (but maybe not that surprising...”it’s cheaper to be a good person” indeed)...



...and I haven't been able to figure out what #DeathSantis has against Pink Floyd, but as long as they're included in the pic above, I thought I'd add this tune.

Wednesday Stuff

Farron Cousins tells us about the charges filed against “America’s Mayor” by a staffer who alleges that he abused her...all kinds of totally gross stuff alleged here pertaining to sex and alcohol...and yeah, this is all a legal matter so it’s innocent until proven guilty of course, but would it REALLY be that surprising if it were true?...



...and Jesse Dollemore tells us that the ratings for “The Most Trusted Name In News” have taken a hit after that ridiculous “town hall” with you-know-who (losing out to Newsmax, believe it or not)...and boy, is Jesse ever right about supporting independent media (mildly NSFW/H)...



Update: More here.

...and Mike Figueredo discusses Ron #DeathSantis going after a teacher in Flori-DUUH! for “indoctrinating” students with a Disney cartoon, and what makes this even more idiotic is that the teacher got approvals from the parents to show it, and it ties into her curriculum (and yeah, “Moms for Liberty” is in the middle of this mess, as you might expect...also NSFW/H)...



...and Ana and Cenk of TYT tell us about corporations buying up doctors’ networks and primary care physicians (more reasons why Medicare Advantage is awful...from $15 million to $16 billion from 2010 to 2021 – and United Healthcare is particularly heartless also...a pretty fair and open assessment of Biden and company here IMO...nicely done)...



...and don’t look now, but the wretched SCOTUS of Hangin’ Judge JR just took up a case that could potentially dismantle democracy...more here (good job by Thom Hartmann to bring up Anne Gorsuch and her ruinous run at the EPA under Reagan...this awful collection of legal “deplorables” needs to be reined in somehow as far as I’m concerned, but the only way to do that is through the “60 votes” Senate, and good luck with that, and don’t even get me started on that freak show in charge of the U.S. House)...



...and as noted here, JT is coming to the Mann Music Center in these parts on July 1st; I’m sure good seats are still available.

Tuesday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore tells us here about the recent Patriot Front rally in D.C., with conservatives lying to cover up for these cretins...and I didn’t know anything about this Thomas Rousseau guttersnipe until this clip, but yeah, it looks like the crazy switch flicked on for this life form awhile back...he’ll get what’s coming to him I’m sure (more here)...



...and turning to media stuff, Jeff Wiggins of Rebel HQ presents the real Kaitlan Collins as far as I’m concerned in light of that awful “town hall”...I linked to this last Thursday, but again, this shows us how the media game is rigged in favor of the wingnuts (and Peter Baker of “the old gray lady” is pretty much a GOP apologist as far as I’m concerned, and Anderson Cooper should wash down his ladle full of condescension with a steaming hot glass of STFU...don’t get the “my architect know Japanese” thing at the end)...



...and when it comes to Rupert The Pirate's trash network, a guest recently said we should have a plan ”to kill everyone we meet”...how charming (John and Francesca explain...and it’s also hard to argue with the statement that the most “religious” states have the most gun violence, though I wish I could)...



...and speaking of violence, Ana and Cenk of TYT tell us about the nut who (allegedly) attacked the staffers of Dem U.S. House Rep Gerry Connolly with a metal baseball bat (here)...yes, this is a developing story and there’s a lot we don’t know yet, but we’ll see, and hopefully the 2 workers will be OK...



...and Beau tells us that – ooopsie! – the “star witness” in the alleged Biden crime hearing or whatever has gone missing, as Repug U.S. House Rep James Comer informs us...waaay too damn funny (and yeah, oversight is included as part of the legislative branch, so I think doing some “closed door” investigation of family members of people in the federal government from all 3 branches makes sense...maybe 2 Dems, 2 Repugs and someone from the IRS and/or DOJ as Beau says at the end...more here)...



...and when it comes to violence, here is an example of a brave Afghan man who made the tortuous journey with his family to this country through Mexico to our border, as the New York Times tells us – I wish there was a way he and his family could be brought into this country and he could testify to those Repug meatheads mainly in the U.S. House about this...it wouldn’t affect the politicians I guess, but maybe it would “move the needle” a bit on public opinion in this country...yeah, I know – I can dream I suppose...



...and here is some actual GOOD news...Kyle Kulinski tells us that medical debt (which is brutal in this country) is being erased for about 73,000 residents in Cook County (including Chicago) in Illinois...anybody who believes that government is incapable of doing anything should pay heed (as opposed to our allegedly glorious private sector, at least when it comes to stuff like this..well, maybe we're talking about a partnership here...and hey Kyle, how do you forget this guy?)...



...and this isn’t exactly my state of mind I wish to emphasize, but I still thought it was a neat newer tune, so here it is.

Monday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen brings us this thoughtful response from Dem Texas state house rep James Talarico, making a well-reasoned speech versus yet another ridiculous bill in that state loosening gun restrictions, not long after the Allen massacre of course...and I think that nutball preacher was Greg Locke, and his rantings are par for the execrable course with him (mildly NSFW/H)...



...well, while Talarico tries to appeal to “the better angels of our nature” you might say, this video gives us three campaign ads with Republicans glorifying shooting political opponents (including that Tate Reeves ad with commentary from John, and I didn’t know about this Jim Lamon a-hole and his “tough guy” ad...yeah, including Mark Kelly whose wife was damn near murdered by a gun-wielding lunatic, and the “Crazyface Pelosi” misogyny – no bottom to this barrel indeed...and an ad with Marjorie Trailer Park Greene is included also...with Ana and Cenk on the latter two clips)...



...and I thought this was a pretty intelligent summary of our economy under Biden from David Pakman, including some factors that no president can really completely control to be honest...the most recent job numbers are pretty good considering that 15-votes McCarthy and his clown car caucus in the U.S. House keep yammering on about how everything is supposedly so bad under #46 (including African American unemployment, which seems to have rebounded), but Heaven forbid that Gym Jordan and his pals have constructive alternatives...

via GIPHY

...and don’t look now, but “Curtsy Kyrsten” is baaack, this time to “both sides” the question of election integrity (yeah, because there’s so much dough on “the left”...I’m just rolling in it – can’t everybody tell?...sometimes it’s hard to gauge how awful Sinema truly is, I’ll admit – mildly NSFW/H)...



...and Robert Reich tells us about the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, under which states that are part of the compact would award their electoral votes to the popular vote winner in presidential elections, which sounds like a great idea, but I’m not in favor unless EVERY state joins...and yeah, I can just picture all the ways that Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao, among others, would fight this, but we shouldn’t let that deter us of course...



...and yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of the passing of Frank Sinatra.

Saturday Stuff

When it comes to simpatico media egging on the human mistakes responsible for the Allen, TX mass shooting and this, the Lincoln Project is here to remind us that, even though “Tuckums” is no more, The Roger Ailes BS Factory is continuing to churn out their bilious garbage that feeds these cretins – if your brand is advertising of Fox, you’re indeed paying for it...



...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us here about right wing nut job U.S. Repug House Rep James Comer swinging and missing again, you might say, on Hunter Biden, who, last I checked, wasn’t elected to a damn thing and plays no role in government whatsoever...

...and about Marjorie Traitor Greene’s charge about Biden making her high school a gun-free zone, I would ask that you consider this...



...and Beau gives us a little insight here into a recent encounter he had with other disabled vets at a diner...I know the Dems aren’t completely innocent either when it comes to exploiting our military for political gain, but to me, it’s particularly galling and offensive that a political party that wraps itself around “supporting the troops” would cut vets’ benefits when they think the vets aren’t paying attention, which is exactly what’s going on, as Beau tells us...



...and John and Francesca of The Damage Report tell us about Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav saying the writers’ strike will end because they love the work, or whatever – of course, being comped a quarter of a bil helps as far as Zaslav is concerned...must be nice...



...and this More Perfect Union “Classroom” video tells us about Milton Friedman, the wingnut economist who (I would argue) has wrought the greatest impact on our lives particularly over the last 40 years or so...that being said, I disagree with F.D. Signifier when he says we’ve allegedly had the same president since Reagan – yeah, I know he means on the economy, but I still think that’s a pretty damn irresponsible comment...however, good for Signifier to draw the link between Freidman, The Sainted Ronnie R and the suburban racism underlying all of this “free the power of the corporations” BS concerning our economy (somewhat NSFW/H)...



...and sticking with financial stuff, this Second Thought clip tells us The Truth About Recessions...”when businesses have to choose between the needs of their workers and the needs of capitalists to generate profits, the latter always wins out in the end.”...uh, yep (and I never thought of the “planned economy” concept before, I have to admit...sounds like something worth exploring)...



...and I have to admit that I’ve tried to steer clear of anything to do with that train wreck of a “town hall” with the Gropenfuhrer because of my utter disgust with both him and the network that decided to air that atrocity, but I thought this was a particularly good response to all of that from Chris Hayes...as I’ve probably said in the past, I know something about the state of Vermont, which has beautiful scenery and a lot of people who are “middle of the road” politically, and I also know a thing or two about New Hampshire, which also has beautiful scenery but a lot of folks who are braying wingnuts politically, so I grudgingly have to admit that CNN picked the right venue if they wanted to fluff Our Ochre Abomination, which they certainly did...



...and here’s a newer tune to help us enjoy the weekend, hopefully – I guess “piece of the pie” is something that gives a bit of a nod to the MPU and Second Thought clips on money stuff, but I just think it rocks, so here it is.

Thursday Stuff

David Doel tells us here that “George Santos,” or whoever the hell he REALLY is, is now looking at a 13-count indictment, including charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making materially false statements to the House of Representatives…and it’s almost too surreal to point out that the “leadership” in that chamber passed a bill today that would defund efforts to crack down on unemployment fraud, with Bri-Fi voting Yes of course, as noted here, repealing fraud prevention funds included in the American Rescue Plan (to do something about that, click here)…



…and Beau gives us his verdict on that beyond-ridiculous “clown hall” with Mango Mussolini and his single-digit-IQ unwashed followers in attendance – I think this sums up my sentiments on it pretty well (oh, and before we decide to give any credit at all to U.S. Senate Repug Todd Young of Indiana for walking away from Our Ochre Abomination as noted here, let’s take a minute to consider what he is really saying…not, “I’m having nothing whatsoever to do with this thoroughly amoral monster who incited an insurrection against the peaceful transfer of power in our government and would do so again in a heartbeat were he to get the chance.”…noooo – Young is supposedly washing his hands of Our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed Former *President only because he’s a “loser.”)

Also (and I don’t mean this towards Beau), but PLEASE spare me all of the surprise that Combover Caligula still inspires such adulation among these biped life forms. Like you also I’m sure, I interact in some capacity with these people in my life, though I try to minimize it as much as I can. And it’s quite possible that these individuals will NEVER, EVER LEARN, so can we please stop wishing on rainbows, sunshine and lollipops that somehow they will realize A MODICUM OF COMMON SENSE ON THIS SUBJECT??!!



Update: Oh, but Kaitlan Collins is such an impeccable journalist, isn't she...looks like every angle of this ridiculous wingnut freak show was covered (here - and by the way, the whole "George Soros boogeyman" BS is the fault primarily of this guy).

Update 5/12/23: Another post mortem is here (and this and this are pretty damn disgusting too).

Update 5/13/23: I would call this a rather twisted definition of the word "fun."

…and to put a bit of an exclamation point on the sheer, apocalyptic idiocy of way too many of our fellow citizens, Farron Cousins tells us that “the land of the yellow rose” is going to make it easier to get guns in the wake of the recent mass slaughter in Allen, Texas…



Update: And when it comes to awful court cases involving guns, I give you this, based on an utterly terrible ruling by the SCOTUS of Hangin' Judge JR authored by Almost Silent Clarence Thomas...no word on whether or not he first had the ruling vetted by Harlan Crow.

…and gee, should we really be surprised that this human mistake who wrought all of this carnage with a weapon of death was thoroughly radicalized in the wingnut fever swamps, as John and Aida Rodriguez tell us?...



…and when it comes to indoctrinating the crazies, let’s not forget the role of the recently-deposed-from-his-media-perch Swanson TV Dinner Heir, with “Tuckums” acting like he wants to go after Fix Noise – mainly, it looks like he wants to get out of his “non-compete” with The Roger Ailes BS Factory – pass the popcorn (and I honestly don’t know what would happen if he ran for elected office either, but I imagine that he’d get enough of a swath of voters to make things interesting...not happy to point that out, but I think that’s the reality…I’ll be honest; some of Ana and Cenk’s recent “takes” have been a little tiresome lately IMO, but I think they get it right here)...



…and on the subject of Carlson, it looks like he’s getting support from Brett Favre in Mississippi, as Jesse Dollemore tells us (didn’t know Favre was accused of some kind of sexual assault, I have to admit, but of course I knew about the cruel nonsense with pilfering funds for his daughter’s volleyball stadium)...



...and this More Perfect Union video tells us about the food delivery apps (Grub Hub, Uber Eats) trying to kill gig economy delivery workers’ efforts in New York City for a $25 minimum wage – probably sounds like a lot until you realize the cost of doing just about anything in The Big Apple, particularly when it comes to housing and paying for health insurance, if you can afford it (and if you think I trust goofball Mayor Eric Adams or Chuck Schumer, I have a bridge to one of the five boroughs to sell to you)...



…and we’ve had a nice patch of spring weather in these parts, so that’s kind of putting me in the mood for this tune.

Wednesday Stuff

Beau of the Fifth Column talks about the verdict returned against the Gropenfuhrer in the E. Jean Carroll civil rape trial, a multi-million-dollar settlement that he’ll no doubt try to weasel his way out of since Our Ochre Abomination has already said he’ll appeal (here)...and his response of “oh, I didn’t do it because she’s not my type” is typical for a disgusting, amoral pig like #45 (along with the true-to-form hysterical, all caps rant on social media proclaiming his innocence) – I think’s Beau’s urgency telling people still supporting this monster to WAKE THE “F” UP AT LONG FREAKING LAST is commendable (and oh yeah, there is this too)...



Update: You can count me as "disgusted" also (here).

...and Farron Cousins tells us about more financial corruption with Leonard Leo of The Federalist Society, Ginni Thomas, and Kellyanne Conjob – EVERY U.S. Senate Democrat should be screaming about this SCOTUS-related garbage as much as Sheldon Whitehouse is...



...and David Doel tells us about Newsmax and Greg Kelly blaming the wrong person for the Allen, TX mass shooting, and apparently Kelly can’t recognize a swastika when he sees it (and I never watched the damn “Superman” TV show with wingnut Dean Cain, and I’m glad I didn’t...”dangerous freedom vs. peaceful slavery,” huh? Goofball...)...



...and turning to Newsmax’s wingnut TV competitor, Jesse Dollemore (not him) includes a clip from CNN of all of the Fix Noise idiots (them of course) braying about no charges for sedition or whatever for January 6th...the charges and convictions rolled out later of course...womp womp...



...but not to worry...if you feel yourself overcome with frustration from that danged li-bu-ruuul media and the “woke mind” virus, why, now you can take it out on an unwitting subject with the “patriot hammer,” as we learn from The Daily Show (NSFW/H)...



...and we’re part of the way through “National Nurse’s Month” – here is a tune for the occasion.

Tuesday Stuff

Farron Cousins tells us all about Marjorie Trailer Park Greene doing the thing she does best (worst?) after the latest mass gun slaughter in this country, this time in AllenTX, and that is to blame EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE for the attack except GUNS!! And yes, I realize that’s completely predictable given the approximately $30K she has received in “independent” NRA contributions as noted here...



...and David Doel brings us more here, including the comments of first responder Stephen Spainhouer (more here)...and when it comes to thoroughly bought-and-paid-for Texas Repug guv Greg Abbott and mental health, I think we should be mindful of this... and after I read this, I wanted to vomit in my mouth...



...and Lawrence O’Donnell tells us about his own personal battle to find restraint in reporting these stories of mass murder, tying this to Pete Hamill’s account of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (mildly NSFW/H...kudos to O’Donnell for showing some humanity...more here)...



Update 5/15/23: Shot (no pun intended) and chaser.

...and turning to another raging controversy in this country (quite rightly so), I have to admit that I’m a little behind on the story of the killing of Jordan Neely on an NYC subway and the automatic wingnut praise of the person who took Neely’s life – my bad – but of course we can rely on the Foxies to come up with exactly the wrong take (John and Brett Erlich...so much that’s wrong with Jesse Watters’ commentary in particular, but the implied chauvinism is typical for The Roger Ailes BS Factory where Watters says in essence “oh, women were scared, and they were happy that a guy stepped in and did something about this”...as if Watters has a freaking clue about that and was being honest in any way at all...and one more, for what I guess is the 150th time, allow me to point out that police funding was included in Biden’s American Rescue Plan in response to COVID, but every Repug voted No, so you tell me who wants to “defund” the freaking cops and who doesn’t...more here)...



...and Thom Hartmann (who I linked to above) tells us about Presidents Who Were Traitors (Nixon, Reagan, Dubya and Trump...Thom mentions Anna Chennault scuttling the Paris peace talks in ’68 for Tricky Dick...I think Thom means the first elected president after Nixon was Reagan, since Gerald Ford was appointed of course and inherited the job when Nixon resigned...GREAT job of “connecting the dots,” though I wouldn’t necessarily lump in GHWB...he won with the Willie Horton ad, that ridiculous image of Dukakis in the tank, Bernard Shaw’s “What would you do if Kitty Dukakis was raped and murdered?” gotcha question in one of the debates, and stuff like that....I know this stuff is repetitive, but I'll keep coming back to it particularly since the other side has no problem at all doing that for stuff against us that are lies; why should I be reticient about doing that when the info is true?)...



...and on this day in 1973, Mick Jagger donated about $150,000 to the $350,000 raised by the Rolling Stones’ January benefit concert to aid the victims of the earthquake in Nicaragua...here is a commemorative tune from that era.

Monday Stuff

Before I say another word, I should point out that I know all about this. And yes – like most of the rest of us, I’m genuinely sorry and I also am sympathetic of course. But that’s cold comfort, I know, and kind of a useless way to feel in light of everything I realize. Particularly because these horror shows will continue as long as Republicans control any level of government whatsoever. And Republicans will continue to wield power as long as primarily white conservative boomer Independents and Republicans continue to believe that protecting their privilege is more important than preventing the mind-numbing carnage of men and women and boys and girls with their faces and body parts utterly blown to bits due to indiscriminate attacks from murderous lunatics wielding weapons of death that belong on a military battlefield (and even that is debatable as far as I’m concerned) and absolutely nowhere else. I’ve posted I don’t know how many goddamn times about this, and I have to admit that there are times when I don’t know what else there is that’s left to say, like right now.

Update: After further consideration you might say, I'll plan to have something on both this and the Jordan Neely subway killing tomorrow.

Turning to the videos, Max Burns of Rebel HQ tells us about that nematode Jesse Watters of Fix Noise who is apparently one of the bipeds at The Roger Ailes BS Factory angling for the prime-time slot previously held by The Swanson TV Dinner Heir; the clip presents the typical misogyny from the cackling idiots on that channel, including the new "king of late night" Gutfeld! according to Bill Maher (spare me)...the clip also alleges a conspiracy with Biden and DOJ docs (with Watters pulling the DOJ “secret documents” trick knowing the DOJ can’t confirm that, as Burns tells us...and when it comes to Watters, let's not forget this)...



...and Beau tells us that Dem PACS are coordinating in response to the awful U.S. House Repug votes on this debt ceiling nonsense (if this budges the needle just a bit with the independent voters I just mentioned, then it’s worth it...Dems need to peel off enough of these characters to win enough seats to regain their majority, and that’s just the reality...do I like that? Hell no! And also, apparently Biden and co. are contemplating some maneuver involving the 14th Amendment...anything to avert a recession for real in this country, as well as across the world...of course, he could also just mint the damn coin!, but I guess that isn’t going to happen)...



...and turning to our completely and utterly corrupt SCOTUS, Francis Maxwell of Meidas Touch tells us about Dem U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse putting the High Court on blast when it comes to ethics reform (and here is another particularly disgusting anecdote involving Almost Silent Clarnece Thomas; not legally actionable I realize, but boy, does it give you a gut-churning insight IMO)...



...and David Pakman tells us that Repugs in Flori-DUUUH!! are trying to pass a bill to ban diversity programs and gender pronouns different from biological sex...yeah, good luck enforcing THAT! – what country am I living in again?...

...and once in a while, we get the news of someone passing from our midst who I thought did terrific work behind the scenes, as it were, to improve our lives, and one such person was former JFK FCC head Newton Minow (pictured at the microphone above). As the New York Times reminds us, he once warned us about television, saying the following:

“You will see a procession of game shows, violence, audience participation shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, Western bad men, Western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence and cartoons. And endlessly, commercials — many screaming, cajoling and offending. And most of all, boredom.”

He added, “If you think I exaggerate, try it.”

Of course, in today’s environment, I would also include the internet, our video games, PCs, smart phones, and other gadgets. Yes, I’m as dependent on some of this stuff as the rest of us, but I’m just saying that we need to remember that all of these things are tools that we control to (hopefully) better our own lives and those around us. I think that sentiment was implicit in Minow’s warning.

And with that in mind, I give you this slightly NSFW/H clip from “Network” about TV (a movie that contained enough smarts for about five other movies also)...



...and from roughly that era, I also give you this tune.



And speaking of the FCC, I thought this was noteworthy; I believe that Gigi Sohn was eminently qualified, but she offended conservatives, which the political/media/industrial complex simply will not allow.