Friday Stuff

This is your occasional reminder that our PA-01 Repug U.S. House Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick still refuses to stick his head out of the sand and agree to debate Dem challenger Bob Harvie.

To begin, John and David Shuster bring us more nonsense from Big Hair Blackburn in Tennessee; it seems that she wants to hold onto her U.S. Senate seat until she likely wins the governor’s election (love to be wrong, but I’m probably not), so SHE gets to name her replacement, not the current Repug governor Bill Lee...a truly cosmic level of entitlement here...I mean, at least in Kentucky (where “Weekend at Bernie’s” McConnell allegedly still resides in this dimension), Gov. Andy Beshear is a Dem, so there’s at least SOME twisted logic going on with that, but Blackburn’s stunt turns the corruption meter to 11, you might say...and oh yeah, another actual, for-real election notwithstanding this nonsense would be 2030...I didn’t realize the Trumpian level of extortion going on here from Mad Marsha, but kudos to Shuster for pointing that out...



...and I thought this was an interesting report from CBS News and Aaron MacLean about why the Army is apparently turning its back on drone warfare...reading between the lines a bit, I think we got our heads metaphorically handed to us on this by Ukraine when we participated in exercises with that nation, so our “Department of WOOOAAARRR” decided, in a fit of pique, to overturn the checkboard in a huff, pick up its toys and go home...not sure how this snuck by Bari Weiss because you can be sure she would have made this sound as flattering to our ruling regime as possible...



...and Robert Reich gives us more details on the reason for high electricity bills (and it’s not just data centers)...private utility companies apparently have to rely on venture capital to build up their infrastructure – I’m old enough to remember that governmental budgets would take care of stuff like this instead of these financial vultures trying to pick us apart...utilities are supposed to submit to tight regulation to keep from price gouging, with rates set by a public utility commission (good luck with that I know)...private utilities demanded a total of $31 billion in rate increases in ’25...good idea to have a federal law banning public utilities from using ratepayer dough for political activities (again, good luck with that – not surprised to hear that we HAD a law against that that was repealed under Dubya)...another good reason here to have utility commissioners appointed rather than elected (should be the other way around I know) because of corruption to curry political favors for those running for these positions...good idea to cap utility profits and ban them from using customer dough for political activities again... as we learn, a bill tied to this in Connecticut has saved customers about $10 million...more on the Lowering Utility Bills Act is here...



...and Belle tells us more about Cantaloupe Capone threatening to tear down the Kennedy Center (and don’t expect to hear a peep out of Bri-Fi on THAT either...I know I had a reference to this in that Lawrence O’Donnell clip yesterday)...you know what my answer is? GOOD. DISPLAY TO THE WHOLE FREAKING WORLD WHAT A MENTAL PATIENT THIS GUY TRULY IS!!! And oh...now this lunatic thinks he’s an architect who can determine when a building is “structurally unsound”? Is that what I’m hearing now?...On top of that, I hadn’t paid much attention to Don The Con trying to slap his name on that carrier and ban the Navy from naming it after the more deserving African American service member (here), not because it isn’t outrageous also, but only because I have only so much time and so many hours in the day to opine on this stuff... I think commenting on all of this madness is dragging Belle down a bit – it would for me anyway – but good for her to keep going (and she doesn’t hold back at the end, nor should she)...



...and Steve Harness of Really American tells us more on Bronzer Beelzebub hated on in plenty of places here and around the world, including a sculpture of him in a trash bin in Ireland (he’s scheduled to fly there for another damn golf outing on September 12)... that piece of art from Iran looks like that Nirvana album cover, though I’m sure they could care less about copyright infringement...and with all due respect to the good people in Iowa, you made your Trumpist bed (and you’ve voted for awful Republicans for years), so go lie in it...and a negative approval rating in 47 out of 50 states for Cheetoh Hitler? It’s not like people weren’t warned (surprised by 3 that are actually positive; can’t imagine what drugs they’re taking...briefly NSFW/H)...

...and I haven’t included a clip from The Lincoln Project for a little while, but I thought this was pretty spot-on; we’re living with the awful reality I know and don’t need much of a reminder, but I still think the reminders are important from time to time...



...and RIP Tim Curry – I realize this clip is about both Curry and Eddie Murphy, which is fine (I just was never into “Rocky Horror,” but I thought Curry was great in the “Muppet Treasure Island” flick – just a matter of preference I know...I also saw him in an arty movie called "The Ploughman's Lunch" years ago, which was different to say the least)...



...and RIP also Janie Bradford, who was also a co-writer on Motown’s first hit by Barrett Strong, covered by The Beatles, among others.

Thursday Stuff

John and Aida Rodriguez tell us that Fix Noise is apparently sinking in ratings, losing about 43 percent of their key ad demographic (25-54) in a year; pass the popcorn...looks like The Roger Ailes BS Factory is learning the hard lesson that Everything That Trump Touches Dies...gee, let’s see how many reasons why their sheep-like viewers can be fed up: 1) The Iran war, 2) Our wretched economy and those stinking tariffs, 3) The general incompetence, people losing heath insurance and related facilities closing down because of the Big Beautiful Clusterf*ck, 4) The corruption, including this “meme coin” garbage, etc...I have a feeling those numbers will pick up for that channel as the elections heat up, but we’ll see...good for Rodriguez to say that you should check out information you get from any source, but you don’t have to do that for me because I’m infallible (#joke)...



...and it looks like 2 kids have died of measles in our beloved commonwealth (here), with Gov. Shapiro trying to be tactful IMO on communicating to Bobby Brainworms that, SEE, LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SPREAD PROPAGANDA ABOUT VACCINES AND TRUSTING DOCTORS, YOU NITWIT!!! Oh, and I’m seeing some stuff online about Jr. allegedly saying that Shapiro refused help from the CDC, which 1) is something I want to see confirmed from a reputable news site, and 2) would make sense in a way since God only knows what Jr. has done to that vitally important agency...



Update 8/28/26: More here (and here from "Dr. Crudite").

...and Lawrence O’Donnell tells us to remember the names of Brett Shumate, Eric Hamilton and Brantley Mayers; these are the Trumpist toady DOJ lawyers that threatened to potentially tear down the Kennedy Center unless Diaper Donnie gets his name plastered on it (here and here)...Lawrence gets the reality perspective from Andrew Weissmann on the latest garbage from our ruling regime about mail-in voting from our Philistines in robes...good point by Weissmann that our six judicial lunatics referenced the Trumpist garbage language about securing elections in their ruling, which indeed is a bad sign (the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR screws the metaphorical pooch once again)...



...and Josh Gay of Ring of Fire brings us an update on the Gropenfuhrer’s typically idiotic trade war with our northern neighbor...I’m surprised he didn’t want to rename Lake Ontario to Lake Mar-a-Lago, but give him time I guess...didn’t know about the American Indian derivation of the name; something else we appropriated from another culture...oh, and I guess, for the hell of it, #47 decides to invoke the dead brother of Ontario premier Doug Ford who also was addicted to crack cocaine – yeah, why resist behind a stupid assh*le to the fullest extent possible (and I’m not referring to Ford)...I don’t know exactly what it says about Our Treasonous Orange Pustule that he said something in a tweet that was the EXACT OPPOSITE of what his negotiators are saying (about protesting French Canadians actually speaking French), except to emphasize further that we’ve been in 25th Amendment territory for-freaking-evah...



...and with the prior video in mind, I give you the following (nicely done)...



...and if you’re looking for a mellow newer tune to help wind down the week, well, here it is.

Tuesday Stuff

Farron Cousins brings us the news that a PA Democrat won a state house seat that had been held by Repugs for 30 years – an individual named Brandon Dukes emerged as the winner (and that included Butler, Pa., where Our Treasonous Orange Pestilence was allegedly shot in the ear that time)...I’ll grant Cousins’s point that something big may indeed be going on, but 1) Dems need to know how to capitalize on that, and I think many do (but others don’t), and 2) We have a looong way to go until November, and you just KNOW that the “party of Lincoln” is going to be pulling every lowdown trick in the book to try and hang onto power, so we just need to keep up our efforts until after the election is said and done...



...and Thom Hartmann tells us about the Gropenfuhrer trying to get himself a bank for his crypto scam...important that Thom points out that crypto isn’t currency by itself so its valuation could literally be anything...good discussion by Thom IMO about this “meme coin” garbage from Great Orange Satan and how the valuation is determined by how popular it is among the rubes and suckers, and also by the UAE in order to get computer chips from NVIDIA...and since enough is never enough, #47 goes to his comptroller of the currency to try and print his own money (Judas H. Priest, what a freaking nightmare!)...if this garbage infiltrates world financial markets somehow, the ’08 Recession will look like a picnic (and do you seriously trust these jackals in charge to prevent that?)...also, when it comes to the nuts and bolts of our elections, I think Greg Palast is pretty good about covering that stuff...Thom turns to this idiocy with Hakeem Jeffires at about 7:25...according to a Yale University study, M4A (opposed by Jeffries) would save 114K lives a year as Thom points out, and when even the freaking CATO Institute says it would save us $1 trillion a year, what else do you need to know for God’s sake??...also, I’m often OK with incumbent Dems losing in primaries in order to shake things up, but U.S. House Rep John Larson in Connecticut was pretty good IMO...



...and this New York Times clip includes an interview with Erika Vandermeer, the mother of a sailor onboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln...mercifully, the ship will be relieved by the U.S.S. George Washington, though God only knows when...it’s hard for me to be judgmental towards these fine individuals who have family members placing themselves in harm’s way for this country, but I don’t think that absolves them of the duty to follow current events and process that information to make intelligent decisions (which they plainly didn’t do when supporting Bronzer Beelzebub)...



...and Rachel Maddow informs us that “Moms For Liberty” is apparently losing its grip on politics in Flori-DUUUH...among other infamies, this is the group that fought against COVID vaccines and mask mandates at the height of the pandemic; they’re also big into book bans...maybe their most frequently used tactic was to run for school boards and win, unfortunately, particularly in Sarasota County...apparently, two Democratic candidates ran for positions on that school board, and both won, in a county where registered Repugs outnumber Dems 2-1...Maddow speaks with Megan Tennimon, one of the Dem schoolboard candidates who won their election...good sign to hear about all of the involvement of young people in the Dem campaigns here; that clueless bunch of election losers in our Beltway political/media/industrial complex for the DNC should pay attention to this and realize how important it is to build policy and a platform for future generations and forget about trying to win over these unicorn “moderates” in suburban bedroom communities who will never support you anyway...



...and as far as I’m concerned, Jesse Welles “hit it out of the park” again with this one...

...and I’ll admit that there have been plenty of other artists I paid more attention to than Dolly Parton, mainly because country music, for the most part, isn’t my thing, though I always respected folks like Patsy Cline, George Jones, Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn (and probably some others who escape me)...also, you can be sure I was put off by folks like Toby Keith who tripped over themselves trying to climb the Republican bandwagon when it was fashionable (he never did apologize to the Dixie Chicks as near as I could tell)...Dolly Parton, though, always took the opportunity to be above all that and come across as a kind, decent person (some of her philanthropy is noted here - she also donated "tens of millions" on behalf of disaster relief and medical and educational causes); that also doesn’t take into account her stature as an accomplished performer and composer...I can’t help but feel the lights dimming a bit at this moment with her passing (and once again, we lose someone in August, which seems to be a bad month for that)...RIP.

Update 9/4/26: I don’t have much of an opinion of Garth Brooks one way or the other, but nice work here I have to admit.

Monday Stuff

This is your occasional reminder that our PA-01 Repug U.S. House Rep Brian Fitzpatrick still refuses to stick his head out of his shell and agree to debate Dem challenger Bob Harvie.

To begin, David Pakman lets us know that it looks like Darline Graham (Repug nominee for U.S. Senator in South Carolina) can’t stop setting on that metaphorical rake...after her cosmic “duuuh” moment on the question about Taiwan and the South China Sea in that debate before she invoked her dead brother Huckleberry and her dad (and again, consider what would have happened if an answer like that had come from the mouth of a Democrat), she goes on Sean Inanity and goes all “oh, I HATE BOYS IN GIRLS’ SPORTS, so it’s all good” (like that’s an actual thing...spoiler alert: IT FREAKING ISN”T because her state, in their utter stoo-pidity, already bans trans athletes)...and again, she talks about her constituents concerned about making ends meet or whatever...REMIND ME AGAIN WHICH POLITICAL PARTY HAS COMPLETE CONTROL OF OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!!!...and I know Pakman makes a good point about Graham likely being right about what Repug South Carolinians truly care about, which is a more damning indictment of those life forms than anything I can come up with...



...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ informs us that it looks like the AI bubble is about to burst, according to Michael Burry, the investor profiled in “The Big Short” (terrific)...didn’t know that tech stocks account for a third of the S&P credit ratings – yep, not feeling warm and fuzzy about valuations of companies like NVIDIA that are taking off basically due to speculation (over-leveraged to the hilt)...have to admit that “Human Capital Stock” Kevin Hassett does a better job of plastering that insipid smile on his face in order to lie and cover up bad news that anybody else I’ve ever seen...



...and Brittany Page takes a look at the typically cruel and ridiculous plan by Bronzer Beelzebub to keep the poor from college, beginning with a discussion of the “caste” system in India, which our ruling oligarchy very much wants to impose here also...Don The Con wants to only “comp” college students for loans based on how much money they would make in a chosen field, which has to be illegal AF, but since laws apparently don’t apply anymore, who the hell knows?...Page is spot-on to point out that the Trumpers are doing the EXACT OPPOSITE of what they SHOULD be doing, which is making education more affordable...speaking only for myself, I was once in a situation where I was between jobs and I worked part time at a bookstore; well then, since that was definitely below the projected earnings for the degree I graduated with, then would I have been ineligible for a student loan??? And oh yeah, our plutocrats in power are also changing the amount of loans that can be taken out (usurious as our student loan process is anyway) based on the course of study...and leaving off advanced nursing programs since they apparently aren’t considered as a “professional” degree? Who the hell is going to take care of the ever-aging population of this country? A CPA (and no disrespect to that profession)???...



...and checking out political stuff “across the pond,” Jonathan Pie gives a typically spot-on commentary on how our ruling gaggle of idiots plays the “blame Canada” card at every opportunity when things aren’t going well, which is all the time any more basically...what I would give for our beyond useless corporate media to say straight up that Cantaloupe Capone makes bank out of the chaos he creates (and again, that’s one of the reasons #47 hates renewable energy so much, because he can’t game the market, unless he cancels fully funded projects such as wind turbines of course)...Pie once again hits the nail on the head when it comes to the gut-churning corruption of our ruling gangster regime (NSFW/H)...



...and harking back to the Pakman clip, I give you the following from Mr. Newberger...



...and here is another seasonal selection.