Thursday Stuff

Emma Vigeland and the crew of The Majority Report let us know that “MAGA Mike” Johnson can’t explain why Louisiana isn’t getting the “Trump national guard” treatment, with Gavin Newsom pointing out that Johnson’s state has a higher crime rate than Newsom’s, and of course Johnson blames the “Soros-funded, Democrat DA” in Shreveport, a charge which caught the state’s Repug Governor Jeff Landry off guard, among others, with Landry supporting the DA in question as noted here...and of course, when Johnson says “urban area,” that’s code for “OMIGOD we have to keep the ‘blahs’ and the Hispanics and the single mothers raising kids in their place!”...and good job by Emma IMO for calling out John Berman’s follow up question which is basically taking for granted that calling out the freaking national guard to our cities is OK in the first place (and maybe the stats in Philly under Larry Krasner having to do with violent crime are positive, but Krasner has made some big mistakes also IMO, including not seeking the death penalty for the perp accused in the shooting of Ofc. Christopher Fitzgerald - here).

And oh yeah, one of the quickest Google searches of my life yielded the following...

Here's the clip from The Majority Report...



...and Brian Tyler Cohen discusses the recent exchange between Our Ochre Abomination and a White House reporter about the Epstein files...in a weird way I’ll admit, I’m a little OK with Cheetoh Hitler continuing to lie over and over about how well this country is supposedly doing, because that means that the butt-whipping he’ll eventually get will be one he’ll likely never forget...yeah, I get it that the red states are doing their best to rig next year’s election, but if the results of special elections so far are any indication, they’re going to have to come up with a hell of a lot more than that to hang onto power...such a gaggle of Repug idiots in this clip including Comer, who probably can’t get through a day without uttering the words “Biden” and “scandal” in the same sentence repeatedly (NSFW/H)...



...and I know this is a little behind the media cycle here, but I wanted to get to this clip of John Iadarola and Elliott Morgan of The Damage Report addressing the “Is Trump Dead?” rumors...and no, I’m not going to go on the record wishing he would take the dirt nap, because then it becomes “Oh, you mean lib! How typical of you to want that for our commander in chief!”...so no, I’m not going to give the wingnuts an opportunity for BS with a self-inflicted wound like that...and I don’t have a clue as to what’s going on with the stuff thrown out of the White House window – hard to keep up with all of the ways that Our Ochre Abomination has utterly debased everything to do with being *preznit...story more or less ends at about 5:42, with the discussion turning next to which woeful offspring from Our Treasonous Orange Pustule would inherit the resolute desk, with apparently Eric saying he’d run depending on how badly his father screwed up – yeah, we’re talking about a real MENSA candidate here (#sarcasm)...I’ll have to catch up on the show “Succession” to truly get the reference here...yeah, between Uday and Qusay versus Couch Boy for ’28, NONE of these options are good for the health of our nation as Morgan says...

...and Sam Stein and Jonathan Cohn of The Bulwark bring us the utterly ridiculous story of Flori-DUUH! getting rid of vaccine mandates (here)...yeah, “Dr.” Joseph (“Disdain and Slavery”) Ladapo is totally nutty, which I’m sure we knew already...yes, this poses a threat to anyone who is immune compromised as discussed (kids AND adults), as well as the fact that it takes longer for some kids to build up immunity than others; also, vaccines can help fight off other infections that may permutate from measles or whooping cough or other viruses...can’t think of a word to describe how idiotic it is for us to have these cures at our disposal and not using them when others in poorer nations don’t have access to these therapies but would dearly want that...

...and sorry I'm a little late with this also, but RIP Graham Greene...



...and I'm not sure about the "headphones thicker than blood" part, but the rest of this newer tune nails it as far as I'm concerned.

Wednesday Stuff

Glenn Kirschner of Justice Matters informs us that, apparently, Judge Winebox isn’t doing such a bang-up job as a D.C. prosecutor, with her charges of felony assault being tossed in two cases, so it looks like she’s trying to prosecute misdemeanor charges instead since that’s apparently the only avenue for prosecution she has left...and “a 20-person raid” to arrest Sean Charles Dunn, the D.C. “sandwich thrower”?? Too absurd to call this farcical, though I guess that word fits...glad to hear Kirschner compare the cases of Dunn and Sidney Reid to what happened with the 1/6 insurrectionists, since I think that applies...



...and Yasmin Khan of Rebel HQ tells us about a Texas Repug state rep who authored a “pro-life” bill (Giovanni Capriglione) who also has had an affair with a former exotic dancer (Alex Grace) that was secret at one time, though not any more...and oh yeah, this guy Capriglione has paid for his mistress to have “several” abortions according to her...I give Grace credit for her courage in coming forward like this, along with describing her own role in the situation the way she did, warts and all you might say...I agree with Khan; the hypocrisy on the part of Capriglione is the point here, but at least he’s not seeking re-election, so there’s that...I realize it’s Grace’s choice if she wants to appear on some right wing nutter podcast, but as long as she did, I’m not sure what kind of “proof” she’s supposed to provide; is she supposed to present phone records? “Mash” notes? The results of an ob-gyn exam or something?...



...and Jesse Dollemore presents a clip of CA governor Gavin Newsom quite correctly sounding the alarm about Pumpkin Pol Pot, saying that foreign leaders are laughing at #47 behind his back, and as Jesse says, that means they’re laughing at us also...the first clip with Newsom is good, but he sure nails it in the second clip concerning the threat that Our Treasonous Orange Pustule truly poses, and even more so in the third excerpt...



...and The Good Liars visited Trump Tower for a Labor Day protest – nice to see some folks putting in the effort to make a difference...and yeah, I guess Mango Mussolini hasn’t shed his mortal coil, if you will, but I still think this guy has serious health issues that this regime is typically trying to hide...



...and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 9/3/20; never forget that using the military to patrol our cities is an extension of the behavior from the same guy responsible for this...



...and happy 80th birthday to George Biondo of Steppenwolf.

Tuesday Stuff

I haven’t checked in with Trae Crowder for a while, not for any particular reason, I should add – he tells us all about the typical response from the wingnut bottom feeders to the most recent gun carnage in this country, this time in Minnesota...and apparently, since the shooter was reportedly “trans” (here), well then, I guess that automatically absolves all of the other non-trans gun nuts of their murderous, destructive acts, huh (shaking my head...NSFW/H)...



...and Rachel Maddow tells us about Our Ochre Abomination’s degradation of the military and law enforcement; looks like a “new mission” indeed, with the termination of a whole bunch of senior military and national security officials...”de-professionalizing” law enforcement and the military for sure (hat type to Kyle Kulinski for mentioning this clip)...I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it; every damn thing 47 does makes us weaker and helps Vlad The Butcher...”watch what he does, not what he says” indeed...



...and Jesse Dollemore, in Idaho, discusses white supremacy, and he’s definitely in a location for that sadly...clip tells us how Bronzer Beelzebub wants to put forward revisionist history, particularly when it comes to the Civil War, with the portrait of General Robert E. Lee being hung once more at West Point, and doing so while trying to erase the contributions of people of color...and boy, is this Joe Borelli character on CNN ever a knucklehead...and oh yeah, when it comes to descendants of the confederacy, I give you this (briefly NSFW/H)...



...and Brittany Page gives us the story of the CDC director who supported Cantaloupe Capone saying she was forced out of her job by “Bobby Brainworms,” and apparently it’s an open question as to whether or not he can do that...and oh yeah, the CDC stopped monitoring our food supply for six pathogens, but sssshhh– don’t tell anyone...I didn’t know about the 750 CDC employees who signed a letter saying that RFK, Jr. was complicit in dismantling our public health infrastructure; I mean, yeah, we knew that tragically, but what guts by the employees to do that...glad she goes after Repug U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, a doctor who YOU WOULD THINK would know better than to move along Jr.’s HHS nomination...and yep, if you keep digging through the toxic garbage people in this ruinous administration, you will eventually come to Peter Thiel, or at least a connection to Thiel (more here)...



...and oh look, Dementia Donnie apparently appeared for the first time in days as noted here...if this had been #47’s predecessor, our corporate media would have lost their collective sh*t and had screaming banner headlines for days...kind of brings to mind this number from Mr. Newberger...



...and kudos to Neil Young for continuing to fight the good fight (here)

Monday Stuff

Here is a clip reminding us of the importance of today's holiday, as well as of the labor movement overall (more here , here, here, here, and a true relic is here...and as noted here, the beat goes on, you might say)…



...also, this story tells us about the Chicago Labor Day March, with the theme of workers over billionaires (rallying at Haymarket, which is a storied location in the history of organized labor, as noted in the first video)...



...and this report from CBS Sunday Morning tells us about prison labor and how those incarcerated can earn either points to be redeemed at a prison commissary or actual dough, in the case of the “Prison Blues” brand of jeans, which are apparently popular in Japan...I’m sure it won’t be surprising to learn which states don’t both to comp inmates in any form for their work...I have to admit that I didn’t know how wide-ranging prison work really was across diverse industries...also important to note that using incarcerated workers drives down wages for non-incarcerated workers, which is probably the biggest benefit for employers (and I say that through clenched teeth)...I knew that prison labor was exempted when slavery was outlawed by the 13th Amendment...



...and this story tells us about a California grower who wants to replace workers with robots amidst a labor shortage (with farmers taking a hit from Mango Mussolini’s cruel and ridiculous immigration raids)...this story poses a bit of a thorny question I realize; on the one hand, you have the threat of robotics driving down wages, but on the other hand, you have the threat of the affected crops not getting picked at all, potentially shuttering businesses and driving up food prices...there must be a balance that can be struck somewhere, though I’ll admit that I don’t know how or where...



...and Robert Reich tells us about 5 ways to strengthen labor and the middle class of this country...video is 12 years old, but it still has some good points about leveling the playing field, you might say, for workers...and I’m pretty sure the minimum wage adjusted for productivity and inflation is around $15 an hour now (what the federal minimum wage should be, I mean)...good idea about increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit also (and let's not forget this, by the way)...



Update 9/2/24: Well said.

Update: For Bluesky folks, I offer this.

...and here is a tune for the holiday.

Friday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen brings us the sickening story of sycophants of Dear Orange Leader sucking up to him all over the place...they’ve obviously learned the lesson that kissing Mango Mussolini’s oversized butt will likely get them whatever they want...and yeah, you guessed it; here comes the “A lot of people” lying tell again...it is indeed pathetic to see people who, chronologically, are adults massaging the fee-fees of Cheetoh Hitler (NSFW/H)...



...and Chris Hayes comments on the D.C. national guard personnel on trash patrol with no crimes to fight...insulting and worse to tell people trained to put themselves in harm’s way for our country to act like employees at a McDonald’s (“lethality, lethality, warrior ethos...mulch” indeed)...good point by Hayes that this is part of Combover Caligula’s effort to normalize military patrolling U.S. streets, which should NEVER be normal (if Stanley Kubrick were still with us, he would likely make a movie out of this, but the problem is that it would be a documentary)...



...and David Shuster tells us about ICE profiling and pretty much illegally detaining a guy named Paul Bryant, who is a former U.S. Army infantry officer and an attorney – rut-row...we also learn about Torez Riley, who was stopped for a search that was ruled illegal by Judge Zia M. Faruqui (sounds like the Trump minions should try acquainting themselves with the notion of probable cause, though I’m sure it wouldn’t do much good sadly...and I know I already included the clip of the ICE vehicle in LA getting towed)...



...and Ben Meiselas of the Meidas Touch Network brings us some actual good news; don’t look now, but a Dem just defeated a MAGA Repug running for a state senate seat in deep red Iowa – the winner is Catelin Drey over Christopher Prosch, and yeah, this is a district that the Gropenfuhrer carried by 11.5 points last year...and yeah, this breaks the Repug super majority in Iowa’s state senate...and yep, this continues the trend of Dems over performing in special elections...Prosch didn’t come off as particularly terrible in his segment (he was all over the place and sounded like he cared more about a pipeline and nuclear energy than anything else), though Drey came off as someone a lot more in touch with the issues that matter...I didn’t know just how courageous Josh Turek was (seeking the Democratic nom to run for U.S. Senate against Joni Ernst) until I saw this clip...



Update: And speaking of Iowa, how interesting is this?

...and Tennessee Brando tells us about Illinois offering an LBGTQ help line, providing free legal advice for those facing discrimination (here)...about freaking time that somebody did, but credit where it’s due...and yeah, I have to admit that I thought a lot of the battles we fought in the past were won, but more fool me I guess...with the rise of Our Ochre Abomination, it has been made painfully clear to yours truly that this country will FOREVER be looking for someone to tap into the latent racism, misogyny, and anti-immigrant and anti-non CIS (for lack of a better way to put it) bigotry that I guess will ALWAYS exist in this country...slightly NSFW/H...



...and would that more of this country would “turn blue” (especially the suckups in the first clip), as Mr. Newberger shows us...



...and this is kind of a late entry when it comes to my seasonal selections, but I didn't want to pass it up...



...and it seems like another summer has basically slipped by (sad face), though we should still have a little while left when it comes to enjoying the sun and the outdoors generally...for anyone keeping score at home, you know I include this tune as we head into Labor Day weekend, so here it is again.

Thursday Stuff

I should warn you that Francis Maxwell really goes off in this highly NSFW (but appropriate) commentary on the recent shooting in Minnesota, and he’s about 150 percent correct; he feels the way I did after Sandy Hook, and one of my most vivid memories from that awful carnage was Obama trying not to break down during the SOTU shortly afterwards, while that death eater Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao smirked over denying another “victory” to #44 and scowled when that was pointed out to the Senate “leader”...so much that we need to do in response that I and many, many other people have already mentioned, and Maxwell does that also here...



Update: And along comes "Bobby Brainworms" with his take right out of Gonzo land (here).

...and this clip from The Majority Report features Emma V. discussing Yambo killing a wind farm project to power 350K homes in Rhode Island...and the fact that the project is about 80 percent complete is the cherry on the icing of this sh*t sundae as far as yours truly is concerned (and I share Matt Lech’s comment about this being a “layup” for the Dems, but I have a feeling they’ll “put up a brick” anyway, to overwork the basketball metaphor...love to be wrong)...to be fair, I need to temper my indignation here by recalling Ted Kennedy’s opposition to Cape Wind off Martha’s Vineyard for his own reasons also; yes, wind projects have their own environmental impact, but it’s waay worse for other forms of energy...that being said, Lee Zeldin’s claim that windmill imports could be a national security threat is particularly ridiculous even for this regime of frauds and lowlifes...glad Emma mentions projects started from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and how we’re behind on power, particularly given these AI data centers that are springing up, with one of these places consuming enough energy for 100K households according to the Guardian (Emma really connects the dots form about 6:10 to 6:18)...good point about wind turbines working in adverse weather conditions, such as those in Texas where all of those people froze to death...after watching this clip, I think “pipeline” should be Zeldin’s middle name...interesting chip-related discussion at the end about how behind Intel is versus NVIDIA (NSFW/H also)...



...and sticking with environmental matters, this segment from More Perfect Union tells us about national park rangers and other park workers trying to unionize...I honestly don’t expect the cretins in charge of our government to have the remotest clue as to what workers in our national parks do or what they have to manage or how they care for a legacy that we need to hand down to future generations (not excusing the negligence of our “leaders”), but at least this clip gives us a hint as to what the people doing this noble work are going through under the ruinous reign of Bronzer Beelzebub and his minions...



...and Jesse Dollemore brings us the story of Missouri farmer Fred Higginbotham going off at his U.S. House Rep Mark Alford over Cantaloupe Capone...as Jesse says, this is EXACTLY the energy that EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN DEMOCRAT should be putting out there (and by the way, Jesse, you be you...BTC and Pakman are great, but you’re doing fine as far as I’m concerned)...



...and The Good Liars present more interviews with folks discussing flag desecration, with those people interviewed showing a rather astonishing lack of self-awareness; part of this makes me laugh, part of this makes me cringe, part of me makes me shake my head and walk away...



...and happy upcoming 80th birthday to Chris Copping of Procol Harum.

Wednesday Stuff

Sharon Reed of Rebel HQ gives us Navy vet Chris Farrell responding to Baby Goebbels who says that D.C. is less safe than Baghdad...the video also includes Mary Trump responding about Stephen Miller (and oh yeah, along comes Clay Travis, Gutfeld and this Rob Schmitt character to spread more lies about crime in “blue” cities...I would say that the reality perspective on this issue is here)...



...and Mike Figueredo of The Humanist Report brings us this segment of Ali Velshi basically saying that we have dictatorial rule right now, aided by utterly supine congressional Republicans, ineffectual Democrats, the thoroughly compromised High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR, and a gaggle of media lapdogs...Velshi carefully explains all the ways that Democratic norms in this country have been toppled (I think Velshi is generally a straight shooter, to his credit)...I knew there were protests in LA fortunately, but I didn’t know how continuous they were...and oh yeah, Cheetoh Hitler signed that EO of his criminalizing flag desecration; IMO, burning the flag is a stupid and insulting act, but it is protected free speech...I have to admit that it’s difficult to listen to Our Treasonous Orange Pestilence given what a stupendous liar he is...and no, this won’t make me a fan of John Bolton or Governor Bully also...and of course, leave it to our gang of unindicted criminals to continue abusing Kilmar Abrego Garcia...and I knew about Mango Mussolini going after CHOP to get the records of trans kids, typically despicable as that is; glad Figueredo is pointing that out...didn’t know the term “competitive authoritarianism” either until now (NSFW/H)...



...and the following is a PBS Newshour report on Russian propaganda being well received by fundie “Christian” nut jobs in this country, in particular Marjorie Train Wreck Greene and The Swanson TV Dinner Heir (and oh yeah, that nut case Alex Jones also)...and yeah, I know about Glenn Greenwald, a supposed lefty who is nothing but a “tankie”...and I’d never heard of this Robert Amsterdam lying nut until now (and it figures that Vlad The Butcher is shutting down “non Orthodox” churches in Russia, showing how utterly clueless the fundie nut jobs in this country are about the guy in charge of Russia supposedly being so devout)...make no mistake; these “fellow travelers” within our shores have played an outsized role in landing us in the autocratic mess in which we’re currently stuck...



...and speaking of authoritarianism, apparently Bronzer Beelzebub has created a spreadsheet showing how supposedly loyal companies are to him, and yeah, this indeed is straight out of the playbook of Vlad The Butcher...#47 is absolutely the most easily manipulated human being perhaps in the history of creation (Farron Cousins and Caleb Cunningham of America’s Lawyer tell us about it)...



...and Thom Hartmann suggests that maybe the only way around fascism is universal health care (Medicare for All to be exact)...and Thom is right about Taft-Hartley getting passed under Republican control to basically undo (as much as possible) the Wagner Act that established collective bargaining, passed during the Great Depression...and yes, health care should be a right and not a privilege...didn’t know that President Lincoln created 74 land grant colleges – important history...and if Dean Baker is making the Medicare for All argument, then you know he’s doing that with sound economic footing...and I’m pretty sure Thom means that there was legislation passed in 2021 to increase ACA subsidies, with that legislation due to expire at the end of this year...didn’t know also that Taiwan was so progressive when it came to providing health care for their citizens (speaking only for myself, I know someone who left this country in search of better health care and apparently found it)...



...and SRV left us 35 years ago today.

Tuesday Stuff

This video from More Perfect Union tells us What Rail Corps Don’t Want You To Know About A New Safety Request...looks like CSX and some of these other outfits want to go to “automated rail inspections” from 2x a week to 2x a month, using some “track geometry” technology that wasn’t intended to replace human track inspections...and oh yeah, let’s not forget that Couch Boy did indeed help lobbyists push back against Vance’s own rail safety bill that was created after the East Palestine rail disaster (here)...more on David Fink (#47’s nominee to head the Federal Railroad Administration) is here...



...and Tennessee Brando informs us that Ryan Walters (who apparently puts the “O” face in Oklahoma...here) now wants teachers to pass “loyalty” tests, that is, if they’re coming from those allegedly nasty blue states such as NY and CA in an effort to combat...OK, everybody now...”woke ideology” (and don’t ask Walters or any of his fellow troglodytes to try and explain what that means) – and yeah, I’m sure teachers from CA, NY, MA, Illinois, NJ, etc. will just be lining up to teach kids in that red state now (oh please)...and once again, I feel the need to point out that we now have a *preznit who doesn’t have a clue as what constitutes a Bible passage (hell, he didn’t even know how to correctly hold one for display), when, on the other hand, we pretty much just drove out of office a Catholic who regularly attended services (NSFW/H)...



...and Jesse Dollemore brings us the tale of the D.C. judge who released the kids charged in the attack on “Big Balls”...as Jesse says, monitoring these two 15-year-olds to get them to not try anything like this again is the common sense approach...it always gets me that the wingnuts oppose anything short of confinement, even though it’s actually cheaper to do stuff like this judge did (costs more to lock them up) – you’d think the cost savings argument would appeal to conservatives, but it never does on this stuff – punishment of the “other” ALWAYS comes first...



...and it looks like “Disappointed” Susan Collins in Maine has at least one Dem declaring to run for the nomination in next year’s election for her seat, and that would be Graham Platner...yeah, I’m partial to team “D” of course, but on top of that, I’m genuinely impressed by what Platner brings to the table here...



...and I thought the apropos lyrics in this upbeat number were totally deserved, especially in light of this...



...and I don’t know exactly what’s going on with the hobby horses here, but I like this newer tune, so here it is.

Monday Stuff

Chris Hayes discusses CA governor Gavin Newsom doing a pretty expert job of trolling Cantaloupe Capone...I can’t think of a word (ironic may be it) to describe how apt the advice from Dana Perino of Fix Noise is CONSIDERING THAT IT SHOULD BE AIMED DIRECTLY AT #47 INSTEAD!...



...and Emma V. and the crew from The Majority Report tell us that DHS Secretary Kristi (“Unsafe At Any Speed”) Noem recently went to the southwest border to paint the wall, thinking that will be a deterrent to immigrants...”Build Black Better” – good one...I personally subscribe to the theory in the clip that Sherwin-Williams gave a massive campaign donation...the Majority Report clips often aren’t bad, but as far as I’m concerned, they go on for way too long with barely any production values and include a lot of extraneous remarks...and I realize the tune by the Rolling Sones would be too easy of a selection here (NSFW/H)...



...and in what I would call a bit of a related item, it appears that Transportation Secretary and former Fix Noise personality (and I know that covers a lot of people in this gaggle of idiots and charlatans) Sean Duffy ordered the rainbow crosswalk in Orlando near the Pulse nightclub (where, at the time, the worst mass shooting in U.S. history took place) to be painted over (a very happy update is here)...



...and Leeja Miller discusses the very real possibility that the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR could take up a case next term that could gut Obergefell, with nutball Kim Davis right in the middle of this mess (Miller gives probably the best takedown of Davis that I’ve ever seen, and it most definitely is deserved)...typically good explanation of how the concepts of “liberty” and “privacy” have gone together in court rulings, basically saying you can’t have one without the other...and yeah, I think the whole “this should be handled by the states” argument is BS, particularly because of the sordid history of states persecuting same-sex couples with their own pernicious laws...of course, our SCOTUS has no problem taking a metaphorical wrecking ball to rulings that assumed the right to privacy that are mentioned in this clip...didn’t know there were 800K same-sex couples in the U.S. – gives you an idea of the impact if the Supremes try to do anything to Obergefell (and I know Miller knows the law on this, but as far as I’m concerned, going after Obergefell would most definitely impact current same sex marriages)...interesting discussion of rights v. burdens also...and yeah, isn’t it just peachy to read the dissent at about 18:00 from Almost Silent Clarence Thomas that pretty much cheers on Davis’s bigoted antics...”everything is on the table with this conservative supermajority” on the SCOTUS indeed...(NSFW/H also)..



...and I realize that, when you’re talking about humor, sometimes you have to dance a bit on the razor’s edge, you might say, and I think Mr. Newberger does that here concerning the Cracker Barrel logo thing...



...and temps in this area should be pretty seasonal with nice weather, but the heat can still get to you if you’re not careful, so please take any precautions (especially if you’re in Flori-DUUH! or “the land of the yellow rose”).

Friday Stuff

John Oliver takes a pretty deep dive into the nutso MAHA stuff...and yeah, it would indeed be nice if the Trump “Education Secretary” could actually read a list of food ingredients…and as far as I’m concerned, when an “influencer” is involved in governmental decisions, that’s a blaring warning siren for yours truly…and yeah, the whole “getting rid of food dyes” thing is a typical wingnut straw man argument IMO…and I’m glad to see Calley and Casey Means get the treatment they deserve…and why am I not surprised to see The Swanson TV Dinner Heir in this; yeah, Tuckums, it’s “Coca-Cola” (facepalm)…and a “liver smoothie”?? Oy…and this Calley Means character just thinks that food is tied to everything?? In a way, I’m not surprised to hear a grifting character like this guy peddle horse dookey like this for our ruling gaggle of frauds and idiots (and yeah, Calley Means definitely checks the box for “condescending prick” all right…and no, he doesn’t know a damn thing about SNAP either)…and oh yeah, the Meanses are also pretty much anti-vax, because of course (and I’m old enough to remember Michelle Obama pushing schools to offer healthier foods, but she was met by mostly scorn and derision even though she was absolutely right)…and man oh man, is Linda Leach-Hughes on the mark here (NSFW/H)...

…and by the way, the next time you’re on YouTube, search for “John Oliver Song Of The Summer”; I’m not saying another word...

...and Jesse Dollemore tells us that Trumpette U.S. House Rep Nancy Mace in South Carolina claimed to support infrastructure spending in her state that she voted against...there was a time when people like Mace and other assorted idiots in her party (some of the ones Jesse mentions and many others) were outliers, but they’re pretty much mainstream now (and yeah, I don’t think the Gropenfuhrer sleeps either, at least not without a fistful of Ambien...that would explain his late night ranting posts)...I will acknowledge that Mace is a particularly nutty representative of the Trump Party, somehow trying to turn verifiable truth and reality against a reporter asking a perfectly reasonable question about her lie (and that probably makes Mace the Repug front runner for governor, I realize...and nice work by Jesse to mention Yambo killing the Murphy-Lankford Senate bill on immigration so it wouldn’t interfere with the election last year)...



...and Kyle Kulinski tells us that 80% of the country now says immigration is a good thing, up from 64% the last time the question was asked; definitely a response to the ICE illegality and Trumpian madness...a pox on this country for being led by the “party of Lincoln” into believing that we could both demonize immigrants AND maintain our economic quality of life; this country has run off the backs of minorities for nearly as long as it has existed, and I don’t seriously expect that that circumstance will ever change...good point by Kyle that attacks on immigrants are the tip of the metaphorical spear that will be used against other minorities our ruling regime want to oppress (or they’ll definitely try to do that anyway...NSFW/H also)...



...and John and Yasmin Khan of The Damage Report ask, “what are the wingnuts in a froth over today?”...are they trying to defend immigrants from attacks by ICE? Attacks on LGBTQ individuals? Efforts by the Trump gang to completely ignore climate change? Our degraded economy and dwindling prestige on the world stage? Hell freaking no...they’re probably cheering it all on...it turns out that they’re mad about the new Cracker Barrel logo...seriously (including Uday Jr. naturally, blaming “the gays” and “woke,” for God’s sake...corporate rebranding happens all the time for one reason for another – get a freaking grip)...



...actually, as long as we’re on this subject, I have to admit that I’m partial to the design of this logo...

...and oh, it looks like James Dobson, formerly of Focus on the Family, has died...I’d forgotten about Dobson’s role in fighting for Proposition 8 in California (here)...nothing like hateful bigotry masquerading as piety and rectitude, is there?...



...on the other hand, to pay tribute to someone who deserves it, RIP Rhode Island Judge Frank Caprio, showing his trademark compassion from the bench to a Vietnam veteran here...



...and on the subject of the afterlife, I now present the following from Mr. Newberger...



...and I know I’m overdue for a newer tune, and I hope this will suffice to take us into the weekend.

Thursday Stuff

David Pakman gives us yet another example of alleged “Christian” Karoline Leavitt ridiculously lashing out at reporters for asking perfectly reasonable questions...”only a reporter from the New York Times would ask that” as if that’s supposed to be some kind of insult (maybe to a third-grade mentality, I suppose)...and “closing of seven global conflicts around the world?” What the hell is she even talking about? Does she know?...and oh yeah, supposedly Mango Mussolini single handedly ended the India-Pakistan conflict; meanwhile, in the world of reality as noted here...

“India has been consistently maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries... Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in Parliament that no leader of any country asked India to stop Operation Sindoor.” (the code name for India’s military action against Pakistan).

And by the way, when it comes to former President Biden and Ukraine, I give you this...



...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us about residents standing up to ICE in LA and D.C., including a tow truck driver pulling away an ICE vehicle...nice work...story reminds us about the little boy with stage 4 kidney cancer deported to Honduras in April...I think Shuster is right when he says that the gang from Cheetoh Hitler is just looking for an excuse to ratchet up the force and jackbooted thuggery, since that’s all they know to do and don’t give a damn about doing anything else...oh, and by the way, trying to get rid of mail-in ballots, among other things, will really put the screws to our military, who Repugs claim to support (I’m old enough to remember all of those “Support The Troops” bumper stickers during the days of Dubya’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iraq)...



...and Tennessee Brando discusses Hunter Biden basically quoting journalist Michael Wolff in saying that Melania was introduced to Cantaloupe Capone by Jeffrey Epstein, supposedly, so OF COUURRSSE Hunter Biden is getting sued...discovery should be very interesting if this goes forward...yeah, deciding to leave Wolff alone tells you what their threats are really all about...and yeah, unfortunately, as Brando says, we have to deal with the beyond wretched Kim Davis all over again, because revenge is in season from the typical wingnut bottom feeders (NSFW/H)...



...and Thom Hartmann reminds us that Our Ochre Abomination is the latest incarnation of the utterly destructive American right...and as far as I’m concerned, that quote from LBJ about “the poorest white man” remains true today...and Robert Reich estimates that the wealth transfer from the middle class to the one percent bastards is about 80 trillion to date, and if anybody know what they’re talking about on that subject, it’s Reich (hope you’re sitting down as you read that)...and 1½ trillion dollars in student debt? Yep, along with a whole bunch of other mind-numbingly awful statistics...we knew that gun violence was the leading cause of death of children, and the only other place in the world where that happens is freaking Gaza!...I’d heard Thom’s discussion of the 80-year-cycle of upheaval before, and it’s scary (but not surprising I guess) to find out that we’re on target for another uprising, whatever form that takes...



...and speaking of Reich, he brings us Five Steps to Fight Trump’s Fascism...speaking for myself, I’ve sent a bunch of Emails to Bri-Fi, as well as occasionally to Fetterman (I don’t waste my time with McCormick, though I guess I should), and even though I may be pretty much p*ssing in the ocean, I know I need to keep doing it...lots of good ideas in this clip (more here and here)...



...and I’m going to try and lighten things up a bit, since we’re still in the summer for a little while longer...today is the 105th birthday (would have been I mean) of Christoper Robin Milne, the son of author A.A. Milne, who wrote the Winnie-The-Pooh books featuring his son as a lead character...that brings to mind this tune from awhile back.

Wednesday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore tells us about someone from the D.C. ICE Gestapo saying that “liberals already ruined it” (as in this country, apparently)...yeah, that was a brainless thing to say, but egging on these thugs wasn’t smart either, I have to tell you...and of course, Trumpette Tricia McLaughlin tries to completely spin a wildly different scenario in opposition to what we plainly saw on display...Jesse opens up a can of “whoop ass” at the end, and he’s right to do so (mildly NSFW/H)...



...meanwhile, The Good Liars take a look at D.C.’s newly militarized presence...yeah, “nothing to see here” on 1/6, but Pumpkin Pol Pot now has to call out the military to fend off anybody throwing a Subway sandwich...uh huh...



...and Rachel Maddow gives us a bunch of data on Our Ochre Abomination’s truly abysmal polling regarding a whole host of issues, leading to an overall rating that its truly underwater (can’t imagine how brainless that 40-41 percent are who keep giving Yambo decent ratings)...and it look like “Bongo” is on his way out at DOJ? C’est dommage..



...and I happened to come across this clip almost by accident recently, and I don’t think I need to add much to it (NSFW/H also)...



...and I think this tune from Mr. Newberger is particularly apropos in light of this ridiculous story...



...and this is another selection that I’ve always associated with summer, so here it is (trying to stretch it out as long as possible even though the days are gradually getting shorter – sigh).

Tuesday Stuff

(I think the cartoon is intended to take a jab at this.)

This clip from More Perfect Union informs us that Tucson, AZ just rejected a bid to build a massive Amazon data center, to be built by Beale Infrastructure, backed by Blue Owl, a $30 billion investment firm...looks like Beale tried to go behind the backs of the people of Pima County to get the project approved, which would have annihilated the water supply and doubled the water rates paid by residents...and oh, this Rex Scott character on the Pima board doesn’t think the residents should be allowed to vote on the proposal, huh (more here)? Also, part of what Combover Caligula doesn’t want anyone talking about, as noted near the end of the clip, is the pre-emption of the rule of local municipalities in decisions like this via his dictatorial executive orders (and I can see this ruling, or those like it anyway, ultimately going to the beyond wretched SCOTUS of Hangin’ Judge JR, and I think we know what will happen in that awful event)...



...and Leeja Miller gives us the latest AI-related developments; it looks like US computer chip maker NVIDIA struck a deal with China to sell the H100 chip (works better for AI) with a 15% cut going to this country, supposedly (I don’t trust anything involving the Trump gang)...Biden put an embargo on selling the chips to China, and Pumpkin Pol Pot did also in his first term, but apparently we’re not doing that now...so now, we’re going to allow the H20 chip (not quite as powerful as the 100) in exchange for rare earth metals from China (important discussion of those metals in this segment)...this is all a bit of a corporate “fan dance,” if you will, because, as noted in the clip, China is getting the chips anyway through Malaysia, but just at a higher cost, but the national security implications are indeed real (and I didn’t know that Ukraine is a player also when It comes to rare earth minerals)...the info on the amount of water needed to run data centers running off AI technology is staggering (echoing the prior clip somewhat), along with other related energy needs...and yes, I share Miller’s exasperation with the fact that getting the one percent bastards to pay their f*cking fair share of taxes would indeed solve a lot of what plagues this country...the stuff about AI integration with advanced weapons systems is truly scary, along with enhanced surveillance of course...I know I’m going out of order on her videos a bit, mainly because It’s hard to keep up with them, even though they’re well done for sure (NSFW/H)...



...and will you look at this? Repug U.S. House Rep Don Bacon of Nebraska is basically pointing out that Cheetoh Hitler’s tariffs are a disaster, with 5-6% of his state’s GDP from his farmers disappearing - David Pakman tells us about it...



...and Jen Psaki discusses D.C. residents commendably opposing #47’s takeover...video also recalls all of the "Jade Helm" idiocy from 2015, with “Cancun Cruz” leading the way on that of course...not surprising, but still utterly pathetic to see Repug politicians cheering on autocratic rule with a proposed federal takeover of “Democrat-run” cities (here)...

...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us of Our Ochre Abomination’s caddy caught cheating for him at golf, trying to do a “drop” of where his ball supposedly landed after a tee shot (nice comments on this from Rick Reilly)...and oh yeah, there’s also the business of displaying the presidential seal at his courses, which is a clear violation of a federal statute...yeah, this isn’t the most important issue by a longshot, but it amplifies what a cheap con artist Combover Caligula truly is...



...and happy 80th birthday to Ian Gillan of Deep Purple.

Monday Stuff

Belle of the Ranch gives us her rundown on the recent meeting with #47 and his “bestie”...all Yambo had to do was not try to negotiate away Ukraine giving up land and that country’s possible entry into NATO, and Our Treasonous Orange Pustule failed on both counts...and ”Article V-like protection”; I know this nightmare of a *presidency is a looong way from over, but that needs to take place already for sure...I thought Belle was pretty strident here, and I also think she’s 100 percent correct (the Tom Sawyer reference was particularly apropos)...



Update: As predictable as flatulence after indigestion (here).

...and John of The Damage Report lets us know about the latest grift from Don The Con, which is supposed to be some fragrance for either $199 or $250 (a truly ironic doodad given the failing personal hygiene of Mango Mussolini)...yep, just crank out more junk for the pitiable rubes who keep getting suckered into buying this stuff...and oh yeah, Yambo is making our Secret Service pay through the proverbial nose for carts and port-a-potties at his stinking golf courses...ummm, could someone please contact the @DNC to find out if they intend to respond to this garbage??...



Update 8/26/25: I would say that this speaks volumes about the usual gaggle of Beltway idiots in charge of "Team D"; apparently, they're more concerned with appearing on "Real Time" and "Morning Jo(ke)" to tut-tut over those baaaad "socialist" Democrats like Zohran Mamdani as opposed to, y'know, ACTUALLY WINNING DAMN ELECTIONS!

...and Brittany Page tells us that it appears that our DHS is apparently running a contest to see how many white power symbols they can put up online (and Page is a particular SME in this area, having grown up under that influence, though she now commendably refutes that)...and naturally, “I’ll Drink To That” Hegseth authorized the destruction of thousands of photos from a DoD database depicting accomplishments of minorities...we also revisit the Beyonce ad nonsense with “Maniac Megyn” Kelly, who might as well just wear a brown shirt and burn a cross on her lawn to make it official (and Page is totally spot-on in saying that we should never accept “racism lite”...it is ALL repugnant)...I have to admit that I didn’t know the “1488” significance, but as Page points out, you can be damn sure that the “white power” bunch is aware of it...Page is also correct when she says that we shouldn’t cede any ground on LGBTQ and race matters (immigration also) to the lunatics we’re up against...



...and RIP Terence Stamp, appearing here in “The Limey” (incredibly NSFW/H)...



...and Seth Meyers lets us know that Combover Caligula has apparently brought “cancel culture” to the Kennedy Center Awards in a “Closer Look” segment...it’s possible that “wokester” might be the single most “OK, boomer” term I’ve ever heard in my life...and as far as Louisiana Repug Sen. “Foghorn Leghorn” goes, I give you this...good job to take shots at “America’s Mayor” also...Meyers does a great job IMO of pointing out just how much the wingnuts end up telling on each other more or less with every faux outrage on their part...almost don’t have the words to truly communicate my disgust with Our Ochre Abomination for every moment of his indignation over not getting an award he thinks is due to him...and “asphalt type person”...ugh – three-plus more years of this...



...and like many of you I’m sure, I watched the recent HBO documentary on Billy Joel, which was very well done IMO...I’m sure we all can relate to “personal baggage” in our lives, and Joel has that for sure, though he of course has managed to create some truly amazing music over his career perhaps in spite of that...we really don’t know the lives of any famous people since they’re in another orbit, but I thought the documentary gave us a bit of insight into Joel as well as Christie Brinkley and other members of Joel’s family as well as those he has worked with in the music business...I knew that Joel’s one-time manager Artie Ripp totally screwed up the production of Joel’s first LP Cold Spring Harbor, which is truly a shame since I think it’s a tremendous recording...if you’re able to watch the documentary on HBO MAX, I highly recommend it...when it comes to Joel, this may be my favorite tune from his body of work stretching over decades (and best wishes to Joel when it comes to dealing with his health issues).