And just like that, suddenly the debt ceiling no longer matters …
- Who will benefit from the tax cuts? …
- Yes that’s correct, the oligarchs and the rich, not you and me. We will be paying more tax to help pay for this. They are getting what they paid for.
- Really?
- Yes really …
This is why Elon is “deleting” various agencies left and right – it is to gather up and make available funding to enrich himself via tax cats.
Also, notice that this is all founded on an assumption that the economy will grow 2.8%; a tariff infested trade war economy will not grow, but instead will shrink. The word “Assuming” is doing a LOT of work there.
Has any other crazy stuff happened during the past week?
As is now the well established pattern, you need not even ask, “utter lunacy blended with raw stupidity” is BAU for Trump.
The utterly corrupt felon declared himself to be Napoleon
The phrase is a quote. It was first made by the well-known French military leader who created the Napoleonic Code of civil law in 1804 before declaring himself emperor. History records that things did not work out all that well for him.
The phrase itself is commonly deployed by far-right fascists to justify their actions. It’s a reference to a dictator saying, “I can do whatever the hell I want as long as it helps the nation, so laws don’t apply to me“.
It is a rationale that has historically been employed by fascist regimes, including Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany, where legal structures were undermined in the name of national salvation. The phrase has also been described as aligned with Vladimir Putin’s thinking and governance style.
To those that supported him, the phrase “You were warned” is going to most probably gain no traction because most of them are still too ensnared by propaganda to grasp hold of the truth.
America once had the “Greatest Generation” that fought the Nazis. Now we have the “Stupid Generation” that sided with the Nazis.
We also see it in action this past week, the proposal to remove judges who dare to resist …
Multiple layers of Lunacy and utter incompetence
To continue to torrent of raw stupidity and corruption, here are a few samples this past week’s offerings …
- Trump just made it easier for corporations to bribe foreign officials. The U.S. once led the fight against global corruption—now we’re endorsing it. This isn’t ‘America First,’ it’s selling out our integrity for dirty money. Who benefits? The wealthy elite. Who pays? The rest of us
- His first term taught us that if you elect a clown you get a circus. The second term is revealing that if if you elect a felon then you get crimes.
“Bring out the dead” … is now a real proposal …
- So how will this work … Ouija boards perhaps, and so we will get the first ever, Congressional Seance at midnight.
- I really thought Boebert was the dumbest one in Congress. I stand corrected.
- What will it be next week, GOP subpoena’s the signers of the Declaration of Independence to help define the 2nd amendment’s intentions perhaps?
The 51st State …
- You might be wondering why the NY AG can’t request a warrant for Elmo’s arrest while the State courts figure out what the hell is going on, but the core of the problem is this – The orange parasite and Elon muskrat control the DOJ and no longer listen to the courts either.
- With no rule of law, now what?
- Republicans ridiculed Biden for pledging to try to cure cancer. If that wasn’t enough to show they’re on cancer’s side, this should remove all doubt.
- Last I heard- Republican voters get cancer too. But propaganda will be used to demonize these researchers. And it will work with MAGA.
- Meanwhile from The Onion: FBI Uncovers Al-Qaeda Plot To Just Sit Back And Enjoy Collapse Of United States
The clue was in the name “Nuclear Security Admin“, but they were even too stupid for something so obvious (just to be clear here these guys did Nuclear Weapons Security oversight) …
- It’s just like that time Musk fired almost all Twitter engineers, only Twitter didn’t have ICBMs.
- It was the stupidest of times, it was the dumbest of times
Republican Votes
Once again he suggests he will do the right thing. Past experience is always an indicator of future behaviour. He, as a doctor knows that RFK Jnr is full of it, but voted for him anyway, so it is rather safe to know how he will vote on this one as well …
Blatant Corruption
I never thought I’d see such blatant corruption, but here we are …
- I’m sure the mainstream media will be all over this… right after they finish kissing Trump’s ring.
And if you are wondering what is with the sudden interest in Ukraine, it is a very blatant bit of extortion …
- There is already an agreement in place, which the US signed, to provide security guarantees in exchange for denuclearizing. It was signed in 1984 and is called the Budapest Memorandum. Why would they sign another if the US won’t honour the first one?
Liars, Damned Liars, and Tucker Carlson
Are people stupid enough to believe the lies?
Christian Nationalists
With each passing week they continue to maintain and promote their lofty delusional claims. Here is Prof Caroline Corbin commenting on what is now happening in ND…
- The problem we now face is that they now feel empowered to try performative religious stunts like this
- It’s the “Everyone must” bit that you have to wonder about – how exactly could they ever do that?
- Damn pesky “rule of law”
This past week, Lance was also explaining how Christian nationalists intend to the White House Faith Office to “seize the institutions of the federal government.“
- It’s kind of quaint that Lance actually thinks there will still be “institutions of the federal government.” left for him to size after Elon is done.
- More seriously … it is deeply concerning that the Republic of Gilead is now a real threat. Many see the word “Christian” and so they fail to grasp just how nutty and fanatical these people actually are. For the curious – start here – and book a bit of time if you decide to tumble down that rabbit hole. Also bring a cushion to pop under your jaw because it may thud against the floor a few times.
- What has happened is that the more traditional religious who have integrity want nothing to do with the felon now in power, so religious extremists have instead circled around him to fill that gap.
Mandatory prayer or loss of funding …
- Not legal and not constitutional and is also a very fascist move – imposing stuff on people, and those that refuse to comply face consequences.
Christian nationalist Andrew Isker is vehemently opposed to Riley Gaines’ campaign against trans athletes competing in women’s sports …. because (brace for impact)…. it ignores the fact that women shouldn’t even be able to play sports to begin with.
- We are one step away from MAGA not allowing women to wear shoes.
The False Profit$
Normally the ramblings of MAGA Pastor Shane Vaughn, a self-appointed “prophet”, have not been worth spotlighting these past few week, but this past week he upped his game. Shane Vaughn claims that the left “created Donald Trump” the moment that “Satan raised up Barack Hussein Obama” to be president.
- Racist white guy, who always hated a black POTUS, is now sure that we have a racist POTUS because of a satanic (black) POTUS … is about as clear a declaration of racism I have ever seen, but sugar coated with religious-babble to make it digestible to his cult disciples.
- Reminder: Pastor John Shane Vaughn is a fraudster who was convicted and sent to jail for running a financial scam, not before he found Jesus, but while he was a pastor. It is of course only natural that his Lord and Saviour is also a convicted felon and father of many many lies.
Self-proclaimed “prophetess” Kat Kerr reports that not only did she spiritually cleanse the White House when she was in Washington, D.C., for President Donald Trump’s inauguration, but she also stationed one million angels outside to protect him.
- I have questions: What exactly will these one million angels do to protect a convicted felon? … if you are going to make numbers up, then why go with one million, why not a billion, or even a trillion?
Weirdest of the Weird
After his weird claims last week, I was convinced the Eric Metaxas had reached rock bottom. Nope, this past week we discovered that his rock bottom of lunacy has a basement. He has now embraced the PizzaGate conspiracy theory while declaring that “the Democratic Party is the party of pedophilia. Which is Satanic.”
- Speaking of basements, yes, as I’m sure you are aware, Pizzagate is indeed the whacky claim that a Pizza place in DC was running a child sex trafficking ring in it’s basement, a basement that was pure fantasy as confirmed by the fact that the building has no basement.
- In other words Mr Metaxes is standing on the dock waving bye bye to reality as it sails over the horizon out of sight. (It can however be argued that this is a metaphor more appropriately applied too him a few years ago and not just this past week).
So is this real or satire?
- It’s real … and so we have yet another bit of data that confirms that the dumbest people who have ever existed are running the country
Dave Kubal of Intercessors for America reports that Trump has installed two golden angels in the White House to protect him.
- If tempted to think that they don’t actually believe this then hit pause on that. I was once religious myself, so yes these fools really believe this lunacy.
The official US Army account is now reposting ‘Libs of TikTok’, a far-right whacky torrent of propaganda …
Political Cartoons from the past week
As always, there are many excellent cartoons. Here are a few samples. Each comes with a link to the cartoonist putting the cartoon out via BlueSky. If you are on Bluesky then you can use the link to follow them.
Bill Bramhall comments on the pardon for the ever so corrupt Eric Adams …
Matt Wuerker point out that they are shooting the watchdogs …
Media Sanewashing of Tyranny
- “We are ceasing all efforts to help anyone not white get a job here and have forced the people who were working on that to GTFO. By the way we also welcome everyone”
- PBS thinks complying with this will prevent Musk from ending their public funding. How quaint. They’re gonna learn the hard way just like everyone else.
- It’s been such bullshit seeing all these orgs capitulate when capitulation will be futile anyway, But it’s ESPECIALLY grim seeing this from PBS.
- A lot of people are being courageous in the face of what is happening, but unfortunately none are in charge of big flashy institutions.
FFS … it is now being called the “Gaza Development Plan” by the NYT …
The Gulf of Mexico is now and will always be the Gulf of Mexico – that’s the real fact. Axios bows to the will of the tyrant (AP did not) …
- The above is Axios telling us that they are no longer a reliable source of facts.
- A US President has absolutely no authority to rename the Gulf of Mexico – this really is not hard to grasp.
Meanwhile, some foreign press outlets show us how it’s done …
- Vance lied the whole time in his European speech, its was all lies. Here is the UK’s Guardian breaking it all down and revealing that end-to-end all his claims are fictitious BS. (My point is this – the press there did their job – they fact-checked him and then called him on it).
- Journalism 101 – you don’t just amplify what people claim. If somebody says it is raining, a journalist’s job is to go outside and check, then report the facts and so expose the lies.
Trump keeps whining about the U.S.-Canada trade deal and sparked global chaos over it—but what’s rarely mentioned? He’s the one who negotiated it and spent his first term bragging about it.
- And why the Press doesn’t point that out every single time is mind boggling.
AP refused to Bow
White House oppresses press because they refuse to bow to his demands …
- Even if they did get access, he would simply lie to them; access is pointless, he did them a favour.
- Media needs to stop covering his propaganda. Use that airtime to cover representatives who are educating/warning the people.
Musk is running the country anyway, while Trump conducts a reality show and treats the media like groveling dogs. They need to grasp hold of some dignity and self respect and walk the hell out.
People look away and pretend the horror is not here now
NEW YORK: “A 24-year-old transgender man from Minnesota who had been missing since December was subjected to violence and torture before his remains were found this week in a field in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York…” www.bbc.com/news/article…
- Major Kevin Sucher of the New York State Police said the facts and circumstances of the case were “beyond depraved” and “by far the worst” homicide investigation his office had undertaken.
- “The epidemic of violence against Trans folx in this country is a direct consequence of the ignorance and hatred that permeate our society,“
- A 2021 study, external released by University of California, Los Angeles revealed that transgender people are over four times more likely than others to experience violence.
Kendrick vs Drake
If you are wondering what this Kendrick vs Drake thing is and what all the fuss was about for his song during the half-time show last Sunday, then here, via the BBC, is a quick primer.
By the time you read this a week will have past and so it will feel like forever ago … but hey, here it is … enjoy …
Elon tried to buy OpenAI … Sam Altman responds …
Finally
LOL … Not even $44 billion can buy him popularity even after gaming the algorithm …
- “What’s your name again?” also doesn’t work when the person’s name is right there.
Rep Garcia flashes a dick-pic in congress …
- This all of this. The dems keep standing on decorum and old rules. Garcia gets it. This is airing on Fox and he is speaking the language of that audience.
- The single most plausible way that Elon Musk is removed from any sort of official position is Trump hearing the phrase “President Musk” one too many times for his liking
- My favorite part of the video is that Gregorio Casar could not control his laughter, screen right
- Seriously, her concern is about *a pejorative* when the dick is burning down the federal government? Because it might be impolite? – If decorum prevents us from taking the necessary actions to save democracy and the country, then fuck decorum.
- Oh and good question, Brianna. Did you ask that same question during the campaign, when the then candidate VP Vance called our Vice President, Kamala Harris, “Trash”?
One last reminder for those that are in a position to act …
